Macklin Celebrini – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – A look to the future with Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini then turn back the clock for Taylor and Taylor, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:26:51 +0000

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 18: Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on during the second period against the Calgary Flames on November 18, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, look to the future with Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini then turn back the clock for Taylor and Taylor, and so much more!

#1 It’s not as if Chicago Blackhawks centre Connor Bedard is flying under the radar. He was the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie for the 2023-2024 season. Last season was not as productive as hoped, though most of the blame seemed to fall on the lack of quality in his supporting cast, and that did create some questions heading into this, his third season in the NHL. Bedard has silenced any critics with 29 points (13 G, 16 A) in 20 games. After scoring on 11.2 percent of his shots in his first two seasons, Bedard has scored his 13 goals on 70 shots, a shooting percentage of 18.6 percent, which is high, but not outrageously so, particularly for someone with Bedard’s release. His on-ice shooting percentage is 13.0 percent, which again is high, but not outrageously high. The early indications are that Bedard’s improvement is at least somewhat for real, in part because he has increased his shot rate to 3.5 per game, after averaging 2.38 per game last season. His percentages will probably come down, so maybe he won’t continue at 1.45 points per game – almost a 119-point pace in 82 games – but a 100-point season is not out of the question.

#2 The first pick in the 2024 Draft, San Jose Sharks centre Macklin Celebrini has produced 31 points (13 G, 18 A) in his first 21 games and to see this kind of production in just his second season portends potential superstardom for the 19-year-old skater. The percentages would suggest exercising some caution with Celebrini’s projections over the rest of the season because he is scoring on 21.7 percent of his shots, after scoring on 10.6 percent as a rookie last season, and his on-ice shooting percentage is nearly 17 percent, a number that will not last for an entire season. Both players are outstanding and should be marquee players in the league for a long time, so there should be no reason to move them out in keeper formats, but given the statistics to this point, it appears that Celebrini’s hot start could be more likely to run into regression this season.

#3 At 34-years-old, Carolina Hurricanes left winger Taylor Hall has hit the stage of his career where he is filling a complementary role as a scoring forward, but that doesn’t mean he has ceased to provide value. In his past seven games, Hall has six points (3 G, 3 A) with 18 shots on goal while playing 15:45 per game. This comes on the heels of his managing just two assists in his previous 10 games, so he’s not easy to trust as a point producer. Some of that is because he has not recorded a power play point all season, with all 12 of his points this season coming at even strength. It might be difficult to believe in Hall at this point, but if he continues like this, belief will follow.

#4 Taken with the second pick in the 2010 Draft, one spot behind Hall, Tyler Seguin has enjoyed a productive career with fewer injuries. Seguin started slowly this season but, after he produced seven points (4 G, 3 A) in his past eight games, Seguin has climbed to 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in 21 games this season. He only has nine shots on goal in those eight games, which is troublingly low, but also has the benefit of quality linemates, as he is currently skating on a line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.

#5 Acquired from Montreal as part of the Noah Dobson trade, Emil Heineman has turned into such an offensive threat that he is getting time on the first line. With an assist in Thursday’s 5-0 win at Detroit, Heineman has contributed a point in eight (4 G, 4 A) of his past nine games. He only has 17 shots on goal in that time, so the point-per-game pace is likely to fade, but Heineman is making a case to play a bigger role for the Islanders and if he can stick in this spot in the lineup, he will be a valuable fantasy contributor.

#6 When Aleskander Barkov got injured, the Florida Panthers knew that they had a prime young player who could step into a bigger role. While no one is going to completely make up for Barkov’s absence, it did appear that Anton Lundell could handle more responsibility. He has stepped up all season, but in the past 12 games, Lundell has averaged 21:36 of ice time per game, contributing 11 points (3 G, 8 A) with 22 shots on goal. The Panthers have done a lot of line juggling this season due to injuries, and Lundell has most recently been skating on a line with Mackie Samoskevich and Brad Marchand.

#7 Veteran Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson has not been a major offensive contributor in recent seasons, but he was a PP1 quarterback during his prime years in Arizona, so there is some offensive skill there, even if it has been suppressed. In his past nine games, Ekman-Larsson has contributed eight points (1 G, 7 A) while averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time per game. Ekman-Larsson is getting second unit power play time and is up to 15 points (2 G, 13 A) in 21 games this season, giving him a chance to surpass 40 points for the first time since 2018-2019.

#8 Philadelphia Flyers centre Christian Dvorak showed some offensive flashes in Montreal last season after battling injuries in the previous few seasons. He is playing significant minutes for Philadelphia this season and has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past six games. He may not sustain that kind of scoring surge over the long haul, but he played 17:59 at even strength on Thursday against St. Louis, leading all Philadelphia forwards in even-strength ice time, so that does make him a more compelling case, as is any player who has earned that kind of trust from his coach.

#9 One of the hottest names on the trade market is Calgary Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson, who is ramping up his productivity, even in the midst of the Flames’ struggles, which should only enhance his value. Andersson has six points (2 G, 4 A) and eight shots on goal during a three-game point streak, and he is averaging 25:20 of ice time per game in his past seven games – apparently the Flames want to get the most out of him before sending him to a new location.

#10 Although his consistently low shot rates can be a reason for concern, and he’s never been confused with the most durable players in the league, New York Islanders left winger Jonathan Drouin is still a productive playmaking winger. Drouin has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with eight shots on goal in his past seven games and even when he was held off the scoresheet during the Islanders’ 5-0 win at Detroit on Thursday, he ranked second among Islanders forwards in ice time, behind only Mathew Barzal. It’s enough to make him appealing to managers in deeper leagues, so long as he is healthy and getting this much ice time.

#11 Taken with the 19th pick in the 2023 Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Oliver Moore played for two seasons at the University of Minnesota and started this season in the American Hockey League, where he tallied nine points (6 G, 3 A) in nine games. He has been promoted to Chicago, where he has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) in nine games and is skating on the Blackhawks’ second line with Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi. He is more long-term potential than immediate value, but Moore might have enough upside for deeper league interest now.

#12 It’s looking like rookie Jesper Wallstedt is pushing Filip Gustavsson in the Minnesota Wild crease. Gustavsson has been great and not-so-great in recent seasons and has a .897 save percentage in 14 games this season, a level of play that opens the door for a challenger. Wallstedt has delivered a .926 save percentage in seven starts and that includes one disastrous start at San Jose when he allowed six goals on 25 shots. Every other start has been in the range of good to great.

#13 The Columbus Blue Jackets have been patient with goaltender Jet Greaves, a 24-year-old who was undrafted coming out of the Ontario Hockey League. After 158 games in the American Hockey League, during which he recorded a .909 save percentage, Greaves put himself in position to have a job in Columbus this season and now the question is how much of a workload should he be asked to handle? In his past five starts, Greaves has a .925 save percentage, lifting his season save percentage to .906 in 13 starts.

#14 With Thatcher Demko injured once again, opportunity knocks for Vancouver Canucks netminder Kevin Lankinen, who is admittedly not easy to recommend at the moment. Through a dozen appearances this season, Lankinen has a .886 save percentage, which is not good enough, but he had a .907 save percentage over the previous three seasons combined, and that level is typically good enough to hold a starting job in the league.

#15 The Colorado Avalanche have been easing Mackenzie Blackwood back into action following his recovery from a lower-body injury. Blackwood has appeared in three games this month and somehow has a 2-0-1 record with a .870 save percentage in those three contests. In the long run, he should regain the Avalanche net, but Scott Wedgewood has a .913 save percentage in 16 starts, so the Avs can afford to be patient with Blackwood.

#16 While the decline of the Nashville Predators doesn’t fall entirely on the goaltending, it’s worth pointing out that veteran netminder Juuse Saros had positive Goals Saved Above Average for every season of his career until last season and he’s underwater again this season. A save percentage of .892 isn’t going to cut it behind a team that ranks 21st with an Expected Goals Against Average of 3.13.

#17 The New York Rangers are getting the full J.T. Miller experience it appears. After trading to acquire the centre from the Vancouver Canucks last season, the Blueshirts named Miller their captain for this season, and they are not getting the kind of leadership that they might have hoped for. This week he was roundly criticized for an abysmal shift against Vegas that ultimately turned into a goal against the Rangers, and he was in a slump, scoring two points (1 G, 1 A) with 12 shots on goal in an eight-game span. On Thursday night, he scored a pair of goals in a 6-3 loss at Colorado and still found his way to a minus-4 by the end of the game when the Avalanche scored two goals into the empty Rangers net. Miller is a talented player who, when motivated, can take over games, but he also has a habit of checking out defensively in some of the most egregious displays. That probably makes him worth considering as a buy-low option right now, but that does come with a level of risk.

#18 In the past couple of seasons, Mackenzie Weegar has been a standout on the Calgary Flames blueline, producing 99 points (28 G, 71 A) in 163 games to go with stellar possession numbers. He has managed just four assists in 22 games this season and what’s wild about Weegar’s struggles is that his possession game remains excellent, with the Flames controlling 57 percent of five-on-five shot attempts with Weegar on the ice. However, he is getting killed by low percentages, including an on-ice shooting percentage of 4.0 percent and an on-ice save percentage of .869, which has contributed greatly to the Flames getting outscored 21-8 with Weegar on the ice at five-on-five. With the Flames giving Rasmus Andersson first-unit power play time, Weegar could be the likely beneficiary following an Andersson trade, presuming that Weegar would return to the top power play unit. In the meantime, he should at least be able to count on some positive regression in those percentages.

#19 It has been a tough time for NHL players and social occasions. New Jersey Devils standout centre Jack Hughes will miss eight weeks after requiring surgery on his finger following an incident at a rookie dinner. The Devils will continue to lean on Nico Hischier down the middle, with Dawson Mercer handling the second line centre role with Hughes out of the lineup. In Florida, left winger Eetu Luostarinen is out on a week-to-week basis after suffering burns in a barbecue incident. Luostarinen had eight points (2 G, 6 A) with 15 shots on goal in his last eight games before the injury. Both Mackie Samoskevich and Jesper Boqvist are looking at bigger roles on the left flank amid a run of injuries in South Florida.

#20 The Boston Bruins will be without top defenceman Charlie McAvoy indefinitely when he required facial surgery after a slapshot from Montreal Canadiens defenceman Noah Dobson hit him in the face. With McAvoy out, Hampus Lindholm becomes even more important for the Bruins, and he does have five points (1 G, 4 A) in his past six games. Dallas defenceman Thomas Harley is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, which means Miro Heiskanen will get PP1 time at the point in Dallas. The Stars’ second unit sees Esa Lindell and journeyman Kyle Capobianco playing defence, though neither has much offensive value at this point.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:51:28 +0000

CALGARY, AB - FEBRUARY 23: San Jose Sharks Center William Smith (2) skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks on February 23, 2025, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire)

The Sharks missed the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season in 2024-2025. They improved by five points over the previous season, but that still left them with 52 points (20-50-12), the lowest total in the league by nine points. The Sharks finished 31st in Corsi percentage (45.6) and 31st in expected goals percentage (just under 44 percent), so it’s no surprise that they were at the bottom of the standings, but it also shows that they are still trying to climb out of a big hole. The Sharks power play struggled, too, ranking 28th with 5.15 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play. Same for the penalty killing, which ranked 28th with 9.10 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. On top of all of those struggles, the Sharks’ goaltending was subpar, too, especially once they traded Mackenzie Blackwood to Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek struggled. Yaroslav Askarov was the best of the remaining options, but he battled injuries and played in just 13 games, so this all combined to form the worst team in the NHL last season.

What’s Changed?

Desperate to add more talent to the supporting cast around 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks signed free agent forwards Jeff Skinner from the Edmonton Oilers and Adam Gaudette from the Ottawa Senators while also trading to acquire Philipp Kurashev from the Chicago Blackhawks and enforcer Ryan Reaves from the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the blueline, the Sharks bought out Marc-Edouard Vlasic, so this will be the first time since 2005-2006 that he has not been part of the mix on the San Jose blueline. The Sharks traded for Nick Leddy from the St. Louis Blues, Vincent Desharnais from the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed free agents Dmitry Orlov from the Carolina Hurricanes and John Klingberg from the Edmonton Oilers. San Jose also aimed to shore up its goaltending by acquiring Alex Nedeljkovic from the Penguins to share the crease with Askarov.

What would success look like?

While the Sharks should be better than they were last season, it is such a long climb to get to the playoffs that it is not a reasonable expectation for this season. The main focus is to have the young core – Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Askarov – continue to develop into frontline NHL players. The Sharks have 10 established NHLers that will be unrestricted free agents next summer, so a main objective should be making them as productive as possible so that they can net the best possible return before the trade deadline. The Sharks can improve in virtually every facet of the game, so that should absolutely be an objective and if it means that the team finishes with 70 points and is still miles away from a playoff spot, but has improved by nearly 20 points, that would have to be considered a successful season.

What could go wrong?

Given their current position, it’s hard for anything to go too wrong for the Sharks. Of course, keeping Celebrini, Smith, Eklund, and Askarov healthy is important, but the team not improving in the standings would still lead to another high draft pick and if they were to land likely No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna, that’s not really a problem. If the Sharks are going to miss the playoffs, and that is the most likely outcome, then they should at least continue to build towards a more promising future and that includes having veterans that they can deal for more assets at the trade deadline.

Top Breakout Candidate

While there are some teams that have very few young players in position to have breakout seasons, the Sharks are in the opposite position. Smith, Eklund, and Askarov are all outstanding candidates to further their development this season, but Macklin Celebrini has to be the top breakout candidate because he was so impressive as an 18-year-old rookie, with a well-rounded game, that he has the potential to be a star and maybe as soon as this season.

FORWARDS

Macklin Celebrini

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	28	46	74	0.96

The first pick in the 2024 Draft did not disappoint in his rookie season. That’s not to suggest that there isn’t room to improve, but he was 18 years old and finished the season with 31 points (12 G, 19 A) and 114 shots on goal in his last 33 games. On a team like the Sharks, that finished nine points behind the 31st place Chicago Blackhawks, with a goal differential that was 35 worse than Chicago, Celebrini had relatively strong possession numbers. The Sharks controlled 48.7 percent of shot attempts and 47.1 percent of expected goals with Celebrini on the ice during five-on-five play. Finishing with 63 points (28 G, 35 A) in 70 games, Celebrini’s 0.90 points per game ranked ninth and his 3.37 shots on goal per game ranked fourth among rookies since 2000-2001. Celebrini plays such a solid and reliable game already, that it’s easy to get excited about his potential. If the Sharks can build up the talent around him, he could turn into an elite player soon. His high shot rate is an encouraging sign that his offensive production is sustainable and, as he grows, he will likely improve the quality of his chances and the rate at which he finishes. For his second season, it’s reasonable to expect 25-30 goals and 70-75 points from the Sharks’ franchise player.

Tyler Toffoli

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	28	27	55	0.70

A two-time Stanley Cup winner who was brought in to be a good influence on the young Sharks, Toffoli showed that he can still play at a high level, hitting the 30-goal plateau for the third straight season. Over the past three seasons, Toffoli has accumulated 70 goals at even strength, which ranks 30th in the league in that time. His quick release allows him to score from distance and can sometimes take a relatively harmless situation and turn it into a goal with a snap of his wrists. He’s not particularly fleet afoot but has excellent instincts that help to get him where he needs to be on time. He’s also a reliable two-way player and that sets a good example for his teammates. That all-around game has helped Toffoli be a consistently strong play driver throughout his career and, even on a Sharks team that was getting buried last season, the Sharks were outshooting opponents when Toffoli was on the ice. The Sharks attempted to improve their roster in the offseason, which should ensure that Toffoli remains productive during the 2025-2026 season. Toffoli’s most common linemates last season were Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund, and it seems likely that trio will ride together again this season. Toffoli should be expected to score 25-30 goals on the way to 55 points.

Will Smith

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	25	34	59	0.73

The fourth pick in the 2023 Draft, Smith was brought along slowly at the start of last season, playing limited minutes and getting healthy scratched as part of a plan to ease him into the National Hockey League. He managed a modest four points (2 G, 2 A) while playing in 18 of San Jose’s first 23 games. Smith started to show some flashes that kept him in the lineup and increased his ice time. Down the stretch, he produced 30 points (12 G, 18 A) in his last 34 games. Smith is a creative player, and once his confidence started to pick up, he was a consistently dangerous player. When Smith started to find his stride, he displayed a quick release on his shot, that allowed him to score off the rush, as well as terrific vision when it came to setting up his linemates. He had a fluidity in his movement and creativity to his game that suggested he was only scratching the surface last season. The question for the Sharks is whether they will move Smith to center, which was his position coming up, but he spent more of his rookie season skating on right wing. Smith only won 36.5 percent of his faceoffs as a rookie, so there is obviously room for improvement, but as he gets more comfortable in the NHL, the Sharks are probably a more dangerous team with Celebrini and Smith running in the top two center spots. Expect continued progress from Smith in his second season, with 20-25 goals and 50-55 points.

William Eklund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	20	41	61	0.77

The seventh pick in the 2021 Draft, Eklund has made steady progress in his first couple of NHL seasons. After scoring 45 points (16 G, 29 A) in his first full season in 2023-2024, Eklund jumped to 58 points (17 G, 41 A) in his second season. He has good instincts and puts himself in good positions to attack, particularly in transition. Eklund thrives in open space and even though he is not physically imposing, he’s not shy about going to the net when the game slows to a more grinding style. Eklund has a quick release on his shot that he could still use more often, and he does like to unleash one-timers on the power play, but he is also a creator for his linemates, using his speed to put pressure on the defence. When he plays with the likes of Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli, his most common linemates last season, that makes Eklund a valuable contributor because those guys make the most of the opportunities that he creates. Eklund’s two-way game has also proven to be quite solid early in his NHL career. Among Sharks forwards, he had the second-lowest Corsi against and expected goals against per 60 minutes during five-on-five play. That gives him a solid foundation and Eklund should continue to progress in his third full NHL season, with 20 goals and 60 points looking like fair benchmarks in 2025-2026.

Alexander Wennberg

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	11	23	34	0.44

An excellent defensive center, Wennberg shows, every once in a while, that he has high-end puck skills that could make one wonder if he could fit higher on the depth chart. He’s probably not enough of a shooter to make that happen over the long haul, as he only had 82 shots on goal in 77 games last season, but Wennberg held his own while averaging a career-high 18:51 of ice time for a frequently overmatched Sharks team in 2024-2025. His most common linemates were Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund, but Luke Kunin, Fabian Zetterlund, and Will Smith each played more than 200 five-on-five minutes with Wennberg, too. For a player who ends up handling checking center responsibilities, Wennberg is not great on faceoffs. He won 47.5 percent of his draws in 2024-2025, his best mark since 2020-2021. His reluctance to shoot the puck puts a limit on how much Wennberg can produce offensively, but his puck skills and ability to distribute at least make him a solid complementary player and in San Jose, he’s possibly a player who gets more ice time because he has an established level of NHL competence that not every forward on the Sharks roster can claim. In addition to providing sound defensive play, Wennberg ought to contribute around a dozen goals and 35 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Jeff Skinner

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	21	21	42	0.54

The 33-year-old winger finally got a taste of playoff action with the Edmonton Oilers last season after skating in 1,078 regular season games, though he was hardly a major factor, only dressing for a handful of postseason contests. Skinner’s role diminished relatively early in the season, and he did pick up the pace a bit in the final month but, overall, he was not what the Oilers were looking for. Skinner is a finesse winger who consistently drives play, but he’s not exactly Bob Gainey or Jere Lehtinen when he doesn’t have the puck and that lack of defensive commitment can threaten his spot in the lineup if he’s not scoring at a high level. To be fair to Skinner, even though he had the highest expected goals against per 60 minutes among Oilers forwards that played at least 200 five-on-five minutes, the Oilers did outscore opponents 33-3 2 with Skinner on the ice in those situations. There’s probably some good fortune at work there. In San Jose, Skinner should be a reliable veteran presence who brings legitimate skill to the table. Signed to a one-year deal, Skinner is also a prime candidate to be traded if the Sharks are, as expected, not in the playoff hunt. It would seem highly unlikely that he would surpass 30 goals again, something that he has done six times in his career, but 20-25 goals and 45 points seems like a fair expectation for him during the 2025-2026 season.

Philipp Kurashev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	18	30	0.39

After a breakout season in 2023-2024, when he scored 54 points (18 G, 36 A) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Kurashev plummeted to just 14 points (7 G, 7 A) last season. He did miss 31 games, but his ice time was also cut drastically, from more than 19 minutes per game to 13:43 per game. He struggled right from the start last season, scoring five points (3 G, 2 A) in his first 30 games, and his ice time was cut significantly in the second half of the season. Kurashev performed a little better, but it was too little, too late to try and salvage the season. Kurashev seems like a worthwhile risk for the Sharks to take, in the hopes that he can recapture his 2023-2024 form, but he is also going to depend on his linemates to lift his play to a certain level because while he has good hockey sense and knows where to be on the ice, he’s not an especially dynamic player who creates a lot on his own. If he can maintain a spot in San Jose’s middle six. Kurashev should bounce back to some degree from last season, scoring double digit goals and maybe 30 points.

Carl Grundstrom

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
66	10	10	20	0.30

Being a low-end fantasy forward on the Sharks likely means that you’re not going to be involved in too many fantasy leagues, and that may well be the case with Grundstrom, who managed nine points (3 G, 6 A) in 56 games last season while scoring on just 3.4 percent of his shots on goal. At the same time, there is an argument to be made that Grundstrom should play more than he did last season. Among Sharks forwards to play at least 200 minutes at five-on-five, Grundstrom had the best expected goals percentage at just under 50 percent. That occurred while his four most common linemates were Ty Dellandrea, Nico Sturm, Barclay Goodrow, and Luke Kunin, so there is the possibility that if Grundstrom were to find a regular spot with more quality linemates, he just might have a greater impact. Grundstrom has never played more than 57 games in an NHL season, so just staying healthy and in the lineup should be the first priority, but if he manages to play even 65 games, 10 goals and 20 points should be within his grasp. Grundstrom could have more value for leagues that reward hits because he had 172 in 56 games while playing less than 10 minutes per game last season, so 200-plus hits over a full season should not be out of the question.

Adam Gaudette

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	14	11	25	0.31

After spending most of the 2023-2024 season in the American Hockey League, where he scored 44 goals in 67 games for Springfield, Gaudette returned to the NHL last season with the Ottawa Senators, and he made his mark by scoring 19 goals in 81 games. Among players that played at least 200 five-on-five minutes, Gaudette ranked fifth in the entire league with 1.34 goals per 60 minutes, trailing only Tage Thompson, Alex Ovechkin, Morgan Geekie, and Cole Caufield. While it’s encouraging that Gaudette could contribute offensively despite his limited role in Ottawa, it needs to be noted that he scored on 21.1 percent of his shots on goal and, prior to last season, he had a shooting percentage of 9.0 percent in 220 NHL games so, in all likelihood, regression is coming. Gaudette won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs last season and his ability to play center and wing does give him a better chance to secure regular playing time with the Sharks. He’s probably not going to climb too high on the depth chart for any sustained period of time, but he can probably move around the bottom six a little bit. A fair expectation for Gaudette would see him scoring double digit goals and 20-25 points, which is generally not going to get fantasy managers excited, but in short bursts he might generate some interest.

DEFENCE

John Klingberg

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	6	24	30	0.42

When Klingberg left for hip surgery after playing just 14 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-2024, it looked like his NHL career may be finished. His mobility was obviously compromised. His defensive play had declined rather precipitously from his best days in Dallas and a 32-year-old defenceman coming off hip surgery was hardly the most appealing option. To Klingberg’s credit, he made it back to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and played in 11 games down the stretch. He was better than in his Toronto stint but was still shaky defensively. What made Klingberg more appealing is that during Edmonton’s playoff run, Klingberg ranked third in Corsi percentage (49.7) and fourth in expected goals percentage (48.8). That hardly looks like a standout defender, but it might be an indication that he can be competent defensively and that would be enough because, one of Klingberg’s more appealing traits is that he can run the point on a power play and the Sharks sorely need someone who can do that for them. During his time with the Dallas Stars, Klingberg recorded 148 power play points out of his 374 total points (71 G, 303 A) in 552 games. In the three years since, he has bounced around and not really had a consistent power play role, but that opportunity should be there for Klingberg in San Jose. If he plays 67 games in 2025-2026, Klingberg should be able to contribute 30 points. There’s a chance that it works out even better than that, with more of an impact on the power play, but for a player who has played 25 regular-season games in the past two seasons, it’s still worth exercising some caution when it comes to forecasting his point projection.

Mario Ferraro

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	4	16	20	0.25

With the Sharks moving on from Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Ferraro is now the longest tenured Sharks defender, having completed six seasons in teal. He has averaged more than 21 minutes of ice time in the past five seasons and has surpassed 120 hits and 120 blocked shots in each of the past four seasons. While he plays a significant role in San Jose, Ferraro is not much of an offensive contributor. He finished last season with a modest 17 points (5 G, 12 A), a total that he has exceeded only once in his six NHL seasons, and he has five career power play points, four of which came in his second season, 2020-2021. Ferraro partnered primarily with Timothy Liljegren last season and they were relatively successful, with the Sharks controlling 49.6 percent of the expected goals share during five-on-five play with that tandem on the ice, but neither one is particularly adept at creating offensive chances, so that puts a damper on any expectations for Ferraro to suddenly emerge as a point producer on the San Jose blueline. His blocked shots and hit totals can make Ferraro more appealing for fantasy purposes, but his lack of scoring does make that more challenging. The most reasonable expectation is that Ferraro will chip in 15-20 points while going to battle defensively, which is not overly appealing for fantasy hockey managers.

Dmitry Orlov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	6	24	30	0.38

A veteran defenceman who is solid at both ends of the rink, Orlov has typically not played a lot on the power play, but that might change in San Jose. His first priority is going to be providing defensive stability at even strength. Across the past three seasons, there are 128 defencemen that have played at least 3,000 five-on-five minutes, and Orlov ranked sixth in Corsi percentage (57.6) and seventh in expected goals percentage (55.6), so he is used to the puck moving in the right direction when he is on the ice. That will be harder in San Jose, but Orlov’s reliability should help in that regard. He has exceeded 30 points four times in his NHL career, peaking at 36 points when he split the 2022-2023 season between the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins. There is some offensive upside that comes with being able to move the puck, even if he is not usually logging big power play minutes. Orlov has also recorded more than 100 hits in nine of the past 10 seasons, with the only exception being the shortened 2020-2021 season. In San Jose, Orlov should play more than 20 minutes per game and that should allow him to contribute half a dozen goals and 25-30 points, which makes him rather fringy in terms of standard fantasy value.

Timothy Liljegren

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	6	17	23

Often shoved to the background when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Liljegren stepped into a regular role with the Sharks, playing more than 19 minutes per game, and delivered solid two-way play, finishing with the best expected goals percentage (49.4) among Sharks defenders to play at least 200 five-on-five minutes. Liljegren is a strong skater who has decent puck skills, so there could be some offensive upside, but he’s also 26 years old and it’s getting a little late to suddenly develop a more productive scoring game. Even if that’s the case, if Liljegren can maintain a steady top four role on San Jose’s blueline, his point production should improve as the quality of the Sharks lineup improves. Liljegren does not play an especially physical game, and he finished with 64 hits in 67 games last season, but he does block shots. In the past two seasons, Liljegren has 227 blocked shots in 123 games, so for that one particular category, he does offer some value for fantasy managers. If Liljegren can stay in the lineup more regularly than he did in Toronto, it would be reasonable to expect him to contribute half a dozen goals and 20-25 points during the 2025-2026 season. If he adds 140 blocked shots, that might give him some value in deeper leagues.

GOAL

Yaroslav Askarov

Hockey fans everywhere were absolutely stunned when the Nashville Predators took their most prized prospect - first round pick goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, who looked ready to hit the NHL full-time - and dealt him to the San Jose Sharks last offseason. Fueled by rumors that the top prospect was uninterested in spending any more time developing in the AHL, Nashville attempted to recoup their loss with a first-round pick demand and sent Askarov to the league's most obviously rebuilding franchise for a fun year of trial by fire.

Where most prospects would have absolutely tanked in that kind of environment, though, Askarov managed to make the most of an abysmal situation - and while he didn't exactly pull the Sharks out of their nosedive, he did manage to string together one of the most impressively passable seasons any rookie goaltender has put up on a team that came dangerously close to missing out on the twenty-win mark by season's end. In his thirteen NHL appearances, he put up seven quality starts and hit almost exactly league average metrics in goals saved above average; for perspective, team starter Alexandar Georgiev only managed to scrape together eleven quality starts, and he had 31 chances to do so. Now, with both his quietly impressive survival skills at the NHL level and truly excellent AHL numbers during his minor league stints, Askarov will almost certainly be handed more control of the crease this year. He'll tandem with former Penguins backup Alex Nedeljkovic, getting more NHL reps as the Sharks try to prevent their rebuild from entering the dreaded Bermuda Triangle that teams like Buffalo and Utah (formerly Arizona) have gotten stuck in for years at a time. It's somewhat risky to hinge a top prospect's development in net on a team very obviously still in retool mode, but Askarov has proven during his appearances in the last few years that he's got some adaptability to his game style and a bit of a goldfish mentality that makes it hard to pinpoint the moment his game will disintegrate during a tough matchup. He makes for an optimistic future in the Bay Area, so long as he doesn't regress this year.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Holloway paying dividends for streaking in St. Louis – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 14:00:11 +0000

St. Louis Blues center Dylan Holloway (81) (Photo by Keith Gillett/IconSportswire)

Has a team ever benefited so greatly and immediately from a player they snagged away from an adversary via an offer sheet as St. Louis has with Dylan Holloway? The two-year contract worth roughly $4.58 million was too rich for the Oilers when the Blues made a move against the RFA this summer, and to be fair to Edmonton, Holloway had just nine goals and 18 points in 89 regular-season appearances as well as five goals and seven points in 26 playoff games at that point. For a team in a cap crunch, Edmonton didn’t feel comfortable offering that kind of salary to a player projected for its bottom six.

Whatever the rationale was, though, Holloway has thoroughly demonstrated that Edmonton could not have been more wrong in its decision. Holloway scored tow goals to lead St. Louis to a 3-2 victory over Nashville on Thursday, bringing him up to 26 goals and 62 points in 74 outings this campaign. What once looked like a rich contract is now unquestionably one of the league’s biggest value signings.

He's provided the Blues, who tied for 24th in goals per game (2.85) last year with some much needed offensive depth, and he’s stepped up down the stretch, providing 10 goals and 22 points across 18 appearances since the 4 Nations break. Though, he does have plenty of company in that regard.

St. Louis as a whole has excelled since the tournament. That win against Nashville was the squad’s eighth straight, and the Blues are 14-2-2 since the time off. That’s the best record in the NHL over that span, and they’ve led the league in goals per game with an eye-popping 4.00. In addition to Holloway, Robert Thomas (six goals, 25 points), Jordan Kyrou (eight, 18), Jake Neighbours (six, 17), Brayden Schenn (six, 16) and defenseman Cam Fowler (two, 14) have been major factors.

The goaltending has been there too. Since leading Canada to victory, Jordan Binnington has posted a 9-2-0 record, 2.19 GAA and .912 save percentage across 11 outings, while Joel Hofer is 5-0-2 with a 1.98 GAA and a .910 save percentage across his last nine appearances.

The result is St. Louis has gone for a team that was set to miss the playoffs to one that’s sitting in a wild-card spot. To an extent, there’s shades of 2018-19 when the Blues got off to a disastrous start only to get hot, make the playoffs and then battle all the way to a championship. The Blues even made a midseason coaching change this year, replacing Drew Bannister (9-12-1) with Jim Montgomery (30-16-6). Obviously, just because the Blues had a magical run in 2019 doesn’t mean history will repeat itself this year, but with the way St. Louis is playing, it will be a dangerous team to face in the postseason.

Boston Bruins (Tue vs WAS, Thu @ MTL, Sat vs CAR, Sun @ BUF)

While the Blues have surged, Boston has faded, making already long odds to secure a playoff berth now look all-but impossible. Boston had a 3-12-3 from Feb. 5-March 26 and suffered its seventh straight loss (0-6-1) against the Ducks on Wednesday. Will the freefall continue next week? Boston will start by hosting Washington before playing in Montreal on Thursday, returning home to face the Hurricanes on Saturday and then playing in Buffalo on Sunday.

Boston has managed just 2.22 goals per game over the aforementioned 18-game stretch, and that’s despite David Pastrnak still doing really well with eight goals and 19 points in that span. Pastrnak has 35 goals and 85 points in 73 appearances, giving him a shot of reaching the 40-goal and 100-point marks for the third straight campaign. He’s one of the few Bruins who has largely lived up to expectations in 2024-25.

Morgan Geekie has also been something of a silver lining during Boston’s dreadful stretch. He’s provided four goals and six points across his past five games. That brings him up to 26 goals in 68 appearances this season, shattering his previous career high of 17 from 2023-24. One word of warning, though: His shooting percentage of 19.7 is a substantial jump compared to his career average of 11.4 going into the campaign, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Geekie saw a decline in goal production next season.

On another team, Geekie’s strong showing this season would have been a pleasant surprise that might have elevated the squad, but Boston is so devoid of scoring options that it barely moves the needle. Aside from Geekie and Pastrnak, no other player has recorded even five goals for Boston over the past 18 games, and to put that into context, five goals in 18 outings would amount to only a 23-goal pace over 82 games. Looking at the Bruins’ season as a whole, Pastrnak and Geekie will probably be the only players to finish with at least 22 goals. Brad Marchand will almost certainly finish the campaign third in goals for Boston with 21 despite being traded. Charlie Coyle, who was also dealt, currently ranks fourth in goals with 15 during his time with the Bruins.

Boston did acquire Casey Mittelstadt from Colorado, but so far that hasn’t paid dividends. Mittelstadt has two goals and four points in nine appearances with the Bruins despite averaging a healthy 17:28 of ice time and seeing minutes alongside Pastrnak. Mittelstadt’s 5v5 CF% rel and 5v5 FF% rel are minus-8.4 and minus-5.6, which suggests that, for as bad as Boston has been recently, the Bruins have performed even worse when Mittelstadt is on the ice.

This is a season that can’t end soon enough for the Bruins, but maybe with the season already essentially lost, Boston will feel the pressure lift and settle into a spoiler role. The Bruins do have a chance to make things harder for Montreal, and Boston is 2-0-0 against the Canadiens this season, so if you’re looking for a game where the Bruins might pleasantly surprise, that seems like a good candidate.

Calgary Flames (Mon @ COL, Tue @ UTA, Thu vs ANA, Sat vs VGK)

For a time, it looked like Calgary might squeak into the playoffs despite its lack of offense, but the rise of the Blues has made that unlikely. Still, the Flames have an outside chance should they have a strong week. Calgary will start the week on the road in Colorado on Monday and Utah on Tuesday. The Flames will then return home to face the Ducks on Thursday and the Golden Knights on Saturday.

For much of the season, Calgary was competitive thanks in large part to rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old has hit a rough patch, posting a 2-3-1 record, 3.65 GAA and .869 save percentage across his past six appearances. That’s reduced him to a 24-15-5 record, 2.67 GAA and .909 save percentage in 44 outings overall. It’s still been a good campaign for him, but I think his recent decline is likely enough to take him out of serious competition for the Calder Trophy, barring an unbelievable finish. Montreal’s Lane Hutson has a shot to reach 60 points as a defenseman, and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini has been averaging near a point per game, so in my mind the competition is just too strong for Wolf to still grab the trophy.

Of course, it’d be unfair to suggest Wolf’s struggles down the stretch cost Calgary a potential playoff berth. Calgary ranks 31st in goals per game with 2.61, which is what the real problem is. If there is a silver lining to be found among the Flames forwards, though, it’s been Jonathan Huberdeau. The first two years of his tenure with the Flames looked like a disaster, but he’s been solid this campaign with 27 goals and 58 points through 71 appearances. He’s also red hot with five goals and 12 points over his past eight outings. He’s still not warranting his $10.5 million cap hit, but at least he’s not fading away.

Nazem Kadri is also doing his part, even at the age of 34. He’s on a five-game goal-scoring streak in which he’s found the back of the net seven times. That’s rocketed him to 30 markers, which is his most since 2017-18 with Toronto, and just two goals away from his career high. I wouldn’t count on that goal streak carrying into next week, but he’s certainly one of the Flames’ best forward options.

Matthew Coronato is also giving the Flames some hope that there are better days ahead on offense. The 22-year-old has four goals and six points across his past five appearances, bringing him up to 20 goals and 39 points through 66 games this season. He’s getting tons of playing time -- 19:36 per game, including 3:21 with the man advantage, over his past five outings -- which puts him in a solid position to finish the campaign on a high note. Just keep in mind that young players can be particularly streaking, and Coronato has shown that he’s no exception. He had just two goals and three points in 12 appearances from Feb. 8-March 17, just to cite the latest example of his offense drying up.

Colorado Avalanche (Mon vs CGY, Wed @ CHI, Thu @ CBJ, Sat @ STL)

Colorado is cruising toward the end of the campaign with a 12-1-1 record over its past 14 games. The Avalanche will attempt to maintain that level of extreme success next week, starting with a home game against the Flames. They’ll then hit the road to play in Chicago on Wednesday, Columbus on Thursday and St. Louis on Saturday.

The Avalanche have a 45-25-3 record, which gives them the third spot in the Central Division. Even with their recent success, Colorado is still five points shy of the second-place Dallas Stars despite Colorado having played in one extra game. The Avalanche also have a six-point lead on Minnesota, which is pretty healthy this late in the season. In other words, Colorado is unlikely to move up or down from its current third-place seed, and I do wonder if a sense that the stakes are low will cause Colorado to ease up on the gas a little over the final games off the season, potentially ending the hot streak.

Then again, it’s hard to envision Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar giving suboptimal performances for any meaningful length of time. They’re just so reliable. Plus, MacKinnon has some added personal motivation as he looks to win the Art Ross Trophy -- MacKinnon leads the pack with 108 points in 73 appearances, but Nikita Kucherov isn’t far behind with 105 points in 68 outings -- and bolster his bid for the Hart Trophy. Meanwhile, Makar would set a new career high of 91 points if he collects at least seven more in Colorado’s final nine games -- a very doable task for the elite blueliner.

MacKinnon and Makar have unsurprisingly led the charge during the Avalanche’s past 14 games, providing 21 points and 20 points, respectively, but Martin Necas hasn’t been that far behind with six goals and 16 points in 14 appearances. Necas has worked out superbly alongside MacKinnon, which has led to him recording 26 goals and 80 points across 73 outings between Carolina and Colorado this campaign. Given that I don’t think MacKinnon is likely to slow, Necas should have a strong end to the campaign too.

I’m more uncertain about the sustainability of Brock Nelson. He has three goals and six points across his past four appearances, but can be fairly streaky, and he doesn’t have the luxury of regularly playing with MacKinnon at even strength, so if Colorado slows a bit during its final games, Nelson might be part of that.

Regardless of what the Avalanche do collectively, Charlie Coyle probably won’t factor in much on offense. He has just two assists in 10 games since joining Colorado from Boston, but more importantly, he’s averaging just 13:32 of ice time. Unlike Boston, the Avalanche are deep up front, especially when it comes to centers, so Coyle seems stuck on the third line, barring an injury. There’s no reason to put much stock in Coyle, given that role.

Columbus Blue Jackets (Tue vs NAS, Thu vs COL, Sat @ TOR, Sun @ OTT)

Columbus battled to its second straight shootout win Friday, improving to 33-29-9 on the campaign. Through March 28, the Blue Jackets hold the second wild-card seed, but their position couldn’t be more precarious: Although Columbus has the edge in games left (11), Montreal and the Rangers are tied with the Blue Jackets in terms of total points (75). Every point is critical for Columbus, and in that context, the Blue Jackets have a huge week ahead of them. They’ll host Nashville on Tuesday and Colorado on Thursday before hitting the road to visit Toronto and Ottawa on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The fact that Columbus even has a shot this deep into the season is a story that isn’t getting enough coverage nationally. This is a team that was projected to be closer to Chicago (21-43-9) and San Jose (20-42-9) than a playoff berth.

Getting Boone Jenner, Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger back from injuries has given the Blue Jackets a huge boost that might push them over the edge. Since making his Feb. 22 season debut, Jenner has supplied four goals and 14 points in 15 appearances, and he’s only been getting better, supplying four goals and five points over his past three outings. Meanwhile, Monahan returned Monday after missing 28 games due to a wrist injury and went right back to work with three helpers over his past two outings, and Sillinger (shoulder) played Friday for the first time this month, contributing an assist in his return.

Monahan is centering the top line between Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko, while Boone Jenner is on the second unit with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson. Sillinger helps round out the top nine by playing alongside Justin Danforth and Mathieu Olivier. Now that Columbus’ forward corps is relatively healthy, James van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch Friday, and he’ll probably find himself moving in and out of the lineup the rest of the way. Olivier is also going to have a tougher time getting minutes, he averaged just 11:40 of ice time Friday despite recording a goal and an assist, which is a significant drop from his average of 14:58 from Feb. 22-March 24.

A healthy group also makes things better for defenseman Zach Werenski on offense. He’s having a career year with 20 goals and 70 points in 70 outings, but he went through a six-game scoring drought from March 13-24. Werenski collected a power-play assist on one of Jenner’s goals to end that slump Friday, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 27-year-old defenseman end the campaign on a high note.

Dallas Stars ( Mon @ SEA, Thu vs NAS, Sat vs PIT, Sun @ MIN)

Dallas earned a 5-2 victory over Calgary on Thursday to improve to 4-1-1 over its past six games. The Stars seem secure as the Central Division’s second seed given their 47-21-4 record, and there’s still an outside shot of catching up to the 49-19-4 Jets to win the division. Dallas will attempt to pull that off with another strong week, starting in Seattle on Monday. The Stars will then host the Predators on Thursday and the Penguins on Saturday before playing in Minnesota on Sunday.

Defenseman Thomas Harley has found another gear lately, scoring five goals and 16 points across his past 14 appearances, rocketing him up to 15 goals and 47 points in 70 outings this campaign. The 23-year-old’s recent success is in part due to the power play -- he has eight points with the man advantage over his last 14 games, compared to just six power-play points across his first 56 outings in 2024-25. Miro Heiskanen (knee) hasn’t played since Jan. 28, which has resulted in Harley averaging 3:24 of power-play ice time since the injury compared to his season average of 2:11, which helps explain why Harley has see that spike in power-play success. Heiskanen is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season as well as the first round of the playoffs, so the current arrangement will persist for a while longer.

While Heiskanen won’t be back any time soon, Tyler Seguin might rejoin the team before the end of the regular season. Keep him in mind for playoff pools. He has nine goals and 20 points in 19 appearances before getting hurt, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reunite with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment when he’s healthy. Mikael Granlund will make that a difficult decision for the Avalanche, though. Granlund is their current linemate and has done well recently with four goals and eight points across his past 10 outings.

One alternative would be to keep Dallas’ current second line of Duchene, Marchment and Granlund intact, and instead have Seguin play alongside Jamie Benn. That might help the 34-year-old Benn, who has been good, but not great this campaign with 16 goals and 45 points in 72 outings this season. Benn has also been productive recently, supplying five assists in his past seven games despite averaging just 13:14 of ice time due to the Stars’ offensive depth.

Whatever happens, it’s a good problem for Dallas to have. The Stars already have a really strong top nine, and adding a healthy Seguin to that mix would make it truly special.

Montreal Canadiens (Tue vs FLA, Thu vs BOS, Sat vs PHI, Sun @ NAS)

The battle for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference might come down to the wire. Columbus won while Montreal suffered a loss Friday, leaving the Canadiens tied with Columbus in terms of points (75) for the second wild-card spot, but Montreal is at a disadvantage with one fewer game left on its schedule. The Rangers are also tied with 75 points while the Islanders are at 74. Montreal has been faltering lately, and the Canadiens need to stop the bleeding to stay in the mix. They’ll host the Panthers on Tuesday, the Bruins on Thursday and the Flyers on Saturday. Montreal will then conclude the week with a road match in Nashville on Sunday.

Sam Montembeault deserves some of the blame for Montreal’s recent struggles. He’s 0-2-2 across his past four outings while posting a 4.04 GAA and an .864 save percentage in four appearances. His overall numbers also don’t look great – he has a 25-23-6 record, 2.93 GAA and .898 save percentage through 54 appearances. However, there is a caveat to consider: His goals saved above expected is plus-14.5, per Moneypuck, which is actually the 14th best in the league. That’s because Montreal’s xGA/60 ranks 26th at 3.30. In other words, the Canadiens haven’t made things easy for him, and when it comes to this summer, adding players who could help shore up the defense should be a priority.

In meantime, Montreal’s best hope of making the playoffs might be through brute forcing with overwhelming offense. It helps that Patrik Laine has been clicking lately, supplying four goals and seven points over his past eight appearances, however, he’s been held off the scoresheet in two of his past three games, so it’s possible that run is petering out. Laine has traditionally had extreme hot and cold spells, so be weary of the other shoe dropping.

If he does fade, maybe that will be counterbalanced by Cole Caufield getting hot again. Caufield has been a touch quiet lately with a goal and two points across his past five appearances, but he’s having a great season overall with 34 goals and 63 points, and I don’t expect him to be held back for long.

Brendan Gallagher is also worthy of note. He’s enjoying one of his best stretches of the campaign with two goals and seven points in his last six outings. Just keep in mind that he’s still averaging a modest 13:55 of ice time, and he’s not going to be one of Montreal’s main scoring threats overall.

Ottawa Senators (Tue vs BUF, Thu vs TBL, Sat vs FLA, Sun vs CBJ)

Ottawa has merely treaded water recently, winning two of its past five games, but thanks to a 7-0-1 run from March 1-15, the Senators hold the first wild-card spot. Ottawa will look to maintain that lead this week and will have the benefit of remaining at home for the entire duration. The Senators will host Buffalo on Tuesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday, Florida on Saturday and Columbus on Sunday.

The Senators are 20-10-2 at home versus 18-18-3 on the road, so fantasy managers do tend to get a boost when deploying their players in Ottawa. That said, not all players have a dramatic home/road split. One who does is Tim Stutzle. He’s collected 13 goals and 43 points across 32 outings in Ottawa but is a less effective eight goals and 28 points in 39 appearances on the road. To put that in perspective, Stutzle’s home pace amounts to 33 goals and 110 points per 82 games, so that’s the kind of player you’d be deploying if you use him this week.

Drake Batherson is another player who tends to step up in front of the home crowd. He has 14 goals and 34 points in 32 outings at the Canadian Tire Centre this campaign versus six goals and 24 points in 39 games on the road. Batherson has also been hot lately, supplying four goals and nine points over his past eight appearances.

One more player who has a dramatic split is defenseman Jake Sanderson, who has supplied four goals and 30 points in 32 home games compared to three goals and 18 points on the road. However, not every player sees significant benefit from playing at home. Brady Tkachuk does have a higher point per game at home (26 points in 30 outings), but it’s a more muted jump compared to the road (29 points in 39 appearances) than we’ve seen with some other players. The same can be said for Claude Giroux (22 points in 32 games at home; 24 in 39 on the road). Meanwhile, Linus Ullmark actually seems to do a bit better away from Ottawa (2.68 GAA, .911 save percentage) than at home (2.91 GAA, .906 save percentage), so keep that in mind.

Washington Capitals (Tue @ BOS, Wed @ CAR, Fri vs CHI, Sun @ NYI)

The Capitals will spend most of the week on the road, playing in Boston on Tuesday, Carolina on Wednesday and the Islanders on Sunday. That leaves the Capitals with just one home game -- a match against Chicago on Friday. Washington was a borderline team to include because of that skew toward road games, but I couldn’t resist highlighting them given Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s record.

Ovechkin has 36 goals and 60 points in 56 appearances this campaign, putting him at 889 career goals, five shy of matching Gretzky and six away from beating him. Washington has 10 games left in the schedule for Ovechkin to accomplish that feat. In other words, it’s likely going to come down to the wire, but given Ovechkin’s recent pace of 14 goals in his past 22 games, it seems doable.

One x-factor is weather Ovechkin will get rested before the end of the season. To do so when he’s closing in on the record seems insane, but if you take a step back from that, he’s a 39-year-old on a team with Cup aspirations. Under normal circumstances, giving Ovechkin a game or more off at the end of the season would be a no brainer, and not doing so arguably could hurt Washington a bit in the playoffs. To some extent, it’s the same dilemma Toronto faced last year with Auston Matthews. Resting Matthews before Toronto’s first-round series against Boston might have been the smart play, but Matthews had a shot at a 70-goal season, so Toronto decided to keep him in the lineup and even log 21:03 of ice time against Tampa Bay in the season finale despite that game not even mattering from a playoff seeding perspective.

Still, Ovechkin didn’t play in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he missed 16 games from Nov. 21-Dec. 23 due to a fractured fibula, so unlike Matthews, who logged 81 regular-season games last season, Ovechkin has already had time off, so perhaps he doesn’t need the break as much as you might assume. Either way, it seems unlikely that Washington will rest him unless Ovechkin has already secured the record -- and the plus side in all this is it gives the Capitals something to play for even at this stage when they’ve already basically secured the top spot in the Conference with their 47-16-9 record.

Ovechkin’s pursuit should also help Aliaksei Protas finish his breakout campaign on a strong note. Protas has six goals and 13 points across his past 10 outings, bringing him up to 29 goals and 64 points in 72 outings. It’s going to be challenging for Washington to maintain its current level once Ovechkin eventually retires, but the 24-year-old Protas does give the Capitals hope for the future as well as the present.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – San Jose rebuild on track – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 12:54:26 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 11: San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

There are a number of teams that have effectively lost all hope of making the playoffs, but at the time of writing, only one team has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention: The San Jose Sharks.

It’s the sixth straight year without a playoff berth for San Jose, which is by far the largest stretch of failure in the franchise’s history -- from the inaugural season in 1991-92 through 2018-19, the Sharks had missed the playoffs just six times in total -- and yet there’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

Macklin Celebrini has lived up to the hype in his rookie campaign with 21 goals and 50 points through 57 appearances, and the 22-year-old William Eklund is shaping up to be another strong member of the Sharks’ future with 15 goals and 50 points in 64 outings. They’re also seeing some preliminary success from 19-year-old Will Smith, who has provided 13 goals and 35 points in 61 appearances. We should also soon see Cameron Lund make his NHL debut after signing an entry-level contract with the Sharks on Friday. Perhaps the Sharks will try pairing Lund up with Eklund after the 20-year-old Lund supplied 18 goals and 40 points in 37 outings with Northeastern University this year.

In the long run, that young core of forwards might be backed up by 22-year-old netminder Yaroslav Askarov, who has struggled with the rebuilding Sharks (3.10 GAA, .896 save percentage in 13 outings), but has looked solid at the AHL level this campaign (2.52 GAA, .922 save percentage in 19 games).

If some of their other top prospects like Quentin Musty and Sam Dickinson work out, and the Sharks get value out of their four picks in the top two rounds of the 2025 and 2026 drafts, then San Jose could start moving in an upward trajectory quickly.

The only issue is that they have a lot of ground to gain. There’s a good chance the Sharks will finish with 60 or lower points for a third straight campaign. On the one hand, it’s a stretch that’s allowed them to put their full force into rebuilding, but there’s always the danger of falling into the Buffalo Sabres trap, where success always seems to be just around the corner.

An eventful summer might be the key for the Sharks, especially because the Sharks are currently swimming in cap space. They do need to be mindful of the big raises that Eklund, Celebrini and Smith will be due if all goes as hoped, but Celebrini and Smith won’t test the market for the first time until the summer of 2027, while Eklund will remain on his entry-level contract for the 2025-26 campaign, so there is a window here for the Sharks to spend. Their cap flexibility is also made a little easier by the fact that Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s $7 million contract comes off the books in the summer of 2026 and Couture’s $8 million cap hit ends after 2026-27, which will help offset some of those raises.

That will allow them to be aggressive on the UFA market, and it also opens the door for San Jose to potentially leverage some of its picks for veteran players. So, while the Sharks have some largely meaningless games ahead of them, this might end up being the summer of GM Mike Grier.

Buffalo Sabres (Tue vs OTT, Thu vs PIT, Sat @ PHI, Sun @ WAS)

It seems cruel to cite the Sabres as a cautionary tale whenever teams like the Sharks are in the midst of a rebuild, but that’s what they are. With a 27-34-6 record through Thursday’s action, Buffalo sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and is on course to miss the playoffs for a 14th straight season. That’s the longest postseason drought in the history of the league.

The Sabres will at least attempt to finish the season on a somewhat positive note. They’ll host Ottawa and Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before heading on the road to visit Philadelphia on Saturday and Washington on Sunday.

Buffalo’s single biggest issue this campaign has been an inability to keep the puck out of the net. The Sabres rank 29th in goals allowed per game with 3.52. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who managed a solid 2.57 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 54 appearances in 2023-24, hasn’t looked nearly as impressive this campaign, going 23-21-4 with a 3.16 GAA and an .888 save percentage.

It's tempting to say that the team in front of him has been the source of Luukkonen’s woes, and there’s certainly some backing for that assumption. The Sabres rank 29th in xGA/60 at 3.35, per Moneypuck, which implies that the defense has been making life miserable for the goaltenders. However, Luukkonen can’t completely escape blame. He also has a minus-4.6 goals saved above expected, which suggests that he’s been putting forth below average performances, and that’s compounded Buffalo’s already significant defensive issues. That’s also in contrast to 2023-24 when Luukkonen finished with a plus-9.4 goals saved above expected.

Buffalo has already made a long-term commitment to Luukkonen, albeit with a $4.75 million cap hit through 2028-29, which is on the low end for a veteran starter and is expected to get even more reasonable as the cap goes up. If he ends up needing to slide into a backup role, that contract will look like an overpay, but not to the point where it’s an anchor on Buffalo’s cap situation.

The ideal would be if Devon Levi lives up to the promise he showed in the NCAA, but so far the 23-year-old has left plenty to be desired in the NHL, posting a 3.29 GAA and an .894 save percentage through 39 appearances. Goaltenders tend to take longer to develop than any other NHL position, so it would be premature to write him off, but Buffalo assuming that a Luukkonen-Levi duo will eventually lead the franchise to the playoffs might be dangerous -- the potential is there, but it’s far from a sure thing.

That’s a long-term concern for Buffalo. In the short run, the Sabres can at least enjoy Ryan McLeod’s hot streak. He’s recorded a point in five straight games and has been held off the scoresheet just once over his last seven appearances, giving him two goals and seven points in that span. He’s set career highs in goals (16) and points (38) in his first campaign with Buffalo after being acquired from Edmonton, and the 25-year-old should be a solid presence for years to come while primarily centering the third line under ideal circumstances.

Detroit Red Wings (Mon @ UTA, Tue @ COL, Thu vs OTT, Sat vs BOS)

Detroit has won just two of its past 10 games, putting the Red Wings playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. They’ll need to do well next week to avoid slipping out of the postseason picture. The Red Wings will start on the road, facing Utah on Monday and Colorado on Tuesday. Detroit will then return home to host the Senators on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday.

Buffalo’s postseason drought is the one that get the most attention, but Detroit hasn’t been to the postseason since 2016, so there are significant stakes to the Red Wings’ playoff run, especially because they’re not exactly a rebuilding squad anymore. Lucas Raymond (23 goals, 69 points) is still just 22 years old, while Dylan Larkin (28, 60) and Alex DeBrincat (31, 58) are in their late 20s, so Detroit’s core forwards aren’t old, but they’re not emerging prospects either. Two of Detroit’s top four defensemen (Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson) are under 25, but they are supplemented by aging veterans (Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry).

Detroit does still have players that will get better with time. I’m very interested to see what the future holds for 20-year-old rookie Marco Kasper, who has 13 goals, 27 points, 30 PIM and 123 hits in 63 appearances this campaign, but Detroit is beyond the point where it can just shrug and say that short-term losing is a byproduct of the process.

Patrick Kane should be in no mood to be patient at the age of 36. He exploded with a five-point effort March 12 to lead Detroit past Buffalo. Kane also had a three-point showing March 1 versus Columbus, but he’s been inconsistent recently, so don’t look at his 11 points (three goals) in nine games this month and assume he’s red hot. The truth is more nuanced. Unfortunately, Detroit has lacked a steady hand on offense recently, which is a reflection of the team’s recent struggles overall.

Petr Mrazek, who was acquired from Chicago, has been given the opportunity to take over as Detroit’s starter. He’s got the nod in each of Detroit’s past four games, but the results have been mixed. He did post an 18-save shutout over Vegas on Sunday, but he also allowed at least three goals in each of the other three starts. Overall, he has a 2-2-0 record, 2.51 GAA and .901 save percentage in four appearances since joining Detroit. Still, Cam Talbot (2.96 GAA, .900 save percentage) and Alex Lyon (2.77 GAA, .900 save percentage) haven’t given Detroit much to be happy about this campaign, so Mrazek might continue to act as the Red Wings’ primary choice going forward.

Los Angeles Kings (Tue vs NYR, Thu @ COL, Sat vs TOR, Sun vs SJS)

The Kings sit third in the Pacific Division with a 37-21-9 record, but they still have a shot at catching Edmonton (40-24-5) and maybe even Vegas (40-20-8). The Kings will need a solid week to keep those prospects healthy. They’ll start by hosting the Rangers on Tuesday before playing in Colorado on Thursday. Afterward, the Kings will return home to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Sharks on Sunday.

The Kings managed just four goals across eight games from March 13-20, so they don’t have any hot forwards. Kevin Fiala is about as close as you can find with a goal and three points over that four-game stretch, but he’s also been held off the scoresheet in seven of his past 12 contests, so his recent play is nothing to get excited over.

Meanwhile, Phillip Danault has just a goal and four points across his past 13. This is shaping up to be a disappointing campaign for him overall. He has just six goals in 66 games with a shooting percentage of 5.5, which is on course to be his lowest ever, excluding the two games he played in 2014-15. He also has no power-play points after recording 20 in 2022-23 and nine in 2023-24. On the one hand, he’s averaging 1:20 with the man advantage, the lowest of his four seasons with LA, which limits his chances, but Danault also hasn’t given the Kings much reason to use him more on the power play, so it’s a bit of a chicken and the egg issue. Either way, this campaign is looking like it’ll go down as a wash for Danault, and he certainly has been part of the issue for the Kings’ recent offensive drought, recording no points over the past four games.

This would be a bad stretch for the Kings, except Darcy Kuemper stopped 81 of 84 shots (.964 save percentage) while starting in those four games, and LA won three of those outings as a result. The 34-year-old goaltender is now 23-9-7 with a 2.13 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 40 appearances. In terms of GAA, this could be the best campaign of his career, excluding 2012-13 when he appeared in just six games. That’s quite a turnaround from 2023-24 (3.31 GAA, .890 save percentage), and it has to be said that Kuemper has a plus-15 goals saved above expected, which ranks 13th in the league, so this isn’t exclusively a case of him benefiting from strong defensively play in front of him -- though, the Kings do have a league-best 2.61 xGA/60, so the defense has been doing its part too.

Minnesota Wild (Mon @ DAL, Tue vs VGK, Thu vs WAS, Sat vs NJD)

Minnesota has a healthy edge in the battle for a wild-card spot, especially after winning its past two games. The Wild will look to build on their recent momentum when they play in Dallas on Monday. Minnesota will also host Vegas, Washington and New Jersey on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Although Minnesota is likely to make the playoffs, the extended absence of Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) has been felt. He’s appeared in just three games dating back to Dec. 27, and Minnesota is a mediocre 18-15-1 over that span while averaging just 2.50 goals per game. By contrast, the Wild went 21-10-4 while averaging 2.94 goals per game over their first 35 contests, which is a stretch when Kaprizov provided 23 goals and 50 points in 34 appearances (missing one game).

To make matters worse, Joel Eriksson Ek hasn’t played since Feb. 22 due to a lower-body injury. Coach John Hynes said Monday that Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek were progressing off ice, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News, which is mixed news. Any progress is good progress, but if they’re not skating yet, then they’re probably not close to returning. With so little time left in the campaign, I have to wonder if Minnesota is now simply looking ahead to the playoffs when it comes to Kaprizov. Maybe he’ll get into a few games toward the end of the regular season just to shake off the rust, but that might be all we can hope for.

At least Ryan Hartman is back from his eight-game suspension. He’s recorded three goals and six points in eight appearances since returning from his punishment. He also averaged 16:31 of ice time in that span, up from 15:00, as the Wild deal with injuries.

Minnesota also attempted to get help by acquiring Gustav Nyquist from Nashville on March 1, but that hasn’t moved the needle. Nyquist has registered just two assists in nine outings with Minnesota despite averaging 16:02 since the trade. He might see his role reduced once Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov are ready to return, especially if Nyquist doesn’t start heating up.

To wrap up on a somber note, we’re likely watching the final games of Marc-Andre Fleury. He hasn’t played much recently -- his last start was March 9 -- but the Wild do have a back-to-back coming Monday and Tuesday, so he’ll likely make his 885th career start and 1,048th appearance on one of those two nights. Fleury has solid backup at the age of 40, posting a 12-8-1 record, 2.73 GAA and .904 save percentage in 22 outings this campaign.

New Jersey Devils (Mon vs VAN, Wed @ CHI, Thu @ WPG, Sat @ MIN)

The Devils have been treading water lately, winning four of their past nine games. At this point, they’re unlikely to catch Carolina for the second seed in the Metropolitan Division, but the Devils are still likely to secure the third seed. In the meantime, they’ll start next week at home against Vancouver. The Devils will then hit the road, playing in Chicago on Wednesday, Winnipeg on Friday and Minnesota on Saturday.

Like Minnesota, New Jersey is dealing with some major injuries. Dougie Hamilton (lower body) hasn’t played since March 4 (he logged just 5:15 before exiting that March 4th game), and Jack Hughes (shoulder) was last in the lineup March 2.

New Jersey has gone 4-4-0 without Hamilton and Hughes, including the contest Hamilton was only briefly a part of in contrast to the Devils’ 33-23-6 record across their first 62 games. It’d be natural to assume their middling play lately has been as a result of a drop in offense, similar to what Minnesota has experienced, but the Devils have managed 2.88 goals per game over their last eight games, which isn’t much of a decline from their 2.98 before Hughes’ injury.

Instead, the problem has been at their own end. Jacob Markstrom has a 4.67 GAA and an .817 save percentage across his past five appearances. That leaky play has taken some of the shine out of the heroics from Jesper Bratt (three goals, 10 points in his past five games) and Luke Hughes (one goal, seven points in his past eight appearances).

Jake Allen has looked good, though, winning his past three starts while saving 99 of 103 shots (.961 save percentage). That contrast between New Jersey’s two goaltenders has resulted in Markstrom shifting from being the clear starter to serving in a rotation. I don’t expect that arrangement to persist for the remainder of the campaign, but it’ll probably last until Markstrom finds his footing again.

The Devils certainly have to hope Markstrom comes out of this cold patch sooner rather than later. While there is light at the end of the tunnel for Minnesota on the injury front -- albeit a distance light -- Jack Hughes isn’t expected back until training camp, and Hamilton probably won’t return until the second round at the earliest, provided the Devils make it that far. What they have now is all they can count on. Fortunately for New Jersey, Bratt, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier is still a solid forward core, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that trio do well down the stretch, and Luke Hughes is a great alternative to Hamilton on the top power-play unit, which should result in Luke having a strong finish offensively.

New York Islanders (Mon vs CBJ, Wed vs VAN, Sat @ TBL, Sun @ CAR)

The Islanders have won their past three games, pushing them within striking distance of a wild-card spot. New York needs to stay hot next week to close the gap. They’ll start with a home game against Columbus, which is another team in the hunt for an Eastern Conference wild-card position. The Blue Jackets will also play at home against Vancouver on Wednesday before traveling to Tampa Bay on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday.

New York squeaking into the playoffs would be particularly impressive after they traded Brock Nelson to Colorado on March 6 in a where the key pieces back were prospect Calum Ritchie and a first-round pick. It’s not like the Islanders had offense to spare…or so you’d assume, but they’ve been getting help from unexpected sources lately.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau has a goal and six points while Simon Holmstrom has three goals and five points across the Islanders’ seven games since the trade. Both players are usually more complementary pieces when it comes to offense, but they do get on these kinds of hot streaks, making them nice situational pickups during times such as this.

Defensemen Noah Dobson and Anthony DeAngelo have also been major contributors during the same stretch, recording seven and six points, respectively. It’s been interesting that Dobson’s return from injury Feb. 27 hasn’t marginalized DeAngelo’s contributions. Rather than shift DeAngelo to the second power-play unit to make room for Dobson, the Islanders seem comfortable having two defensemen on their top group with the man advantage. DeAngelo has also continued to be used at even strength, averaging 22:18 of ice time in all situations since the return of Dobson.

DeAngelo’s always been a lightning rod for controversy, but it seems he’s found a good spot with the Islanders, and he should continue to be a meaningful contributor for the remainder of the campaign.

Ottawa Senators (Tue @ BUF, Thu @ DET, Sat vs CBJ, Sun @ PIT)

The Senators put themselves in a good spot by winning six straight from March 5-15, but they’ve hit a rough patch with back-to-back losses. The Senators still hold the first wild-card spot, but they can’t afford to relax. They have an opportunity to collect some key points next week against teams not currently in a playoff position. Ottawa will play in Buffalo on Tuesday, Detroit on Thursday and Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Senators will also host the Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Dylan Cozens has worked out pretty nicely in Ottawa since being acquired from Buffalo on March 7. He has three goals and six points in seven appearances with the Senators despite seeing his average playing time drop from 17:13 before the trade to 15:23 since joining the Ottawa. Cozens seems to be settling into a second-line center role with Ottawa, which isn’t surprising. He should get most of his minutes alongside Drake Batherson and David Perron for the remainder of the campaign, though Cozens is also getting work on the top power-play unit and has already provided two goals with the man advantage for Ottawa.

Batherson has been a good player to skate alongside recently. He enjoyed a four-game scoring streak from March 11-18 in which he supplied three goals and six points, but that run was snapped Thursday. The 26-year-old is up to 19 goals and 55 points in 68 outings overall, making it very likely that he’ll reach the 20-goal and 60-point marks for the third straight campaign. In fact, he still has a solid chance of besting his career high of 66 points, which he set last year.

Perron also has been solid recently with four goals and seven points in his past 10 appearances. The 36-year-old missed significant chunks of the campaign, so it’s not too surprising that he was limited to a goal and four points in 11 outings from Jan. 11 (when he returned from a 27-game absence due to back problem) through Feb. 26. Now that the veteran has been able to string together a significant number of games for the first time all season, we’re seeing steady production out of him, and there’s a good chance that’ll continue for the rest of the season, barring another exit from the lineup.

Ottawa’s top line, headlined by Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, will be the main drivers of the Senators’ offense, but don’t underestimate that second unit of Perron, Cozens and Batherson.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Tue vs PHI, Thu @ SJS, Sat @ NYR, Sun @ LAK)

Toronto has won its past three games, putting behind a rough stretch in which the Maple Leafs won just one of six contests. The Maple Leafs are competing with Florida for the Atlantic Division title. Toronto will look for an edge in that battle next week, beginning with a home game against the Flyers on Tuesday. Toronto will then go on the road, playing in San Jose on Thursday, Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday.

Even after a run of four goals from March 15-19, Auston Matthews is still on course for career lows with his goal total of 27 and his shooting percentage of 12.4. He’s been limited to 54 games this campaign, and it seems probable he’s playing through something even now, but even Matthews at less than 100 percent is still a high-end option. It helps that he’s pivoted to setting up his teammates a little more to make up for the reduced goal scoring -- he has 34 assists, so in terms of points per 60 minutes, his 3.3 this year is a touch low by his standards, but still well within the range of what’d you’d expect from him.

There’s a good chance he’ll come back strong next season with another 40-plus campaign, and he might even hit 60 for the third time in his career in 2025-26. However, the 27-year-old has run into more injuries problems than one would like over the first half of his career, which makes projecting him somewhat difficult.

Mitch Marner has been the steadier hand in Toronto in terms of season-by-season production. This will be his fourth straight campaign with over 20 goals and 80 points. One thing he’s never managed is reaching the 100-point mark, though he came close in 2021-22 (97) and 2022-23 (99). He might be able to just barely hit it this season after supplying 21 goals and 83 points through 68 appearances.

Marner needs to get hot again to hit the century mark, but right now, he’s not the hottest member of the Leafs. Neither is Matthews, for that matter. That distinction belongs to William Nylander, who has five goals and 15 points in his last 11 appearances. That brings him up to 38 markers and 73 points in 69 outings overall.

Nylander also reached the 600-point career milestone Thursday when he assisted on a goal by John Tavares. That was career point 1,098 for Tavares, and the 34-year-old center went on to collect two more points, making it a milestone night for him as well. Tavares has 29 goals and 60 points in 62 appearances in 2024-25, bringing him up to 213 goals and 479 points in 502 games. If you had told someone immediately after Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract with Toronto that he would decline over the final couple of years, they would have likely believed you. However, while Tavares did show his age somewhat in 2023-24, he’s continuing to produce at a high level even in the final campaign of that deal. It’ll be very interesting to see what kind of contract he commands over the summer, because he still seems to have good hockey left in him.

Toronto’s offense revolves around that core, and unfortunately no one outside of it steps up for more than brief periods. Matthew Knies is Toronto’s next best producer with 25 goals and 45 points, but he’s going through a mediocre stretch in which he’s supplied a goal and four points over his past eight games. Max Domi and Bobby McMann have been similarly meh lately, each contributing two goals and four points over the same eight-game span. All three are worth monitoring as pickup options during hot streaks, but they can’t be counted on to put up strong numbers over a longer period.

NHL: CULLEN- 20 FANTASY POINTS – Protas’ breakout season, injury to McDavid, Nichushkin emerging, Cozens thriving in Ottawa, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 20:44:45 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Aliaksei Protas’ breakout season, an injury to Connor McDavid, Valeri Nichushkin emerging, Dylan Cozens thriving in Ottawa, and much more!

#1 Massive Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas has exploded offensively this season, going from 29 points in 2023-2024 to 62 points (29 G, 33 A) in 69 games this season. He has 11 points (6 G, 5 A) in his past seven games and has recorded 57 of his 62 points at even strength. That ranks seventh in the entire league, putting him between sixth-place Nikita Kucherov and eighth-place Kyle Connor. Sidney Crosby ranks ninth. At even strength, Protas is skating on the top line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Ovechkin, and while regression may be due for a player scoring on 22.5 percent of his shots and whose team scores on 14.7 percent of its shots at five-on-five when he is on the ice, that good fortune has been working in Protas’ favor all season.

#2 The Edmonton Oilers will be treading carefully following a possible lower-body injury to Connor McDavid, suffered Thursday night against Winnipeg. McDavid’s absence would obviously be a big deal for the Oilers, but especially in the short term as Leon Draisaitl did not play Thursday and is considered day-to-day as well. The best case for the Oilers is that, in the event that McDavid needs to miss some time, Draisaitl will soon be ready to return to action. If not, then the Oilers will likely need to run Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique in their top two centre slots while their superstars are on the mend.

#3 Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin has had issues staying in the lineup, whether due to injury or suspension, in recent years, but he has also established that he can be a force to be reckoned with when he plays. In his past seven games, Nichushkin has nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 18 shots on goal. He is getting first unit power play time and skates alongside Brock Nelson and Jonathan Drouin at even strength.

#4 The past couple of seasons had been relatively difficult for Dylan Cozens, who had busted out with 68 points (31 G, 37 A) during the 2022-2023 season, but he dropped to 47 points (18 G, 29 A) in 68 games last season and had 31 points (11 G, 20 A) in 61 games with the Sabres this season before he was traded to the Ottawa Senators. Since joining the Sens, Cozens has six points (3 G, 3 A) with 20 shots on goal in seven games. His production is improving despite playing less – his ice time dropping from 17:13 to 15:23 per game – thanks in part to better percentages, scoring on 15.0 percent of his shots and 14.0 percent on-ice shooting percentage.

#5 Top scorers since the trade deadline among those players who changed teams: Brandon Saad (3 G, 3 A in 7 GP), Cody Glass (2 G, 3 A in 6 GP), Dylan Cozens (2 G, 3 A in 6 GP), Mark Jankowski (4 G, 0 A, in 5 GP), Mikael Granlund (3 G, 1 A in 6 GP), Mikko Rantanen (2 G, 2 A in 6 GP), Brock Nelson (2 G, 2 A in 7 GP), Martin Necas (2 G, 2 A in 7 GP), Connor Timmins (1 G, 3 A in 5 GP), Yanni Gourde (0 G, 4 A in 6 GP), Cody Ceci (0 G, 4 A in 6 GP), J.T. Miller (0 G, 4 A in 8 GP); Marcus Pettersson (0 G, 4 A in 8 GP).

#6 San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini has enjoyed a fantastic first season, even if the Sharks’ season has still been a struggle. In his past 20 games, Celebrini has 18 points (8 G, 10 A) which is great, but it’s very encouraging that he has 76 shots on goal in that time. That shot rate practically ensures continued production. The only players averaging better than 3.80 shots on goal per game across the full season are David Pastrnak, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brady Tkachuk. One other statistical edge for Celebrini: he has blocked 19 shots on those 20 games. There are only a handful of centres (Elias Pettersson, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Henrique, Auston Matthews, and Ryan Poehling) who have blocked a shot per game across the full season, so Celebrini offers rare contributions at both ends of the rink.

#7 It is likely too soon for a full-throated recommendation of Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg, because he doesn’t have a power play role, but he does have 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 46 blocked shots in his past 20 games while he is averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game. For a Jets team that leads the league with a goal differential of +78, merely playing a significant role on the blueline can offer potential value, at least for managers in deeper fantasy leagues.

#8 St. Louis Blues veteran defenceman Justin Faulk has seen his offensive production tick up recently, recording seven points (1 G, 6 A) in his past seven games. Faulk is quarterbacking the Blues’ second power play unit and 12 of his 29 points this season have come via the man advantage. That is his most power play points in a season since 2017-2018 when he was playing for the Carolina Hurricanes.

#9 The third pick in the 2021 Draft, Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish has rounded into form in the second half of the season. He has put up 24 points (12 G, 12 A) in his past 23 games and is now skating between Trevor Zegras and Brett Leason. The Ducks have shuffled their lines over time, so this is a newer combination, but it has not mattered much to McTavish, as he has been in a scoring groove for a couple of months. Another promising development for the Ducks is that Leo Carlsson, the second pick in the 2023 Draft, has picked up his production, too. In 15 games since the 4 Nations Face Off, Carlsson has 14 points (7 G, 7 A). In addition to joining McTavish on the Ducks’ top power play, Carlsson is skating on a line at even strength with rookie Cutter Gauthier and veteran Alex Killorn.

#10 After all the hype around Mikko Rantanen’s arrival, and then departure, from Carolina, left winger Taylor Hall has been overshadowed, but he has started to find his footing. After a slow start when he joined the Hurricanes, Hall has started to rally, with six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past six games. He is getting a shot on the ‘Canes top power play unit but has just three power play points all season. Nevertheless, that is quality ice time and Hall is making the most of his time skating on a line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jack Roslovic.

#11 There are three Vancouver Canucks with 20 or more goals this season: Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser, and…Pius Suter. Suter, the Swiss centre, has tallied eight points (6 G, 2 A) in his past 11 games, vaulting him to a new career high with 20 goals and, with 34 points, he is two points off of his previous career high. He is centering the Canucks’ second line, between DeBrusk and Kiefer Sherwood. Staying in Vancouver, winger Nils Hoglander has climbed the depth chart to skate on Elias Petterson’s wing and Hoglander has delivered seven points (1 G, 6 A) in his past seven games.

#12 Some hidden value for fantasy managers can be found with defensive defencemen who add some offense, in addition to their other statistical contributions. Seattle Kraken blueliner Adam Larsson, for example, has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in his past 14 games and since Larsson also has consistently delivered hits (88) and blocked shots (126), he has value for fantasy managers.

#13 Utah Hockey Club netminder Karel Vejmelka has stepped up with his best season in his fourth NHL campaign. In his past 13 games, he has a record of 8-3-2 and has .909 save percentage. With Connor Ingram taking a leave from the team, the Utah Hockey Club’s push for the playoffs is going to depend heavily on Vejmelka.

#14 The Ottawa Senators have been the second highest scoring team in March, with 3.76 goals per 60 minutes (ranking only behind the Colorado Avalanche at 3.96 GF/60) and the Sens are now a rising tide that lifts all boats. While Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Drake Batherson are leading the way offensively, there are others who are more widely available. In his past 10 games, Michael Amadio has eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 14 shots on goal and veteran winger David Perron has contributed six points (3 G, 3 A) with seven shots on goal in his past eight games. Neither one has a shot rate that suggests they can maintain this production, but it is worth keeping them on your fantasy radar.

#15 It has been a breakthrough season for Columbus Blue Jackets enforcer Mathieu Olivier, which earned him a contract extension. The 28-year-old winger has five points (4 G, 1 A) and 16 shots on goal in his past six games, giving him 26 points (16 G, 10 A) for the season. With 120 penalty minutes and 258 hits, Olivier is a banger league star and he’s playing top nine minutes, which makes it more likely that he will remain productive enough to hold that value.

#16 As the Buffalo Sabres have shuffled their lines, centre Ryan McLeod has moved into the second line centre role and is thriving with more offensive responsibility. In his past 16 games, McLeod has put up 12 points (5 G, 7 A) with 22 shots on goal while playing nearly 19 minutes per game. He has Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker on his wings and McLeod has career highs in goals (16) and points (38).

#17 With Jack Hughes out for the rest of the season, the New Jersey Devils were looking for help down the middle of the ice and picked up Cody Glass from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has had an immediate impact for the Devils, scoring five points (2 G, 3 A) in six games, logging nearly 15 minutes per game. He is centering a line with Erik Haula and Daniel Sprong on his wings. It’s an interesting line, with three players who have sufficient skill to score, but who have also bounced around the league quite a bit, so it will be interesting to see if Glass can maintain this level of production.

#18 Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev continues to make his mark as a finisher. In his past six games, Dorofeyev has put up eight points (6 G, 2 A) with 21 shots on goal. That shot rate is very encouraging and Dorofeyev is getting first unit power play time in addition to skating on a line with veterans Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl. Dorofeyev ranks 12th (minimum 500 minutes) with 9.77 shots on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.

#19 Colorado Avalanche winger Ross Colton had a 14-game scoring drought but has since snapped out of it in a big way, with 11 points (2 G, 9 A) and 21 shots on goal in his past 11 games. That flurry of assists has weakened Colton’s Cy Young case, as he now has 15 goals and 12 assists for the season but has 13 goals and three assists before suddenly turning playmaker.

#20 The leaders in five-on-five expected goals per 60 minutes (minimum 500 minutes): Zach Hyman (1.31), Auston Matthews (1.22), Barrett Hayton (1.17), Jeff Skinner (1.15), Brady Tkachuk (1.12), Anders Lee (1.11), Warren Foegele (1.06), Filip Chytil (1.05), Connor McMichael (1.05), Bryan Rust (1.05), and Sean Monahan (1.05). Some of these names are to be expected, because Matthews generates a lot of shots while Hyman, Tkachuk, and Lee tend to have a lot of in-close opportunities. It’s intriguing to see players like Hayton, Skinner, Foegele, and Chytil among the leaders because it does suggest that they could deliver more production at even strength. At the very least, maybe the Oilers could keep Skinner in the lineup to see if those scoring chances can eventually pay off.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Dustin Wolf makes strong case for the Calder Trophy – Teams and Players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:57:59 +0000

Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

Two months ago, I took a look at the Calder Trophy race, highlighting Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson and Dustin Wolf as the favorites, but I also didn’t go into depth about the Flames goaltender because netminders typically don’t do well in Calder Trophy voting. As noted, Steve Mason was the last goaltender to win it back in 2008-09, and he was so good that campaign -- 33-20-7 record, 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage -- that he finished in Vezina Trophy voting in addition to winning the Calder Trophy. So, the bar Wolf would have to reach to finish ahead of Celebrini and Hutson, who have been impressive in their own right, is high.

Even if he doesn’t end up getting the Calder, though, Wolf deserves recognition for what he’s doing because it’s not an exaggeration to say that the 23-year-old rookie is the single biggest reason Calgary has a legitimate shot of making the playoffs. Wolf has a 22-12-5 record, 2.53 GAA and .915 save percentage in 39 starts this campaign. He might not be a Vezina Trophy contender like Mason was in his rookie campaign, but Wolf is in a four-way tie for fifth in save percentage (min. 20 games played), so he’s certainly one of the league’s top netminders.

His numbers look even better when you consider that Calgary is tied for 20th in xGA/60 (3.11), per Moneypuck, which suggests that the defense in front of him has been average at best. That’s also reflected in his Goals Saved Above Expected, which stands at 16.5, the sixth best in the league. That puts him just behind Andrei Vasilevskiy (17.1), which is good company to be in.

Meanwhile, the Flames have done nothing to help him offensively. The Flames rank last in goals per game with 2.56. Among teams that have averaged 2.60 goals per game or fewer dating back to 2020-21, Calgary at 30-23-11 is the only team with a points percentage above .500 (.555). The next best is the 2021-22 Sharks, who finished at 32-37-13 for a .470 points percentage. What about finishing last in scoring but still managing a points percentage above .500? The last team to do that were the 2015-16 Devils, who finished 38-36-8 on the strength of Cory Schneider (2.15 GAA, .924 save percentage). Even then, those Devils didn’t come close to making the playoffs, so Calgary might one-up them in that metric.

It’s fair to say what Wolf’s doing is rare: taking a team with a mediocre defense and a rock-bottom offense and guiding the squad toward a potential playoff berth. Is that enough to win the Calder? It’s tough to say because it’s so subjective. Lane Hutson is a rookie defenseman who has already breached the 50-point mark and might reach 60 before the season is over. That almost never happens. Chris Chelios had 64 points back in 1984-85 and would have secured the Calder if that wasn’t also the rookie season of Mario Lemieux (43 goals, 100 points). Meanwhile, Macklin Celebrini’s production isn’t quite as rare if we’re judging him against past rookie forwards, but it’s still worth emphasizing that he’s reached the 20-goal mark despite injury and isn’t too far below a point per game. Comparing them is difficult because they serve completely different roles.

Whatever the case, though, Calgary without Wolf would have been a far different and likely substantially worse team this campaign.

Boston Bruins (Mon vs BUF, Thu @ VGK, Sat @ SJS, Sun @ LAK)

Boston isn’t out of the playoff race yet, but after going 3-7-2 from Feb. 5-March 13, the Bruins’ chances of making the postseason seem increasingly bleak. They need a strong week, and the Bruins will be facing two non-playoff teams in Buffalo, who they host Monday, and San Jose, who they have a road matchup against Saturday. However, the Bruins will also have two difficult road clashes in Vegas on Thursday and Los Angeles on Sunday, so there will be challenges for them to overcome.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Boston has won two of its past three games since the trade deadline, despite its longer-term struggles and being a deadline day seller. It helps that one of the few NHL-ready assets the Bruins did get back, Casey Mittelstadt, has kicked off his Boston career with a three-game scoring streak (one goal, two assists). He’s centering the second line, which isn’t a glamorous assignment given the state of the Bruins’ depth, but he is on the first power-play unit, which has already led to him collecting an assist on David Pastrnak’s goal Tuesday.

Speaking of, the dismantling of his supporting cast and the team edging toward rebuild mode doesn’t seem to have demoralized David Pastrnak. He has two goals and two assists in Boston’s three games post-deadline, extending his overall scoring streak to five games (two goals, five assists). He also ranks fifth among all players with 82 points and is tied for fourth in goals with 34. If Boston manages to squeak into the playoffs, he’ll be a big part of the reason why.

Maybe Jeremy Swayman can play a role in guiding them down the stretch too, but that’s hard to count on. Although his early campaigns were great, his 2024-25 GAA and save percentage of 2.98 and .897, respectively, are unimpressive, and a big part of that is inconsistency. For example, he earned two straight wins from March 8-11 while saving 51 of 53 shots (.962 save percentage), but he followed that up with a stinker against Ottawa in which he surrendered four goals in the first period, leading to the yank.

Ottawa is a division rival, and the holder of a wild-card spot, which makes the loss all the more painful. Boston is now seven points back of Ottawa. The Bruins are a mere two points behind Columbus, which holds the second wild-card spot, though Boston has played in two more games and is also contending for that spot with the Rangers, Montreal and Detroit -- combine with Boston and Columbus, all five teams are within a two-point range through Thursday’s action.

Chicago Blackhawks (Tue vs SEA, Thu vs LAK, Sat @ STL, Sun vs PHI)

Staring down the barrel of a possible rebuild, what Boston likely fears is going down the path of Chicago. Sure, the Blackhawks have picked up some remarkable young talent along the way, but Chicago is on course to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year and seventh time in eight seasons. Technically it’s even worse than that, because the lone time Chicago made the playoffs in that span in 2019-20 when the COVID lockdown led to the league expanding the postseason system, causing Chicago to participate despite a 32-30-8 record and last-place finish in the Central Division.

Either way, Chicago isn’t just looking at another season without playoff action, the Blackhawks seem no where near being competitive. After losing a third straight game Thursday, Chicago is 20-37-9. Maybe they’ll be able to finish on a high note? Chicago has a busy week ahead of it, mostly against teams that aren’t presently in a playoff spot. The Blackhawks will host Seattle on Tuesday and the Kings on Thursday. They’ll then take to the road to play in St. Louis on Saturday before returning home to host Philadelphia on Sunday.

If you’re looking for good news, it’s that Spencer Knight has looked decent since being acquired from Florida as part of the Seth Jones trade. He’s 2-2-0 with a 2.24 GAA and a .928 save percentage in four starts with Chicago. That’s a small sample size, but he also held his own with Florida this campaign -- he had a 12-8-1 record, 2.40 GAA and .907 save percentage in 23 outings pre-trade -- and his potential has been known for a while. Still just 23 years old, Chicago might have found its long-term answer in net. Chicago dealt Petr Mrazek to Detroit, so Knight is likely to see most of the starts for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, other parts of the Blackhawks’ young core have been unimpressive recently. Lukas Reichel, 22, hasn’t recorded a point in his past five games and remains at 19 points (six goals) across 57 appearances. Although there have been high expectations put on the No. 17 overall pick from the 2020 NHL Draft, he hasn’t been able to consistently perform offensively at the NHL level despite collecting 42 goals and 116 points across 121 career regular-season AHL games.

More importantly, Connor Bedard has struggled to make any progress in his sophomore season, and he’s been especially cold recently, supplying just a goal and three points over his past 11 appearances. That gives him 17 goals and 52 points in 66 outings in 2024-25, which is great stuff for a 19-year-old but puts him behind the 22 goals and 61 points in 68 appearances he recorded as a rookie. Ultimately, growing pains as a sophomore is nothing to panic over, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he still manages to end the season on a positive note.

In the meantime, it’s the veterans who are getting the job done for Chicago. The 28-year-old Ryan Donato has been incredible lately with eight goals and 20 points across his past 15 appearances, while the 30-year-old Teuvo Teravainen has four goals and 17 points in 14 outings. Please note that Donato is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so even if the Blackhawks have no hope of making the playoffs, he is playing for his next contract, which should help keep him going as we enter the final stretch of the campaign.

Los Angeles Kings (Mon @ MIN, Thu @ CHI, Sat vs CAR, Sun vs BOS)

The Kings won their fourth straight game when they shutdown the Capitals 3-0 on Thursday. That streak has elevated them into the second seed in the Pacific Division, though they have just a one-point edge over Edmonton, albeit with a game in hand, so the Kings need to maintain their momentum in order to secure the home-ice advantage in the first round. They’ll start the week on the road with contests in Minnesota on Monday and Chicago on Thursday. The Kings will then host the Hurricanes and the Bruins on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Shutting out the Capitals is no small feat, so Darcy Kuemper, who made 21 saves, deserves recognition for pulling that off against his former team. The goaltender is on a roll, stopping 101 of 105 shots (.962 save percentage) across his past four starts (3-0-1). He’s also been an important part of the Kings’ success overall with a 21-8-7 record, 2.23 GAA and .916 save percentage in 37 outings. What a comeback he’s had after a disastrous 2023-24 campaign with Washington (13-14-3 record, 3.31 GAA, .890 save percentage). It provides a little silver lining to the whole Pierre-Luc Dubois saga, though it has to be said that Dubois has done well in Washington (17 goals, 57 points), so the Kuemper-Dubois swap has ultimately worked out for both sides.

For those who aren’t aware, there was a brief time when Dubois was seen as a possible successor up the middle for the aging Anze Kopitar. That didn’t go as the Kings had hoped, but fortunately Anze Kopitar hasn’t needed a replacement just yet. The 37-year-old has three goals and seven points in his past seven outings, giving him 16 goals and 53 points in 64 appearances in 2024-25. It looks like he’ll finish just below the 70-point mark, but he should still hit 60 for the seventh time in eight seasons.

The 22-year-old Quinton Byfield is also giving the Kings reason for optimism about the future of their center group. Although he’ll likely finish below the 55-points he provided in 2023-24, Byfield has shown flashes of what he’s capable of this campaign, including his active five-game goal-scoring streak. He’s up to 16 markers and 39 points in 64 outings this season.

Nashville Predators (Tue vs STL, Thu vs ANA, Sat vs TOR, Sun @ STL)

The chances of Nashville making the playoffs are near zero, but the Predators would like to at least finish the campaign on a high note. To that end, Nashville has won four straight going into Friday’s action. The Predators will attempt to extend that run of strong play next week, starting with home games against St. Louis on Tuesday, Anaheim on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday. The Predators will finish the week on the road against St. Louis.

Steven Stamkos has been a huge part of the Predators’ recent success, providing five goals and nine points across that four-game winning streak. His 22 goals and 42 points in 64 outings is still disappointing when measured against his 80-plus points in each of his previous three campaigns, but the 35-year-old clearly still has something left in the tank. Don’t dismiss the possibility of 2025-26 being a comeback season for him -- he might provide great value for those who select him in 2025 fantasy drafts.

I’m less confident about Juuse Saros bouncing back. Even while winning his past three starts, Saros hasn’t looked special, stopping just 65 of 73 shots (.890 save percentage). His goals saved above expected is minus-4.1 this season, suggesting that he’s been below average even if you factor out the Predators’ defense, and he was a similarly underwhelming minus-3.0 last season. He’s still just 29 (30 on April 19), so it’s not like a comeback is impossible. You look at a guy like Sergei Bobrovsky, and you can see how a goaltender can be inconsistent on yearly basis but still average out to be a phenomenal netminder. Even still, I’m at the point where I need to see results from Saros before I’ll start to believe in him again. As it stands, I’d be somewhat worried if I was the Predators’ GM given that his eight-year, $61.92 million contract doesn’t even start until next season.

I’m also not big on the idea that Jonathan Marchessault will do better next season. He has 19 goals and 48 points in 64 appearances this campaign, down from 42 goals and 69 points in 82 appearances with Vegas in 2023-24. The issue is that last season was an outlier from him in terms of goal scoring -- other than that, he’s never done better than 30 markers. He accomplished that feat thanks to his 15.8 shooting percentage, well above his career average of 11.5, so his showing in 2024-25 represents a regression toward the norm. It is noteworthy that he’s managed just 9.4 shots per 60 minutes this season -- he recorded between 10.8-12.4 in each campaign from 2017-18 through 2023-24 -- so perhaps he’ll be somewhat more aggressive next season, leading to a handful of additional goals, but that’s about the most you can hope for.

Philadelphia Flyers (Mon @ PHI, Thu @ WAS, Sat @ DAL, Sun @ CHI)

The Flyers earned a 4-3 shootout win over Tampa Bay on Thursday to end their five-game losing streak, but at 28-31-8, Philadelphia’s chances of making the playoffs seem remote. The task won’t be made any easier next week. The Flyers will be on the road, playing in Tampa Bay on Monday, Washington on Thursday, Dallas on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday.

No Flyers player is particularly hot offensively at the moment, and that includes 20-year-old Matvei Michkov. To be fair, he recorded an impressive six goals and 13 points in nine games from Feb. 6-March 8, but he’s been held off the scoresheet for Philadelphia’s past three outings. The rookie’s talent is without question, but he’s been extremely streaky this season, so be prepared for this cold stretch to potentially last another week or two.

Maybe Bobby Brink is at the beginning of a hot streak, though. He was amazing versus Tampa Bay on Thursday, supplying two goals and an assist. That’s just his fourth multi-point game of the campaign, but don’t get too excited: The previous three times he had a multi-point showing, it didn’t lead to a notable stretch of offensive success. He also has a meh 10 goals and 32 points in 64 appearances overall.

There’s nothing much to jump on in goal either. Ivan Fedotov did have a nice stretch from March 1-9, stopping 75 of 80 shots (.938 save percentage) in three appearances, but even then, the Flyers provided him with just one win in that stretch, and that good run ended Tuesday anyway when he allowed four goals on 23 shots to Ottawa.

If you’re looking for fantasy value, there just isn't much to be found here at this time. However, while I’m pessimistic about Michkov in the short term, the flip side of his streaky nature is that he should rebound eventually -- and likely in a big way.

St. Louis Blues (Tue @ NAS, Thu vs VAN, Sat vs CHI, Sun vs NAS)

St. Louis will start next with in Nashville, capping off an exhausting stretch in which the Blues played seven of eight games from March 2-18 on the road. After that, they’ll get to sleep in their own beds for a while. The Blues will host the Canucks on Thursday, the Blackhawks on Saturday and the Predators on Sunday.

The Blues are 31-28-7 and sit just two points out of a playoff position through Thursday’s action. There’s plenty of competition for that second wild-card spot, but it is fair to say that St. Louis is still playing for something with roughly a month left in the regular-season schedule.

This would certainly be a good time for Jordan Binnington to get hot again. He’s had his moments, especially during the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he’s struggled recently with a 2-2-0 record, 3.49 GAA and .846 save percentage across his past four appearances. Unfortunately, he’s just been too inconsistent to count on, but he’s still appeared in seven of St. Louis’ past nine games, so it seems safe to say the Blues will lean on him over Joel Hofer in the final weeks of the season.

Maybe Binnington will get sufficient goal support to make his occasional struggles moot. Dylan Holloway is certainly doing his best, supplying five goals and eight points across his past nine games. He’s up to 21 goals, 48 points and 138 hits in 66 appearances in 2024-25. This is with the benefit of hindsight, but Edmonton has to be asking itself if declining to match the Blues’ two-year, $4.58 million offer sheet was really the right move, even after factoring in the Oilers’ tricky cap situation.

Zachary Bolduc is another young forward leading the Blues’ push for a playoff spot. The 21-year-old has six goals and seven points across his past eight games, elevating him to 12 goals and 25 points in 56 outings overall. I’m not confident Bolduc will continue to be productive over the final month of the season, but Bolduc is a former No. 17 overall pick (2021 draft), so this kind of offensive outburst isn’t coming out of nowhere.

The veteran Brayden Schenn had been doing his part too, supplying three goals and 10 points in nine games from Feb. 8-March 7. However, he was held off the scoresheet in each of St. Louis’ past two games, so that hot streak might be at its end. The 33-year-old has 14 goals and 40 points in 66 appearances in 2024-25.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Mon vs PHI, Thu @ DAL, Sat @ UTA, Sun @ VGK)

Tampa Bay enjoyed a run of 10 wins in 11 games from Feb. 4-March 6, but the Lightning have stumbled recently, dropping their last three (0-2-1). The Lightning will try to shake that off next week, starting with a home game against Philadelphia. The Lightning will then play in Dallas on Thursday, in Utah on Saturday and in Vegas on Sunday.

Tampa Bay has a 37-23-5 record, which puts the squad two points behind Toronto and six away from the division-leading Panthers. Reaching Florida is unlikely at this point, but the Lightning could still earn home-ice advantage in a probable first-round matchup against Toronto if Tampa Bay finishes the season strong.

A lot of the Lightning’s potential success will be contingent on their main three forwards of Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. That’s typically a good trio to bet on, but Guentzel and Point have each been held off the scoresheet for all of Tampa Bay’s last three games. Kucherov was scoreless in two of those contests and missed the third due to illness. Kucherov did rejoin the Lightning for Friday’s practice, but rather than skate alongside Guentzel and Point, he shared the ice with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, while Yanni Gourde skated on the top unit.

That’s nothing earthshattering. Kucherov has spent 18.5 percent of his even-strength minutes alongside Cirelli and Hagel this season, so while that combination isn’t common, it’s not unheard of. Besides, Cirelli (20 goals, 45 points) and Hagel (30 goals, 72 points) are great forwards in their own right, so they’re good players for the star to work with and might help spark Kucherov.

This is also a good opportunity for Gourde, who has six goals and 19 points between St. Louis and Tampa Bay this season. He has two assists since being acquired by Tampa Bay, but if he shows some chemistry with Guentzel and Point, perhaps Tampa Bay will consider using this combination more regularly, which would likely boost Gourde’s offensive production.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Mon vs CGY, Wed vs COL, Thu @ NYR, Sat @ NAS)

Toronto’s been struggling recently, dropping four of its last five (1-3-1) and failing to win any of those games in regulation or overtime. That’s dropped the Leafs’ record to 39-23-3, which presents them with an uphill battle if they want to overtake the 41-22-3 Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Toronto will look for better results next week, starting with home games against Calgary and Colorado on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Leafs will then hit the road, playing against the Rangers on Thursday and Nashville on Saturday.

Goaltending has been part of the Leafs’ recent issues. Anthony Stolarz has a record of 0-2-1 along with a 3.18 GAA and an .876 save percentage across his past four appearances, and Joseph Woll has allowed at least three goals over each of his past three outings -- though he is 2-1-0 over that stretch. Overall, the Maple Leafs’ goaltenders have still been fine this season with Stolarz being particularly good, posting a 2.37 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 25 games, so I don’t think those issues are a source of panic right now.

On the offensive side of things, Auston Matthews is continuing his interesting season. His 11.5 shooting percentage of 2024-25 is the worst of his career, and he might finish with under 30 goals for the first time -- just one season removed from 69 markers. However, he’s managed to adjust by serving as more of a playmaker, resulting in him collecting 56 points (23 goals) in 50 appearances. He has missed time due to upper body issues this campaign, and perhaps he’s still not 100 percent, which would explain his mortal levels of goal scoring, but as long as he’s finding other ways to contribute, Toronto will be fine.

Meanwhile, the Leafs’ pending UFAs, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, continue to make big contributions. Tavares has seven goals and 14 points in 14 appearances this season, giving him 27 goals and 56 points in 58 outings overall, and Marner has five goals and nine points in his last eight games, bringing him up to 21 goals and 80 points in 64 appearances. It will be extremely interesting to see how Toronto navigates those contract situations over the summer. Letting them walk would be immensely painful, but the silver lining is that roughly $22 million would be coming off the books between the two of them.

Ultimately, what happens in the playoffs might be a determining factor. If the Maple Leafs have a deep run, then Toronto might want to stick with what they have, and it might also serve as extra motivation for Marner to bet on the Leafs long term. However, if Toronto ends up with another first-round exit, then the front office might decide its finally time to close the books on the Marner/Matthews/Tavares/William Nylander experiment that, to this point, has resulted in just one playoff series win.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – A look at the rookie race at mid-season – Favourable schedules and player to target

Ryan Dadoun — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:20:08 +0000

I haven’t spent any time talking about the rookie race this campaign. Macklin Celebrini did miss 12 games early on due to a lower-body injury, which mitigated the early attention he might have otherwise had, but he’s been healthy for a while and has looked fantastic, providing 13 goals and 28 points through 32 appearances.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (48) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

At this stage, though, the reason why I haven’t dipped into the Calder Trophy race is because there’s not a lot to chew on there. Celebrini does have direct competition with Matvei Michkov, but Michkov is just one point ahead of Celebrini despite having played in eight more outings, so barring a change in the second half of the campaign, Celebrini seems like the clear favorite between them. Beyond that, the main competitors are defenseman Lane Hutson, who has three goals and 31 points in 41 outings, and goaltender Dustin Wolf, who is 13-6-2 with a 2.60 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 21 starts.

Comparing Celebrini, Hutson and Wolf is mostly subjective because they bring completely different things, so while a judgment call can and will be made by the end of the season which of them -- or Michkov if he does surprise me -- should get the trophy, comparing them in an article setting feels like evaluating apples and oranges.

Still, we might be able to glean something by evaluating how each of them compares to previous rookies at this stage of their careers. For Celebrini, we’ll compare his start against other forwards, and Hutson will be evaluated against defensemen. I’ll simplify things a little by making the comparisons based on games played (in other words, Connor Bedard’s first 32 games played will be measured against the Sharks rookie) to factor out Celebrini’s injury.

In the case of Wolf, I’m not going to break it down because the odds of him winning the Calder Trophy seem slim. While I think he deserves to be in the conversation to become one of the finalists, the last goaltender to take the trophy was Steve Mason back in 2008-09, and he was unreal that campaign with a 33-20-7 record, 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage along with 10 shutouts. To put that into the context of that campaign, Mason also finished second in Vezina Trophy voting and fourth in the Hart race. With all due respect to Wolf, he’s not doing anything that measures up to that -- at least, he hasn’t yet.

With that in mind, let’s look at Celebrini’s recent comparables:

Alex Ovechkin, 2005-06, 19-19-38

Connor McDavid, 2016-17, 13-21-34

Sidney Crosby, 2005-06, 13-19-32

Patrick Kane, 2007-08, 8-23-31

Connor Bedard, 2023-24, 12-17-29

Macklin Celebrini, 2024-25, 13-15-28

Auston Matthews, 2016-17, 16-9-25

Paul Stastny, 2006-07, 8-14-22

You can see that his pace is a step below that of Ovechkin, McDavid, Crosby and Kane (note that McDavid missed roughly half of his rookie season and consequently missed out on the Calder), but he’s doing about as well as Bedard did last year.

Matthews and Stastny are there to remind us that we need to take these numbers with a grain of salt. Matthews is an amazing goal scorer who began his career with a four-goal game, but he had an extended quiet period from Oct. 27-Nov. 22 (0-3-3 in 13 games) during his rookie campaign, which diminished his early returns. In the case of Stastny, he finished with 28 goals and 78 points in 82 appearances in his first campaign, but he got off to a slow start.

These are ultimately still small sample sizes, but it does at least show that Celebrini is off to a respectable start when measured against the biggest stars of the salary cap era.

Still, Hutson looks even better:

Cale Makar*, 2019-20, 11-26-37

Shayne Gostisbehere*, 2015-16, 12-22-34

Lane Hutson*, 2024-25, 3-28-31

Quinn Hughes*, 2019-20, 4-26-30

Moritz Seider, 2021-22, 3-23-26

Zach Werenski, 2016-17, 6-20-26

Luke Hughes*, 2023-24, 7-16-23

Tyler Myers, 2009-10, 3-19-22

Brock Faber*, 2023-24, 2-18-20

You’ll notice a number of defensemen on this list with asterisks, which indicates that I took the first 41 games of their Calder season, not their first 41 games overall. For example, I didn’t count Makar’s 10 playoff appearances before 2019-20 or Quinn Hughes’ five regular-season outings in 2018-19. Hutson’s two appearances in 2023-24 weren’t factored in either, not that it would have hurt him -- he finished last season with a pair of assists.

That aside, Hutson is off to a remarkable start compared to other defensemen of the salary cap era. Faber did well enough to finish second in Calder Trophy voting last campaign with 47 points, and Hutson is well ahead of him. Moritz Seider is the last blueliner to win the award, and Hutson is outpacing the Red Wings defenseman as well.

Hutson is behind Makar and Gostisbehere, but Makar logged just 57 games as a rookie, consequently finishing with 50 points, and Gostisbehere didn’t play a full campaign either, finishing with 46 points in 66 outings. Hutson is currently on a 62-point pace. That would surpass Nicklas Lidstrom’s 60 points in 1991-92 and be the most since Brian Leetch’s 71 points in 1988-89.

Again, it’s apples and oranges between Celebrini and Hutson, but if you’re just talking about who is on track to leave the bigger mark on history for a rookie in their position, then so far that’s clearly Hutson.

Columbus Blue Jackets (Tue vs PHI, Thu vs SJS, Sat @ NYR)

At this point, it seems very likely Buffalo’s playoff drought, which dates back to 2011, will continue, but another franchise’s bid to re-enter the postseason might be successful. The Blue Jackets are in the mix for a Wild Card spot with some favorable games ahead of them. They’ll play in home against Philadelphia and San Jose on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before visiting the Rangers on Saturday. At the time of writing, none of those three adversaries have a winning record.

The Blue Jackets are no strangers to injuries this campaign, but they are facing arguably their biggest challenge on that front with Sean Monahan on the injured reserve list due to a wrist issue. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out for, but he was placed on IR rather quickly after sustaining the injury Tuesday, which probably isn’t a great sign.

Before the injury, Monahan had 14 goals and 41 points through 41 appearances in 2024-25 while playing primarily on the Blue Jackets’ top line and first power-play unit. His loss will be felt, but if there is any silver lining at all, it’s that Columbus had a promising young forward waiting in the minors for his opportunity.

Luca Del Bel Belluz has excelled with AHL Cleveland in 2024-25, providing 17 goals and 37 points in 34 outings. The 21-year-old was summoned due to Monahan’s absence and was a standout performer in Thursday’s 6-2 victory over Seattle, collecting a goal and an assist in 11:16 of ice time. It’s reasonable to believe that his playing time will increase as he settles in, and he seems like a nice short-term grab to me -- short term because he might return to the minors once Monahan recovers.

Adam Fantilli is likely to be another player leaned on during Monahan’s absence. He logged 18:41, including 1:42 with the man advantage, Thursday and registered an assist to extend his scoring streak to four games. The 20-year-old’s nine goals and 20 points in 42 appearances in 2024-25 is nothing to write home about, but the 2023 No. 3 overall pick has tremendous upside that makes him worth keeping a very close eye on.

Dallas Stars (Tue @ TOR, Thu vs MTL, Sat @ COL, Sun vs DET)

Dallas has won its past six games, pushing its record to 26-13-1 in 2024-25. Although the Stars are having an incredible season, they’re still not in position to have the home-ice advantage in the first round because of the tough division they play in. Consequently, the Stars need every point they can get. They’ll try to stay strong in Toronto on Tuesday before hosting Montreal on Thursday. Dallas then has a back-to-back set over the weekend, playing in Colorado on Saturday and at home against Detroit on Sunday.

Jason Robertson’s resurgence has been a major part of the Stars’ winning streak. He was playing well below his potential early in the campaign, recording four goals and eight points across his opening 17 outings. Since then, he hasn’t been held off the scoresheet in consecutive games and has been especially effective recently, supplying three goals and 11 points over his past six outings. To put that into perspective, he leads all players in scoring from Dec. 29-Jan. 9 -- Zach Werenski and Mitch Marner are tied for second with nine points each.

Matt Duchene has also been on a roll. Although he’s having a strong campaign overall, Duchene had a slow stretch from Dec. 4-27 in which he was limited to a goal and an assist over 10 contests. He’s since rebounded with three goals and eight points across his past six outings.

The best part for Dallas is Duchene and Robertson typically play on separate lines, so this isn’t a case of one player’s hot streak simply feeding into the other’s, they’re both gelling at the same time independent of each other, which helps spread out the offense. That said, Duchene’s linemates Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn are looking good as well with eight and seven points, respectively, across Dallas’ past six games. Robertson’s linemates Evgenii Dadonov and Roope Hintz are also enjoying strong stretches with six and five points, respectively, over the same span.

The only downside is Logan Stankoven, who serves on the third line, hasn’t been doing much. He has the most offensive potential among the forwards outside of the top six, but the 21-year-old has been a mixed bag this campaign with four goals and 19 points in 38 outings, and that’s despite an amazing start of the season in which he had four goals and 14 points over his opening 15 games. He’s worth monitoring to see if he gets hot again, but he’s too streaky to be an everyday option in fantasy.

Florida Panthers (Mon @ PHI, Tue @NJD, Thu vs DET, Sat vs ANA)

The Panthers have a real shot of reaching the 100-point mark for the third time in four seasons -- and they played at a 100-point pace in the shortened 2021 campaign (37-14-5) -- but they’ve been going through something of a rough patch with a 3-4-0 record from Dec. 23-Jan. 8. Florida will attempt to correct course on the road against the Flyers on Monday and the Devils on Tuesday. The Panthers will then return home to host Detroit on Thursday and Anaheim on Saturday.

Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart typically drive Florida’s offense, but none of them have been especially noteworthy lately -- each of them has no more than one goal and three points across Florida’s past five outings. Instead, Jesper Boqvist has been the unlikely leader recently, collecting four goals and six points over that five-game span.

This won’t last -- the 26-year-old has never recorded more than 23 points in a single campaign -- but you can enjoy this while it lasts. If nothing else, the timing of it has taken a touch of pressure off the Panthers’ major forwards during one of their quieter stretches.

One forward who might be feeling the pressure regardless, though, is Sam Bennett. He was amazing at the start of the campaign, supplying 13 goals and 26 points across his opening 27 appearances, which made it look like he might earn a big payday in the final season of his four-year, $17.7 million contract. Some decline was likely inevitable, but rather than slow, he’s collapsed, recording just one assist over his past 13 outings.

If there is a silver lining, Bennett is still firing the puck at a decent rate, accounting for 25 shots in his past eight outings, and his role with the team alongside Tkachuk and Verhaeghe seems largely intact. It seems just a matter of time before he breaks out of his recent slump, but he probably won’t have another stretch like he did in the early portion of 2024-25.

Montreal Canadiens (Tue @ UTA, Thu @ DAL, Sat vs TOR, Sun vs NYR)

Montreal wasn’t terribly impressive early in the campaign, owning an 11-16-3 record through Dec. 14, but the Canadiens have gone on a 9-2-0 run since. That’s put them into the mix for a playoff spot going into next week’s action. Montreal will begin on the road with games in Utah on TuesdayJack Hughes, and Dallas on Thursday. The Canadiens will then host the Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday.

A key factor in Montreal’s recent success has been its offense. The Canadiens have averaged 3.82 goals per game across their past 11 contests, which is a huge spike from their 2.70 goals per game over their first 30 outings.

Interestingly, there’s very little overlap with Patrik Laine’s success after returning from a knee injury and Montreal’s run. He did have an incredible eight goals and nine points in nine outings, but that was from Dec. 3-21, so mostly before Montreal took off. He then had no goals and an assist in four appearances from Dec. 23-31 and has missed the Canadiens’ last four outings due to an illness. You could absolutely make an argument that his hot return helped get the ball rolling, but he’s not what’s sustained it.

Cole Caufield has been an offensive leader over that stretch with six goals and 13 points through 11 outings, but that’s nothing new for him -- he has 23 goals and 40 points in 41 games overall -- so while he’s an important part of the Canadiens’ offense, he’s not what changed. The same goes for Nick Suzuki, who has two goals and 12 points across his past 11 appearances, giving him 13 goals and 42 points in 2024-25.

If you want the secret sauce, it’s been depth players stepping up. Joel Armia, Juraj Slafkovsky, Emil Heineman and Jake Evans have each had 15 points or fewer over Montreal’s first 30 outings, but those four have each collected seven or more points over the past 11 games.

Meanwhile, we’ve seen some promise from Jakub Dobes. He’s made three starts so far and is 3-0-0 with a GAA and a save percentage of 0.97 and .959, respectively. Granted, that’s a small sample size, but those matches were against Florida, Colorado and Washington -- all on the road -- so the Canadiens have given him tough competition, and he’s risen to the occasion.

Sam Montembeault has been largely hit-and-miss this campaign, including from Dec. 17 onward. He does have a 6-2-0 record over that stretch, but he also has a 2.78 GAA and an .890 save percentage. With that in mind, there’s a chance Dobes could see his workload begin to increase.

New Jersey Devils (Tue vs FLA, Thu @ TOR, Sat vs PHI, Sun vs OTT)

The Devils recent mediocre play has been due to a cold spell offensively. New Jersey has been strong overall, ranking 11th in goals per game with 3.16 goals per game, but the Devils have averaged just 2 goals per game across their past seven outings.

Forwards Jack Hughes (two goals, six points), Jesper Bratt (one goal, five points) and Ondrej Palat (three goals, four points), as well as defenseman Dougie Hamilton (five assists), are the only players who have made notable contributions on offense during that seven-game stretch. Timo Meier (one goal, two points) and especially Nico Hischier (one goal, two points) stand out as having been unusually cold in that span.

It's just a matter of time before the Devils start scoring again, though, so I wouldn’t be overly worried. It’s also worth remembering that six of New Jersey’s past seven outings have been on the road, so perhaps that worked against the Devils.

For his part, Markstrom hasn’t been amazing recently, but he also hasn’t been the issue. He’s limited the competition to two or three goals in each of his past five starts, which would be good enough under normal circumstances. He’s also still putting up strong numbers overall with a 21-8-3 record, 2.19 GAA and .911 save percentage across his past 32 appearances.

So, if you have New Jersey players on your team, my recommendation would be to hold firm and anticipate better times ahead.

Ottawa Senators (Tue @ NYI, Thu vs WAS, Sat vs BOS, Sun @ NJD)

Ottawa is going through a four-game schedule in the week of Jan. 6-12, and it has another full slate ahead. The Senators will begin next week with a road matchup against the Islanders before hosting Washington and Boston on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Senators will then conclude the week in New Jersey on Sunday. With those final two games, the Senators will have played in five back-to-back sets, totaling 10 matches, in the span of 12 contests.

Ottawa has suffered four straight defeats to start January and is 1-5-1 across its past seven outings. With Montreal and Detroit both trending in the right direction, the Senators are in danger of slipping to seventh in the Atlantic Division and seeing their playoff chances fade further.

Brady Tkachuk, who is 25 and in his seventh NHL campaign without making his postseason debut, is doing his best to keep the Senators afloat, recording two goals, five points, 21 PIM and 20 hits over that seven-game span. He’s been Ottawa’s top offensive power during that stretch, but the other forwards the Senators typically rely on for offense -- Claude Giroux, Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson -- have each recorded two or fewer points over that stretch.

Though, perhaps it’s inaccurate to say that the Senators are relying on Giroux for offense, or at least they shouldn’t be at this point. Giroux was still a strong top-line scoring threat when he joined the Senators in 2022, but he seems to have declined substantially at the age of 36, supplying nine goals and 24 points through 40 appearances this campaign. Clearly, he still has something to offer, but those are numbers that would be more in line with a third line forward on a strong team.

Perhaps there’s a strong team out there that would want him in such a role. Giroux is in the final campaign of his three-year, $19.5 million contract, and if the Senators don’t rebuild soon, it would make sense for them to shop the veteran forward. He does have a no-movement clause, so Giroux has complete control over that situation, but his career is winding down, and he hasn’t won the Cup yet, so if presented with the opportunity to play for a serious contender, he’d likely take it.

He'd easily be the Senators’ biggest trade chip if it came to that. Travis Hamonic would also likely have appeal as a third-pairing blueliner, while Nick Cousins and Adam Gaudette might be grabbed to provide playoff-bound teams with forward depth, but if you’re a Senators fan and the team doesn’t turn things around soon, then Giroux rumors are the ones you’ll want to pay attention to.

Philadelphia Flyers (Mon vs FLA, Tue @ CBJ, Thu @ NYI, Sat @ NJD)

The Flyers endured a tough road stretch from Dec. 23-Jan. 5 in which they went 2-3-1. They’re back at home now, but rather than reverse the trend, they’ve dropped their past two games. Their home stint will conclude Monday against the Panthers. After that, they’ll go on a three-game trip involving games against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the Islanders on Thursday and the Devils on Saturday. Philadelphia will look to do better in that stretch while attempting to make up ground in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

Like Ottawa, Philadelphia’s recent struggles has caused its playoff hopes to drastically diminish, but with half the season left, a comeback can’t be ruled out. It’s unfair to put this on the rookie, but a stronger showing out of Matvei Michkov would go a long way toward making that happen.

I noted Michkov’s overall success this season up top, but what I didn’t mention is how cold he’s been recently, recording a goal, an assist and a minus-17 rating across his past 13 appearances. Plus/minus is always a stat that needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but his minus-17 rating from Dec. 14-Jan. 9 is by far the worst in the NHL. The next worst in the NHL during that time period are Brandon Montour and Mikhail Sergachev, who are tied at minus-12. Jamie Drysdale is the next worst member of the Flyers at minus-11 while the next worst Flyers forward is Morgan Frost at minus-9.

Michkov was a healthy scratch for two games from Nov. 7-9 and followed that with an amazing stretch from Nov. 11-Dec. 10 in which he had seven goals, 17 points and a plus-13 rating across 14 outings. I do wonder if maybe another scratch is in Michkov’s future to give him a chance to regroup. Either way, he’s a talented rookie, and it’s not uncommon for rookies to grow through stretches like this -- for one of countless examples, you might recall the Auston Matthews rookie slump I highlighted earlier -- so there’s not much cause for concern about Michkov’s future. In the long run, he should grow from this.

In contrast to his cold spell, Tyson Foerster had an incredible run of six goals and nine points in nine outings from Dec. 18-Jan. 5, but he was held off the scoresheet in Philadelphia’s past two games, so the good times might be over. He’s more of a streaming option given his streaky nature and middle-of-the-road stats (12 goals and 19 points in 41 games). For that reason, it’s best to move on when he shows signs of cooling.

If you’re looking for a hot member of the team, that’s Travis Konecny. He’s having an amazing campaign overall too with 20 goals and 46 points in 42 outings, but he’s been especially productive on the goal front recently with four markers across his last five appearances. His shooting percentage of 19.0 is well above his career average of 13.0, which is a potential warning sign, but that’s been skewed upwards by his power-play goals (a career-high eight). His 5-on-5 shooting percentage of 9.8 is actually a bit low for him (he finished with a 5-on-5 shooting percentage in the double digits in five of his previous seven campaigns), so there might still be some upside in that regard.

Utah HC (Tue vs MTL, Thu vs NYR, Sat vs STL)

Utah is having a streaky season, and lately, the squad has been trending in the wrong direction, going 2-6-2 from Dec. 22-Jan. 10. Fortunately, next week, the team will be at home against adversaries that presently don’t occupy a playoff position. Utah HC will face the Canadiens on Tuesday, the Rangers on Thursday and the Blues on Saturday.

Utah got Connor Ingram back from an upper-body injury, but at the time of writing, he hasn’t drawn into a game since returning, and it’s likely he’ll be used sparing. He didn’t impress before the injury, posting a 6-4-3 record, 3.61 GAA and .871 save percentage in 13 outings. Perhaps the time off has given him a chance to reset, but given Karel Vejmelka’s success -- although he has a 10-11-3 record, he’s stellar in terms of GAA (2.38) and save percentage (.916) -- so there isn’t much motivation to use Ingram except when Vejmelka could use a breather. Then again, the winds with this duo have changed before, so nothing is certain. Vejmelka was the starter in 2022-23, but that role was taken by Ingram last season. Ingram also entered 2024-25 with the No. 1 gig that now belongs to Vejmelka.

Neither has a track record of success long enough to be called a safe bet. The closest thing to that in Utah is Clayton Keller. The 26-year-old forward has been remarkably consistent this campaign, being held off the scoresheet in consecutive games just once in 2024-25 (Oct. 22-24). That steady stream of offense has resulted in him recording 14 goals and 41 points through 40 appearances, putting him well on his way toward reaching the 75-point mark for the third straight campaign.

It's just a shame that the forward corps around him is nothing special. Logan Cooley (11 goals, 35 points), Dylan Guenther (16 goals, 34 points) and Nick Schmaltz (seven goals, 30 points) have all been fine, but no other member of the squad has even reached the 20-point mark. In the long run, Utah does have Tij Iginla, Cole Beaudoin and Daniil But, who could make a significant impact in a couple of years, but none of those young forwards are in a position to help now.

Josh Doan is much closer, but after the 22-year-old turned heads by providing five goals and nine points in 11 games with Arizona in 2023-24, he was quiet during an NHL stint from Oct. 8-26 this campaign, supplying a goal and an assist across nine outings before being sent to AHL Tucson. He did seem to find his way in Tucson, though, contributing eight goals and 21 points over 25 contests, and was recalled Friday as a result. He had three shots in 14:18 of ice time during Utah’s 2-1 win over San Jose.

As already noted, Utah isn’t swimming in offensive depth, so with Keller, Cooley and Schmaltz sharing a line and Dylan Guenther (lower body) out indefinitely, Doan doesn’t have great linemates to play off. He’s at least worth keeping an eye on, but I wouldn’t jump to take him yet.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Zegras scoring again, Sharangovich finding his form, Valeri Nichushkin is a difference maker again, a closer look at some of the top rookies, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:58:22 +0000

Calgary Flames center Yegor Sharangovich (17) (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I’ll dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Trevor Zegras is scoring again, Yegor Sharangovich is finding his form, Valeri Nichushkin is a difference maker again, a closer look at some of the top rookies, and much more!

#1 Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras had two 60-point seasons to his credit before managing just 15 points in 31 games last season when his campaign was shortened by injuries including a broken ankle. It wasn’t getting any better early in 2024-2025 either, as Zegras had just three points (1 G, 2 A) through his first 15 games. There have been some recent signs of progress, however, as Zegras has produced seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 16 shots on goal in the past six games. It is still ridiculous that he is skating at centre while winning 39.4 percent of his faceoffs, but if that is the best spot for his playmaking ability to shine, then that is what the Ducks need to do. With Leo Carlsson suffering an upper-body injury earlier this week, the Ducks need Zegras to continue delivering offensive production.

#2 A pleasant surprise for the Calgary Flames last season when he hit career highs with 31 goals and 59 points after he was acquired from New Jersey, Yegor Sharangovich suffered a lower-body injury in the preseason and started slowly once he rejoined the lineup. He had just two goals in 12 games, despite playing more than 18 minutes per game, but he has picked up five points (3 G, 2 A) in his past four games while recording 20 shots on goal and averaging 19:50 of ice time per game. Of his seven points on the season, four have come via the power play, so there is room for much improvement during five-on-five play.

#3 Returning to the Colorado Avalanche lineup after serving a six-month suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program policy, Valeri Nichushkin had no points and just four shots on goal in his first three games but appears to be back on track. In the past three games, Nichushkin has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) with eight shots on goal and he played a season-high 22:47 in Wednesday’s win over Vegas.

#4 Anaheim Ducks rookie winger Cutter Gauthier came into the season with some expectations. He was the fifth pick in the 2022 Draft, scored 102 points (54 G, 48 A) in 73 games in two seasons at Boston College and was productive in international play, too, producing 22 points (6 G, 16 A) in 14 games across two years at the World Juniors, plus he had nine points (7 G, 2 A) in 10 games at the 2023 World Championships. All of this indicated that he should be able to contribute quickly in the NHL. He did not record a point in his first five games, but since then has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 38 shots on goal in 16 games. There is also a stat that is quite encouraging about Gauthier’s potential ability to sustain his production. Among players that have played at least 200 five-on-five minutes, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg (24.82) is the only one with a higher rate of individual shot attempts per 60 minutes, as Gauthier has 21.95, putting him ahead of Owen Tippett, Brady Tkachuk, and Jeff Skinner.

#5 The leading point producer among rookies is Philadelphia Flyers right winger Matvei Michkov, who has 17 points (8 G, 9 A) in 21 games, despite being a healthy scratch for two games. Michkov has an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.0 percent during five-on-five play, which is quite low for an offensive forward, so he should be able to find his way to more assists, but he is also scoring on 20.0 percent of his shots on goal, so there could very well be some regression on that side of the ledger, too.

#6 The first pick in the 2024 Draft, San Jose Sharks centre Macklin Celebrini may very well be the best of the rookie class. He missed some time due to injury, but he has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in 13 games. He has 43 shots on goal, and is averaging 20:15 of ice time per game, both of which are great indications that his production should continue at a high level. To temper some of the enthusiasm, it should be noted that Celebrini has an individual points percentage of 100.0 percent and that is not likely to last an entire season. To be fair, however, last season’s top rookie, Conor Bedard finished with a league-leading IPP for 91.89 percent (minimum 1000 five-on-five minutes).

#7 Second-year Anaheim Ducks defenceman Olen Zellweger is on the smaller side of things, listed at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, but he is such a nimble skater with a flair for offensive production that there is clearly a role for him in the Ducks’ plans. In his past six games, Zellweger has six points (2 G, 4 A) with 13 shots on goal. Zellweger is quarterbacking the Ducks’ top power play unit and four of his 10 points this season have come with the man advantage.

#8 Dallas Stars centre Tyler Seguin is playing 16:15 per game, his lowest average time on ice since his rookie season 2010-2011. Nevertheless, he is also averaging better than a point per game with 18 points (8 G, 10 A) in 17 games. That is built on some high percentages, including an individual shooting percentage of 19.0 percent and an on-ice shooting percentage of 13.0 percent during five-on-five play. Both of those marks would be career highs for Seguin, so regression is probably coming, but he may offer some short-term value before those percentages start to level out.

#9 The third pick in the 2022 Draft, Utah Hockey Club centre Logan Cooley continues to make progress in his second NHL season. Cooley has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 14 shots on goal, while averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game, across his past six games. He is playing on Utah’s top power play unit while centering Jack McBain and Dylan Guenther at even strength.

#10 Vancouver Canucks right winger Kiefer Sherwood has climbed the depth chart and is skating on Vancouver’s top line, alongside Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. Sherwood has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past six games and is far and away the leading hitter in the NHL, with 137 hits in 21 games. He is 34 hits ahead of Nashville defenceman Jeremy Lauzon and 43 hits ahead of the second-ranked forward, Brady Tkachuk. Sherwood’s outrageous hit totals give him fantasy value anyway, but with an increasing offensive role, his appeal is growing by the game.

#11 Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere is a power play specialist this season, recording 12 of his 17 points (70.6 percent) this season with the man advantage. The only defenceman in the league with a higher ratio of power play points is Ottawa Senators blueliner Jake Sanderson, who has registered 14 points, with 11 (78.6 percent) on the power play. Among defencemen with at least five power play points, the top five gets rounded out by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly and Montreal Canadiens’ Mike Matheson, who both have seven of 13 points on the power play, as well as Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi, who has half of his 18 points on the power play.

#12 While Gostisbehere is pumping up his point totals on the power play, his teammate, Dmitry Orlov, is busy getting his production at even strength. Orlov has recorded an assist in six straight games and has zero power play points among his 14 points this season. The highest scoring defencemen who have yet to record a power play point this season: Buffalo’s Owen Power and Vegas’ Alex Pietrangelo, who both have 15 points, one more than Orlov. Buffalo’s Bowen Byram has 13 and three defencemen – St. Louis’ Colton Parayko, Minnesota’s Jake Middleton and Colorado’s Samuel Girard – have a dozen points without any on the power play.

#13 Shuffled into the background in Nashville, defenceman Dante Fabbro has thrived since he was acquired off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In seven games since joining Columbus, Fabbro has four points (2 G, 2 A), while playing 21:42 per game as a partner for Zach Werenski. It is probably too soon to go after Fabbro, save for the deepest of leagues, but he is worth keeping tabs on in his new location.

#14 Veteran Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland has been a consistent source of secondary scoring throughout his career, but the Canucks are giving him more responsibility this season and he is responding favorably. He has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 16 shots on goal in his past six games, giving him 18 points (6 G, 12 A) in 21 games, leading Vancouver’s forwards in scoring. Garland is averaging a career-high 19:13 of ice time per game, which includes time on the first power play unit, and he has six power play points this season surpassing last season’s total of five power play points.

#15 Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier may not get back to the offensive production that marked the peak of his career, but he is still delivering quality results for his team. Couturier has goals in three straight games, recording 10 shots on goal in the process, lifting him to 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in 22 games, but the Flyers are also controlling 56.9 percent of shot attempts and 55.2 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play with Couturier on the ice. He is also winning 58.0 percent of his faceoffs, which ranks 11th among players that have taken at least 200 faceoffs.

#16 The St. Louis Blues reacted quickly when Jim Montgomery was fired by the Boston Bruins, hiring him to replace Drew Bannister. Dylan Holloway and Zack Bolduc have been early beneficiaries of the change. Holloway has produced four points (2 G, 2 A) and eight shots on goal while playing 16:55 per game since Montgomery took over on the Blues bench. Bolduc does not play as much, but still scored two goals with seven shots on goal in Montgomery’s first game.

#17 Maybe wins don’t come too easily for Chicago Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek, but he is giving his team a chance to win most nights. Mrazek was mediocre in his first handful of starts, posting a save percentage of .887, but since then has a .923 save percentage with a 5-5-1 record in 11 starts. His overall save percentage of .912 ranks 12th among goaltenders that have appeared in at least 10 games.

#18 With Lukas Dostal posting a .922 save percentage in 14 games, ranking fourth among goalies to play at least 10 games, it has been challenging for veteran John Gibson to reclaim his role in the crease for the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson has been playing well since returning from injury, though, putting up a 4-0-1 record with a .919 save percentage in five starts. If Gibson is playing at a high level, that could increase his likelihood of finally getting traded and there are teams that might be ready to pull the trigger for a veteran goaltender who could use a fresh start with a team that has better defensive structure.

#19 Speaking of teams that might have goaltending concerns, the Carolina Hurricanes have Pyotr Kochetkov in concussion protocol and Frederik Andersen is out long-term following knee surgery. That leaves Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets in net for the ‘Canes. Martin has a .856 save percentage in seven games for Carolina this season while Perets has 13 minutes of NHL experience and had a .825 save percentage in three AHL games when he was called up. If Kochetkov recovers quickly, the Hurricanes may be able to survive, because they are the best puck possession team in the league, but if he is out long-term, the Hurricanes may need to look for an external solution to their goaltending problem.

#20 Through 360 games in this season, there is an average of 6.13 goals per game, but there has not been a huge advantage for being the home side, with home teams averaging 3.125 goals per game while road teams have 3.008. For fantasy managers, particularly those making daily roster decisions, this suggests not to be overly discouraged if a player happens to be on the road, because it should not have a significant effect on a player’s likely production.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Boston Struggling, Colorado returns to health and much more

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:47:10 +0000

Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

If you compare every team since the beginning of the salary cap era (2005-06), you’ll find that the Boston Bruins rank as the best defensively, allowing an average of just 2.55 goals per game. That’s not shocking when you consider that the Bruins have gone from Tim Thomas to Tuukka Rask to the duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman over that period.

Elite goaltending has simply become the norm in Boston, and it didn’t look like it was going to change. Sure, Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for cap reasons, but the 25-year-old Swayman seemed ready to take his place as Boston’s clear No. 1, and yes, the negotiations got tense, resulting in him missing the preseason, but in the end, he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract, ending the saga with a resolution that both sides can be happy with. Except, noone has much reason to be happy with the Bruins right now.

Boston is a middling 8-8-2, a dramatic drop from its 47-20-15 finish in 2023-24, and Swayman has been part of the problem with his 5-6-2 record, 3.35 GAA and .888 save percentage in 13 starts. He leads the league in goals allowed (42), and his goals saved above expected is minus-4.6, per Moneypuck, which puts him in 65th place through Thursday’s action -- not exactly the type of return you’d expect from someone with an $8.25 million cap hit.

Maybe missing the preseason put him behind the curve, contributing to his shaky start, but he doesn’t seem to be stabilizing as the campaign goes on. To be fair, he does have his moments, but his good starts have been counterbalanced by disastrous ones, like allowing six goals on 22 shots en route to an 8-2 loss to Carolina on Oct. 31 or surrendering seven goals on 38 shots in Boston’s 7-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday. Swayman also just has a lot of uninspired starts sprinkled in there -- nine of his 13 outings have involved him surrendering at least three goals.

Maybe it’s the pressure of the contract getting to him, especially with how much he appeared to have to battle to get that deal. There’s a big mental aspect to goaltending, so it’s not hard to see how a slow start, coupled with the new deal, and perhaps even the absence of his longtime friend and goaltending partner Ullmark, could all snowball to create this outcome. Whatever the case, though, Boston is in waters that have been rare for it since the start of the cap era: They have a problem between the pipes.

Colorado has endured its own goaltending issues, but at least the Avalanche are tied for 10th offensively with 3.47 goals per game and could do even better now that their forward corps is largely healthy. They’re still missing Gabriel Landeskog (knee) and Ross Colton (foot), but Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) and Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) are all back, giving them far more options than they’ve had in a while.

This is being written before Friday’s game against Washington, which is set to see the return of Nichushkin, but it looks like the tentative plan is to run two elite lines. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen typically play together, giving the Avalanche one nearly unstoppable unit, but instead, Colorado is slated to break them up, putting MacKinnon with Lehkonen and Drouin while Rantanen will share the ice with Nichushkin and Casey Mittelstadt. If that works out, then it could make things extremely tough on the opposition's defense. It’s a luxury the Avalanche arguably couldn’t afford earlier in the season because the quality of the linemates for MacKinnon and Rantanen wouldn’t have been sufficient to split them, but at this point, it’s something they can experiment with.

It also means Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko are now firmly in the bottom six. There was an opportunity for one or both to show what they could do with greater responsibilities when the team was ravaged by injuries, but neither stepped up. At this stage, it seems reasonable to project that Ivan and Kovalenko won’t have significant fantasy value this year, but at least they’re still okay complimentary pieces for the Avalanche.

All-in-all, Colorado’s offense looks strong at this point. The Avalanche are already on a roll, winning four of their past five games, and Colorado could continue to shine from here.

Anaheim Ducks – Mon @ DAL, Tue @ CHI, Fri vs BUF

You can get whiplash going from a conversation about the Avalanche’s offense to Anaheim’s. MacKinnon has 33 points through 17 games by himself. That equals the combined point totals of the Ducks’ top four scorers -- Troy Terry (11 points), Mason McTavish (eight), Leo Carlsson (seven) and Ryan Strome (seven).

The Ducks are consequently unlikely to generate much offense when they play in Dallas on Monday, but Anaheim might have more success in Chicago on Tuesday and when hosting Buffalo on Friday.

Health will be a factor in that. McTavish has missed the Ducks’ past two games because of an upper-body injury, but he’s day-to-day, so there’s a real chance he’ll be fine for next week’s action.

Even with him back, though, the Ducks need help on offense. A resurgence of Trevor Zegras would be the most obvious boost. However, he had just 15 points in 31 contests in 2023-24 and has diminished further to just three points through 15 appearances this season -- a far cry from his back-to-back 60-plus point campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He’s still just 23 years old, so it seems wrong to suggest he’s washed up, but then what is the problem?

First off, his lone goal this campaign was scored on an empty net, so you’d have to go back to April 13 to find the last time he beat an NHL goaltender in a regular-season game. He’s averaging 6.3 shots per 60 minutes in 2024-25, which is down from 8.1 in 2021-22 and 7.2 in 2022-23, so that doesn’t help. Seven of his 27 shots this year have been fired from a high-danger position, which puts him below the league average of 7.9 among forwards. All that’s bad, but not to the extent where he should have literally zero goals against goaltenders.

Moneypuck gives him an xG of 3.6, he has a PDO of 951 along with exactly zero secondary assists and his IPP of 42.9 is leagues below his career average. All that suggests some of his offensive woes are due to poor luck. Still, three points in 15 appearances is so bad that it’s hard to imagine him having a good campaign even if the luck was balanced.

Still, he’s worth keeping an eye on. The talent is there, and there are some indications that he’s been shifting to a more complete game despite his lack of offense, as Patrick Present of The Hockey News recently noted. Plus, he’s still young, and when coupled with him attempting to adjust his game, some growing pains are understandable. Don’t expect this to be a big campaign from him, but also don’t write him off yet.

Boston Bruins – Mon vs CBJ, Thu vs UTA, Sat @ DET

We talked about Swayman’s woes up top. Perhaps it will help him that the Bruins’ opponents next week rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of goals per game. Boston is set to host the Blue Jackets on Monday and Utah HC on Thursday before playing in Detroit on Saturday.

Swayman is the headline issue for the Bruins, but he isn’t the only one. The forward corps is also leaving something to be desired. We’ve seen better out of David Pastrnak (eight goals and 17 points through 18 games) and Brad Marchand (five goals and 13 points), but both are doing well enough, even when measured against the high standards they’re held to. The problem is no other player on the team has reached double digits in points.

Elias Lindholm, who signed a seven-year, $54.25 million contract over the summer, was the Bruins’ big offseason get to solidify the team up the middle. However, he hasn’t been that great. After scoring two goals and five points over his first three games with Boston, Lindholm has been limited to four assists across his past 15 outings. To be fair, he’s known for his two-way game, and his relative CF% and FF% are outstanding at plus-8.8 and plus-12.2, respectively. Still, you’d like to see more scoring out of him when he’s spending almost all of his 5-on-5 time alongside at least one of Pastrnak and Marchand.

Pavel Zacha has left something to be desired too with three goals and seven points through 18 outings after finishing 2023-24 with 59 points. He might be heating up, though. Zacha has two goals and four points through his past four appearances, so perhaps he can carry that momentum into next week, especially given the mediocre nature of Boston’s upcoming competition.

Chicago Blackhawks – Tue vs ANA, Thu vs FLA, Sat @ PHI

Chicago will host the Ducks and the Panthers on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before visiting Philadelphia on Saturday. Florida is a tough team, but the Ducks and the Flyers haven’t looked good so far in 2024-25.

Not that the Blackhawks have impressed either with their 6-10-1 record. Petr Mrazek has largely held his own with a 2.79 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 13 appearances, which are solid numbers when you consider that Chicago ranks 28th in xGA/60 (3.39), which suggests Mrazek hasn’t gotten much help from his teammates defensively.

They also haven’t helped Mrazek offensively. Chicago is tied for 29th with just 2.41 goals per game, and even Connor Bedard has left something to be desired with three goals and 13 points through 17 appearances. Bedard is on an eight-game goal-scoring slump with four assists in that span, but let’s not be too hard on him. He’s still just 19 years old, so some streaky play is expected, and he has a healthy enough 21 shots during that slump, so eventually he’ll break through.

I’m more disappointed in Teuvo Teravainen. He signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract over the summer to come to Chicago from Carolina and has been primarily used alongside Bedard. However, Teravainen hasn’t been able to generate much of anything in 5-on-5 play with the young star. The 30-year-old has four goals and eight points through 17 appearances with just two of those points (one goal) coming at even strength. Interesting, his 5-on-5 xG is also just one, so the issue isn’t exactly bad puck luck.

Bedard has also been tried with Taylor Hall and/or Tyler Bertuzzi, but significantly less often than Teravainen. Philipp Kurashev has seen significant time alongside Bedard as well, though Kurashev has just three goals and four points through 16 outings. That’s a massive drop from Kurashev’s 54-point showing in 2023-24, and the decline is largely due to a lack of assists.

The line mixing is likely to continue to happen as long as Chicago’s offense remains cold. In the long run, it would be nice to see Kurashev and Bedard rekindle some of their 2023-24 chemistry -- they showed up together on the scoresheet 25 times last season. If we start seeing some of that, then Kurashev would become a good buy-low candidate.

Dallas Stars – Mon vs ANA, Wed vs SJS, Sat @ TBL

Dallas will start the week by hosting the lowly Ducks and Sharks on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Stars will then travel to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning on Saturday.

Matt Duchene will look to extend his recent success during that stretch. He has a phenomenal eight goals and 17 points across his past 10 appearances, including two goals and five points over his last two games. He’s been seeing time alongside Mason Marchment, who is also on fire with two goals and seven points over his past two outings, so that duo could do a lot of damage, especially against rebuilding squads like Anaheim and San Jose.

At the other end of the spectrum, Dallas could use more out of Roope Hintz. His six goals and 10 points through 15 outings aren’t bad, but it’s below the pace Dallas has come to expect after seeing Hintz record at least 30 goals and 65 points in each of his previous three campaigns. Hintz did endure a four-game scoring drought from Oct. 26-Nov. 7, but there’s a silver lining here because he’s found the back of the net twice over his past three games, so perhaps the worst is over.

The action is also spread out enough that Jake Oettinger might start in all three of those games. He’s 8-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage in 11 appearances in 2024-25. He’s also coming off two really strong victories, stopping 43 of 46 shots in blowout wins against Pittsburgh and Boston.

Detroit Red Wings – Mon @ SJS, Thu vs NYI, Sat vs BOS

The Red Wings will play in San Jose on Monday before hosting the Islanders on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday. Detroit will be looking to gain some ground after a mediocre 7-7-1 start.

Detroit has to be disappointed with Vladimir Tarasenko, who inked a two-year, $9.5 million contract over the summer but has just two goals and four points through 14 appearances. This one is a bit of a “the chicken or the egg” problem. Tarasenko is averaging just 13:41 of ice time while typically serving on the third line alongside Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper. That’s not a recipe for success or the top six role many envisioned when he signed his deal. At the same time, he hasn’t done anything to force himself into a bigger role. From Oct. 22-Nov. 2, he appeared in five games without even recording a single shot.

You’re not going to move up in the lineup with that kind of play. On the plus side, he has logged an assist and seven shots over his past two outings, so maybe we’re witnessing the start of him getting some going. I’m skeptical, but it’s worthy of monitoring.

Detroit could certainly use another source of secondary scoring. The Red Wings rank 28th offensively with just 2.47 goals per game. Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin have done fine with 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively, through 15 appearances and Patrick Kane is holding his own at 35, providing three goals and 10 points. The rest of the offense hasn’t been anything to write home about, though, and no one aside from maybe Tarasenko jumps out to me as a struggling forward to watch.

That includes Michael Rasmussen. He was taken with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but he has never even reached the 35-point mark and has just two goals and four points in 15 outings in 2024-25. He’s a towering presence, but at the age of 25, I think it’s fair to believe that the offense isn’t coming.

Edmonton Oilers – Mon @ MTL, Tue @ OTT, Thu vs MIN, Sat vs COL

The Oilers will open the week with road games in Montreal on Monday and Ottawa on Tuesday. They’ll then return to Edmonton to host the Wild on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday.

Edmonton had a mixed start to the season in part because of inconsistent offensive production, but it’s okay now: Connor McDavid remembered that he’s Connor McDavid. The superstar has posted three straight multi-point efforts, causing him to jump to six goals and 19 points through 14 appearances despite a weirdly human start in which he recorded three goals and 10 points in his first 11 outings -- good for others, not for him.

If McDavid has found his grove, then Edmonton is in a far better position, but the Oilers do still have some areas of concern. Stuart Skinner is still a mixed bag with a 5-5-1 record, 3.22 GAA and .881 save percentage in 11 outings. You’ll likely remember that Skinner had a terrible start to 2023-24 before turning a corner, and it could be argued that his Nov. 24 25-save shutout over Washington was when everything started working out for him last year. In other words, we’re getting to roughly the same stage of the year, and we’ll have to see if Skinner can once again find his rhythm or if he doesn’t enjoy that same kind of turnaround in 2024-25.

Edmonton’s offseason attempts at deepening the offense also haven’t paid off yet. Jeff Skinner has just three goals and six points while Viktor Arvidsson has two goals and five points. Arvidsson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, so we might not see him this week. Meanwhile, Skinner has been relegated to the fourth line recently. Skinner has had a weird career full of amazing highs and significant lows. There’s consequently no guarantee that a turnaround is forthcoming this year, but if he does get another look on Edmonton’s top six, which I think is just a matter of time, then he’ll be worth keeping an eye on.

San Jose Sharks – Mon vs DET, Wed @ DAL, Thu @ STL, Sat vs BUF

I like to highlight teams who are set to play four games in a week over those with three or two games on the docket, but there aren’t many examples of that upcoming. San Jose is one of the exceptions. The Sharks’ busy schedule will begin by hosting the Red Wings on Monday. They’ll then play in Dallas on Wednesday and St. Louis on Thursday before returning home to face the Sabres on Saturday.

Naturally, if you’re going to watch Sharks hockey, the player you’ll be most interested in is Macklin Celebrini. Taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, he was out from Oct. 12-Nov. 2 due to a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, he’s been mostly quiet since, providing two goals Nov. 7 but also being held off the scoresheet entirely in his other four appearances dating back to his Nov. 5 return.

It's too small of a sample size to read too much into it, but Celebrini is a tremendous talent who is averaging 19:25 of ice time and has recorded 20 shots over six outings in 2024-25, so I expect him to start producing at a good pace as the campaign progresses.

In the meantime, Mikael Granlund has done his part. He has seven goals and 18 points in 18 games to lead the Sharks offensively this season. A lot of that was due to him recording five goals and 12 points across seven outings from Oct. 17-28, though. He’s been fine since, but his two goals and five points over his past eight contests are a noticeable decline. There might be some merit to selling him high, but I think his goal-scoring pace, which would lead to him finishing with 32 markers, has actual merit.

He’s never reached the 30-goal milestone before and finished 2023-24 with just 12 goals, but he’s traditionally been a very conservative shooter. That’s changed in a big way this year -- he's averaging a career-high 9.9 shots per 60 minutes, and that includes 14 high-danger shots, which puts him on track for 64, up from 44 last year. His increase in shots also means that his 10.9 shooting percentage isn’t significantly off his career average (10.3) despite his big jump in goals.

Granlund and Celebrini are currently centering different lines, but they share the ice on the power play. Although Sharks rank 23rd in terms of power-play percentage (16.4), that might improve as Celebrini gets going, which would also benefit Granlund.

Utah HC – Mon vs WAS, Thu @ BOS, Sat @ PIT, Sun @ TOR

Utah HC is another squad with four games on the schedule next week. The club will host the Capitals on Monday before a road trip that will place Utah HC in Boston on Thursday, Pittsburgh on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.

Utah has been an interesting team. It got off to a 3-0-0 start fueled by some great offensive performances, but the scoring has cooled, and the club is now 7-6-3.

One positive is Mikhail Sergachev has messed well with his new team after being dealt from Tampa Bay in June. Sergachev has three goals and 11 points in 16 outings in 2024-25 while averaging 25:35 of ice time -- that'll be a career high if he maintains it for the full campaign. He also has a big power-play role and has collected three points (one goal) with the man advantage. It’s reasonable to project he’ll surpass the 50-point milestone for the second time in his career as long as he stays healthy.

Up front, Clayton Keller (six goals, 14 points), Dylan Guenther (seven goals, 13 points), Nick Schmaltz (12 assists) and Logan Cooley (two goals, 11 points) have been leading the charge, but none of them are especially hot right now. Nick Bjugstad is an interesting forward, though. He’s capable of being a solid secondary scorer, but he averaged just 13:20 of ice time this season, down from 17:27 in 2023-24. He did make his mark Wednesday, though, scoring his first two goals of the campaign to lead Utah to a 4-1 victory over Carolina. Bjugstad is getting a chance to play alongside Keller and Schmaltz, so he might be able to build off that strong showing.

That would help Utah, but what the club needs more than anything is reliability between the pipes. Although Connor Ingram has a respectable 6-3-3 record, his 3.40 GAA and .879 aren’t inspiring. Meanwhile, Karel Vejmelka is just 1-3-0, but he has a 2.37 GAA and a .926 save percentage. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vejmelka get more work, perhaps leading to him starting in at least two of Utah’s games next week.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Vilardi, Beniers, Roslovic receiving prime opportunities

Scott Cullen — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 22:11:32 +0000

Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi (13) (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I’ll dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Gabriel Vilardi is riding high with the Jets, Matty Beniers is bouncing back in Seattle, Jack Roslovic has a prime opportunity in Carolina, Rickard Rakell has decent linemates in Pittsburgh, and much more!

Here is this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points:

#1 Following a slow start to the season, when he had just three assists in his first six games, Winnipeg Jets right winger Gabriel Vilardi has picked up his pace and has eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 19 shots on goal during a six-game point streak. The Jets are rolling, with a 13-1 record, and Vilardi is riding high on the top line alongside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor in addition to skating on the Jets’ top power play unit. The key for Vilardi is staying healthy. He had 77 points (45 G, 32 A) in 110 games over the previous two seasons, but he has never played more than 63 games in a season.

#2 Seattle Kraken centre Matty Beniers endured a tough sophomore season in 2023-2024, finishing with 37 points (15 G, 22 A) in 77 games. He started slowly this season, too, managing just one assist through seven games, but he has started to find his range and has delivered eight points (3 G, 5 A) with 10 shots on goal in his past seven games. The issue to be wary of with Beniers is his relatively low shot rate. Among the 227 forwards that have played at least 1000 five-on-five minutes since the start of last season, Beniers ranks 194th with 5.60 shots on goal per 60 minutes and it requires an excellent shooting percentage to sustain production at that rate.

#3 A leading candidate in the Cy Young race, with nine goals and one assist, Carolina Hurricanes right winger Jack Roslovic is making the most of his opportunity to skate on Carolina’s top line. He has seven points (6 G, 1 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past five games, and the opportunity to play with talented linemates Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov gives Roslovic a better opportunity to remain productive. Roslovic had a career-high 45 points (22 G, 23 A) in 2021-2022, but could have a decent shot at surpassing that total this season.

#4 Even as the season appears to be getting away from the Pittsburgh Penguins, veteran winger Rickard Rakell is a reliable contributor, and one that is available in quite a few leagues. Across his past 13 games, Rakell has 11 points (6 G, 5 A) and 39 shots on goal, and he is skating on Pittsburgh’s top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as the Penguins load up, trying to shuffle the deck and get better results.

#5 Veteran New York Islanders right winger Kyle Palmieri is stepping up, and it’s desperately needed on a team that is dealing with injuries to Anthony Duclair and now Mathew Barzal at forward (as well as Adam Pelech on defence). In his past eight games, Palmieri has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 20 shots on goal while playing more than 18 minutes per game. Palmieri has been a productive winger for a long time and recorded the second 30-goal season of his career in 2023-2024, so he is more than capable of fulfilling an offensive role for the Isles.

#6 While the San Jose Sharks are hoping that their rookie centres Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini will be able to handle scoring responsibilities this season, they are getting some added offence down the middle from Alex Wennberg, the veteran pivot who signed in San Jose as a free agent. Wennberg had no points in seven games to start the season but followed that up with seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in the next eight games, averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time in that stretch.

#7 With injuries forcing the Islanders to move bodies around, they have taken veteran centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau and dropped him on right wing with Anders Lee and Bo Horvat, on what is the Islanders’ top line. He has three goals and 12 shots on goal in the past four games, and Pageau has the added benefit of being a consistent hitter. He has delivered 30 hits in 14 games, which makes him a viable fantasy contributor now that he is in a role to provide offensive production, too.

#8 The Washington Capitals have moved winger Aliaksei Protas to the top line, skating with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome, and it’s paying off. The monstrous winger, listed at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, has eight points (4 G, 4 A) in his past five games and while he only has seven shots on goal, Protas already has five goals on the season after scoring six in 78 games last season. Protas’ absurdly high on-ice shooting percentage suggests that he will not continue at a point-per-game pace, but if he is going to keep getting regular shifts on the top line, his offensive contributions could still be significant.

#9 Buffalo Sabres winger JJ Peterka, 22, continues his upward trend. He picked up an assist in Thursday’s 6-1 rout of the New York Rangers, giving him 12 points (6 G, 6 A) and 29 shots on goal in 12 games. He is in a prime spot, skating on Buffalo’s top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, and Peterka is on his way to becoming a star winger in his own right. He has been on a steady climb, both in the NHL and in international play, with all arrows pointing in the right direction for a skilled forward who keeps the puck moving the right way when he is on the ice.

#10 Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Laferriere has taken a massive step forward in his second NHL season. Even after moving down the depth chart, he has continued to produce for the Kings, delivering eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past seven games. Laferriere has 25 hits in 15 games, enhancing his value for fantasy managers. He is skating with Quinton Byfield and Warren Foegele, but Laferriere is also getting first-unit power play time which his even-strength linemates are not receiving.

#11 The Colorado Avalanche have been decimated by injuries but got a rare piece of good news on the injury front this week when winger Artturi Lehkonen returned to the lineup for the first time since having offseason shoulder surgery. Lehkonen has two points (1 G, 1 A) in two games, but the Avalanche’s depleted forward ranks have also resulted in Lehkonen playing a ton. He has averaged 23:48 of ice time per game in his first two games of the season and is in the prime position, skating on left wing with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

#12 Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Dmitry Orlov has a ceiling on what his fantasy value might be since he does not play on the power play, thereby limiting his offensive production. However, the Hurricanes are such a juggernaut at even strength that Orlov should not be ignored, either. He has five points (2 G, 3 A) and nine shots on goal in his past four games, upping his total point production to eight points (3 G, 5 A) in 12 games. It helps that his ice time has jumped by more than two minutes per game compared to last season, his first year in Carolina.

#13 Second year Seattle Kraken defenceman Ryker Evans is stepping into a bigger role, especially while veteran Vince Dunn is injured. In his past eight games, Evans has four points (2 G, 2 A) and 13 shots on goal, while averaging 22:15 of ice time per game. In 140 AHL games, counting regular season and playoffs, Evans has contributed 95 points (17 G, 78 A), so he is very capable of producing offensively if given the opportunity. With Brandon Montour and Dunn on the roster in Seattle, he may have to wait a bit, or at least take advantage of the opportunities when they fall to him.

#14 Former Seattle Kraken and current Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato is earning a bigger role, including first unit power play time and even strength time on the wing with Connor Bedard. In his past seven games, Donato has eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 27 shots on goal. He isn’t going to keep scoring on 21.2 percent of his shots, as he has so far this season, but that shot rate is an encouraging sign for Donato to produce more than he did in 2021-2022 when he had career highs with 16 goals and 31 goals.

#15 St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko has added some offensive flair to his game early in the season. In the past nine games, Parayko has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 16 shots on goal while averaging 24:30 of ice time per game. While he has been on the Blues’ second power play unit, he does not have any points with the man advantage so his nine even strength points this season is the same as Sidney Crosby and David Pastrnak, among many others.

#16 Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Matthew Knies obviously has a prime spot on the Leafs’ top line, but he is producing to keep his spot. In his past 10 games, Knies has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 19 shots on goal. For fantasy managers, he also brings a physical dimension, with 34 hits in 14 games this season, making him more valuable than merely his point production would indicate.

#17 San Jose Sharks rookie centre Macklin Celebrini has returned to action and while he has only played three games thus far, his production – including three goals an assist and 12 shots on goal – is eye popping. He has even been better than break-even on draws in the past two games after losing 13 of 14 faceoffs in his NHL debut. Skating on a line with veterans Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli, there is ample reason to believe that Celebrini will be a Calder Trophy frontrunner in short order.

#18 Veteran Buffalo Sabres winger Jason Zucker has moved around the lineup a bit, but after being held off the scoresheet for the first three games of the season, he has put up 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in his past 11 games. He is skating on Buffalo’s third line right now, with Ryan McLeod and Jordan Greenway, but Zucker also gets first unit power play time, so he has a path to continuing that production.

#19 In the previous two seasons, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins had a .889 save percentage in 71 games, managing just 20 wins in that time.This season, Merzlikins is splitting starts with Danil Tarasov, but Merzlikins has a .910 save percentage, compared to Tarasov’s .860, so there is an opportunity for Merzlikins to earn a greater share of the starts for a surprisingly competitive Blue Jackets team.

#20 Detroit Red Wings netminder Cam Talbot is stepping up as the much-needed starter. Earlier in the season, he had a 42-save shutout against Nashville and followed that by giving up five goals on 19 shots against the New York Rangers. Since those starts, however, he has a .941 save percentage in his past four starts, giving him a .929 save percentage in seven games this season. Talbot is 37 and may not be able to handle a starter’s workload over the full season, but he had a .925 save percentage through January 2 last season (before finishing with a .903 save percentage after that), so if he has his workload managed, he could still provide value. Right now, he is showing that he is the best option available for the Red Wings and has appeal for fantasy managers, too.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.