Mason Marchment – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – With the final week of the regular season approaching, here is a look at some players offering late-season value as well as a look at some players that might be worth targeting for next season

Scott Cullen — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:10:16 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Flyers right wing Porter Martone (94) waits for a face-off during his first NHL debut game during the Philadelphia Flyers versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on March 31, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. With the final week of the regular season approaching, here is a look at some players offering late-season value as well as a look at some players that might be worth targeting for next season.

#1 The Philadelphia Flyers have surprisingly vaulted into the playoff picture with a strong April, and they received a significant boost to their lineup when they signed 2025 No. 6 overall pick Porter Martone once his college season was completed at Michigan State. Martone had 5 0points (25 G, 25 A) in 35 games at Michigan State and contributed nine points (6 G, 3 A) as the captain of Team Canada at the World Juniors. A 6-foot-3 power forward, Martone has hit the ice in the NHL going at full speed, delivering six points (2 G, 4 A) with 25 shots on goal and 10 hits in his first six games. He is getting second unit power play time and skating on a line with veterans Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny at even strength and the Flyers are controlling nearly 62 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play with Martone on the ice. For fantasy managers and the Flyers alike, Martone appears to be an instant star.

#2 The New York Islanders made a surprise late-season coaching change, dismissing Patrick Roy and replacing him with Peter DeBoer. The Islanders have slipped out of a playoff spot but are still within striking distance, so DeBoer will need to make a difference quickly. Working in the Islanders’ favour is that they are getting strong play from rookie Calum Ritchie late in the season. Ritchie, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in last year’s Brock Nelson trade, has produced 14 points (6 G, 8 A) with 21 shots on goal in 16 games since the trade deadline and seems to have a good thing going on a line with Mathew Barzal at centre and Brayden Schenn on left wing, a trio that also skates on the Islanders’ top power play.

#3 Utah Mammoth centre Logan Cooley missed more than a couple of months due to a lower-body injury and that absence, combined with a slump in March, probably contributed to his being more available than he should be in fantasy leagues. Right now, he is cooking, with 11 points (6 G, 5 A) and 14 shots on goal during a six-game point streak. It’s obviously not sustainable to keep scoring on more than 40 percent of his shots, and he is scoring on a league-leading 24.0 percent of his shots for the season, but Cooley’s speed does allow him to create chances and he is working well with wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Dylan Guenther in addition to getting first unit power play time for the Mammoth.

#4 While he has been maligned recently for taking a terrible penalty in a loss to the Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings veteran right winger Patrick Kane has been turning back the clock in terms of point production. Even as the Red Wings have been struggling, falling outside the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, Kane has put up 23 points (6 G, 17 A) with 50 shots on goal in 16 games since the trade deadline.

#5 The Minnesota Wild have been a strong team all season and after trading for defenceman Quinn Hughes, it seems that their championship expectations had elevated. While Hughes and star forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Matthew Boldy have been the obvious leaders, players in the supporting cast have been valuable, too. The Wild keep trying other options at centre on the top line, but they keep coming back to Ryan Hartman, the veteran agitator who is sizzling hot right now, with 12 points (7 G, 5 A) and 22 shots on goal during an eight-game point streak. Similarly, veteran Wild playmaker Mats Zuccarello just keeps putting up numbers. He is 38 years old and has 15 points (3 G, 12 A) with 26 shots on goal in his past 12 games, skating on a line with Hartman and Kaprizov in addition to getting top unit power play time.

#6 It appears that the San Jose Sharks’ push for the playoffs is going to fall short, but they have received a strong contribution from veteran centre Alexander Wennberg down the stretch. Wennberg has been a reliable two-way centre throughout his career, though one whose skill level would suggest he could provide more offence, and that’s what has happened this season. In his past 16 games, Wennberg has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) with 20 shots on goal, lifting him to 54 points, his highest point total since 2016-2017.

#7 One of the most frequently mentioned players in 20 Fantasy Points this season, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Anthony Mantha has had the best season of his career yet remains available in a decent percentage of leagues. Since the trade deadline, Mantha has 16 points (10 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal in 18 games, bumping him up to career highs of 31 goals and 61 points. In addition to second unit power play time, Mantha is skating on a line with rookie Ben Kindel at centre and Justin Brazeau on right wing.

#8 The Carolina Hurricanes have a relentless approach and part of the reason for success is that they get contributions throughout the lineup. Logan Stankoven, who was acquired from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen trade last season, transitioned to centre this year and he is finishing this season strong, with nine points (7 G, 2 A) during a six-game point streak. On Stankoven’s left side, veteran winger Taylor Hall has 10 points (3 G, 76 A) with 16 shots on goal in his past eight games. Hall is up to 48 points on the season, his highest total since 2021-2022.

#9 It has been a challenging second season for Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov and while it’s been a rocky road for much of the season, he does appear to be contributing to the Flyers’ playoff push. In his past 13 games, Michkov has 12 points (1 G, 11 A) with 19 shots on goal. That’s not an ideal shot rate and Michkov scoring one goal in a 16-game span is hardly the ideal scenario, it’s better than the sporadic production that he has had in 2025-2026. He is getting first unit PP time while skating on a line with Noah Cates and rookie Alex Bump at even strength.

#10 An underrated development for the Edmonton Oilers this season has been the progress shown by left winger Vasily Podkolzin, who has six points (3 G, 3 A) in his past seven games, lifting him to career highs of 19 goals and 37 points. Even though he is not a factor on the power play – 34 of his 37 points have come at even strength – Podkolzin is getting time on the top line with Connor McDavid and that’s not a bad place to play.

#11 Montreal Canadiens rookie right winger Ivan Demidov does not look like he will win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year because Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer has had an historically great freshman campaign, but Demidov is living up to all of the hype that surrounded him entering the season. In his past 10 games, Demidov has recorded nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 17 shots on goal, and while that shot rate could use a little boost, he has been such a creative force that the Habs will expect even more in the future. One caveat there: Demidov has an on-ice shooting percentage of 14.9 percent which ranks third behind only Gage Goncalves and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning, among skaters to play at least 500 five-on-five minutes this season. Demidov is likely going to have a higher on-ice shooting percentage throughout his career, but pushing 15 percent is unsustainable for even the most dangerous offensive players. Just for comparison, the players with the highest on-ice shooting percentage across the past three seasons, minimum 1500 five-on-five minutes: Goncalves (13.7%), Nikita Kucherov (12.6%), Point (12.5%), Mantha (12.2%), Lane Hutson (12.0%).

#12 Getting traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets marked a massive turnaround for left winger Mason Marchment, who started the season with a modest 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in 29 games for the Seattle Kraken. Since arriving in Columbus, though, Marchment has 29 points (13 G, 16 A) in 36 games, including eight points (2 G, 6 A) with 17 shots on goal in his past eight games. He is playing with Boone Jenner and Danton Heinen at even strength, but Marchment is also getting time on PP1.

#13 As the Washington Capitals make a final push for the playoffs, rookie winger Ryan Leonard is stepping up his game, putting up six points (3 G, 3 A) with 18 shots on goal in his past six games. That gives him 42 points (18 G, 24 A) in 72 games, which is a solid rookie season, but also feels like it’s just scratching the surface on what he will be able to contribute as he grows into a bigger role with the Capitals. Leonard is enjoying this late-season success skating on a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor McMichael in addition to getting top unit power play time.

#14 With an early look ahead to next season, don’t forget about Los Angeles Kings right winger Kevin Fiala, who broke his leg at the Olympics. He had 40 points (18 G, 22 A) in 56 games before getting hurt and this while managing an on-ice shooting percentage of 6.5 percent, his lowest since his rookie season in 2016-2017. The Kings aren’t exactly known for their high-scoring ways, but Fiala should expect a better on-ice shooting percentage since his career mark is around 8.3 percent.

#15 The Calgary Flames have been low shooting percentage team this season, ranking 31st with a five-on-five shooting percentage of 7.8 percent, so several Flames could reasonably expect to receive better puck luck next season. Matt Coronato might be a good one to target as he has scored on 8.9 percent of his shots this season, after scoring on 13.3 percent last season, and Coronato’s on-ice shooting percentage is just 6.8 percent this season. For a player who leads the Flames with an extremely modest 42 points, Coronato should have the opportunity to play a big part in the Flames’ rebuilding effort.

#16 If the Flames rank 31st in five-on-five shooting percentage, which team has been worse? The New Jersey Devils. Thus, there may be some value to be found in targeting the likes of Jesper Bratt, whose on-ice shooting percentage is below 7.3 percent, down more than three percent from last season. Following back-to-back seasons with more than 80 points, Bratt has 68 points (20 G, 48 A) in 79 games this season, despite generating shots and expected goals at a higher rate this season.

#17 Another Los Angeles Kings forward to consider for a bounce back next season is centre Quinton Byfield, who has 44 points (20 G, 24 A) in 75 games, his production down even though he is playing a career-high 20 minutes per game. Last season, Byfield’s on-ice shooting percentage is 7.9 percent this season, compared to 10.7 percent last season. With Anze Kopitar heading into retirement, there should be prime opportunity for Byfield to play with skilled linemates who can raise his offensive ceiling.

#18 While Nashville Predators right winger Luke Evangelista has a reasonable on-ice shooting percentage (8.9 percent) this season, his own shooting percentage, in all situations, is a paltry 6.0 percent, with just 10 goals on 168 shots. His ice time has jumped 2:45 per game from last season, up to 16:37 per game and he has set career highs with 41 assists and 51 points, but he has been underperforming as a shooter. Prior to this season, Evangelista scored on 9.2 percent of his shots, which is still not amazing for a skilled winger, but it’s more than 50 percent better than what he has delivered this season.

#19 One more potential Devils bounce-back note, sort of. Devils defenceman Dougie Hamilton has an on-ice shooting percentage of 6.9 percent this season. Among the 138 defencemen that have played at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes, that ranks 136th, so even if Hamilton has tended towards lower on-ice shooting percentages (and higher volumes), it doesn’t have to rank at the bottom of the pile either. Of course, if the rumour mill is to be believed, Hamilton might be plying his trade with a new team in 2026-2027, and a fresh start could help bring along better percentages for the veteran blueliner.

#20 Finally, some players that have increased their production since the Olympic break: After scoring the gold-medal winning goal, Devils centre Jack Hughes has 35 points (14 G, 21 A) in 20 games since the break to lead all scorers. Penguins defenceman Erik Karlsson has 31 points (11 G, 20 A) in his past 22 games. Bruins centre Pavel Zacha has 27 points (15 G, 12 A) in 21 games, Blues centre Robert Thomas has 25 points (11 G, 14 A) in 18 games, Penguins winger Rickard Rakell has 24 points (14 G, 10 A) in 22 games, Rangers centre Mika Zibanejad has 24 points (10 G, 14 A) in 21 games, Rangers defenceman Adam Fox also has 24 points (5 G, 19 A) in 21 games, Blues left winger Dylan Holloway has 24 points (9 G, 15 A) in 20 games, Bruins winger Viktor Arvidsson has 23 points (8 G, 15 A) in 21 games, Penguins winger Egor Chinakhov has 23 points (9 G, 14 A) in 22 games, Red Wings defenceman Moritz Seider has 21 points (3 G, 18 A) in his past 20 games, and Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy has 20 points (7 G, 13 A) in 21 games. This is not an all-encompassing list, obviously, but some interesting players who have picked up their production either while their teams are battling for playoff spots or, for others, while the season slips away from them.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Veterans who are elevating their play, including Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Hartman, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:22:00 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, veterans who are elevating their play, including Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Hartman, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and so much more!

#1 Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman was not ready to start the season, as he recovered from wrist surgery, so he didn’t get into the lineup until mid-November and even then it took him some time to get up to speed. It does appear that he’s starting to cook. In his past 11 games, Hyman has 15 points (9 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal. He’s getting first unit power play time and skating on the Oilers’ top line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, so Hyman should be in a prime position for the rest of the season.

#2 In his first 29 games this season, Nashville Predators right winger Steven Stamkos had 11 points (8 G, 3 A) and when that happens to a player in his mid-30s, it can look like the end is near. He has turned back the clock recently, however, putting up 11 points (7 G, 4 A) with 29 shots on goal in his past seven games. He’s skating on a veteran line with Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg and the key is that Stamkos is generating shots on goal. In his first 29 games, he had just 58 shots on goal, so to go from two shots per game to more than four shots per game in this recent uptick in his performance shows that he can still be a legitimate offensive threat.

#3 Ryan O’Reilly has been a huge part of the Predators’ resurgence. In the past 14 games, the Preds are 10-4 and O’Reilly has 19 points (5 G, 14 A) in those 14 games. He has just 23 shots on goal, and a low shot rate is a concern for offensive sustainability, but O’Reilly is a consistent play driver year after year and that has continued this season in Nashville, with a 55.8 CF%, which would represent the best Corsi percentage of his career.

#4 Although he moves around the Minnesota Wild lineup quite a bit, there is usually reason to like when Ryan Hartman gets his turn playing on the top line. With Marco Rossi dealt to Vancouver in the Quinn Hughes trade, Hartman has moved in between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, with Hartman putting up seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven games, after he had eight points (4 G, 4 A) through his first 29 games this season.

#5 The Ottawa Senators are getting quality production from veteran wingers Claude Giroux and David Perron. Giroux has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 11 shots on goal in his past seven games while Perron has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. They are getting second unit power play time and, for a pair of 37-year-olds, they are still providing reliable secondary scoring for the Sens. As with many of the veterans in this week’s article, they are not producing at the level of their best career performance but in their mid-30s that’s not a reasonable expectation and it is part of the reason that these players are more widely available.

#6 When he was acquired by the Ottawa Senators from the San Jose Sharks last season, Fabian Zetterlund responded with a meagre five points (3 G, 2 A) and 40 shots on goal in 20 games. He followed that up by starting this season with four points (1 G, 3 A) and 28 shots on goal in his first 20 games, but he has turned the corner and is now a solid offensive contributor on a talented Senators squad. In his past 16 games, Zetterlund has 12 points (8 G, 4 A) and 38 shots on goal, and appears to have secured a regular spot on the top line alongside Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk.

#7 With injuries decimating the Tampa Bay Lightning blueline, Darren Raddysh has been the primary beneficiary from an offensive standpoint, as he is quarterbacking the top power play unit and producing at an elite level. His partner, J.J. Moser, has been making inroads recently, with five points and 16 shots on goal while averaging 23:32 of ice time in his past six games. Moser only had seven points (1 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal in his previous 28 games, but he does seem equipped to provide more offense than that.

#8 Although he is getting surpassed by his younger teammates in San Jose, Sharks right winger Tyler Toffoli has put up 13 points (5 G, 8 A) and 38 shots on goal in his past 13 games, recording two four-point games in the process. Toffoli is skating on San Jose’s second line, alongside William Eklund and Alexander Wennberg, while also getting time with the top power play unit.

#9 At this stage of his career, 40-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns is not the focal point for offense on the blueline, but he hasn’t abandoned those parts of his game, either. In his past 12 games, he has delivered eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 26 shots on goal, while averaging 19:44 of ice time per game. Only one of Burns’ 19 points this season have come on the power play, so there is a limit to his offensive contribution, but he remains a contributor for an Avalanche team that is steamrolling the rest of the league.

#10 Staying on the Colorado blueline, Samuel Girard has suddenly started to provide offense. In his past six games, Girard has six points (2 G, 4 A) and eight shots on goal, but he had just two assists in the 15 games that he played before that. Like Burns, Girard is not getting power play time in Colorado, but the Avs are so good that it could be worth considering these guys in deeper leagues.

#11 Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron has never scored more than 21 points in an NHL season, but that could change this season. He has found a role on Winnipeg’s third line, alongside Adam Lowry and Alex Iafallo, and in his past six games, Barron has five points (4 G, 1 A) and a dozen shots on goal. He is up to 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in 29 games this season, so he has a real chance to set a career high in point production. For fantasy managers, his appeal is mostly in very deep leagues, though his offensive surge coupled with 67 hits in 29 games does give him some added fantasy value.

#12 It seems as though Oliver Bjorkstrand has been underutilized in Tampa Bay, as he is playing just 14:23 per game, which would be his lowest average time on ice since 2018-2019. However, in his past seven games, Bjorkstrand does have seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 12 shots on goal while playing 15:32 per game. He is currently on the Lightning’s second line, with Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel.

#13 Buffalo Sabres left winger Zach Benson was having a hard time finding the back of the net, going without a goal in his first 17 games of this season, but he has started to put it together recently. In his past six games, Benson has five points (3 g, 2 A) and 12 shots on goal, As the Sabres are making a concerted effort to turn their season around, Benson is getting first unit power play time while skating on a line with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn at even strength.

#14 After a slow start to the season that saw him demoted to the fourth line, Carolina Hurricanes left winger Andrei Svechnikov does seem to be back on track. In his past nine games, Svechnikov has 10 points (2 G, 8 A) and 20 shots on goal. He’s now skating on a line with Jordan Staal and Jackson Blake, which is more of a two-way line than usual, but Svechnikov is delivering results.

#15 The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired left winger Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken after the consensus was that Marchment’s time in Seattle was just not a good fit. After he had 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 46 shots on goal in 29 games, which was not the kind of production that he was providing in his previous seasons with Dallas. Early returns in Columbus are more promising, as he has been playing with Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko and Marchment has three goals and seven shots on goal in his first two games with Columbus. He is still more of a deep league option for fantasy managers, but he has a chance to provide value.

#16 The Buffalo Sabres are turning around their season and goaltender Alex Lyon is putting up great results. He has won each of his past six starts, posting a .922 save percentage. When the Sabres’ season looked like it was getting away from them, it was looking more likely that Lyon or Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen could get traded, but now that the Sabres have moved to within two points of a Wild Card playoff spot, they are more likely to stick with their tandem.

#17 While the Seattle Kraken are battling to stay in the playoff hunt, currently three points back of the second Wild Card spot, they are getting quality play from goaltender Joey Daccord. In his past five starts, Daccord has won three while posting a .934 save percentage. On the season, Daccord has 4.14 Goals Saved Above Expected, which is the kind of goaltending that can keep a team in the playoff race and it might make him a viable fantasy option.

#18 When looking for players who might be ready to bust out offensively, consider those that have not been living up to their underlying numbers. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, for example, has just one goal in 11 games this month, despite having 5.70 individual expected goals in all situations. Some other players whose goal numbers have been below expected goals in December: William Eklund (-4.25), Anthony Cirelli (-4.04), Chris Kreider (-3.88), John Tavares (-3.61), Rickard Rakell (-3.36), Logan Stankoven (-3.21), Jake DeBrusk (-3.20), Nico Hischier (-3.12), Tom Wilson (-3.11), and Jake Guentzel (-2.83).

#19 With Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar injured, the Chicago Blackhawks have veterans Jason Dickinson and Ryan Donato holding down their top two centre spots. Donato played a season-high 21:35 in the last game before the break and does have a goal and an assist in his past two games, so he may have some short-term appeal while the Blackhawks are in the tough situation of missing their top two centres.

#20 Newly acquired Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry suffered a lower-body injury that should keep him out for a couple of weeks and that has opened the door for Connor Ingram, who has won his first couple of starts with Edmonton, stopping 92.0 percent of the shots that he faced in the first two games. He had a .856 save percentage in 11 AHL appearances, so it’s not like he was forcing his way back into the NHL with his play, but the Oilers are playing better and if it means that Ingram can get comfortable in the NHL again, he could at least have short term appeal for fantasy managers.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:53:44 +0000

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 12: Seattle Kraken C Chandler Stephenson (9) during the game between Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings on January 12, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire)

For the third time in four seasons, the Kraken missed the playoffs in 2024-2025, finishing with 76 points (35-41-6). The Kraken earned that placement, ranking 25th in Corsi percentage (47.9) and 29th in expected goals percentage (46.2). Overcoming that possession deficit is asking a lot on the rest of the things that the team can control. Seattle’s power play ranked 27th with 5.56 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play. It only got slightly better when the Kraken were shorthanded, as they ranked 23rd with 8.68 goals against per 60 minutes during four-on-five play. In goal, Joey Daccord had another strong season while Philipp Grubauer struggled yet again. When all of these components are added together, it wasn’t just one thing leading the Seattle’s struggles, but the combination of these things practically made it inevitable.

What’s Changed?

That disappointing finish resulted in the Kraken firing head coach Dan Bylsma, replacing him with Lane Lambert, who had been an associate coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has previous head coaching experience with the New York Islanders. The Kraken also moved Ron Francis from General Manager to President, with Jason Botterill taking over as GM. That means the team has new voices and decision makers, but they made some changes to the roster as well, trading for Dallas Stars winger Mason Marchment and Minnesota Wild checking forward Frederick Gaudreau. On defence, they signed Ryan Lindgren, who finished last season with the Colorado Avalanche after starting his career with the New York Rangers. The Kraken traded winger Andre Burakovsky to the Chicago Blackhawks and winger Michael Eyssimont signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent.

What would success look like?

It would be great if the Kraken could get back to the playoffs, but that would likely require a 20-point improvement, so it’s probably not the most realistic outcome. The objective should at least be to close the gap, and that includes improving possession numbers at five-on-five, getting better on the power play and penalty kill, and finding a reliable No. 2 goaltender, whether it’s Grubauer or someone else. If all of those objectives are met and the Kraken still fall short of the playoffs, but are a competitive team pushing, say, 90 points, then that’s a relatively and achievably successful season.

What could go wrong?

Considering the Kraken’s track record, expectations have to be modest already, going into the 2025-2026 season, so if the team is truly bad and has a shot at winning the draft lottery, then it’s really not the worst long-term scenario. But, if the expectation is for the Kraken to be competitive, that can get undone if Daccord doesn’t bail them out with strong goaltending. If the Kraken do fall off the pace early, they have a handful of proven veterans who will be unrestricted free agents at season’s end, so they will likely become active sellers in the marketplace. In the short term, that could make the Kraken even worse, but it might be best for the franchise in the long run.

Top Breakout Candidate

Shane Wright scored 44 points (19 G, 25 A) in 79 games in his first full NHL season in 2024-2025 and did that while playing just over 14 minutes per game. Considering that the Kraken have Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson ahead of Wright on the depth chart at centre, there is a possibility that Wright could beat them out for a bigger offensive role and if he does that, his point total could jump quite a bit if, for example, he is suddenly playing an extra three minutes per game.

FORWARDS

Jared McCann

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	35	60	0.73

McCann is the Kraken’s lone star forward and last year was his lowest goal-scoring season with the team, mostly due his power play production declining. Still possessing a heavy wrist shot, defenders put more of a focus on shutting down McCann and he didn’t have much space to work with. He had the lowest Controlled Zone Entry percent of his Seattle career, so he had to rely on his linemates more to both enter the zone and play off him. McCann adjusted to this well by thriving in more of a playmaking role, helping rookie Shane Wright find the back of the net a few times. McCann’s shot is his calling card, but there’s also a lot of deception to his game, which he showed with his playmaking. He passed from areas that he usually shoots from, giving his linemates plenty of looks off one-timers and into open nets. He had to make do with the space he was given from the outside and he usually finishes at a higher rate than he did last season, whether this was an off year or a sign of things to come remains to be seen. His all-around game covered up some of his decline in scoring, as McCann is one of the only forwards the Kraken can rely on for providing instant offence along with great play driving.

Matty Beniers

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	33	58	0.71

The Kraken were quick to make Beniers as part of their core, signing him for seven years before the start of last season. Hoping his $7.14 million cap hit will be a bargain when he breaks out, the offence still hasn’t come out for the former Michigan star. He has a unique profile for a younger player, excelling at carrying the puck out of the defensive zone and acting as a third defenceman to help spring the breakout. There aren’t a lot of young forwards who play this way, but Beniers uses his long reach and frame well to protect the puck and get it out of harms way. It’s made him a reliable defensive forward at a young age. The offence is still a work in progress, as he is one of the least productive first line centers in the league right now. His goal scoring improved a little last season, the addition of Kaapo Kaako being the biggest help to that. Beniers is more dangerous when shooting off one-timers rather than trying to beat goaltenders on his own off the rush, so adding a playmaker to his line was a big help. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for one-timers in previous seasons with Beniers having to quarterback everything in the offensive zone. His overall offence, however, took a step back with his line only creating off the rush without much shot volume. Time will tell if this will ever come around or if Beniers just fills a niche as a defensive workhorse.

Chandler Stephenson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	14	36	50	0.63

Seattle is no stranger to going the free agent route to fill their needs and last summer’s addition of Chandler Stephenson was one of their riskier moves. The speedy center spent his best seasons on deep Vegas teams and Stephenson himself had an elite linemate in Mark Stone for most of his run there. Going from that to playing as the de facto top line center on a weaker Seattle team was asking a lot out of him. In some ways he performed to expectations, posting similar scoring numbers to his final year in Vegas with more of his assist production coming on the power play compared to even strength. Everything outside of that is where the major problems lie. Seattle was heavily outshot and outchanced with Stephenson on the ice. His best tool is his speed, and they couldn’t set him up to get rush chances like he did with Vegas. He’s also not the best traditional center in terms of knowing where to be on the ice. He is all over the place when defending in his own zone, sometimes cheating for a breakaway, chasing the puck instead of sticking to his assignment and not doing much to break the play up. Sometimes you have to accept the risks if you have a game-breaking player and while Stephenson’s straightaway speed fits the bill there, the Kraken haven’t figured out how to best utilize it at even strength. They played him as their top center, and it might be better for the team’s future if someone else assumes that role next season.

Kaapo Kakko

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	16	36	52	0.63

One of the Kraken’s highest scoring players on a point-per-game basis, Kakko found his niche as a playmaker in Seattle. His development with the Rangers was full of roadblocks, both by the coaching staff and his own play not being at the level of a top three pick. His linemates would change frequently, bouncing around from the top six to the fourth line and never establishing a role there. It changed with a mid-season trade to Seattle where the talented Finn decided to go all in on being a playmaker. He was first on the team in shot assists per 60 minutes and was only behind Jordan Ebelre in terms of setting up scoring chances, all while scoring 10 goals despite posting one of the lowest shot rates on the team. Kakko used his big body to position himself along the wall to create easy zone entries for Matty Beniers. This took a lot of pressure off Beniers to not play as a one-man show and become more of a shooting threat, as Kakko could protect the puck and draw defenders in from behind the goal line to create space. While he didn’t produce like a star and his defensive game is not quite there yet, this is the most high-level skill the former second overall pick has shown in the NHL thus far. Finding a niche is tough even for the most talented player and Kakko finally carved out a role for himself on a Kraken team desperate for elite talent.

Shane Wright

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	24	28	52	0.64

One of the centerpieces of Seattle’s core, Shane Wright showed enough to keep the team hopeful about his future but maybe not as the guy to build around. The encouraging thing from Wright’s rookie season is that he could score, shooting at over 20% and showing some high-level finishing off the rush. The downside is that he didn’t create a lot of chances and it’s tough for most players to sustain that kind of shooting percentage. Wright was somewhat protected with the Kraken deploying him mainly with sheltered third line minutes and power play time. They paired him with stronger puck-carries like Burakovsky and McCann so Wright could focus more on getting open playing away from the puck, not putting too much of a workload on the youngster early on. The results were a mixed bag. He showed a decent level of skill but didn’t show signs of being a potential game-breaker. Most of his goals came from reaping the benefits of his linemates or jumping on a loose puck. There’s a place for that, but the Kraken are hoping Wright can become their top center at some point. There were signs of him having more to offer, though. He likes to carry the puck and play off the rush, he just had a low number of zone entries per game, so he didn’t get to show this skill much. It’s not out of the ordinary for a player his age, but it’s something the Kraken will want to see more of as he ascends in the lineup.

Jordan Eberle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	16	27	43	0.56

One of the few forwards on the team who could produce scoring chances consistently, Eberle sustaining a pelvis injury that required surgery, was a major blow to the Kraken. He was the team’s hottest scorer out of the gate with six goals in the first month of the season and he struggled to regain his form after returning to the lineup in February, scoring only three goals the rest of the season. Depending on how he recovers in the off-season, Eberle is one of Seattle’s most valuable players. He knows the tools of the trade when it comes to creating offence and has always been great at weaving through defenders to get to the net. He doesn’t have the same speed he used to, but he makes up for it by always being in the right spot and reading off some of his quicker linemates like Beniers or Stephenson. His skillset is more complementary in nature now, but it’s also integral in helping unlock some of the more skilled players on the Kraken. His chemistry with Beniers and McCann being a great example. When Beniers has control of the puck on the cycle, Eberle always does a good job of slyly getting lost in coverage for a one-time opportunity. The roles can also be reversed because Eberle is terrific at making passes around the net and McCann’s shot is one of Seattle’s best offensive weapons. The same goes for Beniers’ one-timer, which is why his absence was felt throughout the lineup. Now 35 years old, it’s uncertain if Eberle will stay this effective after surgery, but he’s always been a versatile offensive player who can make his linemates lives easier.

Tye Kartye

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	9	9	18	0.26

Kartye made some waves when he was called up during the Kraken’s inaugural playoff run, showing some of his goal-scoring prowess that made him one of Coachella Valley’s top players. As a slower skater, the NHL was going to be an adjustment for him, and he showed enough in his rookie season with 11 goals in a bottom six role. Last season was more of a struggle, as Kartye didn’t do much to standout and saw his scoring chance rate plummet to below replacement level. Losing his regular linemates in Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev at the trade deadline made things tougher on him and he eventually found himself in the press box for a few games. The Kraken still chose to extend him with a raise, so he gets a chance at fresh start with a new coaching staff. The intriguing part of Kartye’s game are his hands and his shooting. He showed in his rookie season that he can be a consistent scoring chance generator; Seattle just has a plethora of players with one or two tools and not enough with a complete skillset.

Jaden Schwartz

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	22	46	0.58

Schwartz is the definition of a jack-of-all-trades player, he can play all three forward positions on any line and adapt to whatever role he’s tasked with. The Kraken needed him to carry more of the offence last season, and he posted his highest goal total in 10 years. A great skater, Schwartz is very slick at getting away from coverage to extend shifts in the offensive zone. It was more of a weapon off the rush last season, where he scored a handful of goals off one-timers as the second or trailing forward into the zone. In addition to the goal scoring, Schwartz was also the Kraken’s best forward at leading zone exits, excelling at making long, breakout passes to kickstart the rush. This is also where his slick skating came into play, as he could dodge and dangle around forecheckers to both create passing lanes and allow the other forwards to fly the zone. He mastered the balance of contributing to the team’s transition game without needing to carry the puck in himself much, as that’s never been a major strength of his. Schwartz has been one of Seattle’s best players since their inception and while he is coming off an excellent season, it does raise some questions about the team’s ceiling if he is still one of their top forwards when they’re trying to make the playoffs.

Mason Marchment

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	21	26	47	0.63

Trying to bolster the middle of their roster, Marchment was acquired by Seattle early in the offseason for a couple of mid-round picks. He brings some elements the Kraken are lacking in the middle of their roster with his size, offensive upside and physical play. His propensity to take penalties and his sloppy play with the puck in the defensive zone are Marchment’s main drawbacks, but the positives outweigh the negatives if he scores like he did in Dallas the last couple of seasons. The Seattle middle-six has been somewhat of a mess in the last couple of seasons and Marchment brings a different look to the table than Burakovsky or even some of their better players like Schwartz. He plays like a torpedo on the forecheck, always looking to take the body and can create some high-quality chances out of nothing off loose pucks and scrambles. While Marchment raises the bar for Seattle, he isn’t going to have the same level of talent he had to work with in Dallas, so this will be a test of if he can drive the bus on his own. With how many of his chances came off one-timer and high-danger passes, Marchment might need some support to reach the offensive numbers he posted with the Stars, but the Kraken have some intriguing options to pair him with.

Eeli Tolvanen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	23	17	40	0.50

One team’s waiver wire fodder is another team’s treasure, as Tolvanen has improved every year he’s been in Seattle. Not developing into the goal scorer Nashville hoped he would be, Tolvanen was claimed for free by the Kraken and has done nothing but set career highs, all while primarily asked to play a checking role. Last year his goal scoring talent finally started to show. He’s always had a great wrist shot but needs the time and space to get it off, and he had to make do with limited opportunities. Last year was a change of pace, with Tolvanen becoming more of a shooting threat alongside Shane Wright. He’s quicker with releasing the puck now, scoring most of his goals off one-timers from plays from behind the net, taking some chances by playing deeper in the offensive zone instead of always being the first forechecker or staying in a defensive posture. It didn’t come at the cost of his defensive play, as the Kraken didn’t give up much when he was on the ice. He’s proven himself to be a versatile player and will look to build on that as he enters unrestricted free agency after this upcoming season.

DEFENCE

Vince Dunn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	13	42	55	0.71

Dunn is one of the best-case scenarios letting a young defenceman play through his struggles when breaking into the top pair. They immediately used him in this role and while he had his initial struggles, Dunn blossomed into an undisputed number one defenceman the next season. His smooth passing and skating make him a key fixture in Seattle’s offence rather than a complementary piece, as he’s usually the one leading most of the entries and running the offence from up high. Dunn dominates the perimeter game by being patient with waiting for the defence to breakdown, deceptively looking off defenders and dissecting the coverage from up high. Also, he is very good at making the first forechecker miss to create chances closer to the net. Dunn is one of Seattle’s jenga pieces, with the defence usually falling apart when he’s not in the lineup. The transition game is where he’s most valuable, starting entries from both taking a beating to retrieve pucks and resetting the play in the neutral zone. The latter is where Dunn is the most impactful at starting the Kraken’s offence, picking off zone exits and turning them into quick-strike offence. This has made his injury concerns particularly devastating, missing most of the first half of last season with a mid-body injury and ending the previous season on injured reserve with a concussion. He is the catalyst for most of the Kraken’s offence and it exciting to think about what he could do with better forwards around him.

Brandon Montour

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	16	28	44	0.55

Montour has never been the easiest player to fit into your lineup as an attack-minded defenceman who needs to be insulated with great forward talent and a strong defence partner. He proved a lot of people wrong in Florida as a key part in back-to-back Cup wins while playing 24-25 minutes a night, but there was a lot that the Panthers did to protect him. Montour was never the first to go back to retrieve pucks, playing higher in the zone and letting his partner or the forwards do the work in the corners. This allowed him to get up in the play quicker, sprinting out of the zone and playing most of his shifts going north. With the Kraken, he had to do more of the grunt work in the defensive zone, and it didn’t keep him from playing his game. Montour set a career high in goals and was still the high-level offensive defenceman that he was in Florida. While a lot of defencemen like this have more complementary skillsets, Montour likes to be the center of the play. He takes a lot of shots, moves all around the offensive zone to look for one-timers and loves joining the rush. It’s why he’s a tough player to fit into your system, but with his defensive game improving, it was a little more seamless for the Kraken last year. They took a huge risk signing him to a high-dollar contract for seven years and so far, he’s been worth it.

Adam Larsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	6	19	25	0.31

One of the early breeds of the modern shutdown defenceman, Larsson has been a model of consistency for the Kraken. He was one of their first picks in the expansion draft and one of the first players they made part of their core, signing him to a four-year deal almost immediately after. He plays a key role as the more defensive presence next to Vince Dunn and anchoring their top penalty kill unit. Mostly out there to play safety valve, Larsson can still be active in the play, he’s a very fluid skater and likes to join the cycle when the opportunity is open. He is a sizable defenceman but defends more with his legs, having the mobility to keep up with top forwards and skating them into a corner to kill the play. This has made up for some of the decline in his rush defence the past few seasons. He’s not as efficient with killing plays using his stick as he used to and teams have started attacking his side of the ice instead of Dunn’s. His strong cycle defence makes up for this, as Larsson still does a good job disrupting plays after the puck is in the zone. In the first year of a four-year deal, Larsson’s provides a steadying presence on Seattle’s blue line. Not a game-breaker by any means, but someone who can hold the fort down in the top four and give you solid results.

GOAL

Joey Daccord

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
55	21	25	6	3	.905	2.82

Seattle keeps hoping that Philipp Grubauer, who emerged as a surprising starting goaltending darling with the Colorado Avalanche just prior to the team's expansion, will finally find his footing and help the team challenge for contention. But Grubauer is coming off of one of the worst seasons of not just his career but the entire league, and it's about time to consider that his contract - which won't be up until the end of not this season, but the next one - was a mistake. Now, Seattle is desperately trying to scrounge up a goaltending depth chart that they can cycle through for a full season without offloading Grubauer, which has left them with an equally expensive Joey Daccord, a bizarre reclamation project (fresh off of his second 'second chance' team in Toronto) in Matt Murray, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds' most promising prospect in Niklas Kokko.

Daccord is, statistically, Seattle's best goaltender at the moment. He returned at the start of the 2023-24 season looking like a new, crisper goaltender, and he carried that new technical precision into this past season. From a financial standpoint, though, the Kraken seem intent on at least giving Grubauer 1B backup appearances, which leaves Seattle in a position where they look like they won't be competing for at least another two years. Unless Grubauer mysteriously finds his form again, they'll need to make some tough choices if they want to take a step forward.

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 – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Hellebuyck’s dominant season – More trade deadline discussion – Teams and Players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:04:23 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 26: Winnipeg Jets Goalie Connor Hellebuyck (37) looks to make a save during third period National Hockey League action between the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators on February 26, 2025, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton each found the back of the net by 9:03 of the first period to give the Jets a 2-0 lead against the Senators on Wednesday. That’s all the offense Winnipeg ultimately required en route to a 4-1 victory. It was an efficient two points in the bank and wouldn’t stand out, except for the fact that it was Winnipeg’s 11th win in a row.

The Jets were already having a dominant season, but they’ve somehow found another gear. Even after seeing that winning streak end Thursday, Winnipeg has a superb 42-15-3 record. The only team that even comes close is Washington (38-13-8) in the Eastern Conference. In their own conference, Winnipeg has opened up an 11-point edge, giving them plenty of breathing room going down the stretch.

Winnipeg is averaging 3.53 goals per game, so it’s fair to say that the forwards have been doing their part, but the core ingredient of the Jets’ success has been Connor Hellebuyck. He’s the league leader in GAA (2.02) and save percentage (.926) among those who have appeared in at least 15 games, and no netminder comes even close to his 36 wins -- the next best is Andrei Vasilevskiy with 28. In fact, only five teams are above him in terms of wins, excluding Winnipeg (he’s earned 85.7 percent of the Jets’ victories), those are Washington, Dallas, Toronto and Florida.

Hellebuyck is the heavy favorite to repeat as the Vezina Trophy winner, and that’s putting it lightly. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where it’s fair to ask if he should be in the Hart Trophy conversation. Keep in mind, Hellebuyck is not merely the byproduct of a strong team. Those in front of him are certainly helping, especially where his record is concerned, but the 31-year-old also leads the league in Goals Saved Above Expected with 30.3, per Moneypuck, and he’s just one of three netminders above plus-20 in that category. That statistic suggests he’s a big factor in the Jets’ dominance, not just a benefactor of it.

Hellebuyck also has an outside chance of flirting with the all-time single season win record, which is currently shared by Martin Brodeur (2006-07) and Braden Holtby (2015-16) at 48. I don’t expect Hellebuyck to ultimately reach that level because the Jets, without much left to play for until the postseason, will probably start managing his workload down the stretch. Still, we’re talking about 12 more wins over the Jets’ final 23 games, so it’s at least within the realm of possibility.

When Brodeur set that record, he finished third in Hart Trophy voting and Holtby finished fourth that year -- both won the Vezina -- but Hellebuyck campaign might end up being arguably more impressive than either of them. Brodeur and Holtby didn’t lead the league in GAA or save percentage in their respective 48-win campaign, but there’s a good chance of Hellebuyck carrying both of those categories while simultaneously getting his win total well into the 40s.

Still, I think it would take a lack of impressive campaigns from forwards to convince the voters to select a goaltender, even one as dominant as Hellebuyck, as the top pick for the Hart. The last time a goaltender won the trophy was in 2014-15 (Carey Price) when no forward reached the 90-point mark. The time before that when Jose Theodore claimed the award in 2001-02, there was no player who hit 100 points. That won’t be the case this season. Nathan MacKinnion (23 goals, 90 points), Leon Draisaitl (44, 88) and Nikita Kucherov (27, 86) are all providing compelling cases for Hart consideration. If Hellebuyck stays strong down the stretch, then I believe he will be one of the finalists, but a forward is still more likely to ultimately win the award.

Anaheim Ducks

In all likelihood, this will be the seventh straight year without a playoff berth for Anaheim, but perhaps the Ducks can at least end the campaign on a positive note after going 8-2-1 dating back to Jan. 23. They’ll try to maintain that momentum next week, starting with a road game against Edmonton on Tuesday. The Ducks will then play in Vancouver on Wednesday before hosting the Blues and the Islanders on Friday and Sunday, respectfully.

Mason McTavish has been a major part of the Ducks’ recent string of success, supplying seven goals and 11 points over his past 11 outings. McTavish is up to 14 goals and 31 points in 52 appearances in 2024-25, giving the 22-year-old a chance to surpass his career high of 43 points. He has been somewhat inconsistent, so it wouldn’t be shocking if another cold stretch before the end of the campaign ruins that push, but this could very well just be the prelude to a breakout in 2025-26. Taken with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, McTavish could turn into a very valuable top six forward.

On the blue line, the Ducks also have been getting help from Jackson LaCombe, who scored a goal Thursday to extend his point streak to four games (one goal, four assists). The 24-year-old is now just one point shy of reaching 30 for the first time in his career. Although he’s gotten a healthy amount of power-play ice time (1:52 per game), LaCombe hasn’t quite clicked with the man advantage, providing just five points this season. The Ducks collectively have underwhelmed in that category with their 12.7 percent conversion rate, 31st in the league, but that’s a potential area of upside for both LaCombe and Anaheim, especially if you’re looking ahead to next season.

Leo Carlsson might be part of the solution on the power play once he’s had more time to develop. Taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the 20-year-old hasn’t made a big impact this season with 11 goals and 23 points through 52 outings, but he’s giving us a taste of what he’s capable of, providing two goals and seven points in his past seven games.

Ultimately, it’s encouraging to see the Ducks’ younger players playing key roles recently. Anaheim has been rough for years now, but the youth movement might be on the cusp of moving the Ducks back into playoff contention -- likely not this year, but they’re a squad you shouldn’t sleep on for 2025-26.

Dallas Stars

The Stars have a commanding 37-19-2 record, but they’re also in the same division as Winnipeg, so they’re unlikely to do better than the second seed. Even there, Dallas needs to stay sharp to stay ahead of Minnesota (34-21-4) and Colorado (34-24-2). The Stars will attempt to cushion their hold on the second seed next week, starting with home games against New Jersey and Calgary on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. The Stars will then play in Edmonton on Saturday and Vancouver on Sunday.

With the Stars battling in such a tough division, they decided they couldn’t wait until the trade deadline to make some moves. To that end, the Stars acquired Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from San Jose on Feb. 1. Given that about a month has past, it seems like a good opportunity to take stock of how that trade is working out for Dallas.

Granlund has primarily been playing on the Stars’ second line alongside Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment, though he’s also gotten looks on the first unit with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. In either scenario, Granlund has helped out, providing six assists (five primary assists) in seven appearances since the trade. He’s also seen action on the first power-play unit, but he hasn’t gotten any production with the man advantage yet.

Eventually he should have some power-play production and will largely continue to be effective offensively. He’s a nice boost on a team that already featured some pretty solid forward depth.

In the case of Ceci, he has two assists, nine blocks and 14 hits while averaging 20:46 of ice time in seven outings with Dallas. He’s never been much of an offensive threat, so even those two helpers should be regarded as merely a bonus, but the move from San Jose to Dallas hasn’t cost him his top four role, which means that he should continue to be a reliable source of blocks and hits.

Dallas is in a tough position cap wise, so that might be it for the Stars in terms of additions -- unless Miro Heiskanen (knee) or Tyler Seguin (hip) are done until the playoffs. Seguin has resumed skating while Heiskanen hasn’t, per Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports. Stars GM Jim Nill describe their situation as fluid, which to me suggests that it’s not clear if they’ll be ready before the playoffs or not. Still, if Dallas ends up making a big splash before the deadline, then that probably implies that one or both of them will remain on LTIR until the playoffs.

When they do return, it’ll be interesting to see how the Stars adjust their lines. Tyler Seguin saw success early in the campaign alongside Duchene and Marchment, so maybe he’ll resume that role, leaving Granlund to primarily play with Robertson and Hintz. That would likely result in Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven seeing their playing time diminish. Whatever his role, don’t diminish Seguin when he returns. In part due to injuries, it’s been a while since he had a 60-plus point campaign, but he’s been effective while healthy, supplying 55 goals and 122 points in 163 outings across the past three years for an average of 61 points per 82 games.

In terms of a healthy Heiskanen, he might link up with Thomas Harley. That might in turn lead to Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin competing for the sixth blueliner role. We might also see Lian Bichsel return to AHL Texas once Heiskanen is healthy. That’d give Dallas a top four of Harley, Esa Lindell, Ceci and Heiskanen going into the playoffs.

Los Angeles Kings

At 31-17-8, the Kings are a good bet to make the playoffs and could still win the Pacific Division with a strong finish. That pursuit of the 35-18-6 Golden Knights will likely be a key motivator for them going into next week. The Kings will play in Chicago on Monday before hosting the Blues twice on Wednesday and Saturday. They’ll then travel to Vegas to play against the division rival Sunday.

To the surprise of no one, Quinton Byfield wasn’t part of Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off. He’s simply not good enough -- yet. Taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Byfield has plenty of upside, and the 22-year-old gave another taste of it Monday when he registered four assists to aid LA in its 5-2 victory over the Golden Knights. That’s the third time this campaign he’s provided at least three points in a game, but his offense hasn’t been consistent, which has limited him to 34 points (11 goals) in 56 appearances. At this rate, he’ll end up doing a little worse than his 55-point showing in 2023-24, which is disappointing, but not a disaster.

What would be a disaster for the Kings is another extended absence from Drew Doughty. While the Kings demonstrated during his 47-game absence to start the campaign that they can win without him, he certainly brings plenty to the table when healthy, supplying a goal, four points, 11 hits and 13 blocks while averaging 25:55 of ice time in his eight appearances with the Kings’ this campaign.

In that context, it was especially concerning when Doughty missed Wednesday’s clash against Vancouver due to a lower-body injury. He had missed the first half of the campaign with an ankle injury, so the location of his new problem was particularly concerning. Fortunately, it seems like the worst-case scenario isn’t likely. As Mayor’s Manor reported, Doughty is just dealing with soreness and swelling, which makes him day-to-day. Still, you have to wonder if maybe the Kings will manage his workload a little more or even consider making him a healthy scratch on occasion. LA still has four back-to-back sets remaining, so keep an eye on that situation.

Anze Kopitar is also worth monitoring. He had an excellent start to the campaign, providing 12 goals and 39 points in 36 outings, but Kopitar has just a goal and seven points across his last 20 games, including three points in his past 12 outings. At one time, he seemed like a lock to reach the 70-point mark for the third straight campaign, but that’s now in serious jeopardy for the 37-year-old.

Cold streaks aren’t new for Kopitar, but it is unusual for one to last this long, so it’s reached the point where his slump is cause for concern.

New York Islanders

The Islanders will spend next week primarily on the road with games against the Rangers on Monday, the Sharks on Saturday and the Ducks on Sunday. The lone exception is a home match against Winnipeg on Tuesday.

Signing Tony DeAngelo was a controversial decision given his history, but if there’s one positive to the game, it’s what he brings to the table offensively, and he’s largely delivered there, providing a goal and six points across 11 appearances since he made his Islanders debut Jan. 25. Interestingly, none of those points have come with the man advantage, which has traditionally been a key part of his production. If you want to take an optimistic look, that could mean that his scoring pace could be even better once he starts clicking on the power play.

It's also interesting that the return of Noah Dobson didn’t seem to meaningfully alter DeAngelo’s role. He was originally seen as a stopgap measure after Dobson suffered a lower-body injury, but DeAngelo still logged 21:20 of ice time, including 1:49 with the man advantage, in Dobson’s first game back Thursday. Granted, Dobson got just 18:54 himself, which suggests the Islanders were easing him back into the lineup a bit, but it still seems reasonable to believe DeAngelo will maintain his top four role going forward.

As for Dobson, he should see his playing time return to its average around 24 minutes within the next couple of games. He’ll also continue to feature on the power play, even with the presence of DeAngelo. Getting Dobson back will likely move Scott Perunovich back into a depth role, though. Perunovich had three assists while playing in nine straight games and saw some power-play time from Jan. 28-Feb. 25, but he was a healthy scratch Thursday and will likely spend additional time in the press box going forward.

New York Rangers

In contrast to the Islanders, the Rangers will spend most of next week at home. They’ll host the Islanders on Monday, the Capitals on Wednesday and the Blue Jackets on Sunday. The Rangers’ lone road game will be Wednesday in Washington.

New York has been all over the place this season. Despite a 12-4-1 start, the Rangers no longer occupy a playoff spot, though they have won five of their past seven games, bringing them up to 29-25-4 overall.

Igor Shesterkin has been part of the weirdness, posting a 20-20-2 record, 2.93 GAA and .906 save percentage. If the campaign ended after Thursday’s action, Shesterkin’s GAA and save percentage would both mark career worsts for him. He’s had some amazing starts, holding the competition to one or fewer goals in 10 outings, and he’s made at least 30 saves on 16 occasions. At the same time, there are nine instances of him surrendering at least five goals. To put that into context, from 2019-20 through 2022-23, he had eight total games in which he allowed five or more goals over a span of 158 regular-season appearances.

That inconsistency in net has been part of the problem for the Rangers, but New York has also seen its scoring tick down this campaign with 3.03 goals per game from 3.39 last year. The good news is that the Rangers offense has been clicking lately, averaging 3.50 goals since the start of February.

Acquiring J.T. Miller in a trade with Vancouver on Jan. 31 has helped with that. Miller has provided five goals and nine points in eight appearances since joining the Rangers, and he should average about a point per game throughout the remainder of the season.

We’ve also seen a resurgence of Mika Zibanejad. The 31-year-old had an uncharacteristically poor stretch from Dec. 14-Jan. 28 in which he had just three goals and eight points across 22 appearances. He’s put that behind him in February, though, scoring three goals and 11 points over an eight-game stretch. Zibanejad’s slump will keep him below his 2023-24 finish of 72 points (he has 40 points in 58 outings this year), but he is still capable of being a strong presence down the stretch.

Adam Fox was also looking good, going on a seven-game scoring streak (two goals, eight points) from Feb. 2-25, but unfortunately that was cut short by an upper-body injury. With a spot in the postseason not secure, this is a terrible time for the Rangers to lose a key defenseman, but it is an opportunity for Braden Schneider to play a bigger role, including the possibility of work with the man advantage.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have four games on the docket next week, and they’re all at home. Philadelphia will host Calgary on Tuesday, Winnipeg on Thursday, Seattle on Saturday and New Jersey on Sunday.

The Flyers are 26-26-8 through Thursday’s action, putting them six points out of a wild-card spot, though Philadelphia has played one more game than the Red Wings and the Blue Jackets, which are currently tied at 66 and hold the first and second wild-card seeds, respectively. However, Philadelphia would need to leapfrog the Rangers, the Senators, the Bruins and the Canadiens in addition to surpassing one of Detroit or Columbus in order to make the playoffs, so the Flyers are facing long odds to say the least. Moneypuck puts Philadelphia’s playoff chances at just 2.2 percent and gives them better odds of securing the first overall pick, 5.9 percent.

The Flyers are seller at this point, though it might be that their trade sending Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Flames on Jan. 31 will go down as the only noteworthy move they make before the deadline. Andrei Kuzmenko and Erik Johnson are their only players of note who are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Kuzmenko might have value to a contender as a depth scorer, but his $5.5 million cap hit hurts his value, even if Philadelphia were willing to retain part of it.

Meanwhile, Johnson doesn’t seem to have much left at the age of 36. He’s appeared in just 22 games with Philadelphia this season, and a contender would presumably be looking at him as a seventh defenseman at best. I wouldn’t be shocked if he got picked up by someone, but probably just for a sixth or seventh-round pick.

They might trade someone with term, though. Rasmus Ristolainen has come up in the rumor mill. He’s a huge, physical right-hand defenseman, so it’s easy to imagine teams gunning for him, but because he’s signed through 2026-27, the Flyers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to negotiations. If they don’t get an offer they love, then they can just hold onto him for next season. With that in mind, it seems Philadelphia wants a first rounder plus an asset for him, and no team has come close to that yet, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. So don’t be surprised if he stays with the Flyers.

With the deadline looming, it can be easy to miss the fact that Matvei Michkov is having one of the best stretches of his rookie campaign. He has an incredible five goals and 10 points across his past five appearances, bringing him up to 19 goals and 44 points through 58 outings overall. The 20-year-old has been all over the place this year, even spending some time as a healthy scratch, but his offensive potential is without question. If he can find some degree of consistency, then 80-plus point campaigns might be in his future.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay will open next week with a road match against the Panthers on Monday, but they’ll spend the rest of the week at home. The Lightning will host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the Sabres on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday.

Tampa Bay is third in the Atlantic Division, but after winning its past seven games, the Lightning have a 34-20-4 record and sit just three points behind the division-leading Panthers, which will make that Monday contest all the more important.

Look for Andrei Vasilevskiy to get the nod in that game. He’s played a vital role in the Lightning’s winning streak, being in net for all seven of those contests while posting a 1.72 GAA and a .944 save percentage. That gives him a 28-15-3 record, 2.21 GAA and .922 save percentage through 46 appearances in 2024-25, which is a nice return to form after a rough 2023-24 in which he had a 30-20-2 record, 2.90 GAA and .900 save percentage in 52 outings. If not for Connor Hellebuyck’s dazzling play, Vasilevskiy might have been in the conversation to win the Vezina for the first time since 2018-19.

Brandon Hagel has also been a major driver of Tampa Bay’s recent success. He has nine goals and 16 points across his past nine outings, giving him 29 goals and 67 points in 58 games this campaign. It’s not unusual for goals to come in bunches -- Hagel has a similar stretch of success from Oct. 15-24 in which he collected six goals and nine points in six outings -- so enjoy this while it lasts, but don’t be shocked if he then has another stretch similar to Jan. 14-28 (aka, no goals and three assists over eight games).

Nick Paul is a somewhat similar story. He found the back of the net for four straight games from Feb. 8-25 (keep in mind, the 4 Nations Face-Off break was in the middle of that), but he also has stretches of no production -- he had a six-game point drought from Jan. 25-Feb. 6. He averages out to be a decent secondary scorer (18 goals and 32 points in 52 outings this season), but not someone you can rely on regularly.

Nikita Kucherov tends to be a more consistent offensive force. Excluding games missed, he hasn’t been held off the scoresheet for more than back-to-back contests this season. That’s led to him supplying 27 goals and 86 points in 55 appearances, including four goals and 13 points across his last nine outings -- technically a nine-game scoring streak, but it’s not an official one because he didn’t play Feb. 9 due to an upper-body injury.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals will start the week by hosting the Senators on Monday before travelling to New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday. Washington will then play home games against the Red Wings on Friday and the Kraken on Sunday.

All eyes will remain on Alex Ovechkin as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin is 11 goals away from tying the record after finding the back of the net against Calgary on Tuesday. That gives him eight markers and 13 points across his past nine games, and 30 goals in 2024-25 despite being limited to 43 contests due to injury.

Speaking of, when Ovechkin suffered a fibula fracture back in November, it seemed like he would have to wait until at least the 2025-26 campaign to break the record, but with 23 games remaining on Washington’s schedule, it’s certainly possible for him to surpass the record before the playoffs. He’d have to stay hot, but with the way he’s played this year, it’s doable.

Dylan Strome has enjoyed sharing the ice with Ovechkin. While he’s not completely dependent on the Russian superstar, Ovechkin has appeared on the scoresheet for 32 of Strome’s 59 points. The 27-year-old Strome has six goals and 13 points across his past 10 appearances as he looks to reach the 70-point milestone for the first time in his career.

The only real blemish on Washington recently has been Logan Thompson. He’s still having a great campaign overall with a 25-3-5 record, 2.28 GAA and .919 save percentage in 33 appearances, but he has allowed at least three goals in each of his past five starts. Perhaps Thompson would benefit from a bit more rest down the stretch. After all, he’s never played in more then 50 regular-season plus playoff games in a single campaign, and the Capitals are hoping to lean on him heavily come the postseason.

Charlie Lindgren is 13-10-3 with a 2.70 GAA and an .896 save percentage in 27 outings, and he’s struggled recently too, allowing 15 goals on 99 shots (.848 save percentage) across his past four starts, so he’s not an ideal alternative. However, Washington is in a commanding position thanks to its 38-13-8 record, so the Capitals can afford to regularly rest Thompson down the stretch, even if it ends up costing them some wins. Keep that in mind when evaluating Lindgren and Thompson’s value for the remainder of 2024-25.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Wolf making Calder case, Johnson rebounding and much more

Scott Cullen — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 19:02:34 +0000

_{VANCOUVER, BC - SEPTEMBER 25: Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) in net during their preseason NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on September 25, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)}

Each week, I’ll dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Dustin Wolf is howling in Calgary’s net, Mason Marchment is delivering for Dallas, Kent Johnson returns to the Blue Jackets lineup and much more!

#1 When the Calgary Flames made room for goaltender Dustin Wolf last season, after he had been dominant in the American Hockey League, Wolf had a .893 save percentage in 17 games, which did not exactly bust down the door to his NHL career. The Flames then traded Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey in the offseason, giving Wolf the opportunity to share the crease with Daniel Vladar. Wolf has stopped 112 of 116 shots (.966 save percentage) while winning his past four starts, giving him a .926 save percentage in 11 games this season. He is gaining the edge on Vladar in Calgary’s crease competition and has a case to make for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.

#2 Dallas Stars power forward Mason Marchment has been thriving on a line with veterans Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin. In the past five games, Marchment has produced 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 14 shots on goal. He also leads the Stars with 31 hits in 17 games, so the 6-foot-5 winger brings broad fantasy appeal. Marchment does have an on-ice shooting percentage of 13.0 percent, which is likely due for some regression, but it’s not unreasonable to expect him to keep producing offensively while skating with Duchene and Seguin.

#3 Last season was such a washout for Kent Johnson, the Columbus Blue Jackets winger who was the fifth pick in the 2021 Draft. Johnson has 16 points (4 G, 12 A) in 42 games and was demoted to the American Hockey League, which was a major disappointment for a player of his considerable gifts. With a new coach, Dean Evason, on the Blue Jackets bench, Johnson got a fresh start this season and is making the most of it. He missed more than a month with a shoulder injury, but Johnson returned to action Thursday and scored a pair of goals against Tampa Bay, giving him seven points (4 G, 3 A) in five games.

#4 When veteran centre Sean Monahan signed with Columbus as a free agent in the offseason, he was surely looking forward to the chance to play with Johnny Gaudreau. When tragedy struck, Monahan stepped up to be a leader on his new team, and after a four-point night against Tampa Bay on Thursday, he has 19 points (7 G, 12 A) with 57 shots on goal in 19 games. It would be the first season of his career in which he has averaged at least three shots on goal per game.

#5 While the San Jose Sharks endured a miserable 2023-2024 season, William Eklund did contribute 45 points (16 G, 29 A) in his first full NHL season. He has built on that this season, with his average time on ice climbing over 20 minutes per game. Eklund has 16 points (4 G, 12 A) in 21 games. His shot rate could use some improvement, but Eklund is skating on a line with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund while getting first unit power play time, so there is reason to expect his production to continue.

#6 When the Sharks acquired defenceman Jake Walman from Detroit, it seemed like a good deal at a reasonable price, but he just had a career-high 21 points (9 G, 12 A) in 63 games, so it’s not like he came to San Jose with huge offensive expectations. Nevertheless, he is proving that he can chip in offensively, including 10 points (2 G, 8 A) with 25 shots on goal in the past eight games. He is playing a career-high 22:41 per game and thriving in that role.

#7 Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Travis Sanheim had a career-high 44 points (10 G, 34 A) last season and is being pushed into an even bigger role this season. He is playing 25:33 per game, surpassing 30 minutes in three of his past six games. In those six games, Sanheim has six points (2 G, 4 A) with 19 shots on goal and with Cam York and Jamie Drysdale injured, there is time for Sanheim on the Flyers’ top power play, too.

#8 Colorado Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen got a late start to the season as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, but the ever-reliable forward has found his place in the Avalanche lineup. In eight games since rejoining the active roster, Lehkonen has six points (3 G, 3 A) with 21 shots on goal while playing a career-high average of 22:51 per game. The only forward in the league with a higher average time on ice is Nathan MacKinnon (23:16) and Lehkonen is skating on a line with MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, a spot that ought to allow for continued offensive production.

#9 With an uncomfortable history of shoulder injuries, Ottawa Senators centre Josh Norris has managed to stay healthy and relatively productive to start this season. In his past six games, he has five points (4 G, 1 A) and 13 shots on goal. He is one of five Sens (Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle, and Adam Gaudette are the others) with eight or more goals this season and Norris does hold a spot on Ottawa’s top power play unit.

#10 An injury to Brayden Point opened the door for Anthony Cirelli to get a shot at centering the first line for the Tampa Bay Lightning and it worked well for him. In his past six games, Cirelli has averaged 21:54 of ice time per game, while contributing seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 10 shots on goal. He had a career-high 45 points (20 G, 25 A) last season but if he is going to keep getting time with Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov, Cirelli should be able to fly past that point total.

#11 Dallas Stars rookie right winger Logan Stankoven is tied with the Flyers’ Matvei Michkov for the rookie scoring lead, as both have 15 points. Stankoven has five points (3 G, 2 A) in his past seven games but, more impressively, has 26 shots on goal while playing 15:25 per game. That kind of shot production in that ice time is a very encouraging sign. In the past two weeks, Stankoven has 14.26 shots on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, which ranks fifth (minimum 60 minutes) behind Brady Tkachuk, Jesse Puljujarvi, Bobby McMann, and Zach Aston-Reese.

#12 Last season, when he was playing for the Los Angeles Kings, Pierre-Luc Dubois saw his reputation take a serious hit as he finished with 40 points (16 G, 24 A) in 82 games and had his effort frequently and very publicly questioned. He has six points (1 G, 5 A) in his past six games and while his shot rate is still way down, the Capitals are enjoying success with Dubois on the ice, outscoring the opposition 18-10 during five-on-five play, as he is making the most of his opportunity to play with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson. With Alex Ovechkin out for the next 4-6 weeks with a broken fibula, the Capitals will need Dubois, McMichael and Wilson to help fill the offensive void. Andrew Mangiapane is getting the first opportunity to fill Ovechkin’s spot on the line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.

#13 Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov started the season slowly but is starting to find his groove on the top line with Monahan and Kirill Marchenko. In the past four games, Voronkov has five points (3 G, 2 A) with 12 shots on goal. Considering his production last season, when he had 34 points (18 G, 16 A) in 75 games as a rookie, Voronkov might be a decent buy-low option on a Blue Jackets team that is possibly more competitive than they were expected to be coming into the season.

#14 With Auston Matthews still out of the lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs have seen that Bobby McMann can play a strong complementary role alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner on the Leafs’ top line. In his past four games, McMann has scored goals while launching 20 shots on goal and playing more than 17 minutes per game. He only has one assist in 19 games, so he is not filling every category, but McMann also has 31 hits in 19 games, so he can contribute in that way as well, making him a useful option in deeper leagues, even if it’s in a short-term role.

#15 Hard driving New York Rangers left winger Will Cuylle is growing into a more significant presence in his second NHL season. He had 21 points (13 G, 8 A) and 249 hits in 81 games last season, but now has six points (3 G, 3 A) in his past five games, lifting him to 15 points (7 G, 8 A) in 18 games. On top of that, he has 75 hits, ranking third among forwards with 4.17 hits per game. That makes Cuylle a very valuable piece for fantasy managers.

#16 Veteran Seattle Kraken left winger Jaden Schwartz has enjoyed a long career of providing solid secondary scoring and he is continuing in that role for the Kraken. In his past five games, he has taken on a more prominent role with greater production, including four points (1 G, 3 A) and 17 shots on goal, while playing an average of 19:19 per game. Schwartz is playing with Chandler Stephenson and Daniel Sprong at even strength and the trio is all part of Seattle’s top power play unit.

#17 While his production has not taken off yet, Anaheim Ducks winger Frank Vatrano is showing positive signs. Last season, he set career highs with 37 goals and 60 points while playing a career-high 18:21 per game. Through 17 games this season, he has just two goals and seven points, but he has 26 shots on goal (with 18:26 ATOI) in his past six games, as he skates with veteran Ryan Strome and Troy Terry at evens and holds a spot on the Ducks’ top power play. Vatrano has been a consistent shot generator throughout his career, it’s a matter of him getting enough opportunities to turn those shots into production.

#18 Injuries have also provided a bigger role for Ducks right winger Brett Leason, a 6-foot-5 forward who had a career-high 22 points (11 G, 11 A) last season. In his past five games, Leason has seven points (2 G, 5 A) while averaging more than 14 minutes of ice time per game. This is a small sample, of course, but if he can continue to make offensive contributions, Leason could force his way into the Ducks’ top nine.

#19 With Samuel Ersson injured, Ivan Fedotov is getting more of an opportunity in the Philadelphia Flyers’ net. The 27-year-old netminder struggled early in the season, but in four starts in November, he has three wins and a .910 save percentage. That might not be enough to trust your fantasy goaltending situation to him, but if you’re in desperate shape, he just might be able to solve the issue in the short term. If not Fedotov, consider Utah’s Karel Vejmelka, who has just one win in eight appearances, but his .922 save percentage suggests that he deserves better.

#20 Another deep league goaltending consideration could be Montreal Canadiens netminder Sam Montembeault, who appears to be emerging from a bit of a rough patch. He has a .906 save percentage in XX games, but that has decidedly improved over the past three starts when he stopped 80 of 83 shots for a .964 save percentage. Montembeault also has the likelihood of playing more games since Cayden Primeau is struggling, with a .845 save percentage in seven games. If Primeau doesn’t get significantly better, then there is no reason for Montreal to run their goaltending in a tandem style rather than a clear No. 1 and clear No. 2 between the pipes.

*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 – Annunen, Rossi, Strome, and Key Injury Updates

Scott Cullen — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 13:00:22 +0000

_{BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 06: Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (23) skates with the puck during the NHL game between Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins on January 6, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire)}

Each week, I’ll dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Colorado shakes up its goaltending, Dylan Strome, Marco Rossi, JJ Peterka, and a big injury in St. Louis.

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

#1 As much as the Colorado Avalanche might have wanted to give Alexandar Georgiev time to sort out his troubles, he did not give them nearly enough, managing a .810 save percentage in his first five games. Justus Annunen has stepped up, posting a 3-1 record with a .935 save percentage in four starts. The 24-year-old showed some promise last season, putting up a .928 save percentage in 14 games. If he gives the Avalanche a chance to win, Annunen is going to keep getting starts and Georgiev may want to look over his shoulder at Kaapo Kahkonen, who the Avs picked up off waivers a few weeks ago.

#2 After tallying a career-high 67 points (27 G, 40 A) last season, Washington Capitals centre Dylan Strome has started strong this season with nine points (3 G, 6 A) in six games. Strome does not generate a lot of shots and is scoring on 27.3 percent of his shots early in the season, so there is likely regression heading in his direction, but he has turned into a reliable point producer in Washington, and it appears that is going to continue.

#3 The Minnesota Wild have started the season on a hot streak, with a 5-0-2 record through seven games, and centre Marco Rossi looks like he is starting to fulfill his potential. The ninth pick in the 2020 Draft, Rossi finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting last season after scoring 40 points (21 G, 19 A) in 81 games. This season, he has spent most of his time between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the Wild’s top line and has seven points (3 G, 4 A) during a six-game point streak. Rossi is also scoring on 23.1 percent of his shots, so that probably won’t continue, but it’s much more important that he continues to produce to hold his spot on that top line.

#4 The St. Louis Blues have lost their playmaking star centre Robert Thomas due to a broken ankle and he will be re-evaluated in six weeks. After scoring a career-high 86 points last season, Thomas has six points (1 G, 5 A) in seven games, but his absence will leave a hole in the Blues lineup. With Thomas out, Brayden Schenn moves into the middle with Brandon Saad and Jake Neighbours, the wingers with whom he has played second and third-most this season. Jordan Kyrou, Thomas’ most common linemate, has joined a line with Pavel Buchnevich and Alexandre Texier.

#5 Sidelined by a concussion early in the season, Buffalo Sabres left winger JJ Peterka has come back to the lineup with authority. He has six points (4 G, 2 A) in six games this season, but he played just 1:39 against New Jersey in the game that he suffered a concussion. He has landed on the Sabres’ top line, with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, a good spot for the promising young forward to fulfill his scoring potential.

#6 Power forward Mason Marchment had a tough time in his first season with Dallas, in 2022-2023, but delivered career highs of 22 goals and 53 points last season. He has picked up where he left off, with eight points (2 G, 6 A) and 18 hits in eight games to start this season. Marchment is getting first unit power play time, contributing three points with the man advantage, and skates with productive vets Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin at even strength.

#7 Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Laferriere is taking on a bigger role in his second season and has started the year with seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 17 shots on goal in eight games while playing 2:30 more per game compared to the 2023-2024 season. He has moved to play with Warren Foegele and Alex Turcotte at even strength, where he has scored all seven of his points, but Laferriere is also getting first unit power play time which raises his offensive ceiling.

#8 When Aleksander Barkov was injured in the second game of the season, it was natural for the Florida Panthers to move Anton Lundell into the first-line centre role, but they may not have expected him to thrive so thoroughly in the role. In the past seven games, Lundell has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game and produced eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 15 shots on goal. With Barkov reportedly nearing a return, the challenge for the Panthers will be how to maximize Lundell’s contributions even if he doesn’t have the same role and expectations.

#9 Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli has opened the season with nine points (1 G, 8 A) in seven games, though beware of that production. He had four assists in a win over New Jersey and his on-ice shooting percentage is currently 14.6 percent, notably higher than his career mark of 9.3 percent. He is skating on a line with Brandon Hagel and rookie Connor Geekie but is probably only of value in deeper leagues.

#10 Although Vancouver Canucks right winger Conor Garland is riding some higher percentages early in the season, on his way to six points (3 G, 3 A) in six games, it is useful to note that he is on the Canucks’ top power play unit, and playing nearly four minutes more per game compared to last season. Garland has finished with between 46 and 52 points in three consecutive seasons, but if he is going to play 18-plus minutes per game this season, his output should go higher.

#11 It looks like it is going to be another long season in San Jose, but Sharks centre Mikael Granlund is making the most of his opportunity. It might be the equivalent of empty calories for the winless Sharks, but Granlund is playing a career-high 21:51 per game and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 29 shots on goal in eight games. That shot rate of 3.6 per game is very unusual, as Granlund last finished with more than 2.0 shots per game in 2019-2020, and that season finished with 2.06 shots per game. If he is going to keep shooting with this frequency, though, Granlund should be a safer bet to keep putting up points and he has four 60-point seasons to his credit.

#12 Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere is riding a five-game point streak, during which he has six points (4 G, 2 A). Three of those goals have come via the power play, and 2017-2018 was the last time that Gostisbere finished with more than five power play goals in a season, so he could thrive in something of a specialist’s role with Carolina. He has been playing 18:33 per game this season, which is th3 second-lowest average of his career and yet his 2.29 shots on goal per game is his highest rate since 2018-2019.

#13 He already has a couple of 20-goal seasons to his credit, but Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko could be poised for bigger things in his third NHL season. Skating on Columbus’ top line alongside Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger and getting first unit power play time, Marchenko has eight points (3 G, 5 A) while averaging 19 minutes of ice time through six games. With expectations relatively low in Columbus, there are some players who are flying under the radar despite their production and Marchenko is one of them.

#14 It might be too soon to buy low on Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens, but at least put him on your radar. The 23-year-old has just two assists in eight games, which is far from useful for fantasy managers, but he is in a decent situation, getting first-unit power play time in Buffalo and skating on a line with rookie Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn. Cozens has 27 shots on goal without a goal, which is the highest total in the league for players still seeking their first goal. Among forwards still seeking first red light of the season, Cozens is followed by Morgan Frost (24), Quinton Byfield (20), Brad Marchand (19), Nick Schmaltz (18) and A.J. Greer (18).

#15 Ottawa Senators centre Josh Norris is healthy to start the season and has delivered six points (3 G, 3 A) in six games. He is skating on a line with quality wingers, Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson, and is on the top power play unit, where he has produced half of his points. He erupted for 35 goals in 66 games during the 2021-2022 season but has battled shoulder injuries since and yet he still had 18 goals in 58 games over the past two seasons, so it’s not like his skill has disappeared. It’s all about whether he can stay healthy.

#16 Winnipeg Jets defenceman Neal Pionk has recorded between 32 and 34 points in four consecutive seasons, but he might be off to a start that is going to propel him past those numbers. He has eight points (1 G, 7 A) in seven games, with three points on the power play even though he is on Winnipeg’s second unit. His 2.57 shots on goal per game would be a career high and is reason to be encouraged for Pionk’s long-term production.

#17 It could be a good time to buy low on Steven Stamkos, who is off to a slow start in Nashville. He has just one goal and zero assists through six games, even though he has put 22 shots on goal. That shot rate (3.67 per game) would be his highest since 2011-2012. He has 0.56 individual expected goals per game which ranks tenth in the league and is an indication that more production really ought to be following. It’s just a matter of how soon it starts to happen for him.

#18 Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton apparently suffered an injury against Utah on Thursday night, so it remains to be seen how long it might keep him out of the lineup. He has been thriving, with eight points (7 G, 1 A) and 26 shots on goal in the past seven games. With so many injuries in Colorado, Colton found himself on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. If Colton is out, Joel Kiviranta might be next in line to get a look there and he does have four goals in his past three games.

#19 Montreal Canadiens right winger Juraj Slafkovsky will be out for at least a week due to an upper-body injury, a tough break considering how productive he has been. He had six points (1 G, 5 A) in six games before getting hurt, picking up his production from last season, when he finished with 32 points (14 G, 18 A) in the last 35 games. With Slafkovsky out, Kirby Dach is getting a shot on Montreal’s top line, an opportunity to break out from his own slow start, as Dach has just two assists in seven games.

#20 The New York Islanders have lost winger Anthony Duclair for more than a month due to a lower-body injury. That leaves the Islanders in a tough spot, as they are now putting Simon Holmstrom on left wing with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal on the top line. Holmstrom had 25 points (15 G, 10 A) in 75 games last season, so this is a big opportunity for him, but it might be more than he can handle, which would then leave the Islanders to look elsewhere. Rookie Maxim Tsyplakov is already playing more than 17 minutes per game, so the Isles could use another skilled forward.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – DALLAS STARS – Team Preview

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 20:00:58 +0000

_{DALLAS, TX - APRIL 03: Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) catches the puck with his glove hand as Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) looks on during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers on April 3, 2024 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)}

After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2023, Dallas entered the 2023-24 campaign as one of the top contenders to capture the Cup. The Stars made their place among the league’s elites clear with their 52-21-9 showing in the regular season, led by a balanced offence featuring eight different 20-plus goal scorers (the average team had 3.8 players with over 20 goals). Jake Oettinger didn’t live up to his previous success in goal, posting a 2.72 GAA and .905 save percentage, but it was more than enough to put Dallas atop in the Central Division. Dallas once again made it to the Western Conference Finals after dispatching Vegas and Colorado, but the offence that served the Stars so well to that point managed just four goals over Games 4-6 of the series, resulting in Dallas’ elimination.

WHAT’S CHANGED? Dallas bought out the final season of Ryan Suter’s four-year, $14.6 million contract and lost Joe Pavelski, who decided it was time to retire despite having scored at least 25 goals in each of his past four campaigns. Dallas didn’t make any big additions over the summer, but it did add backup goaltender Casey DeSmith, and a pair of defensive defencemen in Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? Losing Pavelski hurts, but Dallas still has a great forward corps. There’s the potential for this group to finish in the top five in the league in scoring, especially if Logan Stankoven shines in his first full NHL campaign. Adding Dumba and Lyubushkin should also make a team that was outstanding defensively -- Dallas finished third in xGA/60 at 2.72 last season -- even better, which will make life easier on Oettinger, who is a strong candidate for a bounce back season. Although back-to-back Western Conference Finals exits hurts, Dallas still has every reason to believe this group can win the Cup.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Of course, a better season out of Oettinger would be an important part of that. He ultimately wasn’t the key reason Edmonton eliminated Dallas, but it is worrying that the 25-year-old netminder struggled with consistency last season, especially when coupled with his lackluster showing during the 2023 playoffs. The offence might be a little overstated too. Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin are all well into their 30s now, so there’s a risk some of that all-important offensive depth might not be quite as potent going forward.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: It would be overly dramatic to suggest that Dallas is depending on Stankoven to come up big this season, but with Pavelski gone and some other key members of the forward corps moving further from their prime, Dallas is certainly hoping Stankoven can pick up a bit of the slack. He showed a lot of promise last season, scoring 24 goals and 57 points in 47 AHL contests along with six goals and 14 points across 24 regular-season games with Dallas. Stankoven also contributed a respectable three goals and eight points in 19 playoff contests. He’s just barely Calder Trophy eligible (had he played one more regular season contest last year, he wouldn’t be) and might end up as a strong contender for the award.

FORWARD

Jason Robertson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	36	51	87	1.06

It might be unfair to say Robertson took a step back last year, because expecting 100-points consistently is unreasonable. Still, not hitting 30 goals after scoring 40+ two years in a row was a little disappointing and it’s strange that it didn’t come with a massive shooting percentage drop. His line just didn’t generate chances at an elite rate like they had for most of his career. The decline of Joe Pavelski was a factor in this along with Dallas playing a more low-event game in general. What they did was still good, and Robertson’s individual chance production didn’t see much of a dip, but it’s easy to see why getting to 100-points again was a challenge with the environment around him. Robertson is such a meticulous player whose game is more about anticipation and being two steps ahead of the play, so linemate rapport is a big part of what makes him effective. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts this year with Pavelski gone. They got a glimpse of it in the playoffs where they were on different lines for the most part and Robertson struggled to be the instant offence cheat code he’s used to being. Robertson’s cleared a lot of hurdles, breaking into the NHL’s elite class despite not being a great skater or puck-carrier, so adjusting to life without Pavelski will be the next step. Expect 30 – 40 goals plus a similar amount of assists as last season and he can push 90 points.

Roope Hintz

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	33	40	73	0.89

The top of the Stars roster figured out how tough it is to sustain elite-level production and heightened expectations. Hintz was another victim of that, recording his third 30-goal season in a row but seeing a major dip in his five-on-five production from the two previous years despite that. This along with a disappointing playoff run put a sour note on what was objectively another great season. This is what you have to get used to when breaking into the upper echelon of the league and there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about Hintz sustaining this. So much of the Stars offence revolves around him because of his speed and how much he’s relied on for zone entries. Nobody else on the team can match what he brings there and how quickly he can go from 0 to 10 from a standstill which makes him tough to defend against even if teams prepare. He also has an excellent set of breakaway moves and is great at handling the puck even when he’s getting checked. Like Robertson, how he adjusts to the loss of Pavelski will be interesting. Hintz did a lot to drive the bus, but Pavelski’s role of creating space and getting to the net will be missed when the Stars aren’t playing off the rush. Although, the potential he and Wyatt Johnston showed is enough to get you excited about what they can do next year. 30 goals should be a lock next season along with a return to a point per game pace

Jamie Benn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	19	40	58	0.71

The resurgence of Jamie Benn is one of the more underrated events of the Pete DeBoer era. Ever since the coaching switch, the Stars captain is producing like a top-sixer again and his lines have dominated in terms of controlling goals and chances. Benn functions as somewhat of a Swiss-Army knife on his line, flipping between center and wing while acting as a playmaker for Wyatt Johnston. His hands are still elite, and he can really slow things down with how well he controls the puck below the goal line and along the wall. He is also very effective at prying pucks loose, especially in the neutral zone, which helped Johnston get some easy rush chances off lead-in passes. You would even see him fly the zone at times, which you wouldn’t expect from a player of his size who just turned 35. He will be one of the oldest players in the league next year, so Father Time catching up to him is always a concern, but if anything, Benn has gone in the opposite direction. Sometimes bringing a new puppy in the house can add some youthful years to your old house dog. Wyatt Johnston’s arrival might have done something similar with Jamie Benn, as did the late season call-up of Logan Stankoven. We will see if it continues as the Stars captain gets closer to 40. For next season, there is no reason not to think he can’t repeat those numbers.

Tyler Seguin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	22	26	48	0.67

The two members of Dallas’ old guard finding a second wind is a big reason why their Cup window remains wide open. Benn finding it again is a little less surprising than Tyler Seguin, whose career looked over after a post-labral tear surgery caused him to miss a full season. Since then, all he’s done is score 20+ goals three years a row while playing in all situations. He doesn’t have the burst or power that he used to, as he has to work harder to pick up any speed, but he shows flashes of it. He's had to become sneakier and more deceptive as a goal-scorer, relying on deflections and positioning more, but last year saw the return of his shot becoming a weapon. He was a master at getting himself open for one-timers and could be a threat from distance instead of just in front of the net. Getting paired with a strong puck-carrier in Matt Duchene ended up as a great two-way relationship, as they had great chemistry and made Dallas’ middle six a big problem for other teams. Finding ways to stay effective once their body slows down is a challenge for most players even when they don’t have major injuries and Seguin’s managed to break through that wall. 20 goals and 50 points should be the expectation here. Anything more would be a bonus.

Matt Duchene

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	19	33	52	0.70

A surprise buyout by the Nashville Predators ended up as windfall for Dallas as Duchene showed up and delivered in his one-year deal with the Stars. He gave their offence a shot in the arm. His calling card of making things happen off the rush was exactly what the Stars needed. He was a revelation for them for the first half of the season, scoring 23 goals through the month of February and giving the Stars rush game a major jolt. Since he entered the league, Duchene’s been one of the best players in the league at controlled zone entries. Between his speed and knowing which routes to take to get into the zone, it’s the one skill he has teams are going to covet. Translating that to results was a struggle for a couple years in Nashville, but he has mostly figured it out now, learning how to counter-attack more effectively and attacking the net with more focus instead of entering the zone only to cycle the puck. Dallas re-signed him for another year at a surprisingly low $3 million, given he just had a 65-point season. Duchene making his money in Nashville and his cold finish to the season, scoring only two goals in his last 20 games, might have played a factor in that. Regardless, he’s a solid piece for a very deep Stars team and has delivered consistently over the past few seasons. He can be relied on for 20 – 25 goals and 60 plus points.

Evgeny Dadonov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	13	18	31	0.48

Evgenii Dadonov’s brief audition with the Stars in 2023 was enough for them to re-sign him for two years and believe it or not, it will be the first time he’s spent more than one year on the same team since leaving the Florida Panthers as a free agent. His patience, playmaking and complementary skillset makes him a valuable piece to have, but a crowded roster could make it tough for him to get the same role that he’s used to. Joe Pavelski’s retirement opens up a spot, but Logan Stankoven likely takes one and it’s possible Dallas likes Mavrik Bourque more in a scoring role. Shipping out Ty Dellandrea, however, also opens a role in the lower lines, which is a spot that Dadonov performed well in during the playoffs. He’s usually brought in for his scoring and playmaking, but he plays a strong game along the wall and is great as a support valve for his defence on zone exits. It gives him some versatility should the Stars use him in a depth role and the threat to score is always there with him. Both with the shot and ability to get lost in front of the net. Given where he lands on the depth chart, projections should be kept modest and 15 goals and 30 points would be a contribution the Stars would welcome.

Wyatt Johnston

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	36	40	76	0.93

If you polled most hockey fans after the playoffs, they would tell you Wyatt Johnston was/is the Stars best player. Scoring 10 goals in 19 games and producing chances at an unprecedented rate, the youngster exploded onto the scene last Spring, making a name for himself after a strong 32-goal campaign. Recency bias goes a long way, but it’s hard not to be impressed with how he performed on the biggest stage, fighting through checks and finding different ways to get himself open for chances. He also wasn’t relying on rebounds and jamming the puck to inflate his chance numbers, showing incredible patience and efficiency with his shot to pick a corner or waiting for the goaltender to make the first move. It’s something you only see from the league’s best scorers, at least at the rate he was producing chances at. Watching him, it’s hard to believe he went the entire month of December without scoring a goal, but he made up the pace in March with 10 goals in 13 games, a torrid pace that carried over into the post-season. Dallas has been on a roll with getting impact players in the draft and Johnston is their latest home run.

Mason Marchment

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	21	30	51	0.64

Marchment had more than just a return to form, he set offensive career highs across the board while decreasing the number of penalties he took. After a tough first year both on and off the ice, Marchment looked worth the $4.5 mil. cap hit Dallas gave him and then some. He’s a player that old school hockey fans will appreciate for his hard-hitting style and those who follow the numbers also love because he has been one of the better play-driving forwards in the league for a few years now. Marchment has the body of a shutdown defenceman from the mid-2000’s, but there is a lot of skill in him, he’s got excellent vision and good instincts that made him a fit on a line with Seguin and Duchene for most of the year. Going to where the defence isn’t and using his strong shot rather than just aimlessly crashing the net to create his offence. He is also a good supporting player in the defensive zone and his size makes it very hard to get the puck away from him if he’s cycling with it. Like a lot of Dallas’ players, he did most of his work in the middle of the season and ended the year on a cold streak with four goals in his last 20 games. Despite that finish he hit career highs in goals, assists and points. Similar results are certainly within reach and if he can find his way into the top six, he could surprise.

Sam Steel

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	9	20	29	0.37

Steel isn’t the only high scorer from juniors that’s had trouble translating it to the NHL. In fact, he’s one of hundreds of players who have the same problem. With Dallas, it was the first time he seemed to find his niche as a spark plug type of forward. He can skate well and be a nuisance away from the puck, which is what the Stars were looking for on Radek Faksa’s line. He’s adapted the worker bee mindset and will accept the role he’s assigned. He didn’t deliver a lot of direct plays that resulted in goals, as he recorded a lot of secondary assists, but did get a few opportunities to show that first round skill. His shot is still pretty dangerous when he gets room and he’s a threat to break out offensively shorthanded. Dallas is a good place for him, even in a checking role, because they roll four lines and the fact that he can play center should keep him in the regular rotation. They liked him enough to keep him around for another year with an increased salary, so that says a lot about how he played even with the modest point totals.

DEFENCE

Miro Heiskanen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	14	57	71	0.92

Heiskanen might finish his career with the most Norris votes without ever winning the award. A combination of never delivering elite level points, while other Hall of Fame worthy defencemen in the league also hitting their primes at the same time could leave him without any hardware in his career. In 2022-23, he finally got the power play time to put up 70 points and he still only finished 7th, mostly because there were two other defencemen who had 100-point seasons. Sometimes individual awards come down to bad luck and wrong place, wrong time. The case for Heiskanen is that he might be the best all-around defenceman in the NHL, when it comes to playing the tough matchups, being excellent at preventing chances and playing with the puck from the defensive zone out. Last year was also the first time he got to play with a more dynamic partner in Thomas Harley rather than a traditional stay-at-home guy. The Stars scored over three goals per 60 minutes with the duo on the ice but gave up almost just as much. Still winning the battle but not stifling offence the same way Miro usually does. Figuring out the balance here will be the challenge this season. He has the talent to break out at any time offensively, but values his defensive role, keeping a ceiling on his numbers for the time being.

Thomas Harley

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	12	40	52	0.65

Harley stuck out like a zebra in a horse pasture when Dallas called him up late in the 2023 season. Aside from Heiskanen, they didn’t have a lot of puck-movers on their blue line, so his combination of size and mobility was really easy to notice when Dallas brought him back into the fold. Last year was his first true NHL season and once again, he filled a major hole on a Stars blue line that was lacking puck-movers. Bursting onto the scene as an offensive force, he played like a true rover given how often he jumped into the play, always looking to create offence. He was one of the top scoring blue-liners in the league and formed a dynamic pair with Miro Heiskanen. The duo were an auto-breakout when they were on the ice and could challenge for the top defence pair in the league if they stay together and clean up some of their play in the defensive zone. The latter is part of Harley’s learning curve in the NHL, as he will chase a lot of pucks down and overpay or miss some assignments as a result. Dallas shouldn’t take away the aggressive nature of his game, but there are steps he can take to become a more complete player. Sophomore seasons can be unforgiving for young defensemen so temper expectations and a repeat of last year’s numbers, with improved defensive play, would be a big step forward for the player and the club.

Matt Dumba

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	5	17	22	0.29

Dallas signing Dumba was a surprising move considering the last time he was on Stars fans radar was when he concussed Joe Pavelski in the 2023 playoffs. It wouldn’t be the first time a team acquired a player who was unpopular with the fans and Dumba’s hyper aggressive playing style could endear him to the Stars faithful. Dallas was in need of right-handed shots even before Jani Hakanpaa and Chris Tanev departed in free agency, so he fills a need and is a minute muncher at the very least. Sometimes that term is used to describe a player whose only redeeming quality is that, which is the point Dumba is getting close to in his career. His mobility, low center of gravity and love for delivering big hits are all assets, but a shoulder injury he suffered years ago destroyed his shot and he still hasn’t recovered from it. Not that every defenceman needs to have the big shot, but it was a key part of his game in his heyday with the Wild, now he’s more one-dimensional and his play in his own zone is very erratic because of his aggressive nature. So much of DeBoer’s offence runs through the point, so it will be interesting to see how he fits.

Nils Lundkvist

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	2	15	17	0.26

The trade Dallas made to get Lundkvist in 2022 was one of the more confusing deals in recent years, sending a potential first round pick to the Rangers to acquire the young blue liner who had only 25 NHL games under his belt at that point. Since then, he’s had some flashes of greatness and he’s a very unique player with how creative he is with the puck and how he can control play from the offensive zone down. Unfortunately, he is stuck in NHL purgatory right now. Not good enough to earn the coach’s trust, but too good to just get rid of for nothing, Lundkvist is in a tough spot with the Stars. Next year is a make-or-break chance for him, as Dallas’ blue line is short on righties and puck-movers, but he could easily fall out of favor with all the other veterans in the mix. His playoff performance encapsulates his current situation, where he was in the lineup for 12 out of 19 games but played an average of under four minutes a night. Maybe a new season with a fresh start will be what he needs.

GOAL

Jake Oettinger

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
61	39	16	6	5	0.911	2.54

Dallas, Texas is Jake Oettinger's world, and we're all just living in it. Even in the face of a mild statistical regression, it seemed like nothing the 25-year-old Oettinger did last year could keep the Stars from winning when he was in net. He put up a whopping 35 wins and three shutouts in 54 games, and the team's final numbers made it all but impossible to even remember that he posted ten fewer quality starts and two additional 'stinker' games than he had the year prior. That can be partially attributed to Dallas sitting firmly within their prime window from a roster standpoint but can also be credited in no small part to Oettinger's elite-tier read of the game. Even when he looked fatigued or rusty, his decision-making remained among the best in the league - and Dallas reaped the benefits. Add in a stellar instinct that elevates Oettinger's game to another tier when the game is coming to a close, and he remains one of the league's least stressful goaltenders to watch play; barring any major unforeseen regression, that shouldn't change any time soon. The biggest question mark in net for Dallas, frankly, is the team's somewhat lukewarm depth chart. Scott Wedgewood has been replaced by Casey DeSmith, who struggled last season in Vancouver and shouldn't be expected to take on more than 20-25 games next year. And behind their top two, Dallas has very little in the way of elite up-and-coming talent waiting in the wings. They aren't necessarily in want of anyone new, but it feels like a fairly huge gamble to enter the regular season so devoid of any kind of major safety net.

McKeen’s 2024 NHL Playoff Pool Picklist

Robert Howard — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:01:11 +0000

COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 25: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid #97 prior to the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on February 25, 2023. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)

In kicking off our 2024 NHL Playoff Pool coverage, Scott Cullen did an excellent breakdown of how to strategize for your pool. We recommend you give it a read and can link here.

The picklist below largely follows the strategy laid out in his article focusing on these broad categories – 1) Diversify 2) Stacking 3) First Round Winners 4) Power Play 5) Late Season Production 6) Injuries 7) Targeting playoff performers. Every playoff season will be different, of course, and simply following the Stanley Cup odds laid in many places including BetGM will provide a picture of which teams you should focus on with your picks to make the final, but the path to that result will vary. They currently have the Carolina Hurricanes (650) and the Colorado Avalanche (700) as odds on favourites to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, followed closely by Florida Panthers (700), Dallas Stars (800), Edmonton Oilers (800) and the New York Rangers (900).

If we look at McKeen’s team predictions for each of the first round series it becomes clear some teams have an easier path and their players will provide the best odds to play the most games. Lets look at how the brackets might shake out.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Vs. Vegas – We have Dallas winning in seven in a very hard-fought battle. A deep Dallas team versus the defending Champion who boasts several high-profile additions to end the season.

Winnipeg Vs. Colorado – This should be another war with the potential of a Winnipeg upset if Connor Hellebuyck rises to the occasion and Georgiev continues his late season struggles. Colorado should triumph in seven games.

Second Round Matchup: Colorado vs Dallas - The winner of these two close series meet and it means one of the highly ranked Colorado or Dallas will eliminate each other in the second round, assuming no upset in the first.

Edmonton Vs. Los Angeles – Edmonton should have the depth and firepower to take Los Angeles in six as we have predicted.

Vancouver Vs. Nashville – We hesitate to underestimate Nashville again, and this could be a close contest, but feel confident Vancouver will take it in six.

Second Round Matchup: Edmonton vs Vancouver – This should make for a thrilling series, but McDavid and company looked on a mission in the second half and should proceed to the conference final in six.

Therefore, the conference final in the west is projected to be Edmonton versus Colorado or Dallas (two very closely matched teams).

EASTERN CONFRENCE

Florida Vs. Tampa Bay – The recent two-time Stanley Cup champion meets last year’s finalist in the first round. While Tampa’s core may be aging, they are still a real threat if they get rolling. Florida showed they know how to win in the playoffs last year as well. Two goaltenders who can steal a series may make this a potential upset, but Florida should prevail in six.

Boston Vs. Toronto – Old nemesis meet again in the first round. Boston has beaten Toronto consistently in the playoffs in recent years and won all head-to-head matchups this season. There are questions about both teams, but the series should go seven and really could go either way.

Second Round Matchup: Boston Vs. Florida – with both series offering potential upsets, Florida players are ranked higher than Boston, and have ranked some high scoring Leafs and reasonable picks given they could well make it to the second round and can provide a challenge for both teams.

Carolina Vs. New York Islanders – A deep Carolina team adding some significant pieces at the deadline and should beat the Islanders here in five games.

New York Rangers Vs. Washington – The Rangers should be heavy favourites in this series and should beat the Capital in five or six games.

Second Round Matchup: - Carolina vs New York Rangers – of the second-round matchups this is the one we are most comfortable predicting. It should be a close series with the Hurricanes moving on to the Conference Final against Florida.

The following picklist is based on those possible outcomes. The first round offers some interesting matchups that could leave a favourite or two on the outside looking in early. Stack up on the teams you feel have the best odds of taking the cup but understand there are always upsets. Looking at the above, the teams with the easiest path to the conference final are Edmonton and Carolina. Colorado and Dallas are favourites of both the oddsmakers and ourselves to win a cup, but one of them will bow out by the second round. Florida has depth but will have to go through Tampa and either Boston or Toronto.

Good luck whichever strategy you choose.

Subscribers can download an excel version of this list in subscriber downloads

RANK	Player	Team	Pos	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	P/GP	EVG	EVP	PPG	PPP
1	Connor McDavid	EDM	C	76	32	100	132	35	30	1.74	24	87	7	44
2	Nathan MacKinnon	COL	C	82	51	89	140	35	42	1.71	41	92	10	48
3	Sebastian Aho	CAR	C	78	36	53	89	34	36	1.14	24	55	11	32
4	Jake Guentzel	CAR	C	67	30	47	77	25	22	1.15	25	55	5	22
5	Leon Draisaitl	EDM	C	81	41	65	106	26	76	1.31	20	65	21	39
6	Mikko Rantanen	COL	R	80	42	62	104	19	50	1.3	28	64	14	40
7	Cale Makar	COL	D	77	21	69	90	15	16	1.17	13	47	7	39
8	Sam Reinhart	FLA	C	82	57	37	94	29	31	1.15	25	55	27	34
9	Matthew Tkachuk	FLA	L	80	26	62	88	19	88	1.1	19	55	6	32
10	Aleksander Barkov	FLA	C	73	23	57	80	33	24	1.1	18	49	5	29
11	Artemi Panarin	NYR	L	82	49	71	120	18	24	1.46	38	75	11	44
12	Jason Robertson	DAL	L	82	29	51	80	19	22	0.98	20	52	9	28
13	Roope Hintz	DAL	C	80	30	35	65	26	22	0.81	19	42	8	19
14	Seth Jarvis	CAR	C	81	33	34	67	23	14	0.83	18	44	13	20
15	Andrei Svechnikov	CAR	R	59	19	33	52	13	58	0.88	14	35	5	17
16	Evan Bouchard	EDM	D	81	18	64	82	34	32	1.01	10	47	8	35
17	Zach Hyman	EDM	L	80	54	23	77	36	48	0.96	39	57	15	20
18	Valeri Nichushkin	COL	R	54	28	25	53	5	22	0.98	12	30	16	21
19	Nikita Kucherov	TBL	R	81	44	100	144	8	22	1.78	31	91	13	53
20	Auston Matthews	TOR	C	81	69	38	107	31	20	1.32	51	77	18	29
21	David Pastrnak	BOS	R	82	47	63	110	21	47	1.34	35	75	12	35
22	Jack Eichel	VGK	C	63	31	37	68	4	27	1.08	20	44	11	22
23	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	EDM	C	80	18	49	67	10	36	0.84	14	38	4	26
24	Joe Pavelski	DAL	C	82	27	40	67	12	20	0.82	16	46	11	21
25	Matt Duchene	DAL	C	80	25	40	65	15	20	0.81	19	49	6	16
26	Mika Zibanejad	NYR	C	81	26	46	72	15	30	0.89	12	35	12	31
27	Martin Necas	CAR	C	77	24	29	53	-9	42	0.69	16	40	8	13
28	Vincent Trocheck	NYR	C	82	25	52	77	16	55	0.94	13	52	11	24
29	Chris Kreider	NYR	L	82	39	36	75	19	26	0.91	19	41	18	29
30	William Nylander	TOR	R	82	40	58	98	1	24	1.2	26	59	11	35
31	Mitch Marner	TOR	R	69	26	59	85	21	18	1.23	17	57	8	27
32	Adam Fox	NYR	D	72	17	56	73	21	36	1.01	10	38	6	33
33	Miro Heiskanen	DAL	D	71	9	45	54	8	36	0.76	7	33	2	21
34	Carter Verhaeghe	FLA	C	76	34	38	72	17	36	0.95	26	51	8	21
35	Mark Stone	VGK	R	56	16	37	53	1	22	0.95	10	35	4	14
36	Wyatt Johnston	DAL	C	82	32	33	65	14	38	0.79	26	52	3	10
37	Casey Mittelstadt	COL	C	80	18	39	57	10	32	0.71	15	48	3	9
38	Jonathan Drouin	COL	L	79	19	37	56	12	28	0.71	14	37	5	19
39	Artturi Lehkonen	COL	L	45	16	18	34	11	14	0.76	9	22	7	12
40	Sam Bennett	FLA	C	69	20	21	41	17	100	0.59	15	29	5	12
41	Vladimir Tarasenko	FLA	R	76	23	32	55	13	12	0.72	20	46	3	9
42	Jamie Benn	DAL	L	82	21	39	60	8	41	0.73	13	35	7	22
43	Tyler Seguin	DAL	C	68	25	27	52	10	26	0.76	22	42	3	8
44	J.T. Miller	VAN	C	81	37	66	103	32	58	1.27	25	61	10	40
45	Quinn Hughes	VAN	D	82	17	75	92	38	38	1.12	12	54	5	38
46	Elias Pettersson	VAN	C	82	34	55	89	20	12	1.09	21	56	13	31
47	Brad Marchand	BOS	L	82	29	38	67	2	78	0.82	19	37	7	26
48	Charlie Coyle	BOS	C	82	25	35	60	-2	38	0.73	17	44	7	11
49	Jonathan Marchessault	VGK	R	82	42	27	69	-2	40	0.84	34	52	8	17
50	Tomas Hertl	VGK	C	54	17	21	38	-28	22	0.7	10	26	6	11
51	Teuvo Teravainen	CAR	L	76	25	28	53	15	10	0.7	15	32	9	17
52	Mason Marchment	DAL	L	81	22	31	53	22	54	0.65	16	42	6	11
53	Thomas Harley	DAL	D	79	15	32	47	28	18	0.59	13	37	1	9
54	John Tavares	TOR	C	80	29	36	65	2	30	0.81	20	45	9	20
55	Pavel Zacha	BOS	C	78	21	38	59	12	18	0.76	15	44	6	15
56	Brayden Point	TBL	C	81	46	44	90	-16	14	1.11	31	58	15	32
57	Steven Stamkos	TBL	C	79	40	41	81	-21	34	1.03	21	42	19	39
58	Victor Hedman	TBL	D	78	13	63	76	18	76	0.97	9	45	4	31
59	Brandon Hagel	TBL	L	82	26	49	75	1	79	0.91	24	66	2	7
60	Evander Kane	EDM	L	77	24	20	44	-4	85	0.57	21	36	2	7
61	Logan Stankoven	DAL	C	24	6	8	14	10	4	0.58	5	12	1	2
62	Devon Toews	COL	D	82	12	38	50	28	18	0.61	12	43	0	5
63	Charlie McAvoy	BOS	D	74	12	35	47	4	86	0.64	11	34	1	13
64	Morgan Rielly	TOR	D	72	7	51	58	7	27	0.81	6	38	1	20
65	Brock Boeser	VAN	R	81	40	33	73	23	14	0.9	24	48	16	25
66	Alexis Lafrenière	NYR	L	82	28	29	57	2	40	0.7	26	51	2	6
67	Mark Scheifele	WPG	C	74	25	47	72	19	57	0.97	19	54	6	18
68	Kyle Connor	WPG	L	65	34	27	61	-6	6	0.94	29	42	5	19
69	Chandler Stephenson	VGK	C	75	16	35	51	-9	25	0.68	10	35	4	13
70	Mattias Ekholm	EDM	D	79	11	34	45	44	47	0.57	8	41	2	3
71	Josh Morrissey	WPG	D	81	10	59	69	34	44	0.85	8	50	2	19
72	Ross Colton	COL	C	80	17	23	40	-8	61	0.5	14	35	3	5
73	Warren Foegele	EDM	L	82	20	21	41	3	47	0.5	18	38	1	1
74	Brady Skjei	CAR	D	80	13	34	47	15	40	0.59	11	31	1	12
75	Brent Burns	CAR	D	82	10	33	43	19	20	0.52	5	22	4	20
76	William Karlsson	VGK	C	70	30	30	60	15	22	0.86	22	43	7	15
77	Shea Theodore	VGK	D	47	5	37	42	4	6	0.89	3	27	2	15
78	Filip Forsberg	NSH	L	82	48	46	94	16	43	1.15	35	62	13	32
79	Roman Josi	NSH	D	82	23	62	85	12	45	1.04	14	51	9	33
80	Sean Monahan	WPG	C	83	26	33	59	-1	12	0.71	15	36	9	21
81	Gustav Forsling	FLA	D	79	10	29	39	56	43	0.49	9	37	1	2
82	Brandon Montour	FLA	D	66	8	25	33	1	46	0.5	7	16	1	17
83	Mathew Barzal	NYI	C	80	23	57	80	-4	34	1	18	55	5	25
84	Noah Dobson	NYI	D	79	10	60	70	12	36	0.89	9	45	1	24
85	Nikolaj Ehlers	WPG	L	82	25	36	61	27	29	0.74	25	54	0	7
86	Tyler Toffoli	WPG	C	79	33	22	55	-6	14	0.7	22	37	11	18
87	Cole Perfetti	WPG	C	71	19	19	38	13	12	0.54	14	27	5	11
88	Gabriel Vilardi	WPG	C	47	22	14	36	11	14	0.77	13	22	9	14
89	Anthony Duclair	TBL	L	73	24	18	42	-8	34	0.58	19	30	5	12
90	Brock Nelson	NYI	C	82	34	35	69	-5	28	0.84	24	48	9	19
91	Bo Horvat	NYI	C	81	33	35	68	-1	39	0.84	22	48	10	18
92	Adrian Kempe	LAK	R	77	28	47	75	13	72	0.97	20	44	5	27
93	Kevin Fiala	LAK	L	82	29	44	73	1	62	0.89	18	43	11	30
94	Anze Kopitar	LAK	C	81	26	44	70	11	22	0.86	16	44	9	23
95	Jake DeBrusk	BOS	L	80	19	21	40	4	18	0.5	15	28	2	10
96	Tyler Bertuzzi	TOR	L	80	21	22	43	2	53	0.54	16	37	5	6
97	Ivan Barbashev	VGK	C	82	19	26	45	15	42	0.55	16	40	3	5
98	Gustav Nyquist	NSH	C	81	23	52	75	7	8	0.93	17	49	5	24
99	Ryan O'Reilly	NSH	C	82	26	43	69	6	18	0.84	12	41	14	28
100	Max Domi	TOR	C	80	9	38	47	10	118	0.59	8	45	1	2