Max Domi – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Ryan O’Reilly is having himself a season, Mattias Ekholm is chipping in offensively, Marco Kasper is breaking out of a season-long slump, the Artemi Panarin situation, Mikael Granlund, Mats Zuccarello, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:41:19 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Ryan O’Reilly is having himself a season, Mattias Ekholm is chipping in offensively, Marco Kasper is breaking out of a season-long slump, the Artemi Panarin situation, Mikael Granlund, Mats Zuccarello, and so much more!

#1 A veteran centre who is highly regarded for his two-way play, Nashville Predators pivot Ryan O’Reilly is having one of the most productive seasons of his career at age 34. O’Reilly has erupted for 38 points (12 G, 26 A) in his past 31 games and is up to 51 points (18 G, 33 A) in 53 games. For a player that has never scored a point per game over an NHL season, this is outstanding production. Right now, O’Reilly is skating on Nashville’s top line with Filip Forsberg and Luke Evangelista, but there is the possibility that if the Predators are sellers at the trade deadline that O’Reilly could be one of the most appealing players on the market.

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 14: Detroit Red Wings center Marco Kasper (92) during the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks Tuesday January 14, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire)

#2 Veteran Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm recorded the first hat trick of his career in Monday’s 7-4 win over Anaheim and while he’s known for his two-way play rather than his offensive prowess, Ekholm does have eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past six games. There are benefits to partnering with Evan Bouchard on the Oilers’ top defence pairing and Ekholm is getting second-unit power play time.

#3 Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper had a strong finish to his rookie season in 2024-2025, producing 14 points (9 G, 5 A) in his last 18 games, so there was some reason to be optimistic about his chances this season, but that was not materializing for him. Through his first 47 games, Kasper managed just six points (3 G, 3 A) with 67 shots on goal. He has recently been moved to Detroit’s top line, skating with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and suddenly Kasper has put up six points (2 G, 4 A) with 17 shots on goal in his past seven games, with his ice time spiking by more than three minutes per game compared to his first 47 games of the season.

#4 The New York Rangers appear to have decided that they are going to trade left winger Artemi Panarin and they are keeping him out of the lineup so that he does not get injured while the Rangers seek a trade for their leading scorer. Panarin’s absence will have a ripple effect throughout the Rangers lineup. Rookie Gabe Perreault is joining J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad on the Rangers’ top line, and Perreault has eight points (3 G, 5 A) in 21 games for the Rangers this season. The 2023 first-round pick had 17 points (10 G, 7 A) in 20 AHL games, so he’s probably ready for a good look in Manhattan and, at least in the short term, he’s got a good situation. Once Panarin gets moved, the lines could be due for another shuffle, depending on what the Rangers get in return.

#5 Anaheim Ducks veteran Mikael Granlund recorded the fourth hat trick of his career during Monday’s loss at Edmonton and with the Ducks’ forward lines getting depleted by injuries, they need Granlund to play a big offensive role. Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, and Frank Vatrano are all out due to injuries and Granlund has recorded 10 points (5 G, 5 A) with 28 shots on goal in his past 11 games. That shot rate is an encouraging sign because Granlund does have a tendency to focus on distributing the puck, sometimes to the detriment of his shot generation.

#6 Injuries have impacted Minnesota Wild veteran right winger Mats Zuccarello but he’s heating up. Since Christmas, Zuccarello has played 17 games and delivered 16 points (6 G, 10 A) with 35 shots on goal. He does have the benefit of playing with Kirill Kaprizov on Minnesota’s top line. Right now, Ryan Hartman is centering the duo, but there has been plenty of movement in that spot, especially since Marco Rossi was injured then traded.

#7 One of the bigger surprises this season is the offensive emergence of Buffalo Sabres defenceman Mattias Samuelsson. Last season, he scored a career high of 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 62 games. The Sabres fired GM Kevyn Adams in December, replacing him with Jarmo Kekalainen, and there is no reason to believe that a GM change suddenly caused the Sabres to play better, but there’s no denying the results and it applies to Samuelsson. In 21 games since Kekalainen took over, Samuelsson has 20 points (4 G, 16 A) with 27 shots on goal. He is up to 32 points for the season, with zero points on the power play, which is the most points for any skater that has not recorded at least one point on the power play.

#8 An undrafted 27-year-old goaltender who had never played in the NHL before this season, Carolina’s Brandon Bussi is having an amazing impact in his first NHL season. Even though he did not have his best performance Thursday, allowing four goals on 25 shots against Utah, Bussi still got the win, and he has a record of 20-3-1, to go with a .908 save percentage in 24 starts. With Pyotr Kochetkov out for the season and Frederik Andersen struggling, Bussi is making the most of his chance in the National Hockey League.

#9 When the Edmonton Oilers came up short in the Stanley Cup Finals, followed by a slow start to this season, a lot of the blame got pinned on goaltender Stuart Skinner. To be fair, some of that was earned, but it paved the way for the Oilers to trade Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal to acquire Tristan Jarry. Jarry has not been great in Edmonton, posting a .884 save percentage in nine games, though he does have a 6-2-1 record. On the other hand, Skinner has a .906 save percentage in 11 starts for Pittsburgh, posting a 7-4 record as the Penguins have been one of the bigger surprise teams in the NHL this season. All of this is to say that there may be some value in Stuart Skinner after it looked like his career was in purgatory.

#10 With the Buffalo Sabres one of the hottest teams in the NHL, the results have improved for individual Sabres, too. Veteran winger Jason Zucker has battled through some injuries this season, but he has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 16 shots on goal in his past eight games, a solid source of secondary scoring for the surging Sabres while skating on a line with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn. While his 197 hits in 2022-2023 stands out as an aberration for his career, Zucker does add about a hit per game, sitting on exactly that number with 34 hits in 34 games this season.

#11 The return of Evgeni Malkin to the Penguins lineup is having a positive impact on Tommy Novak, who is still holding the second line centre spot with Malkin skating on right wing. Novak is no prize in the faceoff dot, winning 40 percent of his draws, but in his past seven games, Novak has seven points (1 G, 6 A) and 12 shots on goal for a Penguins team that is surprisingly in the playoff mix.

#12 While Brayden Point is injured, the Tampa Bay Lightning have moved Anthony Cirelli up the depth chart to skate at centre on the top line between Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. In 13 games this month, Cirelli has 13 points (5 G, 8 A) with 21 shots on goal. Cirelli does not have a major impact on the power play, with only four of his 35 points this season coming with the man advantage, but as a short-term fix, he has value because of his outstanding linemates.

#13 Since the Columbus Blue Jackets made a change behind the bench, replacing Dean Evason with Rick Bowness, they are starting to see better results from centre Adam Fantilli, who was underperforming under Evason. Through 45 games before Evason was let go, Fantilli managed 28 points (12 G, 16 A) with 120 shots on goal. In seven games under Bowness, Fantilli has six points (1 G, 5 A) with 34 shots on goal, improving both his per game point and shot rates. It’s a small sample, but an encouraging sign for a player that the Blue Jackets tend to lean on for offensive production.

#14 Veteran Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson can get overshadowed by Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson, who get the power play time on the Montreal blueline, but there’s plenty to like about a defenceman who is riding a six-game point streak, during which he has six assists and 14 shots on goal. With 27 points (5 G, 22 A) in 51 games, Matheson is primed to have the second-best offensive output of his career this season, and he already has 106 blocked shots which makes him worthwhile for fantasy managers, especially those in deeper leagues.

#15 Second-year San Jose Sharks winger Will Smith has been on a tear since returning to the lineup after missing more than a month of action. In six games since returning, Smith has eight points (3 G, 5 A) with 13 shots on goal and now that he’s back on the top line with Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf, the Sharks are looking more and more like viable playoff contenders.

#16 It’s looking rather bleak for the Toronto Maple Leafs lately, as the team is winless in six, but veteran forward Max Domi is making the most of his opportunity to skate on the top line with Auston Matthews. In his past seven games, Domi has nine points (3 G, 6 A) with 14 shots on goal while averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game. That’s significantly more ice time than Domi has typically received in Toronto and while he is delivering offensive production, it’s also notable that the team isn’t winning even with his uptick in scoring.

#17 One of the more underrated players in the league this season is Nashville Predators right winger Luke Evangelista, who has exceptional play-driving numbers (59.8 CF%, +10.6 CFRel%) thanks to strong performance at both ends of the rink. He only has seven goals, which is part of the reason that he might be overlooked, but in his past 16 games, Evangelista has 13 points (2 G, 11 A) with 29 shots on goal and the Preds outscored opponents 13-8 at 5-on-5 with Evangelista on the ice during that stretch.

#18 Second year Carolina Hurricanes right winger Jackson Blake continues to provide secondary offence, producing six points (2 G, 4 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past six games. Blake is skating on a line with Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven and when that trio is together, the Hurricanes are outscoring opponents 15-10 during 5-on-5 play. It’s even better when Blake and Stankoven are without Hall, as they are outscoring opponents 12-5.

#19 Boston Bruins rookie centre Fraser Minten continues to get better and he’s taking advantage of the opportunities presented on a Bruins team with a need for more offense down the middle of the ice. In his past 15 games, Minten has put up 16 points (8 G, 8 A) with 26 shots on goal. He’s not going to continue scoring on more than 30 percent of his shots over the long haul, but Minten is giving the Bruins options. With Elias Lindholm out, Minten is centering an effective line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson on his wings and if Minten continues to score, he’s going to force his way into more ice time. That’s usually how it works.

#20 There are a few backup goaltenders who could be threatening to earn more playing time with their strong play this month. Calgary’s Devin Cooley has a 2-2-1 record with a .937 save percentage in January. The Kings’ Anton Forsberg is 3-0-1 with a .941 save percentage, and San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic is 5-1 with a .913 save percentage in January and Boston’s Joonas Korpisalo is 4-0-1 with a .931 save percentage, so there are some goalies out there trying to earn more playing time. The challenge for most of them is that their starters are well entrenched in their positions, but for fantasy managers that can make daily moves, knowing which backups are delivering results can help make lineup decisions.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – This week, more young talent in San Jose, Canada passes on Sam Bennett, goaltending situations to monitor in Carolina and Ottawa, plus Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Eeli Tolvanen, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:58:24 +0000

SAN JOSE, CA - DECEMBER 31: San Jose Sharks left wing Igor Chernyshov (92) skates with the puck during the NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks on December 31, 2025 at SAP Center in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Scott Dinn/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, more young talent in San Jose, Canada passes on Sam Bennett, goaltending situations to monitor in Carolina and Ottawa, plus Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Eeli Tolvanen, and so much more!

#1 Drafted by the San Jose Sharks with the 33rd pick in the 2024 Draft, winger Igor Chernyshov had 55 points (19 G, 36 A) in 23 games for Saginaw in the OHL last season and started this season in the American Hockey League, where he put up 23 points (11 G, 12 A) in 25 games for the San Jose Barracuda to earn his promotion to the NHL. With these outstanding scoring credentials, it’s no surprise that the Sharks are giving Chernyshov a real shot to produce at the NHL level and he’s skating on the Sharks’ top line with Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf. In his first seven games for the Sharks, Chernyshov has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 16 shots on goal and that kind of production is going to keep him in a prime spot alongside Celebrini, one of the preeminent stars in the game.

#2 One of the surprising omissions from Team Canada’s Olympic Men’s Hockey Team was Florida Panthers centre Sam Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP last season, and he played a key role for Canada in the Four Nations Faceoff. Bennett did get off to a relatively slow start this season but he has picked up the pace lately. He is riding a seven-game point streak and has 17 points (7 G, 10 A) with 44 shots on goal in his past 14 games. He’s skating on a line with veterans Carter Verhaeghe and Brad Marchand on his wings, so Bennett is in a good spot to keep producing and it appears that he will get a long break in February while others head to the Olympics.

#3 Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is out for the rest of the season after requiring surgery for a lower-body injury. With Frederik Andersen struggling, this could be a prime opportunity for 27-year-old Brandon Bussi, who had a .912 save percentage in 15 games for the Hurricanes this season before getting lit up for six goals on just 22 shots against Montreal on Thursday.

#4 The Ottawa Senators have a goaltending situation in flux as well, as Linus Ullmark has taken a leave from the team for personal reasons. The vague nature of his absence makes it difficult to forecast a return date, so expect Leevi Merilainen to get the starter’s workload for as long as Ullmark is away from the Sens. That’s a dicey situation for Ottawa, as Merilainen has managed a .869 save percentage in 11 games this season, which is not nearly good enough if he’s going to be playing as the Sens’ starter. Merilainen did have a .925 save percentage in a dozen games for Ottawa last season, so if he could get back to that level, that would be ideal.

#5 Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund has never been a huge scorer, topping out with 56 points during the 2022-2023 season, but he has always been a reliable two-way performer, finishing in the Top 10 of Selke Trophy voting three times in his career. He is on a great offensive run right now, though, with nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 23 shots on goal during a six-game point streak. The Flames have a 5-1 record during that streak, and Backlund has a good thing going with linemates Blake Coleman and Matt Coronato.

#6 Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Shea Theodore is out of the lineup with an upper-body injury and while it’s not considered a long-term injury, the Golden Knights can afford to be patient. Veteran blueliner Noah Hanifin has stepped up with eight assists and 16 shots on goal in his past six games. Five of those eight assists have come on the power play, so Hanifin is handling the quarterbacking duties just fine.

#7 Seattle Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen has always been able to fire the puck, and it’s part of the reason that the Kraken claimed him off waivers from the Nashville Predators in December of 2022. In his past eight games, Tolvanen has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 19 shots on goal. He is skating with Chandler Stephenson and Frederick Gaudreau at evens, but Tolvanen is also getting first unit power play time, so he has a chance to remain a quality scoring option. On top of that, Tolvanen has 102 hits and 41 blocked shots in 38 games, making him one of three forwards (Will Cuylle and Beck Malenstyn are the others) with at least 40 blocked shots and 100 hits.

#8 The Buffalo Sabres have won 10 straight games and, not surprisingly, that has made Sabres players more appealing for fantasy managers. Defenceman Bowen Byram has elevated his game and in the past five games, he has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and six shots on goal while averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game. Byram isn’t the only Sabres blueliner bringing more offence to the table. Mattias Samuelsson has put up seven points (1 G, 6 A) with 11 shots on goal while averaging 24:50 of ice time per game in his past seven games. For added fantasy appeal, Samuelsson has 15 hits and 13 blocked shots in those seven contests, too.

#9 While Ivan Demidov gets a lot of the fanfare as a top rookie for the Montreal Canadiens, don’t sleep on Oliver Kapanen, who is proving to be a reliable contributor. He has five points (2 G, 3 A) and 16 shots on goal in his past six games, and he is tied with Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke for the rookie goal-scoring lead with 12. Kapanen is in a good spot right now, skating between Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky.

#10 While there has been some frustration with the inconsistent production from star players for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they are getting production from the supporting cast. Bobby McMann has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 23 shots on goal in his past seven games. Nicholas Robertson also has seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past seven games. Robertson doesn’t get as much ice time as McMann, but Robertson has shown that when he is given the chance to play, he can produce. Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, Robertson has 1.13 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, which ranks 17th out of the 391 forwards that have played at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes in that time frame.

#11 The Nashville Predators have been a more competitive squad, winning 12 of their past 18 games and right winger Luke Evangelista has been a playmaking force in that time. In his past 19 games, Evangelista has delivered 20 points (4 G, 16 A) and 45 shots on goal. He is skating on a line with Erik Haula and Michael Bunting at even strength, but Evangelista does get first unit power play time for the Preds and 11 of his 30 points this season have come via the power play.

#12 Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin had a modest start to the season, with 14 points in 22 games, but the powerful winger has started to heat up lately. In his past nine games, Nichushkin has 12 points (4 G, 8 A) and 33 shots on goal, while playing 19:42 per game. Nichushkin is playing with Brock Nelson and Artturi Lehkonen at even strength and getting first unit power play time for the Avs.

#13 Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish went through a tough stretch in early December, managing one point in an eight-game span, but he has pulled it back on track with five points (3 G, 2 A) and 22 shots on goal in his past six games. McTavish is currently skating on a line with rookie Beckett Sennecke and veteran Chris Kreider in addition to having a spot on the Ducks’ top power play unit.

#14 The Vancouver Canucks are in a tough spot right now with Marco Rossi and Conor Garland both out with injuries. Rossi’s absence leaves the second line centre spot for Max Sasson, the 25-year-old rookie who does have five points (4 G, 1 A) in the dozen games in which he has played at least 12 minutes. Garland’s injury opens the door for Linus Karlsson to play on the Canucks’ top line with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. Karlsson has five points (4 G, 1 A) with six shots on goal in his past five games and, again, that shot rate is too low to be very exciting, but Karlsson is starting to earn additional ice time and the injuries are just providing him with an even better opportunity. He has five points (4 G, 1 A) in the nine games in which he has played at least 12 minutes this season.

#15 This is not the first time this season that Pittsburgh Penguins right winger Justin Brazeau has been highlighted, but it has been a remarkable season for a player who had 22 points (11 G, 11 A) in 76 games last season. Brazeau missed some time with an injury but has produced 20 points (12 G, 8 A) in 25 games for the Penguins, including six points (4 G, 2 A) and 11 shots on goal in his past four games. Brazeau is playing on a line with Anthony Mantha and Tommy Novak as well as getting time on the Penguins’ second power play unit.

#16 Although Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zack Werenski is expected to return to action this weekend, the Blue Jackets have been getting some nice production from others on the blueline. Veteran Damon Severson has contributed six points (1 G, 5 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past five games while second-year defenceman Denton Mateychuk has five points (1 G, 4 A) and seven shots on goal, while averaging a whopping 25:29 of ice time per game, in his past five contests. Werenski’s return will limit their offensive upside, but Mateychuk could still hold some appeal in deeper leagues.

#17 Maybe wins don’t always come so easily in Columbus, but Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves is still widely available for fantasy managers despite posting a .909 save percentage in 26 games. His 8.33 Goals Saved Above Expected in all situations ranks 21st among goaltenders and it’s notably better than Elvis Merzlikins, his competition in the Columbus crease, who has -6.10 Goals Saved Above Expected. Greaves’ increasingly strong hold on the starting job for the Blue Jackets does give him some appeal for fantasy managers.

#18 Buffalo’s winning streak has been the tide to lift all of the Sabres’ ships and that includes goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who become increasingly important with Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis both injured. Luukkonen has stopped 76 of 79 shots (.962 SV%) in his three starts during the 10-game winning streak, and that followed some uneven performances on his way to a .884 save percentage through his first 10 appearances of the season.

#19 More from the Maple Leafs’ supporting cast: Max Domi is not especially consistent in his offensive production and some if it has to do with where he is in the lineup, so it’s noteworthy that he’s getting a chance on the top line, skating with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. Domi has six points (1 G, 5 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past five games after he had 12 points (3 G, 9 A) and 50 shots on goal in his first 33 games. A player who was considered an option for that first-line right wing spot when he was acquired in the offseason, Matias Maccelli has contributed six points (2 G, 4 A) and eight shots on goal in his past seven games as he skates on a line with Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton.

#20 Keep an eye on Dallas Stars rookie left winger Justin Hryckowian, who has five points (3 G, 2 A) with eight shots on goal in his past seven games. That shot rate is far too low to have real sustainable value, but Hryckowian is on a line with veterans Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn, and this looks like progress after he started the season with eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 33 shots on goal through his first 33 games of the season.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – TOP 20 FANTASY POINTS – A Capitals rookie finding his form, the Avalanche captain back on track, Luke Evangelista, Matvei Michkov, Vladislav Gavrikov, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:43:55 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, a Capitals rookie finding his form, the Avalanche captain back on track, Luke Evangelista, Matvei Michkov, Vladislav Gavrikov, and so much more!

#1 After scoring 49 points (30 G, 19 A) in 37 games for Boston College as a sophomore last season, Ryan Leonard was signed and joined the Capitals late in the season but managed just one goal in nine regular-season games before contributing one assist in eight playoff contests. Nevertheless, the eighth pick in the 2023 Draft was considered a possible Calder Trophy candidate entering the season. He opened the season with eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 37 shots on goal while averaging 13:54 of ice time in 19 games, which was not going to keep him in the Calder Trophy race. He has picked up the pace more recently, however, tallying 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 23 shots on goal while playing 15:20 per game in his past nine games. He is getting first unit power play time, which certainly raises his offensive ceiling.

#2 When Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to action during last season’s playoffs, it was a feel-good story since it was his first NHL action since 2022, but it was also fair to wonder how much he could contribute this season as he is now 33 and coming back from a serious injury. He started this season slowly, with zero goals, four assists, and 22 shots on goal through 16 games. He has found his footing since then, though, putting up 10 points (5 G, 5 A) with 26 shots on goal in his past 11 games. He is skating with Brock Nelson and Ross Colton on Colorado’s second line and is getting top power play time, so Landeskog may be a good bet to produce at a high level for the rest of the season.

#3 As the Nashville Predators look for reasons to be optimistic, right winger Luke Evangelista is starting to become a factor offensively. In his past six games, Evangelista has eight points (2 G, 6 A) and a dozen shots on goal while averaging 17:39 of ice time per game. He had a career-high 39 points (16 G, 23 A) in 2023-2024, but with 18 points (4 G, 14 A) in 26 games this season, he’s on pace to soar past that total. Evangelista is skating on Nashville’s top line, with veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos.

#4 After scoring 63 points (26 G, 37 A) in 80 games and finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting last season, Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov entered his second season with lofty expectations. It didn’t start out very well, as head coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged Michkov’s poor physical conditioning early in the season when he had just three points (1 G, 2 A) and 17 shots on goal in his first nine games. The tide may be turning for him, though, as Michkov has six points (3 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past five games.

#5 A big free agent addition in the offseason for the New York Rangers, defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov is not necessarily known as a big point producer, with 33 points in 2021-2022, when he played for Columbus, counting as his career high, but he has been cooking lately. In his past seven games, Gavrikov has seven points (4 G, 3 A), seven shots on goal, and is averaging 25:35 of ice time per game. With Adam Fox injured, the Blueshirts will need Gavrikov to fill a big role at the top of their defensive depth chart.

#6 Buffalo Sabres winger Josh Doan put up 19 points (7 G, 12 A) with 88 shots on goal in 51 games as a rookie for Utah last season but has taken on a more substantial role with the Sabres in 2025-2026. In his past seven games, Doan has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 20 shots on goal and while, like many Sabres wingers, he moves around the lineup, he is getting time on PP1. Six of Doan’s 19 points (8 G, 11 A) in 27 games this season have come via the man advantage.

#7 In his prime, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn was a fantasy hockey star, producing points and hits like few others. He’s now 36 and plays a supporting role in Dallas, but he’s been awfully effective even with limited ice time. Benn suffered a collapsed lung in the preseason, so he was not ready to play at the start of this season, but in nine games, he has eight points (3 G, 5 A) with 11 shots on goal while playing just 12:50 per game. That ice time is starting to tick up – 15:40 per game in the past three – and with Tyler Seguin out with a torn ACL, there may be a greater need for Benn to fill a role in Dallas’ top six, at least until Matt Duchene is healthy.

#8 With the Nashville Predators showing signs of life, maybe centre Ryan O’Reilly won’t hear his name in trade rumours quite so often. The 34-year-old pivot is a valuable player and one that contenders seek out, but he has been doing his part to help the Preds. In his past five games, O’Reilly has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and six shots on goal. That shot rate is obviously too low, but O‘Reilly is averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game in that stretch.

#9 Centre Elias Lindholm may not be exactly what the Boston Bruins hoped he would be when they signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2024, but he has also picked up seven assists in his past four games, giving him 16 points (4 G, 12 A) in 19 games this season. It’s not all gold for Lindholm right now, though, as he’s rocking a 44.0 percent Corsi percentage and, for a player with a strong two-way reputation, that’s not good enough.

#10 A solid secondary scoring option for the Toronto Maple Leafs, left winger Bobby McMann has delivered six points (3 G, 3 A) with seven shots on goal in his past three games. McMann scored 20 goal and 34 points last season and, with eight goals and 14 points in 27 games this season, he’s on pace for more. He does move around the lineup and there is a ceiling on his offensive production because he doesn’t always have a reliable power play role.

#11 Former Maple Leafs prospect Alex Steeves is starting to make his mark for the Boston Bruins. Steeves, a 25-year-old rookie, started the season in the AHL with has earned chance with the Bruins and is making the most of it. In his past five games, Steeves has six points (5 G, 1 A) with 10 shots on goal while averaging 15:36 of ice time per game. With David Pastrnak injured, Steeves is skating on Boston’s top line with Lindholm and Morgan Geekie and getting second unit power play time.

#12 Florida Panthers left winger A.J. Greer contributed 17 points (6 G, 11 A) in 81 games last season, skating on the Panthers’ fourth line. He also had a career-high 130 penalty minutes, which fit with his style of play. While his style has not changed, injuries in Florida have provided Greer with more opportunities and he is starting to take advantage of them. In his past five games, Greer has averaged 15:47 of ice time per game while producing five points (2 G, 3 A) with 15 shots on goal. He has been skating on a line with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe and is showing that he may be able to legitimately fit in the top nine.

#13 Toronto Maple Leafs veteran Max Domi had a miserable start to this season, with six points (3 G, 3 A) and 36 shots on goal in his first 23 games. He has, however, picked up five assists in the past three games and is skating at right wing on the top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. So long as he’s in that spot, there is a chance for Domi to salvage this campaign.

#14 Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Darren Raddysh has turned into an offensive force on the blueline since injuries thrust him into a big role, including as the quarterback on PP1. In his past 10 games, Raddysh has averaged more than 24 minutes per game, putting up 15 points (2 G, 13 A) with 25 shots on goal. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t count on a regular spot in the lineup before injuries decimated the Tampa Bay blueline.

#15 Vancouver Canucks superstar defenceman Quinn Hughes has slumped recently, with a modest two points (1 G, 1 A) in his past six games, a stretch in which the Canucks have managed just one win. Hughes had 13 assists in the previous six games, so there is some regression in real time happening here, and there is no reason to move Hughes unless there is a long-term reason that his production should stay down. As of now, it’s probably wise to stay invested in one of four defencemen in the league scoring at least a point per game. (Cale Makar, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Zach Werenski are the others.)

#16 Having won back-to-back Vezina Trophies as the league’s top goaltender, an injury to Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck is naturally a big deal. Even if his numbers aren’t quite as strong this season, it’s not like a .913 save percentage in 14 starts was a problem for the Jets, but now Hellebuyck is out for four-to-six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. That leaves journeyman Eric Comrie to fill the starter’s role in Hellebuyck’s absence, and Comrie has a .897 save percentage in 11 starts.

#17 The Anaheim Ducks are in a tough goaltending spot, as Lukas Dostal is out with an upper-body injury for two-to-three weeks, and Petr Mrazek is facing a similar timeline with a lower-body injury, leaving Ville Husso as the de facto starter for the Ducks. Husso has appeared in four games this season, posting a .859 save percentage, which is obviously not good enough, but he does have a .901 save percentage for his career, so there is some reason to hope that he can be an adequate option for the next few weeks.

#18 Veteran New York Islanders right winger Kyle Palmieri suffered a torn ACL, ending his season. On the play that it occurred, Palmieri even managed to get an assist, stealing the puck from Flyers defenceman Emil Andrae on his way to the bench, giving it to Jonathan Drouin, who set up Emil Heineman for a goal. Palmieri finished his season with 18 points (6 G, 12 A) in 25 games and with Palmieri out, rookie Max Shabanov moves up to the Islanders’ top line. Shabanov has nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 24 shots on goal through his first 16 NHL games.

#19 Philadelphia Flyers left winger Tyson Foerster will be out for two to three months with an upper-body injury, halting his rising momentum. In his last seven games before he was injured, Foerster scored six goals and had 15 shots on goal. His absence does create more room in the Flyers’ top six for winger Owen Tippett, who is heating up with 12 points (4 G, 8 A) and 24 shots on goal in his past 10 games.

#20 St. Louis Blues rookie right winger Jimmy Snuggerud is going to be re-evaluated in six weeks after suffering a broken wrist. Prior to injury, he had been slumping, managing zero points and nine shots on goal in his last seven games. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, a third-round pick in 2022, has been called up to the Blues and is getting a shot in their top nine after he managed seven points (3 G, 4 A) in 16 AHL games.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – With the season starting on Tuesday, players are starting to move, and rookies are starting to get noticed

Scott Cullen — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 16:17:49 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. With the season starting on Tuesday, players are starting to move, and rookies are starting to get noticed.

#1 The Edmonton Oilers traded future considerations to the Utah Mammoth for goaltender Connor Ingram. While Ingram is coming off a tough season in Utah, when he had a .882 save percentage in 22 games and ended up in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, he had a .907 save percentage across 77 games in the previous two seasons, so there is a world in which he is capable of handling a starting job, but he’s more like insurance. Ingram is expected to start the season in the American Hockey League and, if he regains his form, he will be an option for the Oilers if Stuart Skinner continues to struggle.

#2 Ingram wasn’t the only goalie moving, as the Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly going to sign former Flyers netminder Carter Hart. As one of the infamous accused in the Hockey Canada trial this summer, Hart was going to come with some controversy and there was a petition to stop the Golden Knights from signing him, but if reports are correct, it looks like Hart will share the crease in Vegas with Adin Hill, which will send Akira Schmid to the American Hockey League. Hart, 27, had a couple of excellent seasons to start his career before dropping off dramatically in his third campaign. In the three seasons that he has played since then, Hart has been a little better than average, so he should be able to fulfill the on-ice expectations. Hart’s arrival probably puts a limit on Hill’s fantasy appeal. He delivers consistently solid results but played in a career-high 50 games last season and Hart’s presence makes it less likely that he will see that many games this season.

#3 Oft-injured centre Josh Norris is looking for a fresh start with the Sabres after last season’s trade from Ottawa and Norris has delivered seven points (3 G, 4 A) in four preseason games. He has managed just four shots on goal, so it’s reasonable to expect that he won’t score on 75 percent of his shots long-term, but Norris is earning a prime opportunity to play with Tage Thompson and Zachary Benson on Buffalo’s top line. Norris scored a career-high 35 goals in 66 games in 2021-2022 with the Senators and managed 21 goals in 56 games last season, so if he manages to stay healthy, a 30-goal season is not out of the question.

#4 With Zach Hyman out until November while he recovers from a wrist injury suffered in last year’s playoffs, the Oilers are naturally taking a look at options to fill his role on the top line and physical winger Trent Frederic is getting a shot alongside Connor McDavid on the top line. Frederic is known much more for his physical play and had just 15 points (8 G, 7 A) in 58 games last season, but he is just one season removed from contributing a career-best 40 points (18 G, 22 A) for the Boston Bruins in 2023-2024. Anyone who plays alongside McDavid will generate interest for fantasy managers, but Frederic’s fantasy relevance is going to be closely tied to who his linemates are in Edmonton.

#5 After getting a chance to play late last season and into the playoffs with the Blues, 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud is a rookie to watch heading into the 2025-2026 season. He had 51 points (24 G, 27 A) in 40 games as the captain at the University of Minnesota last season and indications in St. Louis are that Snuggerud will start the season on the first line, with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, while also getting a spot on the Blues’ first power play unit. It’s risky to put expectations on rookies but it sure looks like Snuggerud will have a chance to be productive right out of the gate.

#6 Carolina has given 2023 first-rounder Bradly Nadeau a chance in a scoring role and he’s at least offering a good accounting of himself. In five preseason games, Nadeau has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 15 shots on goal, so he’s certainly a credible option if the Hurricanes have a need on the wing in their middle six. That doesn’t look like a huge need, given what they have on the roster already, but Nadeau had 58 points (32 G, 26 A) in 64 games as an AHL rookie last season, so he’s knocking on the door, whether that gets answered at the start of the season or some time in the not-too-distant future.

#7 A rebuilding team like the Pittsburgh Penguins has to hope that they can find some young players that will help take this team into its next era and 2025 first-round pick Ben Kindel has impressed in training camp. He has three points (1 G, 2 A) and 15 shots on goal in six preseason games and might get a nine-game trial at the start of the season. With veteran winger Bryant Rust injured for at least a couple of weeks and Danton Heinen getting waived, that could provide the opportunity. Kindel had 99 points (35 G, 64 A) in 65 games for Calgary of the WHL last season, so he has some offensive chops, and may be worth watching as the season gets underway.

#8 If not Kindel, maybe it will be Filip Hallander getting a shot with the Penguins. The 2018 second-round pick played three games for the Penguins in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons but returned to Sweden, and last season produced 53 points (26 G, 27 A) in 51 games for Timra in the Swedish Hockey League.

#9 A seventh-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023, Emmitt Finnie has made huge strides since then and is challenging for a roster spot in Detroit to start the season. getting a top line shot in Detroit. A high-energy winger, Finnie was the captain for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League last season, putting up 84 points (37 G, 47 A) in 55 games. He joined Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League at the end of the season and contributed five points (1 G, 4 A) in 13 regular season plus playoff games. It’s entirely possible that Finnie will start the season in the AHL, but he’s seen time on Detroit’s top line, with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and if he starts the season in that spot, Finnie might have fantasy value early in his NHL career.

#10 A 2022 first-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks, defenceman Sam Rinzel played two seasons at the University of Minnesota, putting up 60 points (12 G, 48 A) in 79 games before joining the Blackhawks at the end of last season. He contributed five assists and 22 shots on goal in his first nine games, with three of those points coming on the power play. Rinzel is slated to quarterback Chicago’s top power play unit, so the rookie blueliner has a chance to be productive immediately.

#11 Rinzel’s teammate in Chicago, centre Frank Nazar, signed a seven-year contract extension worth more than $46 million in the summer, a big commitment for a player who has played a total of 56 games in his NHL career. Nazar has 27 points (13 G, 14 A) and 93 shots on goal in those 56 games, which suggests that the Blackhawks are projecting good things for their 2022 first-round pick. Nazar is on PP1 to start the season and is skating between veterans Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi at even strength.

#12 A fifth-round pick in 2019 by the New Jersey Devils, right winger Arseni Gritsyuk has shown some potential in the preseason, chipping in four points (2 G, 2 A) with 12 shots on goal in five games. He doesn’t have an easy path to ice time in New Jersey, but after scoring 44 points (17 G, 27 A) in 49 KHL games last season, he should be NHL-ready.

#13 With injuries hitting the defending Stanley Cup champs hard, look for second-year right winger Mackie Samoskevich to take advantage of the opportunity offered to him. He had 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in 72 games last season and is looking like he could start the season on the Panthers’ first power play unit.

#14 Veteran forward Max Domi is getting the first crack at replacing Mitch Marner on right wing with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on the Maple Leafs’ top line. Domi is a solid playmaker, though not in Marner’s class, and he is a couple of years removed from a 56-point season. His inconsistent play does suggest that he might not last the whole season in that spot, and the Leafs have Matias Maccelli available to push Domi for that spot in the lineup.

#15 With all the quality depth that the Devils have on the wings, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Evgenii Dadonov is getting a shot on the top line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Dadonov had 40 points (20 G, 20 A) in 80 games for Dallas last season, but he is 36, so maybe not the prime candidate to last in that spot.

#16 Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens as part of the return in the Noah Dobson trade, Emil Heineman is getting a look on the Islanders’ top line with Bo Horvat and Jonathan Drouin. Heineman had 18 points (11 G, 7 A) in 62 games as a rookie for the Habs last season but played fewer than 12 minutes per game. If he plays a bigger role with the Islanders, perhaps there is some offensive potential to be unlocked. He has two goals and eight shots on goal in four preseason games.

#17 The Philadelphia Flyers acquired Nikita Grebenkin from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Scott Laughton trade at least season’s trade deadline and Grebenkin has been impressive in Flyers camp. He has one goal and nine shots on goal in four preseason games, but he also brings a physical presence and is getting a look alongside veterans Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, a decent indication that the Flyers are interested in seeing what he can do for them.

#18 In Vancouver, an injury to Nils Hoglander may help Jonathan Lekkerimaki secure a regular spot in the lineup to start the season. He had a modest six points (3 G, 3 A) in 24 games for the Canucks last season but showed well in the AHL, with 28 points (19 G, 9 A) in 36 games for Abbotsford, so it could be worth watching the 2022 first-round pick.

#19 With a few injuries up front, including to right winger Kaapo Kakko, the Seattle Kraken are giving 2021 third-round pick Ryan Winterton a chance to play. He had 37 points (18 G, 19 A) in 56 games for Coachella Valley of the AHL last season and he has three points (2 G, 1 A) and seven shots on goal in four preseason games, which might be enough to get him a spot on the opening night roster.

#20 Coming off a disappointing 2024-2025 season, the Nashville Predators are naturally open to having new faces challenge for spots in the lineup. James Wood was a first-round pick in 2023 and was in contention for a spot but is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. That could create room for 2025 fifth overall pick Brady Martin, an 18-year-old who has three points (2 G, 1 A) and four shots on goal in three preseason games. If not Martin, maybe it could be 2022 first-round pick Joakim Kemell, who had 40 points (15 G, 25 A) in 65 AHL games for Milwaukee last season.

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Team Preview

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 18:10:10 +0000

TORONTO, ON - April 17: Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) is seen before an NHL game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 17, 2025, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire)

After finishing with 108 points (52-26-4) and winning the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs took out the Ottawa Senators in six games to get through the first round of the playoffs before coming up short in Game 7 on home ice against the Florida Panthers in the second round. Even on the rare occasions that the Maple Leafs get past the first round, they have found ways to leave with such disappointment in the second round. The Leafs had poor underlying numbers, ranking 24th with 47.7 percent Corsi and 23rd with 48.8 percent of expected goals. Their power play ranked fifth, with 8.82 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play, and the Leafs’ penalty killing was less effective, ranking 21st with 7.78 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. What really made the difference? Goaltending. Anthony Stolarz was great, and Joseph Woll was very good and Stolarz getting injured against Florida could very well have been the difference in a seven-game series.

What’s Changed?

Mitch Marner headed for Vegas, with the Maple Leafs orchestrating a sign-and-trade that brought centre Nicolas Roy to Toronto. The Leafs traded to acquire right winger Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth, and he might be the replacement for Marner on the top line. The Leafs also added winger Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks. Depth forward Pontus Holmberg did not receive a qualifying offer and ended up signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, veteran winger Max Pacioretty is still unsigned at the time of this writing, and enforcer Ryan Reaves was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Henry Thrun, who is probably a depth option on the Toronto blueline.

What would success look like?

It’s to the point now that winning a first-round series is not enough to satisfy Toronto’s long-suffering fans and winning a second-round series might only get begrudging acceptance from Leafs Nation. Ending their Stanley Cup drought, 58 years and counting, would be the ultimate, but it’s difficult to look at this club and think that they have the firepower to get there. The Leafs have come up short so often in the playoffs that they will hope that a new mix, with more grit and maybe not quite as much skill, is the way to get through, and if they can reach the Eastern Conference Final that would have to be viewed as a successful season.

What could go wrong?

There are a couple of primary issues facing the Maple Leafs for the 2025-2026 season. The first is what if they end up missing the 102-point right winger who they traded to Vegas? For all of Marner’s inconsistency in the playoffs, if the Maple Leafs can’t adequately replace Marner’s production during the regular season, then the playoffs can’t just be assumed. The other concern is what if the goaltenders are merely average? Stolarz and Woll were an excellent tandem last season, and they papered over some of the Leafs’ play driving shortcomings. If that possession game doesn’t improve and the goaltending is just so-so, then there’s another path to the Leafs scrambling for a playoff spot.

Top Breakout Candidate

He had 57 points (17 G, 40 A) in 2023-2024, so it might not be a pure breakout season for him, but Matias Maccelli recorded just 18 points (8 G, 10 A) in 55 games for Utah last season. He is a skilled playmaker and looks like he should have an opportunity to play on the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, which is a great spot for a player who knows how to distribute the puck.

FORWARDS

Auston Matthews

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	50	52	102	1.26

In his first season as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews was injured in training camp and had that unknown injury plague him throughout the year. While he played all 11 of the teams’ games in October, he went on to play 13 of the teams’ next 27 games through November and December. Once 2025 hit, though, he missed only one game the rest of the way and played in the Four Nations tournament where he captained USA. Matthews was productive, with 78 points in 67 games (1.16 points per game), but his goal scoring was well below his standards. His 33 goals in those 67 games tied for his lowest goals per game output (.49) of his career, which came in his rookie season. He had the second lowest shooting percentage of his career, and it was the first time since the 2018-2019 season that he averaged less than four shots on net per game. On the flip side, Matthews did have the highest assists per game rate of his career this season and more than doubled his career shorthanded time on ice, establishing himself as a solid penalty killer in the process. Matthews lost his regular linemate in Mitch Marner this offseason, but he has actually been more productive at five-on-five away from Marner than with him. His production hinges pretty well entirely on his health status. If he shows up at camp healthy, he will be one of the best players in the league that is easily capable of winning the Rocket Richard Trophy. If his injury continues to linger, he will clearly still be productive, but not to the dominant standard that he has established for himself.

William Nylander

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	44	47	91	1.11

In the first season of his eight-year, $92 million deal, William Nylander put together another massive season, finishing second in the league in goals with 45. The 2024-2025 campaign was the third season in a row Nylander played in all 82 games, and the season before that he played 81 games. It was also the third straight season that he hit the 40-goal mark; over those three years, Nylander is tied for seventh league-wide in goals with 125 in 246 games. Nylander has established himself as a durable winger that’s one of the best goal scorers in the league. In the playoffs, he continued to produce as he led the Leafs in goals (6) and points (15) in 13 playoff games. Nylander spent the majority of the season alongside John Tavares, just as he has in previous years, as the Leafs have primarily used him to drive the proverbial “second line.” The left wing spot on that line has been a revolving door for years, including Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg and Max Pacioretty this past season. Without Marner, it’s possible Nylander moves up as a staple on the Leafs top line alongside Knies and Matthews, or that he continues to drive the second line in a more offensive role. Either way, he’s 29 and has been a consistent producer for years, and that should be expected to continue this upcoming season.

John Tavares

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	30	34	64	0.81

In the final year of his seven-year, $77 million contract, John Tavares put together a monster offensive season at the age of 34. He scored the second most goals in a season in his career with 38 and played to just about a point per game pace with 74 points in 75 games. This followed off of a season where he scored 29 goals on a career low 10.4 shooting percentage. He flipped the switch a year later and shot a career high of 19 percent. Part of what played into that is Tavares shot a lot less than usual - his 2.67 shot per game rate was the second lowest of his career - his lowest was in his rookie season - and it was only the third time in his career he took less than three shots on net per game. Some of that is due to his usage, as Tavares, for the first time in his entire career, started more of his shifts in the defensive zone than the offensive zone. With the addition of Nic Roy in the offseason as well as a full season with Scott Laughton, some of that should change next season as GM Brad Treliving has already indicated as much. While it would be a stretch to think a turning 35-year-old Tavares is going to put up 38 goals again, he should remain productive with his heavy shot and nose for the net.

Matthew Knies

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	33	40	73	0.92

In his second full year in the league, Matthew Knies enjoyed a breakout season with 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games and was rewarded with a six-year deal worth $46.5 million ($7.75 million annual average). In his rookie season, Knies worked his way up the lineup, eventually landing on the top line. This past season, he picked up right from that spot and played on the top line all season, and his ice time shot up accordingly. He played 13:41 per game as a rookie, and 18:31 per game in his breakout campaign, which included carving out a role as a regular penalty killer and top power play unit player. Knies scored his 29 goals off a high 19.1 percent shooting percentage. While it’s a big number, it’s important to note that a lot of his goals come right in front of the net given his role as a net-front player. Even if that number normalizes, Knies should see his ice time and role continue to grow, and he’ll be on the top power play unit from the start of the season. Knies is expected to continue playing alongside Matthews and while their right winger remains to be seen, he’s playing with a superstar center and that will keep him productive.

Bobby McMann

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	18	20	38	0.49

In Bobby McMann’s first full season in the league, he hit the 20-goal mark and showed signs of being a productive middle six forward. McMann established himself in the NHL in 56 games the year prior and jumped up to 74 games played this past season. Accordingly, his production declined as the grind of the season took its toll. McMann had 17 goals and 25 points in 47 games before the all-star break, but just three goals and nine points in 27 games after the all-star break. Between the regular season and the playoffs, he ended his season on a 24-game goalless drought. At his best, McMann uses his speed to beat defenders wide, get in on the forecheck, and get to his spots to use his shot. After starting the season as a healthy scratch, he worked his way into the lineup and spent a good chunk of time on the second line with Tavares and Nylander. When his offence dried up, he continued getting ice time because the Leafs simply lacked depth. Now that they have spread out their money more with the additions of Roy, Maccelli and Joshua, McMann is going to need to win and keep his spot to play up the lineup if he wants to score 20 goals again.

Scott Laughton

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	9	17	26	0.33

It was an up and down season for Scott Laughton as seemingly years of being in trade rumours culminated in a move that saw him go back home to Toronto. In Philadelphia, he played at roughly his usual pace, putting up 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games as he bounced around the lineup, playing center and wing. When he arrived in Toronto, they moved him around the lineup, starting him at center, moving him to wing and eventually back to center. He ended up with just four points in 20 regular season games with the Leafs, followed by two points in 13 playoff games. In total, he scored just twice in 33 games. Some of that was the result of his eventual linemates, as Laughton was used in a checking role between Lorentz and Jarnkrok. That is naturally going to limit his ability to produce offensively but in the playoffs, he did average the sixth most ice time per game among all Leafs forwards, as he regularly moved up the lineup to close out games defensively as a winger. If he can win a spot up the lineup his production should bounce back to his usual .40+ points per game pace. Or he could end up on the fourth line as a checker, in which case he’ll be in tough to produce much offence.

Nicolas Roy

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	18	22	40	0.53

On a Vegas team that is deep up the middle with Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson, Nic Roy still managed to be an integral piece to their forward group and contribute. Roy still managed to rank seventh among all Vegas forwards in time on ice per game, in part because he plays on both the power play and penalty kill regularly as well. He started the season off well with seven points in his first 11 games, but from December to January he scored just two goals in 23 games. Roy’s overall production was slightly below his pace over the past three seasons as his regular linemates for the season were Keegan Kolesar and Tanner Pearson. Now in Toronto, Roy slots in comfortably at the 3C spot and is likely going to play with players that have more offensive upside than his regular Vegas linemates. The Leafs have already stated they want to use him in a checking/matchup role, similar to how the Jets use Adam Lowry, to help free up players like Matthews, Nylander and Tavares above him. Roy has proven he can capably handle tough minutes, and the Leafs have a good defence and goaltenders to support him in that role. That might not translate into a big season of production but Roy is going to play a critical role in winning hockey games.

Matias Maccelli

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	16	32	48	0.64

Following two productive seasons in the NHL to start his career, Maccelli had a tough third season that saw his role, ice time and spot in the lineup reduced. Coming off a season where he played in all 82 games with 17 goals and 57 points, Maccelli had just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games, in a season where he saw himself get healthy scratched down the stretch. His regular linemates from his 57-point season, Nick Bjugstad and Lawson Crouse, also had poor seasons that impacted him. Bjugstad was hurt to start the season and never truly got rolling, while Crouse had arguably the worst season of his career and was also healthy scratched once - Maccelli isn’t without fault, but it was truly a lost year for not just him, but his entire line. Maccelli has a decent track record with two productive seasons - out of three - in the league and he’s going to get opportunity after the Leafs traded for him. Whether his center is Matthews, Tavares or even Roy, it should be an improvement over the version of Nick Bjugstad he played with last season. How high his ceiling is depends on whether he can work his way to the top power play unit but Maccelli is a good bet to find his production again in Toronto.

Max Domi

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	28	43	0.56

Fresh off signing a four-year, $15 million deal, Max Domi had an up and down campaign. Domi started off well with six points his first six games, then he went pointless over his 13 games, including all eight he played in November as he battled through an injury. From there his production normalized to some degree with 27 points in his final 55 games, but he was primarily used in a third line role centering a soft matchup scoring line between Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson. That contributed to Domi producing the second lowest points per game rate of his career. At times he was moved up to the top six, but he couldn’t stick due to either a lack of production, struggling to defend in a top six role, or both. In the playoffs, he remained in the bottom six and his ice time dropped over a minute per game compared to the regular season. He did have some big moments offensively though, including an overtime winner and setting up the series winning goal in round one, finishing with seven points in 13 games. Without Marner, offensive opportunities are going to open up, and if Domi can seize one, he is an easy bet for a bounceback to his career .61 point per game output.

Defence

Morgan Rielly

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	9	37	46	0.56

It was a trying first season for Morgan Rielly under Craig Berube. He started on the top power play unit, they got off to a poor start, and he got pushed down to PP2 as Mitch Marner took over quarterback duties. Rielly ended with his lowest points per game total in eight years as a result. He also had his second lowest time on ice per game since his second year in the league. Part of the issue was that Rielly never really settled in with a partner until the trade deadline. His most common partner last season was OEL on his off side, and his second most common partner was Philippe Myers, who didn’t touch the ice in the playoffs for the Leafs and will be in a training camp battle to make the team this season. In the playoffs, Rielly did have four goals in 13 games. Even in a down year without top unit power play time, Rielly still had 41 points and was second among their defencemen in time on ice per game. Without Marner moving forward, he has a clear path to get back to the top power play unit and he goes into the season with a more suitable and established partner in Brandon Carlo. That stability and opportunity makes him a decent bounce back candidate coming off a down year.

Chris Tanev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	2	16	18	0.24

In the first year of a six-year deal, Chris Tanev came exactly as advertised as a high end defensive defenceman. While it was expected that Tanev would pair up with Morgan Rielly heading into the season, he ended up pairing up with Jake McCabe and forming an elite shutdown pairing. He played some of the toughest minutes in the league among all defencemen, and he won those minutes handily, outscoring opponents 55-34 at five-on-five on the season. That was the highest goals for percentage at five-on-five of Tanev’s entire career. As usual, Tanev was among the league leaders in blocked shots, ranking sixth in the NHL. For the season, he ranked fourth among all Leafs defencemen in time on ice per game, mainly because the Leafs tried to manage the 35-year old’s minutes as best as possible throughout the season. At the trade deadline, the Leafs acquired Brandon Carlo, another right-handed defensive defenceman. That could ease the workload on Tanev, who turns 36 in December, and has clearly established what he is in the league at this pont: A high end matchup defenceman that makes a good first pass and is a fearless shot-blocker.

Jake McCabe

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	3	20	23	0.31

Jake McCabe built off a strong first full season with the Leafs by establishing a new career high in time on ice per game averaging 21:31. Not only was that a personal best, but it led all Leafs skaters, which speaks to his overall importance to the team and their success as they won the Atlantic Division. His pairing with Chris Tanev was one of the best shutdown pairings in the league last season, and similar to Tanev, he set a career best in goal differential at five-on-five, as he was on for 59 goals for to just 41 against (59%). In the previous season, he played on the right side regularly with Simon Benoit but pairing him with Tanev allowed him to move back to his strong side where he excelled. Unfortunately for McCabe, he did miss time on three separate occasions, the first after taking a puck to the head, the second after a fight with Garnett Hathaway and in April he played only one game after colliding with a linesman against Florida. In total, McCabe played 66 games, his lowest total since he played just 13 games in the 56-game bubble season. McCabe is slated to be a big minute eater on the Leafs defence corp and play prime shutdown minutes at five-on-five, as well as on the top penalty killing unit, as long as he can stay healthy.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	25	30	0.38

Fresh off winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year deal with the division rival Maple Leafs and had a solid first outing. OEL was used in every situation and regularly bounced between playing the left and right side, as he was asked to do a bit of everything for the Leafs in a top four role. He was third among all Leafs defencemen in time on ice per game, playing over 21 minutes a night for the first time in three seasons. OEL has steadily seen his production go down over the years as he’s a career .48 points per game player right now, but his .38 rate this past season was in line with his past few years (.4 and .41 the two years prior). Part of that is due to playing only 1:26 per game on the power play; in Florida, he averaged 1:57 per night there and had double the power play points with the Panthers than he did with the Leafs. Without Mitch Marner he should get more looks on the power play and have a chance to increase his production next season. With Brandon Carlo in the mix all season and a defence unit that has more defensive defenceman than offensive defenceman, the Leafs will likely look to optimize OEL more offensively next season.

Goal

Joseph Woll

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
42	22	15	4	3	.910	2.65

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally stepped away from the Matt Murray project this past season, and they appear to be moving full steam ahead into their Joseph Woll era. Woll, who took on just over half of Toronto's workload last year, has finally reached the point where he'll likely be the team's go-to for at least the next handful of seasons.

The real surprise for the Maple Leafs last season, though, was how crucial a healthy Anthony Stolarz was for the team - and that will likely impact their plans this year, as well. While Woll is likely the future of the Toronto starting gig, Stolarz's consistency defined the team's late season push to be a postseason contender and helped them navigate their first round against Ottawa before getting hit in the head against Florida. He might have been less of a presence for the Panthers during their postseason run the year prior, but he has made it clear during his last handful of seasons that he's one of the most steadying veteran backup presences in the league at the moment. This is huge for Toronto; they likely want to see what an enterprising, up-and-coming Artur Akhtyamov can do in limited NHL action, and Stolarz combines well with Woll to serve as a tandem that preaches consistent, defensively reliable in-net action. Akhtyamov will eventually bring top-tier skating and a fun, creative spark to Toronto's crease in a full-time role, but Stolarz -- should he stay healthy -- remains the best bet to tandem with Woll for at least the next full year.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – PLAYOFF EDITION – Less obvious picks that will win your playoff pool

Scott Cullen — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 14:56:32 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the focus will be on the upcoming playoffs. Here are some players to target for playoff pools and it should go without saying that the focus will be on less obvious players because you don’t need me to tell you that Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar would be a good pick.

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 02: Florida Panthers Center Sam Bennett (9) dumps the puck in during the NHL regular season game between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2, 2025, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

#1 It is quite common for NHL players to score at a lower rate in the playoffs, and it is only natural – they are only playing against the top half of the league in the postseason. Florida’s Sam Bennett, however, is built differently. Since 2019-2020, Bennett has scored 220 points (107 G, 113 A) in 379 regular-season games, which is a rate of .581 points per game. In the playoffs, since 2019-2020, Bennett has 45 points (19 G, 26 A) in 64 games, a rate of .703 points per game. He rose to the occasion during the 4 Nations Face-Off and it’s reached the point where it is fair to expect Bennett to elevate his game when the games matter more.

#2 The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken at the trade deadline, bringing the feisty forward back to Tampa Bay, where he won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning. In his past three playoff appearances, Gourde has produced 34 points (17 G, 17 A) in 62 games. Even more importantly, he has been moved to left wing on Tampa Bay’s top line, skating alongside Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov and he finished the regular season with six points (1 G, 5 A) in the last eight games.

#3 It is not like Adrian Kempe is an unknown offensive quantity, having scored 139 goals across the past four seasons, but the Los Angeles Kings have routinely been bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers and that is despite Kempe putting up 19 points (11 G, 8 A) in 18 games over his last three playoff seasons. Skating on the Kings’ top line with Anze Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko, Kempe is likely to offer good value in this postseason, especially if this is the year that the Kings find a way to get past the Oilers.

#4 Carolina Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis has recorded back-to-back seasons with 67 points, including more than 30 goals in both seasons. He has also been a consistently productive player in the postseason, producing 27 points (13 G, 14 A) in 40 playoff games. He also had a strong finish to this regular season, putting up 21 points (9 G, 12 A) and 62 shots on goal in his last 18 games.

#5 Second year Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Matthew Knies is in a prime spot to generate offense, skating on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, and he finished the regular season with a flourish, tallying 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 30 shots on goal in his last 12 games. At 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, Knies has the size to handle the more physical play which tends to show up in the playoffs and with an elite setup man like Marner and a finisher like Matthews, there are plenty of points to be found while skating on their wing.

#6 The Montreal Canadiens are naturally underdogs in their first round series against the top-seeded Washington Capitals, but in deep playoff pools, sometimes the play is to take a top player for a lower-seeded team. Consider Habs captain Nick Suzuki, who had 15 points (8 G, 7 A) with 22 shots on goal in his last 10 games, on his way to a career-high 89 points (30 G, 59 A) this season. In deeper pools, there comes a time where fantasy managers need to decide whether to take the sixth-best forward on the favored team or the best forward on an underdog and if the pool is relatively large, hitting on the right underdogs can have a huge effect.

#7 Vegas Golden Knights left winger Ivan Barbashev has been a reliable offensive performer since arriving in Vegas, producing 112 points (48 G, 64 A) in 175 games for the Golden Knights, but he was also an integral part of their Stanley Cup winning team in 2023, contributing 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in 23 games. Barbashev plays a hard game, with plenty of hitting, and is not shy about getting to the front of the net, so he is a quality support scoring option for Vegas.

#8 With the Winnipeg Jets dealing with injuries on the wing, including to Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi, opportunity has knocked loudly for Alex Iafallo, who has often been an over-qualified fourth liner this season. In his last 10 games of the regular season, Iafallo contributed seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 22 shots on goal, while playing frequently with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor on the Jets’ top line.

#9 Drafted 12th overall in last summer’s draft by the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Zeev Buium returned to the University of Denver for his sophomore season and accrued 48 points (13 G, 35 A) in 41 games. He is an intriguing deep league sleeper for playoff pools, as the skilled blueliner appears to be on his way to not only playing for the Wild in the playoffs but potentially quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Minnesota has an uphill fight, taking on Vegas in the first round, but the Wild were a much stronger team with Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup this season and Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek both returned from injuries late in the season. If that improves the Wild’s chances of pulling off an upset, it also improves the chances of Buium having a productive postseason.

#10 Since St. Louis Blues left winger Dylan Holloway remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury, it has been important for the Blues to fill his spot in the lineup. While it was likely going to happen anyway, the Blues inked 2022 first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud, who had 51 points (24 G, 27 A) in 40 games during his junior season at the University of Minnesota. Since joining the Blues, Snuggerud has chipped in four points (1 G, 3 A) with 10 shots on goal in seven games. He finished the regular season on a line with Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou, a quality spot for him to keep contributing offensively.

#11 Los Angeles Kings centre Quinton Byfield had some ups and downs during the season, but he really seemed to find his footing later in the season. In his last 32 games, Byfield had 31 points (12 G, 19 A) with 64 shots on goal. His most common linemate this season has been Kevin Fiala and they have been a dominant duo during five-on-five play, controlling 63.1 percent of shot attempts and 61.0 percent of expected goals.

#12 Ottawa Senators winger David Perron has endured a difficult regular season, managing just 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in 43 games, and he is 36 so maybe age is just catching up to him, but don’t ignore his playoff track record. In his past four playoff appearances, Perron has played a total of 62 games, recording 47 points (21 G, 26 A). He is past his peak years, obviously, but scored seven goals in a 13-game stretch in March, and plays a physical, agitating style that tends to translate well in the postseason.

#13 Just a couple of seasons ago, in 2022-2023, Cam Fowler recorded a career-high 48 points (10 G, 38 A) in 82 games for the Anaheim Ducks, the team that he had spent his entire career with until earlier this season when he was traded to the St. Louis Blues. Since joining the Blues, Fowler has produced 36 points (9 G, 27 A) in just 51 games. Eight of those 36 points were on the power play, so there might be even more upside there, as Fowler is now on St. Louis’ first power play unit and if the Blues are going to upset the Jets in the first round, they will likely need Fowler to continue at this level.

#14 Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli set career highs with 27 goals and 59 points this season and he is in a good spot for that production to continue, as Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel are his wingers at even strength. Cirelli also has had playoff success. In his past four playoff appearances, Cirelli scored 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 57 games. He is likely to play plenty in a matchup role, because of his defensive acumen, but Cirelli can deliver offensively, too.

#15 The 2024-2025 season has been thoroughly unimpressive for Maple Leafs winger Max Domi, who finished with 33 points (8 G, 25 A) in 74 games, his lowest single-season point total aside from the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season. Nevertheless, Domi has been productive in the postseason, accumulating 23 points (7 G, 16 A) in 40 games across his past three playoff appearances, all with different teams (Carolina, Dallas, and Toronto). He is skating on Toronto’s second line, with John Tavares and William Nylander, so there should be scoring opportunities for Domi in this year’s playoffs, too.

#16 Carolina Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall has bounced around a lot and battled injuries in recent seasons and was mostly overlooked when the Hurricanes acquired him at the same time that they traded for Mikko Rantanen earlier in the season. However, once the Hurricanes traded Rantanen to Dallas, more responsibility was waiting for Hall, and he has responded favorably. In 18 games since the trade deadline, Hall contributed 15 points (8 G, 7 A) with 38 shots on goal. Hall also has 29 points (14 G, 15 A) in 39 career playoff games, so he has tended to show up in the postseason, even if it ends up being in small samples.

#17 At 35-years-old, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn fills more of a supporting role on the team. He finished with 49 points (16 G, 33 A) in 80 games, the third time in his career that he played more than 70 games and finished with fewer than 50 points. Benn finished the regular season with no goals and nine assists in his last 17 games. It can’t be ignored, though, that Benn has been a beast in the playoffs. He has reached double-digit point totals in five separate playoff runs and in the past two seasons, he has put up 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 36 playoff games. He finished the regular season on a line with Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen, which should give Benn quality chances to contribute offensively, though a late-season injury to Jason Robertson could cause the Stars to shuffle those lines.

#18 The Montreal Canadiens plugged winger Ivan Demidov into their lineup for the last two regular season games and Demidov responded with a goal and an assist in his first period of NHL action. Two games is obviously a super small sample size, but Demidov’s five-on-five shot rate (11.62 per 60 minutes) and point rate (5.81 per 60) were better than any other Habs skaters in those two games. His individual expected goals rate (1.29 per 60) ranked second behind Alex Newhook (1.85 ixG/60). Demidov is playing on a line with Newhook and Patrik Laine, while also getting second-unit power play time and if the Habs are going to pull off an upset against Washington, they might just need their precocious rookie to make a difference.

#19 Goaltenders with the best save percentage since the 4 Nations Face-Off (minimum 10 starts): Andrei Vasilevskiy (.927), Darcy Kuemper (.926), Connor Hellebuyck (.924), Scott Wedgewood (.924), Anthony Stolarz (.922), Adin Hill (.920), Sergei Bobrovsky (.914), Sam Montembeault (.912), Filip Gustavsson (.911), and Jordan Binnington (.910). That could be encouraging for any of the teams that employ those netminders, but Vasilevskiy’s Lightning and Kuemper’s Kings could use the lift that comes with strong goaltending.

#20 Goaltenders with the worst save percentage since the 4 Nations Face-Off (minimum 10 starts), among playoff goaltenders: Jacob Markstrom (.869), Pyotr Kochetkov (.879), Logan Thompson (.880), Stuart Skinner (.883), Charlie Lindgren (.887), Frederik Andersen (.890), Calvin Pickard (.899), and Mackenzie Blackwood (.899). Just as the Lightning and Kings could be more hopeful with strong goaltending, the Hurricanes, Capitals, Oilers, and Avalanche might be a bit more wary based on the goaltending they have received late in the regular season.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Washington powers on with Ovechkin, Chicago looks for change – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:07:18 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 30: Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) scores a goal during a NHL game between the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on November 30, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Washington had an incredible 13-4-1 record through Nov. 18 thanks in large part to its league-leading 4.33 goals per game. However, that offensive success was built around Alex Ovechkin, who had 15 goals and 25 points through 18 appearances, so when he suffered a fractured left fibula, it was reasonable to wonder how much his absence would impact the Capitals. Going into Friday’s action, Washington seemed to largely be managing the injury well, posting a 4-2-1 record in its first seven games without Ovechkin.

The Capitals offense has certainly taken a hit, but they’ve still managed an impressive 3.43 goals per game since Ovechkin was sidelined. Tom Wilson (three goals, six points), Dylan Strome (two goals, six points) and Connor McMichael (two goals, five points) have been of particular importance over that seven-game stretch.

However, none of those forwards are actually the Capitals’ scoring leader over the stretch without Ovechkin. That honor belongs to Jakob Chychrun, who has three goals and seven points across his past seven outings. Chychrun, who was acquired from Ottawa over the summer, has been a fantastic addition, collecting eight goals and 15 points through 20 appearances. Keep in mind, though, that his 19.0 shooting percentage is far ahead of his career average of 7.2, so we’ll probably eventually see a drop off.

Still, this stretch has shown that Washington is a team with some decent depth and might prove to be a serious contender come playoff time.

One team that almost certainly won’t be playing come the postseason is Chicago. There’s still plenty of hockey left, of course, but with an 8-16-2 record, the Blackhawks seem set to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Connor Bedard has been fine with five goals and 19 points in 26 outings, but for a player who has as much promise as him, even more is hoped for. Still, it would help if he had more support. Ryan Donato is the only other Chicago player with at least 15 points (10 goals, five assists). To put that into context, 160 players at reached the 15-point mark through Thursday’s action, so an average team should have five players who have reached that milestone.

Goaltender Petr Mrazek has been alright, but he’s not getting much support on offense or defense, which has left him with a 7-11-1 record, 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage across 19 outings. Chicago fired head coach Luke Richardson after Chicago suffered its fourth straight loss Wednesday and appointed Anders Sorensen as the interim bench boss. Richardson finished his Blackhawks tenure with a 57-118-15 record, so by that measure his departure isn’t surprising, but given that Chicago has been in the midst of a rebuild, it’s hard to be too critical of him.

Still, perhaps Sorensen, who spent the previous seven campaigns coaching for AHL Rockford, including three years as the head coach going into 2024-25, can help accelerate the rebuild somewhat by guiding the team’s young players. He already has familiarity with many of the club’s prospects thanks to his previous role. A fresh perspective might also be good for Bedard, who is naturally critical to Chicago’s long-term goals.

It will be a while before we know if the change to Sorensen was the right move, and success, at least in the short term, won’t necessarily be measured in wins and losses, but the Blackhawks will be an interesting team to monitor.

Buffalo Sabres (Mon vs DET, Wed vs NYR, Sat @ WAS, Sun @ TOR)

The Sabres have hit a rough patch, dropping their last five games to fall to 11-12-3 on the campaign. To be fair, most of those games were against tough opponents (Minnesota, Vancouver, Colorado and Winnipeg handed out four of the five defeats), but Buffalo has more difficult matchups on the horizon. The Sabres will host the Red Wings and the Rangers on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before taking to the road to face Washington on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.

Rasmus Dahlin left Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to Colorado because of back spasms and missed Thursday’s 3-2 overtime defeat to the Jets because of the issue. Coach Lindy Ruff described the situation like this via Buffalo’s Twitter account, “It should be short-term, but you never know.” In other words, Dahlin might be fine to play in all four of next week’s games.

He’s a vital part of the Sabres’ blue line, so no one defenseman can fill in for him when he’s not available. That said, Henri Jokiharju should see an increase in even-strength ice time -- Jokiharju logged 20:23 of ice time Thursday, his most since Oct. 16 -- and Owen Power should serve on the first power play unit for however long Dahlin’s out.

Jokiharju doesn’t have much fantasy value regardless, but Power has three goals and 15 points in 26 appearances in 2024-25 despite recording no points with the man advantage, so if he’s given an opportunity to play on the top power-play unit for any extended stretch, that’d be rather interesting.

Regardless of which defensemen dress, Buffalo needs them to help make life easier on the goaltenders. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could certainly have done more recently -- he posted a record of 0-2-2 with a 3.20 GAA and an .895 save percentage across his past four starts -- but he also faced at least 30 shots in three of those four games, including 41 shots in Tuesday’s tilt.

James Reimer has been used sparingly, posting a 1-1-0 record, 2.05 GAA and .923 save percentage in two starts since being claimed by Buffalo off waivers Nov. 13, but the Sabres’ busy schedule means that he should play in at least one game next week.

Carolina Hurricanes ( Tue vs SJS, Fri vs OTT, Sun vs CBJ)

The Hurricanes are playing in just three games next week, but I still wanted to feature them because those matchups are favorable. All three of the matches will be in Carolina. The Hurricanes will host San Jose on Tuesday, Ottawa on Friday and Columbus on Sunday.

None of those opponents are good defensively -- Ottawa ranks 25th in goals allowed per game (3.20), which is the best of the three -- so this should be a good stretch for the Blue Jackets’ scorers. Perhaps Martin Necas can build some breathing room in the Art Ross Trophy fight. At the time of writing, he’s in first place with 41 points (14 goals), narrowly edging out Nathan MacKinnon (40 points), Kirill Kaprizov (39), Jack Eichel (38) and Sam Reinhart (37).

Necas was held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games from Nov. 29-30 for the first time this season, but he’s responded by scoring two goals and four points across his past two outings.

One lower profile Hurricanes who’s hot is Eric Robinson. The 29-year-old has never recorded more than 27 points in a single season, but he’s well on his way to shattering that record after recording eight goals and 17 points across 26 appearances. Exercise some caution here: His shooting percentage is an unreasonably high 25.0, and he’s still averaging just 12:15 of ice time with no power-play role, so it’s hard to imagine him keeping up this pace. Still, he’s hot at the moment with three goals and four points across his past five appearances, and when coupled with the Blue Jackets’ upcoming scheduled, there’s reason to hope that the good times aren’t over yet.

We should also see continued production out of defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. He’s fitting in nicely with Carolina, scoring five goals and 21 points in 26 outings, including a goal and seven points over his past six games. Gostisbehere’s success is largely tethered to the power play, which accounts for 15 of his points.

His presence has corresponded with Brent Burns shifting to the second power-play unit this year, which has led to Burns recording no points with the man advantage so far in 2024-25. Burns has a goal and seven points in 26 outings overall, which puts him on track to finish below the 40-point mark for just the second time in 12 seasons (the last time was the shortened 2020-21 campaign).

Columbus Blue Jackets (Tue vs PHI, Thu vs WAS, Sat vs ANA, Sun @ CAR)

The Blue Jackets are 11-11-3, which isn’t great, but they have done better than many projected going into the campaign. Columbus will see if it can maintain that level next week when it hosts Philadelphia, Washington and Anaheim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Blue Jackets will then travel to Carolina for a game Sunday.

Kirill Marchenko has played a big role in Columbus’ better than expected results. The 24-year-old has 10 goals and 24 points in 25 games this season, putting him well on his way to shattering his mark of 42 points in 2023-24. You’ll usually see him sharing the ice with Sean Monahan, who has fit in nicely with Columbus, providing eight goals and 22 points through 25 appearances.

For the last few weeks, Dmitri Voronkov has typically been the third member of that line. He missed the start of the campaign with an upper-body injury and registered just one point (a goal) across his first six games of 2024-25, but the 24-year-old sophomore has hit his stride, supplying five goals and 10 points over his past 10 outings. He’s still on just 17 percent of Yahoo rosters, so he might be a nice pickup if he’s still available in your league.

On the blue line, Zach Werenski has been a standout performer for the Blue Jackets with eight goals and 27 points through 25 appearances. He’s one of the hottest defensemen in the entire league, recording five goals and 17 points across his past 10 outings.

Minnesota Wild (Tue vs UTA, Thu vs EDM, Sat vs PHI, Sun vs VGK)

The Wild have won their past four games to improve to 17-4-4. Minnesota will try to keep the good times rolling next week, which will begin with a road game against Utah on Tuesday. After that match, Minnesota will spend the rest of the week at home, playing against Edmonton, Philadelphia and Vegas on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Joel Eriksson Ek sustained an injury Tuesday and is week-to-week, and there’s no indication that Mats Zuccarello is close to returning from the lower-body issue that’s kept him out of the lineup since Nov. 14.

If Zuccarello were healthy, he’d almost certainly be playing alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi. His absence led to the lines being shaken up, and Eriksson Ek did skate on the top line with Kaprizov on Tuesday before he got hurt. With Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek both out, Matt Boldy will likely play regularly alongside Kaprizov and Rossi. Boldy has 11 goals and 24 points in 25 appearances, so that’s a strong trio. The forward corps after that, though, looks thin due to the injuries.

Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno currently comprise the second line, but none of them have even reached double digits in points. The third unit is Devin Shore, Frederick Gaudreau and Yakov Trenin, which has a combined 15 points this season -- 14 of them from Gaudreau.

Fortunately for the Wild, Filip Gustavsson hasn’t needed much offensive help this year. He’s 12-4-3 with a 2.04 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 19 appearances.

New York Islanders (Tue vs LAK, Thu vs CHI, Sun @ CHI)

The Islanders have three games on the schedule, but two of them are against the lowly Blackhawks -- New York will host them Thursday and play in Chicago on Sunday -- so the Islanders are in a good position there. New York will also host the Kings on Tuesday.

We just discussed how Minnesota’s offense looks thin due to injuries, and the Islanders are in a similar boat without Anthony Duclair (lower body) and Mathew Barzal (upper body), who have logged just five and 10 games, respective. Due to their absences, the Islanders have just two players with at least 20 points, and even then, just barely -- Anders Lee has 21 while Kyle Palmieri has 20. The result is no Islanders player is within the top 50 of the Art Ross Trophy race.

Andrew Gross of Newsday reported Friday that Duclair and Barzal are skating on their own, which is better than not skating at all, but there are several steps between that and playing, so I wouldn’t count on them returning during the upcoming week.

Lee has been one of the few recent bright spots, providing four goals and eight points across his past six games. He’s on a four-game scoring streak through Thursday’s action. Simon Holmstrom appears to have cooled, though. He had back-to-back multi-goal games from Nov. 29-30, but he hasn’t found the back of the net since. Holmstrom has done fine with seven goals and 15 points in 27 outings, but he’s not worth employing in most fantasy leagues except when he’s hot.

New York Rangers (Mon vs CHI, Wed @ BUF, Sat vs LAK, Sun @ STL)

New York is set to host Chicago on Monday, play in Buffalo on Wednesday, have a home game against the Kings on Saturday and conclude the week by playing in St. Louis on Sunday. Let’s not dwell on the schedule, though, the Rangers had an eventful Friday, and I want to dive right into it.

New York traded Jacob Trouba to Anaheim in exchange for a fourth-round pick and Urho Vaakanainen. Importantly, the Rangers didn’t retain any salary, so Trouba’s $8 million cap hit through 2025-26 is now off their books. New York then signed Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92 million contract that will begin in 2025-26 after his current four-year, $22.67 million deal expires.

Let’s start with the defensive changes. Trouba had a fantastic eight goals and 50 points in 82 games with Winnipeg in 2018-19 and was then dealt to the Rangers in the summer of 2019 in exchange for a 2019 first-round selection (Ville Heinola) and Neal Pionk. The Rangers promptly signed Trouba to his current eight-year, $56 million contract.

Unfortunately for New York, the Rangers inked Trouba at the height of his offensive contributions. Over his five campaigns with the Rangers going into 2024-25, Trouba reached the 30-point mark twice, but never hit 40. To be fair, Trouba is a big body, plays a physical game and blocks a ton of shots, so he brings things to the table outside of offense. He also served as the team captain from 2022 until he was traded, highlighting his importance in the locker room. Still, his cap hit was too high for what he brought.

It's telling that the Rangers got very little in return for him, and even with that, some questioned if they won this trade simply by virtue of clearing that cap space. But what did they receive outside of that draft pick? Vaakanainen was taken with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but he never developed as hoped. Instead, he should be regarded as a depth defenseman who will likely bounce between the third pairing and the press box. He is also on the injured reserve list due to an upper-body injury, so it might be a bit before he makes his Rangers debut.

Rather than Vaakanainen playing regularly, we might see the Rangers utilize Victor Mancini more with Trouba out. The 22-year-old Mancini has a goal, four points, seven hits and 12 blocks in 10 appearances with New York in 2024-25, and he’s also provided two goals and five points in six AHL outings. Don’t get too excited over Mancini’s offensive numbers, though. He wasn’t much of a producer in the NCAA, recording just four goals and 10 points across 40 outings with the University of Nebraska-Omaha as a Junior in 2023-24.

As for locking up Shesterkin, the cap hit is substantial, but not surprising. He’s proven himself to be a top-tier goaltender, and we’re in a period where the cap seems to be steadily climbing, so there’s logic behind the number. Shesterkin has struggled recently with a 2-7-0 record, 3.93 GAA and .882 save percentage across nine appearances, but he should rebound.

St. Louis Blues (Tue @ VAN, Thu vs SJS, Sat @ DAL, Sun vs NYR)

St. Louis has won four of its past five games, improving to 13-12-2 this season. That still puts the Blues outside of a playoff spot, but at least they’re trending in the right direction. The Blues will play in Vancouver on Tuesday, host the Sharks on Thursday, visit Dallas on Saturday and play at home Sunday versus the Rangers.

Dylan Holloway has been a major part of the Blues’ recent success, contributing four goals and eight points across his past five outings. That brings him up to eight goals and 16 points in 27 appearances this year, but he’s been inconsistent, so enjoy the good times while they last, but be prepared for the other shoe to eventually drop if you grab the 23-year-old during his hot streak.

Jordan Binnington is another extremely inconsistent play, but he has been more hit than miss lately, providing a 4-2-1 record, 2.10 GAA and .925 save percentage across his past seven appearances. He’s 8-9-2 with a 2.87 GAA and .900 save percentage in 20 outings overall and will probably average out as a low-to-mid tier starter this season.

Robert Thomas might still have a great campaign, though. He did miss 12 games from Oct. 24-Nov. 17 because of a fractured ankle, but with that injury now well behind him, Thomas seems to be heating up, providing three goals and six points across his past four games. This might just be the beginning of a longer hot streak for Thomas, who set a career high in 2023-24 with 86 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Tue @ NJD, Thu vs ANA, Sat @ DET, Sun vs BUF)

Toronto is having a fantastic campaign with a 16-7-2 record, and the Maple Leafs have won seven of their past eight games. They’ll look to maintain that momentum next week, starting with a road contest against New Jersey. The Maple Leafs will then host Anaheim on Thursday, play in Detroit on Saturday and return home to play against the Sabres on Sunday.

Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies returned from injury Nov. 30, adding to Toronto’s success. Matthews has been especially good since returning, supplying three goals and five points across three appearances, bringing him up to eight goals and 16 points through 16 outings. Matthews tends to score goals in bunches, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to tickle the twine over the upcoming week.

Max Domi (lower body) and Max Pacioretty (lower body) have also been skating with the Maple Leafs recently, so they might be nearing a return too. Once they do, we might see Nicholas Robertson fall out of the lineup. Robertson has been the main disappointment in what has otherwise been a great campaign for Toronto. He has just two points (both goals) in 22 outings in 2024-25. Robertson did find the back of the net Nov. 30, but he was held off the scoresheet in two games since, so that marker didn’t seem to help spark him.

In net, Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz will probably each start in two games next week. Stolarz is 8-4-2 with a 2.23 GAA and .924 save percentage in 14 outings, while Woll is 7-2-0 with a 2.11 GAA and a .922 save percentage in nine appearances, so the Maple Leafs can happily treat them as a 1A-1B tandem.

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Nashville has a steep climb, Boston makes a coaching change, Winnipeg’s scoring slows down plus much, much more

Ryan Dadoun — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 16:46:42 +0000

We’re a little over a quarter of the way through the season, so we’re at the point where teams that have been doing poorly should be nervous and nowhere is that truer than Nashville. The Predators made a big push over the summer with the additions of forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, but the Predators are still just 7-12-6 and are tied for last offensively with 2.32 goals per game.

SUNRISE, FL - NOVEMBER 07: Nashville Predators Steven Stamkos (91) looks on during the game between the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers on Thursday November 07, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.(Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire)

At this point, the question isn’t if the situation is bad, it’s just how bad it is. The 2018-19 St. Louis Blues are the gold standard for hope. At their worst, they looked like a lottery team, but in the end, they won the Stanley Cup. So how was St. Louis after 25 games? 9-13-3, which amounts to nearly the same record from a points perspective.

So maybe there’s still hope for the Predators, but there’s also a reason why the Blues are such a memorable story: For every 18-19 Blues, there are countless teams that performed poorly over the first two months and simply continued to be bad for the rest of the campaign. Plus, it’s not just about rebounding, it’s the magnitude of the task ahead of Nashville.

In 2023-24, it took 98 points to get a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Let’s say for the sake of argument, 93 points will end up being good enough this year. That would amount to a 36-20-1 record the rest of the way. In terms of points percentage, that’s .640, which is a pace currently exceeded by only six teams. So doable, but it needs to start soon because the longer Nashville is even mediocre, let alone bad, the task only gets harder.

Stamkos spoke about the problem after Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Friday, arguing that the Predators have too many players who aren’t working hard enough to create offense.

"It's OK to be frustrated because we're not scoring. But you counter that by work ethic and getting into the game in different ways," Stamkos said, per The Tennessean. "If you're not scoring, what else are you doing out there? What else can you do to help your team win? I've just felt like, for whatever reason, in these stretches, we tend to go the other way."

Rather than use that as motivation, the Predators then suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on Saturday. To be fair, the Wild are a great team, it was a close game, and the Predators were playing for the third time in four days. Those are all factors to make the loss more understandable. The trouble is, Nashville isn’t in a position to be content with understandable losses.

Boston Bruins (Tue vs DET, Wed @ CHI. Sat vs PHI)

Replacing head coach Jim Montgomery with Joe Sacco hasn’t helped the Bruins so far. They’re an okay, but not great 3-2-0 with their new bench boss, giving them an 11-11-3 record overall. That might change next week, though, thanks to a favorable schedule. Boston will host the Red Wings on Tuesday, play in Chicago on Wednesday and then return home to face the Flyers on Saturday.

Whenever there’s a new coach, it’s always a good idea to look for which players have benefited from the change. In the case of the Bruins, though, it’s a bit hard to find offensive winners because the team has continued the offensive struggles that were present under Montgomery. Boston averaged just 2.40 goals per game with Montgomery, and that’s dropped to a mere 2.00 goals per game under Sacco.

Elias Lindholm does have four points across the Bruins’ past five games, which is a step up from his nine points in 20 outings before the Montgomery firing, but take that with a grain of salt because his recent success is propped up by a three-assist showing against the Islanders on Wednesday. Lindholm has also been held off the scoresheet in three of the last five contests, which isn’t exactly confidence inspiring.

Tyler Johnson has recorded his first two assists of the 2024-25 campaign under Sacco, which is interesting, but Sacco also made Johnson a healthy scratch twice across the past five games. Still, I think Johnson is worth keeping an eye on because Boston desperately needs secondary scoring, and that’s a role he can fill.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Boston seems to have at least tightened its game defensively under Sacco, allowing just 1.60 goals per game with the new bench boss compared to 3.45 with Montgomery.

Jeremy Swayman has had a rough campaign with a 6-9-2 record, 3.09 GAA and .892 save percentage in 17 appearances in 2024-25, but he may have turned a corner, stopping 66 of 70 shots (.943 save percentage) across his past three starts. He still won only one of those outings due to a lack of offensive support, but if he can continue to play like he has been recently, then the Bruins will be in a far better position.

Calgary Flames (Tue vs CBJ, Thu @ STL, Sun @ DAL)

The Flames have a respectable 12-9-4 record, but they’ve dropped their last four games, putting them in danger of ruining their relatively positive start to the campaign. The Flames will try to right the ship in home games against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and the Blues on Thursday. Calgary will conclude the week with a challenging road tilt against the Stars.

Calgary’s recent losing skid has come on the road, which seems to be a theme for the Flames this year. They’re 9-3-0 at home and 3-6-4 outside of the Saddledome. It’s like looking at two different teams. In Calgary, the Flames have averaged 2.83 goals per game and have allowed 2.25 goals per game, but on the road that changes to 2.23 goals per game and 3.54 goals allowed per game.

Jonathan Huberdeau is one of the starkest examples of that home/road split. He leads the team offensively in Calgary with nine points (five goals) in 12 appearances and has just five points (three goals) in 13 road outings. Mikael Backlund is another forward who has fallen into that trap, supplying seven points (three goals) in 12 home games, but just three points (one goal) through 13 road appearances. Meanwhile, Andrei Kuzmenko has a goal and seven points at home, but just two assists on the road.

Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary are two exceptions who have done fine regardless. Kadri has a nine/eight home/road point split while Zary has supplied six points in each category. However, outside of rare cases like that, you might want to avoid using Calgary players on the road until the team shows it can travel better. Fortunately, that won’t be a concern for fantasy managers for the early stages of the upcoming week.

Colorado Avalanche (Tue @ BUF, Thu @ CAR, Sat @ DET, Sun @ NJD)

Colorado doesn’t have that stark contrast between home and away -- the Avalanche are mediocre in both cases, resulting in a 13-12-0 record. Colorado has lost its last two contests, but it will continue its quest to emerge from its early season inconsistency during a road stretch that will see the Avalanche in Buffalo on Tuesday, Carolina on Thursday, Detroit on Saturday and New Jersey on Sunday.

Injuries have been an ongoing story for the Avalanche this campaign, and I’ll discuss the latest on that front in a minute, but goaltending has also been part of the problem. Although Alexandar Georgiev has stabilized somewhat, he’s still left plenty to be desired with his 7-6-0 record, 3.33 GAA and .872 save percentage in 15 appearances in 2024-25. The problem Colorado faced was the 24-year-old Justus Annunen didn’t seem capable of stealing the job from him, posting a 6-4-0 record, 3.22 GAA and .872 save percentage across 11 outings.

As a result, Colorado packaged Annunen with a 2025 sixth-round pick Saturday to get Scott Wedgewood from Nashville. Wedgewood has a 1-2-1 record, 3.69 GAA and .878 save percentage in five appearances this year, so it’s not like anyone holds any illusion that he will enter Colorado and be its savor, but at least he’s a veteran goaltender who has been serviceable in the past in the backup role. If nothing else, Wedgewood has a bigger opportunity to get starts in Colorado behind Georgiev than he did in Nashville behind Juuse Saros.

On the injury front, Miles Wood suffered an upper-body injury recently and is now regarded as month-to-month. Meanwhile, Jonathan Drouin, who made his return from injury Nov. 15, logged just four games before coming back out of the lineup and is now regarded as week-to-week. Defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) is also week-to-week after suffering the injury Friday. The only real silver lining on the injury front is that Ross Colton (foot) has started to skate.

This isn’t the most injured Colorado has been this year, but it’s still not great that Colorado has four players on IR or LTIR (Wood, Colton, Tucker Poolman and Gabriel Landeskog) as well as three more on the sidelines (Mason, Drouin and Oliver Kylington).

John Ludvig, who has logged just five games this year, will probably start playing regularly because of Mason and Kylington’s absences on the blue line. Nikolai Kovalenko will also probably feature semi-regularly on the second line until Drouin is back. At the end of the day, though, not much should be expected of Ludvig or Kovalenko from a fantasy perspective.

Dallas Stars (Mon @ UTA, Wed @ LAK, Fri @ VGK, Sun vs CGY)

The Central Division has been dominated by Winnipeg and Minnesota, but Dallas has been strong too with a 14-8-0 record. The Stars will look to maintain that success next week. They’ll play in Utah on Monday, Los Angeles on Wednesday and Vegas on Friday before concluding the week with a home game against the Flames on Sunday.

Dallas is lucky to have Matt Duchene. After the final three campaigns of his seven-year, $56 million contract were bought out by Nashville (a team which, incidentally, could really use him right now), it made a certain amount of sense for him to ink a one-year, $3 million contract for the 2023-24 season so that he would have a chance to reestablish himself. However, after scoring 25 goals and 65 points across 80 regular-season outings with the Stars in 2023-24, he decided to ink another one-year, $3 million contract for this season.

I have a hard time believing that’s the best he could do, but Dallas is a team that’s capable of competing for the Cup, and signing that massively team-friendly contract has allowed the Stars to ice the best roster they could. For his part, Duchene is thriving in Dallas with 12 goals and 27 points through 22 outings. After registering an assist in a 5-3 win over Colorado on Friday, he’s on a four-game scoring streak (two goals, four assists).

In contrast to Duchene’s success, Roope Hintz has left something to be desired. The 28-year-old forward has nine goals and 14 points through 21 appearances in 2024-25. That puts him on pace to reach the 30-goal milestone for the fourth straight campaign, but Hintz collapse in terms of playmaking has been noticeable. That might be in part due to some bad luck, though. Hintz is on pace for 15 primary assists in 2024-25, which would actually be just a mild drop from his 17 in 2023-24. However, he has only one secondary assist this year after reaching the double digits in that category in each of the previous three campaigns.

Hintz is playing alongside Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, so the assists should come. If his lower point total has led to fantasy managers in your league(s) undervaluing Hintz, then now would be a nice time to buy low.

Robertson is another good buy-low candidate. He has five goals and 13 points through 22 appearances, in large part because of a nine-game stretch from Oct. 26-Nov. 18 in which he had no goals and two assists. The 25-year-old has been inconsistent this campaign, but he has also supplied over 25 goals and 79 points in each of his previous three years, so I have faith that he’s going to start turning things around. One key area to monitor is his performance on the power play. He finished each of the past three campaigns with over 20 points with the man advantage, but he’s been limited to just a goal and three points in that category in 2024-25.

Keep in mind that Robertson missed a good chunk of training camp and didn’t play in the preseason because he was recovering from foot surgery. His old linemate Joe Pavelski is also gone after retiring over the summer. Those might be contributing factors for his sluggish start, but Robertson should still find his rhythm as the campaign progresses.

Florida Panthers (Tue @ PIT, Thu @ PHI, Sat vs SJS)

Florida has won its past three games decisively, outscoring the competition 17-4. The Panthers will take that momentum into Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Florida will then play in Philadelphia on Thursday and host the Sharks on Saturday.

Sam Bennett continues to be a pleasant surprise for the Panthers. He’s been a solid secondary scorer for years, but he’s found another level this season, supplying 12 goals and 23 points through 24 appearances. He’s showing no signs of slowing either, supplying three markers and four points over his past three outings. His 16.2 shooting percentage is a potential warning sign -- his career average is 10.6 -- but he’s also generating assists at a much better rate than normal, so his success might be more than just some good puck luck.

Bennett’s far from the only Panthers forward who has done well recently. Evan Rodrigues has been streaky this campaign and is going through one of his good patches, supplying a goal and three points across his past three games. That gives him six goals and 13 points through 25 outings in 2024-25.

The only major point of concern for Florida thus far has been Sergei Bobrovsky, who has a 3.04 GAA and an .890 save percentage through 17 appearances in 2024-25. While I wouldn’t write off a netminder as accomplished as Bobrovsky over a sluggish start, Spencer Knight has outperformed him thus far with a 2.31 GAA and .911 save percentage across nine outings, so it would be interesting to see if the Panthers shift to a 1A/1B arrangement. That would also help keep the 36-year-old veteran fresh for the playoffs, especially given Bobrovsky’s heavy workload in recent years due to Florida’s back-to-back trips to the finals.

New York Islanders (Tue @ MTL, Thu vs SEA, Sat vs CAR, Sun @ OTT)

The Panthers rank fifth in terms of goals per game (3.64) while the Islanders are 26th (2.56), but surprisingly, New York is the team with more players who have hit double digits in terms of goals. Sam Reinhart and Bennett have achieved that feat with the Panthers while Kyle Palmieri, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson have each provided 10 markers with the Islanders.

Will that trio be able to save the sinking Islanders, who have lost six of their past eight games? The squad will play in Montreal on Tuesday before returning home for contests against the Kraken on Thursday and the Hurricanes on Saturday. New York will round out the week with a road game in Ottawa on Sunday.

Nelson has been the Islanders’ most successful forward during the squad’s eight-game slump, providing four goals and eight points over that span. Lee and Palmieri have also held their own with six and five points, respectively -- each of them also supplied three markers during that stretch.

Still, the absence of Mathew Barzal (upper body) continues to be noticeable. He hasn’t played since Oct. 30 and isn’t expected to return this week. The other issue is Bo Horvat’s goal-scoring drought has reached 11 games (he has five assists in that span). Maybe Horvat will get better when his usual linemate, Barzal, is healthy. Either way, Horvat’s shooting percentage has dropped to 7.1, well below his career average of 13.4.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Mon vs CHI, Wed vs NAS, Fri vs WAS, Sat @ PIT)

Toronto got some good news Saturday with the return of Auston Matthews (upper body) and Matthew Knies (upper body). Both made their presence felt with Matthews supplying two assists while Knies recorded a goal and a helper. Getting Matthews back is especially big for the Maple Leafs, and the sniper will aim to make his presence felt next week with the Maple Leafs scheduled to play at home against Chicago on Monday, Nashville on Wednesday and Washington on Friday. The Maple Leafs will also face the Penguins on the road Saturday.

Getting Knies and Matthews back will likely result in a reduced role for rookie Fraser Minten. The 20-year-old averaged 15:11 of ice time, including 3:32 with the man advantage, over his first three outings from Nov. 20-27, but he dropped to 11:31 on Saturday and wasn’t deployed at all with the man advantage (though Toronto had just one power play in the match).

If Max Domi (lower body) and Bobby McMann (lower body) rejoin the lineup without any other Maple Leafs forwards going down, then Minten might find himself reassigned to the AHL where he can play a bigger role. Still, Minten has shown promise during this NHL stint, supplying a goal and three points across four appearances.

While Minten took advantage of the Maple Leafs’ stretch of injuries, Nicholas Robertson has left plenty to be desired. He did score Saturday, but it was just his second goal and point through 20 outings in 2024-25. Although Robertson reportedly requested a trade over the summer, nothing came of that, and he certainly hasn’t done anything to make himself more appealing to other clubs. He’s still just 23, so it’s too early to write him off, but even as a middle-six secondary scorer, he hasn’t looked great this year. If the Maple Leafs find themselves fully healthy, it’s not clear if there will even be a regular spot for him in the lineup anymore.

Winnipeg Jets (Tue vs STL, Thu @ BUF, Sat @ CHI, Sum vs CBJ)

Winnipeg enjoyed a stunning 15-1-0 start, but the Jets have perhaps shown some cracks lately, dropping five of their past eight games. We’ll see if they stabilize next week. They’ll play at home against the Blues on Tuesday, play in Buffalo on Thursday, and in Chicago on Saturday before hosting the Blue Jackets on Sunday.

What’s changed for the Jets recently? For starters, their stars haven’t been quite as effective. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers each provided at least 1.25 points per game across Winnipeg’s opening 16 games and none of them have averaged a point per game since. Nikolaj Ehlers has seen the biggest decline, going from nine goals and 20 points through 16 appearances to five assists and a minus-7 rating over his past eight games.

It's not just the Jets’ top three forwards, though. Winnipeg’s offensive production has been down pretty much across the board. The Jets were averaging an unbelievable 4.56 goals per game through their first 16 games, but Winnipeg’s average has dropped to 2.50 over its past eight contests. We talked about the Jets’ success earlier this month, and at the time I briefly touched on this:

“It is worth noting that Moneypuck ranks Winnipeg 21st in xG/60 with 2.99, so there’s an argument to be made that the Jets have enjoyed good puck luck.”

If we look at where Winnipeg is today, its xG/60 is slightly higher at 3.08. That metric shouldn’t be taken as gospel, but it does suggest that the Jets were significantly overperforming offensively early in the campaign, which makes the fall less shocking. By the same token, Winnipeg is now underperforming, so there’s reason to believe that this will all balance out eventually, and the Jets will finish the campaign as an above average, but not phenomenal scoring team.

Which is okay because Winnipeg’s strength lies in its goaltending more than its forwards. Connor Hellebuyck did have a rough patch from Nov. 12-19 in which he allowed 11 goals on 90 shots (.878 save percentage), but he’s having a fantastic campaign overall with a 15-3-0 record, 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage in 18 outings. The Jets offense might not be as good as initially advertised, but Hellebuyck should continue to have a season worthy of Vezina Trophy contention.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Team Preview

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 20:00:03 +0000

_{TORONTO, ON - MARCH 28: Toronto Maple Leafs Center Auston Matthews (34) skates during the NHL regular season game between the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 28, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)}

Even after their third straight 100-point season, picking up 102 points (46-26-10), the Toronto Maple Leafs headed into the summer feeling disappointed after losing yet another seven-game first-round series to the Boston Bruins. With a 51.6% Corsi and 51.9% of the expected goals during five-on-five play, the Maple Leafs ranked 11th in both of those possession metrics. That is above average, but not by a lot, and potentially leaves a team a little vulnerable. The team scored 9.01 goals per 60 minutes on the power play, ranking seventh. On the other side of the coin, they ranked 23rd after allowing 8.40 goals against per 60 minutes while shorthanded. Combined, that’s a mediocre special teams performance and when the goaltending also ranked 23rd with a .893 save percentage, the high-powered Maple Leafs attack could not necessarily overcome those issues.

WHAT’S CHANGED? After falling short again in the playoffs, the Maple Leafs parted ways with head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was quickly scooped up by the New Jersey Devils. He was replaced by Craig Berube, who had skated for the Maple Leafs at one point in his lengthy playing career and won the Stanley Cup as head coach with the 2019 St. Louis Blues. Toronto focused on upgrading its defence, added Chris Tanev from Dallas and Oliver Ekman-Larsson from Florida in free agency. The Maple Leafs also added goaltender Anthony Stolarz from Florida, so the main personnel adjustments were on the defensive side of the puck. Left winger Tyler Bertuzzi and defenceman T.J. Brodie both signed in Chicago and goaltender Ilay Samsonov signed in Vegas as free agents. The Maple Leafs also named Auston Matthews as team captain, replacing John Tavares in the role.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? At this point, the Maple Leafs must win playoff rounds for there to be any kind of satisfaction. They have made the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons and have managed to win only one series. In an environment where underdogs can win a series with a hot goalie or a couple of streaky scorers, the Maple Leafs continually fall short. Therefore, winning in the regular season will not resonate with the fan base. Winning in the playoffs is really the only way to achieve success at this point. A Stanley Cup would be wonderful, but for a team that hasn’t won it all since 1967, some of the steps along the way would be nice to achieve, too.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Missing the playoffs would be a disastrous result for this team. There is more than enough talent here that the Maple Leafs should reach the playoffs, but if injuries become a factor and one or two of the top forwards have down years, suddenly Toronto could be in trouble. While it is popular for Maple Leafs critics, and sometimes fans, to berate their recent playoff performances, it should not be forgotten that, before this stretch of eight straight playoff berths, Toronto made the playoffs only once in the previous 11 seasons, so reaching the playoffs should not be taken for granted.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: While winger Matthew Knies is a possibility, the player with the best chance for a breakout season is goaltender Joseph Woll. The 26-year-old netminder has played well, posting a .912 save percentage in 36 career games. He was having a sensational game in Ottawa last December when he suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out until the end of February, and he wasn’t quite the same after returning, posting a .918 save percentage before his injury compared to a .890 save percentage after. He delivered strong performances to win Games 5 and 6 against Boston in the playoffs but was injured again and missed Game 7. A healthy Woll has a legitimate chance to earn at least a share of the crease with Stolarz, and if Woll plays well, he could earn the starting job outright.

Forwards

Auston Matthews

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	68	50	118	1.48

Following the most productive season of his career, Auston Matthews was named the 26th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s a natural progression for one of the game's superstars and face of the Leafs franchise. Since Matthews entered the NHL in 2016, he leads the league with 368 goals (in 562 games). He’s up 40 goals on the second-best goal scorer in that time, Alex Ovechkin, and more impressively, has played less games than Ovechkin and the next five highest goal scorers in that time. Going into last season he was clearly the best goal scorer in the league, then he had 69 goals, becoming the ninth player in league history to have multiple 60+ goal seasons. The 69 goals were also the most goals in an NHL season since Mario Lemieux had 69 in 1995-96. While he was excellent all season, he was particularly impressive from December to February, scoring a monster 39 goals in 37 games. Down the stretch, he also had nine goals in nine games as he pushed for 70 goals. What stands out about that final run of goals is that he did it with Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi as his linemates. That is also who he started the playoffs with before injuries impacted the lineup. For years, Matthews and Marner have been attached at the hip. Matthews, and even Marner, maintaining their production while apart opens up all sorts of line combinations and deployment possibilities. With a new coach behind the bench, it will be interesting to see how Berube approaches handling the Leafs top players but regardless of what he does, it’s safe to say that as long as Matthews is healthy, he will be productive.

Mitch Marner

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	35	38	103	1.29

Production wise, Marner had a nearly identical season to the previous one. He had the exact same 0.38 goals per game and 0.86 assists per game rates, while his overall points per game clip was 1.23 (it was 1.24 the previous season), as he played in 11 less games. His injury came at a particularly poor time as Marner was coming off a stretch where he scored 20 points in 11 games in the month of February, and if you expand that to include his previous three months, he was on a run of 65 points in just 49 games (1.32 points per game). Unfortunately for Marner, the nature of the reported high ankle sprain he suffered that caused him to miss a month of hockey is a difficult injury to return from. He was productive after coming back with nine points in seven games but scored just once in that time and added just one other goal in the playoffs, ending the season with only two goals and 12 points in 14 games, which is far below what he’s capable of. Beyond the injury, some of that was also due to the Leafs leaning on Marner in a head-to-head checking role. Marner’s difficult playoffs is overshadowing what was another productive season, from a player who is eighth overall in league scoring since entering the NHL. He’s clearly a top 10 producer in the league and heading into a contract year. The expectation is that he has another monster season ahead of him while smack in the middle of his prime.

William Nylander

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	42	60	102	1.24

William Nylander followed up a career season with… another career season. After a 40 goal, 87-point campaign, Nylander upped his overall totals by repeating the 40 goals but putting up 98 points in a contract year. That increase in production coincided with playing 1:22 more per game than last season. Some of that bump was due to an expanded role as a penalty killer. His first half of the season was particularly productive as he put up 61 points in just 47 games. Nylander was rewarded with a huge contract extension mid-season and will be one of the highest paid players in the league this season as a result. In the second half of the season, he cooled down some, scoring 37 points in 35 games after the all-star break, including a three assist in nine game April ahead of the playoffs. When the playoffs began, he was unexpectedly out of the lineup with what was later revealed to be migraine issues. While he did return in the playoffs and ended up playing in four games, it took him two games to get going before scoring two big goals in Game Six to extend the Leafs season and scoring their only goal in Game Seven. Nylander has shown he can be a consistent 40 goal scorer (with no big shooting percentage bump to get there), and he’s capable of scoring big playoff goals. That’s why the Leafs paid him and what they expect from him for years to come.

John Tavares

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	28	40	68	0.86

As John Tavares begins the final year of his seven-year, $77 million contract, he remains a very productive though no longer elite producer. He is also no longer the captain of the Leafs, as the organization made a decision to pass the captaincy to Matthews. For Tavares, that will mean less attention on him, which could be a good thing for his game at this point of his career. Last season, he managed to produce 29 goals and 65 points in 80 games. His 29 goals were tied for 29th among all centers according to NHL.com, while his 65 total points was tied for 38th. Contributing to those numbers was the fact that Tavares had the lowest shooting percentage of his career, including a career long nine game goalless drought in the middle of the season. Considering he was still able to create chances as he regularly has and still produced at a very solid clip overall, you can argue he is actually in line to regress and produce more, rather than steadily decline. Tavares was also arguably the top faceoff man in the league last season, winning 59.3 percent, the highest percentage of any player that took over 850 faceoffs last season. The playoffs, though, were a different story. Tavares had just two points in seven games and struggled to create or be an impact player, which was compounded by the absences of Matthews and Nylander through the series. His lack of footspeed inhibits him from driving play regularly now. While he won’t be able to live up to his salary this season, Tavares should remain a very productive center.

Matthew Knies

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	21	20	41	0.50

Following a promising playoff right out of college, expectations were high for Matthew Knies in his first full rookie season. There were growing pains, but it was ultimately a promising campaign. The overall numbers - 15 goals and 35 points in 80 games - don’t leap off of the page but he did well enough to earn a promotion in the Leafs lineup. As a rookie he skated alongside Matthews and Marner in difficult matchups against their opponents’ best players night in and night. Knies also averaged just 38 seconds per game on the power play, limiting his overall ability to produce offense. In the playoffs, he played with John Tavares and William Nylander, and made a big impact, scoring an overtime winner, putting up three points in seven games overall. His size and physicality are welcome additions to a Leafs forward group that are short on those attributes. Knies is also skilled enough to play alongside the Leafs top players and make plays with them. Like all young players, he will look to build on his production and consistency. He was just below water in shot attempts and expected goals and will want to get the puck more in the offensive zone next season. Knies will also look to carve out a full-time power play role, likely on the second unit, to help push his production up and take a leap in his sophomore campaign.

Max Domi

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	12	41	53	0.65

After bouncing around between six teams in the last four seasons, Max Domi signed with his hometown Leafs, had a productive season, and was locked up with a four-year extension. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Domi, as it took him and the team time to sort out what his role and who his linemates would be. He started the season on the left wing and spent time with David Kampf as his center early on. Then he moved to center in a sheltered scoring role between Nick Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok, playing limited minutes. Overall, he had just 25 points in his first 52 games, playing 13:01 per night. Injuries forced him up the lineup, and his play responded accordingly as he eventually found his way onto the top line with Matthews and produced 22 points in 28 games down the stretch playing 15:13 per night. Then in the playoffs, he had a monster Game 2 with a goal and game winning assist, before injuries broke up his line. He ended the playoffs with a solid four points in seven games. Now 29, Domi has proven to be a productive NHLer, albeit one that struggles defensively. He doesn’t have a defined role as a center or winger, but he has shown he can play all three forward positions in a pinch and be productive - he has a career 0.63 points per game.

Bobby McMann

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	21	18	39	0.54

Bobby McMann turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the Leafs season. In training camp, he was injured, put on waivers, and sent to the American League as a result. After just six games he was called up and put on the Leafs fourth line where he immediately contributed with two assists. A month later, he scored his first NHL goal. But McMann was starting to fade into the background and potential waiver territory until injuries and a flu bug forced him into the lineup for a game against the St. Louis Blues in February where he had a hat trick. That kick started a run of seven goals and 10 points in six games. The following month, he averaged 14:51 as he moved up the lineup and received regular top six ice time. His overall production settled down as he had just six points in 14 games, but five of those points were goals. As a result, McMann, a pending UFA, was rewarded with a two-year extension. Unfortunately, in April, McMann suffered an MCL knee sprain in the third last game of the season and wasn’t able to return for the playoffs. He has had some trouble staying healthy in his professional career so far and remains a question mark until established otherwise. If he can stay out of the infirmary, he has the size, speed and shot to produce, which he demonstrated last season when he given the opportunity.

Calle Jarnkrok

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
55	6	11	17	0.31

Coming off of a career high 20-goal season, shooting a career high 18.9 percent in 2022-23, Calle Jarnkrok was bound to regress. In 2023-24 his goals per game dropped from 0.27 to 0.19, returning to his career average, but he still managed to be a solid contributor. The biggest issue with Jarnkrok’s season is that it was interrupted by injury and he ended up playing in just 52 games. When he did play, he was a dependable defensive forward for a Leafs team that was devoid of them. He was largely tasked with playing on the third line with two limited defensive players - Domi and Robertson - so that he could cover for them. Jarnkrok won his minutes in shot attempts, expected goals, and actual goals by 11. He was deployed as a Swiss army knife on the penalty kill, in 6v5 situations when the Leafs needed a goal, and up the lineup when other players struggled. But a broken knuckle, followed by a separate hand injury hampered his season. Jarnkrok didn’t play a regular season game after March 14, then stepped right into the playoffs on April 20th and predictably struggled, going scoreless in the series despite seeing regular power play time. Jarnkrok has proven to be a dependable two-way forward that’s capable of playing up and down the lineup. That ability makes him a useful player but it limits his ability to produce because of how much he is leaned on to help defensively.

Nick Robertson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
45	8	11	19	0.42

After a few seasons knocking on the door and producing in the AHL, Nick Robertson finally earned an extended opportunity in the NHL and showed that he can produce in the league. While he wasn’t a full-time, every single day player, he did play in a notable 56 games, producing14 goals and 27 points in the process despite playing just 11:23 per night. Robertson was deployed in a sheltered scoring role, but his elite release doesn’t need much time or opportunity for him to find the score sheet. Producing in limited minutes has led to frustration as it seemed no matter what he did his ice time wouldn’t go up. He scored four out of five times after being a healthy scratch as well. The concerns were on the defensive end and with his struggles on the breakout. None of which was helped by switching him over to play right wing as a left-hand shot, or by his slight frame when he needed to battle on the wall against bigger defensemen to get the puck out (he is listed at 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds). Improving on that side of things should help him get more ice time, which is the next step for Robertson as he seeks to not just stick on the roster but play a full 82 game season with top nine minutes. If he makes that transition his modestly impressive offensive numbers to date could blossom.

DEFENCE

Morgan Rielly

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	7	48	55	0.73

Last season was a tale of two campaigns for Morgan Rielly, book ending a five-game suspension for cross checking Ridley Greig. Prior to that suspension, Rielly was having an excellent season, playing 24:21 per night and producing seven goals and 43 points in 50 games. After he returned, he was never quite the same and that was evident in his ice time dropping a full two-minutes per night to 22:21 the rest of the season. He also failed to score a goal after returning, though he did deliver 15 assists in 22 games. If you expand his season to the Leafs seven playoff games to his last goal in mid-January against the Oilers, he actually ended the season on a 37-game goalless drought. It also marked only the second time in eight playoff appearances where Rielly failed to score at least one goal. In fairness to Rielly, he hasn’t exactly been supported. His most common partner was an decling TJ Brodie who got pushed off the Leafs playoff lineup, and down the stretch it was Ilya Lyubushkin, who profiles more as a third pairing defenseman. No other top pairing defenseman in the playoffs has partners like that. With the addition of Chris Tanev, Rielly is slated to have the best partner of his career next season and expectations are high for a strong season, not just in terms of production, but for controlling play and winning his minutes.

Chris Tanev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	2	18	20	0.27

A model of consistency, Tanev put together another excellent season. Despite starting the season on a poor Calgary team that was embarking on a fire sale and would end the year with a -14-goal differential, Tanev impressively won his minutes and was positive in shot attempts, expected goals and actual goals (+7). When he was traded to Dallas at the deadline and was on a contender, his play found another level. He handily won his share of shot attempts (55.76) and expected goals (62.12), despite an offensive zone faceoff percentage of just 36.92 percent. But he saved his best for the playoffs. In round one, he played 46:34 directly against Jack Eichel at five-on-five and the Stars won those minutes 3-0 on goals. In round two, he played a whopping 68:43 against Nathan MacKinnon at five-on-five and the Stars won those minutes 3-1 on goals. In round three against Connor McDavid, he did lose those minutes 3-4 but considering the historic playoff McDavid had, that is more than respectable. Tanev is an excellent shutdown defenseman that is a fearless shot blocker capable of making a great first pass and leading breakouts. That’s why he wins his minutes on the ice. While he’s about to turn 35, to this point, he has continued to play excellent hockey. For a Leafs team whose two best defensemen are left-handed, and who struggle overall defensively, the right-handed Tanev is an obvious fit and a much-needed top four defenseman.

Jake McCabe

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	6	23	29	0.38

In his first full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jake McCabe responded by having a career season in production with eight goals and 28 points, while driving a strong second pairing alongside Simon Benoit, while playing right defense as a left-handed shot. He also threw a collection of big open ice hits, cementing himself as one of the bigger hitters in the league. It was an all-around banner season for McCabe, who took time to adjust to Toronto the previous season after being a trade deadline acquisition. It was the first time that McCabe played on a playoff team after starting his career in Buffalo before moving to Chicago. McCabe’s 20:39 per game was the second highest time on ice of his career and in the 31 games after the all-star break, he averaged 21:06. Even with the acquisitions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, McCabe has solidified himself as a critical piece of the Leafs defense and will be in line for a big role again ahead of being an unrestricted free agent next summer. It is fair to question, though, if McCabe will be able to match his production from last season as he shot a sky high (for defensemen) 11 percent, and he likely won’t be leaned on too heavily for offensive contributions given the Leafs have three options ahead of him when you include Timothy Liljegren in that mix as well.

Timothy Liljegren

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	5	20	25	0.36

Liljegren was drafted in the first round with pick 17 in 2017 and Leafs fans have been patiently waiting for him to realize his potential since that time. While it wasn’t an astronomical leap, Liljegren did take on extra responsibility last season and had a modest increase in production. His 19:40 per game was a career high, well above his previous high of 17:55. Similarly, his 0.42 points per game rate was also a career high, though he only played in 55 games due to a high ankle sprain. That injury sidelined him for a month and a half but when he did return in December, he was able to ramp up. When Morgan Rielly was suspended in February, he stepped up with seven points in eight games playing on the top power play unit. Even after Rielly returned, he remained on the top unit and went on a stretch of scoring 14 points in 17 games, averaging over 21 minutes per night. But then he got hurt again, missed nearly three weeks, and never truly returned to form again. Despite that, for the first time, Liljegren dressed in nearly all of the Leafs playoff games, getting into six of their seven games, but logging just 17:52, notching one assist, and failing to log a shot on net. Signed to a two-year prove it deal, there are signs of progress and flashes of his potential. To take the next step Liljegren is going to need to stay healthy and sustain his success, but he will be in tough because he has competition for power play time with the signing of Ekman-Larsson.

GOAL

Matt Murray

Joseph Woll

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
44	25	14	5	2	0.907	2.78

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't see goaltender Matt Murray take a single practice with the team last season until March - but despite what's been a lackluster tenure with the franchise thus far, the former Pittsburgh standout is back for at least one more year to prove himself. Toronto brought Murray back this July, inking the two-time Stanley Cup champion to a middling deal to shore up a bizarre three-goaltender system for the upcoming season. Murray will be joined by journeyman backup Anthony Stolarz, who offers far less pedigree and NHL experience than Murray but vastly more consistency over the last few years. The pair then get to battle things out with up-and-comer Joseph Woll - who seemed to have proven himself in spades last season but will seemingly have to earn the starting gig over Murray and Stolarz if he wants to lead the charge this year.

The biggest concern for Toronto will be just how extensive Murray's injury history is, coupled with a handful of injuries already for the younger Woll. Stolarz, on the other hand, put up some of the league's best raw numbers last year as a backup for the Stanley Cup champions in Florida - but has never hit the 30-game threshold at the NHL level, and fared far less consistently when behind a less structured defensive corps with the Anaheim Ducks in the years prior. He's a step up from the addition of Martin Jones that Toronto made the year prior, but still looks like almost as much of a question mark as the rest of the Leafs goaltending depth chart. The crease is likely Woll's to take in the years to come, but this year in particular still appears to be a roll of the dice.