Morgan Frost – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – An 18-year-old defenceman who is already a star, goaltenders stepping up, Zegras making an impact in Philadelphia, and more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 17:45:04 +0000

ELMONT, NY - OCTOBER 11: New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) warms up before a game between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders at UBS Arena on October 11, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, an 18-year-old defenceman who is already a star, goaltenders stepping up, Zegras making an impact in Philadelphia, and more!

#1 The first overall pick in the 2025 Draft by the New York Islanders, 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer has been incredibly impressive to start his NHL career, registering eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 31 shots on goal in his first 10 games. The last 18-year-old defenceman to score at a higher rate over a full season was Phil Housley, who had 66 points (19 G, 47 A) in 77 games in 1982-1983. The last 18-year-old defenceman to average more than three shots on goal per game was Bobby Orr, in 1966-1967. It’s very early in Schaefer’s career and 10 games is not a big enough sample to determine a player’s fate, but what if this is only the beginning? What if he improves on what could be historically great production? That is the potential that lurks for the Islanders and fantasy managers alike.

#2 When the Florida Panthers drafted Spencer Knight with the 13th overall pick in 1999, he was one of the top up-and-coming goalie prospects in the game. It has not been a smooth path for him, but the Chicago Blackhawks acquired him last season and he seems to have found his game this season. He has a .914 save percentage and 8.72 Goals Saved Above Expected in all situations, which ranks third behind Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (9.58 GSAx) and Montreal’s Jakub Dobes (8.89 GSAx).

#3 With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was injured in the preseason, the Buffalo Sabres thrust Alex Lyon into the role of starting goaltender and Lyon, who has been a career backup, has responded to the challenge. He has delivered a .912 save percentage and 3.24 GSAx, which could make it difficult for Luukkonen to reclaim the crease. His case was not bolstered by allowing four goals on 23 shots at Toronto in his season debut.

#4 When the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Trevor Zegras in the summer, it was seen as a risk worth taking. Zegras is a highly skilled playmaker but had just 32 points (12 G, 20 A) in 57 games for Anaheim last season. He has had two seasons with more than 60 points, so it’s clear that he can do better, and he is at least off to a productive start in Philadelphia, contributing 12 points (4 G, 8 A) and 16 shots on goal in 10 games. His low shot rate is a concern, but it’s good to see him putting up points early because it will help him stay in a prominent role with the Flyers.

#5 A 27-year-old right winger who had played a total of 95 regular-season games prior to this season, Justin Brazeau is making the most of his opportunity with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s not like he is suddenly playing a ton, though this season’s 13:29 ATOI would be the highest of his career, but he has mostly played a second-line role alongside Evgeni Malkin and Brazeau has 12 points (6 G, 6 A) with 22 shots on goal in 12 games. Brazeau also has 17 hits and 12 blocked shots, which gives him a solid statistical base, but if he could see that ice time creep up a little bit more then there is a better chance for his production to be sustainable. Even if he’s not a point-per-game player over the long haul, if Brazeau scores 20-plus goals that would have to be considered a major step forward in his career.

#6 There is a bigger window for Brazeau to get comfortable in a top six forward role for the Penguins because Rickard Rakell will be out for 6-to-8 weeks following hand surgery. Rakell had eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 17 shots on goal in nine games before getting hurt, and rookie Filip Hallander has moved onto Sidney Crosby’s line in Rakell’s absence. It’s too soon to recommend Hallander, but he does have a couple of assists in the past four games, so he’s worth keeping an eye on for managers in deep leagues.

#7 Chicago Blackhawks centre Frank Nazar had a strong start to the season but that has continued. Nazar has 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in 11 games and is averaging 19:37 of ice time per game, ranking second among Blackhawks forwards behind only Connor Bedard. There is some valid concern about his percentages as he is scoring on 21.7 percent of his shots on goal and has a five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage of 14.8 percent, both of which are quite lofty and highly likely to regress.

#8 The Vancouver Canucks have lost right winger Conor Garland to an undisclosed injury and when Brock Boeser had to leave Thursday’s game against the Blues early, that provided even more ice time for blue collar winger Kiefer Sherwood, who played a career high 24:12 against the Blues and recorded a hat trick, giving him nine goals in 12 games. He’s also a hitting machine, with 54 in 12 games after recording 462 last season, so he is very valuable in fantasy circles.

#9 Columbus Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov made nice progress last season, going from 34 points as a rookie in 2023-2024 to 47 points (23 G, 24 A) last season, and it looks like he’s on track to continue that upward momentum in his third season. He has 10 points (5 G, 5A) and 21 shots on goal in 10 games and has a spot on Columbus’ top line with Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko as well as getting first unit power play time, good spots for him to remain productive.

#10 The Seattle Kraken are off to a solid start and they are giving 2024 eighth overall pick Berkly Catton a legitimate chance to stick, especially with Kaapo Kakko and Jared McCann both injured. Catton has three assists in five games and is skating at left wing on Seattle’s top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. Catton had 225 points (92 G, 133 A) in 125 games across the past two seasons in the Western Hockey League, so he has strong offensive pedigree, and the Kraken could definitely use more offensive skill.

#11 Veteran winger Marcus Johansson has reached a stage of his career where he can move into a variety of roles. He’s a skilled player who might just fit in near the bottom of the depth chart, but he knows his way around the offensive zone, so if there are openings he can move up and, right now, he is skating on Minnesota’s top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi. Johansson has five points (2 G, 3 A) in his past four games and played more than 22 minutes against San Jose on Sunday.

#12 As the Calgary Flames look for answers, and no easy ones seem to be forthcoming, they are giving Morgan Frost a shot at right wing alongside Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau. Frost has five points (1 G, 4 A) during a five-game point streak, which is a good way to hold onto a spot higher on the depth chart. He has had two seasons with more than 40 points in his career, but never more than 46, so it’s fair to be cautious about just how much he can produce over the long haul.

#13 Knowing primarily for his checking prowess, Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli put up a career-high 59 points (27 G, 32 A) last season and has started strong this season, too. Through 11 games, Cirelli has 10 points (6 G, 4 A) and 19 shots on goal. He is scoring on 41.6 percent of his shots, a ridiculously high rate, so that is going to regress, but with Brandon Hagel on his left side, he has a reliable linemate. The right side is more of a revolving door, but Cirelli is a solid source of secondary offence for Tampa Bay.

#14 When the Los Angeles Kings traded defenceman Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators in the offseason, that created more of an opening for Brandt Clarke to have a regular spot on the Kings blueline. Clarke has five points (1 G, 4 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past four games, which is a promising sign for a young offensive defenceman. The challenge will be finding his way to the Kings’ top power play unit, where he can maximize his offensive output, but is currently running with five forwards.

#15 The Pittsburgh Penguins traded to acquire Arturs Silovs in the offseason, desperately hoping that he could help stabilize their goaltending. Incumbent starter Tristan Jarry was coming off a down season, during which he was demoted to the AHL, but now the Jarry and Silovs tandem is giving the Penguins a chance to win almost every night, as the Penguins’ .921 save percentage is best in the league. Silovs, who struggled in Vancouver last season before starring during Abbotsford’s run to the Calder Cup in the AHL, has a .919 save percentage in six games for Pittsburgh, splitting time in the crease with Jarry.

#16 Sometimes, the right partner can help steady goaltending. It’s happening in Columbus, too, as Jeat Greaves has emerged as a quality option for the Blue Jackets, but Elvis Merzlikins also has a .915 save percentage in five games. After three consecutive seasons of below average performance, he is off to a good start in 2025-2026 and it might be a case of less is more. He’s more effective when sharing the crease rather than trying to handle a full starter’s workload.

#17 Veteran left winger Jaden Schwartz has helped the Kraken to a good start this season, contributing nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 19 shots on goal through the first 10 games. He is a six-time 20-goal scorer and last season’s 26 goals was the second highest total of his career, so he has known his way around the net for a long time and on a team without offensive stars, like the Kraken, they need solid veterans like Schwartz to deliver.

#18 Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine suffered a core muscle injury that is expected to keep him out of the lineup for 3-4 months, a tough financial hit for him considering that his contract expires at the end of the season. He wasn’t off to much of a start this season anyway, with one assist and six shots on goal in five games. If looking for sources of secondary scoring in Montreal, maybe Oliver Kapanen will have a chance because he has taken over as the second line centre, between Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov and Kapanen has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in 11 games despite playing just 12:24 per game.

#19 With standout Nashville Predators defenceman Roman Josi considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Brady Skjei moves into his spot on Nashville’s top power play unit. He has just three assists and 17 shots on goal in 12 games, but Skjei is playing more than 23 minutes per game and if he is getting time on PP1, then that’s always worth considering. Skjei had 10 power play points, out of 33 points total, last season, so when the opportunity presents itself, he can contribute with the man advantage.

#20 Staying in Nashville, rookie winger Matthew Wood has landed a spot alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly on the Predators’ top line and he is not playing a lot yet, he does have a goal and an assist with 11 shots on goal in five games. If he proves that he belongs and can lift his ice time from the current 12:40 per game that he is playing, then Wood – the 15th pick in the 2023 Draft – could have a chance to provide value.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CALGARY FLAMES – Team Preview/Player Preview/Predictions

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:41:59 +0000

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 01: Calgary Flames left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (10) as seen during an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and The Utah Hockey Club on April 1, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. (Photo by Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire)

Although expectations weren’t very high heading into last season, things changed as the games wore on and confidence grew. Calgary finished the season with 96 points and missed out on the postseason only because the St. Louis Blues edged them out with the tiebreaker. The 15-point improvement was impressive, and the outstanding consistent play of rookie goalie Dustin Wolf (29-16-8, .910 save percentage in 53 games) helped spur them on. They were also good at doing a lot of little things right. They had the seventh best CorsiFor percentage at five-on-five in the league (51.7) and yet didn’t have anyone on the team reach 70 points and just one 30 goal scorer (Nazem Kadri with 35). It might seem like the Flames succeeded with a lot of smoke and mirrors, and surely 14 overtime/shootout losses helped points-wise as did their 19-2-14 record in one-goal games, but the collective “click” that happened within the group is something for them to build on. With a solid puck possession foundation and a good, young goalie, anything can happen.

What’s Changed?

The offseason was virtually silent. Calgary had no coaching changes, no major trades nor signings, and did everything to retain their own players. Defenceman Kevin Bahl signed a six-year, $32.1 million extension and forward Matt Coronato inked a seven-year, $45.5 million extension in May. They lost backup goalie Dan Vladar to Philadelphia and signed Ivan Prosvetov, formerly of the Arizona Coyotes, out of the KHL. Anthony Mantha signed with Pittsburgh as well.

What Would Success Look Like?

If the Flames can recreate what they accomplished last season but come out on the right side of the tiebreaker, they’ll take it. You could argue they hit above their weight in the standings a year ago, but teams generally don’t always trip and fall into a near 100-point season. There are areas of growth to be had and big decisions to be made. Impending UFA Rasmus Andersson will be a big target at the trade deadline whether Calgary is in the playoff race or not and what they can pull from another team in a trade will be important to their short- and-long-term future. That said, with prospect Zayne Parekh on the near horizon, he’s enough reason to feel good about the future. If Connor Zary can take a big step forward and guys like Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee can get their games back in full, a playoff appearance isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

What Could Go Wrong?

The razor’s edge the Flames had success living on last season could work against them this time around. Getting games to overtime worked very well for them to at least get one point but if Kadri is unable to score prolifically again and Jonathan Huberdeau goes cold and aren’t able to provide the proper guiding hand for the rest of the forward group, that would force Wolf and Prosvetov to be near perfect too often to be reasonable to keep playoff hopes alive. If Andersson’s situation becomes a distraction, that could be the sort of thing that sends a team into a rut that’s hard to escape from until a move is made. Although they have to deal with Vegas, Edmonton and Los Angeles within the division, if Vancouver, Seattle, Anaheim and San Jose make their own progress, it would make things much more difficult.

Top Breakout Candidate

We’ve seen extended glimpses of how good Zary can be over his first two seasons. Injuries wreaked havoc on him in each of those seasons, but he scored 27 goals with 34 assists (61 points) in 117 games, and he’ll continue to get a long look in the Flames’ top six. If he’s able to steer clear of injuries and lean on Kadri and Huberdeau to help generate chances, he’ll be able to cash in much more often with his own speed and skill.

FORWARDS

Nazem Kadri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	29	31	60	0.73

Kadri is the closest thing the Flames have to a star, and if he produces like he did the last two seasons you could do worse. He’s coming off a career high in goals and is Calgary’s go-to guy for all things concerning offence. Since joining the Flames, he has been among the league leaders in controlled zone entries, as he always wants the puck on his stick and embraces the role as the undisputed 1C. The play almost always goes through him and he’s still got the speed to be a threat on the rush. The drawback with Kadri’s offensive game is that he will sometimes sacrifice some quality for quantity, not looking to pass when someone is open or taking a lot of quick shots without any puck movement or deception. Last season, his shoot-heavy style paid off with 35 goals and forming some much-needed chemistry with Jonathan Huberdeau at even strength. Kadri’s best seasons have always come when he wasn’t his team’s top center and that isn’t the case in Calgary right now. He produces enough to make you happy, but there is always something missing that keeps him from being considered a true 1c. He is good enough at most things to play at that spot, but you always wish his shooting, playmaking and defensive play were about 10% better if he’s going to be one of your best players.

Jonathan Huberdeau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	40	64	0.80

With the cap rising and Calgary going through a retool, using Huberdeau is becoming less about justifying his $10.5 mil. salary and more about getting him producing like a first liner again. While he’s an elite playmaker, Huberdeau was never the easiest guy to plug-and-play into a lineup. He plays at a slower pace and is always two or three steps ahead of the play, which can be a game-breaker but also a detriment if his linemates aren’t on the same page as him. It was the latter for his first two years in Calgary, but last year was a major step to getting him back on the right track. He began to play as more of a complementary piece rather than someone who needs the puck to go through him, going to the net to jump on rebounds and cheating a little bit in the defensive zone to get breakaway opportunities. Also posing as more of a shooting threat from the left circle on the power play, which caught some teams off-guard early on. Huberdeau’s always been a high-percentage shooter, but he was so one-dimensional in how he played that it didn’t yield many goals. His newfound willingness to shoot along with how selective he is in how he gets his shots helped Huberdeau have his best season with the Flames so far. Even without it, there is some increased trust in Huberdeau as a key piece of the roster, as he was added to the penalty kill along with playing top line minutes at even strength for the entire year.

Joel Farabee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	16	28	0.36

Just a year ago, Farabee looked like a reliable second- or third-line option as a speedy winger who could pitch in with some offence. He was one of the Flyers consistent bright spots in what’s been a dismal stretch of hockey for the franchise. Unfortunately, last year was one to forget for him. There wasn’t much that changed as far as his process went. He still was one of the better players on the team at carrying the puck into the zone and did an excellent job of getting chances off the rush. Farabee just couldn’t find the back of the net to save his life, and it wasn’t from a lack of trying as he was second on the team in dividual scoring chances at five-on-five. It’s something most expected to get better and it never did, not even stints on the top line with Konecny and Couturier could solve it. He was ultimately traded to Calgary and things didn’t get better. They started him on the Kadri line but he was shifted all over the lineup with stints on a checking unit with Mikael Backlund before ultimately finishing the season on the fourth line. Farabee isn’t far removed from a 50-point season, so there is hope that he can turn the corner with some better shooting luck next year. How much of a leash Calgary gives him in the top six will likely decide how he does. He’s paid more than some of their options, so they will try to get him going and his quick-strike ability off the rush gives him an element some of their other wingers don’t have.

Mikael Backlund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	24	38	0.46

Now one of the longest tenured players in the league, Backlund has been the Flames bedrock through numerous coaches and roster reconstructions. He is the ideal iteration of the modern shutdown center, as he excels at flipping possession on his own through strong zone exits, setting the table for the next line to play their shift in the offensive zone. He brings this same level of aggression on the penalty kill as well, he is routinely one of the league leaders in shorthanded shots and zone entries, combine that with how reliable he is on faceoffs, and it’s hard to ask for much more from your shutdown center. Finding a replacement will be incredibly difficult for the Flames and they are seeing some of these problems now. Backlund is now 36 years old and still plays high-end second line minutes and scores like a third liner now. He’s capable offensively, but his game is very simple and straight-forward, which can work on the third line but less so when you’re playing 18 minutes a night in addition to being on the power play. Calgary just doesn’t have any better options and Backlund’s game is likely going to stay where its at or decline as he gets closer to 40. These are problems for further down the road, as Backlund currently plays an important role as a steady presence and easing some of Calgary’s younger forwards into the NHL.

Morgan Frost

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	15	25	40	0.49

Frost had an interesting start to his Flames career with nine of his 12 points coming on the power play and when you look at the clips of the goals, only or two came off a direct play from him. This isn’t to say he didn’t earn those points, because he did a lot to set the table for those goals by either getting the puck into the zone cleanly or moving it from high to low as the quarterback from the left side. Frost brings a lot of raw skill to the table and it’s not always easy to point out because so much of what he does involves things like that, building the play up rather than making the highlight reel pass or goal. He did score a couple nice goals off the rush and has excellent hands, but you don’t see a lot of dazzling or high impact plays from him. It’s tough for a player to carve out a role like this because he’s probably not going to be a point-producer and it’s easier to stick on the third line if you’re a more physical player or a defensive specialist, something Frost isn’t. Frost does fill the type of niche that could work in Calgary, though. With Backlund soaking up the defensive minutes, there is room for more a scoring-focused third line that Frost could slide into. The problem is Frost excels at setting the table for higher skilled linemates who can take advantage of the open space, something that you don’t always get on the third line. He did enough last year to warrant more of a look and the door is open for him to step into some kind of scoring role, even if it’s only on the second power play unit.

Matt Coronato

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	28	27	55	0.69

You don’t have to watch Coronato for long to figure out what his game is all about. He is all offence all the time, always skating downhill and usually leaned over in a shooting posture. It’s easy for a smaller forward like him to get lost in the shuffle, but he found a lot of creative ways to make time and space for himself to get his shot off. Coronato had a knack for corralling inaccurate passes or getting his own rebound off a block to score on a turnaround shot. He did a marvelous job of creating chances you don’t typically see a lot of in the NHL with how he would pull away from the net to create more of a swooping wrist shot that caught more than a few goaltenders off-guard. It was impressive enough for the Flames to re-sign him for seven years, making him part of their core for the long haul. Coronato excelled when the play was moving downhill, creating most of his offence off the rush with a good majority of them coming off turnovers in the neutral zone. This speaks highly of his ability as a game-breaker but also shows where he can improve, as his linemates had to do most of the work with the puck for him in the other two zones. From the blue line in, he was dynamite, developing a more all-around game offensively is the next step.

Blake Coleman

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	14	24	38	0.46

Coleman repeating his 30-goal season was a longshot and the Flames probably knew that going into last season. His returning to being a 15 goal/39 point guy wasn’t a huge blow as some other wingers in Calgary picked up the slack and Coleman brings so much more to the table. He’s one of the least appreciated two-way wingers in the league, which feels silly to say about a two-time Cup winner but even then you never heard his name thrown around for the Selke despite him checking most of the boxes for the award. Like Backlund, he is one of the most trusted forwards on the team, excellent at flipping possession through good zone exits and he does very well with playing the keep-away game in the offensive zone. He can also strike on the rush when the opportunity is there, as he’s deceptively good with the puck when playing with speed. He keeps the Flames at a decent base level with his solid defensive play, especially on the penalty kill, and it’s why he usually plays top six minutes even though he has more of a third line skillset. Coleman pushed to the third line would be good news for Calgary because he is more properly slotted there and they do need more proven scorers. He is also reaching the end of his contract, so he’s an interesting trade piece if Calgary opts to go that route.

Yegor Sharangovich

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	19	15	34	0.43

Sharangovich’s second year in Calgary was tough out of the gate, missing almost all of October after suffering an injury in the final preseason game. He struggled to follow up his 30-goal season as he went through prolonged cold spells and was even healthy scratched for a couple games late in the year. Goal-scorers like him aren’t immune to struggles but the problem was he wasn’t even creating chances, seeing his shot rate dip from 9.03 shots per 60 minutes to 6.39, the lowest rate of his career. Sharangovich is usually more of a high quality/low quantity shooter, but he was struggling to even get the high danger scoring chances this past season, going from 4.40 chances per 60 minutes to 2.67. What’s even more alarming is that both his shot and chance production have been steadily declining since arriving in Calgary and he’s only one year into a five-year contract. It’s uncertain how much injuries affected him, but it would explain a lot of what went wrong. He’s someone who plays more off the puck, focusing more on getting open and letting the higher-skilled linemates find him, but he has enough skill to make the build-up plays to help connect the dots with his linemates. This past year, he was much less involved overall, and Calgary is hoping a clean bill of health will get Sharangovich back on track.

Connor Zary

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	16	23	39	0.54

One could argue that Zary has shown the most potential out of the Flames young corps. He already has an impressive collection of highlight reel goals and isn’t shy about trying to stick-handle through defenders. His all-around play has also come around nicely as Calgary is usually on the right side of the scoring chance battle when he’s on the ice. He’s also been able to mold his game to fit what his linemates need, acting as more of a playmaker alongside Kadri and Pospisal and playing more of a direct, shoot-first game with a revolving door of linemates this past season. Zary is still figuring out his game at the NHL level, so the instability with linemates didn’t do him any favors. He didn’t have a lot of help with guys setting him up, so he had to be a one-man show for most of his offence. While impressive, it’s not the most sustainable way to stick in the NHL unless you’re a superstar. Zary showed he could be a good playmaker in his rookie season but didn’t have anyone to setup this year, so it was on him to carry the production on his lines. He also suffered two knee injuries in the second half of the year, which derailed most of his momentum. The good news from the off-season was that he won’t require surgery and should be ready for training camp, so this year is another fresh start for the young winger to take things to the next level.

DEFENCE

Mackenzie Weegar

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	9	41	50	0.61

An interesting way to look at Weegar is asking what it will take for him to represent Team Canada at the Olympics instead of only the World Championships, because he checks most of the boxes to be on their roster. As a right-handed defenceman who skates well, he’s already a wanted commodity and he has an underrated dynamic offensive skillset. Great at walking the blue-line, anticipating where the puck is going and getting shots through, Weegar fits the mold of the modern NHL defenceman to a T. Complementary to the forwards while having the mobility to cover for his mistakes when they happen. His 20-goal season in 2024 was likely a result of him carrying the burden of the offence and some of that was lessened this past year, taking fewer shots and being less involved in general from that scope. He made up for it by carrying the defence on his back, playing mostly with guys looking to break into the top four and making their jobs easier. Weegar is one of the most heavily taxed defencemen in the league with how many pucks he has to retrieve and he is one of the best at turning them into clean exits, a master at bumping the puck to himself off the wall to create a lane for himself or subtly poking the puck away from a forward to start an exit. He is great at attacking from angles, recovering on plays where he’s beat wide and patrols the front of the net well despite being a smaller defender. He is still the Flames “do it all” player for the foreseeable future.

Rasmus Andersson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	8	26	34	0.45

Along with Weegar, Andersson is one of the Flames rocks on the blue line. He’s a slower skater but covers more ground with his long stride and uses his upper body well to pick up speed when he needs to. He spent most of last season alongside a more aggressive-minded defenceman in Kevin Bahl, so Andersson had to be more selective with jumping into the play, as he doesn’t have the footspeed to recover if he gets caught. He was effective when he got to join the offence, posting another double-digit goal season. His defensive play was somewhat of a mixed bag, as he played somewhat of a passive role there. Andersson uses his frame well to square up on puck-carriers entering the zone, but once the puck got into the zone is where his skills were limited. Wanting Bahl to play physical, Andersson spent most of his time patrolling the front of the net and had to deal with a lot of forecheck pressure if he got a chance to move the puck. It was normal for him to have periods or entire games where the only time he got to touch the puck was to move it along the wall. Sometimes it paid off, as he did well as the late guy coming on counter-attack chances, but those only happen so often and most of Andersson’s ice time was spent trying to put out fires in his own zone. He still had a solid offensive season despite this, but the heavy workload and responsibility appeared to be too much for Andersson to handle at times and it will be interesting to see how teams value him when he hits the free agent market next year.

Jake Bean

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	4	10	14	0.19

Calgary seemed like a good landing spot for the former first round pick, a high-end offensive defenceman in WHL and AHL. There was an open top four spot that he could feasibly jump into and he filled a void on a team looking for a puck-mover. The offence still hasn’t come around for him, but there is a spot for a puck-mover with some size on any NHL roster and Bean was still somewhat of an unknown commodity after an injury-riddled stint in Columbus. His first year with the Flames was spent primarily on the third pair with some penalty kill duty mixed in. With power play time being hard to come by with Weegar and Andersson ahead of him on the depth chart, Bean had to toe the line between playing safe to stay in the lineup or showing the aggressive offensive side of his game. He is the type that wants to look for the extra pass or make a 50-foot breakout to spring a breakaway if nothing is open. Those risks don’t come back to haunt if you’re playing sheltered minutes as he did, but they did when he got a brief audition on Weegar’s partner late in the season. Thus, Bean had to play a safe game most of the time, and he had a modest season with okay numbers.

Kevin Bahl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	21	25	0.30

Making the jump to a full-time top four defenceman made Kevin Bahl a very rich man this summer. His five year, $32.1 million contract was somewhat of a shock to the hockey world because points are usually what gets you paid and Bahl set a career high with only 20. It was also only his second full year in the league, but he showed a lot of value as a defensive presence. He also fits the trend the league is going in as a massive, physical defenceman who isn’t a butcher with the puck. Will he make a lot highlight reel plays? Probably not, but he can make the 10-15 foot passes to kickstart the breakout or help you re-enter the zone. There are pros and cons to how aggressive he plays because while he can kill a lot of cycles, shiftier forwards know how to get around him and there is a feast-or-famine element to his game because of that. This is especially true with how he defends his blue line, always looking to square up on the puck-carrier or go for the big hit. When it works, it’s great, when it doesn’t, it’s a fire drill. The bigger, physical defensemen started to get phased out of the league a few years ago, but the newer breed of players like Bahl offer more versatility to their games rather than being out there to deliver hits and block shots. Not a lot of defencemen of Bahl’s stature or point production get the minutes or the contract he did, so it will be interesting to see which similar players emerge.

Goal

Dustin Wolf

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
57	25	22	6	3	.906	2.80

The Calgary Flames just barely missed the postseason last year, but it certainly wasn't for lack of a star-powered goaltender. So, it appears they entered the off-season with the logic that things shouldn't be fixed unless they're broken - and while they did make a slight change with their backup options in net, they've officially given up-and-comer Dustin Wolf their vote of confidence as the team's clear-cut number one. They'll enter the 2025-26 season with one of the most economically friendly goaltending tandems in the entire NHL, offering Wolf as their starter still on his first post-entry level deal for just $850,000, and then recent North American returnee Ivan Prosvetov for only $100,000 more than Wolf.

Like Dan Vladar before him, Prosvetov will serve as a fun foil for Wolf in net; he's as lanky and fluid with his movement as Wolf is short, compact, and precise. After a tough go with Colorado during the 2023-24 season, though, Prosvetov made an interesting move; instead of continuing to attempt fighting it out in an NHL depth chart to prove himself, the Russian-born former Coyotes prospect opted to sign a one-year deal in the KHL and head back home. His numbers with CSKA Moscow suggest it was the right move; he put up one of his best seasons since coming to North America as a teen, and his play looked like he regained his confidence and rhythm enough to make this a clever educated gamble for Calgary. As a bonus, if he doesn't work out, they have an eager Devin Cooley waiting in the wings - and with Wolf's inevitable contract extension coming up, they aren't going to be strapped to pay their star what he wants. Now, it's just a matter of seeing just how good he can be this year - and if Calgary can finally return to the postseason.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anaheim Ducks

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

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

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

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

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

Dallas Stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Los Angeles Kings

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York Islanders

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

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

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

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

New York Rangers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Philadelphia Flyers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tampa Bay Lightning

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

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

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

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

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

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

Washington Capitals

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – What about the Maple Leafs is not working? – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 16:05:37 +0000

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 24: Toronto Maple Leafs Winger William Nylander (88) skates with the puck during the NHL regular season game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 24, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

The Maple Leafs are going through a bit of a rough patch, losing their past three games and six of their last nine. Even after factoring in that slump, though, they have an impressive 30-19-2 record. This downturn is also coming at a time when they’re missing one of their top forwards in John Tavares (lower body) as well as the continued absence of Anthony Stolarz (knee).

Toronto seems to be a city of anxiety when it comes to the Leafs, brought on by years of playoff disappointments, so success seems to be treated with an asterisk whereas slumps come with an “Oh boy, here we go again” attitude, but given the overall success of this team thus far in 2024-25 and the recent injuries, would it be best to dismiss the recent struggles as just the type of stretch that every good team goes through, or is there really an underlining issue being exposed?

Certainly, this is still a good team, but when people express those doubts about Toronto, they’re not disputing that. Instead, they’re saying this team isn’t good enough to be regarded as a serious Stanley Cup contender, and by that standard, I do think this stretch highlights an area of real concern. Toronto has managed just one goal in each of its past three games and ranks 13th in goals per game this campaign with 3.04. For a team that’s built around four elite forwards, to have a lack of offense is rather discouraging.

In fact, 74.5 percent of Toronto’s cap is eaten by forwards compared to 54.3 percent for Winnipeg (3.58 goals per game) and 56.5 percent for Tampa Bay (3.48 goals per game). In fact, the only other team close to the Maple Leafs in terms of the percentage of their cap spent on forwards is Washington, but while the Capitals are at 74.7 percent, their situation is weird because Nicklas Backstrom ($9.2 million against the cap) and TJ Oshie ($5.75 million against the cap) are on LTIR. Even if we were talking apples to apples, though, at least Washington is getting value at 3.49 goals per game.

So, what is it about Toronto that isn’t working? You’ve probably already guessed because it is the common argument against the Maple Leafs’ way of doing things: If you spend $46.65 million on four forwards (Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Tavares and Mitch Marner), then you don’t have much left over for the rest of your forward corps.

On another team, that could be supplemented by young players on entry-level contracts or players locked to team-friendly contracts. Toronto doesn’t have much of either on the forward side of things. Part of that is because for years now, Toronto has been trading futures for playoff runs that didn’t materialize.

The notable exception is Matthew Knies, who has 18 goals and 31 points in 47 appearances this campaign, but even that is about to go away given that this is the last season of his entry-level contract. Outside of him and the Big Four, no Maple Leafs player has reached the 15-goal or 25-point mark.

That also makes them particularly vulnerable to absences, such as the current one by Tavares. It does have to be said that Toronto did fairly well without Matthews during stretches of the campaign, but that was due to strong goaltending rather than other forwards filling the void. In Toronto’s first stint without Matthews from Nov. 5-27, the team went 7-2-0 despite averaging just 2.89 goals per game. Toronto was a mixed 3-3-0 during Matthews second absence from Dec. 21-Jan. 2 and once again managed just 2.83 goals per game.

That strong goaltending has been the backbone of the Maple Leafs this campaign, but we’ve seen vulnerability there since Dec. 14 with Toronto allowing 3.32 goals per game. It’s not coincidental that the Maple Leafs’ dip in goaltending is what’s made Toronto’s underwhelming offense -- something that’s nothing new this campaign -- gain attention. A lot can be forgiven or ignored as long as the team collectively is winning. It’s also not coincidental that Dec. 14 to present covers Toronto’s span without Stolarz, who had been terrific before getting hurt with a 9-5-2 record, 2.15 GAA and .927 save percentage in 17 appearances.

When Stolarz comes back, perhaps he’ll resume his dominant play, and Toronto’s mediocre scoring will once again seem acceptable. Once thing this stretch has highlighted, though: The Maple Leafs need him. Unlike some older versions of the Maple Leafs who were driven by offense, this team hasn’t consistently shown an ability to impress when not backed up by great goaltending.

Calgary Flames (Tue vs TOR, Thu vs COL, Sat vs SEA)

The Flames will wrap up their schedule before the 4 Nations Face-Off with a trio of home games. They’ll host Toronto on Tuesday, Colorado on Thursday and Seattle on Saturday. It’s fairly tough competition, but I wanted to highlight them anyway to discuss the trade that sent Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier and two draft picks (2025 second rounder, 2028 seventh rounder) in exchange for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee.

In terms of what Calgary gave up, the 23-year-old Pelletier is a former first-round pick, but hasn’t developed into a top six forward yet, supplying four goals and 11 points in 24 outings this season before the trade. Meanwhile, Kuzmenko is a former 39-goal scorer, but he’s struggled to do much of anything with the Flames in 2024-25, collecting four goals and 15 points in 37 outings. In other words, the Flyers got some interesting pieces in this trade, but Calgary isn’t losing assets that were likely to help the squad in the short term.

The best piece Calgary got in exchange for that was Frost, who has 11 goals and 25 points in 49 appearances in 2024-25 after recording 41 and 46 points in 2023-24 and 2022-23, respectively. He’s a solid third-line center who looks fine on the draw with a 51.6 winning percentage this year. Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund will probably play ahead of Frost up the middle, and when Connor Zary (knee) comes back, Zary might shift to the wing to play alongside the newly acquired Flyers center.

Frost isn’t likely to turn heads, but he should be a nice secondary scorer for a team struggling to find the back of the net (2.68 goals per game). The only potential sticking point is Frost couldn’t complete Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to New Jersey, which might indicate he’s dealing with an injury. It’s probably nothing serious if the Flames pulled the trigger on this trade, but perhaps it will delay his debut with the Flames.

When it comes to Farabee, he’s another middle-six forward. The 24-year-old did look like he was on track to become more than that last campaign when he supplied 22 goals and 50 points in 82 games, but he’s regressed this year with eight goals and 19 points in 50 outings. Perhaps a fresh start with Calgary will do him some good, but he’ll probably begin his stint with Calgary on the third line with Frost (assuming Frost is healthy).

For the 25-18-7 Flames, the question is if these moves are enough to win them a playoff spot. The team is still very dependent on Dustin Wolf to be stellar in goal -- his 19-8-2 record, 2.51 GAA and .917 save percentage in 29 appearances is a big part of the reason Calgary’s in this position -- but this should at least give him a bit more goal support.

Chicago Blackhawks (Wed vs EDM, Fri vs NSH, Sat @ STL)

The Blackhawks will get to rest up early this week before hosting the Oilers on Wednesday and Predators on Friday. Chicago will then travel to St. Louis for a clash Saturday.

In most cases, I’d label the 18-24-7 Predators and 23-24-4 Blues are favorable matchups, but we’re talking about Chicago…so that doesn’t really work. Chicago is 16-30-5, giving the franchise good odds of getting a top two pick for the third straight campaign. The silver lining is that sets the stage for the Blackhawks to have an amazing core to build around, but in the meantime, Connor Bedard is burning the second year of his entry-level contract on a team that’s not giving him much to work with.

Not that Bedard is putting up Connor McDavid-like numbers, but the Blackhawks sophomore is doing his part with 14 goals and 44 points in 50 games. There’s only so much he can do when only one other player on the team, Teuvo Teravainen, has more than 30 points. Chicago also recently dealt Taylor Hall to Carolina, and while he wasn’t living up to expectations with the Blackhawks, his nine goals and 24 points in 46 outings was still good enough to rank fifth among forwards in Chicago’s scoring race before the trade.

Ryan Donato, who ranks third with 29 points (15 goals) in 49 outings, might be gone soon too. The 28-year-old is in the final season of his two-year, $4 million contract, so it’s fair to believe Chicago will jump at the opportunity to move him for a pick or prospect.

Seth Jones, who is only in the third season of his eight-year, $76 million contract, is likely to stay, though. That contract hasn’t looked great for Chicago and with the benefit of hindsight, the timing was awkward given the Blackhawks’ performance over the life of it. However, Jones has his moments, and he’s going through one of them. The 30-year-old blueliner has recorded at least a point in each of his past seven appearances, giving him two goals and 10 points in that span. If you’re looking for someone who will provide value this week in Chicago outside of Bedard, Jones is your best bet.

Los Angeles Kings (Wed vs MTL, Fri vs DAL, Sat vs ANA)

The Kings will spend the week at home, facing Montreal, Dallas and Anaheim on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, respectively. They’ll try to enter the break on a positive note after going 2-7-1 from Jan. 11-30.

Los Angeles’ recent slump is due in large part to a lack of scoring. The Kings have managed three or more goals just once in that 10-game span. Anze Kopitar has been noticeably quiet. The 37-year-old is having a great campaign overall with 12 goals and 43 points through 49 appearances, but he’s supplied just four assists over his past 13 outings. It should just be a matter of time before the veteran gets going again, but perhaps fantasy managers should consider benching him until that time comes.

Phillip Danault has left plenty to be desired too after collecting only two points (one goal) across his last 11 games. He’s now on pace to record just 38 points this season, which would make it the first time he’s ever finished below the 40-point mark in a season where he’s logged at least 70 games.

Obviously, the slump has skewed the scoring pace downward, but there are areas of concern beyond that. Perhaps the most discouraging aspect of his game is his complete lack of power-play production. He had nine points with the man advantage last season and a career-high 20 in 2022-23, but he still hasn’t found the scoresheet on the power play this campaign. To make matters worse for him, with Drew Doughty back, Danault might find himself shifting out of the power-play makeup entirely.

Speaking of Doughty, he made his season debut following a knee injury without any sort of time management to ease him back in. He logged 23:51 of ice time Wednesday and another 27:43 the very next day. He didn’t get any points over his first two contests, but the Kings were shutout of back-to-back games, so that’s less of a Doughty thing and more of a byproduct of the team’s overall slump.

Los Angeles is a good enough team to overcome its recent struggles, and Doughty should be an effective defender the rest of the way. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him collect 15-20 points over what’s left of the campaign.

Montreal Canadiens (Tue @ SJS, Wed @ LAK, Sat vs NJD, Sun vs TBL)

The Canadiens are one of just a handful of squads set to play four games next week. They’ll start on the road with contests in San Jose on Tuesday and Los Angeles on Wednesday. Afterward, Montreal will host the Devils on Saturday and the Lightning on Sunday.

The Canadiens battled their way back in the playoff conversation by going 13-3-1 from Dec. 17-Jan. 21, but some of that momentum has been lost after dropping their past four games (0-3-1). Unfortunately, Jakub Dobes has lost some of his initial magic. He burst onto the scene by stopping 103 of 107 shots (.963 save percentage) across his first four starts -- all wins -- but he’s allowed at least three goals in each of his past three outings.

The 23-year-old is a promising netminder who has a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 14 AHL appearances this season, but he’s not presently one of the best goaltenders in the world. A drop off from his hot start isn’t shocking and you similarly shouldn’t be surprised if he’s able to work his way back from it. He should average out to be a pretty decent rookie for the Canadiens in the second half of the campaign, but it would be too much to hope for Dobes to drag Montreal into the playoffs.

If the Canadiens are going to feature in the postseason, it will probably need to be the offense leading the charge. Patrik Laine has slumped recently too, though, being held off the scoresheet in each of his past three outings. Laine tends to be a very streaky scorer who sometimes seems unstoppable and on other occasions is a nonfactor. If he’s on your team, you have to work around these cold patches. Benching him wouldn’t be the worst idea in the short term but put him right back into the mix the second he finds the back of the net because one goal from him often kicks off a new hot streak.

When Laine starts going again, it should also help Lane Hutson, who is on a four-game scoring drought. Hutson isn’t solely dependent on Laine for offense, but it’s fair to say that the two have found chemistry, especially with the man advantage, so what’s good for one is often good for the other.

Hutson is also just one point shy of 40. The last time the Canadiens had a rookie defenseman hit that milestone was 1984-85 when Chris Chelios and Tom Kurvers surpassed that mark. The only other rookie blueliner to ever reach that milestone in franchise history was Guy Lapointe in 1970-71.

Ottawa Senators (Mon @ NSH, Tue @ TBL, Thu @ TBL, Sat @ FLA)

During a busier week, I wouldn’t be highlighting the Senators because they have a rather tough schedule, but because they’re one of the rare squads set to play in four games, I’ll feature them anyway. The Senators will be on the road all week, starting in Nashville on Monday before playing two games in Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Thursday. Ottawa will then conclude the week in Florida on Saturday.

In contrast to the Canadiens, Ottawa has won its last three games, bringing the Senators up to an 8-2-1 record dating back to Jan. 11. That’s propelled Ottawa to the third spot in the Atlantic Division, just four points behind Toronto and five shy of Florida.

If you had suggested at the beginning of the campaign that this would be the Senators’ position, many would have assumed that it was a sign that Linus Ullmark had worked out superbly, and while the goaltender does have an impressive 2.38 GAA and .915 save percentage, he’s been limited to 23 outings due to injury and hasn’t played since Dec. 22.

Even with him gone, though, goaltending hasn’t been an issue. Leevi Merilainen has looked fantastic, posting a 7-3-1 record, 2.19 GAA and .921 save percentage in 11 appearances. Although Anton Forsberg hasn’t been nearly as effective overall, he’s done his part recently too with a 3-1-0 record, 2.19 GAA and a .922 save percentage over his last five outings.

Ullmark is close to returning, so it will be interesting to see what Ottawa does next. The path of least resistance would be to send Merilainen back to the minors because he’s waiver-exempt. It feels wrong to demote a goaltender who has been doing this good, but you also need to keep in mind that he’s 22 years old. He might not get many starts in a scenario where all three goaltenders are healthy, so it’s probably better for his development if he’s with AHL Belleville and playing regularly.

That scenario assumes Forsberg can at least do adequately as the backup. He’s done well lately but still hasn’t been great overall, posting a 2.87 GAA and an .893 save percentage across 19 outings in 2024-25. If he starts struggling again, then Ottawa could push him to the side. At the very least, Forsberg has less job security now than he had at the beginning of the campaign.

Perhaps the Senators will consider seeing if there is a taker for Forsberg on the trade market. There might not be much demand for him, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s an avenue they’ve explored. Whatever consideration they gave to the possibility of trading Claude Giroux is probably over, though. The 37-year-old is in the final year of his contract, so it would have made sense to move him before the Senators got hot, but now that a playoff berth is looking realistic, there’s little reason to move one of their top six forwards, so fans of other contenders can likely cross him off their wish list.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Tue vs OTT, Thu vs OTT, Sat @ DET, Sun @ MTL)

Ottawa has surpassed Tampa Bay in the standing, but the Lightning will have an opportunity to reclaim their spot. As noted above, Tampa Bay is set to host the Senators on Tuesday and Thursday. After those two key games, Tampa Bay will hit the road, playing in Detroit on Saturday and Montreal on Sunday.

It might be a bit much to say Tampa Bay is slumping -- the Lightning earned a 3-0 win over LA on Thursday -- but at the least, the results have been mild recently. Dating back to Dec. 29, Tampa Bay has a record of 7-9-1.

The Lightning have scored just 2.47 goals per game during that 17-game stretch, so it’s fair to say offense has been at the heart of the problem. That’s despite Nikita Kucherov providing an impressive seven goals and 22 points in that span.

However, a lot of other players are a step below what they’re capable of producing. Kucherov’s typical linemates, Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point aren’t enduring a full-blown drought, but they’re usually better than the 13 and 10 points, respectively, they’ve collected over the past 17 games. Brandon Hagel (six goals, 14 points) and Victor Hedman (three goals, 12 points) have largely held their own over that stretch too, but their overall scoring pace has declined relative to what it was before Dec. 29.

Taken on their own, the dip of any of those four high-end producers wouldn’t be a big deal, but to have all four of them drop at the same time is noteworthy. That’s compounded by the more significant decline Anthony Cirelli has suffered. After averaging a point-per-game through his first 32 outings (14 goals, 18 assists), he’s managed just two goals and seven points across his past 17 appearances.

Let’s look at this another way: Of Tampa Bay’s top nine scorers through Dec. 28, only one, Darren Raddysh, has seen his point-per-game pace increase over Tampa Bay’s last 17 games. Meanwhile, seven of the nine have a point-per-game pace from Dec. 29-Jan. 30 that’s at least 26 basis points less than it was from the start of the campaign through Dec. 28. Even Kucherov, who as seen a significant decline between those two stretches -- 1.71 PPG compared to 1.29 PPG.

So, it’s not a one player problem. The team collectively has cooled, and there aren’t players outside of that core who have stepped up to fill the void.

Utah HC (Tue vs PHI, Thu @ CBJ, Sat @ CAR, Sun @ WSH)

Utah has a busy week ahead of it. The Hockey Club will host the Flyers on Tuesday before hitting the road with clashes in Columbus on Thursday, Carolina on Saturday and Washington on Sunday.

This has nothing to do with fantasy hockey, but I got to note that Utah will apparently not be able to use the nickname Yeti or Yetis, per The Salt Lake Tribune. That leaves the finalists as the Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws or sticking with Utah Hockey Club. I’ll be honest, I don’t like any of those options, but a good logo and time can cause branding to grow on people.

I just hope they don’t stick with Hockey Club. As a placeholder, I get it, and I understand it’s a perfectly common name in other sports -- as someone from Toronto, Toronto FC immediately jumps to mind, and that’s one of many MLS teams using FC. However, to me, Hockey Club feels like the absence of identity rather than an identity in and of itself. At the end of the day, though, it’s not for me to decide. The fans of the team are what matter here, but if I was picking, that would be last on my list.

Clayton Keller jerseys should sell regardless. He certainly is playing well enough to deserve it. He has 18 goals and 54 points in 49 appearances, and Keller’s been consistent too, not being held off the scoresheet for more than two games in a row this campaign.

Logan Cooley is sure to help define the Utah franchise too. The 20-year-old sophomore is enjoying a breakout campaign with 15 goals and 43 points in 50 appearances. However, Utah will have to get along without him for a while because he suffered a lower-body injury Wednesday and is regarded as being out indefinitely. That’s on top of the absence of Dylan Guenther (lower body), who has 16 goals and 34 points in 40 outings, but hasn’t played since Jan. 8.

With both of them gone, Josh Doan seems set to serve in a top six capacity and the first power-play unit. He hasn’t done much with his opportunities so far this campaign, collecting just two goals and five points in 19 outings, but he does still have upside and is worth keeping an eye on.

We might also see Matias Maccelli get a fresh opportunity. Maccelli has averaged just 13:58 of ice time this campaign and was even a healthy scratch Wednesday, but with Cooley out, Maccelli could find himself on the second unit. Maccelli has just 17 points (eight goals) in 48 outings this campaign, but he had 49 points in 2022-23 and 57 points last season, so a comeback isn’t out of the question.

Vegas Golden Knights (Tue @ NYI, Thu @ NJD, Sat 2 BOS)

Vegas will be on the road next week, playing against the Islanders on Tuesday, New Jersey on Thursday and Boston on Saturday. All of those adversaries are in the mix for a playoff spot, but only the Devils are a safe bet to make the postseason at this time.

Vegas seems all-but certain to make the playoffs too given its 31-15-6 record, but the Golden Knights have faltered recently, going 3-6-3 over their past 12 games. Vegas, which had been doing fairly well on the injury front, also got some bad news there. William Karlsson (lower body) has missed the past five games and isn’t close to returning. Cole Schwindt (lower body) will probably be out for a while too.

The Golden Knights attempted to help fill that void by inking Brandon Saad to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Saad was an unrestricted free agent because he and the Blues mutually agreed to terminate what was left on his remaining on his five-year, $22.5 million contract, which would have run through 2025-26. Even after signing that deal with Vegas, Saad has cost himself millions of dollars by agreeing to walk away from his old deal, but that also highlights how much value he puts on playing in the NHL.

The Blues waived him Tuesday and he cleared because no team wanted his old $4.5 million cap hit. Saad could have simply reported to the minors and collected his paycheck, but the 32-year-old instead took this path, which led him to a fresh opportunity with Vegas.

Although he hasn’t been terribly productive this campaign, recording seven goals and 16 points in 43 outings with St. Louis, he can be an effective middle-six winger. Vegas will likely give him an opportunity to play on the third unit, perhaps alongside Raphael Lavoie and Nicolas Roy. Saad might also get a look on the second power-play unit, but that’s far from certain.

I wouldn’t expect big things from Saad, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he proves to be serviceable with his new team. He also might end up doing a little better when Karlsson returns -- it's entirely feasible Saad and Karlsson will end up playing together when that happens with Roy shifting to the fourth line.

One player Saad is less likely to play with is Tomas Hertl, which is a shame for Saad because Hertl is red hot. The 31-year-old is on an 11-game scoring streak in which he’s provided nine goals and 15 points. Funny enough, he has a neutral plus/minus, even during that terrific stretch, keeping him at a team-worst minus-10 overall. Hertl looks more appealing in terms of possession stats -- his 5v5 relative Corsi and Fenwick are plus-1.8 and plus-4.0, respectively, which suggests the team performs better when he’s on the ice -- but it seems plus/minus is destined to be the one area where he underperforms.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Avalanche and Hurricanes make blockbuster deal, Flames and Flyers swing four-player swap, the Islanders renovate their blueline, McTavish, Smith, and Slafkovsky are some young forwards picking up steam and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:30:21 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Carolina Hurricanes Right Wing Mikko Rantanen (96) in action prior to the National Hockey League game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers on January 28, 2025 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the Avalanche and Hurricanes made a blockbuster deal, the Flames and Flyers swing a four-player swap, the Islanders renovate their blueline, and Mason McTavish, Will Smith, and Juraj Slafkovsky are some young forwards picking up steam and much more!

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

#1 The Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche made a massive trade last week, a rare in-season move involving star players. The Hurricanes landed Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks in the three-team deal. Rantanen is one of the league’s premier forwards and since the 2020-2021 season, he has averaged 1.27 points per game, ranking seventh in the league. In his first three games with Carolina, Rantanen has a goal and an assist, but also has 13 shots on goal despite seeing his average time on ice drop to 19:06 per game after averaging 22:30 per game in Colorado. Hall’s ice time was reduced in Chicago this season but his 1.88 points per 60 minutes ranked second on the Blackhawks among forwards to play at least 500 five-on-five minutes (behind Ryan Donato). So, while Rantanen might play less after joining a team with Carolina’s depth of talent, Hall might actually find his way to more ice time with the Hurricanes.

#2 Colorado acquired right winger Martin Necas and centre Jack Drury from Carolina. Necas had 55 points in 49 games with Carolina before getting traded and he has put up four assists in three games. The Avalanche have also taken to giving Necas the same kind of role that Rantanen held, so Necas has averaged 23:08 of ice time per game in his first three games for the Avs after playing 18:05 per game in Carolina. Drury is more of a depth option, though he has scored two goals in his first three games for Colorado.

#3 The Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers are both in the hunt for playoff spots and the teams swapped players Thursday. Calgary acquired winger Joel Farabee and centre Morgan Frost, sending wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, along with a couple of draft picks, to Philadelphia. Farabee is a solid complementary winger who scored a career-high 50 points (22 G, 28 A) last season, but has just 19 points (8 G, 11 A) through 50 games this season. He could use the fresh start. Frost has had a bit of a tumultuous run in Philadelphia, especially with John Tortorella as head coach. Frost is a talented player but had one assist and seven shots on goal in his last seven games with the Flyers.

#4 Kuzmenko is a 28-year-old winger who tallied 39 goals and 74 points for Vancouver in 2022-2023, his first season in the NHL, but he has just four goals and 15 points in 37 games this season. He did cross paths with Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov back in the KHL, as Kuzmenko was the leading scorer for SKA St. Petersburg in 2022-2023 when Michkov was just getting his feet wet with that team in the KHL. Perhaps Kuzmenko can help shake Michkov from the slump that has seen him produce just seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past 24 games. Pelletier was a first-round pick in 2019, but it has taken a while for him to show that he belongs in the NHL. He did have six points (3 G, 3 A) in his last nine games for the Flames and the small skilled winger can hope to secure more consistent playing time in Philadelphia.

#5 Injuries have forced the New York Islanders to address their blueline and they have signed Tony DeAngelo, who was playing in the KHL, and acquired Scott Perunovich in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. DeAngelo had 32 points (6 G, 26 A) in 34 games for St. Petersburg in the KHL but still fell out of favor. He has one assist in three games for the Islanders but has averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time per game and is quarterbacking the Islanders top power play unit. Perunovich has recorded an assist in both of his first two games for the Islanders.

#6 Anahiem Ducks centre Mason McTavish started relatively slowly this season, with 19 points (6 G, 13 A) through 40 games. He does have seven points (6 G, 1 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past five games, however, so it’s worth keeping tabs on the 22-year-old. He is skating with Cutter Gauthier and Robby Fabbri at even strength, but McTavish is also getting first-unit power play time.

#7 San Jose Sharks rookie Will Smith has taken some time to find his groove during his first NHL campaign, but it looks like the fourth pick in the 2023 Draft is getting comfortable. He is riding a six-game point streak, during which he has amassed seven points (2 G, 5 A) and is skating on a line with veteran Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund. Granlund has eight points (3 G, 5 A) in his past six games, and with 46 points on the season, he looks like a good bet to hit the 60-point plateau for the fifth time in his career.

#8 There have been some uneven moments in the development path for Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky, the first pick in the 2022 Draft. Despite enjoying great success with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield last season, Slafkovsky has been moved down the depth chart at times this season and he scored four goals (plus 19 assists) in the first 40 games of the season. Since then, Slafkovsky has six points (4 G, 2 A) in eight games and looks a lot more like the power forward who finished last season with 35 points (16 G, 19 A) in his last 40 games.

#9 When the Nashville Predators struggled early in the season, there was concern that centre Tommy Novak wasn’t up to the task of providing much-needed secondary scoring, and he managed just nine points (5 G, 4 A) in his first 35 games. After that inauspicious start to the season, Novak has contributed seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past five games, and is having some success skating with rookies Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux.

#10 Buffalo Sabres left winger JJ Peterka enjoyed a terrific start to the season and then went through a slump in late November and early December, but he has rebounded with 21 points (6 G, 15 A) in his past 20 games, highlighted by his three-goal, one-assist performance in Tuesday’s win over Buffalo. More recently, the Sabres have been running Peterka on a line with rookie Jiri Kulich at centre and Tage Thompson on right wing. Kulich has nine points (5 G, 4 A) in his past 12 games. Thompson, who is more widely rostered than his linemates, has 26 points (14 G, 12 A) in his past 26 games.

#11 Marco Kasper was the eighth pick in the 2022 Draft by the Detroit Red Wings and he was offering an unremarkable rookie season, with seven points (2 G, 5 A) in his first 35 games. Moving up the depth chart has done wonders for the young skilled winger, and he has put up 12 points (7 G, 5 A) and 24 shots on goal in his past 11 games. With Patrick Kane injured, Kasper is skating on the Red Wings’ top line, with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, as well as playing on Detroit’s first power play unit. Given their success, the trio might need to stay together even when Kane returns.

#12 The Toronto Maple Leafs do not get great production out of their defencemen, as Morgan Rielly is Toronto’s highest scoring blueliner with 22 points (3 G, 19 A) in 51 games. Just behind him, though, is veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has six points (1 G, 5 A) in his past five games, giving him 21 points for the season. Just as importantly, Ekman-Larsson is averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time per game in that stretch. The Maple Leafs run five forwards on their top power play unit, with Rielly and Ekman-Larsson on the second unit.

#13 Chicago Blackhawks rookie Frank Nazar was the 13th pick in the 2022 Draft and was tearing up the AHL this season with 24 points (11 G, 13 A) in 21 games and when the Blackhawks made a coaching change, they promoted Nazar shortly thereafter. While he did not have immediate success, there have been signs of progress. He has five points (2 G, 3 A) in his past eight games and is now skating on Connor Bedard’s wing on Chicago’s top line.

#14 Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann has been one their most productive players since the expansion draft, scoring 110 goals and 221 points to lead the franchise. While McCann has been more of a goal scorer as he has emerged as a legitimate offensive threat, he has turned playmaker lately. In his past 13 games, McCann has 12 points (1 G, 11 A) and 17 shots on goal. That low shot total needs to improve because while McCann is not usually a high-volume shooter, 1.3 shots on goal per game is not the stuff of consistent top line scorers.

#15 As the Carolina Hurricanes appear to have pushed their chips all in for this season, there is an opportunity for centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi to fulfill a supporting role. Carolina’s addition of Taylor Hall offers the possibility that Kotkaniemi could have more skill on his wings and Kotkaniemi has produced six points (4 G, 2 A) in his past six games. After scoring 27 points in 79 games last season, Kotkaniemi has already chipped in 25 points (10 G, 15 A) in 52 games this season, so he is developing, even if it might be at a slower pace than the ‘Canes might have initially hoped.

#16 Mammoth Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas is enjoying a breakthrough season and is thriving with a six-game point streak, during which he has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 11 shots on goal. Protas has not been a huge shot generator, so he has been dependent on a shooting percentage of 23.3 percent to score 21 goals in 51 games. His 20 even-strength goals is tied for fifth in the league, behind only Leon Draisaitl (26), Mark Scheifele (22), William Nylander (22), and Tage Thompson (21).

#17 Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper has enjoyed some excellent seasons in his career but he had injury problems when he was with Washington last season, and it was hard to know whether he would be able to bounce back as a 34-year-old goaltender. Saskatoon native Kuemper has been excellent for the Kings, and since the calendar turned to 2025, he has a .938 save percentage in 10 games. Kuemper has 9.65 goals saved above expected this season, which ranks 10th in the NHL, a level of play that the Kings did not have much right to expect.

#18 The Washington Capitals started the season with a goaltending tandem of Charles Lindgren and Logan Thompson and that duo has helped the Capitals to the league’s best record. While there was an even split in the crease for a good portion of the season, Lindgren missed some time with injury, and it allowed Thompson to emerge as the No. 1 option between the pipes for Washington. In his past dozen starts, Thompson has a record of 11-0-1 while posting a .949 save percentage. He earned a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension, nice work for the former USports goaltender.

#19 Veteran Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson is getting a steady diet of starts in the Anaheim net, perhaps showcasing him for a potential trade. Lukas Dostal has played well, establishing himself as the Ducks’ goaltender of the future, and possibly the present, but in his past 11 appearances, Gibson has a .922 save percentage. That kind of performance should help to make Gibson more appealing to a playoff contender that is looking for an upgrade in goal and a move to a team that is more likely to win would certainly improve Gibson’s fantasy value.

#20 Dallas Stars standout defenceman Miro Heiskanen is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, suffered following an unusual hit from Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. Heiskanen will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off, and his absence from the Stars lineup will be every bit as challenging as it will be for Team Finland to be without the rock steady blueliner. With Heiskanen out, Thomas Harley should see more time on the power play. Only three of Harley’s 23 points this season have come via the man advantage.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Werenski pushing Norris Trophy candidacy, Stamkos heating up, Cirelli more than a checking centre, Dorofeyev is a finisher, Kakko making most of fresh start, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:51:37 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 27: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates with the puck during an NHL game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. (Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski is pushing his Norris Trophy candidacy, Steven Stamkos is heating up, Anthony Cirelli is more than a checking centre, Pavel Dorofeyev is a finisher, Kaapo Kakko is making the most of his fresh start, and much more!

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

#1 Many of the players that get addressed in 20 Fantasy Points are players that are available in most leagues, but sometimes players who are rostered are doing noteworthy things. Enter Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski, who had a career-high 57 points last season, but has taken his game to a new level in 2024-2025. Werenski had an assist in Thursday’s 4-1 win over San Jose, giving him 51 points (15 G, 36 A) in 45 games to lead NHL defencemen in scoring. Since 2021-2022, Werenski has 40 goals in 196 games, his 0.20 goals per game ranking third among defencemen, behind only Cale Makar and Roman Josi. Werenski has always been a strong shot generator, but this season he has taken it to a new level, leading all defencemen with 3.96 shots on goal per game. He has 19 points on the power play, one behind Makar who leads all defencemen. All of this is to say that 27-year-old Werenski is performing at the peak of his abilities, and he probably warrants Norris Trophy consideration. He may not be easy to acquire in fantasy leagues, but if you have him, understand that his underlying numbers suggest that his production isn’t likely to go away, so he is a sell-high commodity, if he is going to be sold at all.

#2 After a shockingly slow start to the season, the Nashville Predators have started to turn the corner, though it may be too late to salvage the season. Nevertheless, Steven Stamkos has started to find his range and after scoring a goal against Chicago on Thursday, he has 16 points (8 G, 8 A) in his past 16 games. Only three of those 16 points have come via the power play, so Stamkos is making hay at even strength, centering a line with Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault on his wings.

#3 A former teammate of Stamkos, Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli is enjoying his best offensive season. He scored his 18th goal of the season Thursday, which puts him only two behind the career-high 20 goals that he scored in 79 games last season. Cirelli is skating with Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul on his wings and getting power play time, leading to Cirelli playing a career-high 18:41 per game.

#4 Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev has sniped five goals in his past two games, vaulting into the team lead with 19 goals. Since the holiday break, Dorofeyev has scored seven goals on 32 shots while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time per game in 10 games. He may not continue at the same goal-scoring rate, but if he can continue to produce at least three shots per game and hold down his spot on the Vegas power play, Dorofeyev should continue to be a legitimate offensive threat.

#5 Getting a fresh start in Seattle, right winger Kaapo Kakko is thriving with the Kraken, even while the team has been delivering uneven performances. In his past nine games, Kakko has nine points (3 G, 6 A) and is averaging 17:22 of ice time per game. Sometimes all it takes is an opportunity and Kakko was playing 13:17 per game with the Rangers this season so getting a boost in ice time while skating on a line with Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz seems to be working for him.

#6 Detroit Red Wings rookie winger Marco Kasper picked up a goal and an assist in Thursday’s win at Florida, giving him six points (3 G, 3 A) in his past four games. He had seven points in 35 games before this scoring surge and he’s making the most of his opportunity to play on Detroit’s top line, alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. It might be too soon to give a strong recommendation for Kasper, but if he is going to keep playing on the first line, he might offer some short-term value for as long as that continues.

#7 Chicago Blackhawks winger Teuvo Teravainen had a slow start to the season, producing 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in 30 games, but he has taken on more offensive responsibility since then, contributing 18 points (4 G, 14 A) in 15 games. His shot rates are low, so he is more dependent on assists to maintain his production, but he is also on the Blackhawks’ top power play unit, so chances are there for him to make the most of his playmaking ability.

#8 San Jose Sharks left winger William Eklund saw his production slow down in December, but he has bounced back recently. He has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past seven games. Eklund is in a quality situation with the Sharks, playing on a line with sensational rookie Macklin Celebrini and veteran right winger Tyler Toffoli.

#9 Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello obviously benefits from playing on a line with Kirill Kaprizov, but with Kaprizov injured, Zuccarello has continued to produce. In 10 games since Kaprizov was injured, Zuccarello has 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 23 shots on goal, playing nearly 21 minutes per game. Skating with Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi is still a pretty good place to be, it seems. Zuccarello’s Wild teammate Ryan Hartman has emerged from a long offensive slump to deliver seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past eight games. That followed a stretch of 18 games without a point, which pretty much eliminated his fantasy appeal, so maybe he is rediscovering some value.

#10 Healthy and scoring, veteran Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust has tallied 26 points (12 G, 14 A) in his past 23 games, adding 66 shots on goal while playing more than 20 minutes per game. While the Penguins continue to stumble along, Rust’s production is still high level and since he and Rickard Rakell are holding the wing positions on Sidney Crosby’s line, Rust is likely to continue his high level of productivity.

#11 He seems to move in and out of the doghouse in Philadelphia, but Flyers centre Morgan Frost is cooking lately. He is riding a five-game point streak, during which he has six points (2 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal. There is no question that Frost is skilled enough to be a productive scorer in the NHL, but he is constantly in a battle to prove his all-around game to head coach John Tortorella. With his current spot skating between Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny, Frost is being put in a position to succeed and seems to be making the most of it.

#12 Injuries have taken their toll on Edmonton Oilers winger Viktor Arvidsson, making it difficult for him to transition to his new team this season, but he does seem to be finding his spot now. In his past dozen games, Arvidsson has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 31 shots on goal. He is only averaging 14:24 of ice time in that span, but he is getting reps with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin at even strength, so there is good opportunity for Arvidsson to score like he has in the past as a five-time 20-goal scorer.

#13 There have been so many positive stories out of Columbus when it comes to player production. Even veteran winger James van Riemsdyk is providing secondary scoring. Across his past seven games, van Riemsdyk has contributed eight points (4 G, 4 A) and the 35-year-old with soft hands and a big frame is fitting nicely alongside Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson. At the other end of the experience spectrum for the Blue Jackets, they have called up Luca Del Bel Belluz, a second-round pick from 2022 and he has chipped in three points (1 G, 2 A) in his four NHL games this season after scoring in his NHL debut last season. Del Bel Belluz had 37 points (17 G, 20 A) in 34 AHL games to earn his promotion and it looks like he has no intention of going back.

#14 As the Ottawa Senators try to remain in the playoff hunt while starting goaltender Linus Ullmark is injured, the bulk of the goaltending responsibility has fallen to 22-year-old netminder Leevi Merilainen. He was a third-round pick in 2020 and played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL in 2021-2022 before returning to Finland. He split last season between the AHL and ECHL and had a .901 save percentage in 13 games for Belleville of the AHL. That might not seem like a player ready to solve the goaltending problems of an NHL club, but Merilainen has been stellar since getting called up, going 5-2-1 with a .930 save percentage in eight games for Ottawa.

#15 Since the holiday break, Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin is the leader in individual expected goals in all-situations, with 8.00. What makes that even more impressive is how much better it is than the rest of the league. The rest of the top ten is: Zach Hyman (6.15), Mikko Rantanen (6.01), Dmitri Voronkov (5.51), Brandon Hagel (5.44), Nico Hischier (5.28), Tom Wilson (5.16), Alex Ovechkin (5.14), Leon Draisaitl (5.11), and Tomas Hertl (4.93).

#16 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee has moved back up the depth chart and is producing at a high level once again. Last season, he had 37 points (20 G, 17 A) in 81 games for the Isles, but he has 36 points (20 G, 16 A) through 44 games this season. The 34-year-old left winger is still difficult to contain in front of the net and in his past 11 games, Lee has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) and 31 shots on goal. He is playing with Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal, which is a good combination for Lee, who is not going to carry the puck a lot, but he’s good at getting body position in the offensive zone.

#17 Not everything is working for the Islanders, however. Veteran right winger Kyle Palmieri has two assists and just eight shots on goal in his past eight games, which is not nearly enough for a player who is averaging 17:28 of ice time per game. Palmieri is currently on a line with Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov, but they need to get more from a player who tied his career high with 30 goals last season and surely can be expected to generate more than a single shot per game.

#18 Veteran St. Louis Blues centre Brayden Schenn did not have a great start to this season, but he has been picking up the pace under new head coach Jim Montgomery. Schenn managed just nine points (3 G, 6 A) in 22 games before the Blues fired head coach Drew Bannister, but has produced 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in 24 games under Montgomery. Centering a line with Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou, Schenn is productive once again and could challenge for the ninth 20-goal season of his career.

#19 Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk tends to have an impact on the game whether he is scoring or not, thanks to his physical style of play. That doesn’t mean that the Sens are cool with him not providing offensive contributions and he has failed to register a point in five straight games. Tkachuk has 15 shots on goal and 15 hits in those five games, so it’s not like he is invisible out there, but this is the first stretch of the season that he has gone longer than two games without a point. That probably means that he will find the scoresheet again soon.

#20 Although he continues to be a dominant possession player, with a Corsi better than 55 percent, Vegas Golden Knights centre William Karlsson has hit an offensive slump. In his past nine games, Karlsson has no goals, one assist, and 15 shots on goal. For a player averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game over that time. At even strength, Karlsson is skating between Brett Howden and Alexander Holtz, which could play a part in his lack of recent production.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Team Preview

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 16:00:56 +0000

_{MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 09: Owen Tippett (74) of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on during the third period of the NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens on April 9, 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)}

The Flyers were surprisingly competitive for the first two-thirds of the season, compiling a 29-19-7 record through 55 games. They faded down the stretch, going 9-14-4, leaving them with 87 points (38-33-11), four points behind the Washington Capitals for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While expectations may not have been high entering the season, the Flyers deserve credit for playing a competitive game. They ranked 14th with a Corsi of 51.3% and ninth with an expected goals percentage of 52.3%. Those five-on-five numbers look solid, so what happened? The Flyers had the worst power play in the league, scoring 4.35 goals per 60 minutes. On the other hand, Philadelphia ranked fourth in penalty killing with 5.99 goals against per 60 minutes. That neutralized the special teams battle somewhat, so the determining factor was that the Flyers had a .884 save percentage, which ranked last in the league. With Carter Hart removed from the team due to legal issues, goaltender Samuel Ersson was pressed into the starter’s role, and he ended up playing in 51 games, which was a big jump in his workload. Head coach John Tortorella was still in the middle of controversy from time to time, notably when he made captain Sean Couturier a healthy scratch for several games.

WHAT’S CHANGED? The most exciting addition for the Flyers is 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov, who had 19 goals and 41 points in 47 KHL games last season. He is a dynamic offensive talent that the Flyers desperately need. Michkov effectively takes the place of veteran right winger Cam Atkinson, who signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent. Otherwise, there were not a lot of big moves. They kept defenceman Erik Johnson, who was added at the trade deadline last season. Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov appeared in three games late last season but will figure to have the backup job behind Ersson.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? Considering the Flyers did not make any big splash moves in the offseason, there might be some indication that they think internal improvement can be enough to get them over the hump. Just coming up with a league-average power play would make a huge difference, but it looks like the Flyers are aiming for the playoffs, and if they are going to get there, they will need a lot of young players to continue to develop. Beyond Michkov, that includes Morgan Frost, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Joel Farabee up front, and defencemen Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Egor Zamula. If those players develop properly then the season is a success. If they also find their way to the playoffs, even better.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? It seems that there is always the risk of Tortorella pushing the wrong button and having his team go south on him. The Couturier situation last season sure didn’t seem to help a team that was sinking out of playoff contention, and it would surprise exactly no one if something like that happened again this season, and it doesn’t have to be Couturier. If the main point of the season is to see progress from their young players, then the sign that the season is going wrong is if Tortorella is making young players healthy scratches to make a point rather than to help the player.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: The Flyers have a bunch of young forwards who could be candidates for breakout seasons, but defenceman Cam York is an interesting option, too. He had 30 points last season, with only six on the power play, and it appears that York has a chance to play on the Flyers’ top power play unit this season. They have to be better than they were on the power play last season and if York is the one quarterbacking the power play, he should see continued growth in his point totals.

FORWARD

Owen Tippett

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	32	27	59	0.72

Even though he’s already broken out with back-to-back 20+ goal seasons, it still feels like Owen Tippett has only scratched the surface of what he can do. Stuck in prospect purgatory with the Panthers, the trade to Philly was perfect for him because they had nothing to lose and a lot of roster spots to fill. Thus, they could feed him prime offensive minutes and his career has taken off since then. He is one of the best in the league at creating off the rush, both in terms of scoring chances and goals, and his speed can be a nightmare to deal with at times. His all-around offensive game has also started to turn the corner, improving as a playmaker and using his linemates more instead of always trying to be a one-man show. There is still a lot he can improve at; he still hasn’t quite figured out how to be a power play guy and his playing style is almost too north-south with how dependent it is off the rush. He is also an inconsistent play-driver despite how great he is at generating offence, although the Flyers volatile lineup played a role in that. The Flyers are banking on him breaking into that next level, making him part of their core going forward after signing him to a long-term extension.

Sean Couturier

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	13	33	46	0.59

The Flyers will often go as far as Sean Couturier takes them, which includes the nearly two full seasons he missed. Just getting him back on the ice was a feel-good story for the Flyers and it went beyond that as his play in the first half of the season was excellent. He returned to being the workhorse, tough minute centermen that he was for most of his career and being the catalyst of the team. Always in the right spot in the defensive zone and a menace on the forecheck, it’s easy for his teammates to feed off him and it makes life so much easier for the rest of the team. It’s a reason why he was named captain in the middle of the season, a no-brainer decision. Once the All-Star Break hit, things got sour. The Flyers couldn’t keep the puck out of their own net when Couturier’s lines were on the ice and his offensive production stagnated with two goals in his last 40 games. This culminated with him being a controversial healthy scratch for a game in mid-March. Couturier proved that there is still a good player in him after all the injuries, but his second half showed that there might be limitations on what to expect from him going forward. Perhaps he isn’t the 19-20 minute a night, all-situations player he was in his prime anymore.

Travis Konecny

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	32	42	74	0.96

Watching Travis Konecny and looking at the high volume of chances he creates, it might come as a surprise that his 33 goals and 68 points last year was a career high. Part of that is him missing 10-20 games a year to injury at various points and the other is the Flyers general inability to score on the power play. At even strength, he is breaking into the league’s elite and is in some pretty good company over the last two seasons in terms of goal-scoring, outscoring names such as Nikita Kucherov and Matthew Tkachuk at five-on-five. The Flyers shift to focus more on rush offence has served him well, as this has been his bread and butter for most of his career. His speed and ability to weave through traffic in the neutral zone is something a lot of players don’t have, and his playmaking has come a long way from his earlier days in the league. He was also a menace on the Flyers aggressive penalty kill, scoring more goals shorthanded than he did on the power play. An easy player to plug anywhere in the lineup because of the skill he brings combined with the high motor he plays with. He can also score while shouldering the burden of playing heavy matchups, producing with Scott Laughton centering his line early in the year before moving to Sean Couturier’s wing. Now a centerpiece for the Flyers next stage of their rebuild, signing a seven-year contract extension over the summer. 35 goals and 70 points is a safe bet but he can blow past those numbers if the power play comes to life.

Joel Farabee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	18	24	42	0.51

Like most of the Flyers, Farabee started the season red hot and had a rough finish. He was flirting with a point-per-game pace around January, he scored only nine points in his last 32 which included a goal-scoring slump that lasted an entire month. When looking at the overall stats, he still had a pretty good year, setting career highs in most categories and he was on the positive side of things when it came to driving play despite no real consistent linemates. Slumps are expected with a player like Farabee who scores so many of his goals by capitalizing on great passes and poaching for breakaway opportunities. He’s improved when it comes to creating his opportunities and is a good passer, but he excels more as the finisher of his line rather than someone who drives the bus. Always the second one on pucks and the high forward on the forecheck, Farabee’s game is better when he’s paired with a good forecheck or elite passer, something the Flyers had in spurts but not consistently. Farabee’s strengths with generating controlled entries at a high rate give him some play-driving ability but even those usually come from him jumping on a turnover or a loose puck rather than creating from 200 feet. Still, a very useful player to have in the middle six.

Tyson Foerster

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	21	24	45	0.58

One of the hidden gems of the Flyers new wave of forward prospects. Foerster is a big body and made a name for himself as a dark horse Calder candidate. Finishing third in rookie scoring will do that, but what caught some folks’ attention was his defensive impact. The Flyers were excellent at preventing scoring chances while he was on the ice and while it’s debatable how much of a winger can influence that, he does a lot of things that helped the cause. His forechecking prowess being the main one. He was often the first player into the zone when the Flyers had to play dump-and-chase and it’s difficult to get the puck away from him when he gets it below the goal-line. He also caught teams off-guard with how good he can be off the rush. He’s got a great shot with a heavy release and showed off some slick puck-handling moves when getting a one-on-one matchup with defenders. He also wasn’t a one-trick pony when it came to goal-scoring, scoring in a variety of ways by getting to the net, following the play off the rush and getting himself open for one-timers. This earned him a spot on the top line for most of the year, although he did get lost in the shuffle late in the season when the Flyers were struggling. He could return back to his home with Konecny and Couturier at the start of the year, depending on where rookie Matvei Michkov slots. He figures to start in the top six and can build on his 20-goal season.

Noah Cates

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	9	18	27	0.35

Receiving votes for both the Calder and the Selke in his rookie season, most of the hype fell off this year for the young center. Not that there was anything wrong with his play, he is still one of the Flyers most reliable defensive forwards and took the brunt of tough draws in the second half of the year. He just missed a good chunk of the season and didn’t get the same minutes or linemates he did his rookie year. Couturier’s return was a big reason for that, as that’s where most of his tough, defensive minutes went. Cates also got a lot of minutes with Konecny the year before and going from that to Garnet Hathaway and Ryan Poehling is a bit of a downgrade in terms of scoring upside. Offence has also never been a major part of Cates game in the NHL, although he is very good at getting to the net and is one of the few Flyers forwards who creates most of his offence on the forecheck, which is part of the reason why he is such a strong play-driver even if he doesn’t have the high-end skillset. He was used on the Flyers second power play unit for his net front ability but was removed from the rotation after returning from injury and will have to fight for those minutes this year. Although will be more of a regular fixture on their penalty kill.

Morgan Frost

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	16	38	54	0.69

Every team has a “he will be special if he ever puts it together” guy. That is Morgan Frost on the Flyers. It’s been seven years since he was drafted, and he’s had only two full seasons on the team due to injuries and spending time in the AHL. What they’ve gotten out of him so far has been okay with a pair of 40+ point seasons while showing flashes of greatness in both. There’s obvious talent when watching him play. He is arguably the team’s best player at zone entries and one of the few potential weapons they have on the power play because of that. The Flyers have a few players who are strong on entries, but it’s heavily skewed on the wings with Frost being the one center who excels there. He is very shifty and deceptive with his skating in the neutral zone, which allows the likes of Tippett and Konecny to open themselves up for more shooting opportunities. Frost is also a very good passer, although sometimes he’s a little too patient when he has the puck and scoring opportunities go to waste when he waits too long for the perfect play. Still an effective player when it comes to setting the table for his linemates. This is somewhat of a “make or break” year for him even if he’s proven himself to be a solid NHL player. The Flyers just have to decide if he is part of their future or not.

Bobby Brink

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
68	14	18	32	0.47

One of the Flyers high-upside prospects, Brink had somewhat of a rocky first season in the NHL. He showed some of the offensive talent that he was drafted for, ranking among the Flyers best players in terms of setting up shots and scoring chances at even strength. He was also the subject of some fairly blunt comments from his coach about his play when he was a healthy scratch for a game in his home state and also spent some time in the AHL before returning. Brink’s offence is hard to replace, but the rest of his game is still a work in progress. Like a lot of rookies, when the game was easy and plays were open, he could capitalize. When games got tougher and he had to hold onto pucks longer, he struggled a little. The Flyers rush-focused attack made it a little easier for him to get his feet wet and show his game-breaking skillset but struggled when the game slowed down. Similarly, he showed the ability to create his own chances individually and set up teammates. It was a different story when it came to getting himself open for shots and being a passing option on breakouts. It will take some time for him to get used to the NHL pace but showed enough promise last year to be hopeful about his future.

Scott Laughton

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	24	39	0.51

Scott Laughton has been with the Flyers through a multitude of general managers and coaches. The former first round pick has carved out a nice career for himself as a middle-of-the-roster player where you know what you’re getting from him every night. Last year was a strange one for him, though. He was a permanent fixture in the lineup but didn’t have the same set of wingers for more than five games and had a very concerning season when it came to driving play, giving up a lot on the defensive end. On the other hand, he remained one of the Flyers top penalty killers and was a cornerstone of their “power kill” approach where they’re always looking to poach shorthanded. Laughton didn’t just become a terrible defensive player at even strength overnight, so his drop-off there could just be a fluke rather than a sign of things to come. The only concern that it might be is that Laughton’s never showed much high-end ability or be the guy who can drive a line on his own. He’s average to above average in just about every skill but has a tremendous motor and work ethic to make up for it and that is what makes him such a coveted player among the Flyers coaching staff. With the rest of the roster not changing much, it will be interesting to see if he rebounds at five-on-five next year.

DEFENCE

Travis Sanheim

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	10	30	40	0.49

This was Sanheim’s first season as “The Guy” on the Flyers blue line. He’s always logged a lot of minutes, but this was the first time he was undisputed in the number one role with Ivan Provorov now in Columbus. He took the ball and ran with it some aspects, having a career season in terms of boxcar stats and looking more active with the puck than he has ever been. Some of that was from necessity, as the Flyers needed someone who could handle the burden on breakouts and also control the play at the blue line. This has never been Sanheim’s forte, who is normally more of a support guy, but he had to take on more of a burden here this year. Results were mixed. Sanheim could handle the increase in puck touches and ice time. He’s a smooth-skating defenceman with great acceleration, so the puck-moving role suits him well. He even saw some major improvements with his own work on breakouts, always being more of a “glass and out” guy before last year when he started to make more plays out of the zone. The Flyers shift to more of a team that attacks in transition also plays to his strengths, as he can be very effective as the support guy joining the rush or even leading it. Sanheim could handle the extra minutes and responsibility, the burden of being the only proven veteran top four guy on the Flyers blue line is what eventually caught up to him by the end of the year. Cam York and Jamie Drysdale were given most of the power play time by the end of the season. That will keep a cap on his offensive upside.

Cam York

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	10	31	41	0.50

The Flyers wanted their young defenceman to sink or swim in what was essentially his first full season in the NHL. It made sense because they had high hopes for York and needed someone who could play alongside Sanheim on the top pair. York showed he had the endurance to do so and while they got off to a rough start, they eventually became a decent, stabilizing top-pair for the Flyers. York had his share of highlight reel plays, always looking to pinch down from that left wall to look for a seam pass or jump up in the play to start a give-and-go. He’s an effortless skater and a great complement for Sanheim on the as someone who can wheel the puck out of trouble. The offence hasn’t quite come around to where he’s a high-end player, but it’s enough to make him a threat whenever he is up in the play. His best asset on the top pair is how good he is at turning pucks over and killing other team’s rushes. It negates some of the defensive burden his pair has to take on and makes it easier for him to play his own game. He was given a very demanding, high-minute role and gave the Flyers passable results while showing signs that there is another level to his game. A role on the first power play is his to lose, and there is competition, but should be able to reach 40 points as his next step.

Rasmus Ristolainen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	2	10	12	0.17

Brad Shaw is known as one of the league’s better assistant coaches and the work he did with Ristolainen might have been his biggest accomplishment. For his entire career, Ristolainen was a player with all the tools but no toolbox. A big, powerful skating defenceman who could put up points on the power play, deliver big hits but be a liability at five-on-five. He would chase hits, play too aggressively, make careless mistakes in coverage and turned the puck over countless times. Since Tortorella’s staff arrived in Philly, Ristolainen’s game has been cleaned up. He has a more defined role in the defensive zone, and they’ve modeled his game to be someone who takes hits to make plays in the defensive zone. Sometimes that means simply clearing the puck out, but the Flyers breakouts have a lot of support for him to make a quick play without having to think much. The other big thing was reducing his minutes from the low 20’s to the 17–18-minute range, which is where he is more properly slotted. It helped Ristolainen’s game, but it has also created a hole in the Flyers top-four that they have yet to fill.

Jamie Drysdale

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	7	27	34	0.47

The young defenceman is still a work in progress, if only because he’s only played one full season with the other three being interrupted by major injuries. The young man has already had two shoulder surgeries and suffered another injury there shortly after getting traded to the Flyers in January. He is an exciting player to watch when he is on. A dynamic skating defenceman who loves to rush the puck up the ice and walk the tight rope along the blue line to create his chances. It hasn’t resulted in anything tangible just yet, but it’s hard to make a judgment on him right now with so much of his career spent rehabbing injuries. However, that also means he doesn’t have a lot of game reps. He has an unorthodox style of defending the rush where he prefers to attack the puck carrier from an angle rather than squaring up and it’s been somewhat of a detriment to his overall game. He’s not strong enough on his stick to disrupt rushes against NHL forwards and sometimes it takes real game reps to figure out what works at this level. With spots 3-6 being an open competition for the Flyers, Drysdale should get a chance to prove he can stick provided he stays healthy, which has been his problem more than anything else.

GOAL

Samuel Ersson

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
44	18	22	4	2	0.901	2.92

Ivan Fedotov

Fewer teams have been dealt worse hands in net than the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s why there’s a well-above-average level of hope being placed upon the shoulders of newcomer Ivan Fedotov; in the wake of former starter Carter Hart’s departure from the team, the Flyers have suffered from a gaping void of consistency in net for a team that desperately needs even league-average numbers.

Fedotov looked technically elite during his tenure in Russia, but a delayed arrival in North America - complete with a stint in detainment by the Russian government for alleged military evasion - left his North American debut looking a little lackluster this past spring. He’ll aim to regain his structure and positioning behind a Flyers lineup that has been scrambling to finally hit their stride again. It’s not exactly a pressure-free environment for the newcomer, and things might be even more strained for fellow tandem partner Samuel Ersson. Ersson’s surprise promotion to team starter last season went about as poorly as it could have; the Swedish netminder struggled to recover from bad bounces and seemed to lag on reads during cross-ice movement by his opponents, leaving exploitable holes and a fairly abysmal stat line to end the year. The good news is that things can only go up for him - but if they don’t, the Flyers might need to seek additional help outside the organization to shore up their crease moving forward.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – A look at the playoff race – Teams with favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:07:22 +0000

Last week I touched on Detroit’s losing streak, but the Red Wings’ situation has since stabilized. The Red Wings have won three of their past four games and earned a 6-3 victory in a key contest against the Islanders on Thursday. The Red Wings (36-28-6) now have a three-point edge over Washington (33-26-9) in the battle for the second wild-card spot, though Washington has two games in hand, so Detroit still has no margin for error.

At this stage, it looks like the fight for the final playoff seed in the East will come down to Detroit and Washington, but the Islanders (29-25-15), New Jersey (34-32-5), Buffalo (33-33-5) and even Pittsburgh (30-29-9) all have an outside chance of squeaking into the playoffs. Would it be shocking if, say, the Penguins earned a postseason berth? Absolutely, but it’s at least a mathematic possibility at the time of writing.

The final wild-card slot in the Western Conference is slightly more secure. Vegas (37-25-7) has a four-point edge over St. Louis (37-30-3) and a five-point lead over Minnesota (34-28-8) despite playing in one game less than either team. The Golden Knights likely still need to be solid down the stretch to secure their playoff berth, but at least they have a bit of breathing room.

The Blues and Wild are Vegas’ only real competition, but there is still an outside chance of a Cinderella story involving Calgary (33-30-5) or Seattle (28-28-12).

The Golden Knights still also have a path to earn the third seed in the Pacific Division over Los Angeles (36-22-11), though I’d almost say it doesn’t matter. Getting the third seed would put the Golden Knights on track to face Edmonton in the first round instead of Winnipeg, Colorado, Dallas or Vancouver. All five of those potential adversaries are great, so Vegas will have a tough first round either as a wild-card team or as the third seed in the Pacific Division.

Either way, the battle for the last playoff spots should be fun.

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 24: Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal (1) in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Anaheim Ducks on January 24, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Anaheim Ducks - TUE @ SEA, THU @ SEA, SAT @ EDM, SUN @ VAN (BTB)

Anaheim is set to play on the road all of next week. They have back-to-back contests against Seattle on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by games in Edmonton on Saturday and Vancouver on Sunday. It’s certainly not an easy schedule, especially on the back half, but the Ducks are one of the few teams scheduled to play four games, so they’re still worthy of mention.

Trevor Zegras hasn’t been in the lineup since Jan. 9 because of an ankle injury, but he has been able to resume practicing without restriction, which suggests that he’s close to returning. After exceeding the 60-point milestone in each of his previous two campaigns, he has just four goals and seven points in 20 outings this year. There’s a good chance he’ll at least be able to finish the year on a positive note, but regardless of what happens, it’s important you remember him for next season’s fantasy drafts. The 23-year-old forward should enjoy a comeback campaign, provided he gets better luck on the injury front.

The 2024-25 campaign should also be one of progress for Leo Carlsson, who has recorded nine goals and 24 points in 43 games as a rookie this season. In the meantime, though, he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday, so his status for next week’s contests is undetermined. If he can’t play then Isac Lundestrom might serve in a top-six capacity, but honestly rather than that be an opportunity for Lundestrom, it would just highlight the sorry state of the Ducks. The 24-year-old has just six points (four goals) in 34 contests this year and likely won’t do much offensively even if he moves up to the second line.

At least they have goaltender Lukas Dostal, who has done alright lately, posting a 2.69 GAA and a .916 save percentage over his past eight games. That’s worlds better than John Gibson’s 5.80 GAA (yes, really) and .833 save percentage in his past four outings. Given the disparity in their play, Dostal should get the majority of the remaining starts.

Buffalo Sabres – WED VS OTT, FRI VS NJD, SAT VS TOR (BTB)

The Sabres are likely to miss the playoffs for the 13th consecutive campaign, extending their record for the longest postseason drought in NHL history. However, they still have an outside shot of squeaking into the playoffs. In order to keep that hope alive, they’ll likely need to win all three of their contests against Ottawa on Wednesday, New Jersey on Friday and Toronto on Saturday. It’s a tall order, but at least the Sabres will have the home-ice advantage in all those games.

With Buffalo’s postseason hopes all but dashed, Jeff Skinner will likely have to wait even longer to make his first playoff appearance. The 31-year-old is approaching 1,000 career regular-season contests. This hasn’t been his best campaign, but Skinner has been alright with 24 goals and 45 points in 63 outings. He also earned his seventh career hat trick Monday when he led Buffalo in its 6-2 victory over Seattle.

Tage Thompson is surely hoping he won’t have to wait nearly as long as Skinner to get into the playoffs. However, if Thompson had played like he did in 2022-23 (47 goals, 94 points), perhaps the Sabres’ fortunes would have been different this campaign. Instead, he’s been alright, but not great with 21 goals and 43 points through 60 outings. The 27-year-old might end the season on a positive note, though. He’s on a four-game scoring streak in which Thompson has provided a goal and six points.

Meanwhile, Bowen Byram is just 22, but his name is already on the Cup thanks to his time with the Avalanche. Now a member of the Sabres, Byram is playing a prominent role and has taken advantage of that opportunity. He’s recorded three goals, six points, 17 blocks and 17 hits in eight contests while averaging 23:53 of ice time. Byram has even averaged a healthy 2:39 with the man advantage as a member of the Sabres, though the presence of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power means the fight for power-play ice time will always be fierce among Buffalo defensemen.

Columbus Blue Jackets – TUE @ ARI, THU @ PIT, SAT VS PIT

This will mark the Blue Jackets’ fourth straight season without a playoff berth. Nothing they do now will alter the fact that it’s been a rough campaign, but they can at least end things on a positive note. It helps that they’ll be facing other non-playoff teams next week – they’ll play in Arizona on Tuesday, in Pittsburgh on Thursday and then host the Penguins on Saturday.

Johnny Gaudreau isn’t the reason Columbus will be missing the playoffs, though it is true he hasn’t lived up to expectations. His 55 points (11 goals) through 69 outings, would mark the lowest point-per-game pace of his career if the season ended now. However, Gaudreau has contributed a goal and six points in his past four contests, so the stage is set for him to finish the campaign on a positive note.

The same might be true of Alexander Nylander, who has eight goals and 11 points in 13 contests since being acquired by Columbus from Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old forward was held off the scoresheet in his previous two games, and it’s reasonable for fantasy managers to wonder if this is the right time to jump ship, especially because he doesn’t have a track record of success beyond his recent stretch. Personally, I recommend waiting a little longer though to see if his production picks up again. Keep in mind, Nylander is being utilized on the Blue Jackets’ top line and first power-play unit, which are roles that he hasn’t enjoyed for any noteworthy stretch until now, so there might be more to his production than a mere hot streak. I’m not saying that his new role has transformed him into a superstar, but he might still do well enough to be fantasy relevant the rest of the way.

Daniil Tarasov might have value going forward too. The 24-year-old has been subpar in 2023-24 with a 7-9-3 record, 3.20 GAA and .903 save percentage across 20 appearances, but he’s been far better dating back to Feb. 21, posting a 2.30 GAA and .934 save percentage over nine games. His strong play has led to the Blue Jackets increasingly using him over Elvis Merzlikins.

Ottawa Senators – WED @ BUF, THU VS CHI, SAT @ WPG

Ottawa will begin next week with a breather before playing in Buffalo on Wednesday. The Senators will then host Chicago on Thursday and play in Winnipeg on Saturday. Like Ottawa, the Sabres and Blackhawks are having campaigns and aren’t expected to make the playoffs (Chicago has been mathematically eliminated while Buffalo has just a fringe chance of a wild-card spot), so those are two winnable games.

Ottawa is in a four-way tie for 28th defensively with 3.59 goals per game despite having an xGA/60 of 2.94, which ties the Senators for 11th overall. Those two stats in combination suggest is Ottawa’s defense is underrated and has been made to look bad this year due to poor goaltending. A case could be made that Joonas Korpisalo has been this year’s worst starter, ranking last in Goals Saved Above Expected at minus-19.4. In terms of his base stats line, he has a 15-21-4 record, 3.37 GAA and .887 save percentage in 44 contests. While it would be an oversimplification to say that Ottawa isn’t making the playoffs because of Korpisalo, it is fair to say that his terrible play has been a key factor.

Unfortunately, it seems the Senators overvalued his strong 2022-23 campaign when they inked Korpisalo to a five-year contract. While he had a Goals Saved Above Expected of 12.7 last season, he finished in the negatives in each campaign from 2017-18 through 2021-22, so performing below average relative to the team in front of him appears to be the norm for Korpisalo rather than the exception. This is all to say that if you’re looking for the 29-year-old goaltender to rebound in 2024-25, you’re making a risky bet that likely won’t pay off.

Not that Anton Forsberg, who has a 12-12-0 record, 3.42 GAA and .885 save percentage in 25 outings in 2023-24, is good either. Forsberg is signed through 2024-25 at a cap hit of $2.75 million, so Ottawa might have this unfortunate duo again next year. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see them making the playoffs in 2024-25 either.

That’s unfortunate for Claude Giroux, who is 36 years old and consequently running out of chances to make another run at the Cup. If the direction of the Senators has been weighing on him, though, he hasn’t let that bleed into his game. He’s still provided a goal and five points over his past six contests, giving him 19 goals and 58 points through 68 outings overall. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran finish the season on a high note. That should also be true of Brady Tkachuk, who has provided four goals and five points over his past four contests.

The goaltending clearly needs work, but with players like Giroux and Tkachuk leading the forward corps, at least that aspect of the Senators is strong.

Philadelphia Flyers – TUE @ NYR, THU @ MTL, SAT VS CHI

The Flyers are set to play on the road against the Rangers on Tuesday and the Canadiens on Thursday before hosting the Blackhawks on Saturday. While the Rangers are a tough adversary, Philadelphia has a golden chance to collect four points against Montreal and Chicago as it looks to secure its playoff spot.

The biggest story in Philadelphia is coach John Tortorella scratching Sean Couturier for the Flyers’ 4-3 win over Toronto on Tuesday and 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina on Thursday. This comes after a stretch in which Couturier registered just three assists and had a minus-13 rating over 14 games from Feb. 15-March 19. He also has only six points (one goal) in his last 23 contests, undoing his solid start to the campaign -- 30 points (10 markers) through his first 41 appearances.

Maybe this time off will allow him to reset and come back stronger. He’ll certainly be a player to watch closely next week because when Couturier’s at his best, he’s a strong top-line option.

In the meantime, Owen Tippett has been leading the Flyers’ attack. He has three goals and eight points over his past five games, bringing him up to 25 goals and 46 points through 66 outings this year. The 25-year-old is just two goals and three points shy of his career highs.

Morgan Frost is also on a five-game scoring streak, totaling three goals and seven points in that span. He hasn’t had an amazing campaign overall (12 goals and 38 points in 59 games), but the 24-year-old has been centering the top line and serving on the first power-play unit during Couturier’s absence. Given how well he’s done in that role, Frost might continue to feature prominently even after Couturier slides back into the lineup.

Pittsburgh Penguins – TUE VS CAR, THU VS CBJ, SAT @ CBJ

The Penguins have faded out of the playoff picture at this point and things aren’t going to get any easier when they host the Hurricanes on Tuesday. The silver lining is Pittsburgh does have a home-and-away series against the lowly Blue Jackets, which will take place Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Michael Bunting, who Pittsburgh acquired from Carolina in the Jake Guentzel trade, seems to be settling in with his new team. He’s on a three-game scoring streak and has recorded a point in four of his last five contests, totaling two goals and two assists in that span. He’s seeing time on the top power-play unit and alongside Evgeni Malkin at even strength, so Bunting seems set to have a solid finish to the campaign.

Bryan Rust is looking to finish on a high note too. He’s been limited to 48 games this season due to injury, but he has been effective when healthy with 21 goals and 41 points. The 31-year-old has done particularly well recently, providing three goals and five points across his last four contests.

Lastly, while it doesn’t have fantasy relevance, you might want to pay attention to Jeff Carter. The 39-year-old is dealing with an upper-body issue, but when he returns, he’ll likely be playing out the last games of his career. While it’s possible he’ll pursue a new contract once his present one expires this summer, he likely won’t find any takers. He’s been held to nine goals and 12 points in 61 outings this campaign. Still, Carter has had a storied career, scoring 440 goals in 1,310 career games and playing a significant role in Los Angeles’ Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014.

Seattle Kraken – TUE VS ANA, THU VS ANA, SAT VS DAL

Seattle will start the week with a pair of favorable home matchups against the lowly Ducks on Tuesday and Thursday. After that two-game series, the Kraken will host the Stars on Saturday.

Vince Dunn hasn’t played since March 4 due to an upper-body injury, and he doesn’t appear to be close to returning. He’s been a key offensive defenseman for the Kraken this campaign, providing 11 goals and 45 points in 57 games. Due to Dunn’s absence, Brian Dumoulin has seen an uptick in even-strength minutes, while Ryker Evans was summoned from AHL Coachella Valley and has received a power-play role.

Evans has done decently during Dunn’s absence, recording three assists -- all with the man advantage -- in the last seven games. He’s also played with a physical edge, accumulating eight PIM and 16 hits in the same span. Once Dunn returns, Evans might lose his spot in the lineup, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to make those kinds of contributions until Dunn’s back.

Seattle’s forward corps hasn’t done great this campaign and Seattle’s attack has been particularly lackluster recently, totaling just five goals in four games from March 14-21. Still, Oliver Bjorkstrand has been a rare bright spot with a goal and three points during that stretch. He also has five goals and eight points over his last 11 contests to put his cold spell from Jan. 30-Feb. 24 (one assist in eight outings) well behind him.

As poor as the Kraken’s offense has been, Anaheim has done even worse, ranking 30th offensively with just 2.49 goals per game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see goaltenders Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord split the two-game set against the Ducks, and both netminders would be a good play versus Anaheim.

Vegas Golden Knights – MON @ STL, TUE @ NAS, (BTB), THU @ WPG, SAT @ MIN

The Golden Knights are one of the few teams set to play four games next week, though they’ll be on the road for that stretch. They’ll play in St. Louis on Monday, Nashville on Tuesday, Winnipeg on Thursday and Minnesota on Saturday. It’s not the easiest schedule, but the Golden Knights’ hold on the second wild-card spot is loose, so they’ll need to find a way to win a good chunk of those contests.

Their pursuit of a playoff berth has been complicated by Adin Hill, who has struggled mightily with a 3.90 GAA and an .872 save percentage over his last seven games. By contrast, Logan Thompson has saved 41 of 43 shots (.953 save percentage) over his last two contests, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vegas pivot to Thompson, at least in the short term. Earlier in the campaign, the Golden Knights might have been more open to riding out Hill’s cold spell in the hopes that he’d rebound, but they don’t really have that luxury at this stage.

In terms of offense, it’s been defenseman Shea Theodore who has led the charge. The 28-year-old has collected 15 assists in 14 outings since returning from an upper-body injury. That’s propelled him to four goals and 33 points across 34 outings in 2023-24. Theodore has missed significant portions of the last two campaigns due to injury, but he would likely breach the 50-point milestone for the second time in his career if he manages to stay healthy next season.

Meanwhile, blueliner Noah Hanifin seems to be settling in fine with Vegas. He has four assists, a plus-3 rating, 10 blocks and 10 hits in seven contests since being acquired from the Flames. Hanifin’s also averaging 22:09 of ice time with Vegas, though he’s only on the second power-play unit, which limits his offensive potential a bit.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Raymond, Rust, Schmaltz, Foligno, Kurashev, Neighbours, Ekholm and much more

Scott Cullen — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:45:05 +0000

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Lucas Raymond continues to get the job done in Detroit, Bryan Rust remains productive in Pittsburgh, Nick Schmaltz is heating up in Arizona, Connor Bedard’s wingers are reaping the rewards since the star rookie returned to the lineup, and much, much more!

#1 While it has been a bumpy road lately for the Detroit Red Wings as they cling to a playoff spot, they are getting everything they could have wanted out of winger Lucas Raymond, who has hit a career high with 24 goals and 60 points. The third year NHLer has nine points (7 G, 2 A) during a six-game point streak. Even better for Raymond is that Dylan Larkin returned to the Red Wings lineup Thursday, after missing nearly three weeks, and that makes Detroit’s top line even more dangerous.

#2 When the Pittsburgh Penguins decided to keep veteran winger Bryan Rust after the trade deadline, it didn’t make the most sense to hang on to a 31-year-old winger for a team that needs to rebuild on the fly. At the same time, he remains a very productive player and if the Penguins are trying to be competitive, Rust helps to meet that goal. He missed a couple of weeks with an injury, but over the past month, Rust has played eight games, recording nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 30 shots on goal.

#3 Coyotes winger Nick Schmaltz has not been quite as productive as he was in the past two seasons in Arizona, but he has picked up the pace. In his past 13 games, Schmaltz has tallied 17 points (5 G, 12 A) with 29 shots on goal. In the past three seasons, among players that have played at least 100 games, Schmaltz ranks 69th with 0.86 points per game, a higher rate than Bo Horvat, Travis Konecny, and Matt Boldy (among many others). Guys can get overlooked playing in Arizona, but Schmaltz continues to produce at a high level, skating on the top line with Clayton Keller and Nick Bjugstad, while also getting first unit power play time.

#4 Connor Bedard’s return to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup has helped to elevate the production of his wingers. No, really, it has. On the right side, Philipp Kurashev has contributed 16 points (6 G, 10 A) with 28 shots on goal in 17 games since Bedard returned to action after missing time with a broken jaw. Kurashev has also been playing more than 20 minutes per game. On the left flank, 36-year-old vet Nick Foligno has not played quite as much, but still has 13 points (5 G, 8 A) with 33 shots on goal in those 17 games. For his part, Bedard has 21 points (6 G, 15 A) with 53 shots on goal in 17 games since returning to action.

#5 In St. Louis, Pavel Buchnevich has gone 11 games without a goal, yet is still tied for the Blues’ goal-scoring lead, with 24. He is tied with Jake Neighbours, who had a pair of goals against Ottawa on Thursday to give him six points (4 G, 2 A) during a five-game point streak. Neighbours has been averaging more than 17 minutes per game since mid-February and has recorded 13 of his 34 points this season on the power play.

#6 He is known more for his steady defensive play, but don’t sleep on the offensive contributions provided by Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm. With two goals and an assist in Thursday’s 8-3 drubbing of the Buffalo Sabres, Ekholm has lifted his totals to an impressive level. In his past 16 games, the veteran blueliner has 14 points (3 G, 11 A) with 36 shots on goal. It does not hurt to have proximity to Connor McDavid, who has recorded a point on eight of those 14 points picked up by Ekholm, who now has a career-high 35 points (7 G, 28 A) in 65 games.

#7 Avalanche defenceman Sean Walker scored a pair of goals against Edmonton last Saturday and while that kind of production is atypical, it’s worth noting what he adds to the third pairing in Colorado. In his first five games with the Avs, Walker has three points (2 G, 1 A) but he also has 15 shots on goal, seven blocked shots, and eight hits. He is filling those peripheral categories that can make him useful for fantasy hockey managers, even without generating a ton of points.

#8 This season had been an unmitigated disaster for Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had 17 points (6 G, 11 A) in 43 games for Washington, a far cry from the 78 points he scored in 2021-2022, or even the 55 points he recorded last season. He has found new life in Carolina, it appears, as he has five points (2 G, 3 A) with 11 shots on goal in his past five games. He has excellent wingers, Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas, so Kuznetsov is being given every opportunity to succeed with a strong Carolina squad.

#9 In the wake of Kuznetsov’s departure, Dylan Strome is now the experienced playmaking centre on the Capitals roster. Strome had picked up his production even before Kuznetsov was traded. Going back to mid-February, Strome has 19 points (3 G, 16 A) with 26 shots on goal in his past 16 games. He could stand to shoot the puck a little more but that’s nitpicky for a player producing like that over a span of more than a month.

#10 Staying in Washington, the Capitals are making an unlikely push for the postseason, despite a miserable goal differential. Part of the reason that they even have a prayer of getting to the playoffs is the play of goaltender Charlie Lindgren, the 30-year-old netminder who has a .911 save percentage in a career high 37 games. Last season was the first time in Lindgren’s career that he had appeared in more than 15 games in an NHL season. He was shelled by the Maple Leafs his week, allowing seven goals on 29 shots, but Lindgren had gone into that game riding high, with a .956 save percentage in his previous six starts.

#11 With Dan Vladar opting for season-ending hip surgery, Calgary Flames prospect Dustin Wolf should see some more consistent action late in the season. The 22-year-old goalie has played 140 games in the American Hockey League, posting a .926 save percentage, so there is nothing more for him to prove at that level. With a .902 save percentage in 11 career NHL games, there is still room for the young netminder to show that he can excel at the highest level.

#12 Although his ice time is down, Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Dmitry Orlov has picked up seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 12 shots on goal in his past five games. He had zero goals and one assist in the 17 games before this recent offensive explosion, He is playing just over 17 minutes per game, his lowest average time on ice since 2015-2016, and down more than five minutes from how much he played in Washington and Boston last season.

#13 While this has obviously been a disappointing season overall for the San Jose Sharks, there are some silver linings to be found. One is that centre Mikael Granlund has been resilient throughout. In his past dozen games, Granlund has delivered 13 points (3 G, 10 A) with 21 shots on goal. He is centering what passes for the Sharks’ top line with wingers Fabian Zetterlund and Klim Kostin while also getting first unit power play time, practically by default.

#14 Injuries have limited Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson to just five games this season, one of which he played just 17 seconds, but he is productive when he plays. Arvidsson has contributed four points (1 G, 3 A) and 17 shots on goal in those five games, which is solid production. When you consider that it’s four games plus less than half of one shift, it shows a player who is significantly better than standard late-season waiver wire fodder for fantasy managers.

#15 As the Toronto Maple Leafs try to make do without Mitch Marner, while he recovers from a high ankle sprain, Max Domi is getting a look on the right side Auston Matthews. Domi had four assists against Washington and has put up 12 points (3 G, 9 A) with 33 shots on goal in his past 13 games. This is his most productive stretch of the season and it’s no surprise. Domi is still a strong puck distributor and if you’re distributing the puck to the guy with 57 goals, there is a chance that good things will happen.

#16 It can be tough to manage expectations when you are drafted first overall, especially if you are not a talent on the level of Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews. Through his first three seasons in the league, Alexis Lafreniere took a lot of heat for his lack of production even though his even-strength production was not bad at all, but in his fourth season, he is starting to come into his own. Some of it is due to playing with Artemi Panarin, the Rangers’ superb playmaking winger, but Lafreniere has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 44 shots on goal in his past 15 games. That has lifted him to career highs of 20 goals and 44 points. That is a strong season from a 22-year-old winger who does not contribute a lot on the power play.

#17 While the greatest consternation in Philadelphia seems focused on head coach John Tortorella putting team captain Sean Couturier in the press box, it has overshadowed the strong play of Morgan Frost, the 24-year-old centre who has delivered seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 11 shots on goal during a five-game point streak. Frost can run afoul of Torts, too, so fantasy managers can never get too comfortable with a player’s place in the Flyers lineup but in this moment, Frost has a good thing going on the top line with Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny on his wings.

#18 The vast majority of players that get included in 20 Fantasy Points are players that are available in at least half of fantasy hockey leagues. In this case, Jake Guentzel is obviously not going to be available, but it’s worth pointing out that he is capable of scoring even without Sidney Crosby as his centre. Despite seeing his ice time drop by three minutes per game compared to what he was playing in Pittsburgh, Guentzel produced eight points (2 G, 6 A) with 18 shots on goal in his first six games for Carolina. He is working on Carolina’s top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis as well as getting first unit power play time, so Guentzel has been put in a position to succeed, even with less ice time.

#19 With Tom Wilson facing a suspension for high sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor, the Washington Capitals will need to look for someone to fill that looming void on the right wing. Journeyman Michael Sgarbossa is already skating with Alex Ovechkin and Connor McMichael, so maybe T.J. Oshie or Aliaksei Protas could return from injury to make up for Wilson’s absence. It’s too bad, because Wilson had been on a pretty good run, with eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past nine games.

#20 In deep or dynasty leagues, it might be worth looking at Calgary Flames defenceman Daniil Miromanov, a 26-year-old right shot defender who was acquired as part of the Noah Hanifin trade before the deadline. The 6-foot-4 blueliner was a fringe player for Vegas, appearing in 29 games over the past three seasons, but also had 68 points (21 G, 47 A) in 89 AHL games since 2021-2022. The Flames are giving him a look on their top power play unit, and he is playing nearly 21 minutes per game. In six games with Calgary, Miromanov has scored a couple of goals and registered 17 shots on goal.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Quinton Byfield is making his presence felt, a surprising source of offense for the Maple Leafs, Columbus’ All-Star is scoring, and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:42:21 +0000

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 30: Los Angeles Kings Center Quinton Byfield (55) looks on during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings on January 30, 2022, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Quinton Byfield is making his presence felt, a surprising source of offense for the Maple Leafs, Columbus’ All-Star is scoring, and much, much more!

#1 Drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2020, Quinton Byfield took some time to get up to speed in the National Hockey League. Coming into this season, he had 8 goals and 33 points in 99 games, so he was not exactly busting down the door to stardom. He did start to show potential last season, though, and the Kings gave him a lot of ice time on the top line to start this season, skating on a line with Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar. More recently, Byfield has moved down the depth chart to join Pierre-Luc Dubois and Byfield continues to produce. In his past 10 games, Byfield has tallied 12 points (6 G, 6 A) with 25 shots on goal.

#2 Throwing Byfield with Pierre-Luc Dubois offers a chance for Dubois to shake out of his season-long slump. Since the Kings replaced Todd McLellan with Jim Hiller as head coach, Dubois has six points (3 G, 3 A) and 14 shots on goal in seven games. That improved production comes on the heels of Dubois managing just one point (1 G, 0 A) in the previous eight games.

#3 A 27-year-old winger who had played all of 10 games in the NHL prior to this season, Bobby McMann has become an unlikely contributor for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his first 26 games for the Maple Leafs this season, McMann had just seven points (2 G, 5 A) but it was understandable, he played less than 10 minutes in 18 of those 26 games. McMann broke through on February 13, recording a hat trick in a 4-1 win against St. Louis and that earned him a bump up the depth chart. He has most recently found himself on a line with John Tavares and Nick Robertson and has 10 points (7 G, 3 A) and 17 shots on goal in the past six games. Suddenly, McMann is changing the perception of what he might be able to offer as an NHL player, from fringe NHLer to possible top-six winger.

#4 Getting Connor Bedard back in the lineup has helped Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev who has eight points (1 G, 7 A) in seven games since the All-Star break, which includes four points (1 G, 3 A) in four games since Bedard returned from his broken jaw. Prior to the break, Kurashev had just two points (1 G, 1 A) during a 14-game stretch, and yet he is still second on the Blackhawks in scoring with 32 points (9 G, 23 A) in 50 games.

#5 Columbus’ All-Star representative this season, centre Boone Jenner has emerged from the break on a five-game point streak, during which he has accrued eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 22 shots on goal. Jenner juices up his fantasy appeal with physical play, too, and has 17 hits in those five games. He is skating between Johnny Gaudreau and Jack Roslovic, both of whom are also picking up the pace offensively. Gaudreau is in full set-up mode lately, with 15 points (1 G, 14 A) and 33 shots on goal in his past 13 games. Roslovic has upped his production more recently, with five points (1 G, 4 A) and 14 shots on goal during a four-game point streak which started when he joined Jenner and Gaudreau on Columbus’ top line.

#6 Winnipeg Jets right winger Gabriel Vilardi got off to a strong start with his new club, contributing 20 points (11 G, 9 A) in 25 games, but he did miss some time due to injury and went through a six-game scoreless drought around the All-Star break. He’s making up for it, though, with eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 12 shots on goal during a three-game point streak. Vilardi is skating on the Jets’ top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, which is a pretty great opportunity for a young player looking to become a more consistent scoring threat.

#7 Although he was held off the scoresheet in Thursday’s 1-0 win against Florida, it was only the third time in the past 16 games that Carolina Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis did not record a point. He has 18 points (4 G, 14 A) and 34 shots on goal in that span, giving him a career-high 46 points in 56 games. Jarvis isn’t the only Hurricanes winger who has picked up his scoring pace. Martin Necas has 15 points (8 G, 7 A) and 50 shots on goal in his past 14 games.

#8 The third pick in the 2021 Draft, Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish has had some ups and downs in his second NHL season, but his talent is undeniable, and he does have seven points in his past four games. While fantasy managers, especially those in banger leagues, might love that McTavish has 30 penalty minutes in his past 10 games, those frequent trips to the penalty box could start to cost him ice time.

#9 Florida Panthers centre Anton Lundell tallied 44 points as a rookie in 2021-2022 and has not been able to match that pace since, in part because his shooting percentage has fallen off, from 14.4 percent two seasons ago to 7.2 percent this season. Nevertheless, Lundell has shown some signs of life offensively, producing six points (4 G, 2 A) and nine shots on goal in his past five games. The Panthers have been excellent this season, and they have not received a huge contribution from Lundell, so if he can pick up the pace down the stretch, that would go a long way for a team that is a Stanley Cup contender.

#10 Minnesota Wild rookie centre Marco Rossi has moved into a tie with teammate Brock Faber as the second leading rookie scorer in the league behind Chicago’s Connor Bedard, who has 39 points (17 G, 22 A) in 43 games. Rossi has five points (4 G, 1 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past five games, which gets him to 33 points (17 G, 16 A) in 56 games. Rossi’s ice time is down, so tread carefully about adding him now. His improved scoring pace does offer hope that Rossi will have a bigger role both in the near and more distant future.

#11 New York Rangers right winger Kaapo Kakko missed nearly two months of action but is starting to get back into the groove. In his past six games, the 23-year-old forward has put up five points (2 G, 3 A) along with 12 shots on goal. It may be too soon to offer a full-throated recommendation for Kakko, but it’s worth keeping an eye on him. Progress has been gradual, and he is already in his fifth NHL season, but he has flashed potential.

#12 Consistent offensive production does not come easily for Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway, who scored a career high 32 points (9 G, 23 A) in 56 games for the Minnesota Wild during the 2020-2021 season. However, every now and then, he heats up and suddenly becomes an intriguing fantasy option, even if it is for short-term purposes. Over the past month, Greenway has eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 16 shots on goal in 10 games. Injuries have opened the door for Greenway to get more ice time in Buffalo and he has landed on the second line, alongside Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens, two skilled players who can help extend Greenway’s offensive good fortune.

#13 At this stage of his career, 38-year-old Corey Perry tends to not offer a lot of fantasy value during the regular season. He plays on the lower half of the depth chart and while he contributes some, it is usually only enough for consideration in the deepest of leagues. While all of that may be true, Perry does have four points (3 G, 1 A) with eight shots on goal and 16 penalty minutes in the past four games and that might warrant a little bit more attention. He is getting second unit power play time and is skating with Dylan Holloway and Mattias Janmark at evens.

#14 Goaltending has been a question mark for many teams this season and those questions have lingered in Carolina for much of the season. The answer may be found within the Hurricanes’ own dressing room, as Pyotr Kochetkov has hit a hot streak and that might be enough to solidify the play in Carolina’s crease, at least for the time being. After a sparkling 44-save shutout Thursday against Florida, Kochetkov has a .969 save percentage across his past four starts. Of course, in his previous four appearances, Kochetkov’s save percentage was a ghastly .851, so he has been offering quite the thrill ride with plenty of ups and downs.

#15 One of the primary challenges when seeking fantasy hockey answers in goal is finding goaltenders that play enough. St. Louis Blues backup goaltender Joel Hofer, for example, has been excellent lately with a .928 save percentage across his past nine starts, but that goes back to before Christmas, so Hofer still offers value in deeper leagues. If something were to happen that would give him a greater share of the starts in St. Louis, the 23-year-old could see his value soar.

#16 After lighting up the Vancouver Canucks for four points (1 G, 3 A) in Thursday’s victory, Seattle Kraken centre Jared McCann has a six-game point streak and has put up 22 points (11 G, 11 A) with 44 shots on goal in his past 15 games. McCann is coming off a career-best season in which he scored 40 goals and 70 points, but his recent production is getting him back into that stratosphere again.

#17 In his past seven games, Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar has zero points. This stretch is the first time – in his career! – that he has gone more than three consecutive games without recording a point. It’s not like this is no reason to trade Makar. He has 20 shots on goal in those seven games and has 60 points (13 G, 47 A) in 53 games this season, but an unprecedented slump from the most prolific scoring defenceman in the league at least bears watching.

#18 Since the All-Star break, the leaders in all situations expected goals: Nico Hischier (5.57), Nathan MacKinnon (5.54), Auston Matthews (5.21), Chris Kreider (4.91), J.T. Miller (4.88), Kirill Kaprizov (4.66), Zach Hyman (4.55), Jack Hughes (4.45), Brady Tkachuk (4.37), Joel Eriksson Ek (4.32), Boone Jenner (4.25), Kyle Palmieri (4.25), Evander Kane (4.23), Nazem Kadri (4.22), and Cole Caufield (4.18). While these are a lot of expected names, it’s interesting to see Hischier at the top of the list, and players like Jenner, Palmieri, and Kane are likely higher than their overall production might suggest.

#19 There are 36 players that have recorded at least seven power-play points since January 1. That list includes Juraj Slafkovsky (9), Jonathan Huberdeau (7), Frank Vatrano (7), Morgan Frost (7), and Jake Neighbours (7). Again, a lot of the names at the top of the list are to be expected – Matthew Tkachuk leads with 14 five-on-four points in 2024 – but some less established players are starting to make a difference with the man advantage, too.

#20 With Mark Stone injured, joining Jack Eichel on the shelf, the Vegas Golden Knights are getting rather thin up front, so maybe consider Michael Amadio as a short-term fix. The 27-year-old forward has scored a goal in four of the past five games, putting a dozen shots on goal while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time per game. Amadio finished with a career-high 27 points (16 G, 11 A) in 67 games last season and has 21 points (11 G, 10 A) in 50 games this season, so he is not necessarily a long-term answer but, right now, he has an opportunity to play a more significant role.