New York Islanders – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2026 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #14 New York Islanders – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Sat, 02 May 2026 18:00:09 +0000

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 20: Boston University Terriers forward Cole Eiserman (34) looks on during the Hockey East semifinal game between the Boston University Terriers and the UConn Huskies on March 20, 2025, at TD Garden in Boston, MA. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)

Prospect System Ranking – 14th (Last Year - 11th)
GM: Mathieu Darche Hired: May 2025
COACH: Patrick Roy Hired: January 2024

It has been a roller coaster for the New York Islanders in our McKeens rankings. After climbing an impressive 10 spots last year, the organization slides back three positions to 14th. That volatility can be tied to one player: Matthew Schaefer. After winning the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery, the Islanders wasted no time selecting the dynamic Canadian defenceman first overall. Schaefer has exceeded even the highest expectations, making an immediate impact and graduating from prospect status the moment he took his rookie lap. In doing so, he has already begun to reshape the franchise's long-term outlook overnight.

With Schaefer no longer part of the “system”, the Islanders’ prospect pool is now headlined by two players selected shortly after him in the same draft: Victor Eklund (32nd) and Kashawn Aitcheson (35th). Eklund, taken 11th overall in 2025, has impressed during his rookie season in the SHL, showing strong offensive instincts against professional competition. Aitcheson, selected one pick later, led all OHL defencemen in scoring as captain of the Barrie Colts in 2025-26 and has since signed his entry-level contract. Cole Eiserman (45th), the Islanders’ first-round pick from 2024, has officially begun his professional journey. Following a 43-goals-in-71-game NCAA career, the sharpshooting winger has signed his papers and turned pro after his collegiate season concluded with a Hockey East quarterfinal exit.

With Schaefer accelerating the organization’s timeline, the Islanders have already begun to push their chips forward. The acquisition of veteran center Brayden Schenn — which cost the team its 2026 first-round and third-round picks — signals a clear commitment to competing now. As this new wave of young talent begins to integrate with the NHL roster, the Islanders appear to be transitioning into a new phase and one that could see a promising core quickly evolve into something far more impactful on Long Island.

NHL	RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	2024-25 TM	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
NYI	1	Victor Eklund	RW	19	5-11/170	Djurgardens (SHL)	43	6	18	24	22
NYI	1	Victor Eklund	RW	19	5-11/170	Bridgeport (AHL)	9	3	7	10	2
NYI	1	Victor Eklund	RW	19	5-11/170	NY Islanders (NHL)	1	0	1	1	0
NYI	2	Kashawn Aitcheson	D	19	6-2/200	Barrie (OHL)	56	28	42	70	97
NYI	3	Cole Eiserman	LW	19	6-0/195	Boston University (NCAA)	32	18	10	28	14
NYI	3	Cole Eiserman	LW	19	6-0/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	12	2	7	9	2
NYI	4	Danny Nelson	C	20	6-3/200	Notre Dame (NCAA)	36	13	16	29	32
NYI	5	Daniil Prokhorov	RW	19	6-6/220	Dynamo St. Petersburg (VHL)	25	9	9	18	14
NYI	5	Daniil Prokhorov	RW	19	6-6/220	Dynamo Moskva (KHL)	23	1	0	1	2
NYI	6	Dmitry Gamzin	G	23	6-3/175	CSKA Moskva (KHL)	40	22	10	1.49	0.938
NYI	7	Tomas Poletin	LW	19	6-2/205	Kelowna (WHL)	43	20	15	35	38
NYI	8	Isaiah George	D	22	6-0/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	47	2	16	18	20
NYI	8	Isaiah George	D	22	6-0/195	NY Islanders (NHL)	4	0	1	1	0
NYI	9	Xavier Veilleux	D	20	6-0/190	Cornell (NCAA)	34	6	20	26	12
NYI	10	Marshall Warren	D	25	5-11/170	Bridgeport (AHL)	56	6	26	32	30
NYI	10	Marshall Warren	D	25	5-11/170	NY Islanders (NHL)	8	0	3	3	4
NYI	11	Jacob Kvasnicka	RW	18	6-0/175	Penticton (WHL)	65	35	50	85	21
NYI	12	Alex Jefferies	LW	24	6-0/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	60	9	20	29	46
NYI	13	Matt Maggio	RW	23	5-10/185	Bridgeport (AHL)	56	6	26	32	30
NYI	14	Quinn Finley	LW	21	6-0/180	Wisconsin (NCAA)	37	17	16	33	22
NYI	15	Luca Romano	C	18	6-0/175	Kitchener (OHL)	55	14	19	33	22

Victor Eklund, RW, Djurgårdens IF (SHL) (Currently with Bridgeport Islanders, AHL)

Eklund’s season so far has largely met expectations, and the New York Islanders organization is certainly pleased with his progress since the 2025 Draft. Eklund continues to trend upward this season, taking the next step in competition with Djurgården following their promotion from Allsvenskan to the SHL. He’s showing improved pace and growing confidence attacking high traffic areas. Playing against heavier competition, he has adjusted well, displaying stronger puck poise and an increased willingness to dictate play rather than play it safe. His offensive skillset remains his biggest asset, highlighted by quick decision making, soft hands in tight spaces, and a consistent ability to find space through coverage. Eklund elevated his stock further during the WJC, playing a meaningful role in Sweden’s gold-medal performance. He handled top line matchups effectively, showing composure in pressure moments while contributing steady offensive support. His play-driving habits and transitional awareness were noticeable throughout the tournament. His strengths are built around strong on-ice awareness, puck skill, and offensive anticipation. Eklund regularly identifies open space and supports possession sequences with quick, efficient decision making. Physical maturity remains the primary developmental challenge, as he can lose battles against bigger, stronger defenders. His projection leans toward a middle six scoring winger with power play value, with added strength potentially unlocking top six offensive upside.
Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Selected 17th overall in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, Aitcheson is in his fourth season in the OHL and shares the captaincy with Utah Mammoth prospect Cole Beaudoin. He led all OHL defencemen with 28 goals and in points with 70. Aitcheson set the new franchise record for most career points by a defenceman in Barrie Colts history surpassing former Colt, Brandt Clarke’s record of 158 career points. Aitcheson has continued to take meaningful steps forward with his five-on-five offensive play. His physicality remains a strong suit, averaging roughly a hit per game while keeping his penalty minutes low. An area of improvement is limiting mistakes in the defensive zone; his skating has improved and moves well in all directions for his physique but recognizing when to close out quicker and making more consistent reads with the puck. Barrie has their sights on another deep playoff run so expect Aitcheson to log heavy minutes matched up against top heavy forwards.
Cole Eiserman, LW, Boston University (NCAA) (Currently with Bridgeport Islanders, AHL)

The enigmatic goal scoring machine, Cole Eiserman continued firing on all cylinders with Boston U. this year, registering 18 goals in 32 games. He brings elite shooting tools and a nose for the net to the Islanders club. The sophomore’s shot is elite, and he possesses a release that can fool goalies from any area on the ice when in scoring range. He is also not averse to the physical component of the game and is willing to sacrifice his body to set himself up into prime scoring locations. A 20th overall selection in the 2024 NHL draft, Eiserman will always be known for scoring goals, but it would be nice to see him evolve his game into more of a playmaker and look for opportunities to dish the puck when the time is right. This would make him a dual threat and help elevate his game to the next level. Set up with a good playmaker, Eiserman could easily be a top scorer for the Islanders down the road.
Danny Nelson, C, University of Notre Dame (NCAA)

A leader on Notre Dame, as is evidenced by the certification of team Captain, Nelson brings a hard nose and no-nonsense style game to the team. He also displayed his offensive chops by putting up 28 points in 35 games this past season. The third year player has increased his NCAA totals each of the season’s he’s played for the Fighting Irish, which is something you like to see in a prospect. What you get with Nelson is an endless motor with high compete and physicality in his game. He is always noticeable during games and is in the mix more times than not. The Islanders' second rounder is a reliable two-way forward with some offensive upside. He has a relatively high floor thanks to his size, skating, and high IQ combination. At the very least, he could develop into an excellent defensive forward and penalty killer. Expect him to make the jump to the pro ranks very soon and he could move quickly through the Islanders’ system.
Daniil Prokhorov, RW, Dynamo St. Petersburg (KHL)

The 6-foot-6 second round draft pick had a chaotic start to this season, getting 1-5 shifts a game in the KHL before bouncing around between all three Russian leagues. He has finally settled into the VHL and has since played well, scoring 18 points in 25 games, some of those games with extremely limited ice time. The most consistent thing about Prokhorov is his inconsistency. Not even shift to shift, but moment to moment he can go from a high paced, physical, net driven monster to being completely checked out, not moving his feet and letting pucks go past him. At his best, he can take over possession. The size and skating combination is a beautiful thing to watch as he drives wide to blow by defenders before cutting to the crease. His shot is strong and can throw high danger passes to the slot through pressure. He is violent along the boards, always looking for big hits and to regain possession. But more often than you'd like, he floats around and is completely disengaged from play with negative awareness. He’s also quite poor defensively, out of position and looking to fly the zone for offence. There is potential to be special if he can work on his determination and decision making. A change of scenery could be the answer, as North American coaching could help round out the rest of his game and reach the heights of his full potential, but for now he looks like a bottom six heavy hitting instigator.
Tomas Poletin, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Tomas Poletin’s first season in North America has gone largely as expected. The Czech winger was selected by the New York Islanders with the 106th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (not far off our ranking at McKeen’s, where we had him 103rd overall) following a strong season in Finland splitting time between the Lahti Pelicans’ junior and professional teams, which included 15 games in the Liiga, Finland’s top professional league. Poletin joined the Kelowna Rockets this season after the Memorial Cup hosts selected him first overall in the CHL Import Draft, and he has slotted into a top six role. He also captured silver with Czechia at the most recent World Junior Championship, recording four goals and two assists in seven games. His game remains largely unchanged from his draft-eligible season. Poletin is not known for flashy or highly creative plays, operating with a direct, north-south approach that can limit his offensive ceiling from a projection standpoint. What he lacks in dynamism, however, he makes up for with his motor and work ethic. He consistently attacks the hard areas, competes for pucks, and plays with energy. His approach is simple but effective. If he can add another gear to his skating and continue to build strength, he could become a more dangerous player at higher levels. For now, his play style fits the mould of an energetic, bottom six checking role.
Isaiah George, D, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

After finding himself having surprisingly gotten into 33 NHL games in his rookie pro season, displaying plenty of potential as a future puck-moving defender with above average mobility, George has spent the bulk of this season in the AHL refining and improving his game all over the ice. A slight injury cost him roughly a month’s worth of action between November and December, but it didn’t take long to get to full speed before the holidays. And although his statistical output in the form of goals and assists has been fine and very akin to what he generated in his rookie AHL season, his +/- has improved drastically. He’s displayed a newfound calm in his game and confidence in his actions, both with and without the puck. By late January, he got a two-game call-up to the Island, where he averaged just over 13 minutes of ice time and collected an assist in a 4-1 win over the Flyers. Overall, he’s shown an ever-improving ability to outskate his opponents, regain lost space, and apply an active stick to his defensive play that allows for a higher propensity of transitional play. An NHL future is clearly in the cards and another stay on the Island this season would surprise no-one in the organization.
Dmitry Gamzin, G, CSKA Moscow (KHL)

Gamzin has been on a tear this season. He currently leads the KHL in SV%, GAA, and second in shutouts, leading him to an all-star game appearance at 22 years old. He has all the tools you look for in goalies; 6-foot-3, athletic, strong skater, and effectively reads the ice in front of him. Rarely do you see opponents beat him when he has a clean look. His pads are strong; he controls rebounds and can track the puck through traffic. He recently signed an extension through the 2027-28 season, which gives him more time to dominate the KHL, and continues to develop his game. Despite the great success, he is still a bit raw. Some slight refinement to his technique, angles/positioning, and side to side mobility would bode well for him. It isn’t difficult to envision him as an NHL caliber goaltender. As of right now, there are no real elite standout traits, but he is an extremely well-rounded goalie playing at a very high level. If he takes another step over these next few years, he could very well be next in the line of elite Russian goalies that have taken over the NHL.
Xavier Veilleux, D, Cornell University (NCAA)

An Islander defensive prospect with Cornell, Veilleux has shown some real promising point producing acumen, being one of the top-scoring rookie D in the NCAA with 26 points in 33 games. He has adapted well as a freshman and the progression in his game could reveal him to be a late round steal for Long Island who drafted him in the sixth round in 2024. Veilleux projects as a decent two-way, puck moving defenceman with some nice play-driving ability. He can manipulate oncoming pressure and has decent patience when the puck is on his stick. Based on his NCAA results this year, it would appear that repeating the USHL level was the correct decision as it helped a seamless transition to a higher level. Veilleux is best described as a high IQ player, with his defensive game showing great growth last year. Cornell is a great program for him to continue to develop defensively. A mobile defender, the question marks surrounding Veilleux would be around projection. Could he be a Calvin de Haan type for the Islanders in the future?
Marshall Warren, D, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

It’s been a very positive year for Warren, who wasn’t seen as one of the Islanders’ top 15 prospects heading into the season. Signed to an ELC as an unrestricted free agent in 2024 after having gone unsigned by the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, the Long Island native has since slowly but surely endeared himself to the fanbase and new management alike. He showed promise in his initial season with the organization, which was spent entirely with a very downtrodden Bridgeport Islanders outfit, but has seen his play jump in leaps and bounds in all three zones this season, having blown away last season’s statistical totals already by his 30th appearance of the season. This also led to him getting his first taste of NHL hockey, where he tallied three assists in eight games by the Olympic break, showing a strong ability to keep up with the pace of the NHL game while facing his challenges from a defensive standpoint. He’ll be an RFA this summer but it’s hard to imagine him not being re-upped as sound defensive depth for the organization.
Jacob Kvasnicka, RW, Penticton Vees (WHL)

Talk about a breakout year. A depth piece on the NTDP last year, Kvasnicka joined Penticton of the WHL this year and has been one of the league’s best players. He plays at a blistering pace and is a prospect on the rise.
Alex Jefferies, LW, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

A strong skating, playmaking winger, Jefferies has had a solid sophomore pro season with Bridgeport. He’s put himself in the conversation for an NHL opportunity and could end up a solid middle six, complementary piece.
Matthew Maggio, RW, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

The former Red Tilson winner as the OHL’s top player was a disappointment through his first two pro seasons, but Maggio has been much better this year for Bridgeport. Much like Jefferies, he has likely put himself in the Islanders plans moving forward.
Quinn Finley, LW, University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

Finley has some pro level attributes as a goal scoring winger. He can play with pace and shows good offensive instincts off the puck. Look for him to turn pro after his junior season with Wisconsin is over.
Luca Romano, C, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

As the Kitchener Rangers have added to their lineup to push for a Western Conference championship, Romano has found himself further down the lineup this year in his draft plus one year. However, he’s still been effective in a depth role, showing greater consistency in all three zones. Expect a big offensive jump next year.

NHL: Victor Nuño – Dynasty Stock Watch – New York Islanders Edition

Victor Nuño — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:37:11 +0000

Team Outlook

There is no question that Matthew Schaefer has completely altered both the trajectory and timing of the competitive window for the Islanders. His historic season has accelerated the organization into more of a win-now phase, reshaping how they evaluate and deploy talent across the roster. With cornerstone pieces already in place at each position, Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Schaefer, and Ilya Sorokin, the foundation is strong, but the supporting cast remains a work in progress.

This places the Islanders in a unique transitional phase, balancing immediate competitiveness with the need to develop and integrate younger talent. The prospect pipeline is not among the league’s deepest, but it carries increased importance as the organization looks to round out its roster with cost-controlled contributors. From a dynasty perspective, this creates both opportunity and volatility. Identifying which prospects can meaningfully support the current core, and which players may be overvalued relative to their long-term projection, will be key to gaining an edge.

Buy Candidates

Dmitri Gamzin, G

Gamzin is quietly emerging as one of the more intriguing goaltending prospects outside the NHL. Playing in Russia, he has shown strong composure and technical ability, with a calm, controlled style that projects well to higher levels. There are also some strong indicators beneath the surface. Hockey Prospecting gives him a 97% chance of becoming an NHLer, with notable comparables including Igor Shesterkin and fellow Islanders goaltender Sorokin. He was not drafted until age 21 and has already played 79 KHL games, which suggests his timeline may be shorter than that of a typical goalie prospect.

Goaltenders always carry inherent risk, but Gamzin’s profile is trending in the right direction. With Marcus Gidlof traded to St. Louis in the trade that brought Brayden Schenn to the Islanders, Gamzin’s stock gets a slight boost as the top goaltending prospect behind Sorokin in the Islanders’ system. The organization also lacks a clear long-term answer in net beyond its current group, giving Gamzin a realistic path to future value. If he were ever dealt to a weaker goaltending system, as Gidlof was, his stock could rise even more. This is the kind of profile that can reward dynasty managers who buy in before broader recognition sets in.

Kashawn Aitcheson, D

Aitcheson brings a highly projectable blend of physicality, mobility, and offensive upside that fits the mold of the modern NHL defenseman. While he has long been known for his edge and willingness to punish opponents, it was his offensive game that took a meaningful step forward this season. As captain of the Barrie Colts, he has helped lead the club to the Eastern Conference semifinals in the OHL playoffs as the second seed behind Brantford. He moves pucks efficiently, can support the attack, and now looks more capable of providing secondary offense than he did a year ago. His pNHLe via the NHL Rank King application is nearing 80, which feels like an unlikely outcome, so I would not buy expecting that level of offense at the next level.

From a fantasy standpoint, his appeal is especially strong in multi-category formats. Defensemen who can contribute across blocks, shots, and hits (BASH) often outperform expectations, and Aitcheson is trending toward that type of profile. Even if not every hit connects, the ones that do are often the kind that change momentum and force opposing forwards to keep their heads up. He plays with the sort of intimidation factor that can alter how opponents attack his side of the ice. One of his comparables is Cody Ceci, which feels like a reasonable stylistic match, though Aitcheson appears to show better decision-making and less panic with the puck at this stage. As his overall game continues to round out, his value is likely to keep rising, making him a strong buy before that progression becomes more widely recognized.

Victor Eklund, LW

Eklund remains one of the more exciting prospects in the Islanders’ system, and arguably one of the most dynamic offensive talents in their pipeline. He combines high-end skating with an aggressive, pace-driving style that allows him to attack defenders, generate chances off the rush, and keep pressure on in the offensive zone. While his SHL production dipped this season, he showed well at the U20 World Junior Championships, helping Sweden win gold and reinforcing the idea that he can elevate in high-pressure settings. Since arriving in North America, he has also made an immediate impression with AHL Bridgeport, which only adds to his appeal within a prospect pool that could use more speed and creativity up front.

What makes Eklund especially valuable in the Islanders’ system is that he brings skills their pipeline does not have in abundance. His Fantasy Hockey Life skater card points to elite transition play in the SHL when carrying the puck in and out of the zone, along with strong Fenwick numbers, loose-puck recoveries, and puck-battle results. He also offers some BASH value, with solid hit and block rates for a forward. There is still room for growth in terms of consistency and decision-making, but the combination of skill, pace, and competitiveness gives him a real chance to emerge as a top-six option and one of the organization’s more important forward prospects.

Sell Candidates

Cole Eiserman, LW

Eiserman’s value remains heavily tied to his elite goal-scoring reputation, and while that shot is very real, it may also be inflating his dynasty price. He can beat goalies in multiple ways and is dangerous whenever he finds space in his spots, but the rest of his game still carries notable concerns. His off-puck play remains underdeveloped, and there are holes in his transition game and puck-battle ability. He is not especially physical, and for a player whose fantasy appeal is so tied to scoring, that creates more risk than his name value may suggest.

The concern for fantasy managers is that if Eiserman tops out as more of a one-dimensional trigger man than a complete offensive driver, he may struggle to earn the kind of all-situations role needed to maximize his upside. If all he really does at a high level is shoot, he could end up limited to 14 minutes a night with much of his value tied to power-play deployment. That creates a wide range of outcomes, from a useful specialist to something more disappointing, with names like Filip Zadina, Daniel Sprong, or Anthony Beauvillier coming to mind as stylistic caution points. Given that he has had time to round out the weaker areas of his game and the progress has been modest, this may be the ideal time to sell while the goal-scoring hype still drives the market.

Kamil Bednarik, C

Bednarik is a strong real-life play driver, but his fantasy outlook appears far more limited than his name value may suggest. He works well within the flow of play, can support possession, and brings traits that should help him earn trust from coaches, especially in matchup and penalty-killing situations. The issue for dynasty managers is that those strengths do not always translate into meaningful fantasy value. At this point, he looks more like the type of player who could become an effective bottom-six center than someone with a clear top six offensive path.

That concern is reinforced by the production profile. While there have been flashes of skill and playmaking, he has not translated that into more than half a point per game in the NCAA, and Hockey Prospecting gives him just a one percent chance of becoming a star, which feels about right. As the Islanders’ system continues to evolve, players without a standout fantasy trait are at risk of being passed over by higher-upside options. If another manager still views Bednarik as a potential offensive breakout, this may be the right time to cash out.

Quinn Finley, LW

In his third NCAA season, Finley regressed to under a point per game at Wisconsin, despite the team around him being much better. That matters for a player whose fantasy case is already built more on efficiency and complementary offense than on driving play through elite tools. He is a smart player who understands spacing, gets to the right areas, and can capitalize on chances, but there is still a question of how much offense he will be able to create for himself and others at higher levels.

His pNHLe via the NHL Rank King application has dipped back to 45 after rising to 59 last season, reinforcing the idea that his long-term ceiling may be more modest than some managers hope. At best, he looks like a 50-60 point NHL winger, and even that may require the right deployment and supporting cast. If Wisconsin’s trip to the NCAA title game has boosted his profile in your league, this could be a good time to cash in before his value settles back into the range of a more limited NHL projection.

Summary

Player	Role	Key Insight
Dmitri Gamzin	Buy	Emerging goalie with long-term upside
Kashawn Aitcheson	Buy	Physical, mobile defenseman with multi-cat value
Victor Eklund	Buy	Dynamic offensive winger with upside
Cole Eiserman	Sell	Elite shot but potential one-dimensional scorer
Kamil Bednarik	Sell	Lacks clear high-end projection
Quinn Finley	Sell	Likely complementary winger with limited ceiling

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:43:46 +0000

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 29: New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) warms up before the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders on December 29, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

With Patrick Roy behind the Islanders bench, the team managed a .500 points percentage, finishing with 82 points (35-35-12) in 82 games. The Islanders were a mid-range puck possession squad, ranking 18th in Corsi percentage (49.6) and 14th in expected goals percentage (50.6). Special teams was a large part of the Islanders’ undoing last season, ranking 31st with 4.14 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play and ranking 30th with 9.59 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. A mediocre possession team can’t overcome such terrible special teams, even with Ilya Sorokin as the starting goaltender. Semyon Varlamov was injured for much of the season, so Marcus Hogberg had the second-most appearances among Islanders goaltenders and that didn’t help matters.

What’s Changed?

The Islanders hired Mathieu Darche to be their new General Manager, taking over for Lou Lamoriello and he was relatively busy in the offseason, starting with the selection of defenceman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick in the 2025 Draft. The Isles signed left winger Jonathan Drouin from the Colorado Avalanche and plucked Maxim Shabanov from the KHL, where he had 67 points (23 G, 44 A) in 65 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk. More dramatically, the Islanders traded defenceman Noah Dobson to Montreal, acquiring forward Emil Heineman from the Canadiens as part of the return. The Islanders added David Rittich from the Los Angeles Kings to stabilize their goaltending, and enforcer Matt Martin skated off the ice and into the Isles’ front office.

What would success look like?

For a team with as many veterans as the islanders, the playoffs must be the objective. They don’t appear to have the high-end talent to compete with the very best teams in the league, though they made some deep playoff runs in 2020 and 2021 when it didn’t look like they had that kind of talent, either. The other priority should be to make sure that No. 1 pick Schaefer develops as much as possible. Shelter him if he needs sheltering, but make sure that he is going to be a fixture on this blueline for 15 years.

What could go wrong?

The Islanders have been dependent on excellent goaltending from Ilya Sorokin and that always presents a risk, that if the goaltending falls off that the rest of the team is not equipped to handle it. On one hand, it’s hard to imagine that the Islanders could duplicate such an awful special teams performance, but if they did, that would once again prevent them from reaching the playoffs. Just as success would be making the playoffs and developing Schaefer properly, the opposite end of the spectrum would be to miss the playoffs, but not by much so they don’t get a great shot at the lottery, and they botch the development of their No. 1 overall draft pick.

Top Breakout Candidate

As exciting as it would be to have a rookie defenceman like Schaefer take the league by storm, he is just 18 years old and that’s asking a lot. On the other hand, Russian forward Maxim Shabanov is 24 and coming off an outstanding season in the KHL, finishing third in league scoring. There’s no guarantee that the undersized Shabanov will make the transition to North America and fill the net, but the Islanders should be motivated to give him the chance, and he might even be able to help their pathetic power play.

FORWARDS

Mathew Barzal

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	16	40	56	0.86

A brilliant skater who adds an electrifying element to the Islanders attack, Barzal missed 52 games with injuries last season, finishing with just 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 30 games. The scoring totals were somewhat deceptive because underlying numbers suggest that Barzal was as dangerous as ever. He had career-best rates for on-ice Corsi For and on-ice Expected Goals For during five-on-five play. He also had his individual highest rate of shot attempts per 60 minutes but scored on just 5.1 percent of his shots at five-on-five, a far cry from 10 percent or better, like he did in six of the previous seven seasons. All of these stats suggest that Barzal is still a difference-maker, and he is consistently the most dangerous forward on the Islanders roster, so if he is healthy this season, he will be expected to produce. He has shifted to playing the wing more often, in part because he’s terrible on faceoffs, winning 42.3 percent for his career, but given the Isles’ personnel after trading Brock Nelson last season, Barzal may need to spend more time down the middle of the ice in 2025-2026. He does have some injury history, so that creates a range on his possible outcomes. Expecting him to miss at least 15 games is probably fair, and if that’s the case, then 50-55 points is a reasonable expectation. If he’s healthy, maybe 65-70 is more on target.

Bo Horvat

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	31	31	62	0.76

One of the features that made Horvat appealing to the Islanders when they acquired him from Vancouver was that he was reliably productive. In the past two seasons, he has scored 61 goals and the Islanders have outshot and outscored opponents consistently with him on the ice. He’s doing his part and, last season, it came with a variety of linemates. Anders Lee was his most common winger but with Barzal injured, Kyle Palmieri, Simon Holmstrom, Anthony Duclair and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each played more than 200 five-on-five minutes with Horvat. A physically strong player, Horvat wins puck battles and handled more than 20 minutes of ice time per game last season. One reason to be optimistic about his chances for the 2025-2026 season is that the Islanders power play was abysmal last season and Horvat’s production suffered. There were 136 players that played at least 150 minutes during five-on-four play last season and 132 of them had more points per 60 minutes than Horvat’s 1.65 per 60. He had scored 71 power play goals in the previous seven seasons, so he ought to bounce back. He is as reliable as anyone on the Isles’ roster and has missed a total of five games over the past three seasons, so Horvat should be able to contribute 30 goals and 60-plus points this season.

Jonathan Drouin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
62	13	30	43	0.69

A very talented player who has had an up-and-down career, Drouin had a good thing going in Colorado over the past two seasons, tallying 93 points (30 G, 63 A) in 122 games. Of course, one of the reasons that Drouin has had ups-and-downs in his career is that he has had difficulty staying healthy, and he played just 43 games for Colorado in 2024-2025. No matter who Drouin skates with on the Islanders roster in 2025-2026, it will be a downgrade from riding shotgun with Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado. Drouin scored on a career high 19.6 percent of his shots last season, so that is a number that is likely to regress, but Drouin is a creative offensive player and effective puck distributor and as much as he is a finesse player, he turned in better defensive results in his two seasons with Colorado and that would certainly enhance his value if he could bring a more reliable two-way game to the Islanders. The good news for Drouin is that, if he's healthy, he should play a big role for the Isles. Given his injury history, it’s entirely fair to expect Drouin to miss 15-20 games and, if that’s the case, he could still find a way to contribute 40 points.

Anders Lee

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	25	23	48	0.60

Going into last season, it was possible that the Islanders were ready to prepare their captain for a decreased role. He had played 15:34 per game on his way to contributing 37 points (20 G, 17 A) in 81 games in 2023-2024, the kind of numbers that suggested he was moving down the depth chart. Then, last season, Lee went out and earned his place in the lineup, finishing with 29 goals and 54 points, his highest totals in those categories since the 2017-2018 season. To get that kind of bounce back from a 34-year-old winger was unexpected, but Lee is an imposing physical presence and that doesn’t go away with age. He can still plant himself in front of the other team’s net and he generated 233 shots on goal last season, the high-water mark for his career! Lee has scored at least 20 goals in eight consecutive seasons, not counting the shortened 2020-2021 season, during which he was also injured but still delivered 12 goals in 27 games. The Islanders have outscored opponents with Lee on the ice during five-on-five play in six of the past seven seasons and last season the Isles outscored opponents 60-43 in those situations, the second-best differential of his career. Even if he’s in a complementary role, Lee still figures to get power play time and should be capable of scoring 25 goals and 45 points.

Simon Holmstrom

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	20	23	43	0.54

Drafted with the 19th pick in the 2019 Draft, Holmstrom took a while to reach the NHL and he has started to make positive contributions in the past couple of seasons, scoring 35 goals and 70 points in 150 games. Last season, he was shuffled around the lineup – his three most common linemates were centers Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, and Bo Horvat – and had a serious hot streak from November 1 through December 21, during which he recorded 19 points (9 G, 10 A) in 24 games. Holmstrom had just 34 shots on goal over that stretch, which was a good indication that his scoring surge was unsustainable, and it was. While Holmstrom appears to be more accomplished defensively, where he is closer to average, he has scored on 20.8 percent of his shots in the past two seasons, and that’s incredibly high, but he does contribute quite a bit in transition, where the percentages tend to be higher, and he does have a dangerous shot when given room to let it go. There is uncertainty over his role going into 2025-2026 because he was all over the lineup in 2024-2025, so consider 15 goals and 35 points a baseline for him, with room to move up if he ends up skating with more accomplished offensive players.

Kyle Palmieri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	21	23	44	0.54

There were a few lean years on the back of Palmieri’s hockey card, from the end of his New Jersey tenure through his first couple of seasons with the Islanders, but he has sniped 54 goals in the past two seasons, so the 34-year-old winger has some life left in his game. He did tone down his physical play last season, recording just 54 hits in 82 games, his fewest hits in a season since he had 48 hits in 42 games as a rookie in 2012-2013. Even so, Palmieri has a nose for the net and will put his body in harm’s way if it means getting a chance to score. While he has returned to being an offensive threat, Palmieri’s defensive game has slipped in the past couple of seasons, with the Islanders surrendering more shots, goals, and expected goals against with Palmieri on the ice. Palmieri’s most common linemates last season were Brock Nelson, before he was traded, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Bo Horvat. There will be competition for quality ice time among the Islanders wingers and Palmieri isn’t assured of winning those battles, but 20-25 goals and 45 points is a reasonable expectation.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	12	26	38	0.47

Although he does not have imposing size, Pageau plays with an edge to his game and is a rare center who hits consistently. He has recorded at least 140 hits in four straight seasons, Those aren’t empty hits, either, as Pageau’s battles helped push the puck the right way when he was on the ice. It also helped that he spent some time on right wing on the top line when Barzal was injured because Pageau then ended up with more offensive zone starts and, ultimately, finished with a 52 percent Corsi, the best mark of his career. His 42 points (14 G, 28 A) tied for the second most of his career, and he won a career-high 59.6 percent of his faceoffs, so by all accounts the 2024-2025 season was a strong one for the veteran pivot. He is expected to fill the third-line center role this season, but it’s possible that he might see some time in the second center spot, especially if the Islanders use Barzal on the wing. In any case, Pageau could reasonably be expected to contribute a dozen goals and 35-40 points, with 140-plus hits in 2025-2026.

Maxim Tsyplakov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	26	38	0.49

Arriving in the NHL last season as a 26-year-old rookie out of Russia, Tsyplakov scored 31 goals in 65 games during his last season in the KHL, so that might have prompted his jump to the Islanders, but goal-scoring was not really his forte, either. The 6-foot-3 winger plays a hard physical game and recorded 140 hits in his first NHL season. While he is good at protecting and passing the puck, he did not show great finishing ability in his first season with the Islanders. At the same time, Tsyplakov was reliable defensively and not shy about using his size to create turnovers on the forecheck and then going hard to the front of the opponents’ net. There were 197 forwards to play at least 100 minutes at five-on-four last season and Tsyplakov ranked 190th with 1.53 points per 60 minutes with the man advantage. That may not fall entirely on him, as the Isles’ power play was awful, but he didn’t help. Like several Islanders forwards, Tsyplakov has the ability to move around the lineup. He plays with the grind of a checking forward but does have enough skill to his game that he can at least fit in a more offensive role, too. His most likely fit is somewhere in the middle six and, in his second season, it would seem fair to expect maybe a dozen goals and 35-40 points.

Anthony Duclair

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
55	14	12	26	0.47

There was real hope that having some security and re-uniting with Patrick Roy, who had coached him in junior hockey, would bring out the best in Duclair and that most definitely did not happen in 2024-2025. In fact, before the season was over, he had been sent away from the team for some personal time. It was an undeniably disastrous season, as he finished with a mere 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in 44 games and, even worse, his defensive play was a mess with the islanders out-scored 27-17 during five-on-five play with Duclair on the ice. His defensive impacts have been consistently poor and that’s the kind of thing that can cost a player his spot in the lineup. The Islanders are Duclair’s ninth team, so there have obviously been peaks and valleys to the man’s NHL career. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer, who uses his speed to create chances and is excellent at using dekes to finish on breakaways. The Islanders should be seriously motivated to get Duclair back on his game this season and he may be able to contribute 15 goals and 30 points, but his status is unreliable at this point, so it’s probably best to wait and see how it goes early in the season before looking to add Duclair to a fantasy roster.

DEFENCE

Tony DeAngelo

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
64	6	30	36	0.56

With the Islanders trading Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, that leaves a huge opening for DeAngelo to be the top offensive defenceman on the roster since that is the one proven positive dimension to his game. His previous stops in the NHL have been tumultuous so he did not land an NHL contract at the start of last season and went to the KHL, where he was thriving on ice with 32 points (6 G, 26 A) in 34 games for SKA St. Petersburg, but he rankled teammates and coaching staff on the way to getting released. He signed with the Islanders, cleared waivers, and returned to the NHL in late January, getting an incredible 23:21 of ice time per game for the Islanders. It was the highest average time on ice of his career, and he contributed 19 points (4 G, 15 A) in 35 games. Eight of those 19 points came on the power play and that is, not surprisingly, where DeAngelo is most effective. He is a confident puck-handler who is ready to shoot and move the puck in the offensive zone. In the defensive zone, however, he is a clear liability. Of the 256 defencemen to play at least 200 five-on-five minutes last season, DeAngelo ranked 244th with 3.00 expected goals against per 60 minutes and the Islanders were outscored 30-27 with him on the ice. Whatever shortcomings he might have defensively, he is clearly the No. 1 offensive option on the Islanders blueline. Perhaps No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer will be ready to take on a big role during his rookie season, but that would be asking a lot of an 18-year-old, so that likely means a big role for DeAngelo. He has never played more than 70 games in an NHL season, so he is likely to miss some time, but if he plays 65-plus games, then DeAngelo should be able to contribute 35 points. There is a world in which it goes even better than that, as he has three seasons to his credit with more than 40 points, but the downside risk needs to be taken into account, too.

Alexander Romanov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	5	18	23	0.30

The Islanders leaned heavily on Romanov during the 2024-2025 season, as he averaged a career-high 22:18 of ice time per game. He finished with 20 points (4 G, 16 A) in 64 games, and while that is not earth-shattering offensive output, it was the third straight season in which he had recorded at least 20 points. Where Romanov does stand out is blocked shots (165) and hits (147) and those numbers make him a viable fantasy contributor in banger leagues or even deep leagues that include those peripheral stats. Looking ahead, Romanov will face a challenge of dealing with a new defence partner because his most common partner last season was Noah Dobson, who was traded to Montreal. With Dobson and Romanov on the ice, the Islanders controlled 54.7 percent of shot attempts and 53.2 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play. When Romanov played with other partners, the Islanders controlled 45.5 percent of shot attempts and expected goals, so that is going to be an issue to keep an eye on. There is still little reason to believe that Romanov is going to put up big point totals, so he will probably fall between 20 and 25 points. However, he should also be able to produce 160 hits and 160 blocked shots, which makes him surprisingly valuable for fantasy managers.

Ryan Pulock

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	5	16	21	0.27

When Pulock arrived in the NHL, his heavy shot from the point was his calling card and that has not disappeared, but it is no longer the main feature of his game. Prior to last season, he had turned into a reliable defender, capable of handling difficult top four minutes. Last season was different, though, as Pulock was on the wrong end of possession numbers, falling just below 46 percent Corsi and recording a career-low 46.2 percent expected goals percentage. Whether he was effective or not, Pulock still logged more than 21 minutes per game and finished the season with 23 points (5 G, 18 A), 100 hits and 155 blocked shots. None of those numbers really put him into the mix for fantasy managers, but he is worth tracking during the season because, depending on who else is available, he may get time on the power play. He only had a couple of points with the man advantage last season, so it’s hardly a big draw but, at best, he’s an in-season consideration in most leagues anyway. At this stage of his career, Pulock is likely to land between 20-25 points with maybe 120 hits and 140 blocked shots.

Adam Pelech

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
61	3	18	21	0.34

The Islanders’ best defenceman is not a significant offensive threat, and has battled injuries, but he is a terminally underrated shutdown defender and that makes his spot in the lineup as secure as anyone. Pelech has averaged at least 20 minutes of ice time per game for six straight seasons and that is without hardly any power play role. The unfortunate part is that Pelech has missed 67 games over the past three seasons, so it’s difficult to trust that he is going to suddenly play a full season now. He does have skills that should apply on the offensive end because he’s nimble on his blades and a confident puck-handler who generated a career-best 1.82 shots on goal per game last season. At this stage of his career, though, it’s unlikely that there is going to be a sudden offensive breakthrough. Taking into account that, based on recent precedent, Pelech is likely to miss 15-20 games, he can still be expected to chip in 20 points and might be able to push 100 blocked shots. That’s not terribly appealing from a fantasy perspective, but in real hockey terms, Pelech is a fantastic option on the Islanders’ blueline.

Goal

Ilya Sorokin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
60	21	29	7	3	.906	2.95

It's a frustrating time to be a New York Islanders fan. While Ilya Sorokin isn't struggling as much as some of the league's other goaltenders thrust into sub-optimal workloads, the Russian-born starter lost his mentor in Semyon Varlamov to a knee injury midway through last season - and Marcus Hogberg, who was next up to bat when Varlamov went down, failed to fill in well enough to help the Islanders get over the hump and into the postseason when all was said and done. Varlamov is expected to be ready for the upcoming season, but at 37-years old with a lengthy injury history, it's hard to tell just how much he'll be able to contribute over the year. That leaves Sorokin with a new potential backup at his side; former Calgary Flames number two David Rittich, who struggled to replicate his strong results from the 2022-23 season last year in his second season with the Los Angeles Kings, will hope to bounce back and return to form in the instance that he's needed for a heavier workload. The Islanders aren't currently sitting in the prime of their window, so there's not as much of a sense of urgency to get their tandem right as there could be, but Sorokin runs the risk of playing his best hockey on a Wild Card team more and more with every passing year. The team will likely hope that Varlamov and Rittich can string together enough games to help the team out without leaving Sorokin to shoulder the entire workload himself once again.

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #11

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:42:03 +0000

Prospect System Ranking – 11th (May 2025 - 21st)
GM: Mathieu Darche Hired: May 2025
COACH: Patrick Roy Hired: January 2024

Jumping up ten spots is the New York Islanders, which significantly reshaped their prospect pool and hopefully the future of the organization.

They headlined the off-season by trading top defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for back-to-back picks at 15th and 16th in the 2025 draft. After already landing their new franchise blueliner, Matthew Schaefer, with the first overall pick, the Islanders used those mid-round slots to select Victor Eklund and throwback-style defender Kashawn Aitcheson. They also added high-regarded second-rounder Daniil Prokhorov.

Those names are in addition to adding an already high-caliber youngster in Calum Ritchie. Rarely do teams land a top-tier prospect in exchange for a rental player, yet that’s exactly what happened when the Isles acquired Ritchie from Colorado for long-time Islander Brock Nelson.

Ritchie brings slick hands, elite hockey sense, and a track record of production, finishing his OHL career with 254 points in 221 games for Oshawa. He’ll eventually join forces with Cole Eiserman, the sharpshooting Boston University freshman who scored 25 goals, earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honours, and won gold at the World Juniors. Eiserman is set to return to school for his sophomore season, but the potential of a Ritchie–Eiserman tandem gives the Islanders a legitimate offensive foundation for the future.

Supporting that core is a trio of defensive prospects—Isaiah George, Calle Odelius, and Jesse Pulkkinen—currently developing in the AHL with Bridgeport.

With Lou Lamoriello stepping aside, the Islanders enter uncharted territory under Mathieu Darche. The NHL roster’s middling performance suggests a retool is in order, and the influx of high-end young talent this year represents a promising first step.

New York Islanders Top-15 Prospects

1 - Matthew Schaefer

Everyone’s favourite story from this past year saw the Isles draft Schaefer first overall. A mature young man, Schaefer was selected first despite missing a significant portion of the year due to a collarbone injury. The reason for that is that Schaefer is the complete package. He’s an elite skater and processor who impacts the game in so many different ways. He’s also the kind of player who oozes leadership qualities and could, one day soon, wear a letter for the Islanders. A potential top pairing defender and minute muncher, Schaefer will attempt to make the Islanders roster this year or he will return to the OHL after signing his ELC. A return to junior hockey might not be a bad thing for his development considering how little he played last season. This would allow him to build up strength and confidence before making that jump to the show. Don’t worry, Islanders’ fans, you won’t have to wait long for Schaefer to make an impact.

2 - Cole Eiserman

Eiserman’s progression over the season showed notable growth in engagement and consistency in his game. Early in the season he displayed inconsistent effort, lack of defensive commitment, and limited puck support, often disengaged without contributing in all three zones. However, as the season progressed, he demonstrated increased physical presence, stronger puck protection, and a more competitive forecheck. His offensive strengths remained a consistent theme, with a quick release, powerful shot, and strong net-front presence. Eiserman excels as a shoot-first offensive forward with solid skating, puck handling, and net-front scoring ability. His quick release and shot accuracy are his most valuable assets. Weaknesses wise, his effort and defensive responsibility remain inconsistent. Eiserman projects as a top six scoring winger with powerplay upside. Continued improvements in compete level and decision making will be very important for his game to transition well to the pro level.

3 - Victor Eklund

The speedy, energetic Eklund immediately becomes one of the Islanders best prospects after falling into their laps at 16th overall. The young Swedish winger should endear himself to Isles fans in no time at all. He’s a total spark plug. He skates like the wind, his processing speed is excellent, and his motor never stops. He’s so slippery along the wall and makes plays from the boards to the middle with ease. He can fill the net with his laser of a shot as well. Although he’s on the smaller side, Eklund is a bulldog who plays bigger than he is. He will have to bulk up and get some seasoning against better competition before he’s considered NHL ready, however. After tearing up the HockeyAllsvenskan and helping his team secure SHL promotion, Eklund will have the chance to do so. He should assume a top six role with Djurgården and will most likely slot into the Isles top nine when he makes the jump across the pond. If all goes well, Eklund could be a 20+ goal scoring winger at the NHL level.

4 - Calum Ritchie

Acquired from Colorado for Brock Nelson, Ritchie joins a very quickly revamped Islanders’ prospect group. Last season, he cracked the Avalanche opening night roster and even scored his first NHL goal in one of the seven games he appeared in. Upon returning to Oshawa, Ritchie was generally a standout for the Generals, although you could probably make an argument that his game didn’t take a huge leap forward this past year. He was more aggressive in playing through the middle and getting to the net, but he’s still not shooting the puck enough and his defensive metrics took a bit of a step backward. Ritchie is at his best when he’s dictating pace with the puck on his stick because of how skilled a playmaker he is. He is excellent at drawing in pressure before finding open passing lanes; he’s poised beyond his years. Yet, Colorado was obviously concerned about the lack of urgency in his game at times, so hopefully the Islanders’ organization can bring out the best in him. At this point, you’re probably looking at something similar to what Dylan Strome has become, which is a valuable secondary offensive option.

5 - Kashawn Aitcheson

A true throwback, Aitcheson was one of three first-round selections by the Islanders in 2025 as they attempt to re-tool after the Lou Lamoriello era. The Barrie Colt defender is a feared and ferocious physical player. He also took massive steps forward this past season as an offensive player, emerging as one of the OHL’s elite two-way defenceman. He creates a lot of his offence from his booming point shot and off puck activation, which could make him a weapon on the power play at the NHL level eventually. As Aitcheson returns to the OHL for likely his final season, the focus for him will be to continue to build upon his two-way ability, while tightening up his decision making in the defensive end to become a true stalwart. He projects as a versatile second pairing defender who can be the kind of defender you want in your lineup come playoff time. There is a very real chance that he cracks the 30-goal plateau in the OHL this upcoming season, and that’s a milestone few junior defenders have hit recently.

6 - Isaiah George

Isaiah George was particularly impressive last season, but not just because he was a first-year pro. George was so impressive because he was thrust into a prominent NHL role very early on during his pro career, and this was unexpected by many people because of his pedigree as a later-round NHL draft pick. With that being said, George was extremely impressive in big minutes for the Islanders, and he also played quite well as a smart, strong-skating defender for a very poor Bridgeport Islanders team. Like it is for any first-year pro, last season presented its own growing pains, as George had to learn to defend against NHL-calibre players a bit on the fly, but his foundation dating back to his time with the London Knights is very strong. George looks like he has all the tools to develop into a bona fide top four defenceman that can drive the play in both the offensive and defensive zones, and he should become a full-time member of the New York Islanders’ blueline this upcoming season.

7 - Maxim Shabanov

Shabanov is the latest in a long line of undrafted Russian players who developed in the KHL and earned a chance to prove themselves at the top level. After dominating the past few seasons in Chelyabinsk, the Islanders were eager to snatch him up and pair him with Tsypaklov for a talented scoring duo. He is a speedy forward with smooth hands and a quick release. He has a knack for finding pucks and creating looks without wasting a second. He is a dual threat offensive talent with the ability to create with his passing and wristshot. Maxim’s biggest challenge will be overcoming his lack of size, but he possesses the speed and skill to give him a real shot with the Isles. Expect him to slot in as a top six forward with a real chance to improve the team's scoring potential.

8 - Daniil Prokhorov

Daniil Prokhorov was one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects from this past year's draft class. His size and highlight reel goals off the rush made him a star in many scouts' eyes. He pushes up ice with pace and has a knack for faking out defenders with skilled dekes. He has a heavy shot and can pick corners well when firing off the rush. Lots of work needs to be put in to reach the next level. His skating needs a lot of work mechanically to keep up with the speed and agility of the NHL. He also needs to work on becoming more competitive in battles for the puck. As a second-round pick, Prokhorov is a good bet to make. Lots of time will need to be put in but a high ceiling as a top six winger makes the risk worthwhile.

9 - Danny Nelson

Danny Nelson was a second-round pick by the Islanders in 2023, and though he won’t blow anyone away with his counting stats, has a two-way skill set that could make him a very valuable piece of the future on Long Island. The 6-foot-3 centerman has been a workhorse for Notre Dame in his collegiate career, being leaned upon in all situations. Nelson is a good skater, has some skill, and has a shot that is a threat in the offensive zone, but what really sets him apart is his high motor and his ability to use his size to win puck battles and create space. His play isn’t flashy, but his versatility and dependability could make him a fan favourite before long. Nelson profiles as an energetic bottom six NHL center who can kill penalties, play with grit, and chip in some secondary scoring. He is heading back to Notre Dame this season.

10 - Luca Romano

Speed and pace are the name of the game for Romano currently. He loves to play the game at a breakneck pace and is consistently looking to use his speed to attack the offensive zone. A lack of size and consistency drove him down draft boards, but a lot of that can be attributed to a lack of strength and a need to improve his conditioning. As he matures physically, his two-way game and off puck play could actually become a strength and may be the key to his future NHL success. He’ll need to develop into a versatile and competitive player to be a long time NHL forward at his size. This is especially true considering that he doesn’t possess the creativity or high-end skill to be a big time point producer at the NHL level. As an offensive player, his biggest weapon may just be his shot, so look for him to find ways to be a more consistent scorer this year with the Kitchener Rangers. A long-term project, the Islanders will be patient with Romano, who may just be the kind of player who might benefit from the new NCAA eligibility rules.

11 - Marcus Gidlof

It was quite the season for the tall, well-schooled goalie. Despite many backers his draft year, few saw him not only making the SHL this season but becoming a 1B starter of sorts for Leksands. His 11 wins in 17 SHL outings, WJC gold medal game performance, 14-4 U20 league record, and outstanding 2-0 record with a .980 save percentage to cap off Djurgarden’s historic promotion to the SHL all have him lined up as one to watch moving forward.

12 - Quinn Finley

Finley has become a sneaky good NHL prospect, displaying strong creative instincts, a deft stick, and sly shot-release motions. A bit on the light side, Finley can prance in and out of lanes and plays with a deceptive nonchalance, often a step ahead of the play. In his just concluded sophomore season, he more than doubled his total output from the year before, leading Wisconsin in scoring. Islanders brass is felt to hold him in high regard.

13 - Kamil Bednarik

After enjoying a fantastic 95-point draft year with the USNTDP, including solid contributions to a U18 Worlds gold medal, Bednarik stepped into BU’s line-up this past season and promptly became one of coach Jay Pandolfo’s key faceoff and shutdown situation specialists. Despite getting the bulk of the defensive responsibility in key situations right on into the national championship game, Bednarik also managed to finish seventh on the team in assists. Look for his TOI to increase this winter.

14 - Jesse Pulkkinen

Pulkkinen presents surprisingly solid agility and mobility for a 6-foot-6 defenceman and that’ll need to be his calling card moving forward. Last season, he showed little Liiga-play progress vis-a-vis his overage draft year, putting up comparable stats in nine more games. He then concluded the year with the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL, where his -8 plus-minus in 10 games fit right in with the league-worst outfit. It’s time for the talented Pulkkinen to take the next step.

15 - Calle Odelius

After missing the vast majority of the 2023-24 season, Odelius was thrown into the deep end for the tire fire that was the Bridgeport Islanders last year. To his credit, his -34 plus-minus had as much to do with the whole team’s results as the difficulties of being a young AHL rookie. A fluid skating defenceman who can make slick breakout passes, the hope is that Odelius’ sophomore year in AHL will have him showing more routine and improved puck-protection.

2025 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: #21 NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Top 15 NHL Affiliated Prospects

Fri, 23 May 2025 12:21:30 +0000

PARADISE, NV - JUNE 28: Cole Eiserman is drafted by the New York Islanders in the first round during the Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 28, 2024 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire)

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NY Islanders 25 Prospects

NHL: DADOUN – FINAL FANTASY STRETCH – Playoff teams and their schedules to close out the regular season – What to watch for

Ryan Dadoun — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 14:34:50 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin (8) celebrates with Jakob Chychrun (6) and Andrew Mangiapane (88) after scoring his 894th career NHL goal to tie Wayne Gretzky for most NHL career goals with 894 during the Chicago Blackhawks versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on April 4, 2025 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

I’m not going to retread my discussion about St. Louis’ success after featuring it last week, but after earning an 11th straight victory Thursday, the Blues have basically secured their playoff berth with a 42-28-7 record (91 points). At the same time, Minnesota, which holds the second wild-card spot, is looking pretty safe with its 41-29-7 record (89 points). Sure, Calgary still has an outside chance at 36-27-12, but the fight for the last two spots in the Western Conference playoffs seems all-but decided.

The battle for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference is still wide open, though, so with the season winding down, I’m going to feature Montreal, the Rangers, Columbus, Detroit and the Islanders in that order to do a deep dive into what remains on each team’s schedule and what needs to happen for any of those squads to squeak into the postseason. So as not to make this final edition of the Look Ahead too skewed towards the east, I’ll also feature Vegas, Los Angeles and Edmonton. All three of those teams are extremely likely to make the playoffs, but there is still meaningful room for movement there in terms of who will end up in what seed.

While those are some of the most interesting teams to watch over the final week and a half of the campaign, there are a few more storylines worth covering before we dive into them, starting, of course, with Alexander Ovechkin. He found the back of the net twice Friday to tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goal-scoring record. He’s just one marker away from breaking the record.

When you compare him to Gretzky, the two have had extraordinarily different careers. Gretzky surpassed the 70-goal mark on four occasions and still holds the record for most goals in a single season with 92. With the caveat that we are measuring players from different eras, Ovechkin never came close to enjoying a height equal to Gretzky’s. However, Ovechkin’s longevity has been unreal. At the age of 39, he’s at 41 goals in 60 games this season, putting him third in the NHL’s goal-scoring race this season behind only William Nylander (42) and Leon Draisaitl (52) despite the time Ovechkin has missed due to injury.

Gretzky’s goal-scoring diminished dramatically in the back half of his career. The final time he reached the 40-goal mark was his age-30 season (1990-91), and the last time he collected at least 30 goals was his age-33 campaign (1993-94). We might never see a player who ages as well as Ovechkin has.

At the time of writing, Washington still has six games left on its schedule. Of note, the Capitals’ remaining home games are Thursday vs. Carolina and Sunday vs. Columbus. Ovechkin’s next chance to break the record will come against the Islanders on Sunday. Wherever he breaks it will be special, but it would be particularly remarkable if he does so at home.

Given Ovechkin’s scoring pace, the record probably isn’t going to come down to the final game of the season, but it is worth adding that the Capitals are set to conclude the campaign in Pittsburgh on April 17. To have it happen there with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby would give the event some extra flavor, given that trio’s long and storied history.

That’s by far the biggest event to watch out for, but we might also see some players reach the 400-goal mark soon. Draisaitl and Jamie Benn are both one marker away (Note: Draisaitl is injured. More on that during Edmonton’s section), while Auston Matthews is three shy.

I’m also interested to see how rookie Lane Hutson does over Montreal’s final seven regular-season games. He’s already at 63 points, which is the seventh most ever by a rookie defenseman. He’s just two away from surpassing Chris Chelios and establishing a new rookie record by a Canadiens defenseman. Also within striking range are Ray Bourque (ranked fifth, 65 points), Phil Housley (fourth, 66 points) and maybe even Gary Suter (third, 68). That’s extraordinary company that Hutson has found himself in.

Finally, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Hart Trophy race. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (32 goals, 115 points), Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (33 goals, 112 points) and Draisaitl (52 goals, 106 points) are all making a strong case, and who actually gets the award could be decided based on how these final days go. It doesn’t seem like a stretch to say that Connor Hellebuyck is the heavy favorite for the Vezina Trophy, but he’s also just two wins away from becoming just the eighth goaltender ever to hit 45 wins.

In other words, there are plenty of interesting events to monitor without even getting into the battle for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but speaking about it…

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens earned their fourth straight victory Thursday and currently hold the second wild-card spot with a 37-30-9 record. Still, there is plenty of competition to dethrone them, as we’ll examine soon, so Montreal needs to do well down the stretch. Looking ahead to the final week-and-a-half, the Canadiens have three home games (April 8 versus Detroit, April 14 versus Chicago, April 16 versus Carolina) and two road contests (April 11 in Ottawa, April 12 in Toronto).

That game against Detroit is the only remaining match against a team battling for the second wild-card spot with the Canadiens. Ottawa has a five-point edge on Montreal in the battle for the first wild-card position, with each club still set to play seven games as of Friday. That’s probably too big a gap for Montreal to overcome, but a victory over the Senators would make the leap far more feasible.

As noted above, Hutson has been a major part of the Canadiens’ resurgence into contention this campaign, and he’s continued to perform well down the stretch, supplying eight helpers over his past five appearances. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to succeed in the final games, especially on the power play, where he’s already collected 25 points.

A recent hero for the Canadiens who is more surprising is Brendan Gallagher. The 32-year-old hasn’t reached the 40-point mark since 2019-20, but that might change this season. He’s just four points shy of the milestone and seems to be racing towards it after collecting five goals and six assists over his past ten outings. He’s one of the oldest members of the young club and has 71 games worth of playoff experience, so his experience is an important asset at this stage of the year.

Though, what might be even more helpful than Gallagher’s experience would be a Patrik Laine hot streak. When Laine starts scoring, it can be near impossible for goaltenders to contain him, but the 26-year-old’s extreme highs tend to be offset by prolonged cold spells. Lately, though, he’s kind of been in between with two goals across his past seven games -- far from his best, but not a disaster either. He’ll be one to monitor, though, to see if he catches fire at this crucial juncture. Keep a particular eye on him during power plays: 15 of Laine’s 19 goals this campaign have been tallied with the man advantage.

If Gallagher and Laine are the X-factors going forward, then Nick Suzuki is the steady hand. He has 27 goals and 83 points through 76 games, and Suzuki will probably continue to contribute over the final stretch. He certainly hasn’t shown any signs of slowing across his past 17 appearances in which he’s supplied eight goals and 31 points, including five goals and nine points in his last four games.

New York Rangers

Where will the Rangers’ roller coaster end? They got off to a 12-4-1 start, followed by a 4-15-0 descent. After numerous ups and downs, not to mention a flurry of trades, New York finds itself two points behind Montreal for the second wild-card spot with a 36-32-7 record. The Rangers will enter the final week-and-a-half with six games remaining, split evenly between three home games (April 7 versus Tampa Bay, April 9 versus Philadelphia, April 17 versus Tampa Bay) and three road matches (April 10 against the Islanders, April 12 in Carolina, April 14 in Florida).

That’s four games against top-tier teams (Tampa Bay x2, Carolina, Florida), one against a team competing with them for a wild-card spot (the Islanders) and one against a team that’s faded out of the playoff picture (Philadelphia). That’s a tough way to finish the campaign, but if you’re fishing for silver linings, Carolina and Florida might be more concerned about resting stars than winning games by the time they play the Rangers, so perhaps the situation isn’t as difficult as it initially seems.

Either way, the ideal for the Rangers would be if they’re able to make life a little easier for Igor Shesterkin. On the surface, it’s looked like he’s been a mixed bag this campaign with a 25-26-5 record, 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage in 56 appearances. He’s also allowed nine goals over his past two starts against two teams that have underwhelmed offensively this season -- Minnesota and Anaheim. However, the Rangers rank 28th in xGA/60 (3.32), per Moneypuck, which suggests that the defense has made life miserable for Shesterkin. In fact, his goals saved above expected is 21.3, which is the fourth best in the league and suggests he’s been basically as good as Andrei Vasilevskiy (36-20-3, 2.16 GAA, .921 save percentage), with the key difference being the play in front of the respective netminders.

Unfortunately, New York isn’t likely to fix its leaky defense this late into the campaign, so Shesterkin is going to probably continue to give up more goals than commonly associated with an elite netminder, even if he continues to play at a high level. If the Rangers are to squeak into the playoffs, the difference will have to be made up by the team’s offense. The silver lining for the Rangers is that scoring seems to come far more naturally to them than defense.

That’s been especially true since a trade with Vancouver brought J.T. Miller back to New York. Miller has 10 goals and 26 points in 25 outings with the Rangers this season and is doing everything in his power to push the Rangers into the playoffs by contributing three goals and eight points over his past five outings.

New York also has Adam Fox back. The offensive defenseman missed eight straight games due to an upper-body injury, but since returning March 15, he’s provided four goals and eight points in nine outings, giving him nine goals and 56 points across 67 appearances this campaign.

One player they could use more from, though, is Alexis Lafreniere. After breaking out last season with 28 goals and 57 points in 82 appearances, the 23-year-old has suffered a mild regression with 16 goals and 43 points through 75 outings. That’s despite starting 2024-25 with an impressive eight goals and 16 points in 19 games. Lafreniere has been a mixed bag recently, with a goal and five points over his past eight appearances, so he certainly has room for improvement.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets went through a rough 1-7-1 stretch from March 4-21, which severely hindered their playoff chances. They’ve since stabilized by winning three of six from March 24-April 3, but that still leaves them six points behind Montreal in the wild-card race with a 34-31-9 record.. The silver lining is that Columbus has a game in hand against Montreal at the time of writing. The other good news is Columbus will play four of its final six games at home (April 8 versus Ottawa, April 10 versus Buffalo, April 12 versus Washington, April 17 versus the Islanders) over the final week-and-a-half. The Blue Jackets’ other two outings during that stretch will be on the road against Washington on April 13 and Philadelphia on April 15.

The two games against Washington might be of particular difficulty. However, if Ovechkin has established a new all-time goal record by that point -- which seems likely after he scored twice to tie the record Friday -- then the Capitals won’t have anything of consequence left to fight for until the postseason, which might lead to them taking their pedal off the gas a bit.

Columbus also has the benefit of getting healthy at the right time. Sean Monahan has three goals and eight points across six outings since returning from a wrist injury. Meanwhile, Boone Jenner has six goals and nine points in his past seven games as he finds his rhythm after not making his season debut until Feb. 22 due to shoulder surgery.

Add in forwards Kirill Marchenko, who has six goals and eight points over his past six outings, and Dante Fabbro, who has two goals and seven points across his last five appearances, then mix Zach Werenski, who has established a new career high with 74 points in 73 games, and Columbus has an offense that can match up with most teams in the league.

Unfortunately, the goaltending might end up costing them a playoff berth. Elvis Merzlikins has a 25-21-5 record, 3.24 GAA and .890 save percentage in 51 outings this season. He’s also been trending in the wrong direction, allowing 25 goals on 159 shots (.843 save percentage) over his past five appearances. This isn’t a Shesterkin situation either: Columbus actually has an underrated defense, ranking 11th in xGA/60 (2.96). It really is just that Merzlikins hasn’t been holding up his end of the bargain with his minus-8.2 goals saved above expected.

Perhaps he’ll get hot down the stretch. That would give Columbus the final piece of the puzzle.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit earned a 5-3 victory over Carolina on Friday to improve to 35-33-7 on the season. That puts the Red Wings six points behind Montreal, with one game in hand. Of course, Detroit is competing with more than just the Canadiens, so their margin of error is extremely low going into the final week-and-a-half. To further complicate things, five of Detroit’s final six games are on the road (April 8 in Montreal, April 10 in Florida, April 11 in Tampa Bay, April 16 in New Jersey, April 17 in Toronto) with just one game at home (April 14 versus the Stars).

Detroit has an underwhelming 15-17-4 road record, so the Red Wings are in a tricky position. Perhaps Patrick Kane can guide them to the playoffs regardless. He scored a goal Friday, bringing him up to three goals and seven points across his past seven appearances. Given the 36-year-old’s long history of success in high-stakes situations, it seems appropriate that he’s stepped up when Detroit has needed him the most.

His linemate, Alex DeBrincat, went through a bit of a quiet stretch in which he was limited to one assist across four outings from March 25-April 1, but he broke out of that with a goal and an assist versus Carolina, so perhaps he’s starting a new run. DeBrincat is a crucial part of the offense with 34 goals and 64 points in 75 appearances, so having him at his best in the final stretch is naturally important.

Like Columbus, goaltending might be what holds Detroit back, especially because Petr Mrazek (head) hasn’t played since March 24. To be fair, though, Cam Talbot has looked fine recently, allowing six goals on 91 shots (.934 save percentage) over his past three contests. He still has an underwhelming 2.89 GAA and .903 save percentage through 42 games this year, but a strong stint from Talbot now keeps Detroit’s hope alive.

New York Islanders

The Islanders secured a 3-1 win over Minnesota on Friday, raising to 33-32-10 on the season. That still puts them five points behind Montreal, and the Islanders would also have to climb above the Rangers, Columbus and Detroit, so their chances of actually making the playoffs are slim. Still, they have reason to cling to hope going into the final week-and-a-half. The Islanders are set to play two of their final six games at home (April 10 versus the Rangers, April 15 versus Washington), and four on the road (April 8 in Nashville, April 12 in Philadelphia, April 13 in New Jersey, April 17 in Columbus).

The Islanders’ win over Minnesota ended a six-game skid (0-4-2), so to say the Islanders have been slipping lately would be an understatement. Ilya Sorokin stopped 27 of 28 shots against the Wild, but he had allowed at least three goals in each of his previous five appearances. He’s also had a rough campaign overall with a 28-23-6 record, 2.76 GAA and .905 save percentage in 56 outings. The Islanders have been middling defensively, ranking 19th in xGA/60 (3.10), and Sorokin has done his best to make up the difference with a plus-12.1 goals saved above expected. In other words, he hasn’t been quite as good as Shesterkin, but he also hasn’t been part of the problem like Merzlikins.

Rather than Sorokin, or even the defense, the Islanders’ issue has been scoring. New York ranks 25th in goals per game with 2.72. Anticipating that this wouldn’t be their year, the Islanders further hurt their offense by trading Brock Nelson, who had 20 goals and 43 points in 61 appearances with the Islanders this campaign, to Colorado on March 6.

As a consequence, the Islanders’ forward corps has been underwhelming. Bo Horvat has been their leading scorer among forwards since the Nelson trade, providing just nine points (five goals) across his past 14 appearances. However, there are some silver linings there.

While no forward is carrying the team, there at least has been a decent spread of offense. Six different forwards have provided at least three goals over that 14-game span (Horvat, Anders Lee, Pierre Engvall, Simon Holmstrom, Kyle Palmieri and Marc Gatcomb). The other silver lining is that the defensive duo of Anthony DeAngelo and Noah Dobson have been outperforming the forwards, supplying 11 and 12 points, respectively, over that stretch. Each defenseman has also contributed three goals in that span, bringing the number of Islanders in that category up to eight.

At the end of the day, it might be those defensemen leading the offense rather than any of the forwards, which isn’t optimal, but at this point, the Islanders need to take what they can get.

Vegas Golden Knights

Moving on from the Eastern Conference wild-card race, let’s examine the battle for the top spot in the Pacific Division, which is still up in the air. Vegas does lead the pack with a 46-22-8 record, but the Golden Knights have allowed others to catch up a bit after dropping games to Edmonton and Winnipeg on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. The Golden Knights will play five games over the final week-and-a-half split between two home matches (April 10 versus Seattle, April 12 versus Nashville) and three on the road (April 8 in Colorado, April 15 in Calgary, April 16 in Vancouver).

If Vegas is to secure the first seed, it might need to do so without Tomas Hertl. He’s missed the past five games due to a shoulder injury and still wasn’t taking contact as of Thursday. Hertl hasn’t been ruled out for the remainder of the season, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him return at some point before the playoffs, but I imagine the Golden Knights will be erring on the side of caution when it comes to his return since being healthy at this stage is arguably even more valuable than a good seed.

Ilya Samsonov (upper body) is working his way through an injury too. The timing is particularly unfortunate there because Adin Hill has now appeared in five straight games and seven of Vegas’ last eight, so the Golden Knights probably want to give him some time to rest before the playoffs. If Samsonov isn’t able to return soon, then Akira Schmid will probably get some action in his place.

Even with all this talk of being especially careful with injuries and resting their starter, it needs to be emphasized that these games still have value for the Golden Knights. Seeding might not be the most critical thing in the world, especially when your reward for winning the division might be a first-round matchup against the red-hot Blues, but winning the division does hold value. The Golden Knights are 27-9-3 in Vegas versus 18-13-5 on the road, so that’ll be on their mind as they fight to secure the home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds.

Jack Eichel will be an important part of that fight for the division title. He’s been Vegas’ best player this campaign, with 27 goals and 93 points in 74 appearances. Eichel also has a chance to do something he hasn’t done since 2015-16: Finish ahead of the player who was taken ahead of him in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor McDavid, in the scoring race. McDavid is three points shy of Eichel and dealing with a lower-body injury. It might seem like a hollow victory given McDavid’s injury issues, but keep in mind, injuries have held Eichel back substantially for large stretches of his career. So, Eichel staying relatively healthy this campaign is an accomplishment in itself.

Los Angeles Kings

Vegas going through a touch of a slow patch has made its position vulnerable, but only because the Kings (43-23-9) have been keeping the pressure on them. Los Angeles has won 12 of its past 15 games, making the Kings one of the hottest squads in the league. We’ll see if they can continue that during the final stretch, which includes four home games (April 7 versus Seattle, April 10 versus Anaheim, April 12 versus Colorado, April 17 versus Calgary) and two road matches (April 14 in Edmonton, April 15 in Seattle).

Darcy Kuemper has been such a big part of the Kings’ recent success, posting a 10-2-0 record, 1.08 GAA and .953 save percentage across his past 12 appearances, shutting out their potential first round matchup in Edmonton last night. If the difference in the playoffs is which team’s goaltender gets hot at the right time, then Los Angeles is looking like a team to be feared. It doesn’t hurt that Kuemper was the starting goaltender during the Avalanche’s championship run in 2022, so he has experience to fall back on as the stakes get higher.

Los Angeles’ offense shouldn’t be overlooked either. The Kings have averaged 3.56 goals per game over their past 16 showings, which is good enough to rank fifth in that category dating back to March 8. They’ve accomplished that through a balanced attack rather than any one player sticking out. No player has averaged a point per game over that stretch, though Anze Kopitar has come close with 14 points. At the same time, they do have six different players (Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, Trevor Moore, Kopitar, Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele) who have collected at least five goals in that span, which is impressive.

Andrei Kuzmenko has also fit in nicely with the Kings, providing four goals and 10 points across his past 15 appearances. That’s still a far cry from his 39-goal, 74-point showing in 2022-23, but that was a pretty lucky season for him, as evidenced by his unreal 27.3 shooting percentage, and it seems unproductive to expect him to ever hit those highs again. He still has value, though, and Los Angeles deserves credit for finding a way to extract it after Kuzmenko failed to click in Calgary.

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton is weird. At the time of writing, the Oilers are missing superstar forwards Connor McDavid (lower body) and Leon Draisaitl (lower body), top defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) and starting goaltender Stuart Skinner (head). That’s in addition to a number of other injuries, including those to Trent Frederic (lower body), John Klingberg (lower body) and the continued absence of Evander Kane (knee).

So, Edmonton’s naturally going through a rough stretch. Except, no, the Oilers have won their past three of their last four games and are 7-3-1 dating back to March 14. That’s kept the Oilers in the running for the top spot in the Pacific Division, though they’re still five points back of Vegas, so it will take a strong finish for them to close the gap. The Oilers are set to play six games in the final week-and-a-half, split between three home showings (April 9 versus the Blues, April 11 versus the Sharks, April 14 versus the Kings) and three road games (April 7 in Anaheim, April 13 in Winnipeg, April 16 in San Jose).

Let’s start with the injury situation because that’s what’s bound to concern Oilers fans even more than the team’s place in the standings. Draisaitl missed four games from March 20-27 because of an undisclosed injury, and while he made his return Saturday, the star forward exited the lineup again Thursday and missed Saturday’s game against the Kings. The good news is Draisaitl’s injury is regarded as short term, and he’s expected to be back before the playoffs, coach Kris Knoblauch told the media Friday. It’s also not a case of him reaggravating his previous injury, this is a new issue, which can be taken as good news depending on how you want to look at it.

McDavid missed his sixth straight game Thursday, but he was on the ice for Friday’s practice, so there seems to be some progress being made. Ideally, this is also an opportunity for him to rest up for the playoffs, which might make this a bit of a blessing in disguise, given that he’s played a ton of hockey recently -- after all, Edmonton did make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024.

In the case of Ekholm, there hasn’t been much news recently. He’s missed four straight games and 10 of Edmonton’s past 14 contests, and he’s not expected to return before the end of the Oilers’ current road trip, which will conclude Monday in Anaheim. We also haven’t heard much about Stuart Skinner lately, who isn’t expected to return before Monday either.

As noted above, missing all those players hasn’t resulted in Edmonton’s collapse, and part of the reason is that others have stepped up. Jeff Skinner has been a disappointment this campaign with 15 goals and 27 points in 66 outings, but injuries have resulted in him averaging 16:07 of ice time over his past seven games compared to his season average of 12:47, and he’s taken advantage of the opportunity, scoring four goals and six points over that eight-game stretch.

Viktor Arvidsson has similarly underwhelmed this campaign with 13 goals and 25 points across 60 appearances. However, he found the back of the net Thursday to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games. If these absences have been what it’s taken to get Skinner and Arvidsson going right before the playoffs, then perhaps this will actually benefit Edmonton in the long run.

Calvin Pickard has also been solid, posting a 5-1-1 record, 2.32 GAA and .918 save percentage over his previous eight appearances prior to last nights loss to the Kings, despite a solid .929 save percentage. What makes his success particularly interesting is that Stuart Skinner hasn’t done that well this season, posting a 24-18-4 record, 2.91 GAA and .894 save percentage in 49 outings. Skinner is probably still going to be the Oilers’ Game 1 starter in the playoffs so long as he’s healthy, but he might be on a short leash if Pickard continues to impress over the final games of the regular season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – 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 – Nashville Resurgence, Rantanen traded to Carolina, plus much more – Favourable schedules and players to target

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 15:16:30 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 16: Nashville Predators forward Jonathan Marchessault (81) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks, held on January 16, 2025, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

The best stories in sports are the comebacks that happen after a team has been written off. Two examples that spring to mind from recent history are the 2014-15 Ottawa Senators, who were 22-23-10 after a loss Feb. 16, putting them 10 points behind in the playoff race, only to go 21-3-3 the rest of the way to narrowly secure a postseason berth. Another is the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues, who were 16-19-4 on Jan. 5, which placed them last in the Western Conference, before going 29-9-5 the rest of the way to not only make the playoffs but win the Stanley Cup.

Is it possible we’ll have another one of those stories this year? Those stories are memorable because they’re rare, and you only need to look at the absurd records they needed down the stretch to illustrate why. Due in no small part to the consolation point for overtime/shootout losses, the standings tend to look closer than they truly are because closing even a small point gap is difficult.

That said, I can’t help but look at the Nashville Predators and wonder if there is still some hope. It’s probably a foolish thing to think and a take that will age like milk, but after a 7-16-6 start, Nashville began to stabilize and now the team seems to have hit its stride with its current five-game winning streak. The Predators are still just 18-22-7, so they’d have basically have to go the rest of the season without any more noteworthy slumps, but part of the reason that such a feat even seems remotely possible is because the veteran leadership that seemed lost in the early part of the season has settled in.

Steven Stamkos has 10 goals and 19 points across his past 19 appearances while Jonathan Marchessault has 10 goals and 26 points over the same 19-game span. They were signed over the summer to provide that kind of offense but were initially written off as poor decisions by GM Barry Trotz due to their extremely poor start to the campaign. Now it seems they were judged too harshly.

When you couple their success with Filip Forsberg (18 goals, 47 points), elite defenseman Roman Josi (nine goals, 35 points) and veteran center Ryan O'Reilly (13 goals, 27 points), you have a fairly strong offense, especially if any of Gustav Nyquist, Tommy Novak or Luke Evangelista (lower body) start to hit their stride. As it is, Nashville has ranked second in goals per game (3.47) dating back to Dec. 10. That’s in stark contrast to the Predators’ first 28 games where they were last in the league in that scoring category (2.18).

You could call this just a hot streak for the offense, and there’s probably an element of that, but given that we’re talking about players of this caliber, it might be something at least somewhat sustainable.

It’s not all rosy, though. The X-Factor is surprisingly goaltending. Ottawa’s run involved journeyman goaltender Andrew Hammond standing on his head, and the Blues got a similar story out of rookie Jordan Binnington.

Nashville shouldn’t need someone to come out of nowhere to shut down the opposing offense. The Predators already have Juuse Saros, who not that long ago was seen as one of the best goaltenders of this generation. This campaign, though, he’s struggled with an 11-18-6 record, 2.81 GAA and .901 save percentage in 36 appearances. Unlike the offense, Saros hasn’t stepped up -- he's 2-2-0 with a 3.42 GAA and an .860 save percentage across his past five outings.

That’s led to Justus Annunen starting a bit more often lately, but while the backup netminder has won his past four starts, he’s been inconsistent, allowing 10 goals on 105 shots (.905 save percentage) over that span.

Let’s assume Nashville needs a 95-point season to make the playoffs. That wouldn’t have been good enough last year, but for the sake of argument, let’s just pretend that’s what’s needed. Nashville would need another 52 points across its final 35 games, so for example, 26-9-0, or say, 23-6-6. Even a top-tier offense is unlikely to get them that kind of record down the stretch. Some of that’s going to have to come from the goalies stealing games, so until Saros or Annunen start heating up, it’s hard to imagine the comeback happening.

That said, if Stamkos and Marchessault could find their way back from unflattering starts, perhaps Saros can too?

Calgary Flames (Tue vs WAS, Thu vs ANA, Sat vs DET, Sun @ SEA)

Calgary wasn’t seen as a major contender going into the campaign. In fact, there was an argument to be made that the Flames would regress from their 38-39-5 record last season after trading away goaltender Jacob Markstrom over the summer. However, we’re clear past the halfway point of 2024-25 now, and the Flames are very much in the playoff race. The weakness for the Flames is they’ve struggled on the road (8-10-4), but they won’t have to concern themselves with that in the upcoming week. They’ll host the Capitals, Ducks, Red Wings and Kraken on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

A big part of the reason why the Flames’ rebuild is ahead of schedule is 23-year-old goaltender Dustin Wolf. He got a taste of the NHL last year and was mixed at best, posting a 7-7-1 record, 3.16 GAA and .893 save percentage in 17 games. However, he’s filled the void left by Markstrom and then some in 2024-25 with his 17-7-2 record, 2.49 GAA and .918 save percentage in 26 starts. To put that into context, Wolf has already saved 13.3 goals above expected this season, per Moneypuck, which has almost caught up to the 13.7 goals saved above expected Markstrom provided for the Flames last campaign. Wolf also ranks eighth among goaltenders in that metric this season.

Wolf’s contributions are extra important because the rest of the team has underwhelmed. Calgary ranks 29th in goals per game (2.65) and 21st in xGA/60 (3.09). So, the team’s not generating much offense and the defense hasn’t been responsible enough to make an average goaltender look good -- just ask backup Dan Vladar, who is only slightly below average at minus-2.8 goals saved above expected, but due to the Flames’ defense has some rather unflattering numbers: a 3.03 GAA and an .889 save percentage.

Still, even if Wolf is the team’s clear MVP, it would be inaccurate to suggest that he’s the only player of value in Calgary. Jonathan Huberdeau might not be living up to his contract, but his 19 goals and 35 points through 46 outings make him the team’s offensive leader. Since a quiet stretch from Oct. 19-Nov. 29 in which Huberdeau had four goals and six points in 20 outings, the 31-year-old has been tremendous, supplying 12 goals and 23 points across 22 outings. If he can maintain anything close to that down the stretch, then there’s a decent chance he’ll be playing playoff hockey this year.

The 23-year-old Jakob Pelletier is also hot with three goals and six points across his past five appearances. It took him a while to get going -- he recorded a goal and five points over his first 15 games with Calgary this season -- but we’re getting a flash of what he’s capable of. He was selected with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and has been dominant offensively at the AHL level, including three goals and 19 points in 20 contests this season.

Maybe Rory Kerins will also help them down the stretch. He’s 23 as well and has provided an incredible 21 goals and 34 points in 34 AHL games in 2024-25. Unlike Pelletier, Kerins was a late-round pick and even logged 38 games with ECHL Rapid City back in 2022-23. Kerins has risen, making his NHL debut Jan. 13 and recording four assists in five outings with the Flames so far. That said, he’s averaging just 12:14 of ice time, including a mere 6:57 on Thursday, so his role with Calgary is far from secure despite those early results. Monitor him, but don’t get too excited yet.

Colorado Avalanche (Tue @ NYI, Fri vs STL, Sun vs PHI)

The Avalanche has a solid 28-19-2 record, but they’ve merely treaded water lately, going 5-4-1 across their past 10 games. They’ll see if they can do better next week with a favorable schedule. The Avalanche will visit the Islanders on Tuesday before returning home to host St. Louis on Friday and Philadelphia on Sunday. Those adversaries are well behind the Avalanche in terms of points percentage.

I wrote this whole thing about Colorado’s situation with regard to Mikko Rantanen’s contract, and then the Avalanche traded him to Carolina in a three-team deal that also involved Chicago, which was shocking, to say the least. To be fair, there is logic to be found here. My now outdated discussion of the topic still serves as a decent overview of the challenge the Avalanche were facing pre-trade, so I’ll show it here for that purpose:

“Like Edmonton with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, Colorado also has the luxury of an elite one-two punch up front. The Avalanche version is headlined by Nathan MacKinnon, and the other half of the Avalanche’s duo is Mikko Rantanen, who has 25 goals and 64 points through 49 outings in 2024-25. Colorado has an issue that Edmonton recently went through, though: Rantanen is on the final season of his six-year, $55.5 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Rantanen has a real shot of reaching the 40-goal and 100-point milestones for the third consecutive year, so to say he’s due a big payday would be an understatement.

Finding a comparable is a little difficult. Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy in 2019-20, has collected at least 50 goals on three occasions and has also gotten at least 110 points three times, but Rantanen has never been a Hart finalist, has reached the 50-goal mark just once and he’s career high in points is 105, so it’s clear which one of them has a better resume. Still, if Draisaitl could ink an eight-year, $112 million ($14 million cap hit) contract back in September, perhaps Rantanen is thinking at least $12 million annually? Maybe even more? It might be awkward to give Rantanen something at or above Nathan MacKinnon’s eight-year, $100.8 million ($12.6 million cap hit) contract, but MacKinnon inked that back in 2022, and with the cap going up, so too will the payouts for top talent.”

So, you can see why the Avalanche might have opted to move Rantanen rather than lock him up, and there might even be more to this story that we’re not yet aware of. Perhaps the Avalanche presented Rantanen with a competitive offer, and he rejected that. To be clear, that’s purely just hypothetical, and I have no inside knowledge of the situation, so please take my wild speculation as fact, but in that scenario, this trade would make more sense from the Avalanche’s perspective.

That said, I don’t love the return from the Avalanche’s perspective. Colorado is getting Martin Necas and Jack Drury from the Avalanche, as well as some picks. Necas has never reached the 30-goal or 80-point marks, so he doesn’t have the same kind of resume as Rantanen, but Necas is younger at 26 and has done well this campaign with 16 goals and 55 points in 49 appearances. He’ll look good alongside Nathan MacKinnon. My problem with Necas as the return is his two-year, $13 million contract expires in 2026, and then Necas will be eligible for unrestricted free agency. So, if he performs over the next year and a half as the Avalanche hope, then to some extent they just kicked the problem down the road by a year. Granted, Necas probably won’t command what Rantanen did…but that’s only because he’s a downgrade. No offense to Necas -- 99.9 percent of the league is a downgrade to Rantanen -- but the Avalanche are in a win-now mode, so unless retaining Rantanen was completely off the table, this trade feels a little weird to me.

Perhaps I’m undervaluing Jack Drury, though. He has just nine points (three goals) in 39 appearances in 2024-25, but the 24-year-old probably has upside left in him, and the Avalanche will certainly benefit from the center depth. It would not be surprising to see Drury tried out on the third line behind MacKinnon and Casey Mittelstadt.

The Avalanche also got two picks out of the trade. Not a first-rounder, but maybe in five years or so, we’ll look at one of those draft picks as an underrated benefit of this deal.

Carolina Hurricanes (Tue @ NYR, Thu vs CHI, Sat vs. LAK)

The teams I highlight are based on a combination of how busy their schedule is for the upcoming week and how favorable those matchups are. Additionally, I will typically present the teams I’ve included in alphabetical order. I’m breaking both of those to include the Hurricanes. I think it’s worth discussing the fallout of the Rantanen trade from the Hurricanes’ perceptive, and it’s better to have that discussion after outlining what this deal means for Colorado. A little bit of housekeeping before we get into the trade talks: The Hurricanes will start next week with a road tilt against the Rangers on Tuesday before hosting the Blackhawks on Thursday and the Kings on Saturday. It’s not a bad schedule, it’s just not special either.

Now to the trade: In addition to Rantanen, the Hurricanes also acquired Taylor Hall from Chicago for the cost of Necas, Drury and draft picks. There was also retained salary in the deal to make the cap situation work.

It’ll be really interesting to see how this plays out for Carolina. Rantanen has never really been “the guy” before. He’s spent basically his entire NHL career to this point in MacKinnon’s shadow, but now Rantanen will be expected to drive the offense in Carolina. Not that he’ll have to do it alone. In fact, Rantanen is likely to get some great linemates in Sebastian Aho (15 goals, 49 points) and Andrei Svechnikov (15 goals, 34 points). There’s every reason to believe that trio will mesh together.

There’s also reason to be optimistic about Carolina retaining Rantanen beyond this campaign. Sure, the Hurricanes’ attempt to lock down Jake Guentzel after acquiring him from Pittsburgh during the 2023-24 campaign ultimately failed, leading to Guentzel instead signing with Tampa Bay over the summer, but Carolina is set to be in a fantastic cap position for 2025-26. Dmitry Orlov ($7.75 million cap hit) and Brent Burns ($5.28 million) are both set to come off the books. Orlov will likely take a big pay cut if he stays at all. It’s not clear if Burns will play beyond this season, but if he does, it’ll likely be at a reduced salary too.

Carolina also doesn’t have any expiring players due for big paydays beyond Rantanen himself. Meanwhile, Puck Pedia is projecting them with $31.2 million in cap space for next season, albeit with just 13 roster spots filled. There is reason to believe the Hurricanes can meet Rantanen’s demands, even if he’s eyeing something close to what Draisaitl got.

What happens with Rantanen will go a long way towards defining how this trade is viewed, but adding Hall as well in the trade is interesting. He’s been middling this campaign with nine goals and 24 points in 46 appearances with the Blackhawks while averaging a modest 14:59 of ice time. It’s a far cry from what the 33-year-old did in his prime, but he might do better now that he’s on a contender. Hall will probably end up serving on the second line alongside some combination of Seth Jarvis (18 goals, 38 points), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (10 goals, 23 points) and Jackson Blake (11 goals, 16 points).

The Hurricanes’ overall offense has been good -- they rank fifth with 3.37 goals per game – but their scoring depth does leave something to be desired, especially if Carolina does go with that stacked top line of Svechnikov-Aho-Rantanen, so even a decent showing out of Hall would be a big boost.

Carolina likely doesn’t have any room left to make anymore notable additions before the trade deadline, but as it is, the Hurricanes do look like serious contenders.

New York Islanders (Tue vs COL, Thu @ PHI, Sat @ TBL, Sun @ FLA)

It might be premature to assume that the Islanders will miss the playoffs in 2024-25 for just the second time in seven years, but the team certainly has a hole to dig out of. They’ll attempt to better their situation next week, which will start with a home game against the Avalanche on Tuesday. The Islanders will then hit the road to play in Philadelphia on Thursday, Tampa Bay on Saturday and Florida on Sunday. It’s a tough schedule to be sure, but the Islanders are running out of margin for error, so they need to find a way to win difficult matches.

The Islanders inked Tony DeAngelo to a one-year contract Friday, which is…a choice. He’s been bought out twice at the NHL level, which led to him joining the KHL, but DeAngelo only served in 34 games with St. Petersburg SKA before his contract was mutually terminated. He’s questionable in his own end and seems to be a lightning rod for controversy. Still, for as much as there’s a reason why teams keep souring on him, there is also a cause for the infinite number of “second” chances he’s gotten.

DeAngelo, under the right circumstances, can be very effective when the puck is on his stick. He has surpassed the 40-point mark three times at the NHL level and had six goals and 32 points in 34 KHL outings before parting ways with SKA. So, for all the negatives he comes with, at least the 29-year-old has that going for him.

A team in a good spot probably wouldn’t bother with DeAngelo given the baggage, but the Islanders are 28th in goals per game with 2.66 and have lost Noah Dobson to a lower-body injury. Dobson is week-to-week after sustaining the injury Monday. He’s a vital part of the Islanders, and while DeAngelo isn’t a good enough blueliner to fully replace Dobson, one part of that void that DeAngelo likely can fill is the offensive loss. DeAngelo might only serve on the third pairing, but he will likely feature on the top power-play unit and could have fantasy value if that’s his role. His fantasy value will be even higher in leagues that include PIM as a category because he tends to end up in the sin bin a fair amount.

Under ideal circumstances, DeAngelo’s inclusion might even offer a boost to Anders Lee, Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, who will presumably share the ice with him on the power play. The Islanders are dead last in power-play conversions at just 12.2 percent, which has been a drag on the overall offensive output of the Islanders’ top forwards. If DeAngelo can help make the Islanders’ power play even remotely close to average, then that would add up meaningfully for all involved.

Of course, all this is assuming a favorable outcome, which is always a risky thing to believe in when it comes to DeAngelo. At the time of writing, his inclusion on the Islanders isn’t guaranteed. Though the contract has been signed, he needs to clear waivers before he can play for the Islanders. I wouldn’t bet on another team claiming him, but then again, I didn’t anticipate this move from New York, and yet, here we are.

Philadelphia Flyers (Mon vs NJD, Wed @ NJD, Thu vs NYI, Sun @ COL)

The Flyers missed out on the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, but at least they managed to stay in contention for most of the campaign. They’d like to do one better this year and secure a Wild Card spot, but there’s a lot of competition for those two seeds, so every game is that much more important. The Flyers will start the week with a home-and-away series against the Devils on Monday and Wednesday before hosting the Islanders on Thursday. Philadelphia will conclude its weekly schedule in Colorado on Sunday.

Goaltending has been a recurring issue for Philadelphia this season. Samuel Ersson is just too inconsistent, leading to a 14-8-2 record, 2.80 GAA and .891 save percentage in 26 appearances. Ivan Fedotov is no better, though, at 4-6-3 with a 3.25 GAA and an .880 save percentage in 14 starts.

The tragedy is that the Flyers are actually a really good defensive team, locked in a four-way tie for sixth in xGA/60 (2.85). The problem is purely the goaltenders. Ersson ranks 83rd among all netminders in goals allowed above expected at minus-8.8, per Moneypuck. The only netminders worse in that category with at least 20 games played are Petr Mrazek, Tristan Jarry, Alexandar Georgiev and Philipp Grubauer. One of those (Jarry) was sent to the minors due to his play while Mrazek and Georgiev are playing for rebuilding squads in Chicago and San Jose. In other words, it’s unflattering company for Ersson.

The Flyers offense isn’t great, but it’s decent. Travis Konecny (21 goals, 56 points) is doing his best to push the team into contention. He’s also been particularly productive recently, supplying five goals and 15 points across his past 13 appearances.

Owen Tippett is benefiting from playing alongside Konecny. The 25-year-old Tippett has three goals and six points over his last eight games, giving him 14 goals and 30 points in 50 outings overall. That duo doesn’t combine to create a top line that will turn heads, but it does the job well enough.

The Flyers are hoping that Matvei Michkov might eventually headline a unit of his own, but the rookie has been streaky. That’s pretty common for a young forward. You just need to keep an eye out and bench him during the down patches. We might be entering one right now -- he has been held off the scoresheet in each of his past two games after supplying two goals and five points across six outings from Jan. 11-21.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Mon @ SJS, Wed @ UTA, Sat vs NSH)

Like the Islanders and Flyers, Pittsburgh is on the outside looking in on the Wild Card race but is still in the running. The Penguins will play in San Jose on Monday and Utah on Wednesday before returning home to host the Predators on Saturday. The Sharks and Predators own two of the worst records in the league, so Pittsburgh needs to pick up points during that stretch if the Penguins are going to convince GM Kyle Dubas that this team can make a serious playoff push this year.

And make no mistake: Dubas likely needs some convincing. RG.org claims to have a source that Pittsburgh is willing to trade anyone other than Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Philip Tomasino and Owen Pickering. The source was also asked about Kris Letang, and they weren’t sure about him.

Erik Karlsson stands out as the biggest player not ruled out. The Penguins would likely need to retain salary -- his cap hit is $11.5 million annually through 2026-27, but the Sharks are already retaining $1.5 million, bringing the current hit to Pittsburgh down to $10 million -- but as long as Pittsburgh is willing to do that, the return could be fairly nice. Although he’s 34 years old, he’s been effective this campaign with four goals and 32 points in 50 outings.

One potential sticking point is that he has a no-movement clause. He already waived it once to move from San Jose to Pittsburgh, but presumably, there would only be certain teams he’d be willing to play for. The fun destination from a fan perspective would be a return to the Senators, but that would be difficult to make work from a cap perspective. Maybe Calgary or Columbus? The Flames and Blue Jackets are teams trending in the right direction who also have plenty of cap space. Perhaps they’d value his veteran leadership in addition to what he brings to the table on the ice. Columbus’ defense already looks fairly solid and is led by a phenomenal offensive defenseman in Zach Werenski, so I don’t know that the Blue Jackets are a great fit. Karlsson would likely provide a meaningful boost to the Flames, though.

Of course, if you're Crosby or Malkin, you’re still going to be clinging onto the hope of making the playoffs this year, so these upcoming games are extremely high stakes for them. Rust is dealing with a lower-body injury, which does complicate things, but if Rust ends up missing time, then you’ll probably see Anthony Beauvillier play with one of those highly motivated superstars.

Seattle Kraken (Mon @ EDM, Tue vs ANA, Thu vs SJS, Sun vs CGY)

Seattle will begin its weekly schedule with what’s likely to be a difficult matchup in Edmonton on Monday. However, the Kraken will then return home to host Anaheim on Tuesday, San Jose on Thursday and Calgary on Sunday. The Ducks and Sharks have struggled this campaign, so those are favorable matchups for the Kraken.

I briefly touched on Philip Grubauer above in the context of how bad he’s been this campaign -- and really for a while now. He has a 3.09 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 150 games since joining Seattle. His six-year, $35.4 million deal, which started in 2021-22, has been such a waste for the Kraken.

On the plus side, the Kraken have Joey Daccord, who has a 16-11-2 record, 2.47 GAA and .915 save percentage in 31 appearances in 2024-25. He could certainly use more offensive support, though.

Jared McCann leads the Kraken with 14 goals and 36 points in 49 appearances this season. That puts him outside of the NHL’s top 75 in the scoring race. Seattle also doesn’t employ any of the 32 players who have reached the 20-goal milestone. Jaden Schwartz is the closest at 16. A lack of big-name talent up front is really hurting this team.

Maybe Matty Beniers will still fill that void, but he’s been a mixed bag. He was Seattle’s first-ever draft pick -- the No. 2 overall selection in 2021 -- and he seemed to be on the fast track after supplying three goals and nine points in 10 NHL outings in 2021-22 followed by 24 goals and 57 points in 80 appearances last season. However, he took a big step back last year, dipping to 37 points, and he hasn’t rebounded much this campaign with 10 goals and 26 points in 49 appearances. He’s still just 22 years old, so there’s plenty of time for him to find his way, but it’s looking less and less likely that this year will be a positive for him.

Another former No. 2 pick seems to have found his way with Seattle, though. Since being acquired from the Rangers on Feb. 18, Kaapo Kakko has four goals and 13 points in 16 outings, giving the Kraken some of that offensive prowess they’ve desperately needed. He’s been averaging 16:50 of ice time in Seattle, which is up from 13:17 with the Rangers -- he had four goals and 14 points in 30 contests before the trade -- which goes a long way toward explaining his production jump.

There never seemed to be much of a role for Kakko in New York, so this change of scenery is probably exactly what he needed. Although his scoring pace might dip somewhat, he should continue to do well with Seattle.

Vancouver Canucks (Mon @ STL, Wed @ NSH, Fri @ DAL, Sun @ DET)

The Canucks have been a mess on and off the ice lately. Will things get any better for them or will the descent continue next week? They’ll start on the road with games in St. Louis on Monday, Nashville on Wednesday and Dallas on Friday. Vancouver will then host the Red Wings on Sunday.

There’s been plenty of speculation about the Canucks potentially moving one of Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller for off-ice reasons. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Hurricanes were considering acquiring one of those star forwards before opting to instead get Rantanen from Colorado, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650. Carolina is likely out as a destination now, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vancouver still trade one of Miller or Pettersson. The Rangers have been brought up before as a potential destination, so maybe there’s still something to be had there.

Perhaps because this has been distracting them, Vancouver has been in free fall, going 6-10-6 since Dec. 8. Miller had a five-game scoring drought from Jan. 8-16, but he’s otherwise remained effective, collecting eight goals and 33 points in 37 outings this campaign. It’s still far behind his regular-season production from 2023-24 (37 goals, 103 points), but at least he’s providing close to a point-per-game.

Pettersson hasn’t given anything close to that lately. He has just three goals and four points across his past 14 appearances. That slump has undermined a strong start to the campaign, leaving him with 11 goals and 30 points in 41 outings overall. He’ll probably bounce back eventually, but his slump is certainly part of the reason for the Canucks’ decline.

Thatcher Demko isn’t helping either, though. Since making his season debut Dec. 10 after returning from a knee injury, he has a 3-5-3 record, 3.47 GAA and .867 save percentage in 12 games. Some rust is to be expected after missing the opening months of the season, but he’s showing no signs of improvement, going 1-3-0 with a 4.03 GAA and an .833 save percentage across his past four outings. Kevin Lankinen is far from a sure thing either, but he’s been the better option with his 16-8-6 record, 2.63 GAA and .903 save percentage in 30 appearances.

It's unfortunate because Demko has shown in the past that he can be an elite netminder, and Vancouver could certainly use the help right now. As it is, though, about the only positive in Vancouver is that Quinn Hughes is still Quinn Hughes with 12 goals and 52 points in 43 appearances, including four goals and 10 points across his past nine outings.

Hughes just needs other stars to go back to living up to their names as well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York Islanders – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2026 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #14 New York Islanders – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Prospect System Ranking – 14th (Last Year - 11th) GM: Mathieu Darche Hired: May 2025 COACH: Patrick Roy Hired: January 2024

Victor Eklund, RW, Djurgårdens IF (SHL) (Currently with Bridgeport Islanders, AHL)

Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Cole Eiserman, LW, Boston University (NCAA) (Currently with Bridgeport Islanders, AHL)

Danny Nelson, C, University of Notre Dame (NCAA)

Daniil Prokhorov, RW, Dynamo St. Petersburg (KHL)

Tomas Poletin, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Isaiah George, D, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

Dmitry Gamzin, G, CSKA Moscow (KHL)

Xavier Veilleux, D, Cornell University (NCAA)

Marshall Warren, D, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

Jacob Kvasnicka, RW, Penticton Vees (WHL)

Alex Jefferies, LW, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

Matthew Maggio, RW, Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)

Quinn Finley, LW, University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

Luca Romano, C, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

NHL: Victor Nuño – Dynasty Stock Watch – New York Islanders Edition

Team Outlook

Buy Candidates

Dmitri Gamzin, G

Kashawn Aitcheson, D

Victor Eklund, LW

Sell Candidates

Cole Eiserman, LW

Kamil Bednarik, C

Quinn Finley, LW

Summary

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

FORWARDS

DEFENCE

Goal

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #11

New York Islanders Top-15 Prospects

1 - Matthew Schaefer

2 - Cole Eiserman

3 - Victor Eklund

4 - Calum Ritchie

5 - Kashawn Aitcheson

6 - Isaiah George

7 - Maxim Shabanov

8 - Daniil Prokhorov

9 - Danny Nelson

10 - Luca Romano

11 - Marcus Gidlof

12 - Quinn Finley

13 - Kamil Bednarik

14 - Jesse Pulkkinen

15 - Calle Odelius

2025 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: #21 NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Top 15 NHL Affiliated Prospects

NHL: DADOUN – FINAL FANTASY STRETCH – Playoff teams and their schedules to close out the regular season – What to watch for

Montreal Canadiens

New York Rangers

Columbus Blue Jackets

Detroit Red Wings

New York Islanders

Vegas Golden Knights

Los Angeles Kings

Edmonton Oilers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anaheim Ducks

Dallas Stars

Los Angeles Kings

New York Islanders

New York Rangers

Philadelphia Flyers

Tampa Bay Lightning

Washington Capitals

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Nashville Resurgence, Rantanen traded to Carolina, plus much more – Favourable schedules and players to target

Calgary Flames (Tue vs WAS, Thu vs ANA, Sat vs DET, Sun @ SEA)

Prospect System Ranking – 14th (Last Year - 11th)
GM: Mathieu Darche Hired: May 2025
COACH: Patrick Roy Hired: January 2024