Nicolas Roy – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – The aftermath of the trade deadline, including deals for John Carlson, Brayden Schenn, Conor Garland, Bobby Brink, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:44:59 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the aftermath of the trade deadline, including deals for John Carlson, Brayden Schenn, Conor Garland, Bobby Brink, and so much more!

#1 After playing more than 1,100 regular-season games for the Washington Capitals, defenceman John Carlson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The 36-year-old blueliner remains highly productive, ranking 11th among defencemen with 46 points (10 G, 36 A) in 55 games this season. He’s been a prolific force on the power play throughout his career but has been doing more damage at even strength this season, with just nine assists on the power play and 37 points at even strength, which ranks fifth among NHL defencemen. In Anaheim, Carlson should get power play time ahead of Jacob Trouba but maybe not ahead of Jackson LaCombe.

#2 The New York Islanders made a big commitment to acquire St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, who has a relatively modest 28 points (12 G, 16A) in 61 games. He may do a little better with an Islanders team that is having more success, but the value for the Islanders could come from Schenn’s ability to play centre which could help to free up Mathew Barzal, who can move to right wing. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Schenn’s departure could open up ice time down the middle of the ice, so rookie Dalibor Dvorsky might be worth keeping tabs on in deeper leagues.

#3 Ever since the Columbus Blue Jackets hired Rick Bowness as head coach, they have been making a concerted push for the playoffs, going 13-2-1 in 16 games under Bowness. Because of that surge, the Blue Jackets were buyers at the deadline and acquired right winger Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks. Garland has been a reliable secondary scorer throughout his career and has been a solid defensive contributor, too, though he had been struggling in the midst of the Canucks’ awful season, managing 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 50 games. He should be a second-line winger in Columbus and with Garland moving on, the Canucks can give ice time to players in need of the experience, including Nils Hoglander, Liam Ohgren, and Linus Karlsson. Karlsson is probably the most appealing of those three.

#4 Veteran winger Michael Bunting was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Dallas Stars, and it should be a good opportunity for him to fill a middle six role on a strong Stars squad. Bunting has scored at least 19 goals in each of the past four seasons and had 31 points (13 G, 18 A) in 61 games for Nashville this season. With Bunting gone, perhaps look to Joakim Kemell in Nashville. The 2022 first-round pick had 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 46 AHL games though he has failed to record a point in five career NHL games.

#5 The Minnesota Wild brought Minnesota native Bobby Brink home via a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. Brink, 24, had 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in 55 games for the Flyers this season and should fit into Minnesota’s middle six with some second unit power play time. If he lands on Minnesota’s second line, with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, that would be an outstanding opportunity for Brink to elevate his production.

#6 Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has been in fine form since returning from the Olympics, putting up six points (2 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in five games. With Artturi Lehkonen considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Landeskog is even more important for the Avs and is skating on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.

#7 It took some time for Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene to get back up to speed after he missed more than six weeks with an upper-body injury, but he has been cooking lately. In his past 10 games, Duchene has accumulated 17 points (8 G, 9 A) with 19 shots on goal. He is skating with Jamie Benn and Sam Steel on the Stars’ second line but is also getting first unit power play time, which gives him a better shot at sustaining this offensive surge. Steel has elevated his play, too, putting up 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. He is up to a career-high 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 61 games.

#8 Columbus Blue Jackets centre Charlie Coyle has been on a tear ever since the Blue Jackets hired Bowness. In 16 games under the new bench boss, Coyle has delivered 21 points (9 G, 12 A) with 48 shots on goal. He’s been dominating at even strength, scoring 17 of those 21 points at evens. While he is getting first unit power play time, Coyle’s current linemates are Cole Sillinger and enforcer Mathieu Olivier.

#9 It has not been an easy season in Winnipeg, so the Jets need to take the good news where they can get it. Winger Cole Perfetti is starting to heat up as he takes on a bigger role. In his past eight games, Perfetti has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 29 shots on goal while averaging 18:32 of ice time per game. That shot rate is very encouraging and he’s not only playing first unit power play time, but Perfetti is skating on a line with Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi at even strength.

#10 Carolina Hurricanes left winger Taylor Hall has been a solid secondary scorer for the ‘Canes this season and he has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past four games, but he is also consistently generating shots. In his past seven games, Hall has 19 shots on goal and seems to have a good thing going on a line with younger players Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake.

#11 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee plays more of a supporting role for the team than he did in his prime years, but he can still be a force in front of the net. In his past five games, Lee has scored four goals with 16 shots on goal. He is skating on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom at even strength and he’s a second unit power play guy, with only six of his 35 points this season coming via the man advantage.

#12 The Winnipeg Jets have activated defenceman Josh Morrissey so he should be available for Saturday’s game against Vancouver. It isn’t a moment too soon, either, after the Jets traded Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo, the Jets were looking rather lean on the blueline. Morrissey has 42 points (10 G, 32 A) in 56 games this season, despite being held off the scoresheet in seven straight games prior to the Olympic break.

#13 The San Jose Sharks have been very prudent in their deployment of rookie centre Michael Misa this season, perhaps even conservative, but it’s starting to look like the freshman pivot is ready to play a bigger role down the stretch as the Sharks push for a playoff spot. In four games since the Olympic break, Misa has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) with seven shots on goal. He is in a good situation with the Sharks now, skating on a line between William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli, so it should come as no surprise if Misa, the second pick in last summer’s draft, continues to ascend late in the season.

#14 It is practically impossible to trust that Buffalo Sabres centre Josh Norris will stay healthy – he has played more than 56 games in a season once in his career – but when he’s in the lineup, he can make a difference. Norris has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 10 shots on goal in five games since the Olympic break and has 22 points (9 G, 13 A) in 24 games this season. On a strong Sabres team, Norris is getting first unit power play time and skating between Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan at even strength.

#15 It is probably too soon to give out a recommendation for St. Louis Blues rookie defenceman Logan Mailloux, but he’s worth keeping an eye on, especially after Justin Faulk was traded to the Detroit Red wings. Mailloux only has five points (3 G, 2 A) in 46 games this season, but he has goals in back-to-back games and has 13 shots on goal. He has gone over 20 minutes of ice time in each of the past three games, the first times that he has crossed that threshold with the Blues. Faulk figures to be a solid addition in Detroit. The veteran blueliner had nine assists and 20 shots on goal in his last 10 games for St. Louis. In Detroit, he should continue to play 20+ minutes per game and have a role on the second power play.

#16 It shouldn’t move the needle that much when a 40-year-old right winger is traded, but Corey Perry had been having a strong season when the Los Angeles Kings traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Perry had zero points and 12 shots on goal in his last eight games for the Kings, but he still has 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 50 games. If he can continue at that rate, it would be his best points per game since 2017-2018. Perry is likely to have a fourth line role in Tampa Bay, with some second unit power play time sprinkled in for good measure.

#17 This year’s trade deadline was decidedly underwhelming, with few big names moving, there were a bunch of veteran forwards on the move. Nick Foligno joining his brother in Minnesota, David Perron back to Detroit, Warren Foegele to Ottawa, Nicolas Roy to Colorado, Nic Dowd to Vegas, Andrew Mangiapane to Chicago with Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson going to Edmonton. It’s entirely possible that none of those players will have fantasy value for the rest of this season.

#18 It has been a difficult season for defenceman Mackenzie Weegar, who had been one of the league’s most reliable blueliners over the previous five years. The Utah Mammoth acquired Weegar from the Calgary Flames, where he had 21 points (3 g, 18 A) in 60 games, but he had 99 points (28 G, 71 A) in 163 games across the previous two seasons, so he does have more offensive potential than he has shown this year. He’s not a sure thing for power play time in Utah, especially if Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Durzi are healthy, but it will be worth monitoring Weegar in his new home.

#19 One of the more surprising stories of the season is that of Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley. The 28-year-old netminder had played a total of six NHL games prior to this season and it was a couple of years ago when he had a .870 save percentage for the San Jose Sharks, so expectations for Cooley were not high coming into the season. In 22 games, however, Cooley has a sparkling .923 save percentage, and he’s earning more action in the Flames crease. There may not be a lot of wins for Flames goalies over the rest of this season, but Cooley is changing the trajectory of his career and could have some value late in the season, at least when the Flames have more favorable matchups.

#20 As the New York Rangers’ season circles the drain, captain J.T. Miller has landed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. With Vincent Trocheck also out, the Rangers have Mika Zibanejad followed by journeyman Jonny Brodzinski, rookie Noah Laba, and Juuso Parssinen, who was just called up from the AHL. That’s an uphill fight down the middle of the ice every night so the Blueshirts might be in full tank mode. Just something to keep in mind for a rebuilding team that may not be offering a whole lot of support to its best players down the stretch.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

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

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

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

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

What’s Changed?

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

What would success look like?

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

What could go wrong?

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

Top Breakout Candidate

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

FORWARDS

Auston Matthews

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

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

William Nylander

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

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

John Tavares

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

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

Matthew Knies

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

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

Bobby McMann

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

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

Scott Laughton

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

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

Nicolas Roy

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

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

Matias Maccelli

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

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

Max Domi

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

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

Defence

Morgan Rielly

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

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

Chris Tanev

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

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

Jake McCabe

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

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

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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

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

Goal

Joseph Woll

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Goaltending issues – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 16:22:53 +0000

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 14: San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (40) doesn’t see a rebound in front of him during the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks Tuesday January 14, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire)

When you’re early in a season, there is always the fear of overreacting to small sample sizes, but sometimes early success or failure really is an indication of what’s to come. That holds true when it comes to two goaltenders who struggled in the opening weeks of the 2024-25 campaign -- Tristan Jarry and Alexandar Georgiev.

Jarry and Georgiev started in the Penguins’ and Avalanche’s season opener, respectively, but neither is even on that team anymore and a failure in between the pipes is the cause in both cases. Georgiev had a disastrous start, going 0-3-0 with a 5.79 GAA and an .802 save percentage across his first four games. He didn’t even post a start in which he allowed fewer than three goals until Nov. 7. In the end, he had an 8-7-0 record, 3.38 GAA and .874 save percentage in 18 outings before the Avalanche cut him loose, packaging him with Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks to get Mackenzie Blackwood from San Jose.

We can’t fully judge the trade yet until we know what becomes of those draft picks -- it will take a while because it’s a 2025 fifth-round selection and a 2026 second-round pick that went San Jose’s way -- but Colorado has plenty of reason to be happy. Blackwood has been brilliant between the pipes for the Avalanche, while Georgiev has done no better in San Jose than he had for Colorado in 2024-25.

Colorado’s situation can be considered lucky compared to Pittsburgh’s. Georgiev is in the final season of his three-year, $10.2 million contract anyway, so putting together an offering with some sweeteners to a rebuilding squad was perfectly feasible. Jarry is in just the second season of his five-year, $26.88 million contract, so finding a taker for him would be far more difficult.

No one wants that contract, and I can say that without any reservation because it’s been proven. Jarry was put on waivers Wednesday, giving the other 31 teams to take over his contract without giving up any assets and every squad passed on the offer. With that, Pittsburgh sent Jarry to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Similar to Georgiev, Jarry had a terrible start to the 2024-25 campaign, allowing 12 goals on 73 shots (.836 save percentage) over his first three appearances. Jarry then spent time in the minors on a conditioning stint and seemed to stabilize, posting a 2.16 GAA and a .926 save percentage in five AHL outings, but that didn’t translate into NHL success. After rejoining the Penguins, he allowed five goals on 38 shots to Columbus in his first start back and has continued to struggle, posting an 8-8-4 record, 3.31 GAA and .884 save percentage through 22 NHL outings this campaign.

Given that Jarry floundered even after a strong showing in the minors, it’d be hard to trust him even if he shows promise again in the AHL, especially because the 18-20-8 Penguins have very little margin for error left in their fight to stay in the Wild Card picture. There’s always the chance that injuries or a trade will change things, but for now, Pittsburgh seems set to spend the final months of the season with the goaltending duo of Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist, the latter of whom was called up in a move corresponding with Jarry’s demotion. Blomqvist is just 23 and someone the Penguins hope will be a significant part of the team long-term.

Speaking of the future, there are likely no good solutions when it comes to Jarry. Barring a comeback for the ages, the Penguins will likely look to part ways with him over the summer. They could try bundling draft picks to trade him but at $5.375 million through 2027-28 for a goaltender struggling to stay in the NHL, finding a suitor would be a challenge. Maybe a combination of the Penguins’ offering a really nice sweetener -- Penguins GM Kyle Dubas showed during his time in Toronto that he’d willingly sacrifice a first-round pick in exchange for cap savings -- and retaining some of his remaining salary would be enough to make it happen, but the Penguins would have to decide if they’re really that desperate to move him.

An alternative would be to buy out his remaining term, which would leave Pittsburgh with a cap hit of roughly $1.75 million in 2025-26 for a saving of roughly $3.63 million, but the dead cap would increase to $5.05 million in 2026-27 and be $4.55 million in 2027-28. The Penguins would then have $797,222 of dead cap space in each campaign from 2028-29 through 2030-31. In other words, they’d have a meaningful amount of extra wiggle room next season, but after that, any benefit to buying him out is basically over.

Still, the Penguins might be uniquely positioned for that arrangement to make sense. Erik Karlsson is 34, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are 37 and Evgeni Malkin is 38. Realistically, Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup window has already closed, but the franchise is reluctant to start a rebuild while the old guard is still playing good hockey. So how about this: The Penguins make the 2025-26 the last dance with this group and then embrace the rebuild. Yes, Crosby and Karlsson are signed through 2026-27 and Letang through 2027-28, but by that point, Crosby and Letang will be approaching 40 while Malkin, whose contract expires after 2025-26, might be gone. Unless something major changes, it seems hard to see how the Penguins will be competitive by that point anyway, so they’ll likely be in rebuild mode regardless of what they want.

So perhaps that’s what will end up happening. In the meantime, though, Jarry will report to the minors while Crosby and Co. will chase a return to the playoffs.

Boston Bruins (Mon vs SJS, Wed @ NJD, Thu vs OTT, Sat vs COL)

The Bruins stopped a six-game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime victory over Florida on Jan. 11 and put more distance on that slump by besting Tampa Bay 6-2 on Jan. 14. Still, the Bruins have no breathing room in the battle for a Wild Card spot, so they need to stay strong. They’ll host the Sharks on Monday, play in New Jersey on Wednesday and then spend their final two games of the week at home, facing Ottawa and Colorado on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

With over half the campaign in the bank, Boston is still searching for offense up the middle. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha kept the Bruins afloat in that regard last season, providing 60 and 59 points, respectively, but Boston believed it could do even better by signing Elias Lindholm to a massive seven-year, $54.25 million contract.

That hasn’t worked out. Lindholm has just seven goals and 22 points in 46 appearances this year. What makes that more troubling is it comes after he was limited to 15 goals and 44 points in 75 outings in 2023-24. Boston clearly felt that down campaign was an anomaly for Lindholm, who has surpassed the 60-point milestone on three occasions, but perhaps the back half of his career won’t be filled with offensive accomplishments.

Making matters worse is the lackluster production from Zacha (10 goals, 24 points) and Coyle (10 goals, 15 points) this campaign. At least Brad Marchand (16 goals, 35 points) and David Pastrnak (20 goals, 48 points) are still doing well, but the Bruins’ scoring depth beyond that is looking rather bad.

Although it would be awkward to add yet another center when Coyle, Zacha and Lindholm consume a collective $17.75 million in cap space, that might be the play that would improve the Bruins the most. Then again, perhaps the Bruins won’t be buyers at the deadline.

“We’ll see where we’re at,” Bruins president Cam Neely recently said, per Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. “I think right now, we’ve got to look at two paths: one that we’re buying and one that we may be retooling a little bit.”

In other words, these next few weeks are all the more important. Perhaps that will provide Boston with extra motivation, especially from the team’s core.

Carolina Hurricanes (Mon @ CHI, Tue @ DAL, Thu vs CBJ, Sat @ NYI)

The Hurricanes got off to a 20-10-1 start but went just 6-6-2 from Dec. 20-Jan. 15, so they have some work to do. They’ll start on the road next week with matches in Chicago on Monday and Dallas on Tuesday before returning home to host the Blue Jackets on Thursday. The Hurricanes will conclude the week with a road tilt versus the Islanders.

Carolina got some good news with the activation of Frederik Andersen (knee) off injured reserve. Although Andersen started the campaign with a 3-1-0 record, 1.49 GAA and .941 save percentage in four outings, he hasn’t played since Oct. 26. Rust might be a factor, but he still should have the edge for the starting gig ahead of Pyotr Kochetkov, who has a 16-9-2 record, 2.54 GAA and .901 save percentage in 28 appearances. It seems extremely likely that Kochetkov will see his workload diminish but given Andersen’s age (35) and injury history, Carolina might hesitate to lean on him too much even if he produces good results. Despite the Hurricanes’ mediocre play of late, Carolina’s position is still strong enough to prioritize making sure Andersen will be optimal for the playoffs.

Andersen isn’t the only veteran of importance for the team. The 36-year-old Jordan Staal is a valued member too, though the team captain’s contributions typically aren’t in the offensive zone. One notable exception to that was from Jan. 5-10 -- a stretch in which Staal collected five goals and eight points over four games. That stretch included a hat trick on Jan. 9, the fifth of his career and second since joining Carolina in 2012.

The good times are probably over, though. He had no points and no shots for Carolina on Jan. 12 and Jan. 15, so if you picked him up for the hot streak, it’s time to move on. On the plus side, Brent Burns is still hot. He has five assists over his past five appearances and nine points (two goals) across his last 11 outings. Burns has taken a step back offensively in 2024-25, largely due to his diminished power-play role, but his recent success has pushed him up to four goals and 18 points in 45 outings in 2024-25. Who knows, maybe he’ll have a strong second half, though I’d feel more confident about suggesting that if he was on the top power-play unit. As it is, Burns has just one assist with the man advantage this season, down from 20 power-play points in 2023-24.

Minnesota Wild (Mon @ COL, Thu vs UTA, Sat vs CGY, Sun @ CHI)

The Wild are enduring about as close as they get to a cold spell with three defeats over their past four games, dropping them to 27-14-4. Things won’t get any easier Monday in Colorado, but the rest of the week looks favorable. Minnesota will host Utah on Thursday, Calgary on Saturday and play in Chicago on Sunday.

The Wild's biggest issue is the absence of star forward Kirill Kaprizov (lower body). He was moved to long-term injured reserve Thursday, and although it’s retroactive to Dec. 23, they probably wouldn’t have done that if he was expected back soon. Minnesota will also miss Marcus Johansson (head) next week after sustaining the injury Wednesday.

Those absences have opened the door for Liam Ohgren, who was recalled from AHL Iowa on Thursday and will presumably play regularly next week. The 20-year-old was taken with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and has shown promise in the AHL, supplying 12 goals and 23 points in 25 outings this season. He hasn’t recorded a point in eight games with Minnesota in 2024-25, but he’s also averaged just 9:53 of ice time over that stretch. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays a bigger role than he did during his stint in October, both because he’s gotten some seasoning in the minors and the fact that Kaprizov and Johansson were eating big minutes.

Then again, Jakub Lauko is also in the mix. He hasn’t played since Dec. 14 due to a lower-body injury, but he’s off IR now, setting the stage for his return. Before the injury, he had two goals and four points across 24 appearances with the Wild in 2024-25 while averaging just 10:00. Lauko is more of a gritty forward without Ohgren’s offensive upside, but perhaps that’s what the Wild want to help fill out the minutes lost, especially given Lauko’s edge in NHL experience.

That aside, Minnesota has to be happy that Ryan Hartman has stepped up in the face of those injuries, providing three goals and seven points across his past eight appearances, especially after struggling up to that point with four goals and seven points across his past 32 outings. Hartman hasn’t seen consistent use on the power play in 2024-25, but his recent play might lead to Minnesota reevaluating that. Although he hasn’t come close to replicating his 34-goal, 65-point showing in 2021-22 since that campaign, Hartman can still be an effective secondary scorer under the right circumstances and did provide 10 power-play points -- 45 overall -- in 2023-24.

Nashville Predators (Tue vs SJS, Thu @ SJS, Sat @ ANA)

This has been a miserable season for the Predators, but they’ve won their last two games and do have some favorable matchups ahead. They’ll play a home-and-away series against San Jose on Tuesday and Thursday before facing the Ducks in Anaheim on Saturday.

There’s not much in the way of silver linings for Nashville this campaign, but at least Steven Stamkos has gotten better as he’s settled in with the club. He has an impressive 11 goals and 21 points across his past 26 appearances, a stark change from his opening eight games in which he was limited to just one point (a goal). There were plenty of assessments that Tampa Bay was right to cut him loose when the squad did, and while the Lightning certainly have to be happy with how things are working out with Jake Guentzel, it seems Stamkos has something left in the tank.

Jonathan Marchessault has also hit his stride. He had five goals and 13 points over his first 28 outings with the Predators, but he’s been one of the league’s top players dating back to Dec. 10 with nine goals and 20 points across 16 games.

That begs the question, though: If Nashville’s big free-agent signings are paying off after all, then why is Nashville still just 15-22-7? Sure, the Predators have looked better from Dec. 12 onward with an 8-6-1 record, but even that stretch doesn’t align with the team’s high offseason expectations.

Part of the problem is secondary scoring. In addition to Stamkos and Marchessault, the Predators do have Filip Forsberg (13 goals, 38 points), Ryan O’Reilly (13 goals, 26 points) and defenseman Roman Josi (eight goals, 30 points), but no one else has reached the 20-point mark. That gives Nashville five players who have passed that milestone while the average team has 7.17. The average team also has 5.56 players with at least 10 goals while Nashville has four.

The fall of Gustav Nyquist, who recorded 75 points last campaign but has just 18 points (seven goals) in 43 appearances in 2024-25, is a big factor in that, and unlike Stamkos and Marchessault, Nyquist doesn’t seem to be getting meaningfully better as the campaign progresses. It’d also have been nice if the 22-year-old Luke Evangelista built off his 2023-24 39-point showing, but instead, he has four goals and 14 points in 39 appearances this season.

The other factor is the defense. Nashville is tied for 21st in xGA/60 with 3.07, per Moneypuck. Juuse Saros has held his own with a plus-2.5 goals saved above expected, but that just suggests he’s been average rather than exceptional and on a team with as leaky a defense as the Predators’, they really do need the Saros of old. Instead, the current version is 10-18-6 with a 2.75 GAA and a .903 save percentage. He continues to be consistent too, supplying a 4-5-1 record, 2.80 GAA and .889 save percentage across his past 10 games.

Ottawa Senators (Tue @ NYR, Thu @ BOS, Sat vs TOR, Sun vs UTA)

Ottawa is 22-18-4 and in the mix for a playoff spot, but the Senators have to be nervous given the recent success enjoyed by Detroit and Montreal. The pressure is on Ottawa going into its road tilts against the Rangers on Tuesday and the Bruins on Thursday. The Senators will then play in Toronto on Saturday and Utah on Sunday.

Ottawa’s forwards have been going through a quiet stretch with Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk each recording three or fewer points over Ottawa’s past four games. Shane Pinto is enjoying some success, though, supplying two goals and four points over his past four games.

Pinto hasn’t been great overall in 2024-25 with eight goals and 14 points in 36 appearances. He showed offensive potential over his previous two campaigns with 29 goals and 62 points across 123 outings, but the 24-year-old hasn’t taken the next step yet, despite averaging a healthy 17:40 of ice time in 2024-25.

It’d help if he shot the puck more. He’s averaging just 6.1 shots/60, down from 8.9 last year, which is why he’s been limited to eight markers despite a healthy 12.3 shooting percentage (his career average is 10.9). He’s showing no signs of doing that, though, managing just six shots over his past four games. Unless that changes, Pinto likely won’t be a long-term play.

Things have looked better in goal, though. Linus Ullmark (back) is still out and probably won’t return next week, but his continued absence has been made tolerable by the rise of Leevi Merilainen. The 22-year-old rookie has a 5-2-1 record, 1.84 GAA and .930 save percentage in eight outings in 2024-25. He’s made four consecutive starts for Ottawa, allowing a mere three goals on 106 shots (.972 save percentage).

It’s inevitable that he’s going to have bad games, but if his overall level of play remains high, then Ottawa will have a near impossible time justifying sending him down after Ullmark returns. Instead, Anton Forsberg, who is 4-8-1 with a 3.10 GAA and an .883 save percentage, might find himself on waivers, which would allow Ottawa to go with an Ullmark-Merilainen combo. There’s also a chance that Forsberg might be traded or even claimed because he’s in the final season of a three-year, $8.25 million deal, which makes him a tolerable rental from a cap perspective but given his lackluster play over the past three years (30-31-3, 3.21 GAA, .894 save percentage), the other team would need to be fairly desperate.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Mon @ TOR, Tue @ MTL, Fri @ CHI, Sat @ DET)

Tampa Bay has played in just 43 games through Friday’s action, the second least in the league, so the Lightning are going to have a bit of a busier schedule than most for the remainder of the campaign. The Lightning will experience that in the upcoming week during their four-game road trip with stops in Toronto on Monday, Montreal on Tuesday, Chicago on Friday and Detroit on Saturday.

The Lightning are fortunate to be healthy in goal and up front, but blueliner Erik Cernak did sustain an undisclosed injury Thursday and is day-to-day as of the time of writing. Tampa Bay was already missing J.J. Moser (lower body), so that brings Tampa Bay down to five healthy blueliners if Cernak is unavailable.

Nick Perbix might see an increase in playing time from his season average of 15:28. He has four goals, 11 points, 14 PIM, 28 hits and 40 blocks in 38 appearances in 2024-25, so he’s only a factor in the deepest of fantasy leagues. The 23-year-old Emil Lilleberg getting a bigger role would be more interesting. Lilleberg ranks second among all defensemen with 72 PIM, and he has 71 hits. If an increase in playing time leads to even a modest uptick in offensive production -- he has nine assists in 40 appearances while averaging 15:43 of ice time -- then that would be interesting in leagues that also use penalty minutes.

Regardless of what happens on defense, though, Tampa Bay has a forward group to be envious of. The Lightning have five forwards with 37 or more points compared to the league average of 1.59. There’s also Nick Paul, who is a solid secondary scorer with 11 goals and 25 points in 37 appearances. He’s on a bit of a roll right now with two goals and five points over his past six games, so he’s worth consideration as a short-term grab, especially given Tampa Bay’s packed upcoming lineup.

Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov remains as dominant as ever. He’s on a seven-game scoring streak in which he’s provided three goals and 11 points, giving him 20 markers and 65 points in 41 outings overall. He ranks third in the scoring race behind Nathan MacKinnon (17 goals, 72 points) and Leon Draisaitl (31 goals, 67 points) and just ahead of Connor McDavid (20 goals, 64 points). It wouldn’t be surprising to see those four compete for the Art Ross Trophy for the remainder of the season.

Vegas Golden Knights (Mon vs STL, Thu @ STL, Fri @ DAL, Sun vs FLA)

Vegas is cruising towards the playoffs with its 29-12-3 record, though it has hit a speed bump, dropping three of its past four games. It wouldn’t be surprising to see better results next week, though. The Golden Knights will start with a home-and-away series against St. Louis on Monday and Thursday. Vegas will then play in Dallas on Friday and host the Panthers on Sunday.

I’m so used to the Golden Knights having injury problems, that it’s weird to see the team basically healthy. Lukas Cormier is on the season-opening injured reserve list, but he’ll probably be sent to the minors once he’s ready to return.

That gives us a glimpse of how this team assembles at full strength. Presently, the forward talent is spread out nicely. Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone make for a strong first line while Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson each center one of the other two scoring lines -- it's debatable which of those is second and which is third. Presently, Karlsson has Brett Howden on his wing while Hertl has Pavel Dorofeyev.

Then there’s the 23-year-old Cole Schwindt, who doesn’t have much of a role when everyone is healthy. He averaged just 8:24 of ice time from Dec. 19-Jan. 12 and typically doesn’t get consistent linemates. He was then a healthy scratch Tuesday but is projected to draw back into the lineup Friday with the 22-year-old Alexander Holtz resting instead. Holtz also doesn’t have a consistent role when the team is at full strength.

Nicolas Roy is technically the fourth center, but he’s playing more than that role implies, averaging 15:59 per game. He also brings more to the table offensively than someone with the “fourth-line center” label. He had 13 goals and 41 points in 70 outings in 2023-24 and is at six goals and 14 points across 33 appearances this season.

Combine that with the ability to utilize Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore as the squad’s top-four defensemen, and it’s not hard to see why this group is enjoying so much success. There aren’t any glaring needs that they even have going into the playoffs, though it can usually never hurt to have too much depth, so maybe Vegas will look to add a complementary piece or two as some injury insurance.

Winnipeg Jets (Mon @ UTA, Wed @ COL, Fri vs UTA, Sun vs CGY)

Winnipeg has won its past three games, bringing it up to 31-12-3 in 2024-25. That puts them on a 55-win pace, which would be the most in franchise history -- the Jets’ previous best was 52 in 2017-18 and 2023-24. We’ll see if the Jets can continue their smooth performance this campaign next week. They’ll play in Utah on Monday and Colorado on Wednesday before returning home to host Utah on Friday and the Flames on Sunday.

Connor Hellebuyck remains the backbone of their success. He’s allowed just four goals on 93 shots (.957 save percentage) over his past four starts and now has a 28-6-2 record, 1.97 GAA and .929 save percentage in 36 outings. Like the Jets, it’s entirely feasible that he’ll surpass his career high in wins. His current best is 44, which he set in 2017-18. Assumingly, that wasn’t one of the two times he won the Vezina Trophy, finishing second that year to Pekka Rinne with both of those netminders getting similar results -- Hellebuyck was 44-11-9 with a 2.36 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 67 appearances while Rinne was 42-13-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 59 starts.

This season, Hellebuyck is looking like a heavy favorite in the Vezina Trophy race. In addition to dominating the win category (the next best goaltender is Jake Oettinger with 22), he also leads in save percentage (Hellebuyck’s .929 narrowly beats Anthony Stolarz’s .927, though Stolarz has been limited to 17 starts due to injury) and GAA (his 1.97 tops Darcy Kuemper’s 2.06, and again, Hellebuyck has a huge edge in starts compared to Kuemper’s 22) among those with at least 10 appearances.

In a different year, I think there’d be a strong Hart argument to be made for Hellebuyck too, but that would require the top of the scoring leaderboard to be less impressive. We’re probably going to see one or more forwards top 120 points, so odds are one of them will get the Hart. Still, Hellebuyck’s dominance this campaign is remarkable.

We shouldn’t sell the offense short, though. The Jets do rank second in goals per game with 3.57. The top line of Kyle Connor (26 goals, 60 points), Mark Scheifele (27 goals, 53 points) and Gabriel Vilardi (19 goals, 41 points) have led the charge in that regard, but Nikolaj Ehlers’ contributions shouldn’t be overlooked either. He has 14 goals and 38 points across 37 outings in 2024-25, including five goals and 13 points in 13 games since returning from a lower-body injury. Ehlers numbers become more impressive when you consider he’s averaging a somewhat modest 15:37. No player has more points than Ehlers while averaging under 16 minutes (Jason Zucker is next with 33 points), and that’s despite Ehlers missing nine games due to his injury.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS – Team Preview

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 20:00:40 +0000

_{ST. LOUIS, MO - March 25: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) during a regular season game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues on March 25, 2024, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)}

The defending Stanley Cup champions made it into the playoffs, recording 98 points (45-29-8), and lost in seven games to Dallas Stars in the first round. The Golden Knights dealt with injuries to key personnel, with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, and Alex Pietrangelo all missing at least 18 games, so there were some difficulties that had not been such a problem the year before. The Golden Knights ranked 21st in Corsi percentage (48.6%) but fared better when it came to expected goals percentage, ranking 13th with 51.3%. Either way, those are numbers closer to a mediocre team and not necessarily a championship contender. Vegas’ power play ranked 21st with 7.19 goals per 60 minutes while the penalty killing ranked 11th with 7.15 goals per 60 minutes. Those special teams results pretty much even each other out, so there was not much reason to believe that the Golden Knights were capable of defending their championship. They had enough to get into the playoffs and enough to give Dallas a competitive series, but ultimately the Golden Knights were not serious championship contenders.

WHAT’S CHANGED? It was a difficult offseason for the Golden Knights as they watched both Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson leave via free agency, signing with Nashville and Seattle, respectively. Veteran defenceman Alec Martinez moved on to Chicago and winger Anthony Mantha signed in Calgary. The Golden Knights made their biggest acquisitions before the trade deadline, acquiring defenceman Noah Hanifin from Calgary and centre Tomas Hertl from San Jose. In the offseason, Vegas signed winger Victor Olofsson, who had played with Eichel in Buffalo, and traded left winger Paul Cotter to New Jersey for right winger Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. The Golden Knights also signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who played for Toronto for the past two seasons.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? The Golden Knights have always appeared to be pushing for the Stanley Cup and that would presumably be the team’s goal this season, but after their losses in free agency it seems like the next championship is further out of their grasp. Making the playoffs again would count as modest success, but if the Golden Knights are in the playoff hunt, they will find a way to bring in more talent so that they can compete for a title because that is how this team rolls.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? While the Golden Knights come under scrutiny for having team captain Mark Stone emerge from the injured list just in time for the playoffs, it is noteworthy that Stone has missed large chunks of each of the past three seasons. Injuries are a concern for any team, but the Golden Knights have enough older players that their injuries can take longer to heal, and eventually those players just become shells of the players they were before. Stone is the most glaring case, but there are plenty of quality players in Vegas who could have a negative impact if they are knocked out with injuries. Any team will be in trouble if key players are injured, but the Golden Knights do not have great depth so they could be in tough shape if they suffer significant injuries.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Having lost quality players this summer, the Golden Knights could really use some younger players to rise to the occasion. Up front, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brendan Brisson are possibilities, but Alexander Holtz is the best breakout candidate for the Golden Knights. Holtz was the seventh pick in the 2020 Draft and while he has taken some time to carve out his place in the NHL, he scored 16 goals (15 at even strength) last season while playing just 11:38 per game. There will be a chance for Holtz to play more minutes in Vegas and potentially unleash the scorer that is waiting to be turned loose.

Forwards

Ivan Barbashev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	23	28	51	0.62

Ivan Barbashev has been a fixture along top center Jack Eichel ever since arriving in Las Vegas. The chemistry between these two continues to grow and evolve and 2023-24 was no exception. Barbashev was only slightly behind the pace of his normal offensive rates and ended the year with 19 goals with only three of those coming via the power-play as he had limited minutes with the man-advantage. The quicker the pace, the more Barbashev looked at home last season. He finished in the top third of the league’s forwards in forecheck involvement and rush offence, a testament to his partnership with Eichel. Barbashev’s defensive returns are generally not very grand, but they regressed in 2023-24 and he found himself in the 1st percentile of NHL forwards regarding even-strength defensive WAR. Barbashev’s puck support and off-puck positioning often do the thankless work of opening up space for teammates or keeping loose pucks alive in the offensive zone. Barbashev ended the season posting puck-possession and expected-goal rates that were roughly five percent higher relative to his teammates. The expectation for this season is for Barbashev to return to Eichel’s wing on the top line and continue to take peripheral power-play minutes. While his shooting percentage and finishing ability experienced a bump year over year, Barbashev’s shot totals dipped slightly. In order for his goal total to go beyond 20 this year, he’ll need to shoot the puck a bit more this season.

Jack Eichel

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	37	35	72	1.03

Eichel cracked the 30-goal plateau last season for the first time since 2019-20 and experienced an increase in almost every statistical bucket offensively speaking. He was in the 99th percentile of NHL forwards with regards to both zone entries with possession of the puck and shots created off of the rush, a testament to how much the puck was on Eichel’s stick. His skating has, over time, matured into a great combination of speed and power. His first few steps are explosive, and he continues to exhibit high levels of puck protection and dangle-ability, routinely putting defencemen in compromising positions in transition. Eichel’s offensive performance last season was so strong that he experienced great leaps in his defensive results by virtue of playing a lot of hockey in the offensive zone and being dogged on the backcheck. Eichel’s even-strength defensive returns went from the 58th percentile of NHL forwards in 2022-23 to the 94th percentile of NHL forwards in 2023-24. Although the reliability and speed of Jonathan Marchessault is no longer there, former linemate Victor Olofsson, former linemate of Eichel in Buffalo, steps in to take his spot. I expect Eichel to continue to lead the pace for the Golden Knights forward group using his explosive skating and confidence in carrying the puck as the main straw that continue to stir the drink for Vegas’ offence.

Victor Olofsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	18	16	34	0.46

Victor Olofsson is arriving to Vegas alongside a familiar face. During their tenure together in Buffalo, Olofsson and Jack Eichel spent over 800 minutes together at even-strength over the years. Olofsson has two separate 20 goal campaigns playing alongside Eichel. Although he struggled last year to return to his 28-goal form of the previous season, there’s a longstanding history of Olofsson being able to provide 20+ goals in the right environment. Playing on the Golden Knights top line certainly seems to be that kind of potentially thriving environment. Olofsson’s finishing took a big hit last year as he missed a significant chunk of time with injury. Assuming he deploys on the Golden Knights top line, the familiar face and playmaking ability of Eichel combined with the space creating ability of Ivan Barbashev seems like the perfect situation for a player of Olofsson’s skill. His shot and ability to nestle into open space are two of his best attributes. He should find plenty of time and space to execute on his best abilities but be cautioned that the Golden Knights’ power-play is chock full of talent and I don’t expect Olofsson to usurp anyone on that unit. He may get secondary power-play minutes, but whether or not he cracks the 20-goal plateau this year may depend on exactly how much power-play time that ends up being.

Mark Stone

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
60	22	40	62	0.13

While Mark Stone became the centerpiece for discussions around Long Term Injured Reserve cap savings last season, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he was actually hurt. His recovery from a lacerated spleen took a long time and wasn’t anything to be written-off as cap shenanigans. Despite the injury, Stone looked much like himself upon returning to the lineup for the post-season. Despite only playing in 56 games during the regular season, Stone’s 53 points were his highest total since 2020-21. When healthy, Stone is the rare type of player that can give you tangible results in the offensive and defensive zone alike. A dedicated, two-way forward, he uses his size and skating to put himself in advantageous positions with and without the puck. A cerebral player, Stone is deployable in virtually any situation and can be leaned on for both needing a goal late in a game and holding a lead late in the game. Stone posts yearly results with regards to Wins Above Replacement that are markedly similar year after year, a testament to his overall consistency when he’s in the lineup. One note to watch for, Stone’s shot rates were low last year relative to his own averages. If those numbers increase, expect Stone to best his 16-goal total from last season.

Tomas Hertl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	26	36	62	0.81

Hertl arrived in Vegas via trade out of San Jose and was shelved for a knee injury before his arrival and had to wait until April to make his official debut. Getting his wheels back under him post-procedure seemed to take a little bit of time, and the Golden Knights were eliminated from playoff contention before we really had an opportunity to see the new pieces, Hertl especially, settle into their new roles. The expectation for Hertl this season is that he’ll step into second-line duty alongside Mark Stone. That gives the Golden Knights some significant size and skill in their top six unit, as both he and Stone play a physical, north-south style of hockey. Stone and Hertl didn’t spend enough time together in the playoffs to garner any real insight into how they match up, but the early returns weren’t the best. They didn’t register a goal together in just under an hour of ice time and spent an uncanny amount of time in their own zone. Traditionally sound defensively, Hertl should bolster the already great defensive returns provided by Stone. With three goals in his first thirteen games as a member of the Golden Knights, it’s fair to assume training camp will provide the needed organization and control required to pick up on a new environment with a clean bill of health. He should be a safe bet to return to 25 goals and 60+ points.

Pavel Dorofeyev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	25	25	50	0.69

Pavel Dorofeyev had a breakout season last year offensively and has seemingly cemented a spot for himself in the Golden Knights top six forward group. He missed time due to injury last year, most notably an upper-body issue at the midpoint of the season. Fresh off of a two-year extension, the expectation is for him to slot into the second line alongside Mark Stone, but don’t rule out a promotion later in the year if he gets hot from a goal scoring perspective. Dorofeyev is a deceptive, talented winger that has a great shot that he uses in a variety of fashions and strong individual skills that he uses to dangle through defenders. He has added weight each season and improved his strength in some of the battle areas of the ice. Overall, however, no Vegas forward had a lower impact on shots generated off the forecheck or the cycle. Dorofeyev is at his best when he’s surrounded by players that can do that lifting for him and a combination of Stone and Tomas Hertl should significantly help in that department. Dorofeyev had the fourth highest carry-in percentage of any Golden Knights forward, a testament to his skill with the puck and desire to get north as quickly as possible. With a clean bill of health, Dorofeyev is one of the more interesting forwards to keep an eye on this upcoming season, as there’s plenty of reason to believe his game is still maturing. If he finds chemistry on his line, and can stay healthy, he can threaten 20 goals and 50+ points.

Alexander Holtz

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	18	18	36	0.44

Holtz arrives in Vegas having played his first full 82 game season with the New Jersey Devils last year and looking to soften some of the forward losses Vegas experienced over the offseason. In what can be considered a personnel issue, Holtz was not given a ton of looks inside the Devils top six and never was able to leapfrog his peers for ice time in that grouping. He arrives in Las Vegas with a similar issue facing him, but a cast of characters and playing style that might suit him well. At just 22 years old, Holtz still has a lot of maturation and development in front of him, but we’ve already seen the core of his skills that should grow and mature with age. Holtz’ best attribute is his shot, and he isn’t afraid to use it. He was in the 85th percentile of NHL forwards regarding raw shot totals and the 93rd percentile of NHL forwards with regards to shots taken off of the rush. With 16 goals in 82 games last year, Holtz was able to showcase some of the elusiveness and puck skill that made him a top ten pick in the 2020 NHL draft. Expect Holtz to get some looks in the top six in the event of injuries, but the expectation is that he’ll form a partnership with fellow speedy countryman, William Karlsson.

William Karlsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	25	27	52	0.66

Karlsson was a force last year for Las Vegas, scoring 30 goals and 60 points in a 70-game campaign that saw him crack the 30-goal mark for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. Karlsson has proven he has the ability to be deployed in any situation. His footspeed allows him to be a vital member of the penalty kill and his ability to shoot from everywhere and get the puck on net consistently is vital to the power-play. Last year, Karlsson’s defensive returns at even-strength put him in the 92nd percentile of NHL forwards, a testament to his two-way game and investment in backchecking to break plays up. He played through an injury in the NHL post-season that noticeably hampered his ability to operate in his usual capacity. One of the higher hockey IQ’s in the league, Karlsson uses his mobility to cut off plays on the forecheck. No Golden Knights forward had a higher percentage of forecheck pressures per 60 minutes of even-strength than Karlsson did. While his linemates are due to change this year, expect the core foundations of his game to remain the same. While another 30-goal season may be difficult to replicate, he’ll be surrounded by players that can complement his fast style of play.

Nicolas Roy

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	13	20	33	0.44

This will be the first year in the existence of the Golden Knights bottom-six that William Carrier is not a foundational piece after departing for Carolina in free agency, but expect Nicolas Roy to step in and lay claim as the challenger to that throne. Roy is proving to be an extremely reliable bottom-six scoring presence. While his 13 goals in 2023-24 were his lowest total in three years, he surpassed his high-water mark for points with a total of 41 on the year. Held off the scoresheet entirely in the post-season, Roy will be looked upon to continue to provide a steady scoring presence in the bottom half of the Golden Knights lineup. You can summarize Roy’s 200-foot approach to the game by looking at impacts he has at both ends of the ice. Roy finished the year in the 99th percentile of NHL forwards with regards to his forecheck involvement and was in the 92nd percentile of NHL forwards for defensive zone exits. His shot metrics were down a touch last year, which could explain his slight drop on goals, but his puck-distribution abilities were on display in a major way as he bested his career assist total for a single season. Roy is deployable in a variety of situations and effectively uses his size to protect the puck and be a problem for opposing forwards in the defensive zone.

DEFENCE

Alex Pietrangelo

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	10	39	49	0.63

Alex Pietrangelo enjoyed another year as the leader of the Golden Knights defence. He remains one of the better skating defencemen in the league and is almost unflappable in his unwavering attention to protecting his own blueline. While his point totals were down year over year, he missed a bit more time due to injury than previous seasons. Coming into this year with a clean bill of health, Pietrangelo looks to get back to the success he had last year on the blueline. No Golden Knights defenceman had a lower percentage of opponents carry the puck across the blueline than Pietrangelo did. He also led the Golden Knights in defensive puck retrievals per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time. That success on retrievals put him in the 100th percentile for NHL defencemen last year, a testament to how well Pietrangelo operates under pressure at both ends of the ice. He was also in the 92nd percentile for both shots and scoring chances among NHL defencemen last year. Pietrangelo seems immune to the effects of Father Time. Expect him to continue to take huge minutes for the Golden Knights in all situations, especially on the power-play, where he co-led in ice time with Shea Theodore. Pietrangelo was targeted for zone entries the least of any Golden Knights defenceman last year, directly speaking to his reputation as someone that can shut down an oncoming rush. On offence you can expect 10 or more goals and between 40 and 50 points.

Noah Hanifin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	12	33	45	0.55

After arriving via trade from the Calgary Flames, Hanifin immediately re-upped with the Golden Knights, signing an eight-year contract with an $7.35 million AAV. A steep price to be sure, but when you consider all the things Hanifin is good at, it seems like a small price to pay for a defenceman as multi-faceted as this. Hanifin arrived from Calgary and immediately fit into the Golden Knights system. This easy transition netted him 12 points in 19 regular season games with the team, and he followed that up with five points in seven playoff games. Hanifin ranked in the top third of the league in virtually every statistical bucket for defencemen: shots, assists, zone entry prevention, zone exits, and puck retrievals. You’d be as hard pressed to find a weakness in his game as you would be hard pressed to see him slip up under pressure. Hanifin is the perfect complement to a defenceman like Alex Pietrangelo and I expect the two of them to fully control the pace of play. In their 19 regular season games together, they controlled 58 percent of the shot-attempts and 55 percent of the expected goals. Their careful maintenance of the defensive blueline combined with their mobility will make this one of the most formidable top pairings in the league, and Hanifin will be a large part of that. In his 19 games, power play time was relatively split between Hanifin and Theodore, which will put a lid on offensive upside, but a safe bet for eight to 10 goals and 35 – 40 points.

Shea Theodore

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	12	44	56	0.74

Theodore missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 campaign due to surgery on an upper-body injury. That put him out of contention for almost a third of the season and put a stop to a scorching hot start that saw him register 18 points in the first 20 games of the season. Theodore struggled to regain that pace and settle back in but had a strong ending to the season and once again cracked the 40-point plateau for the year. Theodore’s strength is being the puck moving presence on the second pairing for the Golden Knights. Despite his injury, he still ranked in the 91st percentile among defencemen for defensive zone exit rate and in the 94th percentile for scoring chance contribution. Theodore is most comfortable with the puck on his stick, navigating his way through traffic. A true power-play architect, he isn’t afraid to sneak into the offensive zone to set up his teammates and put pucks on net. Theodore’s strong suit has never been transition defence, but it was an area he noticeably struggled in last season. Entering the final year of his contract, it will be interesting to see what direction Theodore heads as the trade deadline approaches. Does Vegas look to re-sign him, or does he end up an asset at the deadline? He will be motivated and should be favourite to head up the first power play, but he has competition there and by no means a sure thing. If healthy he should be a threat for 60+ points with the potential for more with a contract as incentive.

Brayden McNabb

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	3	17	20	0.24

Brayden McNabb played every regular season game for the Golden Knights for the second season in a row. The only thing steadier than his presence in the lineup is his presence defensively. McNabb’s 26 points in 2023-24 are the highest total he’s reached in his career and a testament to how much was asked of him in the absence of some of his puck-moving teammates to injury last season. McNabb’s strength is gap control and tidy business along the defensive blueline, a modern version of what shutdown defenceman looks like, as his approach is multifaceted. He was in the 78th percentile for hits last season and the 90th percentile for defensive zone entry denials. Only Alex Pietrangelo had a higher amount of defensive zone puck retrievals last season. A regular in the shot-blocking category, McNabb is very strong in front of the net and in the battle areas of the ice. While puck handling is not his strength, he can maneuver with the puck with competency and move it out of danger for a safe play. His penalty-killing presence has been of major importance to the Golden Knights throughout his tenure there. McNabb’s gap control and stick work make him a calming presence during rush situations. Also entering the last year of his contract, it will be intriguing to see what Vegas decides to do regarding his future with the team.

GOAL

Adin Hill

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
38	21	14	3	2	0.906	2.79

Ilya Samsonov

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
44	24	16	4	2	0.904	2.88

Former Arizona Coyotes prospect Adin Hill is a Stanley Cup champion - and now, it seems, he’s a clear-cut starter for a Vegas Golden Knights roster that seems poised to bank on the historically weak Pacific Division staying as weak as it’s been. Vegas cleared the way for Hill to become the true number one when they sent Logan Thompson out the door, ushering in a new third-stringer in Akira Schmid and bringing on a surprising backup in Ilya Samsonov.

Samsonov brings a higher upside and more-renowned pedigree than Hill, so the number one spot isn’t necessarily Hill’s for keeps. But despite stretches of strong play in Toronto, Samsonov was plagued by both dismal stretches and lengthy injury bouts that call into question just how high his ceiling truly is. He serves as a bit of a gamble for Vegas, but the Sin City club seems to enjoy leaning into their hometown’s favorite pastime when it comes to manning the crease. Samsonov certainly brings no more uncertainty to the lineup than Robin Lehner, Marc-Andre Fleury, or Jonathan Quick did before him - and with a much lower-pressure environment than he faced in Toronto, it’s entirely possible that fans will finally get a chance to truly see what he can do.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (February 19th to 25th) – Guentzels injury complicates a tough situation for Penguins – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 14:27:49 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) takes a face-off wearing his CCM helmet, gloves, and stick and left wing Jake Guentzel (59) on his wing during the Pittsburgh Penguins versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on October 13, 2023 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

Pittsburgh earned a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Thursday with Sidney Crosby scoring two goals, including his 30th of the campaign -- marking the 12th time he’s reached that milestone. However, with a 24-20-7 record, the Penguins are still five points behind the Detroit Red Wings and the second wild-card spot and would need to climb over the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils on their way to gaining that position.

That’s not an insurmountable obstacle, but it’s one that got much harder when Jake Guentzel suffered an upper-body injury Wednesday that’s projected to cost him four weeks. The Penguins have already taken the step of moving him to the long-term injured reserve list.

That complicates an already tough situation. As I’ve talked about before, Pittsburgh went into this season trying to manufacture at least one more run out of the era of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang before time finally catches up to them. That would make them very reluctant sellers at the deadline as it would essentially be an admission that the era is over and the Penguins now need to rebuild.

As it happens, that brings us back to Guentzel. He’s playing out the final season of his six-year, $30 million contract and is in line for a big raise. It’s not clear if the Penguins will re-sign him, but if they feel they can’t or are otherwise willing to commit to rebuilding, then he could potentially command a huge return on the trade market. Obviously, his injury complicates that -- he might not even be healthy by the March 8 deadline -- but those interested in his services will naturally have an eye toward the playoffs and based on Guentzel’s timetable, he should be fine well before the postseason starts.

Pittsburgh still has 10 games before the deadline, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas waits until those contests are in the books before deciding what direction he wants to go. That makes those upcoming games of vital importance to the future of the franchise and, perhaps, whether Crosby spends his final campaigns in the NHL as part of a contender or as a mentor for a rebuilding squad.

Anaheim Ducks - MON @ BUF, WED VS CBJ, SAT @ LAK, SUN VS NSH (BTB)

The Ducks will begin the week with a game in Buffalo on Monday and then host the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. After a breather, the Ducks will visit LA on Saturday before playing at home against the Predators on Sunday. Anaheim isn’t a strong team, but the Blue Jackets are one of the few with a comparable record. The Sabres are also far outside of the playoff hunt, so that should be another competitive matchup for the Ducks.

Anaheim has an especially good chance of winning those contests if Frank Vatrano stays hot. The 29-year-old forward has two goals and seven points over his past five appearances. He’s having a strong campaign overall too with 23 goals and 41 points in 53 outings, which matches his career high in points, which was set in 2022-23. It helps that Vatrano is playing on the top power-play unit, which has accounted for 15 of his points, and he’s likely to remain in that role for the remainder of the campaign.

Trevor Zegras should join him on the first power-play unit once he’s recovered from a broken ankle, which he sustained Jan. 9. Based on his original six-to-eight week timetable, we’re getting to the point where you’ll want to keep an eye on the situation. Zegras has just four goals and seven points in 20 contests in what’s been an injury-riddled season, but he’s capable of far more. If nothing else, remember him for your 2024 fantasy drafts, because the 22-year-old should be an excellent rebound candidate.

Mason McTavish hasn’t had the same kind of rough campaign that Zegras has endured, but McTavish should also see improvement in 2024-25. You don’t have to wait, though. In fact, this might be a good week for the 21-year-old, especially after he scored three goals and six points over his last eight outings.

Columbus Blue Jackets - TUE @ LAK, WED @ ANA (BTB), FRI VS BUF, SUN VS NYR

Columbus will start on the road with games in Los Angeles and Anaheim on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Blue Jackets will then return home to face the Sabres on Friday and the Rangers on Sunday.

Although Ivan Provorov was able to complete Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to Ottawa, he might have suffered an injury while blocking a shot and underwent X-rays as a result. At the time of writing, the results aren’t known, so it’s unclear if he’ll be available next week. Provorov has four goals, 23 points, 44 hits and 99 blocks in 52 contests while averaging 22:36 of ice time, so he’d leave a considerable hole in the lineup if he’s unavailable.

If Provorov is forced to miss time then we might see Jake Bean take on a bigger role at even strength and start regularly featuring on the second power-play unit. Bean has four goals and nine points in 49 contests, so he hasn’t been particularly productive this season, but he’s been averaging just 16:17 of ice time and has gotten almost no work with the man advantage. The 25-year-old recorded 25 points in 2021-22 while averaging 20:34, so Bean can chip in offensively when given the opportunity.

We might also see Andrew Peeke play regularly should Provorov miss time. Like Bean, Peeke can do a bit with the puck when the opportunity presents itself. The 25-year-old blueliner has six assists, 39 hits and 40 blocks in 20 contests while averaging 15:40 in 2023-24.

When it comes to hot players, Boone Jenner is an interesting pickup option after scoring three goals in his past two games. He has 16 markers and 21 points through 37 contests in 2023-24, so he’s not a great long-term option but can provide some help when he’s on a roll.

Detroit Red Wings - MON @ SEA, THU VS COL, SAT VS STL, SUN @ CHI (BTB)

The Red Wings will start next week in Seattle for a contest Monday, but they’ll get to return to Detroit afterward to host the Avalanche on Thursday and the Blues on Saturday before closing out the week with a game in Chicago on Sunday.

With four games on the schedule, including a back-to-back set during the weekend, it’s safe to assume that the Red Wings will need more than Alex Lyon in goal. With Ville Husso once again shelved due to a lower-body injury, though, James Reimer is instead projected to get at least one start next week.

If you’re still holding onto Husso, you might want to drop him. It’s unfortunate because he only recently recovered from a different lower-body injury, but the reality of the situation is he’s week-to-week and even if he does return before the end of the campaign, he’s unlikely to receive much work. Although Husso entered the season as the projected No. 1 goaltender, the 29-year-old has lost that role to Lyon due to Husso’s 3.55 GAA and .892 save percentage in 19 appearances. With Husso’s three-year, $14.25 million contract set to run through 2024-25, he’ll need to rebound next year if he wants the league to still see him as a legitimate starter candidate.

Patrick Kane is healthy, though, having returned last Saturday from a lower-body injury. He hit the ground running with a goal and four points in three contests since rejoining the lineup. Kane’s contributed eight goals and 20 points in 22 games this season, demonstrating that the 35-year-old is still a high-end scoring threat.

Christian Fischer certainly won’t match Kane in terms of offensive production, but the 26-year-old forward is on a three-game scoring streak in which he’s collected three assists. That might be enough to warrant consideration for a short-term pickup, but Fischer’s fantasy value is typically minimal, so don’t hold onto him if he cools down.

Edmonton Oilers- MON @ ARI, WED VS BOS, FRI VS MIN, SAT VS CGY (BTB)

The Oilers will play in Arizona on Monday to conclude a three-game road trip. Afterward, Edmonton will host the Bruins on Wednesday, the Wild on Friday and the Flames on Saturday. Boston is a difficult team, but the Oilers’ other three adversaries next week have been middling.

Whether you’re lucky enough to have Connor McDavid on your fantasy squad or not, you might want to watch him next week for the fun of it. He’s doing amazing even by his incredibly high standards, scoring four goals and 20 points in his past seven games. That’s barrelled him to the 80-point milestone (21 goals, 59 assists) by his 48th contest. Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon are the only players ahead of him in the scoring race, and it wouldn’t be shocking if all three of them finish with at least 120 points each. To put that into context, there have been seven occasions of a player reaching the 120-point milestone since the start of the salary cap era, so for three to achieve that feat all in the same campaign would be remarkable.

One of McDavid’s three assists Thursday came on a Corey Perry goal. It was Perry’s first goal and second point in six contests with Edmonton. Since signing a one-year, $775,000 contract with Edmonton on Jan. 22, Perry has seen time on the ice with McDavid and he’s also been utilized alongside Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane. While those are choice assignments, Perry’s power-play work has been somewhat limited and he’s finished with more than 15 minutes in just two of his six games -- and even then, just barely. The 38-year-old should be seen as an okay secondary scorer, but not someone who is going to be a big enough threat with the Oilers to be worth having on a standard fantasy league team.

By contrast, Stuart Skinner was a great fantasy option for months, posting a 22-5-0 record, 2.02 GAA and .926 save percentage in 27 games from Nov. 11-Feb. 6. He’s hit a rough patch, though, allowing at least three goals in each of his past three contests. Skinner’s struggles haven’t gone on long enough to warrant panic, but meanwhile, Jack Campbell has been finding himself with AHL Bakersfield. He got off to a rough start after being sent to the minors but allowed just 20 goals over nine starts from Dec. 30-Feb. 14. Perhaps it’s time for Campbell to get another shot with the Oilers.

New York Rangers - TUE VS DAL, THU @ NJD, SAT @ PHI, SUN @ CBJ (BTB)

The Rangers will host Dallas on Tuesday, but after that they’ll take to the road, playing in New Jersey on Thursday, Philadelphia on Saturday and Columbus on Sunday. That opponent list is a mixed bag with Dallas doing well, the Flyers and Devils being decent, but not amazing, and the Blue Jackets ranking near the bottom of the NHL.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have built a firm lead in the Metropolitan Division race and their offense has been a key factor. Chris Kreider can take some credit for that. After scoring a hat trick Thursday, he’s up to 27 goals and 51 points through 54 contests this season, including seven tallies and 12 points over his past 10 games. Kreider’s goals tend to come in bunches, so be sure to take advantage of him while he’s hot if given the opportunity.

Will Cuylle hasn’t been making the same kind of headlines as Kreider. The 22-year-old is serving in a bottom-six capacity and has offered the kind of gritty play that role typically dictates, recording 38 PIM and a team-leading 173 hits in 54 appearances this season. However, Cuylle was an offensive force at lower levels, providing 80 points (43 goals, 37 assists) in 59 outings with OHL Windsor in 2021-22 as well as 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in 69 games with AHL Hartford last season. He’s up to 10 goals and 18 points in 54 contests with the Rangers in 2023-24 despite his limited playing time and is on a three-game scoring streak. Consider picking up Cuylle for the duration of his hot stretch, especially if your league uses hits as a category.

You also might want to consider giving Kaapo Kakko a chance. When healthy, he struggled mightily on offense during the first half of the campaign, scoring three goals and four points across 26 contests. However, he’s shown life recently, contributing three goals and five points over his last seven outings.

Tampa Bay Lightning - MON VS OTT, THU VS WAS, SAT @ NYI, SUN @ NJD (BTB)

The Lightning are set to play at home against the Senators on Monday and the Capitals on Thursday. They’ll follow that up with a road set over the weekend versus the Islanders and the Devils on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. None of Tampa Bay’s upcoming opponents are in a playoff position, though the Islanders and Devils still have a solid shot of reaching the postseason.

The Lightning is in a strong spot in the playoff race with a 30-20-5 record thanks to their run of 11 wins over their past 14 contests. The Lightning’s resurgence is thanks in no small part to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has rebounded from a rough start to post a 10-2-0 record, 2.41 GAA and .915 save percentage in his last 12 starts.

Meanwhile, Jonas Johansson has been used sparingly, but he’ll probably get a start Saturday or Sunday. If it’s against the Islanders, who are tied for 22nd offensively with 2.91 goals per game, then he might be worth considering as a short-term pickup for a spot start. Johansson has a 3.46 GAA and an .889 save percentage in 23 outings, so he’s not having a great year, but with Tampa Bay rolling, he’s at least a decent candidate to collect a win.

In contrast to Johansson’s struggles, Anthony Cirelli had one of the best campaigns of his career with 12 goals and 30 points through 54 appearances. A lot of that production has come recently -- Cirelli has three four and 13 points over his last 11 outings. He’s unlikely to maintain that pace, but fantasy managers should take advantage of the 26-year-old forward while he’s hot.

Vegas Golden Knights - MON @ SJS, TUE VS NSH, THU VS TOR, SAT @ OTT

The Golden Knights will start the week with a road game against the lowly Sharks before hosting the Predators and the Maple Leafs on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, and finishing with a visit to Ottawa on Saturday. Toronto is the only team on that list in a playoff position, though the Predators are also in the running.

Jack Eichel, who underwent lower-body surgery in mid-January, was originally given a four-to-six-week timetable, so we’re at the point where he might be getting close to returning. When Eichel is back, he’ll likely serve on the first line and top power-play unit. His return might cut into Nicolas Roy’s playing time, especially with William Karlsson having also recently rejoined the lineup from a lower-body injury. If that happens, Roy, who has 10 goals and 29 points in 44 outings, would likely see his production dip.

Shea Theodore (upper body) is also getting close to returning and when he does, Daniil Miromanov will likely see his power-play role vanish. However, the 26-year-old defenseman is an interesting pickup to hold onto until Theodore’s back. Miromanov missed most of the campaign because of an undisclosed injury, but after recovering he recorded a goal and six points in five outings during a conditioning stint with AHL Henderson, and he made his NHL season debut Feb. 8. Although he didn’t record a point in his first two contests with Vegas, he did average 2:38 with the man advantage (17:56 overall), so he’s getting a solid opportunity.

If Logan Thompson is available to be picked up, he’s also worthy of consideration given the likelihood that he’ll start versus San Jose on Monday or Nashville on Tuesday. Obviously, facing the Sharks is preferable for the goaltender, but Nashville ranks 19th offensively with 2.96 goals per game, so either opponent might yield a good result. Thompson has been alright this season with a 16-10-4 record, 2.77 GAA and .906 save percentage in 31 games, but he’s fallen into the No. 2 slot with Adin Hill recovered from his undisclosed injury.

Winnipeg Jets - MON @ CGY, TUE VS MIN, FRI @ CHI, SUN VS ARI

The Jets will face the Flames in Calgary on Monday, and then return to Winnipeg to play against Minnesota on Tuesday. After that back-to-back, Winnipeg will play in Chicago on Friday and host the Coyotes on Sunday.

Winnipeg’s offense has gone ice cold in February, scoring just four goals over its last four contests. That’s despite acquiring Sean Monahan from Montreal on Feb. 2 at the cost of the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick. Monahan hasn’t recorded a point with the Jets, but he’s fired nine shots while averaging 16:16 of ice time, including 2:13 with the man advantage, over his first four games with Winnipeg, so it should just be a matter of time before he breaks through.

Monahan’s addition has been bad news for Adam Lowry, though. Lowry has averaged just 14:55 since the Jets’ trade and has received almost no power-play ice time. He has eight goals and 23 points in 51 outings in 2023-24, so Lowry already wasn’t a significant factor in fantasy circles, and his offensive production is likely to slow further.

One player who conversely might start doing better is Cole Perfetti. The 22-year-old has been limited to an assist over his last 11 games, but it’s not unusual for younger forwards to be prone to big hot and cold streaks. In terms of strong stretches, he had eight goals and 17 points across 18 contests from Oct. 24-Dec. 2 as well as five markers and 10 points in 11 games from Dec. 18-Jan. 9, so be on the lookout for his next big run.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Sean Monahan moves to Winnipeg, Troy Terry is streaking, Jonathan Quick is earning more playing time, Nazem Kadri is leading the way for Calgary, Dylan Cozens is starting to heat up in Buffalo, and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 20:21:44 +0000

Troy Terry (61) (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire),

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

This week, Sean Monahan moves to Winnipeg, Troy Terry is streaking, Jonathan Quick is earning more playing time, Nazem Kadri is leading the way for Calgary, Dylan Cozens is starting to heat up in Buffalo, and much, much more!

#1 The Winnipeg Jets dipped into the trade market to acquire centre Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens. Monahan, healthy after years of having hip problems, has been enjoying a renaissance. He had put up 11 points (2 G, 9 A) in his last seven games with Montreal and while he has not recorded a point in his first two games with the Jets, Monahan does have six shots on goal and seems like he should be a reasonable option as the No. 2 centre in Winnipeg.

#2 With Monahan departing, Montreal is in dire straits down the middle of the ice behind captain Nick Suzuki. With Christian Dvorak and Kirby Dach out for the season and Alex Newhook still recovering from injury, Montreal has Jake Evans slotted into the second line centre spot, with AHL call-ups Brandon Gignac and Lucas Condotta filling out the bottom half of the centre depth chart. Evans has 14 points (2 G, 12 A) in 50 games, which is not exactly prime offensive production from a player who is already averaging a career high 15:45 of ice time per game.

#3 Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry started slowly this season, scoring 13 points in his first 24 games, and that included a four-point game against Arizona on November 1. He has since picked up the pace and goes into Friday’s action riding a six-game point streak during which he has produced 10 points (4 G, 6 A) and 19 shots on goal. That’s a small sample, but the shot rate is encouraging. Terry averaged a career high 2.69 shots on goal per game last season and is sitting on 2.51 shots per game this season, so lifting his average up over three per game counts as progress and makes his production more sustainable.

#4 A bizarre goaltending season continues to wreak havoc for fantasy hockey managers. With Igor Shesterkin slumping, to the tune of a .863 save percentage in 10 games since the calendar flipped to 2024, the Rangers are now giving more starts to Jonathan Quick. For all of his career accolades, Quick is now 38 years old and had worse than average results in four of the previous five seasons. This season, he has a .919 save percentage and a 12-4-2 record in 19 appearances. With Shesterkin slumping, Quick is shockingly taking on a bigger role for the Blueshirts.

#5 While the season appears to be headed south for the Calgary Flames as a team, centre Nazem Kadri has picked up his production after a relatively slow start to the campaign. In his past 20 games, Kadri has 21 points (8 G, 13 A) and 67 shots on goal and with Elias Lindholm traded, Kadri becomes even more important as Calgary’s No. 1 centre.

#6 Following a breakthrough 2022-2023 season, Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens has not been as productive this season. However, with nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 23 shots on goal in his past eight games, Cozens is starting to look more like the rising star that he was a year ago. He is getting first unit power play time right now but has just five power play points this season, so that could be an area to increase potential point production.

#7 The goals are not coming as easily for Washington this season, but centre Dylan Strome remains a viable fantasy hockey option, at least for consideration in deeper leagues. Since December 30, he has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 34 shots on goal in 16 games. With Evgeny Kuznetsov in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Strome is the most established scoring centre on the Capitals roster by a healthy margin and is naturally centering the top line between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.

#8 In his past 20 games, Philadelphia Flyers winger Joel Farabee has put up 21 points (6 G, 15 A) while registering 53 shots on goal. Skating on a line with Morgan Frost and Travis Konecny, in addition getting first unit power play time, is working for Farabee, who ranks 25th in the league with 35 even strength points. Farabee’s even strength production has been outstanding, but if he can become a factor on the power play, he could push towards a point per game scoring pace.

#9 Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev suffered a broken leg in Wednesday’s loss at the New York Rangers, in his first game back after missing 17. Sergachev’s absence does open the door for Darren Raddysh to remain in a more significant role on the Lightning blueline. Raddysh has contributed eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 19 shots on goal in his past 12 games. He has played nearly 21 minutes per game over his past 20 games, the 27-year-old making himself a fixture on the Lightning blueline in his first full NHL season.

#10 While he could stand to put more pucks on net, Detroit Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond has contributed 15 points (3 G, 12 A) in his past 15 games, despite managing a modest 18 shots on goal. He is reaping the rewards of a high on-ice shooting percentage, 11.1 percent, and that is likely unsustainable, though riding with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin on Detroit’s top line should help to keep Raymond’s percentages at least above average.

#11 With Jack Eichel still out of the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights, they can be thankful that other centres have stepped up to fill the void. Chandler Stephenson has contributed 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 22 shots on goal in the past 10 games and Nicolas Roy has 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in his past nine games. Since January 1, Roy is averaging 4.05 points per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, which is the best rate in the entire league for players that have played at least 100 five-on-five minutes. In Stephenson’s case, this re-emergence has come following a stretch during which he managed just two points (1 G, 1 A) in 12 games.

#12 Seattle Kraken right winger Jordan Eberle has had trouble getting on track this season but is making progress lately. In his past seven games, Eberle has put up nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 14 shots on goal. He is skating on a line with Tomas Tatar and Jared McCann and they have had some success. McCann has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 26 shots on goal in his past 10 games, while Tatar has four points (2 G, 2 A) in his past five games.

#13 In his second full season with the Buffalo Sabres, winger JJ Peterka has been the leading goal scorer for the team, which is a credit to Peterka, who has 18 goals after scoring seven points (5 G, 2 A) with 21 shots on goal in his past six games, but it’s also something of an indictment of more established scorers like Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch, who have not produced to the levels that they have in previous seasons. Peterka is skating on a line with Dylan Cozens and rookie winger Zach Benson, a trio full of potential and a group that should get plenty of ice time for the rest of the season.

#14 There is not a lot to bring excitement to the San Jose Sharks’ season and it is rare to bring forth Sharks players for potential fantasy value. With that disclaimer out of the way, managers in deep leagues should keep tabs on William Eklund, the 21-year-old who was the seventh pick in the 2021 Draft. Eklund has six points (1 G, 5 A) in his past five games and is getting some reps at centre. He is also getting significant ice time, including first unit power play time, playing more than 20 minutes in four of his past seven contests.

#15 It has been a challenging season in Columbus, too. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with just 32 points in 50 games. Patrik Laine is in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and star rookie Adam Fantilli is out for two months with a lacerated calf. One bright spot has been the development of Yegor Chinakhov, the 23-year-old winger who was a surprise first-round pick in 2020. Chinakhov has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past seven games and is up to 14 goals on the season. Like Eklund, Chinakhov is more of a concern for those in deep or dynasty leagues.

#16 There are few players that are worthy of fantasy consideration that play as little as Detroit Red Wings right winger Daniel Sprong. He was one of the most efficient players in the league with Seattle last season, scoring 46 points (21 G, 25 A) in 66 games while playing just 11:25 per game. When he signed with Detroit, the expectation was that Sprong would see a bump in ice time but, for the most part that hasn’t materialized. Even so, he has put up 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 38 shots on goal in his past 13 games, while playing just 11:46 per game, since the calendar flipped to 2024.

#17 A defenceman who scored a career-high 20 points as a rookie in 2017-2018, Jan Rutta is suddenly contributing offensively for the San Jose Sharks. Not only does Rutta have six points (3 G, 3 A) in the past six games, but he is averaging 22:45 of ice time per game over that stretch. This is a more significant role for the veteran defender, but it’s also for a terrible team and he does not have a significant role on the power play, so maybe don’t rush to the waiver wire immediately, just consider him as a potential short-term option if injuries hit your blueline.

#18 The Jordan Binnington experience can be a bit of a roller coaster, with ups and downs, thrills, and spills, but when he is on, the St. Louis Blues netminder can be a difference maker. In 10 games since the Christmas break, for example, Binnington has a 6-3-1 record with a .928 save percentage. That will play in any league and makes Binnington a much more appealing fantasy option.

#19 Although it is difficult for any goaltender to put up great numbers in San Jose, Mackenzie Blackwood is doing his level best. In nine games since the Christmas break, the 27-year-old netminder has a 4-3-1 record with a .923 save percentage. It would be only the deepest of leagues that could justify taking a Sharks goaltender, but Blackwood is at least making himself a viable fantasy option and the way that goaltending has fluctuated throughout the league this season, it’s always worth considering one that is on a good run.

#20 Among players to play at least 150 minutes in all situations since January 1, the leaders for individual expected goals per 60 minutes are: Zach Hyman (2.64), Dmitri Voronkov (1.91), T.J. Oshie (1.89), Matthew Tkachuk (1.83), Chris Kreider (1.79), Kyle Palmieri (1.77), Yanni Gourde (1.71), John Tavares (1.64), David Pastrnak (1.62), and Joe Pavelski (1.62). A few things stand out. First, is that Hyman is getting way more chances than anyone else in the league but players like Voronkov, Oshie, Palmieri, and Gourde are all available in quite a few leagues. Fantasy hockey rewards actual goals rather than expected goals, but the process of generating expected goals should have a payoff with real goals at some point, too.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Veterans Sean Monahan and Adam Henrique are boosting their potential trade value, Logan Couture returns to action, Olen Zellweger gets called up to Anaheim, the goalie carousel continues to turn, and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 20:46:13 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 15: Sean Monahan (91) of the Montreal Canadiens looks on during the second period of the NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens on January 15 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, veterans Sean Monahan and Adam Henrique are boosting their potential trade value, Logan Couture returns to action, Olen Zellweger gets called up to Anaheim, the goalie carousel continues to turn, and much, much more!

#1 After leading Montreal to victory, with two goals and an assist against the New York Islanders on Thursday, Habs centre Sean Monahan has produced 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in his past six games. A pending free agent, Monahan should be an attractive trade candidate if the Canadiens don’t sign him to a new deal before the deadline. Considering that he will be turning 30 early next season, it might make more sense for Montreal to bring in draft picks or prospects in exchange for Monahan, who is only increasing his value with his recent production.

#2 San Jose Sharks centre Logan Couture missed more than half of the season due to injury and has been thrust right back into a primary role with the Sharks. A player who is getting 19 minutes of ice time per game, including first unit power play time, is naturally very appealing for fantasy managers, but maybe pump the brakes a bit on Couture. In his first three games of the season, Couture has managed one assist and two shots on goal, which is understandable, given his layoff, but also does not indicate that urgency is required if you want to claim Couture on the waiver wire.

#3 When the Anaheim Ducks traded defenceman Jamie Drysdale to the Philadelphia Flyers to acquire prospect Cutter Gauthier, part of the reasoning for the Ducks was that they had quality young defencemen in their system. Enter Olen Zellweger, the Ducks’ second round pick in 2021, who had 25 points (8 G, 17 A) in 34 AHL games this season when he was called up by Anaheim. Zellweger is not being rushed into a big role with the Ducks, playing under 14 minutes in each of his first two games, but he is getting first unit power play time and has one assist with the man advantage. Long-term Zellweger could have significant fantasy appeal. Right now, he is a longshot play for those in deeper leagues.

#4 Ducks centre Adam Henrique is another veteran pivot who is on an expiring contract, making him a prime trade candidate. Henrique is heating up, too, contributing 11 points (5 G, 6 A) with 25 shots on goal in his past 10 games. That production is looking good already, but Henrique ought to spend the stretch run playing for a team with more talent than his current team in Anaheim, which should help Henrique maintain a quality level of production.

#5 Philadelphia Flyers right winger Cam Atkinson went more than two months without a goal, managing six assists in a 26-game span, but he has emerged from that lengthy slump. Atkinson has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) with 25 shots on goal in seven games since emerging from that scoring dry spell and once again looks like a viable fantasy performer.

#6 With Carter Hart taking a leave from the Flyers, rookie goaltender Samuel Ersson is going to see a much bigger role in the Philadelphia net. Ersson was lit up in his first three appearances of the season and then went on an 18-game run in which he posted a .930 save percentage. In his past three starts, Ersson has dipped again, recording a .841 save percentage in three straight losses. If he can snap out of it, Ersson has a chance to make a fantasy impact, depending on how long Hart will be absent from the Flyers.

#7 In December, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov suffered a crisis of confidence following a four-game stretch in which he had a .798 save percentage, allowing 21 goals on 104 shots. He was demoted to the American Hockey League and there was a portion of the Maple Leafs fan base that would have been happy to wipe their hands clean of him. However, with Joseph Woll injured and Martin Jones starting to wear down in the starter’s role, Samsonov has returned to the Maple Leafs lineup and has a .944 save percentage in three starts since rejoining the club. He is coming off a 32-save shutout against Winnipeg on Wednesday, the kind of performance that should alleviate any concerns about confidence for at least a little while.

#8 The Los Angeles Kings made a savvy move in the offseason when they signed goaltender David Rittich to be the No. 3 goalie in the organization. Once Pheonix Copley had his season ended by ACL surgery, the move looked even better. Rittich has appeared in eight games for the Kings and has a 4-1-2 record with a .930 save percentage. It is unlikely that he will maintain that level of play, but as long as he plays this well, Rittich is going to command more starts in the Los Angeles net. Fantasy managers that might be in deep leagues or just desperate for goaltending help might want to give Rittich a longer look.

#9 Veteran Washington Capitals right winger T.J. Oshie managed just one assist in his first 15 games this season. That is a troubling slump from a 37-year-old winger whose body might even feel a few years older than that because of Oshie’s rambunctious style of play throughout his career. However, Oshie has started to emerge from that funk. In his past 10 games, Oshie has put up nine points (7 G, 2 A) with 26 shots on goal. Four of those goals have come via the power play, where Oshie is still getting first unit time with the man advantage for Washington.

#10 St. Louis Blues centre Brayden Schenn endured a 16-game stretch from early December to early January in which he was held without a goal and managed a meagre two assists. In eight games since, Schenn has finally come alive, putting up eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal. He is getting first unit power play time for the Blues and that has helped him escape that terrible slump.

#11 Returning to the league after a hiatus to sort out some personal issues that led to being released by the Chicago Blackhawks, right winger Corey Perry has signed with the Edmonton Oilers. The 38-year-old winger is a useful depth option who has thrived in a limited role with contenders in previous seasons before seeing an uptick of ice time in Chicago at the start of the season. In Edmonton, Perry is probably going to be in a depth role most of the time, and he has not scored more than half-a-point per game for a season since 2017-2018. That suggests that the real value for Perry when it comes to fantasy, is as something of a sleeper for the playoffs, because Perry has contributed 35 points (17 G, 18 A) in 78 games over the past four postseasons.

#12 Dallas Stars sophomore centre Wyatt Johnston had some trouble late in 2023, going through a 16-game stretch in which he failed to score a goal and added just five assists. The young forward has come out on the other side, however, putting up eight points (3 G, 5 A) with 19 shots on goal in his past eight games and he has moved up to join Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz on Dallas’ top line when they are playing five-on-five hockey.

#13 It may be too late to have an impact on the playoff race, but the Ottawa Senators are playing a more competitive brand of hockey, posting a 3-0-2 record in the past five games. The Sens are finally getting stronger down the middle of the ice. Josh Norris is healthy after missing some time and Shane Pinto has been activated since serving his gambling suspension. Pinto has two points (1 G, 1 A) and seven shots on goal in his first three games and played 19:40 in his third game of the season, Thursday against Boston.

#14 Last week, we focused on Chandler Stephenson with a bigger role down the middle of the ice for the Vegas Golden Knights in the aftermath of injuries to Jack Eichel and William Karlsson. The other Vegas centre who has seen his profile get a major boost is Nicolas Roy, the 26-year-old who has eight points (2 G, 6 A) in his past five games. Roy’s value may only last while Vegas is missing its top two centres, but short-term value is still more fantasy appeal than Roy has typically.

#15 It seems like Philadelphia Flyers centre Morgan Frost is often teetering on the edge of landing in John Tortorella’s doghouse, but Frost appears to have found the antidote, for now. If he is productive, that can keep Torts at bay, and in his past 11 games, Frost has accrued 11 points (2 G, 9 A) with 25 shots on goal. After scoring a career high 46 points (19 G, 27 A) in 81 games last season, Frost is scoring at a higher per-game rate this season, with 22 points (7 G, 15 A) in 38 games, good for 0.58 points per game.

#16 Detroit Red Wings right winger Lucas Raymond has continued to churn out points. He had a pair of assists in Thursday’s 3-0 win against Philadelphia, giving him 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in his past 13 games. He could be even more effective if he would shoot the puck more, but there is not much to complain about when the third year forward is scoring points (0.81 per game) at the highest rate of his career.

#17 Known for his defensive play and an ability to blend into the background in his firset three seasons in the league, Vancouver’s Pius Suter notched a hat trick against St. Louis on Wednesday, giving him 12 goals in 34 games. He has four goals and eight shots on goal in the past two games and is getting a look on the Canucks’ top power play unit. Given that he has never scored more than 36 points in a season, it is fair to wonder how long Suter’s offensive surge could last, but he is now among the players to consider adding in deep leagues.

#18 Boston Bruins centre Trent Frederic has emerged as an offensive contributor over the past month. Since December 31, Frederic has tallied 13 points (7 G, 6 A) with 26 shots on goal in 14 games. That shooting percentage is not going to last over the long haul, but Frederic is proving that he is more than just a banger who will drop the gloves if need be. As the 25-year-old is up to 28 points (14 G, 14 A) in 48 games, he is raising the bar for what might be expected of him for the rest of this season and beyond.

#19 While consistency remains a battle for New Jersey Devils right winger Alexander Holtz, the skilled forward has started 2024 off right, producing eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 24 shots on goal in 11 games since the calendar turned to January. His ice time is a concern, as Holtz played just 10:14 at Carolina on Thursday, but continued production does tend to have a way of bringing more ice time into the equation.

#20 When the Los Angeles Kings acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets last summer, it was expected that the 25-year-old pivot would join Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault down the middle of the ice to give the Kings strength at centre. With Dubois putting up just 12 points (6 G, 6 A) with 60 shots on goal in his past 32 games, frustration is starting to set in among coaches and even Kings players. Dubois has been moved down the depth chart and is centering young wingers Alex Laferriere and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who will presumably put in maximum effort, even if their results are not necessarily the strongest. Under these circumstances it would be entirely reasonable for fantasy managers to drop Dubois, at least in shallower leagues where it would be easy enough to find a better replacement on the waiver wire.

NHL: THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (January 22nd to 28th) – Oilers dominating – Teams and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 17:48:45 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 21: Left wing Zach Hyman (18) is congratulated by Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) after scoring a goal during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on January 21, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

Edmonton is playing some of its best hockey since the start of the Connor McDavid era, which is quite the turnaround from its 2-9-1 start to the campaign. After earning a 4-2 victory over Seattle on Thursday, the Oilers have now won 12 straight, bringing their record up to 25-15-1.

Let’s start with the winning streak itself. Already the longest in Edmonton’s history, it’s also in an eight-way tie for 12th on the all-time list. Two more victories would put the Oilers in a three-way tie for fifth place while the record stands at 17, which was set by Pittsburgh from March 9-April 10, 1993.

But it’s more than just the fact that Edmonton’s winning, it’s how the Oilers are doing so. Edmonton eked out one-goal wins on the road against Chicago, Detroit and Montreal from Jan. 9-13, and then the Oilers overcame 2-0 deficits to beat Toronto and Seattle in their last two contests. While you can argue the games being close or necessitating a comeback is a sign of weakness, it also shows resilience. Especially this deep into the streak, it demonstrates that Edmonton hasn’t become complacent. Perhaps it comes from hard lessons learned during the shaky start to the campaign, perhaps it’s thanks to the teachings of new head coach Kris Knoblauch, who has now started his NHL career with a 22-6-0 record, but whatever the cause, it’s something Edmonton will aim to hold onto during the second half of the campaign and into the playoffs -- a postseason run that seemed unlikely to happen back in early November.

The run also speaks to how much the team has grown beyond being just about McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They’ve done their part to be sure -- McDavid has 59 points in 39 contests while Draisaitl has 50 in 41 -- but for the first time since 2015-16, someone other than McDavid or Draisaitl might win the team’s goal-scoring race. Zach Hyman currently has a comfortable lead on both of them with 27 tallies (along with 17 assists) in 40 contests. Edmonton also has four players past the 40-point mark while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on the cusp of making it five with 11 goals and 39 points in 41 outings. Contrast that with even just two years ago (2021-22) when McDavid and Draisaitl finished with 123 and 110 points, respectively, but no other player had more than 54.

On top of that, Edmonton has been one of the best defensive teams dating back to Nov. 11, allowing just 2.45 goals per game.

Of course, this discussion would have been very different two and a half months ago, and it might change again in April. For now, at least, the Oilers have manufactured optimism where there was little before, and doing so has been a true team effort.

Arizona Coyotes – MON VS PIT, WED @ FLA, THU @ TBL (BTB), SAT @ CAR

The Coyotes will start the week at home against Pittsburgh before beginning a three-game road trip that will take them to Florida on Wednesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday and Carolina on Saturday. Of all the teams highlighted this week, Arizona arguably has one of the toughest batches of opponents, but the busy schedule still makes the Coyotes worthy of note.

Nick Schmaltz (undisclosed) might miss time next week after getting hurt Tuesday. If he does, then Dylan Guenther might get plenty of work. The 20-year-old logged a season-high 18:06 of ice time Thursday, including 2:39 with the man advantage. Guenther has two goals and three points in six contests in 2023-24, but he has plenty of offensive upside, which he’s showcased in the AHL this season, contributing 10 goals and 28 points in 29 outings with Tucson.

Schmaltz’s absence would also put more pressure on Clayton Keller, but he seems up to the task. Keller has 17 goals and 39 points in 43 appearances in 2023-24 and has been especially good lately, providing four goals and eight points over his past six contests.

In net, it will be interesting to see how Karel Vejmelka does this week. Vejmelka started the campaign splitting the goaltending duties fairly evenly with Connor Ingram. However, Ingram has taken a bigger share of the duties as the season’s progressed, and that process has been accelerated by Vejmelka’s recent struggles -- he's recorded a 4.88 GAA and an .852 save percentage over his past four contests. With a back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday, Vejmelka should get at least one start, but if he continues to flounder like he has, then Ingram might cement his hold on the top job.

Boston Bruins – MON VS WPG, WED VS CAR, THU @ OTT (BTB), SAT @ PHI

Boston is set to host the Jets on Monday and the Hurricanes on Wednesday. After that stretch, they’ll have games in Ottawa on Thursday and Philadelphia on Saturday. Three of those four contests are against playoff contenders, but the Senators are in the Eastern Conference basement, so that’s an extremely favorable matchup.

The Bruins have gotten Linus Ullmark back from a lower-body injury, so he should resume splitting the netminding duties with Jeremy Swayman. It would not be surprising to see each goaltender take two of the starts this week.

Brandon Carlo (upper body) is also getting close to returning. With two goals and 10 points in 39 contests this season, he’s not a great fantasy option, but he does have some utility in certain formats thanks to his plus-15 rating, 22 PIM, 51 hits and 71 blocks. Carlo’s anticipated return might also push Mason Lohrei or Parker Wotherspoon out of the lineup.

When it comes to hot players, David Pastrnak has been playing out of his mind, providing nine goals and 19 points over his past 11 contests. Keep an eye on who is playing with him because that does change. Presently, Charlie Coyle is centering his line, which led to him collecting a pair of assists on Pastrnak goals Thursday. Coyle is up to 15 markers and 34 points in 44 appearances this year, including five goals and 13 points over his past 12 outings.

Calgary Flames – TUE VS STL, THU VS CBJ, SAT VS CHI

The Flames have just three games ahead of them, but all three games are at home against teams unlikely to make the payoffs. They’ll get the toughest matchup out of the way first when they host the Blues on Tuesday. Afterward, Calgary will face the lowly Blue Jackets on Thursday and Blackhawks on Saturday.

The big X-Factor is whether Jacob Markstrom (lower body) will be healthy for that stretch after missing his second straight contest on Thursday. If he can’t, then Dan Vladar is worthy of a pickup, provided he’s available. Sure, Vladar has had a rough campaign with a 3.35 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 15 contests, but none of the Flames’ upcoming opponents are particularly good offensively, and Chicago in particular ranks 31st with just 2.18 goals per game, so this might be a good stretch for Vladar.

Up front, Blake Coleman is continuing to excel with five goals and eight points over his last five contests, elevating him to 20 tallies and 38 points in 45 appearances this season. Just two of his points have come on the power play, but that’s largely because he’s averaged just 0:47 with the man advantage. However, his sustained success has helped him secure a regular role on the second power-play unit, so we might see him be a bit more productive on special teams in the second half.

Yegor Sharangovich is also on a crazy run with seven goals over his past five games. Through 45 contests this year, he has 19 goals and 32 points. His hot streak has likely ensured that he’ll finish the campaign with a new personal best in goals (presently his career high is 24 from 2021-22), but it should be cautioned that he’s a somewhat streaky goal scorer and this hot run might be followed by a prolonged slump.

Columbus Blue Jackets – TUE @ EDM, THU @ CGY, SAT @ VAN, SUN @ SEA

Columbus’ upcoming schedule is far from ideal, but at least it’s eventful with four games on the docket next week. The Blue Jackets will play in Edmonton on Tuesday, Calgary on Thursday, Vancouver on Saturday and Seattle on Sunday.

The big news regarding the Blue Jackets revolves around goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who requested a trade. He hasn’t exactly excelled this campaign with a 3.22 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 24 contests, which is a problem given his $5.4 million cap hit through 2026-27. At a surface glance, that might shy off some teams, but an argument can be made that Merzlikins has been better than his numbers suggest.

Columbus ranks 31st with 3.51 xGA/60, which suggests the team in front of him has been terrible defensively. If you look at Merzlikins specifically, he has 0.9 Goals Saved Above Expected, so by that metric, he’s been modestly above average. A trade to a better defensive team -- aka nearly any other squad -- would bolster Merzlikins’ numbers, so there’s an argument to be made that this would be a good time to consider getting him cheap. Keep in mind, though, that it’s a risky strategy because a trade isn’t guaranteed.

Adam Boqvist might also be a buy-low candidate. Injuries have limited him to seven assists in 17 contests this season, but he’s healthy now and has registered four assists over his past four appearances.

You could also consider taking a chance on Dmitri Voronkov next week. The 23-year-old rookie scored twice against Vancouver on Monday, bringing him up to nine goals and 22 points in 38 outings. Although his playing time has been somewhat limited in 2023-24 (an average of 13:18), he has been getting regular minutes on the Blue Jackets’ top power-play unit lately.

Edmonton Oilers – TUE VS CBJ, THU VS CHI, SAT VS NSH

As noted above, with a 4-2 victory over Seattle on Thursday, Edmonton extended its winning streak to 12 games. The Oilers still need to face Calgary on Saturday, so the streak might not be active by the start of next week, but regardless they’re red hot and have three extremely winnable matchups coming up. The Oilers will host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the Blackhawks on Thursday and the Predators on Saturday. Of those three teams, Nashville is the only one with playoff hopes.

Stuart Skinner improved to 20-9-1 with a 2.59 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 31 outings this season. His GAA and save percentage have been heavily skewed downwards due to his first eight games in which he posted a 3.87 GAA and an .854 save percentage. More recently, he’s held the competition to two or fewer goals in each of his last eight starts, making him one of the hottest goaltenders in the league.

Of course, he’s no longer available in most fantasy leagues. One player who might be available, though, is Warren Foegele. The 27-year-old forward has been inconsistent this season, but he’s been alright overall with nine goals and 23 points in 41 contests. More importantly, Foegele is currently playing alongside Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane and should be in line for a strong week so long as he maintains that spot.

Florida Panthers – MON @ NSH, WED VS ARI, FRI @ PIT, SAT @ NYI (BTB)

The Panthers will begin the week in Nashville for a contest Monday before returning home to play against the Coyotes on Wednesday. Florida will play on the road against the Penguins and Islanders on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Those adversaries are middling squads in the conversation for the playoffs but are not presently viewed as serious Cup contenders.

Florida was also highlighted last week, and I noted at the time how Sam Reinhart’s sky-high shooting percentage might not be as huge of a red flag as it initially seems due to his tendency to be economical about when he fires the puck. Reinhart’s shooting percentage has since climbed higher from 27.5 to 27.7 and his goal-scoring streak stands at eight straight.

With 33 tallies in 44 games, Reinhart is now on pace to surpass the 60-goal milestone, and while I don’t expect him to do that, 50 doesn’t seem like a stretch at this point.

Meanwhile, Matthew Tkachuk is also having a great time, collecting seven goals and 20 points over his past 12 outings. That gives him 12 goals and 42 points in 44 contests despite a stretch from Nov. 16-Dec. 14 in which he had just two goals and three points through 14 contests. That slump aside, Tkachuk has been a very consistent scoring threat over the last few years, so I don’t expect him to have another cold spell at that level this season.

You might want to keep goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the back of your mind. He’s been a solid backup this campaign with a 6-3-2 record, 2.22 GAA and .913 save percentage in 12 appearances in 2023-24 and will likely start in one half of Florida’s back-to-back set against Pittsburgh and the Islanders.

Los Angeles Kings – MON VS SJS, WED VS BUF, FRI @ COL, SUN @ STL

The Kings will host the Sharks on Monday and the Sabres on Wednesday before their road games against Colorado on Friday and St. Louis on Sunday. The Avalanche are a top-tier team, but the Sharks sit in the NHL’s basement while the remaining two squads aren’t in playoff positions.

LA might still have a difficult time, though, after dropping 10 of their last 11 games. The Kings could really use more out of Pierre-Luc Dubois in particular. He has nine goals and 19 points in 42 contests after scoring 27 goals and 63 points in 73 outings with the Jets in 2022-23. That’s certainly not what the Kings had in mind when they traded for him over the summer.

It’s a situation that might not improve, though. Dubois averaged 18:27 of ice time with Winnipeg last season, but that’s dropped to 15:52 with the Kings. The problem is that the competition up the middle is fierce between him, Phillip Danault and Anze Kopitar, which has led to Dubois serving in a third-line capacity. On top of that, Dubois is presently on the second power-play unit and has just two points with the man advantage after finishing 2022-23 with 23. Unless something changes, Dubois’ second half could very well be about as unproductive as the first.

Quinton Byfield has a better shot at improving his fortunes. He has just four goals and nine points over his past 19 contests, which stands in contrast to his eight goals and 21 points across his first 23 games of the campaign. It’s not unusual for young forwards to be particularly streaky, though, and the 21-year-old is still a member of the top line and first power-play unit, so it should just be a matter of time before he starts heating up again.

Cam Talbot should bounce back too. Although he has a solid 14-11-5 record, 2.43 GAA and .915 save percentage in 30 appearances, the 36-year-old goaltender has hit a rough patch in which he’s surrendered at least three goals in each of his last five outings. The Sharks rank at the bottom of the league offensively, though (1.98 goals per game), so that might be an opportunity for him to snap out of that cold spell.

Vegas Golden Knights – MON @ NJD, TUE @ NYI (BTB), FRI @ NYR, SAT @ DET (BTB)

Vegas will be on the road all next week with games against the Devils on Monday, the Islanders on Tuesday, the Rangers on Friday and the Red Wings on Saturday. Injuries have significantly hampered the Devils, so this isn’t quite as tough a stretch as it would have been earlier in the season.

Speaking of injuries, Vegas is likely to get Adin Hill back at some point next week. He hasn’t played since Dec. 17 but was fantastic before getting hurt, posting a 10-2-2 record, 1.93 GAA and .933 save percentage in 15 appearances this season. Once he returns, Logan Thompson will go from starting in the vast majority of games to around 40-50 percent of Vegas’ contests, so his fantasy value will naturally take a bit of a hit.

However, Vegas is going to continue to lean heavily on Chandler Stephenson for at least a little while longer. Jack Eichel (knee) is set to miss four-to-six weeks while William Karlsson (lower body) isn’t expected to return before the All-Star break. Once they’re all healthy, Stephenson might slide down to the third line, but for now, he’s the team’s headline center.

Nicolas Roy is also seeing increased responsibilities because of the injuries. Although he averaged 14:44 of ice time over his first 29 contests this season, Roy has logged over 16 minutes in each of his last four games. The 26-year-old is starting to take advantage of the opportunity, registering three assists over his past two appearances.

FANTASY HOCKEY: The Week Ahead – October 23rd to 29th

Ryan Dadoun — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 17:18:40 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 12: Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) celebrates his goal during a game between the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils on October 12, 2023 at Prudential Center in the Newark, New Jersey.(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

After adding forwards Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher, backup goaltender James Reimer and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere over the summer, Detroit was positioned to take a step forward from its 35-37-10 finish in 2022-23. Few would have anticipated the Red Wings’ early dominance though.

With a 6-2 victory over Calgary on Sunday, Detroit is now 5-1-0 and its summer acquisitions have played a huge part in that. DeBrincat has eight (!) goals and 12 points in six contests, Compher has a goal and four points, Gostisbehere has two markers and six points and Reimer has a 1.00 GAA and a .963 save percentage to win his first two starts with Detroit. Of course, they haven’t been the only factors, most notably Dylan Larkin has 11 points in six contests, but it’s rare to see a team not only get so hot out of the gate, but to achieve that primarily through the strength of new additions.

Naturally, this isn’t going to last. DeBrincat isn’t going to maintain his current pace and finish with 109 goals (though besting his career high of 41 is certainly possible). Still, Detroit figures to be a serious contender for a playoff spot this year, and when you remember that the Atlantic Division also features Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida and Buffalo, it becomes clear that this is going to be a very tough fight.

Edmonton has a tough fight on its hands too. The Oilers are off to a disappointing 1-3-1 record, due in part to them scoring a underwhelming 2.60 goals per game, and now Connor McDavid is expected to miss the next week or two with an upper-body injury. Others have to step up in his absence with one forward in particular to keep an eye on being Warren Foegele. He’s typically not a major offensive force and has averaged just 11:44 of ice time this season, but with McDavid out, Foegele might be elevated to a top-six spot. Mattias Janmark, who has averaged 12:05 through five contests, might also see his playing time noticeably increase during McDavid’s absence.

Boston Bruins

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	BOS	CHI
Thu	10/26/2023	ANA	BOS
Sat	10/28/2023	DET	BOS

Watching Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retire over the summer hasn’t stopped the Bruins from going 5-0-0 to open the season, though that’s thanks to goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark allowing just seven goals thus far rather than any forward stepping up to fill the void left by Boston’s former centers.

Regardless, Boston has a chance to keep that winning streak when they play in Chicago on Tuesday. The Bruins will face another rebuilding squad Thursday when they host Anaheim, though Saturday will feature a tougher home contest versus Detroit. The Red Wings with their red hot offense might prove to be the first major test for the Bruins’ goaltending.

As it is, the Bruins have already beaten each of Chicago and Anaheim once this season, so they’ll look for more of the same in those contests. Boston has been using its starters evenly so far, so if it continues its present rotation, Ullmark will likely play against Chicago and Swayman will get Anaheim. Both should be good options in daily leagues.

Boston’s offense has been a lot less impressive and what production there has been is primarily thanks to David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, who have combined for nine goals and 15 points. Rookie Matthew Poitras did have his first big night Sunday though, providing two goals. He’s playing on the second line and getting some power-play ice time, so if you’re looking for a lower profile player to go after in Boston, he’s not a bad option.

Carolina Hurricanes

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	CAR	TBL
Thu	10/26/2023	SEA	CAR
Fri	10/27/2023	SJS	CAR

Last year, facing the Lightning followed by the Kraken would have been a rough combo, but so far in 2023-24, those are two winnable games, especially for a team like Carolina. When the Hurricanes play in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, they’ll be up against a lackluster 2-2-2 team due in no small part to goaltender Jonas Johansson posting a 3.58 GAA and a .902 save percentage through five contests. Andrei Vasilevskiy (back) is still unavailable, though, so the Lightning are likely to once again put him in net.

Seattle, which will play in Carolina on Thursday, has fared even worse, getting off to a 1-4-1 start. The Kraken were one of the league’s top teams offensively last season, but they’ve averaged just 1.83 goals per game this year. The Hurricanes will round out the week with a home game against the rebuilding Sharks on Friday.

Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have been fantastic over Carolina’s first six contests, each providing seven points. They’re two young forwards who entered the campaign with plenty of untapped offensive upside, so this might just be the start of their respective breakout seasons.

Stefan Noesen is far less likely to put up big numbers this season, but after scoring a goal and six points over the last three contests, he’s worthy of a short-term pickup to take advantage of his hot streak mixed with the Hurricanes’ favorable schedule.

Columbus Blue Jackets

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	ANA	CBJ
Thu	10/26/2023	CBJ	MTL
Sat	10/28/2023	NYI	CBJ

The Blue Jackets aren’t expected to do particularly well this season, but they are hot at the moment, winning three of their last four games. To make matters better, they have two very winnable contests ahead of them, first hosting Anaheim on Tuesday then facing Montreal on Thursday. Columbus will conclude the week with a home game versus the Islanders, which are projected to be a good, but not great, squad.

One of the keys to Columbus’ recent success has been Justin Danforth, who has three goals and four points in his last four contests. The 30-year-old is a bottom-six forward, so don’t expect him to finish the campaign with significant offensive numbers, but with him hot and the Blue Jackets’ first two opponents this week featuring questionable defenses, Danforth is worthy of consideration as a short-term grab.

With Patrik Laine (upper body) potentially out for one or more games this week, which might result in Columbus leaning more on Kirill Marchenko. In the Blue Jackets’ first contest without Laine on Saturday, Marchenko logged 19:04 of ice time, including 3:27 on the power play -- up from an average of 16:02 over his first four outings this season. Marchenko had 21 goals and 25 points in 59 contests as a rookie last season and three assists in five appearances in 2023-24, but he has the potential to do better and is in a position to succeed.

Detroit Red Wings

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	SEA	DET
Thu	10/26/2023	WPG	DET
Sat	10/28/2023	DET	BOS

As noted above, the Red Wings are off to a fantastic start and they’ll look to keep that going with games at home versus Seattle and Winnipeg on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before facing a big test in Saturday’s road contest versus Boston.

Detroit’s incredible offensive output to begin the campaign has allowed some strong performances to fly under the radar. In particular, Joe Veleno has three goals over his last two contests, which might be one of the biggest stories if he was playing on a different team. Veleno is a former first-round pick (30th overall in 2018), so he does have upside, but his position on the Red Wings’ third line and lack of a power-play role makes it hard to recommend him as anything more than a short-term pickup.

Speaking of which, I think grabbing Daniel Sprong would be an interesting choice ahead of the Seattle game. Sprong spent the previous two campaigns with the Kraken and like Detroit’s other summer additions, he’s off to a strong start this season with two goals and four points in six contests. I think there’s a solid chance he’ll be a factor against his former team.

Montreal Canadiens

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Mon	10/23/2023	MTL	BUF
Tue	10/24/2023	NJD	MTL
Thu	10/26/2023	CBJ	MTL
Sat	10/28/2023	WPG	MTL

The Canadiens have a full schedule this week with a road game in Buffalo on Monday before heading home to host New Jersey on Tuesday, Columbus on Thursday and Winnipeg on Saturday. That’s solid competition throughout, but I’m still going to highlight the Canadiens by virtue of them getting a four-game set, including three at home, this week.

Sean Monahan has gotten off to a strong start with two goals and four points in four contests. The 2022-23 campaign might have been known as his comeback season had he stayed healthy, but that could happen this season instead. Although his tenure with Calgary ended poorly, he might finish 2023-24 with 50-60 points.

One Canadiens player who unfortunately will not have a good season is Kirby Dach. His campaign ended when he suffered torn right ACL and MCL on Oct. 14. His absence might lead to Michael Pezzetta playing regularly this season after spending the first two contests as a healthy scratch. Pezzetta won’t provide much offensively, but he should be a good source of PIM and hits.

If you’re looking for points, Tanner Pearson is a better bet. The middle-six winger isn’t worth more than a short-term pickup, but he is going into the week on a three-game scoring streak, contributing two goals and an assist over that span.

New Jersey Devils

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	NJD	MTL
Wed	10/25/2023	WSH	NJD
Fri	10/27/2023	BUF	NJD
Sun	10/29/2023	MIN	NJD
Fri	11/10/2023	WSH	NJD

In addition to their road game against Montreal on Tuesday, the Devils will have a home stretch versus Washington, Buffalo and Minnesota on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Capitals and Sabres have plenty of major offensive weapons, but Buffalo has averaged just 2.40 goals per game while Washington has somehow managed 1.25.

That’s good news for Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. The Devils goaltending duo has struggled out of the gate, posting a combined 3.45 GAA and .892 save percentage while splitting the workload evenly, but they’re capable of better and perhaps those matchups will serve as an opportunity for them to turn things around.

On offense, things have been going far better for the Devils with Jack Hughes being especially effective, scoring four goals and 10 points in just four contests. Injuries are becoming an issue though with Erik Haula (upper body), Nico Hischier (upper body) and Tomas Nosek (lower body) all day-to-day. We’ve already seen Michael McLeod jump from averaging 10:17 over New Jersey’s first two games to 15:00 in the last two, and he might get top-six minutes until one or more of those forwards return.

Vegas Golden Knights

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	PHI	VGK
Fri	10/27/2023	CHI	VGK
Sat	10/28/2023	VGK	LAK

Winning the Stanley Cup didn’t satiate the Golden Knights or leave them tired. They’ve opened the season with a 6-0-0 record and have a solid chance of continuing that streak at home Tuesday versus Philadelphia. Vegas is also set to host Chicago on Friday and play in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Golden Knights’ early success has been due to their deep offense. Nicolas Roy, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault have each provided three goals while Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson have each found the back of the net twice. Defenseman Shea Theodore is also off to a great start, contributing a goal and six points.

Even their replacements have come through. With defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (upper body) unavailable, rookie Kaedan Korczak has entered the lineup and provided a goal and three points over three contests. The 22-year-old isn’t expected to be a significant offensive producer this season, but with him being hot, he’s a short-term selection option, provided Pietrangelo isn’t ready to return Tuesday.

Paul Cotter is also red hot, scoring a goal and four points over the last four contests. He’s another player who is presently producing above his ability, but Cotter got ample power-play time Saturday, which led to him contributing two points with the man advantage, so he’s an interesting option right now.

Washington Capitals

DAY	DATE	AWAY	HOME
Tue	10/24/2023	TOR	WSH
Wed	10/25/2023	WSH	NJD
Fri	10/27/2023	MIN	WSH
Sun	10/29/2023	SJS	WSH

The Capitals don’t have an easy schedule, but they are at least set to play four games. They’ll host Toronto on Tuesday, play on the road versus the Devils on Wednesday, then return to Washington to host the Wild and Sharks on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The big question is if Washington can get its offense going after scoring just five goals over its first four contests. Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson still don’t have a goal yet.

At the very least, you have to figure Ovechkin is going to breakthrough sooner rather than later, but what’s concerning is that not only has he failed to score, but he also hasn’t shot the puck much. Ovechkin is known for firing a crazy amount of shots -- an average of 4.71 per game over his career and over 4.00 in each of his last six years. The one time he dipped below that was 2016-17 when he averaged 3.82 shots per game and was limited to 33 goals in 82 contests -- the worst output he’s ever had in terms of goals per game. So the fact that he’s averaged just 2.25 shots in 2023-24 is a potential red flag. That said, it’s early, and those who doubted Ovechkin in the past have consistently been proven wrong.

Washington’s lone pleasant surprise thus far has been Matthew Phillips. The 25-year-old rookie has a goal and three points in four contests this year. He was dominant in the AHL over the previous two campaigns, contributing a combined 67 goals and 144 points in 131 appearances, so perhaps Phillips will find a way to continue to be a factor this season.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:45:40 +0000

Review: In the sixth season in franchise history, the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, going 51-22-9 and finishing with the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season. The Golden Knights ranked 14^th with 3.32 goals per game, and ranked 11^th with 2.79 goals against per game. They were a mediocre possession team, controlling 49.0% of score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 51.7% of expected goals, so that did not profile as a dominant Cup contender, but they also did this with five different goaltenders starting games for them during the season. It may not have necessarily been a typical path to a championship, but banners hang forever.

What’s Changed? Not surprisingly, the Stanley Cup champions did not make a lot of changes in the offseason. They did trade reliable winger Reilly Smith to Pittsburgh and let Phil Kessel hit the open market as a free agent. Center Teddy Blueger and goaltender Jonathan Quick signed as free agents with the Canucks and Rangers, respectively. The biggest move of the summer for Vegas was re-signing Ivan Barbashev, who played such a crucial role on Vegas’ top line in the playoffs, so keeping him around ensures that the Vegas heads into this season with a lot of the same championship pieces in place.

What would success look like? Expecting a repeat is asking a lot, but that is naturally going to be the expectation for Vegas after winning in 2022-2023. They return much of that championship team and while back-to-back Stanley Cups is a tall order, a title has to be the standard. Now, if they lose in the Western Conference Final, it is hardly going to be a disaster, but the Golden Knights have reached the final four in four of their six seasons, so that becomes more of a baseline expectation, which sounds preposterous but that is what follows this level of achievement.

What could go wrong? The Golden Knights managed to win the Stanley Cup with a myriad of goaltenders last season, so they might be able to survive an off season between the pipes. The bigger concern may be the health of captain Mark Stone, who has played in a total of 80 games over the past two seasons. He still plays well when healthy, but if Stone misses a bunch of time, that could cause problems for Vegas. Because the Golden Knights tend to have a top-heavy roster, the health of their stars is of major importance. It might be that way to some degree for every team, but especially teams that have invested more among their top players.

Top Breakout Candidate: On a veteran-laden team, there are not a lot of young players in prominent roles, so the best breakout candidate in Vegas is probably a goaltender. Adin Hill was excellent in the playoffs, posting a .932 save percentage in 16 appearances, but the 27-year-old netminder played a modest career high of 27 games during the regular season. He should see more action this season and that alone will give Hill a chance to have the best season of his career. If it’s not Hill, then Logan Thompson is a viable option, too. Thompson has a .915 save percentage in 57 career games and was cruising as Vegas’ starter last season before a lower-body injury ended his season.

Forwards

Jack Eichel

Eichel just kept getting better and better as the 2022-23 season went on, culminating in a dominant Stanley Cup run that saw him grab the game by the scruff of the neck and carry Las Vegas to victory on more than one occasion. Eichel showcased a nearly magnetic ability to keep the puck on his stick through opponent stick checks and his own physics-defying dangles that enabled him to create offense on a consistent basis for Vegas. Eichel lead all Vegas forwards in zone entries per hour of even-strength hockey by a comfortable margin and was in the 99^th percentile for zone entries among NHL forwards per the All Three Zones project. Eichel didn’t waste these zone entries, he was in the 98^th percentile for rush shots taken among NHL forwards last year as well. In the postseason, Eichel led the Golden Knights in both shot-attempt generation and in the creation of quality scoring chances. Eichel will continue to serve a top line role for the Knights where his vision and creativity allow him to serve up scoring opportunities for his teammates in addition to the rush chances we mentioned. Eichel finished the playoff run with the highest assist total (20) of any player in the league. With his health issues behind him, expect a very good chance at a repeat performance from Eichel.

Jonathan Marchessault

Marchessault, the Golden Knights’ Conn Smythe winner, had a consistent and strong offensive season that culminated in a 13-goal campaign that included some huge goals in critical moments of time. The most tenured member of the Golden Knights and a member of the inaugural version of the team, Marchessault’s ability to skate the puck out of danger was the foundational role in his performance. Marchessault was a menace offensively at both even-strength and on the power-play. His quick acceleration, puck handling, and knack for finding open space made him a difficult player for opposing defenders to mark. Marchessault’s even-strength offensive performance was good for the 90^th percentile among NHL forwards. He played a huge role as a conduit for assisting in getting the puck to safe areas and out of the defensive zone as evidenced by landing in the 98^th percentile for forward zone exits as tracked by All Three Zones. Marchessault had the highest expected goal share of any Knights forward in the Cup run at just over 56 percent. Whether it involved finishing plays or making high-danger passes, Marchessault was heavily involved in the Knight’s offense and is expected to step right back into his role on the top line next season.

Mark Stone

Mark Stone is one of the best two-way hockey players in the game and one of the most resilient. Stone, fresh off two back surgeries inside of one year, somehow managed to play a full slate of games in the post-season despite having the most recent of those surgeries in January of 2023. With 24 points in 22 playoff games, it was hard to believe he’d returned from surgery for game one of the post-season. Stone’s defensive performances have been the bedrock of the Golden Knights over the last few seasons and that was no different this season. When Stone is on the ice, scoring chances just do not happen in front of the Golden Knights net. He is noticeably low in the zone, actively looking to engage with any opposing forward looking to garner a chance from a high-danger area. For evidence of his participation defensively, Stone was in the 99^th percentile of forward zone exits per the All Three Zones project. Stone does work in being a conduit from defense to offense and creating scoring chances himself. He is a big body that is difficult to move and possesses great vision. Stone’s best work is on the cycle and in the battle areas of the ice, but his offensive toolbox is deceivingly deep, and his shot is both powerful and accurate.

Chandler Stephenson

Stephenson is coming off a year of career bests in points for the regular season (65) and the playoffs (20). Stephenson’s passing is the cornerstone of his game and undoubtedly his best offensive attribute. As a result of this skill and his ability to put the puck on the stick of teammates in a scoring position, he had more power-play time than any other Golden Knights’ forward last year. Stephenson found the back of the net 10 times in 22 playoff games during the Cup run, scoring some absolutely pivotal goals en route to capturing his second Stanley Cup ring. Opportunities exist for Stephenson to put the puck on the net, but that’s nitpicking given his overall offensive impacts have been fine. Stephenson drew some difficult deployments last season and still found success in them. He routinely went against some of the best forwards in the league and had the highest number of defensive zone faceoff starts of any forward on the Golden Knights roster. Overall, Stephenson plays a critical role in his team’s ability to work the puck through traffic.

William Karlsson

Turns out, the purported demise of William Karlsson was greatly exaggerated. After a career-low 35 points in the 2021-22 season, it appeared Karlsson was on a downward trajectory of slumpy-ness that was putting into question what the best fashion to deploy him was moving forward for Las Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy. The result was a 53-point campaign for Karlsson that was followed up by an additional 17 points in 22 playoff games on the way to the Stanley Cup. Karlsson’s forechecking became a critical part of the cog that moved the Golden Knights forward. It was infectious and momentum stealing in nature. Karlsson had the highest number of recovered dump-ins per hour of even-strength ice time, a testament to his ability to quickly press the play and be a nuisance to his opponents. Additionally, Karlsson was in the 88^th percentile for passes to a high-danger area per the All Three Zones project. Karlsson had positive impacts to both the power-play and penalty-killing units for the Knights this year. His utility in how he can be deployed truly makes him a coach’s dream. While his finishing has still struggled in recent years, the boosts he provides in other areas, with and without the puck, are a major benefit to the overall structure of the team.

Ivan Barbashev

Barbashev arrived in Vegas via St. Louis in a trade that ultimately played a critical role in the Golden Knights winning a Stanley Cup. Barbashev, whose previous playoff experience had garnered him a total of nine points in 50 games for the St. Louis Blues, found his name all over the scoresheet for the Golden Knights championship push. When it was all said and done, he’d registered seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 22 playoff games, undoubtedly his best post-season performance to-date. Barbashev has traditionally put up forgettable if not sometimes detrimental results defensively, but his offensive outputs have always masked that, and he often does a lot of thankless work in getting the puck on the stick of his teammates. Barbashev had the second highest expected-goal share on the Knights for the 2022-23 post-season, a testament to his ability to aid in controlling the play. Expected to fulfill top line duties this season, the question is whether Barbashev’s offensive run in the playoffs was a mirage or a new standard of expectation for his game moving forward. He’ll certainly be in an environment that will allow him to continue to focus on supporting offensive production. In any case, the Knights have a proven playoff performer here that can fill in anywhere within the top six forward group.

Brett Howden

Howden is a traditional defense-first forward that makes mostly indirect offensive contributions but can be relied upon for a consistent, above-the-line performance defensively on a nightly basis. Minimally impactful outside of an even-strength deployment. In fact, Howden accumulated a total of 41 minutes of special teams play in his 54 total games last season, all of it on the penalty-kill. This year could present the opportunity for him to step into a top six role. From a microdata perspective, there is some evidence from the All Three Zones project to support his time there despite his overall poor outputs offensively. For instance, in games tracked last season, Howden ranked in the top 10 percent of the league’s forwards in shot assists in the offensive zone and shots taken off of passes from a high danger area. Howden has never eclipsed 10 goals in a season or more than 24 points, but the path to doing so seems fairly easy if he can stay in the lineup. Ultimately, Howden’s best work is in maintaining possession in difficult areas of the ice and being a strong defensive presence. Fresh off of a new, two-year contract worth a total of $3.8 million dollars, Howden will be looked at to provide a spark and potentially a few more points than he has previously.

Michael Amadio

Amadio is a former waiver pickup that earned a new contract with the Golden Knights and showed the rest of the league why they trusted him with that deal as this season wore on. Amadio set highs in every bucket and put down 10 points in 16 playoff games. Briefly scratched in the post-season during a scoring drought, Amadio returned to the lineup and finished out the run on a positive note. Amadio’s defensive performance has always been strong, but he’s gone from being slotted as a specialist in that bucket to having much more to provide offensively, especially from a goal-scoring department. Amadio both gets to scoring areas himself and sets up teammates with an increasing level of effectiveness. As a result of this offensive boost, his overall Wins Above Replacment total fell in the 79^th percentile of NHL forwards per JFresh Hockey’s data. Amadio was third on the Knights among forwards in primary shot assists per hour at even-strength. Amadio was deployed in a fashion that gives you the sense he may be in line for more ice time and responsibility this season given that he has provided a moderate boost to the Golden Knights offense and defense over the last two seasons.

William Carrier

Carrier had never scored double-digit goals prior to the 2021-22 season but ended last year with a total of 16 goals in 56 games played. He contributed six points in 18 games to the Stanley Cup win. Carrier’s big body and strong style of skating made him an extremely difficult player to handle in the Vegas system. Carrier had the best expected-goal share of any Golden Knights forward with at least 500 minutes played at even-strength with over 56-percent of the quality scoring chances going his way. Per the All Three Zones project, Carrier was in the 90^th percentile among NHL forwards with regard to scoring chance generation and in the 91^st percentile regarding his ability to generate shots off of the rush. For as good as Carrier’s offense was this year, his defense kept up the same pace. While he isn’t a special team’s player for the Golden Knights, his ability to press the play forward, contribute to offense, and be an impactful defensive player make him a forward that the defensive staff trusts to deploy in a variety of fashions. Last year was an anomalous result to his finishing ability, but if he can continue to score goals in the double digits, it will be a huge boost to the depth scoring for the Golden Knights.

Defense

Alex Pietrangelo

Alex Pietrangelo put in a dominant offensive season for the Golden Knights en route to his second Stanley Cup. Pietrangelo hit a high-water mark of 54 points in 2021-22, which tied his career best that he established in 2017-18 with St. Louis. He followed the regular season up with a playoff performance that saw him register 10 points in 21 playoff games and finish the run with the highest expected goals for rate among any Golden Knights defender in the post-season. Pietrangelo is still among the best defensemen in the league at confidently skating the puck out of the defensive zone and pressing in the offensive zone to generate additional chances and shooting opportunities. He creates offense against the other team’s best players and takes some of the most difficult assignments the Knights defensive unit has to offer. Per the All Three Zones project, he was in the 89^th percentile of league defensemen with regards to his ability to generate exits out of the defensive zone. Pietrangelo is not a strong defensive player but is not the liability defensively of some of his offensively-minded counterparts across the league. Overall, Pietrangelo will continue to take tough minutes for Las Vegas and translate them into offense. He will take minutes at even-strength, power-play, and on the penalty kill, truly making him a player that can be deployed in any fashion and the leader of the Knights defensive unit.

Shea Theodore

Theodore was one of the league’s most dangerous offensive defensemen last year and the only member of the Golden Knights blueline who out-paced Alex Pietrangelo with regard to zone exits last season. With Theodore, you know what you will get: a defenseman that joins the rush, acts as a fourth forward, pinches offensively, and takes risks all over the ice surface. The proof is in the pudding as he had 41 points in 55 regular season games with an encore performance of 13 points in 21 playoff games. Theodore’s offensive impact this season was in the 97^th percentile of NHL defensemen per JFresh Hockey. The All Three Zones project had him in the 93^rd percentile for shot contributions and rush offense. With Theodore, the defensive impact is where the issues arise. Theodore is often simply non-existent for transition defense given his role as an offensive defenseman. Within the zone, he’s best served in his ability to find his way out and provide the offense with a boost. Despite his offensive skillsets, he trailed his peers on the team in power-play contributions to shot and chance generation. Expect Theodore to continue to push the limit offensively and focus on the contributions to transition offense and creating chances off of the rush.

Alec Martinez

Martinez is a more defensive-minded defenseman who takes difficult deployments for the Golden Knights and settles them down. Martinez saw his defense and its on-ice impacts grow by leaps this season. When the regular season finished, he had the 2^nd highest expected-goal share of any defenseman on the team. Martinez’ 244 blocked shots lead the rest of the NHL’s defensemen by a significant margin. His blocked shot rate in 2012-22 was the highest of his entire career. Martinez played a large role in the Golden Knights penalty-kill and was a reliable presence in that environment. He doesn’t handle the puck a lot, but when he does, it’s with confidence and success. Martinez posted his lowest number of giveaways and highest number of takeaways since the 2018-19 season. Martinez seemed to thrive in the defensive zone but had a larger number of struggles in transition. With regard to his ability to mitigate zone entries with possession, he was in the 26^th percentile of NHL defensemen. Expect Martinez to continue to make the most of difficult defensive situations and take on a larger share of even-strength ice time this season. Martinez should continue to act as Pietrangelo’s safety on the top defensive pairing for the Golden Knights.

Brayden McNabb

Brayden McNabb was an underrated, stay-at-home style defenseman who gained bigger notoriety this year on a national stage due to his repeatedly solid performances in the spotlight of the playoffs. McNabb is physical, protects his own zone extremely well, and is the perfect balance for an offensive-minded partner like Shea Theodore. McNabb is very limited in his ability to handle the puck but due to his partner that hasn’t needed to be his focus. Per the All Three Zones project, McNabb had the highest rate of zone entry denials from opposing forwards and that is certainly where he is at his best. He keeps a strong, aggressive gap at the defensive blueline and is physical in his approach. His long reach enables him to force forwards to make uncomfortable decisions. All Three Zones data had him in the 92^nd percentile among NHL defensemen regarding his ability to stifle scoring chances from zone entries. His limited mobility hurt him more on the penalty kill where he has a larger area of ice to cover and more loose puck races to engage in. Overall, the Golden Knights will once again look to McNabb to be a quiet, stabilizing presence within their top four defensive unit.

Goaltending

Logan Thompson

Perhaps no one has been a more pleasant surprise than the undrafted Logan Thompson of the Vegas Golden Knights, who went from being an overager in the WHL to a year of college hockey up in Canada to a minor league-only deal – and finally to the NHL, where just three years after first getting his chance with the Golden Knights, the unlikely team hero found himself with his name on the Stanley Cup.

Thompson was one of the too-many goaltenders that Vegas saw suffer injuries last season, so he’ll need to prove he can stay healthy this upcoming season. But he boasts a lot to love about his game; he’s taken a long-standing willingness to do anything to stop the puck and cleaned up his game reads as he’s gone along, sharpening his positioning so he no longer needs to course-correct as frequently as he used to. Combined with a more conservative base position than fellow former WHL-er Adin Hill, that makes Thompson the goaltender in Sin City who’s less likely to elevate blood pressures and allow open holes. His instincts aren’t quite as top-tier as Hill’s, which makes for a nice tandem of goaltenders that each offer unique strengths in the Vegas net. But ultimately, the affordability of Thompson’s deal with the team alongside Hill’s make it hard not to marvel at just how lucky the team got with their pairing.

Projected starts: 40-45

Adin Hill

The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t exactly see goaltender Adin Hill put up the kind of wunderkind numbers one might have hoped for from a relatively young reclamation project, especially one moving from a pair of rebuilding teams to a playoff contender. But while Hill wasn’t exactly a Vezina candidate during his first year in Vegas, he was exactly what the team needed him to be – just better than league average, and able to avoid any meltdowns statistically en route to the team’s alarmingly fast championship win. In fact, Hill – who doesn’t always play the most technically sound game, but can make acrobatic saves look easy and snag pucks that smaller-statured goaltenders only dream of – managed to put up a clutch postseason performance that helped his team secure their win; he might not have been a Vasilevskiy or a Shesterkin during the year, but he was certainly good enough to get it done when he needed to most.

Hill’s reliance on lightning-fast reflexes and his above-average agility levels, combined with his impressive size and reach, can be both a blessing when he snags last-second pucks and a curse when he does too much and opens up holes that he doesn’t need. But he proved last season that when given more stability up front, he’s got the ability to be consistent enough to rely upon as a starter. And for Vegas, who have him signed to a team-friendly deal that doesn’t require too much commitment on their end, that’s more than good enough.

Projected starts: 35-40