Pittsburgh Penguins – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 16:09:36 +0000

ST. PAUL, MN - MARCH 09: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) looks on during second period of an NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild on March 9th, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

The Penguins missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season in 2024-2025, finishing with 80 points (34-36-12). Their .488 points percentage was the franchise’s lowest since 2005-2006, Sidney Crosby’s rookie season. The Penguins ranked 13th with a 50.3 percent Corsi percentage and 17th with a 49.6 percent expected goals percentage, so they had the underlying numbers of a middle of the standings team, at least during five-on-five play. The Penguins’ power play ranked sixth with 8.66 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four action while their penalty killing ranked 18th with 7.55 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. Goaltending was an issue, as Alex Nedeljkovic, Tristan Jarry, and Joel Blomqvist combined for a .891 save percentage.

What’s Changed?

There was some clarity brought forth by the Penguins missing the playoffs again, so that whatever illusions the team had about not quite rebuilding were finally pushed aside. Head coach Mike Sullivan moved on and joined the New York Rangers, while the Penguins’ search landed on Dan Muse, who was an assistant with the Rangers. As the season approaches, veteran wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are two of the most likely trade candidates in the entire league, and defenceman Erik Karlsson isn’t far behind, but the Penguins don’t need to rush those deals either. The Penguins have done some bargain hunting in the offseason, signing Anthony Mantha from the Calgary Flames, who suffered a torn ACL last season, and Justin Brazeau, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. On defence, the Penguins dealt Connor Timmins to Buffalo for Connor Clifton, and the Penguins acquired Mathew Dumba from the Dallas Stars. Pittsburgh dealt goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks and made a trade to acquire goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks. Defenceman Matt Grzelcyk and winger Matt Nieto both remain unsigned. There’s a lot of movement, but it’s more about increasing the team’s number of long-term assets rather than improving in the short term.

What would success look like?

It’s agonizing to see Sidney Crosby missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, especially when he is still playing at an elite level on his own. It would surely be a noteworthy accomplishment for the Penguins to reach the playoffs, but that doesn’t even appear to be the objective. Not only does GM Kyle Dubas have a stockpile of draft picks in the next few seasons, but he has 10 established NHLers that will be unrestricted free agents next summer. The measure of success for the Penguins is how Dubas leverages those players to bring back young assets that can turn this thing around. It appears that there is no appetite to gut the team entirely, at least as long as Crosby is around, so it is imperative that Dubas have success in the trade market, acquiring young players that can make the Penguins more competitive in the long run.

What could go wrong?

The biggest problem for the Penguins would be if their veteran players perform so poorly that they do not yield quality in trades. If the Penguins struggle in the standings, that will give them a lottery pick and a chance at Gavin McKenna. If they somehow make the playoffs, which does not appear likely, it would probably hamper their rebuilding efforts, so the goal should be to lose respectably, while allowing players with expiring contracts to be showcased for trades. That shouldn’t be so difficult to achieve.

Top Breakout Candidate

Winger Ville Koivunen, a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who was acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade in 2024, picked up seven assists in eight games for the Penguins last season and had 56 points (21 G, 35 A) in 63 AHL games. He is looking at starting the season in Pittsburgh’s top six with power play time, so he could have an immediate impact, a refreshing situation for the team as it transitions into a new era.

FORWARDS

Sidney Crosby

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	31	54	85	1.06

Father Time continues to try to wrestle skill from Sidney Crosby, and each year he fails. While the situation around the Penguins changes and they shift to a rebuild, Crosby’s dominance remains evergreen. He finished the year with 33 goals and 58 assists for 91 points in 80 games, finishing 10th in NHL scoring while averaging a point per game for the 20th time, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record of 19. His offensive Wins Above Replacement at even-strength put him in the 97^th percentile of NHL forwards. He remains one of the best and most creative playmakers in the league; his even-strength primary assist rate was in the 97^th percentile of the league’s forward group. Crosby’s game continues to evolve. Based less on speed now, he is a master at controlling the game’s tempo and making video-game-like passes to his teammates. While the cast around him continues to change and experience turnover, Crosby seemingly adapts his game to meet his teammates. Crosby enters the season just 36 points shy of surpassing Mario Lemieux for the Penguins' all-time points lead. Playing at 38 years old with an unmatched level of consistency, Crosby is poised for another 85–95 point season. Expect him to remain the centerpiece of Pittsburgh’s offence, both in production and as a mentor to the young players that will fill the roster below him, driving the team through his 21st straight point-per-game campaign.

Evgeni Malkin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
68	20	35	55	0.81

Evgeni Malkin had a rough go of the 2024-25 season and while it wasn’t a complete failure, signs of wear began to show and a rotating cast of linemates created another set of struggles for the veteran center. Malkin registered 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points, pacing at 0.74 points per game, down from previous years, but still demonstrating his playmaking acumen. Playmaking has become Malkin’s strongest point. He was in the 97^th percentile of NHL forwards in terms of shot assist passes. His overall offensive Wins Above Replacement dropped to the 52^nd percentile of NHL forwards. While defence has never been his calling card, he fell to the fourth percentile of NHL forwards for defensive Wins Above Replacement. A future Hall-of-Famer, Malkin remains elite in his vision, puck control, and ability to manipulate defenders in tight spaces. Malkin’s game no longer contains some of the speed and power combinations we’ve come to know from his younger days. However, his strength in one-on-one situations is still visibly present and his shot has experienced no deterioration. At age 39, he is entering the final year of his contract at a $6.1 million cap hit. Malkin remains a key veteran presence, but what the future holds beyond this year remains to be seen. Expect around 60–65 points if he can stay healthy and maintain his situational impact.

Rickard Rakell

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	28	35	63	0.79

No name has been hotter in the winger trade market than Rickard Rakell. Still, through the draft and the opening of free agency, the right deal hasn’t been found for general manager Kyle Dubas, and he remains on the Penguins roster as a result. Rakell delivered a standout 2024–25 season, posting 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 points across 81 games. His even-strength goal total was good for the 90^th percentile of NHL forwards, and his ability to generate raw scoring chances was in the 80^th percentile of NHL forwards. Rakell found a touch more consistency last year, which benefited him and the Penguiins as a result. A dynamic goal scorer with a heavy shot, Rakell mixes clever positioning with relentless movement off the puck. His hockey IQ allows him to find soft spots in zone coverage, and he is a no-nonsense shooter. His two-way responsibility remains strong, balancing finishing prowess with reliable defensive engagement. His defensive Wins Above Replacement at even-strength was in the 90^th percentile of NHL forwards. His off-puck commitment is an underrated aspect of his game. Entering the final three years of his deal with a $5 million cap hit, Rakell is poised to remain a vital scoring engine in the Penguins’ top six. Expect Rakell to be traded sometime before the trade deadline arrives as Pittsburgh’s rebuild continues.

Bryan Rust

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	28	28	56	0.86

When the term “Penguins core” is used in the present state, it includes Bryan Rust. That’s how embedded he’s become in a part of the Pittsburgh culture. One of the remaining members of the back-to-back Stanley Cup winners from a decade ago, Rust’s name is enshrouded in trade rumors despite his apparent desire to remain in Pittsburgh through the rebuild. Rust capped off his 11th NHL season with a career-high 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points across 71 games, firmly establishing his role as a primary finisher for the Penguins. He also delivered 191 shots on goal, 62 hits, and 54 blocked shots, underlining his commitment to the finer details of the game. His even-strength goal total put him in the 93^rd percentile of NHL forwards. He was a play driver in multiple facets, as evidenced by his offensive Wins Above Replacement, putting him in the 89^th percentile of forwards. Now entering the final year of his contract ($5.125M cap hit), Rust aims to build on his breakout year as a dependable top six veteran. If healthy, he’s a clear bet for 30+ goals and assist totals supporting another 60–70 point season. As Pittsburgh leans into its youth core, Rust’s poise, production, and leadership will be invaluable and his versatility in being able to excel with both Crosby and Malkin will be key.

Anthony Mantha

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
60	19	16	35	0.58

Anthony Mantha was the lone notable signing the Penguins made in the offseason as they entirely steer toward a rebuild. Mantha joins Pittsburgh in 2025‑26 on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. He is eligible for up to $2 million in performance bonuses, most of which steer towards availability. Mantha only played in 13 games for the Calgary Flames last season before suffering an ACL injury that put him out for the rest of the year. That ACL injury, combined with the fact that Mantha has only played 31 games in the last two seasons, is the source of the performance bonuses from the Penguins, as the hope is that he can rebound with little issue and put forth a full slate of games. Mantha cracked the 20-goal plateau the last time he eclipsed fifty games. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Mantha combines size and skill. When he gets going, he offers a dangerous net-front presence and heavy-duty shot, capable of scoring in high-traffic areas and providing physicality to complement his scoring touch. Expect Mantha to slot in the Penguins top six alongside either Crosby or Malkin. While he’s unlikely to get special teams time, a reasonable expectation for his end results are 12–18 goals and 25–30 points. Expect him to be trade bait if he plays well through the first half of the year.

Philip Tomasino

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	19	20	39	0.51

After joining Pittsburgh via trade on November 25, 2024, Tomasino appeared in 50 games, amassing 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. Playing both the center and wing position, Tomasino slid up and down the lineup and served in a variety of roles after arriving from Nashville. A speedy, cerebral forward, Tomasino shines with above-average skating, offensive smarts, and a knack for high-percentage playmaking. He's adept at driving the net and finding soft spots in coverage. He played a crucial role in Pittsburgh’s rush offence, landing himself in the 87^th percentile of NHL forwards in offence off the rush. Tomasino finished on the positive side of both puck-possession and scoring-chance share during his time in Pittsburgh. Expect new head coach Dan Muse to use Tomasino as a utility winger; he may start the year on the second line, but will slide up and down the lineup as needed. Tomasino ended the year in the 97^th percentile of NHL forwards in forecheck involvement, an area he’ll be expected to lead the charge in again this season. Entering the season at age 24 with a cap hit of around $1.75 million, Tomasino will have the table set for a breakout season. expect him to earn greater responsibility at even-strength, with upside toward 35–40 points if trusted with more time on the second power-play unit.

Danton Heinen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	11	20	31	0.39

This is Danton Heinen’s second stop in Pittsburgh, arriving in January 2025 via trade with Vancouver. In 28 games with the Penguins, he added 11 points (three goals, eight assists) while playing just over 12 minutes per game. The Penguins will be hoping he can return to his form of scoring 17 to 18 goals, which would match his career highs. A versatile winger that can play up and down the lineup, Heinen is a decent skater, has functional puck movement, and can link plays together in the offensive zone. His hockey IQ allows him to create space, sustain forecheck pressure, and contribute in all three zones with a consistent defensive work rate. He plays well off the rush, as evidenced by the fact that he was in the 85^th percentile of rush shot opportunities among NHL forwards last year. I expect Dan Muse’s system to be a good fit for his skill set. Almost purely an even-strength player, don’t expect to see Heinen much in special teams' situations. Anticipate another 25–30-point season while providing sustainable energy and wise decision-making in possession. I think Heinen is another player that Pittsburgh will flip for draft picks if he over-performs this season and draws attention from around the league as a utility forward that can chip in with some goals.

Tommy Novak

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	14	12	26	0.37

Tommy Novak was acquired midseason on March 5, 2025, from Nashville. In the 2024–25 NHL campaign, he appeared in 54 total games split between the Predators and Penguins, tallying 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. He suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for the end stretch of the season. A shifty forward that can play multiple positions, Novak excels with crisp skating, vision, and puck control. He’s a play driver at even-strength, extending possession with his skating and active stick. Coming off injury and entering training camp healthy, Novak is likely to slot into a middle-six forward role, capable of playing wing or center as needed. With his $3.5 million cap hit under a three-year deal with two years remaining on it, he may reunite with Evgeni Malkin to see if some of the chemistry they found last season can be re-ignited. Still, he could also serve as the Penguins’ third line center, a role he’d be well-suited for given his skill set. A realistic projection would be 12–18 goals and 25–30 points, assuming regular usage from new head coach Dan Muse and growth in consistency. His creativity and pace offer upside as Pittsburgh aims to balance veteran presence with youthful energy in its rebuilding core. He can be a disruptive force for their forward group if he stays healthy.

Kevin Hayes

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	13	13	26	0.37

Hayes wrapped up the 2024–25 season with 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 64 games, marking one of his less productive seasons but still tying for sixth on the team in goals scored. He will be a veteran presence on a team infused with a ton of youth, with an eye on the future. A tall and versatile forward, Hayes brings size, puck protection, and net-front presence. He combines a willingness to drive play physically with passes in tight, using reach and positioning to create space. Though his offensive pace has slowed, he proved he still has a heavy, useful shot. I expect he will serve as a veteran anchor in the Penguins’ bottom six forward group. He did see some time on the top power-play last year, filling in for injuries when needed. Despite some struggles, Hayes posted positive results in both puck-possession and expected-goal share, where he was top five on the team in both categories. Entering the season at age 33 and carrying a $7.14 million cap hit, Hayes faces a pivotal year for his future. His next contract will likely depend heavily on his performance this season, and he’s unlikely to return to Pittsburgh given their rebuild. If he plays well, he may earn a short-term deal from another team looking for a veteran presence.

DEFENCE

Erik Karlsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	12	40	52	0.63

Despite a heavy falloff from his Norris Trophy season in 2022-23, Erik Karlsson remains an elite puck mover and play driver from the backend. Another player whose name is circulating in the trade winds, the plan for Karlsson to help lift the Penguins back to the post-season has not even come close to maturing. Playing in all 82 games, he recorded 11 goals and 42 assists for 53 points, leading Penguins defencemen in scoring. It was the third-straight year he has played in every game of the season. His even strength offensive Wins Above Replacement were in the 96^th percentile of NHL defenders, and his power-play Wins Above Replacement were in the 98^th percentile of NHL defenders. He continues to be a highly effective puck carrier, as evidenced by his slotting in the 96^th percentile of raw zone exits. Karlsson’s defensive game is almost non-existent at this point, a price teams need to be willing to pay for his offensive contributions. Karlsson still posted positive results in puck-possession and scoring chance shares despite his defensive woes. Now with two years remaining on his eight-year contract (cap hit: $11.5 million, $10 million retained by San Jose), Karlsson will continue to anchor Pittsburgh’s offensive transition. If the team stabilizes defensively under Dan Muse, another 50–60 point season is realistic, assuming the Penguins can’t work out a trade with retained salary.

Kris Letang

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	8	22	30	0.43

Letang had a tumultuous 2024-25 season marred by some of his worst defensive performances of his career. While he still logs over 24 minutes per game, putting him in the top ten of league defencemen, the injuries he’s experienced have taken a clear physical toll on his abilities. In 2024–25, Letang logged 74 games with nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points. His overall even-strength offensive Wins Above Replacement dropped to the 32^nd percentile of NHL defencemen. There’s a sense that Letang needs to simplify his game at his age and take less risk, as his recovery isn’t what it used to be. He did show he can still transition the puck, as his rush offence and zone exits were in the 85^th and 80^th percentiles, respectively. His puck-possession and expected-goal shares were the worst among Penguin defencemen last season. Entering his age-39 season, Letang faces a likely reduction in minutes as the Penguins push for youth infusion and manageable workloads for veterans. Additionally, Letang is coming off of surgery to repair a hole in his heart this spring, and I expect he will need to ease into his return. Expect him to remain a stabilizing presence on the second defensive pairing and power play, contributing around 25–30 points if he stays healthy. Managing his minutes will be crucial for head coach Dan Muse.

Ryan Graves

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	2	10	12	0.19

The first year for Ryan Graves in Pittsburgh was a hard one, and the second year was even more challenging. Last season, Graves played his way out of the lineup as a healthy scratch on more than one occasion. He has yet to find his rhythm in Pittsburgh and did not seem a great fit for former coach Mike Sullivan’s system, so there’s hope new coach Dan Muse can find a way to get Graves back to level. Across 61 games, he produced just one goal and three assists for four points while averaging 14:59 of ice time per game, dropping him out of the top four in time on ice. Graves’ most significant issues have come in defensive transition, evidenced by the fact that he was in the fourth percentile of NHL defencemen in zone entry denial rate. He did post positive returns in puck retrievals and scoring chance contribution, but the rest of his game needs a total rebuild from head coach Dan Muse. With a new coaching staff and the team’s left side in need of capable defenders, Pittsburgh is hoping Graves can recapture even a semblance of his former level. The bar is low, but if he can stabilize his performance and return to closer to 19 minutes per night, even as a reliable bottom pairing option, it would provide much needed relief.

Mathew Dumba

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	3	13	16	0.21

Arriving in Pittsburgh this summer via trade, Mathew Dumba spent the previous season with the Dallas Stars. Appearing in 63 games for Dallas, he contributed one goal and nine assists for 10 points, and he was his usual self with 70 hits and 60 blocked shots. A veteran defender known for his aggressive engagement, Dumba blends step-up physical defence with a physical edge around the net. He was in the 100^th percentile of NHL defencemen last season in raw zone entry prevention, a testament to his ability to still maintain a tight gap versus forwards. While still strong defensively, his ability to move the puck has declined with age, and his offensive Wins Above Replacement was in the 46^th percentile of NHL defencemen. He was in the 85^th percentile of NHL defencemen for hits and continued to play a role in shorthanded situations. Dumba enters the final year of a two-year, $7.5 million contract ($3.75M cap hit). With his game trending toward reliable, physical minutes over offensive flash, expect him to settle into a middle-pairing role, especially on the penalty kill. If he plays well, expect him to be a trade option for a team that is interested in a veteran presence on the blueline. He’s projected to add 10–15 points, while still serving as a stabilizing, physical presence on the back end.

Goal

Tristan Jarry

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
49	19	22	5	3	.900	2.98

Normally, a team would be thrilled to have three goaltenders with nearly identical stats to roll out during an NHL season. But the trio tandem of Joel Blomqvist, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Tristan Jarry is likely one that the Pittsburgh Penguins would like to forget about as quickly as possible - something that might be made easier by the departure of Nedeljkovic this July, dealt to the San Jose Sharks on July 1st. None of Pittsburgh's goaltenders last season was able to string together a full year's worth of consistent performances; Blomqvist took a quick dive after starting off the season with strong numbers, and neither Jarry nor Nedeljkovic was able to replicate their league-average numbers from the year prior.

Jarry has been the most reliable of Pittsburgh's performers since the Marc-Andre Fleury era; while he's had some regressive stretches each year, he tends to level out as his sample size grows. This past year, though, his timing and rhythm looked lethargic, and his skating appeared crisp but somewhat slow. He struggled so much, in fact, that he was assigned to the AHL Penguins for conditioning reps during the year - something that did little to bring his numbers out of their nosedive toward the bottom of the league. It's not entirely his fault; the hesitation by Penguins brass to send Blomqvist down to the AHL early in the year left the top crease too crowded, and the team's defence looked lost for large chunks of time. But things looked dire enough that Pittsburgh brought in reinforcements. It should be Blomqvist's year to assume the backup role full-time, but the arrival of Arturs Silovs from Vancouver leaves that in question. One thing is clear, though, Pittsburgh cannot roll out their three goaltender tandem again.

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #16

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 16:07:22 +0000

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 12: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering (38) looks on during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 12, 2025, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

Prospect System Ranking – 16th (May 2025 - 20th)
GM: Kyle Dubas Hired: June 2023
COACH: Dan Muse Hired: June 2025

The Penguins made a notable splash at the 2025 draft, trading up seven spots to grab Ben Kindel at 11th overall. The dynamic forward immediately ranks as the organization’s second best prospect in McKeen’s rankings and projects as a key piece of their next competitive window.

Armed with 13 total picks, GM Kyle Dubas injected a major wave of youth into the system. Forwards Bill Zannon and Will Horcoff were among the standouts from that haul, both landing inside Pittsburgh’s new-look top 15 prospects.

This infusion of talent is part of a broader transition for a franchise inching toward life beyond Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. With longtime coach and two-time Stanley Cup champion Mike Sullivan gone, the Penguins are turning the page on an era while still trying to keep their competitive edge.

Dubas’s strategy has been clear: aggressively stockpile young players and draft capital without bottoming out. The process started last summer with the acquisition of Rutger McGroarty from Winnipeg in exchange for Brayden Yager. Throughout the year, Dubas continued to swing deals, adding Melvin Fernstrom from Vancouver and setting up a 2025 draft that will feature 11 selections—two of them in the first round.

On the ice, Ville Koivunen was one of the biggest risers in the organization. The Finnish forward impressed with seven assists in his eight-game NHL debut and led the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with 56 points, showcasing legitimate top six upside. On the back end, Owen Pickering split his rookie season between the NHL and AHL, solidifying his status as a long-term fixture on Pittsburgh’s blue line.

New head coach Dan Muse steps into a roster in flux, tasked with balancing development and competitiveness while the team’s iconic core still has something left to give. The post-Crosby era is on the horizon, but thanks to Dubas’s aggressive restocking, the Penguins now have the beginnings of a next wave worth watching.

Pittsburgh Penguins Top-15 Prospects

1 - Owen Pickering

Owen Pickering has had a nice first full professional season, where he split time between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins. At both the NHL and AHL levels, Pickering was counted on to log heavy minutes many nights against opposing teams’ top players, and he did quite well for a rookie pro. The highlight of Pickering’s game is his unique combo of size, skating, and skill. He is a good-skating defender who can play physical and jump into the rush, but he’s also a very capable defender in his own end when he makes use of his big frame. Pickering won’t ever become that top-unit power play quarterback at the NHL level, but he’s a very promising prospect who can impact the game at both ends of the ice. Expect Pickering to earn a full-time spot with the Pittsburgh Penguins this fall, and be deployed on the penalty kill as he obtains more experience at the NHL level.

2 - Ben Kindel

The Penguins raised more than a few eyebrows when they selected Kindel 11th overall in this year's NHL entry draft, which was much earlier than all public scouting prognostications suggested that he would hear his name get called, including McKeen’s Hockey. As bold of a decision as it was by general manager Kyle Dubas and his staff, any scout who closely watched his play with the Calgary Hitmen would surely agree that he could become a very dangerous and valuable forward if his development continues on its current path and everything breaks just right. The cerebral forward is a tremendous playmaker, using his tremendous vision and hockey sense to set the plates of his teammates, including with some of the best stretch passes that you’ll ever see. He’s also very shifty and elusive as a skater and has a shot that gets way more power than you’d expect. In a lot of ways Kindel looks like Brayden Point did at the same age in the WHL, so that would be a wise target for him to emulate his game after.

3 - Rutger McGroarty

Rutger McGroarty struggled a bit with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last year to start the season, but he really picked up his play as the season went on. It’s totally obvious to any viewer that McGroarty knows how to play with skilled players, as he’s great at retrieving pucks, and he always wills himself into the battle. McGroarty is also a very capable offensive threat, but he is a better playmaker than he is a goal scorer. He can find teammates with little time and space, and he can make shifty plays that stun opposing defenders. It was a little surprising that McGroarty took so long to figure out his game at the AHL level, as many expected him to dominate early, but he’s a player that works himself into his opportunities and knows what he is as a player. He can play any role with any type of linemates, and this adaptive flexibility is what will make him millions at the NHL level. McGroarty should be a full-time member of the Pittsburgh Penguins this coming season.

4 - Ville Koivunen

Ville Koivunen was one of the most fun players to watch last season in the AHL. Originally taken in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, Koivunen was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Jake Guentzel trade. This trade has made Kyle Dubas look like a bit of a genius, where Koivunen torched the AHL last season and really looks to have the potential of becoming a strong top six NHL forward. The best part about Koivunen’s game is his relentless skill. He’s very shifty with the puck on his stick, which allows him to draw defenders in and make time and space for his teammates. With that being said, Koivunen is also relentless when he doesn’t have the puck; if he doesn’t have it, he’s working hard to get it. As a result, Koivunen is tracking well to become a strong offensive playmaker for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and we can expect to see Koivunen become a full-time member of the Penguins this upcoming season.

5 - Bill Zonnon

Bill Zonnon was the last of three QMJHL first-round picks in 2025, selected 22nd overall by the Penguins. This season with Rouyn-Noranda, he scored 83 points in 64 games, ranking second on his team and first in assists. Entering the year, Zonnon was seen by most as a player outside of the first round due to many factors : Wonky and technically unrefined skating, offensive game limited to passing, underwhelming physical game and involvement. However, since the beginning of 2025, Zonnon transformed his game. His stride strength and determination made his skating more efficient, and off the puck, he would chase down opponents relentlessly unlike few other prospects. Zonnon would even carry the puck end-to-end with speed on a consistent basis. His playmaking became even more impressive, with many high-level passing and vision plays. Zonnon became a perfect safe projection for the middle six of an NHL line up. While he might not have a tremendous upside due to limited goal scoring and puck handling abilities, his exceptional effort rate and in every single shift he gets makes me confident in his projection. There’s a chance Zonnon finds a role in the NHL earlier than most would expect.

6 - Will Horcoff

Last season, Will Horcoff left the NTDP to go to the University of Michigan in the middle of his season. Surprisingly, Horcoff performed better with the jump in competition. He was able to use his size to his advantage in every zone and was relied upon as a net-front presence because of this. His offensive play becomes much more varied in transition, Horcoff is a high-IQ forward and can find space to score and set up teammates very well. Defensively, it is not fun to have Horcoff bare down on you when he is pressuring opposing d-men. The completeness of his game is very impressive, and the Penguins could give a serious look at bringing him over to Wilkes-Barre as early as next summer.

7 - Harrison Brunicke

The Blazers did not make the playoffs this season, but it was through no fault of Brunicke, who was their number one defenceman and played a lot of great hockey during the campaign. He didn't stop playing there, though. Instead, he immediately headed over to the AHL to join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their quest for the Calder Cup, getting into their lineup right away and registering his first professional point in his very first game. He's a tall, rangy, right-shot blueliner with superb skating ability, which he knows how to use defensively when keeping tight gaps and breaking out pucks, as well as offensively when it comes to attacking in transition or activating off of the offensive blueline. While still a bit raw and unrefined, Brunicke has improved a lot over the past few seasons and isn't showing any signs of slowing down any time soon. He’ll be a strong contender to play for Canada at the World Juniors this December.

8 - Sergei Murashov

In Murashov’s 20-year-old season, he transitioned effortlessly from the MHL to dominating the ECHL. This played him into a stacked Wilkes Barre/Scranton goalie room where he proved that he was more than good enough to belong and even outplay some of the other goalies there. He’s an exceptional skater - very explosive, precise, and fluid. He’s also quite athletic, reacts very quickly to passes, and has shown elite positioning with a great understanding of potential dangers and using smart routes. His major weakness seems to be dealing with screens. Despite fighting hard to look around them, it looks like he hasn’t quite figured out a consistent way of doing so and can lose track of the puck through traffic. This is something that could be an issue in the NHL, but many goalies still find success despite that problem. Murashov’s raw skill set is of a very high level; his chances to become a tandem or even starting goalie in the NHL look to be promising, and with Pittsburgh's goaltending woes, he should have the runway to do so.

9 - Mikhail Ilyin

Mikhail Ilyin has quickly emerged as one of the KHL’s most intriguing young talents. He plays with an impressive calm and patience to his game, using smooth hands and strong skating to create offence with ease. He circles the offensive zone with his head up, scanning for options and delivering crisp, timely passes. Without the puck, his IQ shines as he finds soft areas in coverage to become a scoring threat. Defensively, he’s shown solid growth, battling harder, chasing down loose pucks, and using his size to separate opponents. His contract is up at the end of this season so it will be interesting to see where he goes next. He signed his ELC with the Pens this spring but has been loaned back to Severstal for the year. If all continues to go well, Ilyin could turn into a skilled two-way wing who can slow the game down and become a strong playmaking threat in the Penguin’s middle six.

10 - Tanner Howe

This season Howe was traded from the Regina Pats to the Calgary Hitmen, which saw him switch from one of the worst teams in the entire CHL to one of the very best. Talk about a dramatic change in fortunes. That upheaval came with some adjustments, however, as he went from being his team's captain and primary offensive driver beforehand, to a smaller but more appropriately fitting cog in a well-oiled machine afterwards. This might turn out to be a benefit to his long-term development, because it aligned much better with his best possible pathway to the NHL: as a hard-working, high-character support player, in contrast to someone you'd want as the primary driver on a line. He's sure to become a favourite of both fans and coaches in Pittsburgh thanks to his tenacious, hyper-competitive approach, infectious personality, and willingness to battle hard even when he’s sure to absorb a lot of punishment.

11 - Vasily Ponomarev

This summer, Ponomarev inked a three-year deal with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. Although the Penguins tendered an offer to the RFA, they still hold his rights. A natural two-way center, Ponomarev was a solid point producer at the AHL level but never really got more than a handful of chances in the NHL. It sounds like he will remain in Russia at least for the short term, if not the long term as well.

12 - Tristan Broz

Scoring 37 points in 59 games during his first professional season, Broz has found significant early success. He gets top nine minutes for Wilkes-Barre Scranton and is a feature on both special teams' units. Broz has made improvements in getting to the slot, and it has rewarded him with his production. He could feature eventually for the Penguins as their core continues to age, but he’ll spend at least another season in the AHL getting more comfortable offensively.

13 - Melvin Fernstrom

17 points in 48 games may not appear to be eye-popping, but for an 18-19-year-old rookie, it is jaw-dropping. Fernstrom, the reigning SHL rookie of the year, isn’t a play driver; he has an instinct for where the puck will be and can finish from anywhere. He’ll need another year of developing his game outside of the offensive zone and should prove to be a considerable offensive threat for Örebro and then Wilkes-Barre Scranton at the end of the season.

14 - Emil Pieniniemi

When he was drafted, Pieniniemi was viewed just as a large defenceman who could physically disrupt play. Last year, an unexpected offensive side clicked in a big way. Primarily as a great passer, he scored 60 points in 60 games for Kingston in the OHL. Pieniniemi will head straight to the AHL next year, where his path to the NHL might accelerate if his point production is anywhere near what it was last year.

15 - Joona Vaisanen

In his rookie season, Vaisanen was an important piece of a National Championship winning Western Michigan team. Vaisanen’s a good enough puck mover to earn 26 points in 42 games, but his real strength comes in shutting down the other team. He has shown he’s more than capable of playing in a pro-style defensive scheme, recording a +24. He’ll return to Kalamazoo for another year, where he should be a top four shutdown defenceman.

NHL: Victor Nuño – DYNASTIC STOCK WATCH – Pittsburgh Penguins Edition

Victor Nuño — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 21:34:21 +0000

The Dynastic Stock Watch is designed to go team-by-team across the NHL and evaluate which prospects dynasty managers should be looking to buy and which they should be looking to sell. The goal isn’t to rank prospects in a vacuum, but to assess their current fantasy market value relative to long-term upside. “Buy” candidates are players whose cost is likely lower than their future production potential, creating opportunities to acquire them before their stock rises. “Sell” candidates are players whose value is inflated by pedigree, recent performance, or name recognition, making it a good time to cash out before regression or role limitations set in. Each installment provides dynasty-specific context, helping you navigate short-term hype and long-term sustainability in building your roster.

Pittsburgh Penguins Edition

Team Outlook

While Kyle Dubas may not freely admit it, the Penguins are rebuilding. It seems doubtful Sidney Crosby wants to move to another team and management wants to give him young NHLers to work with. The Penguins have little to work with as their prospect pool has improved slightly but still lacks top-end depth. For dynasty managers, this is a system where selective bets can pay off, especially if one of their few high-upside names sticks sooner than expected.

Buy Candidates

Rutger McGroarty (LW, 21)

Why Buy?
During his eight-game trial, Rutger McGroarty spent most of his minutes alongside Crosby and Bryan Rust, about as prime a deployment as the Penguins can offer. If that trio sticks together, McGroarty has a realistic chance to clear a 50-point pace as a rookie. He brings an NHL-ready frame, competes in high-danger areas, and has the finishing touch to convert when playing with elite talent. His versatility on both wings makes him an easy lineup fit, while his multi-category contributions (hits, shots, blocks) add sneaky fantasy value even if the scoring is modest.

As you can see by his pNHLe, the scoring potential may have dipped last season, but there is still significant scoring potential as recently as the 2023-24 season. Longer term, Pittsburgh’s rebuild will eventually inject higher-end skill into the lineup, but McGroarty’s leadership and intangibles should keep him firmly entrenched near the top of the roster. He profiles as a “heart-and-soul” winger whose role will always be elevated by his ability to complement more dynamic scorers.

Emil Pieniniemi (D, 20)

Why Buy?
Pieniniemi isn’t going to be confused for an offensive dynamo at the NHL level just yet, but his two-way profile is quietly useful. He plays a responsible game, moves the puck cleanly out of his zone, and has shown steady growth in his transition play. What’s impressed scouts recently, though, is his offensive pop, both in the OHL and at the World Junior Championships, where many expected Aron Kiviharju to be the standout but Pieniniemi stole attention. His Fantasy Hockey Life player card demonstrates his excellent shooting and passing numbers in the OHL, while his play-driving and transition numbers also show promise.

Within Pittsburgh’s system, there isn’t currently a more dynamic offensive defenseman, which makes him a particularly intriguing internal candidate. The Penguins could still draft or trade for help on the back end, but Pieniniemi already looks like an in-house option with upside. His ceiling may not be elite, but his ability to contribute at both ends gives him sneaky fantasy relevance in deeper formats. Coaches will trust him, his path to NHL minutes is clear given Pittsburgh’s thin depth and dynasty managers should view him as a long-term stash with realistic upside if his offensive growth continues.

Sergei Murashov (G, 21)

Why Buy?
Murashov has quietly been one of the better goalie prospects in Russia, consistently putting up strong numbers in limited opportunities. His game is built on composure and positioning, which pairs well with solid athleticism when he needs to make a desperation stop. For Pittsburgh, a team desperate for young goalie talent, his upside stands out. Goalies are notoriously unpredictable, but Murashov has shown enough consistency to suggest he could become a legitimate NHL starting option. He strengthened that case in 2024-25 with an extremely impressive stint in both the AHL and ECHL, where he adjusted seamlessly to North American play. That stretch not only showcased his readiness but also positioned him to leapfrog Joel Blomqvist on the depth chart. With Tristan Jarry struggling to hold job security as the starter for years, the Penguins may look to Murashov sooner rather than later.

Sell Candidates

Benjamin Kindel (RW, 18)

Why Sell?
Kindel is a competitive winger who produced well in junior, but there are still questions about how his game will translate against professional competition. His offensive toolkit leans more toward secondary production than primary creation, and he lacks a defining trait that suggests top six NHL upside. At his best, he projects as a reliable, versatile energy forward who can slot into the middle six and contribute in different roles. That type of player has real NHL value but rarely translates into meaningful dynasty returns. His post-draft value is likely at its peak, and history suggests it will decline as he works through the development system. For now, both his draft position and his junior numbers may inflate his perceived worth, especially to managers who value production over projection. Savvy dynasty managers should explore moving him as part of a larger package before the market cools. The odds of him becoming a consistent fantasy contributor in the next few years remain slim.

Arturs Silovs (G, 24)

Why Sell
Silovs gained attention after his strong international play with Latvia, and he followed that up by backstopping Abbotsford to the Calder Cup as AHL champions. Add in a few exciting NHL appearances with Vancouver, and his stock has rarely been higher. In dynasty, that kind of name recognition and recent success matters, but it can also create a perfect “sell-high” window. Despite the accolades, his long-term NHL path is far from secure. He doesn’t project as a surefire starter and is more realistically tracking toward a 1B or backup role. His technical game still shows flaws, and consistency remains an issue. If he were ever to end up in Pittsburgh, he’d be competing in a crowded crease without clear starter security. The reality is that his perceived value right now may never be higher than it is coming off those performances. Dynasty managers should take advantage of the inflated market and move him before the shine wears off.

Owen Pickering (D, 21)

Why Sell?
Pickering has the tools that make him likely to be an NHLer; he’s tall, mobile, and uses his rangy stick effectively in the defensive zone. Offensively, though, his development has lagged since being drafted in the first round. His puck decisions remain inconsistent, and he hasn’t shown the instincts to run a power play or generate offense at pace. While his junior numbers hinted at upside, those results haven’t translated at higher levels, and it’s becoming less likely they ever will.

In his NHL stint last season, Evolving Hockey graded him well defensively, which reinforces the projection of a shutdown, minutes-eating role rather than a fantasy asset. For dynasty managers, that creates a clear sell situation: his value is still buoyed by first-round pedigree, but his ceiling looks more like a steady second- or third-pair defender than a producer. If he figures out some offense, there’s still NHL stability here, but the fantasy payoff is doubtful. Now is the time to move on before the shine fully fades.

Summary

Player	Role	Key Insight
Rutger McGroarty	Buy	Upside forward with a lasting opportunity in aging core
Emil Pieniniemi	Buy	Long-term blue line stash in a thin system
Sergei Murashov	Buy	Sleeper goalie with realistic NHL path to being a starter
Benjamin Kindel	Sell	Ceiling likely capped as depth forward
Arturs Silovs	Sell	Inflated value from small sample, international hype, and inability to translate to the NHL
Owen Pickering	Sell	Tools haven’t translated into consistent offensive game

2025 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: #20 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – Top 15 NHL Affiliated Prospects

Fri, 23 May 2025 12:36:47 +0000

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 07: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering (38) shoots the puck during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 7, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

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Pittsburgh 25 Prospects

NHL: THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – 4 Nations Wrap – Trade Deadline speculation edition – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 17:20:17 +0000

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 20: Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) drills a shot during the Championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off between Team United States and Team Canada on February 20, 2025, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

I have to give the league credit. I did not go into this season with a lot of confidence or excitement about the 4 Nations Face-Off. Sure, it’s always fun to see best-on-best play, but with the tournament being limited to just four countries and without any pre-existing prestige/history behind the tournament name, I was among those worried that it might end up looking like a series of glorified All-Star games and not attract any non-hockey fans. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

ESPN saw an average viewership of 9.252 million for the Final between Canada and the United States, making it the most-watched non-Olympic hockey game on record in US viewership history. Including Canadians, that rating increased to 16.1 million viewers (6.9 million between Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ and TVA Sports), which was on par for a Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final (16.3 million), per Braylon Breeze of Sports Media Watch.

The Final even took a political angle. I won’t stress people looking for an escape with the details, but the current climate between the United States and Canada was an undercurrent throughout this tournament and in the Final especially, only adding to the enthusiasm for this match.

When all that noise ended, and the puck dropped, the players didn’t disappoint. This was not a glorified All-Star Game. The players took the opportunity to represent their country seriously, and after the United States earned a 3-1 victory over Canada during the round robin, the Canadians got their revenge Thursday in a 3-2 overtime win over the States.

The winning goal was appropriately scored by Connor McDavid, who was left wide open due to a defensive breakdown by the Americans, took advantage of a nice pass from Mitch Marner to fire a wrist shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

Marner getting the primary assist on that marker and Sam Bennett’s game-tying goal at 14:00 of the second period -- the last goal before McDavid found the back of the net -- was a bit of a redemption story for the 27-year-old winger. Marner and McDavid didn’t seem to gel earlier in the tournament, resulting in the duo being separated for Canada’s 5-3 win over Finland on Monday and Marner logging just 12:46 of ice time. Had that been the end of the story, it would have been about Marner vanishing when things got tough, a story that would have added to the frustrations of Maple Leafs fans, who have seen Toronto flounder in the playoffs throughout Marner’s tenure. Instead, he added another chapter to the tale.

It was also a great showing for Jordan Binnington. Goaltending was the main question mark for Canada going into this tournament, and while Binnington certainly had some bad moments, in the end, he did step up for Canada, turning side 31 of 33 shots in the Final.

Of course, Nathan MacKinnon was also deserving of his MVP title. He scored a tournament-best four goals, including the overtime winner against Team Sweden and two markers versus Finland. Without MacKinnon’s efforts, Canada might not have made it to the final match. He also got Canada on the board first against Team USA on Thursday with his marker at 4:48 of the first period.

It needs to be acknowledged how well America played in this tournament. Both games between these two countries were intense, and not much would have had to change for Team USA to have emerged as the winner. In particular, Zach Werenski (six assists), Jake Guentzel (three goals, four points) and the Tkachuk brothers were fantastic in this tournament. Connor Hellebuyck also did his part in the 4 Nations Face-Off, largely proving his status as the league’s best goaltender, even if his team finished just shy of the title.

Canada can celebrate today, but they have every reason to be concerned about Team USA going into the Olympics. What a fun tournament that should be.

Boston Bruins

Boston will start next week at home, hosting the Maple Leafs on Tuesday and the Islanders on Thursday. The Bruins will then travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday and Minnesota on Sunday.

It seems unbelievable to even suggest it, but those games might be among Brad Marchand’s last in a Bruins jersey. Boston is 27-24-7, which puts the Bruins a point behind the Senators for the final wild-card spot despite having played in one extra game. To be clear, Boston still very much has a chance of making the playoffs, but the fact that it's now a borderline team is cause for retrospection.

There were tempered expectations for the Bruins going into 2023-24 after losing David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. The squad managed to prove the rumors of their death were exaggerated with a 47-20-15 showing, but that success was led by elite goaltending, something the Bruins haven’t enjoyed this season. Linus Ullmark is gone and -- perhaps due to the pressures of his new contract, missing training camp or some combination of the two -- has underwhelmed with an 18-18-4 record, 2.98 GAA and .898 save percentage. Couple that with free-agent signing Elias Lindholm putting up mild numbers (11 goals, 30 points) as well as Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) getting hurt in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and it’s looking more and more like this isn’t a squad setup for a playoff run even if it does squeak in.

With all that considered, maybe it really is time to move on from Marchand. He’s 36 and in the final campaign of what’s proven to be an extremely team-friendly eight-year, $49 million deal. He is allowed to submit a list of up to eight teams he’d veto a trade from, so he does have some influence over his situation, but the return the Bruins could potentially get from him would still be significant. There are a lot of teams out there who would be happy to take a former Stanley Cup winner with a reputation for getting under opponents' skin. Especially given that Marchand is still performing at a high level offensively with 20 goals and 45 points through 58 appearances in 2024-25. His cap hit ($6.125 million) is also reasonable enough to make it feasible for most contenders to maneuver him below the ceiling, especially if Boston retains part of what’s left of his salary.

There’s a certain logic to trading Marchand while his value is still high and at the end of that contract, but there’s also a strong argument against it. He’s the Bruins captain and a fan favorite. Trading him away, especially after a summer that didn’t go Boston’s way, would likely result in strong pushback against GM Don Sweeney and president Cam Neely, even if the return is significant. It’d be one thing if Marchand wanted to go for the sake of chasing the Cup, but in his own words, his “goal is to play here forever,” per NBC Sports Boston. True, players will usually speak highly of whoever their current employer is, but in the case of Marchand, who has dedicated his entire NHL career to Boston, it seems reasonable to believe him and assume he wants to re-sign with the team.

Plus, even if he is getting up there in age, Boston might still enjoy another serious run with him. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Jeremy Swayman rebound next season. Hampus Lindholm (lower body) might have better luck on the injury front in 2025-26, which would go a long way towards stabilizing the blue line. The team would still have secondary scoring concerns that would need to be addressed over the summer, but this is far from a franchise that’s without hope in the mid-term.

In the end, I expect Marchand rumors to persist up until the trade deadline but for him to ultimately remain with Boston.

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles will open the week by hosting Vegas on Monday followed by Vancouver on Wednesday. The Kings will then hit the road with games in Dallas and St. Louis on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Kings hold a 30-17-7 record going, which gives them a decent cushion in the battle for a playoff spot, though they’ll have a difficult time catching up to Edmonton (34-19-4) or Vegas (34-17-6), which would be necessary in order to secure home-ice advantage in the first round.

Still, with the trade deadline approaching, the Kings are likely to be buyers if they do anything. They have all their draft picks over the next three years with the exception of their 2025 second-round selection (surrendered in the Tanner Jeannot trade) and a decent amount of cap flexibility (PuckPedia puts the squad’s deadline space at just under $4.5 million), so there is room here to get something done.

Los Angeles is rumored to be targeting Buffalo’s Alex Tuch, according to Russell Morgan of Hockey Royalty. Even if that doesn’t specifically happen, it does suggest that LA is in the market for a top six winger, which would make some sense.

Los Angeles is fine up the middle. Anze Kopitar is still performing well at 37 (13 goals, 46 points). Neither Phillip Danault (five goals, 230 points) and Quinton Byfield (11 goals, 29 points) has done enough offensively to be an ideal second-line center, but either one is serviceable in the middle six. Besides, with the Pierre-Luc Dubois experiment still fresh in the Kings’ mind, Los Angeles might be reluctant to take another swing at filling that role. Instead, the hope is probably for Byfield to grow into that job and push Danault to the third unit.

The defense looks solid now that Drew Doughty is back from his ankle injury. We haven’t seen much from him offensively yet -- just one assist in six appearances with the Kings and one helper in four outings with Canada -- but he’s averaged 26:57 of ice time with Los Angeles since returning, so he’s helped stabilize the blue line.

In goal, Darcy Kuemper has been a pleasant surprise, providing a 17-6-6 record, 2.22 GAA and .918 save percentage in 30 appearances, firmly putting his 2023-24 showing with Washington -- a 13-14-3 record with a 3.31 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 33 outings -- behind him. Maybe the Kings will seek an alternate to David Rittich, who has a 12-11-1 record, 2.59 GAA and .890 save percentage in 25 appearances, but that seems unlikely.

That mostly just leaves help on the wings, especially from someone who can find the back of the net. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala are the only Kings players with at least 15 markers -- 25 and 21, respectively -- while 3.7 players per team have hit the 15-goal milestone, so it’s fair to say that’s an area of need for the Kings.

Los Angeles is also an underwhelming 20th in goals per game with 2.83 and has instead relied on its fifth-ranked 2.53 goals allowed per game for its success.

If the Kings do add a top six forward, then Trevor Moore could see his playing time meaningfully diminish. Moore was great in 2023-24 with 31 goals and 57 points in 82 regular-season games, but he’s dropped to eight goals and 23 points in 45 appearances this season, making his average ice time of 17:05 less than ideal. Any addition up front might also push Moore off the power play entirely. As it is, he’s averaging just 1:11 with the man advantage, which has resulted in only one assist for the 29-year-old this season.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild have a full week, starting at home against Detroit on Tuesday before a back-to-back in Utah and Colorado on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The squad will then return to Minnesota to host the Bruins on Sunday.

Minnesota has a strong 34-19-4 record (72 points), but with the Jets’ dominance (39-14-3), finishing first in the Central Division still looks like a longshot. Instead, the Wild are battling with Dallas (37-18-2) and Colorado (33-24-2) for the second and third seeds in the division with the bottom of the three likely entering the playoffs as a wild-card club.

The big question for the Wild is when Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) will be back. When he underwent surgery in late January, we were told that he’d miss a minimum of four weeks, so while a return this week seems unlikely, seeing Kaprizov by mid-March isn’t out of the question. Minnesota deserves credit for managing a 4-2-0 record since Kaprizov was put on the shelf, but that stretch also included back-to-back shutout losses and an underwhelming 2.50 goals per game, so the Wild have shown some vulnerability.

Getting strong performances out of Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello during Kaprizov’s absence will be critical. Boldy had a poorly timed five-game scoring drought from Jan. 29-Feb. 6, but he bounced back with two goals and three points in the Wild’s final game before the break and held his own during the 4 Nations Face-Off, supplying a goal and three points in four outings with Team USA, so he might hit the ground running for Minnesota when play resumes.

Rossi has two goals and seven points across his past 10 appearances with the Wild, but he’s also been inconsistent during that stretch, going without a point in five of those outings. Meanwhile, Zuccarello hadn’t scored a point in five straight games before the break. Maybe the break -- Zuccarello wasn’t involved in the tournament -- has allowed him to reset and put that slump behind him.

That trio is likely to play together while Kaprizov remains out, though once Kaprizov returns, Boldy might shift off that unit to make room for the Wild’s star forward.

Nashville Predators

Nashville will open the week with a pair of difficult opponents at home, hosting Florida and Winnipeg on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. The Predators will then travel to New York to face the Islanders on Saturday and the Rangers on Sunday.

Nashville showed some hope from Jan. 3-23, winning seven of nine games, but the Predators followed that with a six-game losing streak they couldn’t afford. Nashville now has a 20-29-7 record, putting the team 15 points out of a playoff spot. The team isn’t mathematically eliminated, but there is no longer a realistic path to the postseason for Nashville. To hit 94 points, Nashville would need to go 23-4-1 the rest of the way. That’s simply not happening.

That makes the Predators obvious sellers going into the deadline. Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Roman Josi and Brady Skjei all have no-movement clauses and significant term left on their contracts, so I wouldn’t expect any kind of blockbuster involving any of them.

Interestingly, Juuse Saros’ new contract, and thus his no-movement clause, doesn’t begin until the 2025-26 campaign, so technically the Predators could trade the goaltender, but I doubt they will. Saros’ eight-year, $61.92 million deal looked good when he inked it, but the 29-year-old has struggled this campaign with an 11-23-6 record, 2.95 GAA and .898 save percentage in 41 appearances prior to the tournament. He had a minus-3.5 goals saved above expected, per Moneypuck, which suggests he’s been below average even after considering the poor play in front of him. Teams might be hesitant to take on that big contract given his recent performance, and Nashville might be equally reluctant to trade him at a time when his value is down.

Still, Nashville should be active at the deadline. Gustav Nyquist, who is playing the final season of his two-year, $6.37 million contract, is likely gone. His 20 points in 55 appearances this campaign is a far cry from his 75-point showing in 2023-24, but the 35-year-old should still be a capable middle-six forward for a contender and, frankly, a move away from the Predators’ struggles should do him some good.

Perhaps Ryan O'Reilly will be moved as well. He’s signed through 2026-27, but his $4.5 million cap hit is fair for the two-way center who has 14 goals, 34 points and a 56.6 faceoff percentage in 53 outings this season. The 34-year-old is a former Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner, which is sure to appeal to contenders, and the fact that he’s got term left on his deal means that he would command more than a rental price. He also lacks a no-trade clause, making a potential move that much easier. That said, it really depends on how bad the Predators see their situation. Nashville still has a veteran core, and with so many players locked to NMCs, the franchise is unlikely to embrace a rebuild at this time. If that’s the case, then Nashville might prefer to keep O’Reilly under the belief that the team will bounce back over the next two years. At the least, the Predators likely aren’t motivated sellers when it comes to him, so they would need to be offered a very appealing return.

It'd be much cheaper for teams to pry Luke Schenn from the Predators. He’s in the middle season of a three-year, $8.25 million contract, so he’s not a rental either, but the 35-year-old defenseman is presumably not as big of a part of Nashville’s plans. For a team looking to win now, though, Schenn provides some value. He is a physical force with 41 PIM and 207 hits through 56 outings and would be a solid third-pairing option on a playoff squad. His cap hit might be a touch high for what he brings to the table, but at $2.75 million, it’s workable.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Moving from one seller to another, the Penguins aren’t quite out of the playoff race, but they probably won’t make it. At the least, Pittsburgh needs to be great down the stretch to close the gap, which means the Penguins need a big week. They’ll play in Philadelphia on Tuesday before returning home to host the Flyers, the Bruins and the Maple Leafs on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Sidney Crosby looked great in the 4 Nations Face-Off, contributing a goal and five points across four games for Team Canada. The 37-year-old should be expected to continue to perform for the Penguins down the stretch after supplying 17 goals and 58 points across 55 appearances with Pittsburgh leading up to the tournament. Unfortunately, it’s already well established that the current Penguins can lose even with Crosby keeping up his end of the bargain.

Even if the Penguins are sellers, Crosby is unsurprisingly going nowhere. He has a no-movement clause, and it’s doubtful that either Pittsburgh or Crosby have interest in parting ways. He is the face of the franchise and will likely remain in that position until he hangs up his skates.

The same goes for Evgeni Malkin. The Russian star made his intentions clear in an interview with The Athletic’s Rob Rossi: “I not retire. I know what some people say -- like, I go back to Russia and play for my home team. But I never say it, you know? I retire with Pittsburgh. The Penguins are my team. I love this team. When I retire it’s here.”

So yeah, take him off the list, especially because his no-movement clause gives him final say over his status.

Still, the Penguins are likely to make some moves. Perhaps Matt Grzelcyk, who is playing on a one-year, $2.75 million contract, will be traded. He has a goal and 28 points in 59 appearances while averaging 20:18 of ice time, though he might see his power-play role decline with a new team, which would hurt his fantasy value. He has 10 power-play assists and has logged 2:11 per game with the man advantage this season.

Cody Glass might also be shipped to a team looking for forward depth, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the same happen to Anthony Beauvillier. Neither has term left on his contract, though Glass has one season remaining of RFA eligibility.

If Pittsburgh is in the mood for something bigger, the team could take a hard look at moving Rickard Rakell. He’s having a strong campaign with 25 goals and 49 points in 58 appearances. He’s signed through 2027-28 with a $5 million cap hit, so I don’t think the Penguins will move him, but his trade value is good, so it would be a way to shake things up without touching the core. However, the Penguins aren’t expected to enter a full rebuild until after Crosby retires, so rather than move Rakell for picks or long-term prospects, Pittsburgh would presumably want at least one player who is NHL-ready in any Rakell trade.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues will alternate between home and away games next week. They’ll start by hosting Seattle on Tuesday before playing in Washington on Thursday, returning home to face the Kings on Saturday and finally traveling to Dallas for a clash Sunday.

St. Louis is in a similar position to Pittsburgh. It’d be wrong to say all hope for a playoff berth is lost, but with a 26-26-6 (58 points) record, squeaking into the playoffs seems improbable. Perhaps Jordan Binnington can ride the high of backstopping Team Canada to victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off to lead the Blues on a run after the break. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on because he’s a great netminder when he’s at his best, but the problem is that the 31-year-old can end up all over the place. Not to take away from what he just accomplished, but that inconsistency makes it hard for me to count on him to continue at that high level of performance for a sustained period of time.

If he can’t lead St. Louis on a run in the near term, then the Blues are likely to be another seller at the trade deadline. Radek Faksa, who is in the final season of his five-year, $16.25 million contract, would be the most likely player to be dealt under those circumstances. He has three goals, 10 points, 83 hits and 31 blocks in 46 appearances in 2024-25. Those aren’t standout numbers, but Faksa would likely have a market among contenders looking to add to their bottom six.

Maybe trade offers involving Cam Fowler or Nick Leddy will be entertained too. Leddy has a full no-trade clause, while Fowler can limit his options to a four-team trade list, so the two blueliners have considerable control over their respective situations, but they’re also 33 years old and might be interested in the opportunity to play for a contender. Fowler and Leddy are signed through 2025-26, so each of them would come with a bit of term, which adds to their value, especially given that they also come with a reasonable cap hit of roughly $4 million (in Fowler’s case, that’s excluding the $2.5 million Anaheim has retained).

Fowler and Leddy are each capable of serving in a top four capacity. Fowler was already involved in a trade from Anaheim to St. Louis in December, so moving him again is a bit awkward, but given the Blues’ situation, it would make some sense to flip him to a team doing better. As for Leddy, he’s healthy after missing most of the campaign due to a lower-body injury. There seems to be a bit of load management going on given that he averaged just 17:21 of ice time over his first three games back -- his 2023-24 average was 22:22 -- but as he puts some distance between him and his time on the shelf, his workload should increase.

Ryan Suter will also probably get traded if there is interest in him. The 40-year-old isn’t the defenseman he once was, but he would be a nice veteran presence for a contender. Just don’t expect him to average anywhere close to his 20:29 in 2024-25 if he moves away from St. Louis.

If one or more of those blueliners do get traded, then Tyler Tucker will likely see an increase in playing time. We might also see Samuel Johannesson get called up from AHL Springfield to make his NHL debut. The 24-year-old has shown some offensive potential in the minors, providing three goals and 23 points in 46 appearances, so maybe he’d get a trial on the second power-play unit depending on who St. Louis parts with.

If the Blues make some moves up front, then Dalibor Dvorsky would likely get summoned from Springfield. The 19-year-old has looked good with 15 goals and 35 points in 44 AHL outings. It’s also worth keeping Jimmy Snuggerud in the back of your mind. He has 20 goals and 42 points in 32 games with the University of Minnesota as a junior. If he opts to go pro after the NCAA season, it’s feasible that he’ll immediately jump into a middle-six spot with the Blues.

So even if St. Louis misses the playoffs, there are some young players who might make those final weeks worth watching.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals will be at home next week and won’t have to deal with a back-to-back set. Washington will host Calgary on Tuesday, St. Louis on Thursday and Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Washington went into the break with a dominant lead in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals had 80 points (36-11-8) through 55 appearances, putting them nine points ahead of the second-rank Panthers despite Florida having played in two extra games. Although it’s too early for Washington’s spot atop the conference standings to be assured, we’re quickly approaching a point where the Capitals will have to resist the temptation to go onto cruise control until the playoffs.

While there are obvious benefits to the Capitals’ position, resting on your laurels down the stretch can make it hard to get serious again once the playoffs start. Fortunately, even if Washington soon finds itself in a position where wins feel optional, there will still be something to play for: Alex Ovechkin. The 39-year-old entered the 4 Nations break just 15 goals behind Wayne Gretzky and delivered a hat trick in his second game upon return to close the gap to 12 goals in the remaining 25 games. He’s scored at a pace of 0.67 goals per game this campaign, so becoming the all-time goal scorer by the end of the campaign looks attainable, should he stay healthy.

However, it has to be said that using that as the team’s motivation might be a double-edged sword. Getting the puck to Ovechkin is usually the right call -- he's converting on 18.4 percent of his shots after all -- but if the team puts all its focus into securing the record for Ovechkin, even at the cost of the fundamentals, then it might create bad habits. That’s potentially especially dangerous should the act of winning or losing become secondary.

Either way, he’s the best offensive weapon the Capitals have and should be well-rested after the break. He’s not the only one either -- no Washington player was included in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Although Jordan Binnington got the job done, Logan Thompson would have also been a fantastic option for Team Canada after posting a 24-2-5 record, 2.23 GAA and .921 save percentage through 31 appearances with Washington this season, but he wasn’t included on the roster. The silver lining is that the time off should have given him a chance to reset -- he was working through a slump right before the break, posting a 1-0-2 record, 3.88 GAA and .867 save percentage across three outings.

That’s in contrast to Tom Wilson, who had four goals and six points across his final four outings before the break and has added three points in two games since returning. The 30-year-old has already suprassed his career high in goals with 26 and is on course to surpass his personal best of 52 points -- he has 45 through 57 contests this campaign.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets will open the week by hosting the Sharks, and they’ll follow that up with a two-game road trip to Ottawa and Nashville on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The Jets will conclude the week back home with a clash against the Flyers on Saturday.

Like the Capitals, Winnipeg’s biggest challenge going forward might be finding ways to stay motivated down the stretch as games potentially mean progressively less. The Jets already have 81 points (39-14-3) after just 56 appearances, so their playoff position is fairly secure. They’ve even opened up a nine-point lead in the battle for the Western Conference’s top seed thanks to their active eight-game winning streak.

One benefit of that time off will be the ability to manage Connor Hellebuyck’s workload down the stretch. The 31-year-old netminder should still be counted on to play regularly, but we might see Eric Comrie move up to playing once every third game to make sure Hellebuyck isn’t burnt out by the time the playoffs start. It’s a situation worth monitoring closely if you have Hellebuyck on your fantasy team. Adding Comrie would be a good hedge, especially given that he’s been a fine backup with a 2.57 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 13 appearances.

On the trade front, Winnipeg is projected to have $11.2 million worth of deadline cap space, per Puckpedia, but the Jets are missing their 2025 second and fourth-round selections due to trades before this season, so Winnipeg has a little less to work with when it comes to acquiring players.

Another tricky thing is that…they play in Winnipeg. That’s not me trying to throw shade at the city, that’s me acknowledging a genuine challenge that the franchise has to constantly overcome because of player perceptions. The Athletic recently polled 111 players and granted them anonymity so that they could speak freely. When asked what the first team on their hypothetical no-trade list would be, 48.78 percent picked Winnipeg.

As one player put it: “There’s not much to do out there. It’s (censored) cold. I haven’t heard a guy go to Winnipeg and be like, 'This is going to be my forever home.’”

The second-place Sabres weren’t even close at 19.51 percent despite the Jets being a dominant club while Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011. It’s not fair, but if a player has a partial no-trade list, then you have to consider the probability that Winnipeg is on it. Even still, Winnipeg might be able to bolster its blue line or add a middle-six forward before the deadline.

Seth Jones has interest in leaving Chicago, and Winnipeg was mentioned as a potential destination by The Athletic. He’d help solidify the Jets’ top four and maybe serve on the second power-play unit. His $9.5 million cap hit is a bit rich, but the cap is going up, and the Blackhawks might be willing to retain part of that salary. However, Jones has a no-movement clause, and given what we’ve already discussed when it comes to players' feelings for Winnipeg, he might not be willing to waive it for the Jets.

Getting Ryan Donato from Chicago might be more viable. It’s a far less splashy move, but Donato would be a nice third-line option. He has 19 goals and 38 points in 55 appearances this season. Connor Murphy would also be a solid add for Winnipeg in a trade with the Blackhawks. After supplying a goal, 13 points, 38 PIM, 72 hits and 100 blocks in 44 appearances with Chicago this campaign, he’d look nice on Winnipeg’s third pairing. Like Jones, though, Winnipeg would have to overcome the NTC problem -- Murphy has a 10-team no-trade list.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Examining offseason moves – Oilers thriving ex-RFA’s versus UFA signings – Teams with favourable schedules

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 16:15:29 +0000

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 14: St Louis Blue defenseman Philip Broberg skates with the puck down the ice during an NHL game between the St Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars on December 14, 2024, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire)

Going into 2024-25, it looked like the Oilers had a great summer. Sure, they lost restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to St. Louis, but only because the Blues overpaid for them. Meanwhile, Edmonton was crafty, snagging Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson at bargain bin prices, while also re-signing Adam Henrique to a reasonable contract. The goaltending was still in a risky state given the reliance on the streaky Stuart Skinner and the defense looked thin, but up front, Edmonton seemed deeper than it had ever been in the Connor McDavid-era.

Reality has played out differently. Edmonton has a 23-12-3 record, so they don’t have much to complain about on that front. However, Skinner hasn’t been the bargain that they thought. Instead, the six-time 30-plus goal scorer has just six markers and 13 points through 37 appearances. He’s been so underwhelming that he’s been largely relegated to the fourth line and was even a healthy scratch Sunday.

Arvidsson hasn’t been much help either. Granted, injuries have been part of the issue, but even when healthy, he’s underwhelmed with four goals and nine points through 23 outings. Meanwhile, Henrique has three goals and 10 points in 38 games after finishing the 2023-24 regular season with 51 points.

With the benefit of hindsight, Edmonton should have prioritized its restricted free agents. Broberg has three goals and 14 points in 27 outings while managing a top four role. Holloway has looked even better, collecting 14 goals and 27 points in 40 appearances.

As for Skinner and Arvidsson being bargains while Broberg and Holloway were overpaid, the former duo costs $7 million combined for 2024-25 while the latter comes in at roughly $6.9. Oops.

To be fair, this isn’t what many would have predicted going into the campaign, and there’s still time for Skinner and Arvidsson to make their marks, especially come the playoffs. However, it does highlight how plans can go awry, and with nearly half the campaign now in the books, this seems like a good time to take stock of how teams did in the offseason.

That’ll be the theme of this week’s article: For every team I highlight below, I’m going focus on the players who were brought in over the summer and reevaluate whether it’s worked out.

Carolina Hurricanes (Tue @ TBL, Thu @ TOR, Fri vs VAN, Sun vs ANA)

Carolina has been middling recently, posting a 7-8-1 record over its past 16 games, though the Hurricanes are still 23-13-2 overall thanks to their commanding start. Next week is packed for Carolina and primarily at home, though the opponents will be difficult. The Hurricanes will play in Tampa Bay on Tuesday before hosting Toronto, Vancouver and Anaheim on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Even after factoring in Carolina’s recent underwhelming play, the Hurricanes are still well on their way to making the playoffs for the seventh straight campaign despite significant turnover. They lost two top-four defensemen -- Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce -- and top-six forward Teuvo Teravainen. Jake Guentzel also parted ways with Carolina, but he was a midseason rental, so he was less ingrained into the team.

Carolina led the league in xGA/60 in 2023-24 (2.65), but the team has dipped to 11th (2.90) this year. That’s not bad, but it does suggest that the losses of Skjei and Pesce have been felt.

Carolina did ink Shayne Gostisbehere to a three-year, $9.6 million contract over the summer, but the 31-year-old defenseman was brought in as more of a power-play specialist than a two-way option. He has served well in that role, supplying six goals and 27 points through 35 appearances, but unfortunately, he’s out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

Interestingly, Brent Burns appears to be staying on the second power-play unit despite Gostisbehere’s injury. Burns is hot with two goals and four points over his past four appearances, but he has just one point with the man advantage this year, and unless he moves up to the top power-play grouping, it’s hard to see him having a strong second half.

Ty Smith seems to have gotten the special-teams assignment instead of Burns. The 24-year-old has averaged just 14:02 of ice time in Carolina’s three games without Gostisbehere, but 4:05 per contest has come with the man advantage. Smith has a goal (provided on the power play) in those three appearances after supplying three goals and 10 points in 13 outings with AHL Chicago. He’s worth a short-term pickup.

Moving back to the Hurricanes’ summer acquisitions, Carolina also inked Jack Roslovic to a one-year, $2.8 million deal. He’s worked out well in Carolina, collecting 17 goals and 25 points through 38 outings, which puts the 27-year-old on track to surpass his career high of 45 points. I’m not confident he’ll get there, though. His 22.4 shooting percentage doesn’t look sustainable and his role with the team hasn’t been consistent, resulting in him averaging a modest 14:00, including 1:15 on the power play. It’s hard to trust him unless he starts getting bigger minutes consistently, so there’s a risk of him slowing meaningfully in the second half.

Detroit Red Wings (Tue vs OTT, Fri vs CHI, Sun vs SEA)

The Red Wings are showing some life under new bench boss Todd McLellan, winning each of their past three games. Still, they have a lot of ground to make up given their 16-18-4 record. Fortunately, their upcoming competition is favorable -- they'll spend next week at home, hosting Ottawa on Tuesday, Chicago on Friday and Seattle on Sunday.

Detroit lost Gostisbehere and veteran forward David Perron over the summer, which threatened to hurt the team’s scoring, but the Red Wings hoped to mitigate that by bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko on a two-year, $9.5 million contract. Tarasenko isn’t the same player he was when he provided over 30 goals on six occasions from 2014-15 through 2021-22, but he still figured to be a valuable middle-six option after providing 23 goals and 55 points over 76 outings between Ottawa and Florida in 2023-24.

It hasn’t worked out like that, though. Tarasenko has just four goals and 14 points through 37 appearances and isn’t giving Red Wings fans much hope that he’ll have a strong second half. The veteran has no goals and three assists across his past 14 games. While Detroit has won its last three games by scoring at least four goals in each contest, Tarasenko has managed a single shot on net over that stretch.

Detroit re-signed Patrick Kane to a one-year, $4 million deal over the summer. Initially, Kane’s story this season looked a lot like Tarasenko -- Kane had just three goals and 10 points over his first 24 appearances of 2024-25 -- but he’s hit his stride, providing five goals and nine points across his past nine outings.

Detroit ranks 25th in goals per game with 2.68, which is a collapse compared to the Red Wings’ 3.35 last campaign. That’s in large part due to a decline in secondary scoring. Detroit had eight players with at least 15 goals. Just five are scoring at a pace to reach that mark this campaign. If Tarasenko could get going, that would certainly help, but it would be wrong to put the blame solely on him when the team as a whole has declined that much.

Minnesota Wild (Tue vs STL, Thu vs COL, Sat @ SJS, Sun @VGK)

The Wild have won four of their past five games, bringing their record up to 24-11-4 this campaign. They’ll look to continue the good times next week, starting with a home game against the Blues on Tuesday. After that, the Wild will host Colorado on Thursday before hitting the road for contests in San Jose on Saturday and Vegas on Sunday.

In contrast to their dominance this season, the Wild missed the playoffs in 2023-24 with a 39-34-9 record, so you’d think they had a successful summer, but this is largely the same team that fell short last campaign. The big difference has been Filip Gustavsson. He struggled in 2023-24 with a 20-18-4 record, 3.06 GAA and .899 save percentage but has rebounded this time, posting a 17-6-3 record, 2.28 GAA and .924 save percentage across 26 starts.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Gustavsson continue his dominance through the second half of the campaign. While it’s in contrast to last season, he has demonstrated this level of success before -- he was 22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA and a .931 save percentage in 39 outings in 2022-23 -- so this isn’t coming out of nowhere.

Marco Rossi has also taken a step up. The 23-year-old finished 2023-24 with 21 goals and 40 points and is well on his way to shattering those totals this season, collecting 15 goals and 33 points through 39 outings so far. For the second straight campaign, Rossi has the distinction of getting plenty of ice time with Kirill Kaprizov, but the duo seems to be meshing better this year. Kaprizov showed up on the scoresheet for 16 of Rossi’s 40 points last season but has already featured on 21 of Rossi’s 33 points in 2024-25.

While Minnesota didn’t make any significant additions last summer, it is worth noting that the Wild signed Brock Faber to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension back in July. Faber was one of the few positives for the Wild in 2023-24, supplying eight goals, 47 points, 65 hits and 150 blocks in 82 appearances as a rookie. Locking him up long-term was a bit of a risk given his small sample size, but it’s looking like it was a great call. He has five goals, 20 points, 15 hits and 51 blocks through 39 outings in 2024-25.

Faber didn’t look ideal analytically last campaign with a relative 5v5 CF%/FF% of minus-2.8/minus-3.5, which suggests that the team performed worse from a puck possession perspective when he was on the ice, but the 22-year-old has shown some growth in that regard as a sophomore, posting a minus-1.7/minus-2.9 relative 5v5 CF%/FF%.

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

Minnesota is enjoying a great campaign after a rough one, but the Senators are still floundering in mediocrity. Ottawa finished 37-41-4 in 2023-24, missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. The Senators are a more respectable, but still not great 19-17-2 this year.

Ottawa does have a shot at ending its postseason drought, but every point will be critical. Next week, the Senators will play in Detroit on Tuesday, host the Sabres on Thursday, play in Pittsburgh on Saturday and then head back home to face the Stars on Sunday.

There was some reason for cautious optimism going into this campaign. Joonas Korpisalo had been a big problem for the Senators in 2023-24, posting a 21-26-4 record, 3.27 GAA and .890 save percentage in 55 outings while finishing minus-16.1 in terms of goals saved above expected. To exchange him with Linus Ullmark in a trade with Boston over the summer seemed like a huge win, and it has been.

Ullmark did initially struggle in Ottawa and is presently dealing with a back injury, but he’s still been strong overall with a 12-7-2 record, 2.38 GAA and .915 save percentage across 23 games with the Senators. Unfortunately, Ottawa’s holdover goaltender, Anton Forsberg, has continued to struggle with a 3.04 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 12 outings, so Ottawa has to hope that Ullmark returns soon.

Even when he is playing, though, Ottawa is still limited by its offense, ranking 20th in goals per game with 2.95. Trading offensive defenseman Jakob Chychrun to Washington didn’t help. The Senators did receive Nick Jensen in the trade, but Jensen is more of a defensive option, contributing two goals, 13 points, 37 hits and 44 blocks in 38 contests with Ottawa this campaign.

The Senators also attempted to boost its secondary scoring by inking David Perron to a two-year, $8 million contract. Perron had recorded at least 36 points in each of his past eight campaigns, so he seemed like a reasonable bet, but the 36-year-old has been no help. Part of that is due to injuries, but even in the nine games he’s logged with Ottawa, Perron has no points.

To make matters worse, Claude Giroux is showing his age, collecting nine goals and 24 points through 38 appearances in 2024-25, putting the 36-year-old on pace to finish well below his totals of 79 and 64 points in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively.

If Ottawa is to miss the playoffs this year, a lack of scoring will likely be the reason.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Tue vs CBJ, Thu vs EDM, Sat vs OTT, Sun vs TBL)

Pittsburgh was aggressive in the summer of 2023, bringing offensive defenseman Erik Karlsson into the fold, but that proved to be not enough for the 2023-24 Penguins, who missed the playoffs due to a 38-32-12 record. The Penguins didn’t make as big a splash this summer, and the results remain mixed with the Penguins sitting at 17-17-6. They are in the mix for a playoff spot, so their upcoming homestand will be important -- Pittsburgh will host Columbus on Tuesday, Edmonton on Thursday, Ottawa on Saturday and Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Goaltending was a weakness for Pittsburgh in 2023-24, but the Penguins didn’t change its duo, so Alex Nedeljkovic and Tristan Jarry are paired together for the second straight campaign. The results have been bad, Pittsburgh ranks last in goals allowed per game (3.63), though the defense in front of them is at least partially to blame given the team’s xGA/60 of 3.34, which ranks 29th in the NHL.

At least Rickard Rakell is having a good year. He dropped from 60 points in 2022-23 to just 37 last year, but he’s bounced back to 18 goals and 32 points through 40 appearances this campaign. One factor in that is likely the loss of Jake Guentzel, who the Penguins traded during 2023-24 to avoid potentially losing for nothing as an unrestricted free agent. With Guentzel gone, Rakell has taken his old spot on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby, and that seems to have benefited Rakell quite a bit.

Of course, that’s only because Crosby is defying Father Time with 11 goals and 42 points through 40 games at the age of 37. Malkin, 38, is showing his age more, but he’s still more than holding his own with eight goals and 32 points across 40 outings.

Without much cap space, the Penguins did attempt to supplement its offense on a budget by signing Anthony Beauvillier (one-year, $1.25 million) and Blake Lizotte (two-year, $3.7 million), which has worked out okay. Beauvillier has nine goals and 12 points through 39 appearances while Lizotte has eight goals and 12 points in 24 outings. They add a bit of skill to the bottom six, which is not nothing, but it’s not a lot.

Seattle Kraken (Mon vs NJD, Thu @ CBJ, Sat @ BUF, Sun @DET)

Seattle has been a mixed bag this campaign with a 17-19-3 record, but the Kraken have a somewhat favorable schedule next week. They’ll start by hosting the Devils and then go on the road to play in Columbus on Thursday, in Buffalo on Saturday and in Detroit on Sunday. New Jersey is the only adversary in that batch currently occupying a playoff position.

Although Seattle is still a fairly new franchise, there was some significant turnover during the summer. The biggest change came behind the bench rather than on the ice: Dave Hakstol was replaced by Dan Bylsma as the new bench boss. Under Bylsma, Seattle’s scoring has ticked up somewhat, going from 2.61 goals per game in 2023-24 to 2.90 this campaign, but that’s been undermined by the goals allowed per game increasing to 3.10 compared to 2.83 last year.

Jaden Schwartz has been one of the bigger winners under Bylsma. After collecting 13 goals and 30 points in 62 appearances while averaging 16:22 of ice time last season, Schwartz already has 12 goals and 25 points in 39 games in 2024-25, and he’s seen his playing time tick up to 17:41.

Bylsma has also been making good use of newcomer Chandler Stephenson. Like the coach, Stephenson was an offseason addition, signing a seven-year, $43.75 million deal. That’s a significant commitment to the 30-year-old, but so far, he’s fulfilled his top six duties about as well as expected, supplying four goals and 24 points through 38 appearances. He also has 12 power-play assists, quadrupling that of any other Seattle player.

Brandon Montour was Seattle’s other major free-agent splash, inking a seven-year contract worth one dollar shy of $50 million. Montour missed out on that buck because he was limited to 33 points in 66 regular-season outings with Florida in 2023-24 after setting a career high with 73 points in 2022-23, but he’s done well in his new environment, supplying eight goals and 22 points across 38 outings.

He has gone through something of a cold patch recently with three points (one goal) over his last 10 contests, but it’s not to the point yet where I’m too worried. Even in his amazing 2022-23 campaign, you can find an example of a quiet stretch from Feb. 9-28 in which he had four assists in nine appearances. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that this season will parallel 2022-23, merely stating that slower stretches happen, and the 30-year-old should start picking up the pace again before too long.

Vegas Golden Knights (Tue @ SJS, Thu vs NYI, Sat vs NYR, Sun vs MIN)

While Seattle hasn’t had much playoff success yet, the NHL’s other young franchise, Vegas, has already made the playoffs six times and won the Cup in 2023. The Golden Knights had a down year in 2023-24, posting a 45-29-8 record followed by a first-round exit, but they’re back in business this campaign at 26-9-3. The Golden Knights will start next week with a road match against the rebuilding Sharks before hosting two struggling teams in the Islanders on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday. Finally, Vegas will be up against a tough contender when they play at home against Minnesota on Sunday.

The Golden Knights more than any other franchise in the NHL is known for making bold trades and constantly having to maneuver to stay under the salary cap. The ceiling forced the Golden Knights to watch forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson walk as free agents over the summer. Vegas also traded Logan Thompson to Washington and Paul Cotter to New Jersey.

With those losses, how have the Golden Knights done so well? For starters, Vegas has an economical replacement for Thompson in Ilya Samsonov, who inked a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Golden Knights. The 27-year-old Samsonov has been a nice backup in Vegas, providing a 10-3-1 record, 2.69 GAA and .907 save percentage in 14 outings. To some extent, he’s even outperformed starter Adin Hill, who is 16-6-2 with a 2.65 GAA and a .902 save percentage through 24 appearances.

You might look at those solid GAAs and middling save percentages and conclude that Vegas’ secret sauce is the defense in front of its netminders, but that’s not entirely the case. In terms of shots allowed per game, Vegas has been relatively good, ranking 12th with 27.9, but the team is also tied for 21st in xGA/60 (3.10) because the Golden Knights tend to give up a ton of high-danger shots, tying for eighth in that category with 142.

As a result, Vegas’ goaltenders don’t necessarily need to work a ton, but they do need to be at the top of their game, and they’ve done just that. Hill has a goals saved above expected of 8.4 and Samsonov is at 6.1, putting them in 14th and 18th, respectively, among all goaltenders, per Moneypuck.

Vegas has also received good value out of Tanner Pearson and Victor Olofsson, who each inked one-year contracts and combine for less than $2 million in cap space. Pearson has eight goals and 16 points through 38 outings, providing some nice scoring depth in a bottom-six capacity. Meanwhile, Olofsson did miss 20 straight games from Oct. 17-Nov. 29 because of a lower-body injury, but he’s been a great middle-six option when healthy, contributing eight goals and 13 points through 18 appearances.

Health in general has really been the key, though. In 2023-24, Vegas finished with just three players who logged the full 82 games while Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo were among those who endured significant absences. Vegas hasn’t been the poster child for health this year, but the situation hasn’t been nearly as bad. That’s helped Eichel especially, who leads the team with 50 points (10 goals) through 38 appearances in 2024-25.

Vegas also made midseason trades during 2023-24 that are paying off now. This is the team’s first full season with defenseman Noah Hanifin, who has six goals and 20 points in 38 outings while serving in a top-four capacity, and forward Tomas Hertl, who has 10 goals and 25 points in 38 games. The result is Vegas is a deep team both up front and on the blue line, even after watching some notable players go over the summer.

Washington Capitals (Mon @ BUF, Wed vs VAN, Fri vs MTL, Sat @ NSH)

The Capitals barely made the playoffs in 2023-24, finishing the regular season with a 40-31-11 record before being swept in the first round. They look very different this year, though, as demonstrated by their 25-10-3 record. Washington will start next week by playing in Buffalo on Monday before returning home to host the Canucks on Wednesday and the Canadiens on Friday. They’ll wrap things up with a game in Nashville on Saturday.

While some of the teams above have made major strides this campaign despite minimal changes over the summer, that doesn’t describe the Capitals. Washington was aggressive in addition pieces, acquiring Jakob Chychrun from Ottawa, Pierre-Luc Dubois from LA and Logan Thompson from Vegas in trades. Washington also made a big splash by signing Matt Roy to a six-year, $34.5 million contract.

Those additions have paid off superbly for Washington. Darcy Kuemper left plenty to be desired with the Capitals last season, posting a 3.31 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 33 starts, but Washington was able to part with him in the Dubois trade, and Thompson has been so much better, recording a 15-2-2 record, 2.30 GAA and .918 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. That upgrade in goaltending has been a critical factor in Washington’s success, especially because it has gone a long way toward counteracting the decline of Charlie Lindgren, who has a 10-8-1 record, 2.70 GAA and .898 save percentage in 19 outings in 2024-25, down from 25-16-7 with a 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage in 50 appearances last year.

The Capitals were able to snag Dubois from LA for the low cost of Kuemper because the 26-year-old Dubois comes with an $8.5 million cap hit through 2030-31, but he had an underwhelming 16 goals, 40 points and 70 PIM in 82 regular-season outings with the Kings last season. LA had a logjam up the middle, though, contributing to Dubois averaging just 15:42 in 2024-25. By contrast, Washington had a clear second-line opening for him, which he has settled into nicely, providing five goals, 29 points and 22 PIM in 38 games. You’d still like more from a player with his contract, but there’s no question that he’s added to the team’s scoring depth.

If Dubois has worked out with an asterisk because of his price point, then Chychrun has been a clearer win. He is on the final campaign of his contract, but his $4.6 million cap hit is superb value for the 26-year-old defenseman, who has 11 goals and 25 points this campaign. Washington already had John Carlson has a high-end offensive option on the blue line, and now Chychrun is providing Washington with another big weapon to either send out with Carlson or spread out across the top two pairings.

When it comes to the signings, Matt Roy was the major splash. The defenseman has a goal, eight points, 63 hits and 45 blocks in 28 appearances while averaging 19:24 of ice time. He’s never been a major offensive threat, but Washington already has that role well covered with Chychrun and Carlson. Roy is there to help in Washington’s end, which is why 55.4 percent of his 5v5 zone starts have been defensive.

All that has played a role in the Capitals’ success, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Alex Ovechkin’s role in all this. He has an incredible 18 goals and 28 points in 22 appearances. That said, Washington was still a strong 10-5-1 during the 16-game absence of Ovechkin from Nov. 21-Dec. 23 due to a fractured fibula, so clearly this team is more than just the byproduct of its superstar.

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Are the New York Rangers really this bad? – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 13:30:15 +0000

_{NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers prior to the National Hockey League Eastern Conference Final game 5 against the Florida Panthers on May 30, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)}

Are the New York Rangers really this bad or just stuck in an absurdly long slump? Or is there a third possibility?

The common narrative seems to put the blame on Rangers president and GM Chris Drury, who some speculate has created a rift between management and the players that's having a significant impact on the ice. Vincent Z. Mercogliano of Lohud reported that some on the team have taken issue with Drury's methods, from waiving Barclay Goodrow to get around his no-trade clause to threatening to do the same to captain Jacob Trouba if he didn't sign off on a trade to Anaheim, to Drury reportedly issuing a memo that the Rangers were open for business on the trade front following a loss to Edmonton, despite team still being a strong 12-6-1 at that time.

Then there was the incident with Kaapo Kakko. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to scratch him for Tuesday's tilt against Nashville after New York lost 10 of 13, dropping to 15-14-1. However, Kakko took exception to that, feeling he was getting unfairly singled out.

"I know you've got to do something as a coach when you're losing games, but I think it's just easy to pick a young guy and boot him out. That's how I feel, to be honest," Kakko said, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. He added, "I have not been the worst guy. But that was me out of the lineup."

The Rangers ended up losing 2-0 to Nashville. The next day, Kakko was dealt to Seattle. Even if Kakko never really developed as the Rangers hoped when they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, that whole saga this week was another distraction that the team could ill afford.

But is this really as simple as mismanagement leading to the group failing to play up to its potential or is there a deeper problem? On the surface, the answer seems obvious. The Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024 and started the campaign 12-4-1. How could this not be a team capable of contending?

There are some areas of concern, though. Chris Kreider's success has been driven by his ability to score goals, but he might be slowing in that regard at the age of 33. He has 10 markers in 28 appearances in 2024-25, which would be considered good for other players, but he doesn't bring a lot else to the table -- he has just one assist -- so that's worrying.

Mika Zibanejad has seen his production dip too. He has six goals and 21 points through 31 outings and is in a four-way tie for the fourth-worst plus/minus at minus-17. Plus/minus isn't the best metric, but he also has a relative 5v5 CF% and 5v5 FF% of minus-6.7 and minus-5.8, respectively, which suggests that his team is doing better in terms of puck possession when he's off the ice compared to when he's on it. He also has a 5v5 CF%/FF% of 44.0/44.2, which would represent career lows for him.

To some extent, this reminds me a little of what happened to the San Jose Sharks. They were a perennial contender through the 2018-19 campaign. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 and the Western Conference Final in 2019. San Jose was far from resting on its laurels either. Still searching for that elusive championship, San Jose acquired elite defenseman Erik Karlsson in September 2018 and locked him up to an eight-year, $92 million contract in the summer of 2019.

The stage seemed to be set for the Sharks to be Cup contenders in 2019-20. Sure, Joe Pavelski was gone, but the forward group of Timo Meier, Evander Kane, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl was still fairly young. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were there as the veteran presences, and the duo of Karlsson and Brent Burns was one of the best on paper. Not only did San Jose fail to make the playoffs that year, but the Sharks haven't made it since. In retrospect, they misjudged their core and got caught in an awkward position of needing to rebuild but being slow to do so due to their already established long-term contracts.

It might be overly dramatic to suggest that the Rangers are a repeat of that, but a slump this long and dramatic is unusual and hard to dismiss.

Igor Shesterkin just has to hope that the Sharks comparison proves to be invalid. In that scenario, he'd be the Karlsson: A player who made a major commitment to a team he thought was going to be a contender, only to see some of his prime years squandered. Shesterkin recently agreed to his own eight-year, $92 million contract that doesn't even begin until next year. Maybe he'll end up having better luck with the team around him than Karlsson…

Boston Bruins (Mon @ VAN, Thu @ SJS, FRI @ ANA, Sun vs. SEA)

The upcoming week will be relatively light because the NHL will not play Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday due to its Christmas break. That said, there are still teams worth highlighting, starting with the Bruins, who begin the week with a difficult home game against Washington on Monday but will then face the rebuilding Blue Jackets on the road Friday and then in Boston on Saturday.

The Bruins' rough start to the campaign is largely behind them. From Nov. 21 onward, the Bruins have a 9-4-1 record to put them at 17-13-4 overall. The single biggest difference is that Boston has given up far fewer goals, going from an average of 3.45 goals allowed over its 8-9-3 start to 2.71 across its past 15 games.

Jeremy Swayman has been a benefactor of that, posting a 2.68 GAA over that 15-game span (he's appeared in 10 of those contests) while earning a 6-3-1 record. However, Swayman's save percentage during that stretch is a less impressive .892. It's worth noting that span includes a rough 8-1 loss to Winnipeg in which Swayman was charged with every goal. If you exclude that one start, then his save percentage during that span jumps to .912.

Boston's offense has also improved over the past 15 games, though it's still not special, earning 2.86 goals per game over that stretch compared to 2.40 during the first 20 games. Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie have provided some key secondary scoring recently, totaling nine and eight points, respectively, across Boston's last 15 outings. Neither one has been particularly consistent, though, and their production is only impressive when measured against their dreadful starts to the campaign.

Meanwhile, Elias Lindholm continues to underwhelm with five goals and 17 points through 34 appearances. However, he is on a three-game scoring streak (two goals, four points), so perhaps he'll be effective in the upcoming week.

Buffalo Sabres (Mon vs. DAL, Thu @ MIN, FRI vs. PIT, Sun vs. STL)

I started this article by highlighting the Rangers for their struggles, but Buffalo has been even worse. Going into Friday's action, the Sabres have lost 11 straight games, dropping to 11-17-4. Rather than showing signs of turning things around, they suffered a 6-1 loss to Montreal on Tuesday.

The Sabres won't face particularly stiff competition next week, though, so perhaps they can stabilize. They'll play on the road against the Islanders on Monday, host Chicago on Friday and conclude the week in St. Louis on Sunday.

Finding a diamond in the rough on a team doing that poorly is difficult. Jason Zucker is about as close as you'll come. He has eight goals and 21 points through 32 appearances, making this a nice bounce-back campaign for him after he finished 2023-24 with 32 points in 69 regular-season games between Arizona and Nashville. It helps that he's averaging 2:53 with the man advantage, which would be a career-high if he maintains that. Zucker has seven power-play points (three goals), which puts him on track to easily surpass his 2023-24 total of 10 and potentially even best his personal best of 16, which was set in 2017-18.

Outside of that, though, there isn't much to like. Rasmus Dahlin (back) is set to return on Friday, which should be a significant boost for Buffalo. The Sabres' losing streak predates Dahlin's seven-game absence, but it's still reasonable to say that Dahlin plays an important role for Buffalo and that his exclusion from the lineup was felt. He has six goals and 19 points in 25 appearances in 2024-25 while averaging 24:42 of ice time, including 3:23 with the man advantage.

Owen Power has been seeing significant power-play usage recently, but with Dahlin back, Power might be absent from the power play entirely for Friday's game. For other defensemen, that would be a big blow, but Power has failed to take advantage of that role -- he hasn't recorded a single power-play point in 2024-25 -- so it shouldn't change much for those who have Power on their team.

Dallas Stars (Mon @ BUF, Thu vs. VGK, FRI vs. TBL, Sun vs. MIN)

Dallas is set to play in Utah on Monday, host the Wild on Friday and play in Chicago on Sunday. It's not a bad schedule, but under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be good enough to highlight. Still, it's nice to have an opportunity to talk about Dallas, which has done well this campaign with a 19-12-0 record heading into Friday's action.

The Stars are also in an interesting spot right now. Matt Duchene is their scoring leader with 30 points (13 goals) in 31 appearances, but his hot start has come to an end with him recording just a goal and three points across his past nine outings. Duchene's cold stretch probably isn't the new normal, but it's equally fair to suggest that he overperformed early in the campaign. His shooting percentage, which remains an uncomfortably high 26.0, suggests that there might still be more backsliding to come. He might ultimately finish the campaign with 60-70 points, which would be in line with his 2023-24 results and would represent a mild, but not dramatic, scoring decline from his overall scoring pace this campaign.

Fortunately for Dallas, Duchene's decline has corresponded with Jason Robertson showing signs of life. The 25-year-old forward's overall numbers this campaign remain well below what you'd expect from him (seven goals and 21 points in 31 games), but he has collected two goals and six points over his past five appearances.

Jamie Benn has also been solid, recording an assist in each of his past six outings and contributing two goals and nine points across his last 10 games. His 20 points through 31 appearances in 2024-25 still put him on pace to finish below his 60-point regular-season total from 2023-24, but it still wouldn't be shocking to see him end up hitting that mark by the end of the campaign.

Minnesota Wild (Mon vs. TBL, Thu vs. BUF, FRI @ VGK, Sun vs. DAL)

The Wild will begin next week by hosting the Blackhawks before playing in Dallas on Friday and finally returning home to face the Senators on Sunday. Dallas, as discussed above, is a tough opponent, but Chicago is a rebuilding squad, and the Senators are a middling 7-7-1 on the road.

The big question out of Minnesota is the health of Filip Gustavsson. At the time of writing, he's out with a lower-body injury, but his status appears to be day-to-day, so it's possible he'll be back next week. Gustavsson has been a key part of Minnesota's success with a 14-5-3 record, 2.24 GAA and .922 save percentage in 22 appearances.

Marc-Andre Fleury has been mostly okay this campaign, but the 40-year-old netminder is coming off a rough 6-1 loss to Florida on Wednesday, which dropped him to a 2.88 GAA and a .898 save percentage through 10 outings this season. The current alternative to him is Jesper Wallstedt, who stopped 24 of 27 shots en route to a 3-2 loss to Vegas on Dec. 15. To be fair to both goaltenders, Florida and Vegas are some of the toughest competition they could have possibly faced.

Still, it seems reasonable that they'll need a meaningful amount of goal support going forward. Fortunately for the Wild, Kirill Kaprizov is continuing to play like Kirill Kaprizov. The elite forward has nine goals and 14 points over his past 11 appearances, which gives him 22 goals and 48 points in 31 outings overall. Mats Zuccarello also returned Dec. 14 from a lower-body injury and has gotten back to work with three assists over three outings.

Zuccarello's return also means Matt Boldy has shifted to the second line. Boldy has an impressive 13 goals and 30 points in 32 contests in 2024-25, but Kaprizov has been involved in 18 of those points. They are still sharing the ice on the power play, but if they don't skate together regularly in 5-on-5 situations, then Boldy might see a modest decline in production.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Mon @ STL, Thu vs. VGK, FRI @ BUF, Sun @ TBL)

Pittsburgh seemed doomed to miss the playoffs again based on its 7-12-4 start, but the Penguins have rebounded by going 8-2-1 since. Can they keep it up next week? They'll host the Flyers on Monday before a back-to-back set against the Islanders on Saturday and Sunday. Pittsburgh will be on the road for the first half of that set and then play at home.

So who is responsible for Pittsburgh's comeback? Is it Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin? Actually, it's Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell.

That's not to take anything away from Crosby, who has nine goals and 35 points in 34 outings in 2024-25, or Malkin, who has seven goals and 27 points. However, Crosby has been largely productive during the good times and bad while Malkin was actually doing better early in the campaign.

Their importance is clear, but what has really changed recently is Rust and Rakell providing far more than just secondary scoring. If I told you that a Penguins forward had nine goals and 17 points across the past 11 appearances without providing any other context, your first guess would likely be Malkin or Crosby, but that's what Rust has done. He was limited early in the campaign due to injury, but he's been playing some of the best hockey of his career lately.

Rakell has been nearly as good, supplying eight goals and 14 points across the same 11-game span. That brings him up to 15 goals and 26 points through 34 outings overall. His offensive struggles in 2023-24, dropping to 37 points from 60 points in 2022-23, were part of why the Penguins fell short of playoffs last year, so it seems appropriate that his resurgence is leading Pittsburgh back into postseason contention.

Not everything is rosy with the Penguins, though. Goaltending was the team's biggest issue early in the campaign and it remains a question mark. Tristan Jarry has a 3.62 GAA and a .883 save percentage through 14 outings and has surrendered at least three goals in three of his past four starts. Alex Nedeljkovic isn't giving the Penguins much of an alternative, though, with his own 3.26 GAA and .886 save percentage through 14 outings.

Pittsburgh does rank 28th in xGA/60 (3.30), per Moneypuck, which suggests that the defense in front of the netminders deserves part of the blame. However, Nedeljkovic has a goals saved above expected of minus-6.0 while Jarry is at minus-6.5, so this seems to be a case of both a bad defense and poor goaltending. The result is Pittsburgh ranks last in the league in goals allowed per game at 3.68. For context, that's just outside of the top-10 worst of any team in the salary cap era (2005-06 and onward). Of the teams who have posted a goals allowed per game worse than Pittsburgh, none of them finished with a points percentage of .500 or better.

St. Louis Blues (Mon vs. PIT, Thu @ DAL, FRI vs. TBL, Sun @ BUF)

The Blues will start next week with a game in Detroit on Monday, but after that, they'll return to St. Louis to host Nashville on Friday and Buffalo on Sunday. St. Louis has been a mixed bag in 2024-25, posting a 15-16-3 record going into Friday's action.

Jordan Binnington has left plenty to be desired this campaign with an 8-13-3 record, 3.00 GAA and .896 save percentage in 25 appearances. He's had some good stretches, but he's been inconsistent and is presently in a cold stretch after allowing at least three goals in six of his past seven games. His struggles have led to Joel Hofer becoming more of a 1B rather than a true backup, and Hofer might begin to migrate into being the 1A. The 24-year-old hasn't been stealing the show, but he has been the better option with a 7-3-0 record, 2.72 GAA and .907 save percentage through 11 appearances.

Of course, the Blues aren't alone in their goaltending woes. We just discussed a worse situation in Pittsburgh, but St. Louis doesn't have the offensive prowess to make up for it. The Blues rank 30th in goals per game with 2.50.

Robert Thomas has done well recently with four goals and 14 points across his past nine appearances while Jordan Kyrou has supplied seven goals and eight points over the same stretch, so the team isn't completely devoid of scoring, but it lacks depth and consistency.

Brandon Saad stands out as someone who has been disappointing when it comes to secondary scoring. After supplying 26 goals and 42 points in 82 outings last year, he has four markers and 10 points through 30 appearances in 2024-25. His decline has led to St. Louis using him less and less. He's even set to be a healthy scratch Friday. At this point, I don't have a lot of hope that he'll rebound, though he's not too old at 32, so anything is possible.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Mon @ MIN, Thu vs. PIT, FRI @ STL, Sun @ PIT)

Tampa Bay is riding a five-game winning streak and is 7-1-0 over its past eight to improve to 18-10-2 on the season. The Lightning will seek to keep that momentum going next week, when it plays in Florida on Monday and hosts the Rangers and the Canadiens on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Lightning deserve a lot of credit for moving on from Steven Stamkos and instead signing Jake Guentzel over the summer. While Stamkos has started to find his way with Nashville after a rocky start, Guentzel is four years younger and has proven to be a great fit.

Guentzel enjoyed an incredible seven-game goal-scoring streak from Nov. 30-Dec. 17 and now has 18 markers and 33 points across 30 appearances in 2024-25. The trio of Guentzel, Brayden Point (21 goals and 38 points in 26 outings) and Nikita Kucherov (14 goals and 35 points in 31 appearances) have been wildly successful. It would not be shocking if each of those three finished the campaign with over 40 goals and 80 points. That alone would make the Lightning a dangerous adversary, but they also have Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli excelling on the second line with 37 and 28 points, respectively.

One underrated aspect of this team is how well Tampa Bay has performed defensively. The Lightning ranked 18th in xGA/60 last campaign (3.14) but are sixth in 2024-25 (2.78). That's part of the reason why Andrei Vasilevskiy has looked so much better this campaign, posting a 2.38 GAA and a .911 save percentage through 25 appearances compared to his 2.90 GAA and .900 save percentage in 51 regular-season games last year.

Tampa Bay could use a better backup, though. Jonas Johansson has a 3.84 GAA and .882 save percentage in six appearances, and the Lightning's lack of trust in him has led to Tampa Bay leaning heavily on Vasilevskiy. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy is no stranger to heavy workloads, but I have to wonder if the Lightning won't look to add a goaltender at some point in the hopes of managing Vasilevskiy a bit ahead of what Tampa Bay doubtlessly hopes will be a lengthy playoff run.

Vegas Golden Knights (Mon vs. SEA, Thu @ DAL, FRI vs. MIN, Sun @ BOS)

The Golden Knights have a relatively favorable week ahead of them. They'll host the Ducks on Monday, play in San Jose on Friday and then return home to face the Flames on Sunday. Vegas is 21-8-3 and has been particularly dominant at home (12-3-0), though the Golden Knights should also be heavy favorites against the 11-19-5 Sharks, even if that is a road engagement.

Injuries have been a recurring issue for Vegas in recent years, and while they haven't been immune to them in 2024-25, it hasn't been as bad. Vegas has nine forwards, including Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl, and four defensemen, namely Noah Hanifin, Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden McNabb, who have logged at least 29 of 32 games. That doesn't make Vegas special from a health perspective, but it's certainly not bad.

Mark Stone is the main notable exception to that. He was so good early in the campaign with six goals and 21 points through 13 appearances, but he suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out of 14 games from Nov. 8-Dec. 4. Since returning, he's been fine, but the injury stopped his momentum, leaving him with four assists across his past five outings.

Eichel's been healthy, though, and on his way to having the best campaign of his career. He's up to nine goals and 42 points through 32 outings. Eichel's never recorded more than 82 points in a single campaign, in large part due to injuries. That's killed the whole Eichel versus Connor McDavid debate -- although Eichel is the one with a championship, there's no question who has been more impressive -- but not too much has separated them so far this campaign. McDavid is narrowly ahead with 15 goals and 45 points through 29 outings.

Another former Sabres forward has been even hotter than Eichel recently. Surprisingly, Victor Olofsson has provided four goals over his past four games. He had just seven goals and 15 points over 51 outings last year, and a lower-body injury that sidelined him from Oct. 17-Nov. 29 (a total of 20 games missed) has complicated his first campaign with Vegas. However, it'll be interesting to see if he can keep this going now that he's healthy. Olofsson did score 28 goals in 2022-23 and has surpassed the 20-goal milestone three times, so there is some upside here, especially with Vegas currently using him on the second line and first power-play unit.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (November 11th to 18th, 2024) – Winnipeg and Florida dominate

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 18:45:55 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 10: Florida Panthers Right Wing Sam Reinhart (13) before a face-off during third period National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on October 10, 2024, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

The Colorado Avalanche have problems, as I’ve discussed in previous articles, but going into Thursday’s action those issues hadn’t extended to their core players. In fact, defenseman Cale Makar opened the campaign with a 13-game scoring streak in which he provided five goals and 23 points, and after an injury scare, he was available for Thursday’s tilt against Winnipeg and ended up logging an impressive 25:16 of ice time.

Against every other team, Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, who took his own 13-game scoring streak into Thursday’s action, would have done some damage even if they hadn’t come away with the win. Winnipeg has been in a league of its own, though, especially with Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes. The goaltender shrugged off the Avalanche’s 35 shots to earn his second consecutive shutout, bringing him up to a 10-1-0 record, 1.91 GAA and .932 save percentage through 11 starts.

Hellebuyck being an amazing goaltender is old news. There’s a reason why Winnipeg inked him to a seven-year, $59.5 million contract that began this season -- a contract that’s looking increasingly good, especially with the way the goaltender market is heading. However, the Jets under new bench boss Scott Arniel are giving him more defensive support than he’s accustomed to. The Jets have an xGA/60 of 2.49, per Moneypuck, the second-best in the league. By contrast, Winnipeg ranked 10th last year with a 2.93 xGA/60. That suggests the quality of the shots making their way to Hellebuyck has gotten significantly lower, making it easier for the netminder to do his job. That might also be why Winnipeg is also 3-0-0 on the nights that journeyman goaltender Eric Comrie has started instead.

Winnipeg’s dominance doesn’t end there, though. The Jets rank first in goals per game with 4.50, which is a feat they’ve accomplished in part through depth. Kyle Connor (nine goals, 19 points), Mark Scheifele (seven goals, 18 points) and Gabriel Vilardi (six goals, 12 points) can compromise an amazing top line, and that still leaves you with the luxury of putting Nikolaj Ehlers (eight goals, 17 points) on the second line and a red-hot Nino Niederreiter (seven goals, 12 points) on the third unit to exhaust the enemy’s defense. It is worth noting that Moneypuck ranks Winnipeg 21st in xG/60 with 2.99, so there’s an argument to be made that the Jets have enjoyed good puck luck, and they haven’t endured anything close to the same kind of injury issues that a team like Colorado has.

It's also worth remembering the cautionary tale of the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators, who started 13-1-0 but faltered after that, finishing 43-31-8 and being swept in the first round of the playoffs. That said, there isn’t a lot of sample size when it comes to 13-1-0 starts. Ottawa showed that even a start as hot as this doesn’t guarantee success, but that doesn’t mean a fall from grace is inevitable either. And sure, maybe the Jets’ offense won’t continue to perform at this level, but if the defense stays effective and Hellebuyck remains healthy, then Winnipeg won’t necessarily need that much goal production. This is a strong team, potentially far stronger than analysts rated the Jets to be going into the campaign, and they’ll certainly be one to watch going forward.

While some might still view the Jets as a team with something to prove even after starting 13-1-0, not many would question Florida’s 10-3-1 start. Back-to-back trips to the finals, including a Stanley Cup championship, affords you a great deal of faith. That’s not to say every player on the team receives that level of belief, though. Sam Reinhart is probably raising some eyebrows after scoring 11 goals and 22 points through 14 games. Sure, he had 57 goals and 94 points in 82 appearances in 2023-24, but his 24.5 shooting percentage was insanely high, so it must have been a fluke, right?

Those who read my articles from last year would know I pushed back against the assumption that his high shooting percentage was unsustainable.

More specifically, this is what I said about Reinhart back in January: “His shooting percentage of 27.5 is by far the highest of any player with at least 100 shots -- next is Brock Boeser at 23.3 -- and more than double his 2022-23 finish of 13.7. Digging a little deeper, Reinhart is selective with when he shoots, firing 40.4 percent in high-danger areas. By contrast, Nikita Kucherov has nearly the same number of goals (28) while firing nearly double the shots (amounting to a 15.4 shooting percentage), but just 18.1 percent of his shots are in high-danger locations, so by that measure, Reinhart’s higher shooting percentage makes some sense.”

This year tells a somewhat similar story. Of his 39 shots, 13 (33.3 percent) have been in high-danger areas while another 12 (30.8 percent) have been mid-range. By contrast, Nikita Kucherov, who has 11 goals on 54 shots has fired 12 (22.2 percent) in high-danger areas and 16 (29.6) at mid-range. In other words, while someone like Kucherov fires more shots than Reinhart, they end up with a similar number of high-quality shots, so there’s logic behind Reinhart’s high shooting percentage, making it less of a warning sign than it would be for some other players.

Carolina Hurricanes (Mon @ VGK, Wed @ UTA, Sat vs OTT, Sun vs STL)

The Hurricanes have done nearly as well as the Jets, posting a 10-2-0 record after Thursday’s 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh. Carolina will open the week with a challenging road match versus Vegas, but the schedule gets more manageable after that with a road game against Utah on Wednesday followed by home contests versus Ottawa and St. Louis on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Carolina is still without Frederik Andersen (lower body), and there’s no guarantee he’ll be an option next week, so Spencer Martin might make his season debut. The 29-year-old is far from an ideal choice, but Carolina is one of the most goaltender-friendly teams in the league, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Martin walk away with the win if he faces the Senators or Blues.

That’ll be especially true if Martin Necas remains hot. He’s on an eight-game scoring streak in which he’s provided six goals and 18 points. Necas took a step back last season with a 53-point showing, but he’s a good bet to rebound with the second 70-plus point campaign of his career. Just don’t count on him maintaining anything close to his current point-per-game pace, which stands at 1.75 (21 points in 12 outings). Necas has been impressive, but he’s unlikely to finish 2024-25 among the league’s scoring leaders. To give you some perspective, he had seven goals and 17 points through 11 appearances in 2022-23 and finished that campaign outside the top-50 in the scoring race despite logging the full 82 games.

Moving from the Hurricanes’ top offensive performer to a physical defenseman, Riley Stillman (lower body) will likely make his Hurricanes debut soon. He had a goal, eight points, 81 hits and 44 blocks in 50 outings between Vancouver and Buffalo in 2023-24. His presence won’t dramatically alter Carolina’s blue line, but we might see Sean Walker be an infrequent healthy scratch after dressing in all of the team’s first 12 games. Maybe Jalen Chatfield will end up being a scratch at some point too if everyone is healthy, though I suspect Walker’s position in the lineup is less secure.

Nashville Predators (Mon @ COL, Thu @ EDM, Fri @ CGY, Sun @ VAN)

Not secure describes the Predators pretty well. Nashville GM Barry Trotz even recently floated the idea of beginning the team’s rebuild plan if the team doesn’t start turning around -- a move that would be awkward after signing veterans Steven Stamkos to a four-year, $32 million contract and Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5 million deal over the summer.

All the same, you can hardly blame Trotz for thinking that way after the club’s 4-9-1 start. Perhaps next week will offer more hope, though it would have to come on the road. The Predators will play in Colorado on Monday, Edmonton on Thursday, Calgary on Friday and Vancouver on Sunday.

Stamkos is finally showing life, providing three goals and six points across his past six games after being limited to one point (a goal) over his opening eight appearances. The problem is no other Predators player has stepped up recently -- outside of Stamkos, every Nashville skater has recorded three or fewer points over the team’s past six games.

Then there’s Juuse Saros, who is leaving plenty to be desired with a 3-7-1 record, 2.85 GAA and .904 save percentage in 11 outings. You might be wondering if his mediocre numbers are a reflection of struggles on his end or just a byproduct of poor play in front of him. Nashville ranks 24th in xGA/60 at 3.27 while Saros’ goals saved above expected is plus-3.9, which suggests Saros has been doing fine, but the Predators have been letting him down. If there’s any silver lining to be had there, it suggests that if Nashville can start tightening up defensively, then Saros will reward his teammates by putting up the kind of elite numbers we know he’s capable of. Imagining that scenario, though, might just be an exercise in wishful thinking.

Philadelphia Flyers (Mon vs SJS, Thu @ OTT, Sat vs BUF)

The Flyers haven’t been much better than Nashville, though Philadelphia doesn’t have the same burden of expectations. Either way, the 5-8-1 Flyers have a favorable set of adversaries ahead of them. They’ll host the Sharks on Monday, play in Ottawa on Thursday and conclude the week with a home game versus the Sabres on Saturday.

Samuel Ersson (lower body) and Aleksei Kolosov (lower body) weren’t able to play Thursday, which left Ivan Fedotov, who had a 5.35 GAA and an .821 save percentage through his first three starts, to get the nod against Tampa Bay while Kyle Konin signed an amateur tryout to be the emergency backup. Despite those challenging circumstances, Philadelphia earned a 2-1 shootout victory over the Lightning, but I wouldn’t count on seeing continued success out of Fedotov if Ersson and Kolosov remain on the sidelines. Not that I have much confidence in any of the Flyers’ current goaltenders.

To be fair, the Flyers’ netminders get sparse goal support even when they manage to put forth a strong showing. Philadelphia ranks 27th offensively with 2.50 goals per game. Matvei Michkov has been one of the Flyers’ few scoring threats with four goals and 10 points in 13 outings, but coach John Tortorella hasn’t been thrilled with the 19-year-old forward’s five-on-five play -- note that Michkov is minus-8 and only three of his points have come at even strength -- which led to him being a healthy scratch Thursday. It’s also worth noting that his production has slowed recently, resulting in him registering just an assist over his past five outings.

Michkov is still young, so some growing pains are expected, and with Tortorella certainly not being afraid to mix some tough love into his teaching regime, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the occasional healthy scratch sprinkled in there as the campaign progresses. Taking a step back, a reasonable project for Michkov’s rookie season would be about 50 points.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Mon vs DAL, Wed vs DET, Fri @ CBJ, Sat vs SJS)

Sidney Crosby is continuing to defy his age, but it hasn’t been enough. Pittsburgh is 5-8-2, putting more pressure on the squad to start to right the ship. The Penguins are set to host Dallas and Detroit on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. They’ll then play in Columbus on Friday and round out the week by hosting the Sharks on Saturday.

Cody Glass (upper body) was put on injured reserve Friday while Bryan Rust (lower body) was activated, enabling him to return to the lineup after a five-game absence.

As I already alluded to, Crosby has continued to dominate in Rust’s absence -- Crosby has six goals and 15 points through 15 appearances in 2024-25 -- but Rust is nevertheless likely to rejoin the top line. That would probably result in Evgeni Malkin moving off the top unit to his more standard position headlining the second line. For what it’s worth, Malkin and Crosby have shown up on the scoresheet together for just two even-strength goals this season, and Malkin has been quiet lately with a goal and two points across his past five games. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has lost its last two games, along with six of its past eight, so it’s not like there are circumstances on a team level or a line level that would compel head coach Mike Sullivan to keep Malkin and Crosby together in five-on-five play at this time.

At the other end of the ice, the goaltending situation continues to be a question mark. Alex Nedeljkovic gave the Penguins hope with strong starts against the lowly Ducks and Canadiens, but he’s faded quickly, allowing eight goals on 44 shots (.818 save percentage) over his past two losses to the Islanders and Hurricanes. Meanwhile, Tristan Jarry has been rebuilding his confidence in the minors, posting a 1.69 GAA and a .946 save percentage across four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Perhaps Jarry will get recalled soon and get another shot? Just as the Crosby-Malkin duo hasn’t done anything to force Sullivan to keep them together, Nedeljkovic’s play isn’t great enough to secure the No. 1 job, so the possibility of a Jarry comeback remains.

Seattle Kraken (Tue vs CBJ, Thu vs CHI, Sat vs NYI, Sun vs NYR)

The Kraken will stay at home next week, hosting the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the Blackhawks on Thursday, the Islanders on Saturday and finally the Rangers on Sunday. We’ll see if that homestand will right the ship for Seattle, which has lost four straight games and seven of its last eight contests, dropping to 5-8-1.

Seattle has managed just 2.25 goals per game across its last eight matches, but interestingly, there have been some standout performers over that stretch. Jared McCann and Matty Beniers have each managed three goals and eight points during Seattle’s slump while defenseman Brandon Montour has contributed three goals and six points in that span.

The problem is other players you’d expect to do well have fallen short. Oliver Bjorkstrand is the most notable example of that. He set a career high with 59 points last season but has just three goals and five points through 13 appearances in 2024-25 and is heading in the wrong direction with a goal and an assist across his past eight outings. Those struggles reached a possible crescendo when he was scratched Tuesday, so it will be interesting to see if he uses that time in the press box to reset.

Jordan Eberle and Eeli Tolvanen need to rebound too. They have managed just two and three points, respectively, over Seattle’s past eight games. Neither is a major offensive threat, but they are important secondary scorers for the Kraken and lately, they have failed to fulfill that role.

Some of those cold stretches would have been swept under the rug if Shane Wright was adapting to the NHL, but the No. 4 overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft has been disappointing thus far, providing just a goal and two points through 14 games in 2024-25. I wonder if he might benefit from a stint in the press box of his own. Either way, it’s impossible to recommend him at this time in standard leagues, but I will at least say the potential remains there, so he’s worth keeping an eye on. If you want a silver lining, you could say that the Kraken’s overall offensive struggles do open the door to Wright landing a top six spot if only he could start producing.

St. Louis Blues (Tue vs BOS, Thu @ BUF, Fri @ BOS, Sun @ CAR)

The Blues have a busy week ahead of them, but the competition isn’t the easiest. They’ll host the Bruins on Tuesday before heading on the road to play in Buffalo on Thursday, Boston on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday.

We could all breathe a sigh of relief after Dylan Holloway avoided serious injury after a scary incident Tuesday when he was hit by a high puck and taken away on a stretcher. He even managed to play in St. Louis’ very next game. His former Oilers teammate who came with him to St. Louis, though, will be out for a while.

Philip Broberg suffered a lower-body injury Saturday and is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks. Broberg had been making the most of the increased role the Blues gave him, providing two goals and nine points through 12 appearances while averaging 19:34 of ice time. St. Louis is also missing Torey Krug (ankle) for the 2024-25 campaign and Nick Leddy (lower body), though at least in Leddy’s case, he might be back in the not-too-distant future.

Absences have likely contributed to Ryan Suter playing a bigger role than initially envisioned. Although he an insanely big minutes eater in his prime, Suter dipped below 20 minutes per game in 2023-24 for the first time since his rookie campaign, averaging 18:56 of ice time with Dallas. The 39-year-old initially looked like he would have a strictly supporting role with St. Louis in 2024-25, averaging just 16:02 across the Blues’ opening four games. Then Leddy got hurt, and Suter has averaged 23:53 since. Don’t be surprised if Suter’s ice time takes a notable hit once Leddy is back, though until Broberg is healthy too, Suter will probably still see at least decent minutes.

Leddy’s eventual return might also make things a little easier on Blues goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer. Neither netminder has gotten off to a good start, though Binnington has been encouraging recently. He’s still just 4-5-0 with a 2.78 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 10 outings overall, but he’s saved 75 of 81 shots (.926 save percentage) across his past three games. Going into the season, it looked like Hofer might challenge Binnington for the starting gig, but that hasn’t happened yet to any major extent, and Binnington’s recent success helps put more distance between the two.

Vancouver Canucks (Tue vs CGY, Thu vs NYI, Sat vs CHI, Sun vs NSH)

Vancouver is on a three-game winning streak, bringing the Canucks up to 7-2-3. They’ll look to continue that success next week with home games against Calgary on Tuesday, the Islanders on Thursday, Chicago on Saturday and Nashville on Sunday.

While things are going well for the Canucks overall, the same can’t be said for Elias Pettersson. He has two goals and five points across 12 appearances in 2024-25. He did discuss his slump last week, and unfortunately, not much has changed since with Pettersson providing one point (a goal) over his past three games despite Vancouver combining for a solid 12 goals during that stretch.

One thing I didn’t bring up then is Pettersson’s shot total, which is concerning low at 22, which translates to 5.7 shots per 60 minutes, a drop from 7.7 last year. That’s despite having one six-shot game in 2024-25 -- he also has been held to a single shot on seven occasions. He also has just 52 shot attempts, which is 4.3 per game, down from 4.9 in 2023-24.

I went to dig a bit deeper, and one thing that stood out to me is that his skating metrics are down from last year, and the same can be said about his shot speed. In terms of shot location, 60 of his 207 in 2023-24 were high danger, translating to roughly 29 percent while he has nine of 22 (40.9 percent) in high-danger locations this campaign, so at least when he is shooting the location is generally good, but still, some of those other metrics are concerning.

Pettersson is still just 25, so unless he’s playing hurt, I don’t think it’s fair to believe there isn’t a physical reason for his drop in play. Instead, it’s likely to be mental, which is a theory that gains credibility when you consider former Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau’s analysis of the situation, per the Vancouver Province. Boudreau noted that Pettersson “doesn’t look excited when he plays and gets frustrated very easily.” Perhaps the pressure of his eight-year, $92.8 million contract, which he’s in the first season of, is getting to the star forward.

Whatever the case, other members of the Canucks have been picking up the slack. Not much was expected of Conor Garland going into the campaign, but he’s been great, providing four goals and 11 points through 12 appearances. That probably won’t last, but he isn’t showing signs of slowing down yet after recording at least a point in each of his past three games. Defenseman Quinn Hughes is also red hot, supplying a goal and five points over his last two outings, bringing him up to three goals and 14 points in 12 appearances this season.

Vegas Golden Knights (Mon vs CAR, Wed @ ANA, Fri @ UTA, Sun vs WSH)

The Golden Knights will start the upcoming week by hosting the Hurricanes, but after that, they’ll have to take to the road. Vegas will play in Anaheim on Wednesday, Utah on Friday and Washington on Sunday.

The Golden Knights have won six of their past seven games, elevating their record to 9-3-1. The top line of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev continues to be a major part of that with Stone leading the way with six goals and 21 points in 13 outings. The 32-year-old Stone is on a seven-game scoring streak (four goals,12 points) and has been held off the scoresheet just once in 2024-25.

It also helps to have a player of Tomas Hertl’s caliber on the second unit, who has four goals and 12 points through 13 outings. Meanwhile, Noah Hanifin is red hot from the blue line with three goals and eight points across his past two games.

Those two really highlight the amazing sticking power Vegas has managed thanks to its aggressive trade strategy. Those are two veterans who were added during the 2023-24 campaign and are locked up to 2027-28. Other teams add rental pieces leading up to a Cup run, but the Golden Knights tend to take a longer view when making trades, so even when a postseason run doesn’t work out, as was the case in 2024, the additions they made are still around to help them moving forward.

Eventually, the bottom might fall out of this strategy. In the cap era, we haven’t seen a team that has been able to sustain itself indefinitely on trades alone without going through a rebuild. But when you look at the team’s core of Eichel, Stone, Hertl, Barbashev, William Karlsson, Alex Pietrangelo, Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore, you’re seeing a group that’s still largely in its prime and positioned to potentially be competitive for years to come.

The one thing that the group is missing is a star goaltender. Adin Hill can be solid, but he also has his rough patches, and the 2024-25 campaign has been more miss than hit for him so far, leaving Hill with a 3.01 GAA and an .882 save percentage through eight outings. On the plus side, he’s allowed just five goals on 64 shots (.922 save percentage) across his past three starts, and the Golden Knights are strong enough offensively to put him in a position to win even when he doesn’t have a great night, so there’s still plenty of value to be had here.

MCKEEN’S 2024 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #23 Pittsburgh Penguins – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Josh Bell — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 11:45:37 +0000

For the first time in the Sidney Crosby era, the Pittsburgh Penguins have failed to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Is the Crosby-Malkin-Letang core coming to an end? Crosby (36-years old) is entering the last year of his contract and Malkin (37) has two years left. Letang (37) still has four years left. General manager Kyle Dubas came into his first year at the helm thinking this was a playoff, contending team, making a massive blockbuster deal to acquire Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks, giving up a first-rounder and numerous other pieces. But by the trade deadline, he was a seller, sending star Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes for a trio of prospects and a second-round pick.

The Penguins are in a tough spot. With their aging core, do they make another push for the playoffs? Or is it time to tear it down? The prospect cupboard has been starting to refill since Dubas arrived, drafting Brayden Yager 14th overall last year, plus adding Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and Vasili Ponomarev in the Guentzel deal. There are also draftees Owen Pickering, Joel Blomqvist, Samuel Poulin, and Tristan Broz in the system who all show some promise. The Penguins don’t have a first rounder in 2024 but still have its 2025 and 2026 picks. This offseason should be extremely telling of the direction this club will go. The core is good enough to make a push, but this club is not what it used to be. The main three pieces that have remained through the Cup years are nearing the end, and Dubas and company will have some tough decisions to make - starting this summer.

RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Brayden Yager	C	19	5-11/165	Moose Jaw (WHL)	`23(14th)	57	35	60	95	20
2	Ville Koivunen	LW	20	6-0/175	Karpat (Fin-Liiga)	T(Car-3/24)	59	22	34	56	26
3	Joel Blomqvist	G	22	6-2/185	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`20(52nd)	45	25	12	2.16	0.921
4	Owen Pickering	D	20	6-4/180	Swift Current (WHL)	`22(21st)	59	7	39	46	35
5	Vasily Ponomarev	C	22	5-10/180	Tuc-Chi-WBS (AHL)	T(Car-3/24)	45	9	21	30	16
6	Samuel Poulin	C	23	6-1/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`19(21st)	41	16	15	31	35
7	Tristan Broz	C	21	6-0/180	Denver (NCHC)	`21(58th)	43	16	24	40	13
8	Cruz Lucius	RW	20	6-0/185	Wisconsin (B1G)	T(Car-3/24)	36	13	21	34	10
9	Mikhail Ilyin	LW	19	6-0/180	Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)	`23(142nd)	65	12	17	29	20
10	Filip Hallander	LW	23	6-1/185	Timra (SHL)	T(Tor-7/21)	51	14	22	36	18
11	Sergei Murashov	G	20	6-0/170	Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)	`22(118th)	34	24	4	2.03	0.930
12	Emil Pieniniemi	D	19	6-2/170	Karpat (Fin-Liiga)	`23(91st)	38	2	4	6	10
13	Emil Jarventie	LW	19	5-9/165	KOOVEE (Fin-Mestis)	`23(217th)	41	9	12	21	12
14	Zam Plante	C	19	5-9/160	Fargo (USHL)	`22(150th)	57	26	45	71	4
15	Corey Andonovski	RW	25	6-1/195	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	FA(3/22)	63	7	23	30	99

1. Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

Brayden Yager continued to terrorize WHL defenses. The dynamic center amassed 95 points in 57 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors, showcasing his elite shooting ability and knack for finding teammates. He's quite strong and compact, which helps him out in various ways, whether that's staying on his feet as he fights through checks or generating a lot of power through his shot. While his offensive production is undeniable, consistency remains a talking point. There were stretches where he dominated, but there were also quieter nights. The bright spots, however, were undeniable. His work on the power play was a highlight, and his burgeoning two-way play suggests a well-rounded future. He'll need to add strength to compete at the NHL level, but the raw tools are undeniably there. Expect him to spend another year in the WHL before turning pro, but his NHL debut could be on the horizon soon.

2. Ville Koivunen, LW, Karpat (Liiga)

Ville Koivunen's 2023-24 campaign was a story of mid-season upheaval. Drafted by Carolina in 2021, he started strong with Liiga's Kärpät, notching 56 points in 59 games. His playmaking ability and offensive instincts were on full display. However, a blockbuster trade in March sent him to the Pittsburgh organization. Questions remain about Koivunen's transition to North America. While his offensive talent is undeniable, his defensive awareness and overall physicality need refinement. The upcoming season will be crucial. Can he adapt to the smaller ice surface and the NHL's quicker pace? The team will likely give him time to develop in the AHL, but a late-season call-up isn't out of the question if he impresses. Koivunen's long-term success hinges on his ability to translate his offensive brilliance to the pro game.

3. Joel Blomqvist, G, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

Drafted 52nd overall in 2020 by Pittsburgh, Joel Blomqvist's stock soared in 2023-24. He manned the crease for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, putting on a clinic. Blomqvist led all rookie goalies in wins (25) and finished near the top in both save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.16). He even earned a call-up to the AHL All-Star Classic. He’s an aggressive netminder who plays far out of the crease to cut down angles and shows capable of moving fluidly in the crease as well. He plays a good technical game although can get a bit lost in high-pressure scrambles. Questions remain about his ability to translate this success to the NHL, but his calm demeanour and athleticism are encouraging signs. His performance has undoubtedly boosted his standing within the organization. He could be pushing for an NHL backup role sooner rather than later.

4. Owen Pickering, D, Swift Current Broncos (WHL)

Owen Pickering's 2023-24 season was a year of refinement. Drafted 21st overall by Pittsburgh in 2022, he started the year battling an undisclosed injury. After a brief stint with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23, he was reassigned to the WHL's Swift Current Broncos and remained there this season. There, he showcased his impressive physical tools (6’ 3”, 179 lbs) and strong skating. He chipped in offensively (46 points in 59 games) but consistency remained a question mark. Flashes of brilliance – heady plays and a booming shot – were overshadowed by stretches of disappearing acts. While Pickering's potential as a future top-four defenseman remains, his development hinges on ironing out his inconsistencies and making smarter decisions with the puck. This upcoming season will be crucial in determining if he can take that next step.

5. Vasily Ponomarev, C, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

Ponomarev's 2023-24 was a season of AHL development. He bounced between three teams (Chicago Wolves, Tucson Roadrunners, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) due to trades and call-ups, amassing 30 points in 45 games. He continues to look comfortable in the AHL this season, showing off two-way skill and all-around offensive ability. He isn’t going to wow or dazzle with his skill, but he’s consistent and seems to do all the little things right. Those are the exact type of players needed to fill out a roster. Skating and puck protection are his strongest assets, but decision-making remains a work in progress. This inconsistency is a cause for concern. He has the tools to be a top-six winger, but can he harness his talent and become a consistent producer? The answer to that question will determine his NHL ceiling.

6. Samuel Poulin, C, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

Samuel Poulin's 2023-24 campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins was a rollercoaster. Drafted 21st overall in 2019, the winger played practically all season with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - outside of a brief three-game trip to the NHL. While flashes of potential emerged, injuries and stretches of disappearing acts plagued him. Inconsistency remains a major question mark. There's undeniable talent – a scorer's touch and strong skating. But decision-making lapses and a lack of focus at times raise concerns. The Penguins gave him a late-season call-up, hoping to reignite his spark. While scoreless in those games, it was a chance to prove his NHL readiness. Poulin's future is a wait-and-see. A dominant AHL season could earn him a permanent NHL spot. However, if inconsistency rears its head again, further development is likely needed. This season was a microcosm of his potential – exciting glimpses overshadowed by stretches of inconsistency.

7. Tristan Broz, C, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

Tristan Broz is a skilled and intelligent center with a well-rounded game. He excels as a playmaker, using his exceptional vision and anticipation to find open teammates and create scoring chances. His quick hands and accurate shot make him a threat from the slot, and his speed and agility allow him to navigate through traffic with ease. He's also a responsible defender, using his active stick and positioning to disrupt opponents' cycles. The forward has the ability to attack hard, be relied upon as a playmaker, and create space for himself but the problem is that he’s too inconsistent in his effort level. He can disappear in games or show some delays in his processing. With continued development, he has the potential to become a top six forward and a key piece on the Penguins' power play. His upside as a playmaking center with a scoring touch makes him a promising prospect.

8. Cruz Lucius, RW, University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

The brother of Winnipeg Jets first round pick Chaz Lucius, Cruz Lucius is a dynamic and electrifying winger with a rare combination of speed, skill, and competitiveness. He excels at creating scoring chances off the rush, using his quick feet and agility to dance around defenders. His shot is heavy and accurate, and his vision and anticipation allow him to find open teammates and create opportunities. A relentless forechecker, he uses his speed and physicality to harass defenders and force turnovers. There is a need to become more explosive to get the space he needs to operate as a playmaker at the next level. He’s not huge or overly strong either, so when pressured, can fail to secure the puck. With continued development, there is potential to become a top-six forward and a key contributor on the Penguins' top lines. His upside as a high-scoring, physical winger makes him an exciting prospect in the pipeline.

9. Mikhail Ilyin, LW, Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)

Drafted 142nd overall in 2023, Mikhail Ilyin is an intriguing prospect that might just end up being a much-needed steal for the Penguins. After splitting his year between the MHL and KHL in his draft year, he stuck in the KHL in 2023-24, collecting 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 65 games. He’s a less-than-flashy winger who plays a smart, simple game. While not necessarily driving play, he doesn’t slow it down but rather matches the pace that his teammates dictate. He does compete hard, never giving up on a play. He supports his teammates well and isn’t afraid to play a physical game. His skating will need to see some significant improvement if he’s going to be successful at the next level, but he did take strides forward this year in that department. Ilyin looks like he could be a solid bottom six contributor.

10. Filip Hallander, LW, Timra IK (SHL)

Filip Hallander's NHL dream took a detour this season. After surprising everyone by signing a five-year deal with Timrå IK in the SHL, the Penguins prospect carved out a niche role. His 36 points in 51 games weren't remarkable, but his ability to play both center and wing offered versatility. Hallander showcased his trademark skating and decent playmaking, but questions linger about his offensive consistency. Did this stint in Sweden move the needle on his NHL potential? The jury's still out. Now 23, he remains a bit of a tweener – not quite a top-six forward, but with skills that could translate to a bottom-six role. The next chapter in his development will be fascinating to watch. Will he return to North America and chase an NHL opportunity, or continue honing his game in Europe? One thing is certain: Filip Hallander's hockey journey is far from over.

PROSPECT CRITERIA: Players under 26 years of age as of 9/15/2024 who have appeared in less than 60 games (30 for goalies) and less than 25 in one season (25 for goalies).