Seattle Kraken – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: Victor Nuño – DYNASTY STOCK WATCH – Seattle Kraken Edition

Victor Nuño — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:17:32 +0000

PHILADELPHIA , PA - OCTOBER 20: Seattle Kraken center Berkly Catton (77) is shown during the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Philadelphia Flyers on October 20th, 2025 at the Xfinity Mobile Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

McKeen’s Hockey: Dynasty Stock Watch

Seattle Kraken Edition

After a surprising playoff run in 2023 followed by a step back in 2024–25, the Seattle Kraken remain a team in transition. They have established a competitive identity built on depth, structure, and two-way responsibility, but they still lack high-end offensive difference-makers. The addition of Berkly Catton and the continued development of prospects like Shane Wright are critical to unlocking the next phase of the franchise: a team that can generate consistent offense and drive play through skill, not just balance.

The Kraken have also begun to cycle out some early expansion pieces and are entering a phase where their draft picks will shape the roster more than free agency or veteran fillers. For dynasty managers, this is the time to monitor which young players are rising into core roles and which ones may be getting squeezed out. Seattle has opportunities available in the top six and on the power play, and prospects who seize those spots could see their fantasy value spike quickly. Conversely, some well-known names may not have as clear a path to long-term impact as the public perception suggests.

Buy Candidates

Shane Wright (C, 21)

Why Buy?
Wright’s development curve has been slower than some expected, but that has created an excellent buying window in dynasty formats. His hockey sense, defensive reliability, and faceoff ability have already translated to the NHL level, and his offensive game has begun to round into form. Wright has shown that he can drive play, protect the puck, and create offense in tight areas. His shooting volume has improved, and he has started to attack the middle of the ice more consistently, which signals growing confidence.

His Evolving Hockey player card highlights a clear trend, showing that early in his career his defensive play lagged behind expectations, but it has since improved dramatically, allowing him to play with more confidence and structure. Now that the defensive foundation is in place, his offensive potential could flourish over his next hundred NHL games. Seattle does not have a locked-in second-line center behind Matty Beniers, and Wright is the most logical candidate to fill that role. His power-play role should increase, and his ceiling remains that of a top six, power-play contributor. If his offensive breakout comes as expected, you will want to be holding shares when it happens.

Berkly Catton (C, 19)

Why Buy?
Catton was one of the most dynamic players in his draft class, combining elite processing speed with creativity and relentless pace. His ability to read off linemates, find seams, and manipulate defenders makes him a natural play-driver. His Hockey Prospecting model still shows elite potential, and while Leon Draisaitl may be an overly optimistic comparable, his list of comparables is still impressive. Even if he never reaches superstar status, getting close would be a huge fantasy win.

Despite being a January birth date, Seattle chose to keep Catton in the NHL rather than send him back to the WHL. While he has a handful of points, the Kraken generate fewer expected goals and are weaker defensively when he is on the ice per HockeyViz.com. That is not unusual for a rookie adjusting to NHL pace, and Seattle may still manage his minutes carefully, similar to Wright's path. This presents a clear buying opportunity for dynasty managers. His elite skillset is intact, and if you can use this rocky start as trade leverage, you could land a long-term offensive gem at a temporary discount.

Jani Nyman (RW, 21)

Why Buy?
Jani Nyman continues to fly under the radar despite quietly carving out a productive and physical role in the NHL. His blend of size, balance, and scoring touch makes him a natural fit for Seattle’s long-term plans, and he has already shown the ability to finish from multiple areas of the ice. His shot is heavy and accurate, and he has demonstrated the confidence to use it at five-on-five. While his power-play time has fluctuated, he remains one of the few players on the roster with true goal-scoring instincts.

The cost of acquisition in dynasty leagues is still surprisingly low, which makes this the time to invest. The Kraken need reliable scorers, and Nyman’s style fits that gap perfectly. He could eventually develop chemistry with Catton, creating a playmaker-finisher duo that complements Seattle’s structure. Even if the offensive ceiling takes time to reach, his physicality already brings value, with more than a hit per game and consistently strong peripherals as shown in his Fantasy Hockey Life skater card. With a realistic projection as a 25 to 30 goal scorer who also contributes across categories, Nyman is the kind of underappreciated asset you want to acquire before everyone else catches on.

Sell Candidates

Ty Nelson (D, 21)

Why Sell?
Nelson remains a fan favorite thanks to his energetic playing style and strong offensive numbers from junior, but his AHL results suggest that his scoring may not fully translate to the professional level. He still activates frequently and has a heavy shot from the point, yet his transition game and play-driving have been inconsistent against stronger competition. With players like Vince Dunn and Ryker Evans already ahead of him on Seattle’s depth chart for offensive opportunities, Nelson’s path to a meaningful role looks limited.

His Fantasy Hockey Life skater card highlights real concerns about his transition play and overall ability to drive possession. He does remain a steady contributor for peripherals, though that also decreased in his transition from the OHL to AHL. His junior production and name recognition could net a solid return before managers catch on that his upside may be capped. Nelson should reach the NHL, but more likely as a depth or complementary defenseman than a reliable fantasy asset.

Jake O’Brien (C, 18)

Why Sell?
O’Brien is an excellent prospect whose fantasy profile may never quite match his on-ice value. His strong motor, high IQ, and dependable two-way play should make him a long-term NHLer, but his game lacks the volume and peripherals that translate to fantasy success. He is a pass-first (second and third) center who thrives on facilitating play. Unless he develops into a true 50-plus assist player, his fantasy ceiling will be limited.

One of his Hockey Prospecting comparables is Mathew Barzal, which feels fitting, as both are talented, creative players who can frustrate fantasy managers because if they are not scoring, they do not offer much else. O’Brien does not provide hits, shots, or defensive stats that pad fantasy categories, and his offensive contributions may come inconsistently early on. That combination makes him a sell candidate while his “recent first-round pick” label still holds weight. His fantasy stock may never be higher than right now.

Blake Fiddler (D, 18)

Why Sell?
Blake Fiddler brings size, strength, and a physical edge that NHL coaches love. He defends well, uses his long reach effectively, and shows composure under pressure in his own zone. He projects as a steady, defense-first blueliner with penalty-killing and matchup potential. The problem for fantasy managers is that his offensive game is limited. He does not create many primary scoring chances, and his transitional impact is fairly average.

Fiddler’s bloodlines are strong, as he is the son of former NHLer Vernon Fiddler, and his skating ability gives him a chance to carve out a long professional career. His pNHLe sits just above 60, but defenders typically get a small statistical boost from the model, and peripheral contributions in blocks, shots, and hits are just average, which might make him a tough fantasy hold. He will likely be better in real life than in fantasy. If other managers in your league are drawn to his pedigree or draft position, now is a good time to move him before his limited fantasy upside becomes more obvious.

Summary

Player	Role	Key Insight
Shane Wright	Buy	Two-way center trending upward with top six and PP opportunity
Berkly Catton	Buy	Elite processor with star upside and growing NHL readiness
Jani Nyman	Buy	Power winger with scoring touch and a clear path to the top six
Ty Nelson	Sell	Offensive numbers inflated by junior play, blocked in Seattle
Jake O’Brien	Sell	Safe middle-six projection, limited fantasy ceiling
Blake Fiddler	Sell	Defensive defenseman with minimal offensive upside

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:53:44 +0000

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 12: Seattle Kraken C Chandler Stephenson (9) during the game between Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings on January 12, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire)

For the third time in four seasons, the Kraken missed the playoffs in 2024-2025, finishing with 76 points (35-41-6). The Kraken earned that placement, ranking 25th in Corsi percentage (47.9) and 29th in expected goals percentage (46.2). Overcoming that possession deficit is asking a lot on the rest of the things that the team can control. Seattle’s power play ranked 27th with 5.56 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play. It only got slightly better when the Kraken were shorthanded, as they ranked 23rd with 8.68 goals against per 60 minutes during four-on-five play. In goal, Joey Daccord had another strong season while Philipp Grubauer struggled yet again. When all of these components are added together, it wasn’t just one thing leading the Seattle’s struggles, but the combination of these things practically made it inevitable.

What’s Changed?

That disappointing finish resulted in the Kraken firing head coach Dan Bylsma, replacing him with Lane Lambert, who had been an associate coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has previous head coaching experience with the New York Islanders. The Kraken also moved Ron Francis from General Manager to President, with Jason Botterill taking over as GM. That means the team has new voices and decision makers, but they made some changes to the roster as well, trading for Dallas Stars winger Mason Marchment and Minnesota Wild checking forward Frederick Gaudreau. On defence, they signed Ryan Lindgren, who finished last season with the Colorado Avalanche after starting his career with the New York Rangers. The Kraken traded winger Andre Burakovsky to the Chicago Blackhawks and winger Michael Eyssimont signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent.

What would success look like?

It would be great if the Kraken could get back to the playoffs, but that would likely require a 20-point improvement, so it’s probably not the most realistic outcome. The objective should at least be to close the gap, and that includes improving possession numbers at five-on-five, getting better on the power play and penalty kill, and finding a reliable No. 2 goaltender, whether it’s Grubauer or someone else. If all of those objectives are met and the Kraken still fall short of the playoffs, but are a competitive team pushing, say, 90 points, then that’s a relatively and achievably successful season.

What could go wrong?

Considering the Kraken’s track record, expectations have to be modest already, going into the 2025-2026 season, so if the team is truly bad and has a shot at winning the draft lottery, then it’s really not the worst long-term scenario. But, if the expectation is for the Kraken to be competitive, that can get undone if Daccord doesn’t bail them out with strong goaltending. If the Kraken do fall off the pace early, they have a handful of proven veterans who will be unrestricted free agents at season’s end, so they will likely become active sellers in the marketplace. In the short term, that could make the Kraken even worse, but it might be best for the franchise in the long run.

Top Breakout Candidate

Shane Wright scored 44 points (19 G, 25 A) in 79 games in his first full NHL season in 2024-2025 and did that while playing just over 14 minutes per game. Considering that the Kraken have Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson ahead of Wright on the depth chart at centre, there is a possibility that Wright could beat them out for a bigger offensive role and if he does that, his point total could jump quite a bit if, for example, he is suddenly playing an extra three minutes per game.

FORWARDS

Jared McCann

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	35	60	0.73

McCann is the Kraken’s lone star forward and last year was his lowest goal-scoring season with the team, mostly due his power play production declining. Still possessing a heavy wrist shot, defenders put more of a focus on shutting down McCann and he didn’t have much space to work with. He had the lowest Controlled Zone Entry percent of his Seattle career, so he had to rely on his linemates more to both enter the zone and play off him. McCann adjusted to this well by thriving in more of a playmaking role, helping rookie Shane Wright find the back of the net a few times. McCann’s shot is his calling card, but there’s also a lot of deception to his game, which he showed with his playmaking. He passed from areas that he usually shoots from, giving his linemates plenty of looks off one-timers and into open nets. He had to make do with the space he was given from the outside and he usually finishes at a higher rate than he did last season, whether this was an off year or a sign of things to come remains to be seen. His all-around game covered up some of his decline in scoring, as McCann is one of the only forwards the Kraken can rely on for providing instant offence along with great play driving.

Matty Beniers

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	33	58	0.71

The Kraken were quick to make Beniers as part of their core, signing him for seven years before the start of last season. Hoping his $7.14 million cap hit will be a bargain when he breaks out, the offence still hasn’t come out for the former Michigan star. He has a unique profile for a younger player, excelling at carrying the puck out of the defensive zone and acting as a third defenceman to help spring the breakout. There aren’t a lot of young forwards who play this way, but Beniers uses his long reach and frame well to protect the puck and get it out of harms way. It’s made him a reliable defensive forward at a young age. The offence is still a work in progress, as he is one of the least productive first line centers in the league right now. His goal scoring improved a little last season, the addition of Kaapo Kaako being the biggest help to that. Beniers is more dangerous when shooting off one-timers rather than trying to beat goaltenders on his own off the rush, so adding a playmaker to his line was a big help. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for one-timers in previous seasons with Beniers having to quarterback everything in the offensive zone. His overall offence, however, took a step back with his line only creating off the rush without much shot volume. Time will tell if this will ever come around or if Beniers just fills a niche as a defensive workhorse.

Chandler Stephenson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	14	36	50	0.63

Seattle is no stranger to going the free agent route to fill their needs and last summer’s addition of Chandler Stephenson was one of their riskier moves. The speedy center spent his best seasons on deep Vegas teams and Stephenson himself had an elite linemate in Mark Stone for most of his run there. Going from that to playing as the de facto top line center on a weaker Seattle team was asking a lot out of him. In some ways he performed to expectations, posting similar scoring numbers to his final year in Vegas with more of his assist production coming on the power play compared to even strength. Everything outside of that is where the major problems lie. Seattle was heavily outshot and outchanced with Stephenson on the ice. His best tool is his speed, and they couldn’t set him up to get rush chances like he did with Vegas. He’s also not the best traditional center in terms of knowing where to be on the ice. He is all over the place when defending in his own zone, sometimes cheating for a breakaway, chasing the puck instead of sticking to his assignment and not doing much to break the play up. Sometimes you have to accept the risks if you have a game-breaking player and while Stephenson’s straightaway speed fits the bill there, the Kraken haven’t figured out how to best utilize it at even strength. They played him as their top center, and it might be better for the team’s future if someone else assumes that role next season.

Kaapo Kakko

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	16	36	52	0.63

One of the Kraken’s highest scoring players on a point-per-game basis, Kakko found his niche as a playmaker in Seattle. His development with the Rangers was full of roadblocks, both by the coaching staff and his own play not being at the level of a top three pick. His linemates would change frequently, bouncing around from the top six to the fourth line and never establishing a role there. It changed with a mid-season trade to Seattle where the talented Finn decided to go all in on being a playmaker. He was first on the team in shot assists per 60 minutes and was only behind Jordan Ebelre in terms of setting up scoring chances, all while scoring 10 goals despite posting one of the lowest shot rates on the team. Kakko used his big body to position himself along the wall to create easy zone entries for Matty Beniers. This took a lot of pressure off Beniers to not play as a one-man show and become more of a shooting threat, as Kakko could protect the puck and draw defenders in from behind the goal line to create space. While he didn’t produce like a star and his defensive game is not quite there yet, this is the most high-level skill the former second overall pick has shown in the NHL thus far. Finding a niche is tough even for the most talented player and Kakko finally carved out a role for himself on a Kraken team desperate for elite talent.

Shane Wright

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	24	28	52	0.64

One of the centerpieces of Seattle’s core, Shane Wright showed enough to keep the team hopeful about his future but maybe not as the guy to build around. The encouraging thing from Wright’s rookie season is that he could score, shooting at over 20% and showing some high-level finishing off the rush. The downside is that he didn’t create a lot of chances and it’s tough for most players to sustain that kind of shooting percentage. Wright was somewhat protected with the Kraken deploying him mainly with sheltered third line minutes and power play time. They paired him with stronger puck-carries like Burakovsky and McCann so Wright could focus more on getting open playing away from the puck, not putting too much of a workload on the youngster early on. The results were a mixed bag. He showed a decent level of skill but didn’t show signs of being a potential game-breaker. Most of his goals came from reaping the benefits of his linemates or jumping on a loose puck. There’s a place for that, but the Kraken are hoping Wright can become their top center at some point. There were signs of him having more to offer, though. He likes to carry the puck and play off the rush, he just had a low number of zone entries per game, so he didn’t get to show this skill much. It’s not out of the ordinary for a player his age, but it’s something the Kraken will want to see more of as he ascends in the lineup.

Jordan Eberle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	16	27	43	0.56

One of the few forwards on the team who could produce scoring chances consistently, Eberle sustaining a pelvis injury that required surgery, was a major blow to the Kraken. He was the team’s hottest scorer out of the gate with six goals in the first month of the season and he struggled to regain his form after returning to the lineup in February, scoring only three goals the rest of the season. Depending on how he recovers in the off-season, Eberle is one of Seattle’s most valuable players. He knows the tools of the trade when it comes to creating offence and has always been great at weaving through defenders to get to the net. He doesn’t have the same speed he used to, but he makes up for it by always being in the right spot and reading off some of his quicker linemates like Beniers or Stephenson. His skillset is more complementary in nature now, but it’s also integral in helping unlock some of the more skilled players on the Kraken. His chemistry with Beniers and McCann being a great example. When Beniers has control of the puck on the cycle, Eberle always does a good job of slyly getting lost in coverage for a one-time opportunity. The roles can also be reversed because Eberle is terrific at making passes around the net and McCann’s shot is one of Seattle’s best offensive weapons. The same goes for Beniers’ one-timer, which is why his absence was felt throughout the lineup. Now 35 years old, it’s uncertain if Eberle will stay this effective after surgery, but he’s always been a versatile offensive player who can make his linemates lives easier.

Tye Kartye

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	9	9	18	0.26

Kartye made some waves when he was called up during the Kraken’s inaugural playoff run, showing some of his goal-scoring prowess that made him one of Coachella Valley’s top players. As a slower skater, the NHL was going to be an adjustment for him, and he showed enough in his rookie season with 11 goals in a bottom six role. Last season was more of a struggle, as Kartye didn’t do much to standout and saw his scoring chance rate plummet to below replacement level. Losing his regular linemates in Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev at the trade deadline made things tougher on him and he eventually found himself in the press box for a few games. The Kraken still chose to extend him with a raise, so he gets a chance at fresh start with a new coaching staff. The intriguing part of Kartye’s game are his hands and his shooting. He showed in his rookie season that he can be a consistent scoring chance generator; Seattle just has a plethora of players with one or two tools and not enough with a complete skillset.

Jaden Schwartz

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	24	22	46	0.58

Schwartz is the definition of a jack-of-all-trades player, he can play all three forward positions on any line and adapt to whatever role he’s tasked with. The Kraken needed him to carry more of the offence last season, and he posted his highest goal total in 10 years. A great skater, Schwartz is very slick at getting away from coverage to extend shifts in the offensive zone. It was more of a weapon off the rush last season, where he scored a handful of goals off one-timers as the second or trailing forward into the zone. In addition to the goal scoring, Schwartz was also the Kraken’s best forward at leading zone exits, excelling at making long, breakout passes to kickstart the rush. This is also where his slick skating came into play, as he could dodge and dangle around forecheckers to both create passing lanes and allow the other forwards to fly the zone. He mastered the balance of contributing to the team’s transition game without needing to carry the puck in himself much, as that’s never been a major strength of his. Schwartz has been one of Seattle’s best players since their inception and while he is coming off an excellent season, it does raise some questions about the team’s ceiling if he is still one of their top forwards when they’re trying to make the playoffs.

Mason Marchment

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	21	26	47	0.63

Trying to bolster the middle of their roster, Marchment was acquired by Seattle early in the offseason for a couple of mid-round picks. He brings some elements the Kraken are lacking in the middle of their roster with his size, offensive upside and physical play. His propensity to take penalties and his sloppy play with the puck in the defensive zone are Marchment’s main drawbacks, but the positives outweigh the negatives if he scores like he did in Dallas the last couple of seasons. The Seattle middle-six has been somewhat of a mess in the last couple of seasons and Marchment brings a different look to the table than Burakovsky or even some of their better players like Schwartz. He plays like a torpedo on the forecheck, always looking to take the body and can create some high-quality chances out of nothing off loose pucks and scrambles. While Marchment raises the bar for Seattle, he isn’t going to have the same level of talent he had to work with in Dallas, so this will be a test of if he can drive the bus on his own. With how many of his chances came off one-timer and high-danger passes, Marchment might need some support to reach the offensive numbers he posted with the Stars, but the Kraken have some intriguing options to pair him with.

Eeli Tolvanen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	23	17	40	0.50

One team’s waiver wire fodder is another team’s treasure, as Tolvanen has improved every year he’s been in Seattle. Not developing into the goal scorer Nashville hoped he would be, Tolvanen was claimed for free by the Kraken and has done nothing but set career highs, all while primarily asked to play a checking role. Last year his goal scoring talent finally started to show. He’s always had a great wrist shot but needs the time and space to get it off, and he had to make do with limited opportunities. Last year was a change of pace, with Tolvanen becoming more of a shooting threat alongside Shane Wright. He’s quicker with releasing the puck now, scoring most of his goals off one-timers from plays from behind the net, taking some chances by playing deeper in the offensive zone instead of always being the first forechecker or staying in a defensive posture. It didn’t come at the cost of his defensive play, as the Kraken didn’t give up much when he was on the ice. He’s proven himself to be a versatile player and will look to build on that as he enters unrestricted free agency after this upcoming season.

DEFENCE

Vince Dunn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	13	42	55	0.71

Dunn is one of the best-case scenarios letting a young defenceman play through his struggles when breaking into the top pair. They immediately used him in this role and while he had his initial struggles, Dunn blossomed into an undisputed number one defenceman the next season. His smooth passing and skating make him a key fixture in Seattle’s offence rather than a complementary piece, as he’s usually the one leading most of the entries and running the offence from up high. Dunn dominates the perimeter game by being patient with waiting for the defence to breakdown, deceptively looking off defenders and dissecting the coverage from up high. Also, he is very good at making the first forechecker miss to create chances closer to the net. Dunn is one of Seattle’s jenga pieces, with the defence usually falling apart when he’s not in the lineup. The transition game is where he’s most valuable, starting entries from both taking a beating to retrieve pucks and resetting the play in the neutral zone. The latter is where Dunn is the most impactful at starting the Kraken’s offence, picking off zone exits and turning them into quick-strike offence. This has made his injury concerns particularly devastating, missing most of the first half of last season with a mid-body injury and ending the previous season on injured reserve with a concussion. He is the catalyst for most of the Kraken’s offence and it exciting to think about what he could do with better forwards around him.

Brandon Montour

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	16	28	44	0.55

Montour has never been the easiest player to fit into your lineup as an attack-minded defenceman who needs to be insulated with great forward talent and a strong defence partner. He proved a lot of people wrong in Florida as a key part in back-to-back Cup wins while playing 24-25 minutes a night, but there was a lot that the Panthers did to protect him. Montour was never the first to go back to retrieve pucks, playing higher in the zone and letting his partner or the forwards do the work in the corners. This allowed him to get up in the play quicker, sprinting out of the zone and playing most of his shifts going north. With the Kraken, he had to do more of the grunt work in the defensive zone, and it didn’t keep him from playing his game. Montour set a career high in goals and was still the high-level offensive defenceman that he was in Florida. While a lot of defencemen like this have more complementary skillsets, Montour likes to be the center of the play. He takes a lot of shots, moves all around the offensive zone to look for one-timers and loves joining the rush. It’s why he’s a tough player to fit into your system, but with his defensive game improving, it was a little more seamless for the Kraken last year. They took a huge risk signing him to a high-dollar contract for seven years and so far, he’s been worth it.

Adam Larsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	6	19	25	0.31

One of the early breeds of the modern shutdown defenceman, Larsson has been a model of consistency for the Kraken. He was one of their first picks in the expansion draft and one of the first players they made part of their core, signing him to a four-year deal almost immediately after. He plays a key role as the more defensive presence next to Vince Dunn and anchoring their top penalty kill unit. Mostly out there to play safety valve, Larsson can still be active in the play, he’s a very fluid skater and likes to join the cycle when the opportunity is open. He is a sizable defenceman but defends more with his legs, having the mobility to keep up with top forwards and skating them into a corner to kill the play. This has made up for some of the decline in his rush defence the past few seasons. He’s not as efficient with killing plays using his stick as he used to and teams have started attacking his side of the ice instead of Dunn’s. His strong cycle defence makes up for this, as Larsson still does a good job disrupting plays after the puck is in the zone. In the first year of a four-year deal, Larsson’s provides a steadying presence on Seattle’s blue line. Not a game-breaker by any means, but someone who can hold the fort down in the top four and give you solid results.

GOAL

Joey Daccord

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
55	21	25	6	3	.905	2.82

Seattle keeps hoping that Philipp Grubauer, who emerged as a surprising starting goaltending darling with the Colorado Avalanche just prior to the team's expansion, will finally find his footing and help the team challenge for contention. But Grubauer is coming off of one of the worst seasons of not just his career but the entire league, and it's about time to consider that his contract - which won't be up until the end of not this season, but the next one - was a mistake. Now, Seattle is desperately trying to scrounge up a goaltending depth chart that they can cycle through for a full season without offloading Grubauer, which has left them with an equally expensive Joey Daccord, a bizarre reclamation project (fresh off of his second 'second chance' team in Toronto) in Matt Murray, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds' most promising prospect in Niklas Kokko.

Daccord is, statistically, Seattle's best goaltender at the moment. He returned at the start of the 2023-24 season looking like a new, crisper goaltender, and he carried that new technical precision into this past season. From a financial standpoint, though, the Kraken seem intent on at least giving Grubauer 1B backup appearances, which leaves Seattle in a position where they look like they won't be competing for at least another two years. Unless Grubauer mysteriously finds his form again, they'll need to make some tough choices if they want to take a step forward.

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – SEATTLE KRAKEN – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #6

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:49:09 +0000

Jake O’Brien

Prospect System Ranking – 6th (May 2025 - 6th)
GM: Ron Francis Hired: July 2019
COACH: Lane Lambert Hired: May 2025

The Seattle Kraken’s prospect system slips one spot but remains in strong shape. After parting ways with Dan Bylsma following just one season, the team brought in Lane Lambert as its third head coach since entering the league in 2022-23.

On the ice, the organization has already seen a wave of youth secure full-time NHL roles, with Shane Wright, Matty Beniers, and Ryker Evans all playing significant minutes in 2024-25. The next group is ready to follow suit.

Jani Nyman led Coachella Valley in goals and finished second among all AHL rookies with 28, using his elite release to emerge as a power play threat. After a brief NHL audition, he appears ready to compete for a full-time spot in Seattle. Berkly Catton, McKeen’s 12th-ranked prospect, capped his junior career with 109 regular season points and an additional 42 in the playoffs, leaving little left to prove before turning pro. He’ll likely join Carson Rehkopf, who graduates from the OHL after a productive 250-game career that saw him score at over a point-per-game pace.

They’ll bolster a deep group of developing talent that includes Jagger Firkus, David Goyette, Eduard Sale, Ty Nelson, and goaltender Niklas Kokko—each coming off promising rookie seasons with the Firebirds and pushing toward NHL readiness.

The Kraken also added another notable piece in 2025, selecting Jake O’Brien from the OHL, a versatile forward who debuts as McKeen’s 42nd-ranked prospect. In the second round, they grabbed right-shot defenseman Blake Fiddler from the Edmonton Oil Kings, adding mobility to their blueline pipeline.

Looking ahead, Seattle holds an enviable stockpile of draft capital: five first round and five second round picks over the next three drafts. Their slow and deliberate build hasn’t yet produced playoff success. Still, with an NHL roster already bolstered by homegrown talent and another wave of reinforcements on the way, the payoff appears to be just around the corner.

Seattle Kraken Top-15 Prospects

1 - Berkly Catton

After back-to-back 100-point seasons in the WHL you can bet that the Kraken are going to take a long, hard look at Catton in their training camp and preseason this upcoming fall. Playing in the NHL as a teenager is no easy feat, and teams always need to be careful when they allow it, but he's an exceptionally special talent, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if he more than proved that he was up to the task. The way that he can control the puck, see the ice and make correct decisions while flying full speed around the rink is a sight to behold for fans, and an absolute nightmare for opposing defenders. Where he deserves more credit than he usually gets, though, is with his defensive play, as his awareness is astute and he doesn't skip doing necessary dirty work in ways that many other top prospects do. Between Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and soon Catton, the Kraken might be set down the middle for a decade.

2 - Jake O’Brien

An elite playmaking pivot, the Kraken made O’Brien the eighth overall selection in the 2025 draft. There’s no doubt that he has among the highest offensive upsides of any player selected in the most recent draft. The focus for O’Brien has to be on bulking up to help him to drive play more consistently at even strength. He’s an elite level processor who has the skill and vision to make passes few can execute. However, he can be too easily separated from the puck currently and it helps to explain why his numbers at five-on-five have lagged behind his exceptional power play production. An underrated component of O’Brien’s game is his defensive play. He can kill penalties, and his high IQ translates very well to being a disruptive force in his own end. Again, adding strength will help him be even more effective in this regard. O’Brien will return to Brantford of the OHL this coming year and is a candidate to lead the league in scoring on a strong Bulldogs team.

3 - Jani Nyman

Nyman’s first professional season in North America was a highly successful one as he led Coachella Valley in goal scoring and even found success in a cup of coffee with Seattle. This is a player who is ready for a full time NHL role next season. The big winger is a credible goal scorer thanks to his big shot, strong scoring instincts, and his ability to work to the inside. As he matures physically and continues to add muscle, he’s only going to become more dangerous and consistent. This will also help him round out his game to become a more effective player off the puck and in all three zones. As mentioned, look for Nyman to be a full-time NHL player next year, playing in Seattle’s top nine. He is a potential perennial 30-goal scorer and someone who can help finish off plays and clear space for Seattle’s terrific young playmakers.

4 - Carson Rehkopf

Traded from Kitchener to Brampton this past year, Rehkopf had another solid OHL season that saw him post 40+ goals for the second straight year. This saw him shift to the wing full time after seeing some time at center with Kitchener previously; the wing is where his NHL future is. He still offers very intriguing NHL upside because of the power game he flashes and the NHL quality shot that he possesses. His play away from the puck remains fairly inconsistent, but on the puck, he can be a load for defenders because of his strength and ability to protect the puck. He also projects as a power play weapon at the NHL level because of that heavy one timer from the flank. It will all come down to whether Rehkopf is able to find more consistency in his physical intensity level. He has top six upside but will need seasoning in the AHL to round out his game further.

5 - Jagger Firkus

There were definitely some growing pains for the reigning CHL player of the year as he began his pro journey this past season. However, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t expect that. Firkus is highly skilled. He’s a tremendous goal scorer thanks to his lightning quick release and instincts. His quick feet and agility allow him to escape pressure and control the pace of play. Yet, the growing pains were expected because Firkus is slight, and he needs to pack on muscle to play the kind of no fear game at the pro level that he did at the WHL level. With Coachella, he was kept to the perimeter too often and should work to further improve his explosiveness as an average sized winger to help him get the kind of separation he needs. Firkus’ offensive upside remains sky high. This is someone who could be a point-per-game NHL player. However, he’s going to need a few seasons to really improve his conditioning and adjust to playing against men. Thankfully, Seattle can be patient thanks to strong system depth.

6 - Niklas Kokko

After a great Liiga season and playoff run as a 19-year-old, Kokko transitioned seamlessly to the AHL for his 20-year-old season. He’s been a very reliable and high-end starter for Coachella. He’s smart and a great play-reader. He often makes the correct save selection or alteration to his positioning based on the play that he’s reading. He’s also a very good skater with very strong pushes and quick, active feet that he pairs with smart routes to travel through the crease with ease. He’s also pretty athletic, which gives him a good chance of making stretched saves. His only real problems are that he seems to completely lack any kind of rebound control and looks to lose track of the puck on the more chaotic rebounds or if the shot is blocked. His tracking otherwise seems fine, which is why it shouldn’t be much of a concern. His rapid development at a young age and skill set bodes well for his future as a potential starter in the NHL.

7 - Ty Nelson

After a successful OHL career with North Bay that saw Nelson improve considerably defensively, he took the plunge into the waters of the professional level this past year with Coachella Valley. It was largely a successful endeavour too, with Nelson’s offensive and defensive abilities translating well thus far. Nelson isn’t a long defender, but he’s stocky and strong as an ox. He hasn’t backed down an inch as a pro, showing a competitive streak in the defensive end that you don’t always see from rookie defenders, especially ones with Nelson’s offensive skill set. He didn’t receive a ton of power play time thanks to Coachella Valley’s depth, but he created well at even strength with his heavy point shot and strong puck rushing ability. His decision making with the puck was solid as a rookie pro too. With another strong year in the AHL next season, hopefully with even more ice time and responsibility, Nelson should position himself for a full-time role with Seattle.

8 - Blake Fiddler

Heading into the 2025 draft Seattle's prospect pool skewed heavily towards the forward positions, in terms of both quality and quantity, so there was a clear need to add at least one defenceman with one of their earlier picks. They lucked out nicely, getting Fiddler at 36th overall, more than 10 spots lower than his final ranking on the McKeen's draft board. Blake doesn't play center like his dad Vernon did over the course of the latter's long and respected NHL career, but he shares the same knack for being a shutdown specialist. The younger Fiddler is lanky, strong, and doesn't flinch when he has to stare down the most dangerous offensive weapons on other teams, all of which make him hard to beat defensively. There is some scoring prowess to his game at times too, usually coming from finding opportunities with his keen awareness, opposed to breaking things open through skill. Fiddler is a pretty safe bet to become an NHLer, which will help the Kraken buy time as they look to acquire other young blueliners.

9 - Lukas Dragicevic

Dragicevic joined the Raiders via trade last summer a month before the team made a separate deal to acquire another talented prospect in forward Tomas Mrsic, and the duo certainly made the most of the big changes, leading Prince Albert to their first divisional title since 2019-20. The right-shooting defender is a true power play specialist from the blueline, and he quarterbacked his squad to the third-best success rate in the league during the regular season. His best weapon is easily his shot, which is an absolute howitzer that he's not shy at all about using. The main knocks against him have always revolved around poor decision-making and poor effort, but while those issues haven't been removed from his game completely, they have been reduced by a lot. If the Kraken are patient with Dragicevic and can find the right partners for him then he could eventually reach his NHL ceiling as a middle-pair defender and go-to option when his team has a man advantage.

10 - Julius Miettinen

The Silvertips finished with the best regular season record in the WHL in 2024-25, and Miettinen was a huge part of that success, even in spite of missing nearly three months due to injury. Their record was notably better with him in the lineup than it was with him out. The big Finnish center is a major workhorse for that team, taking a ton of faceoffs and logging a lot of minutes, including both sides of special teams. There are few prospects out there who are better at working in tight to the net on power plays, and that includes goalie screens and defender tie-ups, which is crucial work that usually doesn’t show up on the score sheet. He’s also put in a ton of work on his skating and conditioning since coming over to North America, which has led to more influence all over the ice. Miettinen has “NHLer” written all over him.

11 - Eduard Sale

Sale is starting to earn the reputation of being a supremely talented player who simply can’t put consistently impressive seasons together. As a first-year pro with Coachella Valley (although still eligible for OHL play), Sale’s rather unspectacular AHL totals included a fair share of ups and downs, and minimal playoff action, but he did shine at the WJC with a six-goal, eight-point performance for the bronze medal winning Czechs, a team he captained. Very young, top six potential abounds.

12 - Ryan Winterton

Winterton hasn’t had a completely healthy season for as long as we can remember going back to his DY-1. But when he has played, he always looked like a future NHLer. This past regular season was his best and most well-rounded to date. It was no surprise that he got into 12 NHL games at this point, even if his -11 was cringeworthy. He’s knocking on the door, but things are getting crowded in Seattle.

13 - David Goyette

It was a tough first year of pro play for the physically underdeveloped Goyette, who - like many CHL stars before him - got a dose of reality discovering that the speed, size, and strength of AHL players requires better conditioning on his part and more attention to details. Patience will be key for Seattle, which can at least build on Goyette’s having ended last season on a high note. Nonetheless, there’s plenty of prospect competition on the AHL roster, so Goyette will need to show more.

14 - Oscar Fisker Mølgaard

Don’t let the slight drop in SHL points (in 13 fewer games) this past season fool you; the Danish forward saw his game improve in leaps and bounds as an all-rounder this year. By the time the Men’s Worlds rolled around, Mølgaard was one of the best players on the ice for upstart host Denmark, sneaking in seven points in 10 games. Seattle has plenty of reasons to be excited about his prospects as a middle six center with strong transitional abilities.

15 - Semyon Vyazovoi

After two very promising seasons in Russia’s second flight VHL, the former sixth-round draft pick arrived on the scene as a bonafide 1B in the KHL this year, even getting into nine playoff contests for Salavat, effectively taking over the starting job in the second round. He’ll be part of the same goaltending tandem this season and Seattle will be hoping he has his eyes on the prize that is the starting job for one of the league’s most competitive outfits.

2025 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: #6 Seattle Kraken– Top 15 NHL Affiliated Prospects

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:41:38 +0000

PARADISE, NV - JUNE 28: Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs is drafted by the Seattle Kraken in the first round during the Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 28, 2024 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire)

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Seattle 25 Prospects

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 – What to make of the Buffalo Sabres – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:41:42 +0000

_{ST. LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 25: Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) during a NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues on February 25, 2022, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire),}

How should we define the 2024-25 Buffalo Sabres? On paper, they’re not a terrible team. Tage Thompson is an elite goal scorer, and Alex Tuch is a good first-line forward and well suited to being Thompson’s accomplish. Rasmus Dahlin, though currently out with a back injury, is a high-end offensive blueliner, and the Sabres also have two promising young defensemen on the rise in Owen Power and Bowen Byram. In net, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has shown that he can be a solid option.

This isn’t a good team either, though. The Sabres do have some offensive depth, especially with Jason Zucker enjoying a comeback campaign (seven goals and 20 points through 29 appearances), but their overall scoring still isn’t anything special. The blueliners do have a mixture of talent and promise, but as a squad, the Sabres have struggled on defense, as evidenced by the team ranking 22nd in xGA/60 (3.13) per Moneypuck. Those shortcomings have trickled down to Luukkonen, who has an 8-8-3 record, 2.79 GAA and .903 save percentage in 20 starts despite a passable plus-2.6 goals saved above expected.

More than anything, Buffalo is inconsistent. Sometimes this group can click, which led to Buffalo looking like a potential contender for a playoff spot earlier in the campaign, but other times they fall apart. Buffalo has lost its last eight games, dropping its record to 11-14-4.

That kind of inconsistency would be more forgivable if Buffalo was a rebuilding team, but is that still an appropriate definition for the Sabres? They certainly do still have younger players like defensemen Power and Byram, forwards Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson as well as goaltender Devon Levi honing his game in the minors. None of those five have celebrated their 24th birthday yet, so it’s reasonable to believe their game will continue to grow.

At the same time, Tuch and Thompson are already in their prime, albeit in the early stages at 28 and 27 years old, respectively. Dahlin is still young but also in his seventh campaign, so ideally this is a foundation that should have started to get results by now.

But those results never come. You could easily make an argument that this is a rebuilding team even with those three either in or approaching their prime, but you could have made the argument that basically every Sabres team over the last decade has been a rebuilding squad. At some point, you need to transition from rebuild.

It’s been nine years since Jack Eichel was selected as the No. 2 overall pick to be the Sabres’ future. It’s been six years since Dahlin was selected as the No. 1 overall pick to headline Buffalo’s defense. It’s been four years since Power was taken with the top pick, giving the Sabres a potentially amazing blue-line duo. It’s been three years since that relationship soured to the point where Buffalo traded him to Vegas.

Buffalo hasn’t participated in a single playoff game over that span. That’d be bad enough, but the drought dates back even further. When Buffalo was last a playoff team in 2011, Tomas Vanek was the Sabres’ leading scorer and Thompson’s age. Tyler Ennis was among the team’s promising young forwards while Tyler Myers was a sophomore coming off a Calder Trophy-winning campaign. Ryan Miller was in his prime, having won the Vezina Trophy the previous year. Lindy Ruff was the bench boss… well, actually, that’s true now too… but there were six bench bosses for Buffalo between Ruff’s tenure with the team that ended during the 2012-13 campaign and his current assignment with the team.

The Sabres’ playoff appearance drought is the longest in NHL history. That’s got to way on the team, and you have to wonder if it will eventually lead to talented players getting frustrated in Buffalo as it has for others in the past. Still, it’s not as if this is a doomed team.

As stated at the top, there are positives to be found in this roster, and the place we’re judging the Sabres from now might be at or near their low point. There’s still season enough for them to turn this thing around. If they don’t, there is still hope for the future with this young group…even if that promise feels a little hollow after so many other failed rebuild attempts.

Calgary Flames (Tue vs. BOS, Thu vs. OTT, Sat vs. CHI)

The Flames have just three games scheduled for next week, but all those contests are at home, and it’s a pretty favorable schedule. Boston, which the Flames will host Tuesday, did have a 7-2-0 stretch from Nov. 21-Dec. 7, but the Bruins’ have fallen back after big losses to Winnipeg and Seattle over their past two games. After facing the Bruins, Calgary will host Ottawa and Chicago on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Neither of those adversaries are in a playoff position.

Jonathan Huberdeau’s eight-year, $84 million contract is looking like it might go down as one of the worst contracts in recent memory, but he’s at least hot at the moment, providing four goals and nine points across his past six appearances. Will he keep that up? It’s possible, but it’s hard to get too excited. His 11 goals and 21 points through 30 outings overall still puts him on pace to get 57 points, which isn’t bad, but it’s well below the type of numbers he put up in Florida. Additionally, he has a 21.6 shooting percentage compared to his career average of 12.5, so if anything, Huberdeau’s benefited from some good puck luck and is more likely to slow as the campaign progresses than maintain that overall scoring pace.

If Huberdeau has potentially overperformed, would Andrei Kuzmenko be at the other end of the spectrum? No one expects him to repeat his 39-goal, 74-point performance from 2022-23, but is his goal and 10 points through 28 outings in 2024-25 simply the result of bad luck? His 3.3 shooting percentage is unusually low, but I’m more concerned about his decline in shots. He’s averaging just 4.1 shots/60, down from 6.8 last year.

Of his 30 shots this campaign, 19 have been fired from high-danger locations, which does put him ahead of the league average for forwards of 12.8, so that is a little bit of a silver lining. He’s on track for 52 high-danger shots this campaign, which would be down from 60 last year, a drop of 13.3 percent, whereas his overall shot total is on track to finish at 82, compared to 121 in 2023-24, a decline of 32.2 percent. So a deeper dive suggests things might not be quite as bad as they seem -- at least in terms of shot quality -- but it’s still not good, just less bad.

It's fair to believe that Kuzmenko’s shooting percentage will climb as the campaign progresses, but unless he starts getting a bit more aggressive with the puck, I wouldn’t count on him putting up numbers sufficient to give him relevance in the majority of fantasy leagues.

We might see better from Nazem Kadri, though, at least relative to his current point pace. He has 10 goals and 19 points in 30 appearances this campaign, which is a far cry from his 75-point showing in 2023-24. Kadri has been a steady contributor recently, though, supplying five goals and 11 points through his past 13 outings. He’s not a safe bet to reach the 70-point milestone again, but he was getting significantly fewer assists than is normal early in the campaign, and that seems to be balancing out and is likely to continue to do so. There’s a good chance he’ll finish the season as Calgary’s scoring leader.

Colorado Avalanche (Mon @ VAN, Thu @ SJS, FRI @ ANA, Sun vs. SEA)

The Avalanche will start next week on the road, playing in Vancouver on Monday, San Jose on Thursday and Anaheim on Friday. Colorado will then conclude the week by hosting the Kraken.

Colorado acquired Mackenzie Blackwood along with Givani Smith and a 2027 fifth-round pick from San Jose in exchange for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 second-round selection.

With Blackwood on side, the Avalanche have now completely changed their goaltending tandem. They started with Georgiev and Justus Annunen, and now have Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. The 32-year-old Wedgewood started the campaign with Nashville, posting a 1-2-1 record, 3.69 GAA and .878 save percentage through five appearances, but he’s done far better since joining the Avalanche, going 3-2-0 with a 1.92 GAA and a .931 save percentage across five outings. Of course, that’s a small sample size, and Wedgewood typically hasn’t been more than an acceptable backup goaltender, so Blackwood will be needed too.

For his part, Blackwood had a 6-9-3 record, 3.00 GAA and .909 save percentage in 19 appearances with the Sharks before the trade. He has a plus-3.9 goals saved above expected this campaign, per Moneypuck, so he’s been solid when factoring out the Sharks’ defense. Speaking of that defense, San Jose ranks 29th in xGA/60 (3.36) while Colorado is 13th (2.95). That should lead to Blackwood putting up meaningfully better numbers post-trade, and naturally, his winning percentage should improve too now that he has the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar providing him with goal support.

Having Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen naturally helps too. That duo wasn’t available at the start of the campaign, but they’re in the lineup now, providing some critical secondary scoring. Nichushkin and Lehkonen have each supplied four goals through six games in December. They won’t match MacKinnon and Rantanen in terms of points, but they’re fantastic for Colorado to have on the top six.

Edmonton Oilers (Mon vs. FLA, Thu vs. BOS, Sat vs. SJS, Sun vs. OTT)

The Oilers will be at home next week, hosting the Panthers on Monday, the Bruins on Thursday, the Sharks on Saturday and the Senators on Sunday. Edmonton has been fantastic recently, winning seven of its past eight games to improve to 17-10-2 on the campaign, so the Oilers will be looking to stay hot.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have unsurprisingly been a major factor in Edmonton’s recent success, providing 15 points (five goals) and 14 points (six), respectively, over their past eight games. Vasily Podkolzin (three goals, five points) and Connor Brown (one goal, five points) have been less expected contributors. Podkolzin has benefited from playing in a top-six role, but he still might lose that job once Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed) is available. It would be a little surprising if Arvidsson, who has been out since Nov. 12, returned next week, but he has resumed skating and might attend a team practice soon.

As for Brown, while there was some hope of him playing alongside his old OHL teammate, McDavid, when he first joined the Oilers, that’s never panned out. The 30-year-old has been playing strictly in a bottom-six capacity and has received almost no power-play time this campaign, so while his four goals and 10 points through 29 appearances aren’t bad under the circumstances, Brown isn’t in a position to increase that scoring pace.

In goal, Stuart Skinner has stabilized after a rough start to the campaign, posting a 4-1-0 record, 1.41 GAA and .947 save percentage across his past five starts. He had a similar track in 2023-24 with a rocky opening to the season followed by mostly strong play beyond that, so perhaps history is repeating.

Florida Panthers (Mon @ EDM, Wed @ MIN, Fri vs. STL, Sun vs. TBL)

Florida will open next week with road games against Edmonton and Minnesota on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Panthers will then host the Blues on Friday and play in Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Matthew Tkachuk was one of the hottest forwards in the league from Nov. 19-Dec. 7, supplying six goals and 19 points across 10 appearances. However, he’s been held off the scoresheet in each of his last two outings, so while he’s a fantastic forward regardless, his latest hot streak might be over.

To be fair, though, Florida as a squad has managed just one goal (excluding the shootout) over its past two games, so it’s not just Tkachuk who has cooled off. That’s just a mini-slump on the Panthers’ end, but Anton Lundell has been cold for longer. He hasn’t recorded a point across his past five appearances, leaving him at eight goals and 19 points through 29 outings in 2024-25.

Most of Lundell’s success came from an amazing start to the campaign in which he recorded six goals and 14 points in 14 appearances, but he was also averaging 18:49 of ice time. By contrast, he’s dropped to two goals and five points over his past 15 games and his average during that stretch is 15:39. The 23-year-old is capable, but when everyone is healthy, he typically serves on the third line, which limits his fantasy impact. If injuries result in him moving up to the top six, then he could be a great short-term play.

Los Angeles Kings (Tue @ PIT, Thu @ PHI, Sat @ NSH, Sun @ WSH)

The Kings have a full schedule with four games on the docket next week and just one of their upcoming opponents (the Capitals) occupy a playoff spot. The downside is the Kings will be on the road for the entire week. They’ll play in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Philadelphia on Thursday, Nashville on Saturday and Washington on Sunday.

When looking at the Kings’ campaign thus far, the player who has most impressed me is Anze Kopitar with his eight goals and 32 points through 29 appearances. We’re currently in a time where several forwards have excelled well past their prime -- Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being the most obvious examples -- so Kopitar’s longevity has flown under the radar somewhat. The fact that he remains an effective playmaker at the age of 37, is still impressive, though. It wouldn’t be surprising at this point to see him reach the 70-point mark for the 10th time in his career.

Alex Laferriere was nearing his sixth birthday when Kopitar made his NHL debut, but the two are in their second campaign together and the sophomore Laferriere has been coming into his own with 12 goals and 22 points in 29 contests this season. Laferriere has continued to be a steady contributor lately, collecting three goals and seven points across his past seven games.

However, I am a little worried about Laferriere’s 20.0 shooting percentage. That seems rather high and his PDO of 1033 is a touch up there too, which suggests he has been getting a bit of puck luck. I don’t expect a crash, but his goal-scoring pace will likely decline somewhat.

Adrian Kempe’s shooting percentage of 17.9 is on the higher side too. Kempe did have a 16.4 shooting percentage in 2022-23 when he finished with 41 markers, so he’s not too far above his career high, but it’s still a notable step above his career average of 12.7. Like Laferriere, I don’t expect Kempe to collapse, but a small decline might be in his future. Kempe does have 14 goals and 28 points in 29 outings overall.

New Jersey Devils (Tue @ STL, Thu @ CBJ, Sat vs. PIT)

The Devils are set to play just three games next week, but the competition is favorable, so I decided to highlight them. New Jersey will play in St. Louis on Tuesday and Columbus on Thursday before hosting the Penguins on Saturday.

The Devils have a commanding 19-10-3 record compared to their mediocre 38-39-5 finish to 2023-24 and the difference is almost entirely at their end of the ice. New Jersey is allowing just 2.66 goals per game, which is a huge drop from 3.43 last year. But how much of that is thanks to Jacob Markstrom?

The Devils had an xGA/60 of 3.26 last campaign, which suggests that they were a poor defensive team independent of their goaltending. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jake Allen largely held their own with a plus-1.4 and minus-1.9 goals saved above expected, but when the defense is that bad, merely being okay leads to bad results. The Devils also employed Nico Daws, Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek, who did even worse by that metric.

Markstrom was brought in over the summer to stabilize the situation, but much like Kahkonen before him, he’s been acceptable, but not brilliant, posting a plus-1.5 goals saved above expected through 22 appearances. The difference is the Devils have burdened their goaltenders far less in 2024-25, as evidenced by their 2.70 xGA/60.

So, while Markstrom certainly hasn’t been a problem, he hasn’t necessarily been their savior. Either way, fantasy managers have can reap the benefits of Markstrom playing in a favorable situation, which has resulted in him posting a 14-6-2 record, 2.41 GAA and .906 save percentage. He’s also hot going into this week with a 3-0-1 record, 1.48 GAA and .933 save percentage over his past four outings.

Allen has been dealing with an upper-body injury, and the Devils’ schedule is spread out enough to allow Markstrom to start in all three games next week. Isaac Poulter will be with New Jersey for the duration of Allen’s injury, but Poulter is unlikely to get a start. The 23-year-old Poulter has struggled in the AHL this campaign with a 3.32 GAA and an .871 save percentage across nine appearances.

Poulter not getting playing time isn’t surprising, but it was a bit eyebrow-raising to see Tomas Tatar out of the lineup Thursday. Perhaps it shouldn’t be, though. Tatar has averaged just 10:41 of ice time this campaign, which is a far cry from even two seasons ago when he logged 15:07 per game. The Devils are a deep team, and it seems like there’s not much of a role for him. I’d be interested to see what would happen if the Devils traded the 34-year-old. He’s on a one-year, $1.8 million contract, so he’s movable, but New Jersey might ultimately decide that they’d rather have him on board as an insurance policy against injuries. If Tatar does find himself in a middle-six role, he might do enough offensively to have some fantasy relevance. As it is, he’s a non-factor in most leagues.

Seattle Kraken (Tue vs. OTT, Thu @ CHI, Sat @ VGK, Sun @ COL)

Seattle will host Ottawa on Tuesday, but the Kraken will spend the remainder of next week on the road, playing in Chicago on Thursday, Vegas on Saturday and Colorado on Sunday.

The Kraken have largely held their own this campaign without being anything special, posting a 15-14-2 record. Joey Daccord has been a major highlight with a 12-6-2 record, 2.42 GAA and .916 save percentage through 20 appearances. We just talked about how Markstrom is benefiting from plenty of support, but Daccord has had to do much more to keep the Kraken afloat. They are tied for 24th in xGA/60 (3.14) and are tied for 16th in goals per game (3.03). For his part, Daccord’s plus-9.2 in goals saved above expected ranks seventh in the league.

Seattle’s offense is mediocre in part because it lacks star power. Through Friday’s action, 48 players have scored at least 12 goals and none of them play for the Kraken. Seattle’s points leader, Jared McCann, (11 goals, 15 assists), is also outside of the top 47 in that category. The Kraken have nine players who have recorded at least five goals, which is respectable -- the league average is 7.7 per team -- but without a star leading the charge, the offense is still just okay.

Maybe Shane Wright will eventually fill that role. Taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wright had just a goal and an assist through his first 18 appearances in 2024-25. Then he spent three games as a healthy scratch from Nov. 17-23, and that seemed to do him plenty of good. He’s managed six goals and 11 points across 10 outings since that stint in the press box.

The 22-year-old Matty Beniers has promise too. He had 24 goals and 57 points as a rookie in 2022-23 but took a step back in 2023-24 with 15 goals and 37 points. The 2024-25 campaign has been a mixed bag -- he has four goals and 17 points in 31 games -- but he’s done well recently with seven assists across his past seven appearances.

Vancouver Canucks (Mon @ COL, Wed @ UTA, Thu @ VGK, Say vs. OTT)

The Canucks will split next week between two games at home (Monday vs. the Avalanche and Saturday vs. the Senators) and two road tilts (Wednesday in Utah and Thursday in Vegas). The Canucks are 15-8-5, which is pretty good, but in a tough Pacific Division, that’s only good for fourth place.

Going into the campaign, it wasn’t clear if Vancouver would be able to hold its own without starting goaltender Thatcher Demko, who was dealing with a knee injury. Fortunately for the Canucks, Kevin Lankinen stepped up and now has a 14-4-3 record, 2.52 GAA and .912 save percentage across 21 outings.

Lankinen became the clear starter during Demko’s absence, but his role is less clear after Demko made his return. The 29-year-old Demko made his season debut Tuesday, though he left something to be desired, stopping 21 of 25 shots en route to a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis. That was followed by Lankinen posting a 27-save shutout Thursday.

We shouldn’t judge Demko based on only one start, but it might take him some time to shake off the rust. With Vancouver’s upcoming schedule relatively full, the Canucks will probably split the workload between Lankinen and Demko, which will give the latter more time to get eased in. If Lankinen keeps playing like he has been, and Demko eventually finds his rhythm, then Vancouver would have a great 1A/1B situation on its hands.

The Canucks also got J.T. Miller back, who was absent for 10 games due to personal reasons. He looked good in his return Thursday, providing two assists, including one on the power play. Now that he’s back, Pius Suter is likely to serve in a reduced capacity. During Miller’s 10-game absence, Suter had five goals and nine points while averaging 18:14 of ice time, but Suter dropped to 15:15 on Thursday and wasn’t used at all with the man advantage for the first time since Nov. 14. If you’ve been enjoying Suter’s recent success, now might be the time to explore your alternatives.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Marner and Tavares Leading Maple Leafs, Ducks Battling and More

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 15:51:24 +0000

_{TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 03: Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner (16) skates with the puck during the NHL Hockey match between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs on December 3rd, 2022 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire)}

In fantasy play, we try to look for any advantage we can, so it’s always helpful if there are reliable factors that we can consider that might impact a game's outcome. For example, all else being equal, a rested team should have an advantage over a tired one, right? That’s an easy assumption to make, but I wondered how reliable a factor that was, so I looked into it.

Teams on the second half of a back-to-back have a 31-40-6 record this season, but that’s a fairly small sample size for this kind of thing, so let’s take the results of every game dating back to the 2005-06 campaign. Looking at that, the record for teams playing on no rest is 3,560-3,394-943. If you count overtime/shootout losses among the defeats, that’s a .451 winning percentage, which is statistically relevant, but not dramatic.

What about playing on the road? That’s another obvious disadvantage, but how serious of a burden is it? Dating back to 2005-06, the road team has a 10,460-9,834-2,698 record, which is a .455 winning percentage. In other words, playing on the road is only a slightly smaller burden than playing on no rest. While we’re at it, let’s combine the two: A road team playing on no rest has a winning percentage of just .425 (2,298-2,464-640). So if you really want to bank on a team underperforming relative to their average, then taking a team on the second half of a back-to-back on the road is the way to go.

In the reverse, is there an ideal amount of rest for a team? Teams that had one day off between games have a winning percentage of .508 (12,265-9,101-2,759), two days is .521 (4,368-3,051-962), three days is .501 (1,106-845-255) and four or more days is .493 (1,034-822-242), so two days rest between games is the sweet spot, but difference in those winning percentages isn’t significant.

Ultimately, believing a team on the road or a tired squad will underperform is going to prove to be a fair assessment often, but it’s not a magic bullet. By the same token, key injuries don’t always lead to the results we might anticipate. The Avalanche certainly struggled early in the campaign when they had far more than their fair share of players on the shelf, but recently, the Maple Leafs have been defying expectations.

At the time of writing, Toronto is now 6-1-0 without Auston Matthews this season. On Wednesday, Toronto was missing Max Domi (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (groin), David Kampf (lower body), Max Pacioretty (lower body) and Ryan Reaves (suspension) in addition to Matthews (upper body), and Toronto still managed to beat Vegas 3-0. To be fair, the Golden Knights had injuries of their own at the time of the contest, most notably to Mark Stone (lower body), but they were the healthier team and a top-tier contender, so the Maple Leafs continuing to excel under those circumstances is impressive.

Mitch Marner has been a major factor in Toronto’s continued success, providing six goals and 26 points through 20 appearances, and the Vegas victory was his third straight multi-point showing. He’s never reached the 100-point milestone before, but he’s come close and might finally hit that mark this campaign. John Tavares has also stepped up recently, supplying four goals and eight points across six appearances, giving him nine goals and 19 points through 19 outings.

Both are also playing on an expiring contract, and there are questions about their future with the team. The lack of playoff success has led to frustration regarding Toronto’s model of building the squad around four extremely expensive forwards. Going into the campaign, there was an assumption that at the least, the 34-year-old Tavares would take a significant pay cut from his current $11 million cap hit in his next contract given his declining production. That might still happen, but his play so far this season suggests that talk of his decline might have been overstated, and, especially with the cap rising, he might still be able to command a sizable payday. Then there’s Marner, who presumably expects a raise from his $10.903 million cap hit and will likely get it with Toronto or elsewhere.

The Maple Leafs certainly have some big front office questions to answer, in the coming months, but at least on the ice, things seem to be going well for now despite the challenges.

Anaheim Ducks

Mon vs SEA, Wed @ SEA, Fri vs LAK, Sun vs OTT

The NHL schedule next week contains some very heavy dates: There will be 11 games Monday, 15 on Wednesday, 14 on Friday and 12 on Saturday. Due to that, a lot of teams are playing four times despite the league taking Thursday off for American Thanksgiving.

Every team featured will be playing in four games, starting with the Ducks, who will host Seattle on Monday, play in Seattle on Wednesday and then return to Anaheim for contests against the Kings on Friday and Senators on Sunday.

The Ducks were also a team I highlighted last week and noted the squad’s underwhelming offense, but going into Friday’s action, Anaheim is on a three-game winning streak in which it’s tallied a combined 13 goals.

Trevor Zegras has gotten in on the action, supplying a goal and three points over that span, which doubles his season point total to six. We discussed last week that he had been dealing with some bad puck luck and has been playing a more complete game despite his offensive woes, so perhaps everything is starting to come together for him. He’s an intriguing buy-low candidate, especially because Zegras continues to serve in a top-six capacity.

If you’re looking for the hottest forward on the Ducks, though, then Brett Leason is your man. He didn’t start the campaign was much of a role, even being a healthy scratch in five of six games from Oct. 27-Nov. 8, but he’s taken off with two goals and seven points across his last five outings. Leason has also averaged 15:00 of ice time, including 1:28 with the man advantage, across his past four appearances, so he’s finally getting a solid opportunity. The 25-year-old still isn’t likely to be a major offensive force for long -- you'd have to go back to his junior days to find the last time he was a major scorer -- but he’s providing some solid short-term value.

On the blueliner, Olen Zellweger has two goals and four points over his last three appearances, bringing him up to four goals and eight points across 17 outings in 2024-25. The 21-year-old is serving on the top power-play unit, but the Ducks rank 27th with the man advantage, converting just 15.3 percent of the time, so it’s not as good of a role as it could be. Still, Zellweger should at least breach the 30-point mark this year as long as he stays healthy.

Boston Bruins

Tue vs. VAN, Wed @ NYI, Fri vs. PIT, Sun vs. MTL

After three straight losses to drop their record to 8-9-3, the Bruins fired head coach Jim Montgomery and named Joe Sacco as the interim bench boss. Boston’s first game under Sacco saw the Bruins outshoot Utah 31-21 en route to a 1-0 victory. Joonas Korpisalo was in net for the shutout, improving to 4-2-1 with a 2.38 GAA and .911 save percentage in eight appearances. Given Jeremy Swayman’s struggles -- he has a 5-7-2 record, 3.47 GAA and .884 save percentage in 14 outings -- it'll be interesting to see if Sacco leans on Korpisalo more than his predecessor.

Next week, though, both goaltenders will likely see use given the packed schedule. The Bruins will host the Canucks on Tuesday, play on the road against the Islanders on Wednesday and conclude the week with home tilts versus the Penguins and Canadiens on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Swayman has been part of the problem in Boston, but the Bruins also rank 31st offensively with just 2.33 goals per game. David Pastrnak continues to lead the charge with eight goals and 18 points through 21 outings, but he’s the only player with at least 15 points. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand (five goals, 14 points) and Elias Lindholm (three goals, 10 points) are the only other two Bruins who have hit the double-digit mark. To put that into context, 200 players have at least 10 points through Thursday’s action, which averages out to 6.25 players per team, so Boston is far behind the curve in terms of its scoring depth.

He's probably not the answer, but I am interested to see if Sacco tries to get Tyler Johnson into games. The 34-year-old forward has appeared in just five contests in 2024-25, averaging 13:31 of ice time in those outings. Although he hasn’t recorded a point this year, Johnson has proved in the past to be a decent secondary scorer, so maybe he could do some damage from the third line if given a chance to get into a rhythm by playing regularly.

Outside of that, though, the Bruins just really need more out of players who were already getting opportunities. The issue for Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha isn’t a lack of ice time, it’s just that they haven’t put up points with any regularity. Coyle has just four goals and an assist through 21 outings after recording 60 points in 2023-24. Zacha has three goals and seven points, but after showing some life from Nov. 7-12 (two goals and four points in three games), he’s on a four-game point drought.

Maybe the answer is simply to just some forward groupings and stick with it for a while. Coyle’s most common linemates this campaign are Marchand and Morgan Geekie, but that trio has only shared the ice for 11.9 percent of Coyle’s even-strength minutes. That’s a lot of line mixing, which might lead to an inability to develop chemistry. It’s something to monitor as we see what Sacco’s plans are to reverse the Bruins’ fortunes.

Los Angeles Kings

Mon @ SJS, Wed vs. WPG, Fri @ ANA, Sat vs. OTT

The Kings will start the week on the road against San Jose on Monday but return home to host the Jets on Wednesday. LA will then play in Anaheim on Friday and host the Senators on Saturday.

The Kings have seen modest success with their 10-7-3 record, but they have dropped three of their past four games, recording just seven goals over that stretch.

Quinton Byfield is among the cold forwards with only an assist across his past five outings. He has two goals and nine points through 20 appearances overall. Interestingly, he hasn’t recorded a single point on the power play in 2024-25 despite averaging a solid 2:07 of ice time with the man advantage. LA does rank 29th in power-play conversions at 14.3 percent, so that is an obvious factor, but you’d still expect at least some production there. Byfield’s 5.3 shooting percent is also a sharp drop from his 12.4 percent in 2023-24 -- he finished that campaign with 20 goals and 55 points -- so the young forward might have been somewhat unlucky through the first quarter of the season. Don’t be surprised if his production ticks up as the campaign progresses.

Philip Danault also has struggled to find the back of the net, tallying a single goal through 20 appearances, though he does have nine assists. His 3.2 shooting percentage is far below his 12.3 average from 2021-22 through 2023-24, so Danault is another LA forward who could enjoy an increase in production.

At the other end of the spectrum, Adrian Kempe is red hot, supplying four goals over his past three games (LA has totaled just six total goals in that span), bringing him up to nine markers and 18 points through 20 appearances. Even there, though, Kempe has just three power-play points. LA did far better with the man advantage in 2023-24, ranking 12th with a 22.6 success rate, so these players could see an increase in special-teams points.

Minnesota Wild

Mon vs. WPG, Wed @ BUF, Fri vs. CHI, Sat vs. NSH

One team that’s had no offensive issues -- or any issues, really -- is Minnesota. The Wild have won three of their past four games, improving to 13-3-3. They’ll look to keep the good times rolling when they host another high-end squad in Winnipeg on Monday. From there, Minnesota will play in Buffalo on Wednesday before returning home to play the Blackhawks on Friday and the Predators on Saturday.

Filip Gustavsson continues to be a key part of the Wild’s success with his 9-3-2 record, 2.07 GAA and .926 save percentage through 14 appearances. He’s allowed two or fewer goals in each of his past five starts. Marc-Andre Fleury, by contrast, isn’t turning heads with his play, but the 39-year-old has been a capable backup with a 4-0-1 record, 2.76 GAA and .904 save percentage in five starts.

Up front, Kirill Kaprizov is on a seven-game scoring streak with six goals and 13 points in that span, bringing him up to 13 goals and 34 points through 19 appearances in 2024-25. Even with his $9 million annual cap hit, he’s providing tremendous value. Kaprizov’s contract runs through 2025-26, but by the time it expires, the Wild will be in a far better cap position because Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s buyouts will be far smaller factors. The Wild have roughly $14.7 million in dead cap space this year, but Suter and Parise will generate a combined $1,666,666 in dead cap space annually from 2025-26 through 2028-29 before coming off the books entirely.

Paying Kaprizov top dollar when the time comes makes sense given his reliability as a top offensive threat. Someone who doesn’t factor onto the scoresheet nearly as regularly is Frederick Gaudreau, but the 31-year-old has been playing like an elite recently, providing four goals and 12 points across his past 11 appearances. Gaudreau is worth having in your lineup while he’s this hot, but don’t expect it to last, and keep in mind that even with his recent rise in production, he’s still serving in just a third-line capacity. He is also on the second power-play unit instead of the top one and hasn’t gotten a point yet with the man advantage.

New Jersey Devils

Mon vs. NSH, Wed vs. STL, Fri @ DET, Sat vs. WSH

We’ve already touched on a lot of players who haven’t put up noteworthy power-play numbers, so let’s shift to New Jersey, which ranks second with the man advantage with a 31.8 percent success rate.

The Devils will host the Predators on Monday and the Blues on Wednesday. They’ll then play in Detroit on Friday before returning home to face the Capitals on Saturday.

New Jersey’s power play and offense in general is certainly part of the reason the squad is 13-7-2. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton has played a significant role in that, providing two goals and 16 points, including seven with the man advantage, through 22 appearances. He was held off the scoresheet for the first six games of 2024-25 but has since recorded at least a point in 13 of 16 appearances.

Hamilton wasn’t much of a factor in 2023-24 due to injury, which led to Luke Hughes serving on the top power-play unit last year. Hamilton’s return to health means Hughes is averaging just 1:04 with the man advantage in 2024-25 and that’s eaten into the young blueliner’s production. The 21-year-old Hughes also missed New Jersey’s first nine outings because of a shoulder problem, which likely put him behind the curve. All this has led to him recording just two assists through 13 outings. Hughes might start to do better as he gets into a rhythm, but this is shaping up to be a sophomore slump campaign.

His elder brother, Jack Hughes, is doing just fine, though. He already has eight goals and 25 points through 22 appearances. The older Hughes is also red hot with six helpers across his past three outings, including five on the power play.

Of course, the Devils did just fine last season too and still missed the playoffs. The difference this year has been improved goaltending. Jacob Markstrom isn’t in Vezina Trophy contention, but he’s holding his own nicely with a 9-5-1 record, 2.54 GAA and .907 save percentage through 15 appearances. Jake Allen is also playing an arguably underrated role as the backup, providing a 4-2-1 record, 2.30 GAA and .916 save percentage in seven starts. Especially in a busy week, like the one upcoming, having two solid goaltenders is a huge luxury.

New York Islanders

Mon vs. DET, Wed vs. BOS, Fri @ WSH, Sat vs. BUF

The Islanders have two solid goaltenders too, though it hasn’t always felt that way this season. Ilya Sorokin has more-or-less fulfilled his end of the bargain with a 2.64 GAA and a .914 save percentage through 12 appearances, but Semyon Varlamov struggled early in the campaign. He has stabilized since, but that early damage has left him with a .903 save percentage, although his GAA has improved to a respectable 2.60.

Either way, it’s the offense that’s really the problem with the Islanders, and that’s what they’ll need more of next week. New York will host the Red Wings on Monday and the Bruins on Wednesday. They’ll then play in Washington on Friday and conclude the week with a home game versus the Sabres.

The Islanders have managed just four goals over their past three games and weirdly, Pierre Engvall scored two of them. Engvall had a three-game goal-scoring streak from Nov. 14-19, but the 28-year-old finished with just 10 goals and 28 points in 74 outings last season and has just five points through 12 outings in 2024-25 even after accounting for his recent hot streak, so don’t expect much from him going forward.

The player the Islanders really need to step up is Bo Horvat, but he’s been held off the scoresheet in five of his past six appearances, leaving him with five goals and 14 points through 20 outings. Those are abysmal numbers given his $8.5 million cap hit, but to be far, he’d usually get to play alongside Mathew Barzal, who hasn’t been in the lineup since Oct. 30 due to an upper-body injury. However, Barzal’s original timetable was 4-6 weeks, and there hasn’t been much in the way of updates, so you shouldn’t count on Horvat getting help from Barzal in the upcoming week.

Anders Lee is sometimes a great linemate. He has seven goals and 13 points in 20 outings in 2024-25, but he’s also streaky and is presently cold, having been held off the scoresheet in each of the Islanders’ past three games.

Then there’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who highlights the Islanders’ lack of depth. The 32-year-old forward is a fine forward, but he’s never recorded more than 43 points in a single campaign, so the fact that he’s on the top line and first power-play unit is far less than ideal. He has five goals and nine points through 20 appearances in 2024-25.

Horvat and Lee might heat up again, but the Islanders’ overall offensive situation isn’t likely to get a lot better until Barzal comes back.

New York Rangers

Mon vs. STL, Wed @ CAR, Fri @ PHI, Sat vs. MTL

The Islanders’ rivals, the Rangers, appear to be in a far better position. They have a 12-5-1 record and will look to build on that next week. The Rangers will host the Blues on Monday, play in Carolina on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Friday and finish the week by hosting the Canadiens on Saturday.

Artemi Panarin continues to be the Rangers’ top forward with 10 goals and 24 points in 18 appearances in 2024-25, but offensive depth has been a big part of the Rangers’ formula. They have eight players who have hit double digits in points: Panarin, Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, Mika Zibanejad, Reilly Smith, Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck. As noted before, the average team has 6.25 players who have hit that milestone. On top of that, New York has two players -- Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil -- who are sitting at nine points.

Among those who have been at the forefront of the Rangers’ attack, Cuylle is arguably the biggest pleasant surprise. The 22-year-old has seven goals and 15 points through 18 appearances. He established himself as a regular with the team last campaign but was in the lineup primarily because of his gritty play, finishing the 2023-24 regular season with 13 goals, 21 points, 56 PIM and 249 hits. Cuylle has continued to utilize his size, dishing out 75 hits this season (he ranks fifth in that category), but he’s adding an offensive element to his game.

What makes it even more impressive is that he’s averaging a modest 13:50 of ice time and is rarely used with the man advantage -- although that might be changing as he has spent the past two games on the second unit. Among those averaging under 14 minutes, Cuylle leads the league in points, ahead of Carolina’s Eric Robinson (five goals, 13 points).

One word of caution, though: Cuylle’s 21.9 shooting percentage is likely unsustainable.

Seattle Kraken

Mon @ ANA, Wed vs. ANA, Fri @ SJS, Sat vs. SJS

The Kraken has a fairly easy schedule next week. They have a set of games against Anaheim on Monday and Wednesday followed by one against the Sharks on Friday and Saturday. In both cases, Seattle is on the road for the first half of the set and at home for the second.

Defenseman Vince Dunn (upper body) might end up returning at some point during those four games, but the status of forward Jordan Eberle (lower body) is less clear. By the time you read this, though, that might change. Kraken coach Dan Bylsma told Scott Malone on Friday that there would be an update later in the day, but at the time of writing, that update hadn’t arrived yet.

Dunn is likely to serve on the top four and first power-play unit when healthy, which might eat into Brandon Montour’s power-play time and result in Ryker Evans losing his spot on the second unit. However, just three of Montour’s 13 points and two of Evans’ 11 have come with the man advantage anyway, so that change shouldn’t have a dramatic impact on either blueliner’s production. Dunn’s return might help Seattle’s overall power play a bit, which sits at 23rd with a 16.4 conversion rate, which would modestly boost the value of Seattle’s top forwards.

Either way, Joey Daccord is likely to continue to be the key to Seattle’s success. He has a 9-3-1 record, 2.31 GAA and .923 save percentage in 13 appearances in 2024-25, putting him in the very early conversation for the Vezina Trophy. Daccord did rank fourth in save percentage (.916) and fifth in GAA (2.46) among goaltenders who logged at least 30 games last season, but his 19-18-11 record kept him well outside of the award conversation. If Seattle continues to provide him with at least some support this year -- the Kraken’s 2.85 goals per game isn’t magical, but it is a step up from 2.61 in 2023-24 -- then Daccord’s a fair bet to get over 30 wins this campaign, especially with Philipp Grubauer not exactly demanding a bigger share of the workload with his 1-6-0 record, 3.11 GAA and .881 save percentage through seven outings in 2024-25.

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 – #8 Seattle Kraken – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Player Profiles - Brock Otten, Team Overview - Robert Howard — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 13:00:15 +0000

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 06: Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright (51) skates after the puck during an NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Kraken on December 6, 2022 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire)

In their third year in the league, the Seattle Kraken took a step back from a 100-point season finishing with 83 points, and another high draft pick at number eight overall. The franchises early success in making the playoffs in its second year, and then pushing through to the second-round last season meant a late draft pick at 20th overall. They selected McKeen’s 140th ranked prospect in Eduard Sale. While the addition of another high pick is welcome, it cost the only head coach they have known in Dave Hakstol his job, and subsequently replaced by Dan Bylsma. GM Ron Francis felt a new voice was needed. “Too many losing streaks and losing streaks of significant numbers” was his explanation at the end of season press conference. Francis has largely stayed away from significant trades and building classically through the draft. Without providing additional firepower to Hakstol, perhaps it was inevitable they would regress from a remarkable 2022-23.

As a result of that strategy, they have the 8th ranked prospect pool in the NHL, more notable for its depth than its high-end pieces. The teams top 12 prospects all rank within our top 200. They have five in the top 100 led by Shane Wright at 21st, who may/or may not hit the superstar potential he was once touted for. Wright improved last season and looks ready for a prolonged look in the NHL and provide a one-two punch with Matty Beniers for years to come. Second round pick Jagger Firkus was the WHL’s leading scorer, and may be a year or two away, but the offensive winger will fit in on the Kraken’s top six in due course. Francis has five picks in the first three rounds of this upcoming draft, and it is likely too early to draw any conclusions on the success of the scouting and development team, but there are some encouraging signs.

RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Shane Wright	C	20	6-0/200	Coachella Valley (AHL)	`22(4th)	59	22	25	47	18
					Seattle (NHL)	`22(4th)	8	4	1	5	0
2	Jagger Firkus	RW	20	5-10/155	Moose Jaw (WHL)	`22(35th)	63	61	65	126	30
3	Carson Rehkopf	LW	19	6-1/195	Kitchener (OHL)	`23(50th)	60	52	43	95	45
4	Jani Nyman	RW	19	6-3/215	Ilves (Fin-Liiga)	`22(49th)	48	26	17	43	2
5	David Goyette	C	20	5-10/175	Sudbury (OHL)	`22(61st)	68	40	77	117	29
6	Ryker Evans	D	22	5-11/190	Seattle (NHL)	`21(35th)	36	1	8	9	20
					Coachella Valley (AHL)	`21(35th)	25	2	13	15	28
7	Ty Nelson	D	20	5-10/195	North Bay (OHL)	`22(68th)	54	16	36	52	50
8	Eduard Sale	LW	19	6-1/170	Bar-Kit (OHL)	`23(20th)	49	15	23	38	8
9	Niklas Kokko	G	20	6-3/185	Pelicans (Fin-Liiga)	`22(58th)	13	9	0	1.49	0.926
				6-3/185	Karpat (Fin-Liiga)	`22(58th)	10	2	5	2.36	0.906
10	Ryan Winterton	RW	20	6-2/190	Coachella Valley (AHL)	`21(67th)	58	22	13	35	23
				6-2/190	Seattle (NHL)	`21(67th)	9	0	0	0	0
11	Oscar Fisker Molgaard	C	19	6-0/165	HV 71 (SHL)	`23(52nd)	50	9	12	21	6
12	Lukas Dragicevic	D	19	6-1/190	Tri-City (WHL)	`23(57th)	66	14	36	50	52
13	Logan Morrison	C	21	6-0/180	Coachella Valley (AHL)	FA(4/23)	64	16	25	41	4
				6-0/180	Seattle (NHL)	FA(4/23)	4	0	0	0	0
14	Caden Price	D	18	6-0/185	Kelowna (WHL)	`23(84th)	62	13	42	55	48
15	Ville Ottavainen	D	21	6-5/210	Coachella Valley (AHL)	`21(99th)	70	8	26	34	30

1. Shane Wright, C, Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

Has Shane Wright lived up to the hype that is usually attached to former CHL exceptional status players? Most would argue no. However, he’s still a top-notch NHL prospect who has had a very solid first professional season. He had a particularly strong second half with Coachella Valley and has subsequently earned a successful call up to Seattle to end the year. The real difference in Wright’s improved play has been his adjustment to the pace of the pro game. Later in the year, he began to use his speed more to his advantage, with and without the puck, and the results were terrific. This has always been something inconsistently applied and hindered his production. Of course, he remains a highly intelligent pivot with a high upside as a goal scorer because of his quick release. While the likelihood that Wright will become a superstar, as once predicted, has decreased, he is still a potential long-time contributor in Seattle’s top six; the one/two punch of Beniers and Wright remains tantalizing.

2. Jagger Firkus, RW, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

The leading scorer in the WHL this year, Firkus had a tremendous season with Moose Jaw. The former high second round selection has developed according to plan as a dominant offensive player. He is an elite manager of the game who can keep the puck on a string and who manages to work inside consistently despite being on the smaller side. Over his WHL career, he’s worked hard to improve his strength on the puck to increase his chances of becoming a top-notch offensive contributor at the NHL level. In a nutshell, he is the complete package as an offensive player, and he has the upside to be a point per game player in the NHL. Next year, he will turn pro and what that means remains to be seen. The smart prediction would have him spending the majority of a year in the AHL, just as former WHL standout Logan Stankoven did this year. However, don’t count out Firkus from making an impact at the NHL level at some point.

3. Carson Rehkopf, LW, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

While Carson Rehkopf wasn’t quite able to sustain the blistering pace he started the year with, it was a very positive draft plus one year for him with Kitchener. An emerging OHL star, Rehkopf has so many intriguing physical tools. The size and skating combination makes him very tough to stop in motion, however, he’s also very strong on the puck making him difficult to stop down low. Opposing defenses need to key in on him away from the puck because of his high-end shooting ability. He can really rifle the puck, and this makes him a monster weapon on the powerplay on the flank where he can cleanly one-time pucks past netminders. The next step is to continue to improve his engagement level as a two-way, physical player. This would help him truly dominate in all fashions and make him a top NHL prospect.

4. Jani Nyman, RW, Ilves (Liiga)

It seems like most of the Kraken’s top prospects progressed terrifically and Nyman certainly falls under that category. He exploded in Liiga, scoring 26 goals in Finland’s top professional league. He was also a standout at the World Junior Championship, playing against his peers. His skating and play on the puck has improved greatly since being drafted. He’s extremely confident in his ability to drive the net and he’s difficult to separate from the puck along the wall and inside the dots. He’s not an overtly physical player. Even though he’s got a big frame, at 6’ 4”, he’s not really a power winger. However, he does project as a complementary piece on a scoring line thanks to his scoring ability and the consistency with which he works inside to open up space. He’ll be in North America to start next year, likely playing in Coachella Valley to start.

5. David Goyette, C, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

The second Kraken prospect to lead his CHL league in scoring this year, Goyette was remarkable for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. The preseason favourite to win the OHL’s Eddie Powers trophy, he followed through by posting 117 points. In a system with so many high-end goal scorers like Shane Wright, Carson Rehkopf, and Jani Nyman, Goyette stands out for his excellent playmaking ability. He extends plays with his feet and his hands and he has outstanding vision; simply put, he is the type of player who makes those around him better. He is also an underrated off puck player who competes hard for loose pucks and in the defensive end. Like others in the system, he will turn pro next year and should be an immediate contributor for Coachella Valley.

6. Ty Nelson, D, North Bay Battalion (OHL)

After such a monster season a year ago, expectations for Ty Nelson were sky high coming into this year. He never quite reached those, but he still had a solid year, and his development remains on a positive track. He was one of the better defenders in the OHL, helped North Bay to another solid season, and played for Canada at the World Junior Championships. The stocky defender’s best weapon remains his booming point shot. He is a prime scoring weapon from the backend. However, he’s also a strong overall puck mover because of his mobility. He has worked hard since being drafted to become a better defensive player and he is now at the point where he is ready for a new challenge at the pro level. Continuing to focus on his decision making, with and without the puck, will be key as he adjusts to the AHL level next season. Nelson is a potential top four defender and powerplay quarterback down the line.

7. Eduard Sale, LW, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

The 20th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Sale’s first season in North America didn’t quite go as well as many had anticipated. Splitting the year between Barrie and Kitchener of the OHL, he never quite found the confidence and effectiveness to be a consistent scoring threat. Watching him in the OHL, it’s plainly obvious that his skill level is high. He can beat defenders one on one, and he can be dangerous in transition and on the powerplay when he has extra room to operate. However, his game has been too perimeter oriented, and he has struggled to play through contact on the smaller ice surfaces of the OHL. There is a need for him to add strength this offseason so that he can find more success playing through the middle of the ice. Sale remains a forward with high upside, but he may be more of a longer-term project than initially believed. He could turn pro next in the AHL or return to Kitchener of the OHL next year.

8. Niklas Kokko, G, Pelicans (Liiga)

Don’t let Niklas Kokko’s disappointing World Juniors performance shape your opinion of him. While he unquestionably struggled at that event, he has been lights out in Liiga action this year, helping Pelicans reach the Liiga final; for a 20-year-old netminder this is remarkable. The 6’ 4” goaltender plays a hybrid style that is very technically sound. He covers his angles well and plays up his size well, ensuring that he takes up as much of the net possible. He’s improved as an athlete since being drafted and this is helping him to challenge shooters more consistently. Kokko is already signed by Seattle, so one would have to think that after his strong end to this year, he will come over to play in the AHL next season. As of right now, he’s emerged as one of the better netminders outside of North America.

9. Ryan Winterton, RW, Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

For Winterton, it was always about staying healthy. He’s always been a talented player with an NHL future, but shoulder injuries had previously derailed his development in the OHL. The great news is that this year, in his first pro year, Winterton has remained healthy, and the results have been terrific. Following last year’s monster OHL playoff performance with London and a strong rookie AHL performance, he has emerged as one of Seattle’s most NHL ready prospects, as evidenced by his semi-long call up to the Kraken recently. He projects as a very versatile middle six forward. He can play multiple forward positions. He’s a confident and intelligent two-way player. He brings physicality and strong off puck play. He is a terrific complementary offensive player thanks to his ability to control the wall and shoot the puck. He’s probably not very far away from a permanent spot with Seattle.

10. Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, C, HV71 (SHL)

The Danish forward secured a permanent position at the SHL level this year with HV71 and played a secondary scoring role for them, helping them narrowly avoid relegation to the Hockey Allsvenskan. He is a well-rounded offensive player who excels as a playmaker because of his vision and quick feet. He escapes pressure regularly and plays a high energy game at both ends; he earns his touches through determination and hard work. Fisker Mølgaard, a second-round selection last year, remains more of a longer-term project, but one who could play a middle six role in the future for Seattle. Next year, he’ll have some options. He could return to HV71 again and try to earn a larger role in the SHL. He could sign with Seattle and play as a 20 year in the AHL. Or the Kraken could try to secure a spot in the CHL for him to help him take that next step.

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).