Tanner Pearson – McKeen's Hockey

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 – THE WEEK AHEAD (February 12th to February 18th) – Washington fading in playoff race and faces tough questions – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:37:42 +0000

Early this season, Washington seemed to be able to manufacture wins despite not looking great on paper. The Capitals had a 17-9-4 record through Dec. 21, but at that time they had a minus-8 goal differential. Washington was doing fine defensively, ranking 10th with 2.73 goals allowed per game, but it was 30th offensively, averaging just 2.43 goals per contest. Washington compensated for that by having one of the league’s best records in one-goal games (10-1-4).

The question at the time was if Washington’s success was mere smoke and mirrors. At this point, it’s fair to say that it was. The Capitals are now 22-20-7. They’re seven points back in the Wild Card race, which might not sound like much, but it’s a mountain to climb this late in the campaign. Meanwhile, their goal differential has gotten even worse, dropping to minus-36.

If Washington can’t find a way to turn things around soon, then the Capitals will need to consider retooling. What would look like, though? Trading Alexander Ovechkin is almost certainly a nonstarter. He’s not having that strong of a season anyway (11 goals and 33 points in 46 games) and at the age of 38, teams might be reluctant to take on his $9.5 million cap hit through 2025-26. Even if he was playing well, though, he’s the face of the franchise and has a no-movement clause, so there would be a lot of barriers to moving him.

TJ Oshie? His $5.75 million cap hit through 2024-25 likely would give contenders pause too. The 37-year-old has just eight goals and 12 points through 32 contests. Tom Wilson agreed to a seven-year, $45.5 million contract in August, so Washington probably won’t trade him, and Dylan Strome is signed to a $5 million cap hit through 2027-28. Meanwhile, Nicklas Backstrom is on the long-term injured reserve and isn’t likely to play again this season while Evgeny Kuznetsov is in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, so neither of them is likely to come up in serious trade conversations.

There are still a couple of players who might be dealt. Anthony Mantha’s 16 goals and 24 points in 45 outings isn’t good relative to his $5.7 million cap hit, but at least his contract ends at the end of this campaign, so there might be contenders willing to part with a pick for him if Washington retains half his remaining salary. Max Pacioretty has a goal and seven points in 14 contests since coming back from his Achilles injury. That’s not great, but there might still be a team interested in him as a secondary scorer and veteran presence.

Those kinds of moves won’t fundamentally change Washington, though, they’ll just leave the Capitals with minor consolation prizes for their lost season. At some point, though, Washington needs to decide if a larger rebuild is necessary. The Capitals are likely reluctant to go down that path while Ovechkin is still under contract, but the alternative might be added years of futility before finally beginning the process.

Anaheim Ducks – TUE @ MTL, THU @ OTT, SAT @ TOR

The Ducks will be in Canada next week, playing in Montreal on Tuesday, Ottawa on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday. The 26-15-8 Maple Leafs figure to be a tough adversary, but Montreal and Ottawa are far removed from the playoff picture.

Those upcoming two games against struggling opponents give Troy Terry an opportunity to extend his hot streak. The 26-year-old has recorded at least a point in six consecutive contests, totaling four goals and six assists. Adam Henrique has been on a run too, providing five goals and 14 points across his last 12 appearances, which gives him 15 goals and 33 points in 49 outings in 2023-24.

Pay special attention to Henrique because there’s a good chance he’ll get traded before the deadline. Granted, that’s not until March 8, but we’ve already seen a couple of major moves, so there’s no guarantee that teams looking to upgrade will wait before pulling the trigger. Especially with Henrique doing so well recently, Anaheim might be able to get a decent return for him. How that impacts Henrique remains to be seen. He’s averaging 17:16 of ice time with Anaheim, including 2:21 with the man advantage, and might not get that kind of role with a contender, which might hinder his fantasy value.

Another trade candidate with Anaheim is Jakob Silfverberg. The 33-year-old forward has struggled this campaign with just five goals and 13 points in 49 outings, but he’s shown some life recently, supplying three goals and five points over his last four appearances. It helps that he’s averaged 15:07 in that span, compared to 12:14 on the season.

Arizona Coyotes – MON @ PHI, WED VS MIN, FRI VS CAR, SUN @ COL

The Coyotes have a busy week ahead of them. It will start with a trip to Philadelphia on Monday, followed by a home stretch versus the Wild on Wednesday and Hurricanes on Friday. Finally, the Coyotes will head to Colorado to play the Avalanche on Sunday.

Although Arizona doesn’t have a back-to-back set next week, the busy schedule might still lead to Karel Vejmelka getting some work. He had a strong relief appearance Thursday, stopping the 28 Golden Knights shots he faced after Connor Ingram surrendered three goals on just six shots midway through the first frame. That strong performance is the exception, though. Vejmelka still has a 6-11-2 record, 3.33 GAA and .900 save percentage in 18 appearances in 2023-24. Ingram has been the better option with a 17-12-1 record, 2.69 GAA and .914 save percentage in 33 outings, but he’s now allowed at least three goals in each of his last three contests, so there’s an opening here for Vejmelka if he can take advantage of it.

Someone else with an opening is Jack McBain. He’s been all over the lineup this season, but recently the 24-year-old has featured on the top unit alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. McBain isn’t much of an offensive threat, scoring just six goals and 15 points through 34 games, so don’t get too excited, but it of course helps to be working alongside players of that caliber.

Especially with Clayton Keller being hot at the moment. He has eight goals and 15 points over his past 12 contests, bringing him up to 21 tallies and 46 points across 49 games.

Boston Bruins – TUE VS TBL, THU VS SEA, SAT VS LAK

The Bruins get to stay in Boston next week and will host the Lightning on Tuesday, the Kraken on Thursday and the Kings on Saturday. It’s not the easiest schedule, but Seattle isn’t in a playoff position and LA has been slumping for the better part of two months, so the potential is there for the Bruins to have a strong run.

Some teams lack any particular player who has stood out recently. That’s almost never the case for the Bruins. You can count on David Pastrnak to put on a show and, most recently, he’s provided three goals and eight points in four contests. He continues to be one of the league’s biggest stars with 33 goals and 75 points through 51 outings.

One player who isn’t as much of a sure thing is Pavel Zacha, but he’s been clicking lately, providing two goals and six points over his active four-game scoring streak. That brings him up to 12 goals and 33 points in 47 appearances this season.

Meanwhile, Brad Marchand has been quickly climbing up the goal-scoring list. He’s found the back of the net 12 times over his past 15 contests, giving him 25 markers and 51 points in 51 games. That puts him on pace to reach the 40-goal milestone for the first time, but his current hot streak has skewed those numbers and he’s a safer bet to finish with around 35 tallies.

Los Angeles Kings – TUE @ BUF, THU @ NJD, SAT @BOS, SUN @ PIT (BTB)

As noted above, LA has struggled lately, posting a 3-8-6 record over its past 17 outings. The Kings will attempt to rebound during a road trip that will take them to Buffalo on Tuesday, New Jersey on Thursday, Boston on Saturday and Pittsburgh on Sunday. Certainly not the easiest of schedules, but LA is one of the few teams set to play in four contests, so it’s still worthy of mention.

Maybe the Kings will get some help from Brandt Clarke, who was summoned from AHL Ontario on Thursday. He’s been fantastic in the minors, recording eight goals, 33 points and 35 PIM in 32 contests and figures to be a big part of LA’s long-term plans. It’s not clear what role he’ll have next week, but with the way things have been going for the Kings, they could stand to mix things up, and giving Clarke some responsibility would be one way to do that.

Alex Turcotte was also recalled Thursday. He had a goal and an assist in two games with LA during his previous stint and has recorded 24 points (seven goals) across 30 AHL appearances, so the 22-year-old might be helpful too.

Given the busy schedule, Cam Talbot is expected to get at least one opportunity to rebound over the next week. He had a 14-8-3 record, 2.10 GAA and .925 save percentage in 25 appearances through Jan. 2, but since then he’s lost his last seven contests while posting an ugly 4.62 GAA and .865 save percentage. He hasn’t played since Jan. 26, though, so perhaps the 36-year-old goaltender has had sufficient time off to step back and reset.

At the same time, David Rittich has done well, posting a 5-1-3 record, 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage in 11 outings this season, which is part of the reason why he’s been able to wrestle the starting gig from Talbot. Even if Talbot rebounds, there’s a chance Rittich will stay busy, perhaps in a 1A and 1B situation. Certainly, this is a goaltending duo worth monitoring.

Montreal Canadiens – TUE VS ANA, THU @ NYR, SAT VS WAS

The Canadiens will host the Ducks on Tuesday, visit the Rangers on Thursday and conclude the week with a home match versus the Capitals on Saturday. New York is a tough adversary, but Anaheim and Washington aren’t in playoff positions.

Montreal’s standout forward recently has been Nick Suzuki, who has provided three goals and eight points during his active five-game scoring streak. The 24-year-old was limited to three assists across eight appearances from Jan. 4-18, but he’s been far more hit than miss this campaign, totaling 15 goals and 45 points through 50 contests.

Sean Monahan was having a strong season with Montreal too, but he was dealt to Winnipeg. The silver lining is that opened the door for Brandon Gignac to make his Canadiens debut Tuesday against Washington. Gignac logged 14:54 of ice time, including 0:32 on the power play. He didn’t record a point in that game, but the 26-year-old has 14 goals, 42 points and 36 PIM in 43 outings with AHL Laval this season, so if he continues to serve in a middle-six capacity while seeing time on the Canadiens’ second power-play unit, then he should have some offensive production going forward. Keep in mind that Montreal might not be done trading veterans. At the least, Tanner Pearson is likely to be shopped, and if that happens, the door might be opened to Gignac also serving a bigger role with the man advantage.

It’s safe to say Juraj Slafkovsky won’t be moved, though. Although the 19-year-old hasn’t been a major part of the Canadiens this year, supplying nine goals and 22 points across 50 contests, he is a big part of their long-term plans. He’s also seen an uptick in production recently, collecting five goals and seven points over his last eight games, so perhaps we’re seeing the early stages of a strong second half.

New Jersey Devils – MON VS SEA, TUE @ NAS (BTB), THU VS LAK, SAT VS PHI

New Jersey is gearing up for an eventful week. It will start by hosting the Kraken on Monday, then the Devils will play in Nashville on Tuesday before returning home to face the Kings on Thursday. They’ll conclude the week with a game against the Flyers on Saturday. New Jersey is the home team for that contest, but rather than it being played at Prudential Center, it will be an outdoor event at MetLife Stadium (the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets).

Injuries have held Jack Hughes back in 2023-24, but he returned from an upper-body issue Thursday, logging 20:24 of ice time, including 3:19 with the man advantage. If he can stay healthy, then Hughes adding 35-40 points over the Devils’ final 33 games is a reasonable hope.

Erik Haula might see his role diminish somewhat now that Hughes is back. Haula logged 15:40 on Thursday compared to an average of 17:40 from Jan. 6-Feb. 6 while the Devils were without Hughes. Haula, who had three goals and seven points in 10 outings during that stretch, might see his production decline as a result. He has 11 goals and 25 points in 43 appearances overall.

One forward who is likely to get a lot of work regardless of Hughes’ status is Jesper Bratt. The 25-year-old winger has certainly earned that privilege. He registered three assists Thursday to extend his scoring streak to six contests (four goals, nine points). Bratt’s up to 20 markers and 55 points through 49 outings in 2023-24.

Ottawa Senators – TUE VS CBJ, THU VS ANA, SAT VS CHI

The Senators aren’t having a great campaign, but they’ll be playing against some of the other teams at the bottom of the pack next week. They’ll host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and the Ducks on Thursday before visiting the Blackhawks on Saturday.

Before that action starts, Anton Forsberg (groin) and Travis Hamonic (upper body) are set to return this Saturday versus Toronto. The Senators are expected to be without Jake Sanderson (lower body) against Toronto, though, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be available next week. If he can’t play, then Mathieu Joseph will likely find himself with a role on the power play again after averaging just 0:10 with the man advantage over Ottawa’s last seven contests. Joseph hasn’t recorded a power-play point this season, but he’s done well overall with eight goals and 23 points through 37 appearances, so this is a situation worth monitoring.

It will also be interesting to see if Forsberg’s return saps time away from starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. The No. 1 goaltender has left plenty to be desired this season with a 12-16-2 record, 3.38 GAA and .889 save percentage in 33 outings. However, Korpisalo has stepped up lately, posting a 4-1-2 record, 2.19 GAA and .912 save percentage across his past seven appearances. If he keeps that up, he should be able to hold Forsberg at bay, but if Korpisalo reverts back to his previous struggles, then Forsberg might play on a semi-regular basis down the stretch.

The Senators don’t have any blazing hot forward at the moment, but Shane Pinto has done well since returning from his 41-game suspension for sports wagering activities. He has two goals and four points in six contests and should continue to serve in a middle-six capacity as well as the first power-play unit going forward.

Toronto Maple Leafs – TUE VS STL, THU VS PHI, SAT VS ANA

The Maple Leafs will spend next week at home, hosting the Blues on Tuesday, the Flyers on Thursday and the Ducks on Saturday. That’s not the weakest of schedules, but it’s not a particularly difficult one either. St. Louis and Philadelphia are both in the middle to upper-middle of the pack while Anaheim ranks near the bottom.

Joseph Woll (ankle) still isn’t close to returning, so Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are still the team’s goaltending duo. Jones hasn’t started since Jan. 20, but Samsonov has surrendered seven goals on 60 shots (.883 save percentage) over his past two contests, so Jones might get another shot next week. Both of those goaltenders have had great stretches, but also some incredibly rough patches, so they’re risks going forward.

One player who hasn’t dealt with such a roller coaster of a campaign is Auston Matthews. The 26-year-old has eight goals and 13 points in eight contests, but what’s remarkable is he’s not especially hot, that’s practically just the norm for him. Through 48 games, he’s supplied 41 tallies and 61 points and is likely to continue to find the back of the net at a reliable pace as long as he stays healthy. His continued health is critical to the team. While it’s true that Toronto has other superstars, he’s personally scored a staggering 24.3 percent of the team’s entire goals.

In terms of the supporting cast, Toronto doesn’t have anyone doing particularly well at present. The only players to accumulate at least three points over the Leafs’ last five contests are the Big Four (Matthews, John Tavares, Mitchell Marner and William Nylander) and their top defenseman, Morgan Rielly. Matthew Knies is getting a turn on the Matthews’ line, though, so perhaps that will help the 21-year-old forward.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boston Bruins

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

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

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

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

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

Carolina Hurricanes

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

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

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

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

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

Columbus Blue Jackets

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

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

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

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

Detroit Red Wings

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

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

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

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

Montreal Canadiens

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

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

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

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

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

New Jersey Devils

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

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

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

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

Vegas Golden Knights

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

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

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

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

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

Washington Capitals

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

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

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

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

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

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Early Standouts – Significant early injuries – Who benefits from opportunity

Scott Cullen — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 22:14:31 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 14: Ottawa Senators Right Wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators on October 14, 2023, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, a look at a new Panthers winger plus lots of early injuries including to significant players like Sebastian Aho, Gabriel Vilardi, Kirby Dach, Viktor Arvidsson, Matthew Boldy, Pavel Buchnevich, and more. That means new opportunities for others looking for a bigger role.

#1 In the past couple of seasons, Evan Rodrigues has proven to be a premier shot generator who could thrive in a supporting offensive role. In those two seasons – one with Pittsburgh and one with Colorado – he put up 82 points (35 G, 47 A) in 151 games while generating 2.85 shots on goal per game. That was something of a late breakthrough for the now 30-year-old forward who is looking at an even better opportunity this season in Florida. Rodrigues has opened the season skating on Aleksander Barkov’s wing and is averaging 18:54 time on ice per game, which would be a career high, on the way to producing five points (2 G, 3 A) and 17 shots on goal in his first four games. It is obviously a very small sample, but Rodrigues has the underlying numbers to make his production more sustainable. For a player that has never had 20 goals and 50 points in an NHL season, Rodrigues should be looking to exceed those numbers this season.

#2 Entering the season, there did not seem to be a lot of buzz surrounding new Ottawa Senators right winger Vladimir Tarasenko, a six-time 30-goal scorer who signed with the club as a free agent. The veteran winger has opened his Sens tenure with six points (2 G, 4 A) in four games, but that doesn’t alleviate the concerns about him entirely, either. He is averaging just 13:38 of ice time per game, which would be his lowest since his rookie season in 2012-2013, and he only has six shots on goal through four games. Although Tarasenko has been skating with rookie Ridly Greig at center, with Josh Norris returning to the Senators lineup, that could eventually help Tarasenko get more offensive opportunities, but the ice time and shot rate bear watching.

#3 It is not easy for Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson to get power play time on a team with Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun already, which is not to say that it never happens, only that he ranks second among Sens defencemen in five-on-four ice time behind Chabot. Even so, Sanderson is off to a stellar start, producing five points (2 G, 3 A) in four games. He only has five shots on goal, which is not encouraging, but Sanderson is going to get quality ice time, even if he is not always going to be quarterbacking Ottawa’s top power play unit.

#4 A lot was made of the decline in performance last season from Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman, but it might be premature to start the 32-year-old blueliner into a heavy decline phase of his career. Hedman has contributed five points (1 G, 4 A) and 13 shots on goal through five games, which is a promising start, but the Lightning have been getting outshot with Hedman on the ice (46.2 CF%), too, and that hasn’t happened for more than a decade.

#5 Carolina Hurricanes centre Sebastian Aho has been out for a couple of games and while his injury is thought to be a day-to-day thing, his absence is still felt. Through a couple of games, the Hurricanes were getting 79.1% of expected goals with Aho on the ice during five-on-five play, In Aho’s absence, Teuvo Teravainen has moved into the first line centre role and Teravainen has scored four goals in five games to start the season. Additionally, the Hurricanes have better depth down the middle as Jesperi Kotkaniemi continues to develop. The 23-year-old has started his sixth NHL season with five points (2 G, 3 A) and 14 shots on goal in five games, averaging a career-high 15:51 of ice time per game.

#6 In a move that didn’t make a huge offseason splash, the Detroit Red Wings brought in puck-moving defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere. While he does not have a huge role, averaging 18:53 of ice time per game, Gostisbehere is getting first unit power play time alongside Moritz Seider and Gostisbehere already has four points (1 G, 3 A) in four games with the Red Wings controlling play (53.2 CF%) in Gostisbehere’s five-on-five minutes.

#7 Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews is the early leader in all-situations expected goals (3.76), ahead of Matthew Tkachuk (3.23), Connor Bedard (3.10), Artturi Lehkonen (2.85), Filip Forsberg (2.74), and Jack Eichel (2.64). Bedard is obviously playing a lot for Chicago and creating chances, but they have yet to materialize into goals. For a player who enters the league with a legendary release, Bedard’s ability to generate high-quality shots bodes well for his future production. It’s also encouraging to see Eichel playing at such a high level. He had an outstanding playoff, but it appears in the early going that Eichel is going to continue at an elite level. He leads the NHL with 28 shots on goal in five games, though Nathan MacKinnon (27) and Auston Matthews (26) are close behind while playing just four games.

#8 Winnipeg Jets RW Gabriel Vilardi is out for four-to-six weeks with a sprained MCL, which is a tough situation for a player who was averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game through two games. Vilardi was also rocking a 73.3 CF%, but now the Jets will need to find someone to fill those minutes. It looks like Mason Appleton will get first crack alongside Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele and that is a big opportunity for a 27-year-old who scored a career-high 25 points (12 G, 13 A) in 56 games in 2020-2021.

#9 Montreal lost centre Kirby Dach to a torn ACL, ending the 22-year-old’s season prematurely. He had two assists and 70.4 CF% in two games before getting hurt. Alex Newhook will slide into the middle of the ice to fill the hole created by Dach’s absence, while Tanner Pearson will move up the depth chart to take Newhook’s spot on left wing. Pearson, who played just 14 games last season, has two goals in three games to start his Habs career.

#10 On the Florida Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, Sam Bennett was an impact player at centre, between Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett has yet to play this season because of a lower-body injury, so Eetu Luostarinen is getting that opportunity. Unfortunately, he has yet to record a point and has just one shot on goal in four games. That is not making the most of the situation.

#11 Los Angeles Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson has been an excellent and sometimes underrated contributor, but he is out long term after undergoing back surgery, which means new opportunities on the right side in Los Angeles. Arthur Kaliyev is skating in Arvidsson’s typical spot, alongside Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore, while rookie Alexis Laferriere has landed a prime spot on the wing with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala. Kaliyev may have the higher upside as a scorer, as he has shown a strong ability to generate shots, even in limited ice time. Arvidsson’s injury should help ensure that Kaliyev sees a good jump in ice time this season, opening the door for a breakout season.

#12 Injuries have hit the Minnesota Wild hard early in the season. Rising star winger Matthew Boldy and defencemen Jared Spurgeon and Alex Goligoski are all out of action for Minnesota and they are not easily replaced. Taking Boldy’s spot is Samuel Walker, a 24-year-old who has two points (1 G, 1 A) in 10 career NHL games and did not have any points in two AHL games this season, but he did produce 48 points (27 G, 21 A) in 56 AHL games last season, so this is a real chance to Walker to show his stuff at the NHL level. Spurgeon’s absence also gives Calen Addison the role of first unit power play quarterback, which is an area in which the young defenceman has excelled, with 18 of his 29 points last season coming with the man advantage.

#13 While fourth lines are not going to bring big fantasy appeal, it’s worth noting what is happening in Detroit, where Christian Fischer (83.7 xGF%) and Klim Kostin (80.2 xGF%) are dominating play to a ridiculous degree. Austin Czarnik has played only two games, but Detroit has controlled 86.3% of expected goals during five-on-five play with Czarnik on the ice.

#14 Staying in Detroit, veteran winger Robby Fabbri made it through one game before suffering another injury and Fabbri’s injury presents an opportunity for Michael Rasmussen to climb up the depth chart. Rasmussen had a career-high 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 56 games last season, but his average ice time has increased by more than a minute per game in the early going this season and he has a couple of points (1 G, 1 A) in four games.

#15 Although he can get overshadowed by the top two centres on the Devils roster, Erik Haula’s upper body injury is notable for a team that thrives on its depth. With Haula out, Michael McLeod moves from the fourth line centre to third line centre and while McLeod has established that he is a solid fourth liner, his offensive production has kept him in that role. He has just 10 goals in 157 games over the past two seasons, so if McLeod is ever going to shake his fourth-line label, he will need to take advantage when he gets the chance to play in the top nine.

#16 Expectations were already very low for the San Jose Sharks coming into the season, but it has been made even more difficult with veteran centres Mikael Granlund and Logan Couture out of the lineup. Rookie Thomas Bordeleau and veteran Luke Kunin are handling the middle six centre roles for the Sharks. Bordeleau has managed one goal and five shots on goal through four games while he has been caved in when it comes to puck possession (31.1 CF%). Kunin has yet to record a point and is not much better at driving play (33.0 CF%). This should come as little surprise, but it reveals how much of an uphill fight it is for San Jose right now.

#17 St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich suffered an upper-body injury when crushed into the boards by Seattle Kraken defenceman Jamie Oleksiak, and while Buchnevich has been out, the opportunity has fallen to 21-year-old Jake Neighbours, who has managed zero points and two shots on goal in three games this season. A chance to play in St. Louis’ top six is not bad, but it is up to Neighbours to show that he deserves to stay in a significant role over the long term.

#18 It is still super early, but there are some forwards raising red flags with their early struggles. Timo Meier was benched for the third period against Florida and has zero points and four shots on goal in three games. Meier has always been able to generate shots, so that is a notable concern with his game in New Jersey, but he really should be able to figure it out.

#19 When he returned to action last season following hip resurfacing surgery, Washington Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom struggled, to a degree that he never really had in the NHL before. With a fresh start this season, 35-year-old Backstrom is still struggling to find his way. He has zero points in three games and is averaging 15:45 of ice time per game, which would be the lowest rate of his career. Backstrom is still getting top unit power play time but is skating between Sonny Milano and Tom Wilson at even strength, so he is not nearly the dangerous scoring threat that he was during his prime.

#20 After getting bought out by the Winnipeg Jets, 37-year-old right winger Blake Wheeler landed with the New York Rangers. Through four games with the Blueshirts, not only does Wheeler not have any points, but he is playing just 12:26 per game, which would be the lowest time on ice of his career. He is skating on a line with centre Vincent Trocheck and rookie left winger Will Cuylle. While Wheeler’s all-around game has declined in recent seasons, he still produced 55 points (16 G, 39 A) last season and early returns suggest that he will not be continuing at that level this season.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – VANCOUVER CANUCKS – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 21:57:43 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 03: Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Arena on April 3, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

J.T. Miller

It is unusual for a player to have his best season when he is in his late twenties, but 29-year-old J.T. Miller delivered a monster season for the Canucks in 2021-2022, recording 32 goals and 99 points while the Canucks outshot opponents with Miller on the ice and struggled to do so when he was off the ice. Not only does Miller have skill and playmaking ability, but he is a strong physical player who recorded 172 hits, making him the only player in the league to have that many hits while recording more than a point per game. It would be asking a lot for Miller to duplicate the best season of his career, and there is some likelihood of percentages declining, but he also generated a career-best 2.58 shots per game last season and his high percentages, both in terms of his own shooting percentage and 5-on-5 on-ice shooting percentage have been above average every year that he has been in Vancouver. That would seem to indicate that he is still capable of producing in the range of a point per game, maybe a little more.

Elias Pettersson

Following an injury-shortened 2020-2021 season, Pettersson got off to a terrible start and by mid-January had just 17 points in 37 games. He looked lost and his confidence was fading fast. At his low point, he looked nothing like the slick playmaker that he had been for most of his first three seasons in the league, when he earned a reputation for making smart and creative plays in the offensive zone, providing surprisingly effective defensive play, and then ripping wrist shots to the top shelf. That player returned for the second half of last season, as Pettersson finished the season with 26 goals and 51 points in his last 43 games. He moved to left wing to play with Miller and that seemed to bring out the best in both. It also appeared to bring back Pettersson’s confidence and while his finish to the season would suggest that the 23-year-old could go for more than a point per game over a full season, that might be a bit optimistic. He has never scored more than 70 points in a season but that could happen this season.

Bo Horvat

The Canucks captain brings his hard hat to work and scored a career-high 31 goals last season. He does a lot of his damage on the power play. In the past five seasons, Horvat has scored 49 goals with the man advantage, tied with Brayden Point for 13^th in the league over that time. Horvat has played a significant role with the Canucks in those five seasons, averaging 19:54 of ice time per game and winning 54.9% of his faceoffs. In his eight-year NHL career, he has five 20-goal seasons and four seasons with at least 50 points, so he has established a baseline for what he might be able to produce. If he stays reasonably healthy, a point total in the mid-50s would be a fair expectation for a 27-year-old who, barring a new contract, is set to be a free agent at the end of next season.

Brock Boeser

Since scoring 29 goals as a rookie in 2017-2018, Boeser has not been able to get back to that level of production. He has a good shot but could always be more aggressive about using it. While Boeser’s all-around game looks like it could use some improvement, it’s worth observing that he always has better shot differentials relative to the rest of the team. Some of that might be due to more offensive zone starts, but those results have held long enough that he does deserve some credit. Boeser did have his fourth 20-goal campaign last season, so the goal-scoring ought to continue, but he had a low on-ice shooting percentage, which suggests that regression could bring a few more assists his way, which should put him in the 55-to-60-point range.

Conor Garland

An undersized winger who was acquired from Arizona, Garland had a brilliant start to his Canucks career, scoring eight points in his first six games, then finished his first season with 16 points in his last 12 games. In between, the production was a little spotty, but in total, Garland finished with a career-high 52 points to go with excellent puck possession numbers. Even though the 26-year-old is on the smaller side, he has a relentless style of play that earned him a place in the league and coupled with his offensive production, Garland is now a primary scorer. He produced a career-high 52 points last season and should be able to surpass 50 points again this season.

Ilya Mikheyev

In his first couple of seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mikheyev established that he could control play and generate shots, but had trouble finishing, tallying 15 goals in 93 games, scoring on just 7.3% of his shots. Last season, the puck started to find the net and Mikheyev scored 21 goals in 53 games, burying 14.3% of his shots. Tthat helped increase his demand in the free agent market. At 6-foot-3, Mikheyev has the size to cycle the puck in the offensive zone but he is an excellent skater so he can use that both in transition or on the forecheck to create chances. Now that he has shown some touch around the net, he ought to be able to contribute in a middle six role for Vancouver. The question about Mikheyev is whether he can stay healthy – in two of his three seasons he has missed substantial time with injuries – so in terms of projecting his offense going forward, it might be most reasonable to say that Mikheyev could surpass last season’s 32 points, his career high, and potentially by a wide margin if he plays something close to a full schedule.

Nils Hoglander

Although he went through some offensive dry spells and managed just 18 points in 60 games last season, there is still plenty of reason to like Hoglander’s contributions. The 21-year-old winger drives play consistently and can generate shots. It just so happened that pucks were not going in and he went through a horrid slump in the middle of the season. From mid-December through the end of February, Hoglander played in 26 games and managed one goal and four points. He is an easy candidate for a bounce-back season but where he plays in the lineup will have some say in just how big of a bounce-back is possible. Hoglander should be able to score 15 goals and 30 points, as a starting point, but has potential for more depending on how high he fits on the depth chart.

Vasily Podkolzin

The 21-year-old got off to a relatively slow start to his rookie campaign last season, scoring three goals with no assists in his first 15 games, but he got more comfortable as the season progressed and finished the year with nine points in his last 11 games. Podkolzin has good size and has power forward potential. He plays a reliable enough game without the puck so that should help secure a spot in the lineup, but if he is going to grow into possibly become a star quality player, Podkolzin will need to generate more shots but if he can pick up where he left off at the end of last season, Podkolzin’s second season could be exciting. The Canucks are deep on the wings, so optimism around Podkolzin ought to be cautious, but he could challenge for 20 goals if he can get enough ice time.

Tanner Pearson

The 30-year-old winger has two 20-goal and three 40-point seasons to his credit. He has decent size and speed, enough skill to fit in a middle six role but, as noted, the Canucks have a lot of bodies competing for playing time on the wings and it’s possible that Pearson could find it challenging to earn a regular spot in the top nine. Nevertheless, he has been able to produce more than 30 points five times in his career, including last season, and that’s probably a reasonable expectation for what he could score this season.

DEFENSE

Quinn Hughes

Any concern about Hughes’ play without the puck tends to be overblown because he is such an elite creator of offense that he tends to generate more shots and chances than he gives up. He is also not a terrible defender, as some other puck-moving defensemen might get classified. Hughes will turn 23 early in the season and he is a fantastic skater who plays with confidence and creativity. He is every bit the kind of player that a team should seek to build their defense around and, while there is obviously strong competition, a Norris Trophy at some point in his career is not out of the question for Hughes. As for his point production, Hughes finished with a career-high 68 points last season but going for 70-plus points this season would still be a fair expectation.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

While there is little chance that Ekman-Larsson’s production will match his lofty contract, the 31-year-old delivered a solid first season in Vancouver after spending the first 11 years of his career in Arizona. He played more than 22 minutes per game for the 10^th time in the past 11 seasons and his per-game shot rate improved over the previous season. He might be a fringy top-pair defenseman at this stage of his career, but Ekman-Larsson could still be a strong top-four option. His percentages were relatively low last season so a little favorable regression could push him over 30 points this season.

Tyler Myers

Even at 6-foot-8 Myers is a smooth skater and while he will have moments in which his reads or positioning can get him into trouble, he is still a viable top-four defenseman. His relative possession numbers are a small negative and the Canucks have been outscored by 12 goals over three seasons with Myers on the ice during 5-on-5 play. It’s not great, and probably not worth his salary cap hit, but it’s not as terrible as critics would suggest. The 32-year-old is not asked to contribute as much offensively as he did earlier in his career, so he may score 20-25 points but he was also one of 11 defensemen to have at least 140 hits and 140 blocked shots last season so he can fill the stat sheet in other ways.

Luke Schenn

At 32-years-old, the veteran blueliner seemed to find his niche as a partner to Hughes. Schenn’s 17 points last season was his most since 2011-2012, and his average ice time of 17:13 was his highest since 2016-2017. Schenn is not good with the puck on his stick, so he is a good partner for Hughes, in that he Schenn offers complementary skills that Hughes does not typically bring to the game. While his puck skills may be limited, Schenn is not shy about bringing a physical presence to the game. He recorded 273 hits last season, the fifth time in his career that he surpassed 250 hits in a season, and Schenn will drop the gloves when needed. A 15-point season is about all that can be reasonably expected from Schenn offensively.

GOALTENDING

Thatcher Demko

It’s finally looking like Vancouver is ready for the Thatcher Demko show. After a handful of seasons in which the Pacific Division club kept the American-born netminder splitting his net with veteran mentors, Demko made his starter debut in the 2021-22 season with a 64-game campaign. He held his own, too; while the Canucks are still desperately working their way out from under some truly ill-advised contracts and roster transactions, his numbers were good enough to rise up above the Western Conference’s glut of rebuilding rosters and return to the Wild Card chase.

Much of that is thanks to the fact that Demko has continued to fine-tune the more controlled elements of his game without losing the creative spark that made him look so attractive as a prospect; he’s eliminated a lot of unnecessary extra movement as he learns to read shooters and systems at the NHL level, but has kept that wide-ranging toolkit of unexpected stop selections in his arsenal that make him so hard for offensive systems to read in return. Add in some smart depth management to go with intimidating size, and Demko shines as an example of a goaltender who can both close off holes in his net from a sightline perspective and react effectively to the high-danger chances that teams create for themselves when the defense in front of him struggles a bit. Now, the only thing that lacks certainty in Vancouver’s crease is who will emerge as his second-in-command; with both Mikey DiPietro and Spencer Martin hovering at the door to the NHL in the team’s depth chart and Jaroslav Halak departing for the New York Rangers in the off-season, the Canucks will have to determine who provides the club with their best chances for success moving forward.

Projected starts: 60-65

OH, CANADA! – NHL Trade Deadline Edition

Jeff Veillette — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 14:57:40 +0000

Welcome back to “Oh, Canada” – a weekly journey across Canada’s temporary North Division, exploring stories that may have happened throughout the week. With the NHL’s Trade Deadline occurring on Monday Afternoon, this week’s issue will be a quick glance at each team’s transactions in the days and hours before the cutoff.

COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 10: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) looks on during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on February 10, 2020. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)

Calgary Flames

April 11^th: Traded G David Rittich to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2022
April 12^th: Traded F Sam Bennett and a 6^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Emil Heineman and a 2^nd Round Draft Pick in 2022

With the disappointing season that the Flames have had, it wasn’t a big shock to see them look more towards selling than buying. Nothing short of a miracle will get them into the playoffs at this point, so it stands to reason that the team would look towards refilling the cupboard a bit.

Which pieces would go, though, was the bigger question. Rittich’s departure makes sense given his upcoming free agent status and the long-term commitment the team has with Jacob Markstrom, but Bennett was a bit surprising. After all, we were only days removed from him telling the world that he was no longer interested in being traded! But, when a haul like the Flames received – a second-round pick and Heineman, a recent second-round pick himself – becomes available, the equation changes and you’re suddenly okay with moving a bottom six forward.

I think there is still a little more the Flames could’ve possibly done here. Derek Ryan, for example, feels like the sort of player they would have likely gotten phone calls on but chose not to move. But with so much of their core locked up to term and a lot of uncertainty around the league at the moment, it makes sense that they didn’t want to go into a snap fire sale at the highest level. What they did get done should be considered a particularly good effort.

Edmonton Oilers

April 12^th: Traded a Conditional 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the New Jersey Devils for D Dmitry Kulikov

The Oilers didn’t do a heck of a lot to add, and with the team in the position that they are, that decision seems like a confusing one. Ken Holland talked about a look towards next year as a spending year, telling reporters “I don’t know that you can be all-in every year. I think you pick and choose.”

To Holland’s credit, the Oilers could find themselves in a very flexible position next year, with a bevy of contracts coming off the books to supply them with $27 million in cap space. On the other hand, some of those names (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Larsson, Tyson Barrie, Kailer Yamamoto, Mike Smith) will take up a decent chunk of money to either re-sign or replace, and there’s no guarantee – especially in Smith’s case – that they put up the same results next year.

Not to mention a few other factors at play here like, I don’t know, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl producing at career-high rates, and while Toronto seems to be a formidable potential opponent, they’ll still have Vegas to deal with when the divisions go back to normal next year. It seems to me that while the team aren’t sure-fire favourites, they’re good enough to have a shot, and so long as you have a generational talent in his prime available, you push forward. Instead, all that happened is a minor pick for depth transaction – Kulikov is a body who can play games and minutes and that’s important to any playoff team, but he’s not going to be breaking any games.

Montreal Canadiens

April 12^th: Lost D Victor Mete on Waivers to the Ottawa Senators
April 12^th: Traded a 7^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Philadelphia Flyers for D Erik Gustafsson

The Canadiens have a bit more of an excuse for a quiet deadline, given that that they had lost four of five going into the deadline and seem to mostly be playoff-secure right now due to the Flames’ failures, rather than their own success. It’s very reminiscent of last year’s team – perhaps the sign of a core that is decent, but still not ready to be in the contender conversation for a little bit.

They also already made their splash in acquiring Eric Staal on March 26^th, and with just one point to his name in the six games since (albeit an OT winner), that may have given Marc Bergevin some pause on attempting another. They did make an intriguing attempt at a buy-low, though, in acquiring Flyers’ defenceman Erik Gustafsson, who probably has the most shocking-to-stumble-upon 60-point season of any active NHLer (2018/19 with Chicago).

I don’t think Montreal is expecting to get a repeat of that out of him, and with an expiring contract, they likely don’t have time to find out. But he’s a perfectly capable defenceman who can contribute in the defensive zone, even if he appears to be a shell of his former self offensively. Given the loss of Victor Mete to waivers earlier in the day, the low-cost bet appears to be sound.

Ottawa Senators

April 11^th: Traded D Mike Reilly to the Boston Bruins for a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2022
April 12^th: Claimed D Victor Mete on Waivers from Montreal Canadiens
April 12^th: Traded D Erik Gudbranson to the Nashville Predators for Brandon Fortunato and a 7^th Round Draft Pick in 2023
April 12^th: Traded D Braydon Coburn to the New York Islanders for a 7^th Round Draft Pick in 2022

Victor Mete

It should come to no surprise that the Senators would be sellers in a clear rebuild year, but after the way Erik Gudbranson and Brayden Coburn were talked about as invaluable members of the team by DJ Smith in the weeks prior, there was some wonder whether he was asset-pumping or sure that they’d stick around.

It seems the answer is neither, as both have moved on and neither fetched much – 7^th round picks in later years, and a warm-body contract in Fortunato. It stands to reason for the Senators to take what they could get there, though, and as the market for big, defence first, non-play driving defencemen fades year after year, what they could get just wasn’t much.

Redemption came in their other two transactions. Getting a 22-year-old Victor Mete for free from the Canadiens via waivers, presumably with lots of ice time now available to him, was a great free wallet. Even if he doesn’t amount to his previous hype, he still at least seems to be a young, capable NHLer, so the potential on the acquisition is nearly all upside. Mike Reilly would be a tough loss to a team in a more competitive position but given that he will be out of his prime by the time the Senators are ready, getting a third round pick in a buyer’s market is a solid alternative.

Toronto Maple Leafs

April 9^th: Traded a Conditional 7^th Round Draft Pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for F Riley Nash
April 11^th: Traded a 1^st Round Draft Pick in 2021 and a 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2021, for F Nick Foligno (two salary retentions) and F Stefan Noesen
April 11^th: Traded a 3^rd Round Draft Pick in 2022 to the Calgary Flames for G David Rittich
April 12^th: Traded F Alexander Barabanov to the San Jose Sharks for F Antti Suomela
April 12^th: Traded a 5^th Round Pick in 2022 to the Anaheim Ducks for D Ben Hutton

Few, if any teams were more active in trying to check all possible boxes than the Maple Leafs in their deadline week. Nash brings them a fourth line, absence-of-event defensive forward, and acquiring him first gave Toronto some LTIR flexibility as he recovers from a sprained knee. Rittich gives them a fourth goalie to play regular season games while they figure out which of Jack Campbell, Frederik Andersen, and Michael Hutchinson are healthy and/or good. Ben Hutton has played games throughout the season and will be a warmer option should a depth defenceman be required. Over in San Jose, the Leafs get to do a favour to a European signing who didn’t work out and find him another spot to try to make a name for himself, while getting back a player who can play centre if their depth severely lessens.

The big fish here is obviously Foligno, who fetched the biggest return of any rental forward this week. Toronto is hoping that he can be the piece that brings it all together – someone who bolsters their sandpaper while contributing a solid two-way game. His familial relation to the city through his father Mike helps create an early bond with the fanbase.

From a traditional perspective, I think the Maple Leafs checked a lot of boxes. They sharpened their tools up front, on defence, and in goal. There are some arguments to be had about the costs, mostly on the Foligno trade, and whether a spend that steep could’ve been better put towards a higher-talent player. But in an interesting plot twist, Kyle Dubas has stuck with conventional wisdom, and we’ll see where it takes them.

Adam Gaudette

Vancouver Canucks

April 12^th: Traded F Adam Gaudette to the Chicago Blackhawks for F Matthew Highmore
April 12^th: Traded a 4^th Round Draft Pick in 2021 to the Chicago Blackhawks for D Madison Bowey and a 5^th Round Draft Pick in 2021
April 12^th: Traded D Jordie Benn to the Winnipeg Jets for a 6^th Round Draft Pick in 2021

Traditionally, this is one of the best weeks in the year to wonder what exactly the Vancouver Canucks are thinking, as this is right about the time where this management group has frequently let sharper minds in the fanbase down. Usually, this is the time where you expect the Canucks to sell and replenish their pick capital, only for them to case a bunch of pre-prime aged reclamation projects in hopes that what Jim Benning once liked about them can be found again.

Now, looking at the above list, it’s easy to say that they’ve literally done just that once again. They extended Tanner Pearson instead of trading him, they kept Brandon Sutter, they kept Travis Hamonic, they kept Alex Edler, they didn’t move out anyone with term, and they come out of this all with only a couple low picks and two 25-year-old longshots. But I’d argue, for once, that they can take a pass on this one.

With the Canucks in a completely unenviable spot due to their COVID-19 outbreak, I understand the interest in doing right by the players and avoiding moving them whenever possible this week. Most reports seem to suggest that Gaudette preferred to move, and given his position as potential patient zero, I can see why they made it work for him. Benn was unlikely to return next year and moving him to a Canadian team to minimize disruption was likely something he was happy with. I’m kind of into the Madison Bowey play as well – his NHL career hasn’t been great to date, but he’s at the very least a solid tweener, and the average value gap between a 4^th and 5^th rounder isn’t significant.

In normal circumstances, I’d be all over dunking on this deadline. This time? We’ll give them a pass. It’s fine given how up against the wall they were.

Winnipeg Jets

April 12^th: Traded a 6^th Round Draft Pick in 2021 to the Vancouver Canucks for D Jordie Benn

So, on the note of Benn, Winnipeg was where he landed, as the Jets’ only move of significance this week. In him, they get a veteran who has seen his way around the league, making stops in Dallas, Montreal, and obviously, Vancouver on his way to his new home. He’s best known as a physical, shot blocking defenceman who can put up a limited, but existent rate of production, and has some comfort on the penalty kill. Most underlying metrics aren’t super high on him, though the popular Evolving Hockey Goals Above Replacement model has him as Vancouver’s second most positively impactful player this year.

Suffice to say, while he’s not a slam dunk acquisition, he’s the kind that a team can make for a sixth-round pick and be satisfied. That’s especially true if you’re the Winnipeg Jets, who for all of their scoring talent and their elite goaltending, simply do not have a strong defence core. As it stands, we’re talking about a team where Neal Pionk seems to clearly be their top defenceman, with no one, even the high-priced Josh Morrissey, really stepping up to declare themselves as a well above-average piece, let alone be a star.

The big question here is – could they have done more? As mentioned last week, there was talk of Mattias Ekholm, but Nashville’s price got excessive quickly. David Savard may have been an interesting add, though he ultimately landed in Tampa Bay. Not outbidding Boston on Mike Reilly is the one that really confuses me, as the cost of a third-round pick was little to nothing for a player like him. The Jets are in a great position to go for it this year, and while Benn helps, I’m just not sure it’s enough of a leap forward in that position. Then again, when you have one of the best goalies in the world at your disposal, maybe you don’t have to do much defending.

Oh, Canada ! A weekly tour of the North Division: Bennett stays put – Russell chases history – Filling the void in Montreal – Time to Downsize Jumbo in Toronto? – Pearson signing – The trade that wasn’t in Winnipeg

Jeff Veillette — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 15:05:43 +0000

Before getting to this week’s “Oh, Canada” storylines, I just want to make a quick note regarding the Vancouver Canucks’ COVID outbreak. Specifically, to wish all those impacted in the organization good health and a speedy recovery. This pandemic has been awful for all, and to see an outbreak of this size hit a pro team is an amplification of the strength of the opponent we face – stay safe, stay vigilant, and we’ll hopefully all move forward soon.

With that covered, let’s take our tour around the country:

Sam Bennett #93 of the Calgary Flames Canadian Sport Institute in Calgary, Canada. (Photo by Brad Watson/NHLI via Getty Images)

Calgary Flames – Bennett Stays Put

One of the earliest storylines for the Calgary Flames this season, even before we had a sense for what their season might look like, came when forward Sam Bennett requested a trade from the club, in search of a change of scenery and a bigger role.

Unfortunately for Bennett, the Flames were also in pursuit of a worthwhile return, and that’s just not something that they’re going to find in the modern market, particularly in a year where teams are strapped for both cap space due to the lack of increase, and real dollars due to the pandemic. While his physical attributes get him his share of admiration throughout the league, his rather strict offensive upside as a bottom-six forward has made his $2.55 million salary a tough sell.

The good news for him is that under new head coach Darryl Sutter, the scenery and role shift has come from within. “I’m happy playing under Darryl”, said Bennett to reporters on Wednesday, according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet. “I think I’ve gotten more opportunity and I’ve been able to play my game a little bit more”. Sutter is a coach who values a style that plays to Bennett’s strengths, and while the team’s struggles are likely of frustration to all of its players, the likely shift to selling this weekend could open up more minutes for the 24-year-old.

Edmonton Oilers – Russell Chases History

In an unusual season, one element that has brought entertainment to many is watching players chase history. Two great examples are Alex Ovechkin’s steady climb towards the all-time goals record, and more imminently, Patrick Marleau’s push to eclipse the late Gordie Howe’s record for most games played in the NHL. But what if I told you there was a third one coming up?

It’s a little weird, but it’s true. Edmonton Oilers defenceman Kris Russell is chasing an all-time mark of his own, albeit in a stat that has only been tracked in modern times. Heading into this weekend, the 33-year-old sits at 1966 blocked shots, trailing recently retired Brent Seabrook by just 32.

The metric, of course, has its flaws. It’s only been around since the beginning of the salary cap era (2005/06), so we’re only looking at a couple generations of players. It’s more subjectively counted than the aforementioned games played or goals, among other statistics. It’s also up for debate whether it’s valuable to dominate the metric – as Calgary Flames writer Kent Wilson once put it, “Blocking shots is like killing rats. Doing it is preferable to not, but if you’re doing it all the time it suggests you have bigger problems.”

All the same, getting in the line of fire remains a popular trait in the traditional hockey spectrum, and it still takes a lot of guts and durability to get in front of nearly 2000 moving pucks and still be standing and willing. One can argue that Russell would have had a more impactful career had teams developed him to be more of a puck mover as he first looked to be, but that likely doesn’t come with the bragging rights of an all-time record.

Montreal Canadiens – Filling the Void

There were reasons to be excited in Montreal this week. Eric Staal became the first player in franchise history to score his first goal with the team as an OT winner, and Cole Caufield went pro and has joined the Laval Rocket. But as great as both of those nuggets of news were, they were countered by a huge blow to the roster on Monday, when an errant Alexander Romanov shot hit Brendan Gallagher’s hand, fracturing his right thumb. Incredibly, this is Gallagher’s third hand injury of his career, though just his first on the right side.

Gallagher is, for all intents and purposes, the team’s top overall forward and the heartbeat of the group. Through 35 games this year, he was ranked 5^th on the team in points and second in goals, along with third in team-relative shot attempt differential. He has consistently been a player that pushes the puck in the right direction, goes to the slot to make sure it goes in, and when he’s not doing that, he’s been more than capable as a defensive forward, a grinder, and a pest. In losing Gallagher for six weeks, the Habs lose a lot of different game elements in an especially important part of the season.

What they do gain, on the other hand, is the ability to place him on Long-Term Injured Reserve for the remainder of the season and use his $3.75 million cap hit towards another acquisition. They also gain an opportunity to see what young forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi can do in a bigger role, shifting the 20-year-old from centre to the wing to play with Phil Danault and Tomas Tatar. I’m curious as to whether GM Marc Bergevin uses the opportunity to make one last move; he’s a Big Game Hunter at his core, and this certainly gives him an opportunity to make lemonade out of his lemons.

Ottawa Senators – Breezy Season Approaching

Sometimes, it pays to be the team that can absorb cap space, especially when you can pull in a decent player from a divisional rival. This is what the Ottawa Senators did in 2019 when they took in Connor Brown from the Toronto Maple Leafs, taking Nikita Zaitsev’s deal in exchange for Cody Ceci and getting the Etobicoke-born winger as the sweetener.

While Brown was struggling to find playing time in Toronto, certainly not enough to justify his $2.1 million cap hit at the time, the Senators have afforded him the opportunity to play top six minutes, including both sides of special teams. Brown leaped up to a career-high 43 points in 71 games last year and is continuing to pace out into the half-point-per-game territory this year, the first of a three-year extension.

His most impressive stretch has come over the past week and change, though. While the Senators lost their third consecutive game on Thursday night against the Oilers, it was the continuation of a more positive streak – Brown’s sixth consecutive with a goal. It’s the longest such streak of his career, having previously gone on three game runs on two separate occasions. With only a handful of weeks left in the season it might be a little too late to take advantage of this streak for your fantasy team, but the Sens are no doubt loving what they’re seeing from a player that is already among their hardest working.

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 04: Toronto Maple Leafs center Joe Thornton (97) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on March 4, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

Toronto Maple Leafs – Time to Downsize Jumbo?

Among the many dynamics within the Toronto Maple Leafs roster this year, one of the most fun to see unfold has been their vintage contingent – players who dominated the headlines in an era past but are providing low-cost support to the present-era core in Toronto. Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds, and Joe Thornton have provided all sorts of entertainment and wisdom on and off the ice for the Maple Leafs, and at a combined cost of just $2.6 million, are really helping keep the sheets balanced.

Of that trio, Thornton is the most tenured, the one with the best career behind him, the one who already has a first-ballot Hall of Fame pass in his pocket, and the one who can help in the most areas. But after exploding for nine points in his first seven games back from a rib injury in February and early March, things haven’t been so great for Jumbo. In his last sixteen games, he’s averaged just 12:49 of ice time and picked up just one assist, a March 13^th helper on a William Nylander goal. Thornton’s underlying shot metrics in this time remain rather good – a 55% share of attempts and a 56% share of expected goals, and his negative goal differential can mostly be attributed to a 0.849 on-ice save percentage, but there’s a point where you wonder why one of the most productive players of all time isn’t putting up his own points.

I do wonder a little if there’s value in giving the soon to be 42-year-old some rest. The Leafs are about to embark on a run of 16 games between April 10^th and May 10^th, with only one multi-day break in between, and the last thing you want is for a player with his experience to be gassed come the postseason. This is obviously imperative on him wanting the time off himself, and I don’t think that he’s a negative on the ice if he chooses to keep playing, but you can’t help but wonder if some extra rest will unlock an extra gear.

Vancouver Canucks – Same Year, Same Error

There seem to be three guarantees in life: Death, taxes, and Jim Benning using the Vancouver Canucks’ cap space on depth players. People who have kept an eye on this organization over the past seven years are no stranger to the decision-making process that happens there, where a plan is promised but each move seems to be inconsistent and without thought for what has to come next. On Thursday, those feelings were revived with the contract extension of Tanner Pearson.

Pearson’s deal sees him commit to the team for another three years at a $3.25 million cap hit, with The Athletic’s Canucks reporter Thomas Drance reporting a verbal commitment to protecting Pearson in the upcoming expansion draft. For any other team, such a signing would lead to all sorts of questions. Pearson is a useful depth player, and the term isn’t completely insane, but paying $3 million for a third-line talent is the sort of thing you should only do with lots of flexibility, and de-facto shielding from expansion screams counter-intuitive.

For the Canucks? It’s decidedly worse. Pearson has been useful for them since his acquisition in 2018/19, picking up 68 points in 121 games, but each year has felt like a slight step backward. Moreover, this contract lumps into an already existent depth logjam. Vancouver already had $20.25 million committed next season to a depth core of Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, Jake Virtanen, and Tyler Myers – all negative value players according to Evolving Hockey’s “Goals Above Replacement” model – not to mention another $4.3 million committed to a struggling Braden Holtby as their backup goaltender. Pearson’s deal puts more than a third of Vancouver’s salary cap commitments into players that would be considered replacement-tier or worse and leaves them with about $17 million remaining to extend stars Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Oh, and fill about 6-8 more roster spots. Needless to say, this is going to be a tough, tough summer for the Canucks front office, and while they might like Pearson as a player, he’s now only adding to the difficulty for minimal, if any long-term gain.

Winnipeg Jets – The Trade That Wasn’t

The Winnipeg Jets have a lot going for them this year. They’ve got an enviously deep forward core, with the likes of Nikolai Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Blake Wheeler leading the way. They’ve got one of the best goaltenders on the planet at their disposal in Connor Hellebuyck. Their back end, however, is a little bit on the lighter side – Neal Pionk has been a nice little revelation and Dylan DeMelo seems to remain a solid middle-option, but the overall group of six and extras leaves a lot to be desired for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations.

It stands to reason, with that in mind, that they would be one of the teams connected to Nashville Predators defenceman Mattias Ekholm over the past few weeks. The Swedish left-handed defenceman has been lauded by both eye-test and numbers crowds for his ability to control play, especially in his own zone. His 6’4, 215-pound frame satisfies the old school expectation of a shutdown defender, and his $3.75 million cap hit for this year and next is very, very team-friendly.

As such, it should come as no surprise that Nashville’s price for the player would be steep, especially as their early-season slump spun back around and the team began to win games. According to TSN insider Darren Dreger in an appearance on the Daily Faceoff podcast, their asking price was a first-round pick, prospect Ville Heinola, and “something else”. While no one would fault the Preds for asking for a first rounder for a player with cheap term, I can see why trade talks fizzled out here. Heinola has been nothing short of excellent for the Manitoba Moose this year, showing serious future NHL potential as an already talented 20-year-old. To give him and another piece up on top of a pick would no doubt make the Jets better today, but the long-term value lost would likely exceed the short-term gain.

MCKEEN’S 2019-20 YEARBOOK: Breakouts and Hidden Gems

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 11:21:34 +0000

McKeen’s Breakout and Hidden Gems are developed following our exhaustive prediction research for the coming season. They highlight some picks that we think will exceed expectations and help you win your pool. We look at points and point per game differentials, league and team trends, and then trim the list to players that will not be obvious to your opponents.

Player	AGE	P	GP	G	A	PTS
Anthony Cirelli, TB	22	C	82	21	34	55
Emerged a possession driver on Tampa's third line - & saw some top-line duties in the playoffs
Shea Theodore, VGK	24	D	81	14	35	49
Blossomed playing his off-wing side (right) alongside Brayden McNabb - and can reach higher ground
Rudolfs Balcers, Ott	22	LW	66	15	17	32
Acquired in the Erik Karlsson deal, swift-skating Latvian winger impressed in NHL trial last season
Casey Mittelstadt, Buf	20	C	74	16	23	39
Sabres hope new coach Krueger can stimulate a breakthrough after overwhelming pro debut
Tanner Pearson, Van	27	RW	82	25	20	45
Clicked playing right wing with Bo Horvat after being acquired at the trade deadline
Pavel Buchnevich, NYR	24	RW	80	28	33	61
Big breakout numbers projected spurred by arrival of fellow Russian countryman Artemi Panarin
Filip Hronek, Det	21	D	76	7	32	39
Czech defender handled significant workload in NHL debut (19:58 ATOI) - contributing 23 points in just 46 games
Nikita Gusev, NJ	27	LW	76	11	37	48
KHL scoring champ arrives to New Jersey and the NHL via Vegas and Tampa
Nazem Kadri, Col	28	C	82	30	35	65
Could eclipse career numbers playing behind MacKinnon's after arriving in summer deal for Tyson Barrie
Jack Roslovic, Wpg	22	C	82	14	26	40
Playmaking pivot enters fourth pro season ready to take on a larger role with Jets
Henrik Borgstrom, Fla	22	C	78	14	23	37
Expect progress from talented sophomore pivot en route to doubling his rookie totals
Charlie Coyle, Bos	27	RW	82	22	28	50
B's valuable trade-deadline acquisition could see move over/up to second-line wing spot
Kyle Palmieri, NJ	28	RW	78	38	28	66
Will soar to career high in goals as major beneficiary of surrounding playmaking talent
Anthony Mantha, Det	24	RW	77	32	35	67
Soared down the stretch on top line with Larkin & Bertuzzi - a precursor to fourth year breakout
Andreas Johnsson, Tor	24	LW	77	26	29	55
Opportunity knocks for Swedish winger to flourish on top line with Matthews and Nylander
Troy Terry, Ana	22	RW	66	9	20	29
Key part of Ducks' youth wave rebounding from broken leg sustained at end of solid pro debut
Filip Chytil, NYR	20	C	79	15	26	41
Expect leap in sophomore totals with opportunity as second-line center between Kreider and Buchnevich
Nick Schmaltz, Ari	23	C	82	22	33	55
Meshed well with Clayton Keller prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Mtl	19	C	81	20	31	51
Displayed remarkable poise and maturity as NHL's youngest player last season
Tyson Jost, Col	21	LW	81	16	28	44
Moves to wing alongside incoming Nazem Kadri and likely breakout totals in third pro term
Ondrej Kase, Ana	23	RW	81	26	24	50
Larger role ahead for creative Czech winger after injury cut short 2018-19 season
Joakim Nygard, Edm	26	LW	68	14	19	33
Oilers add speedy 26-year0old winger who has steadily improved through six SEL seasons
Roope Hintz, Dal	22	C	78	20	24	44
Earned spot alongside newcomer Joe Pavelski after crashing postseason with team-high five goals (tied)
Goaltender	AGE	P	GP	W	G	W
MacKenzie Blackwood, G, NJ	22	G	56	27	23	10
Seized opportunity with Schneider injury to make solid NHL debut - and could thrive on improved Devils
Elvis Merzlikins, G, CBJ	25	G	40	19	NA	NA
Charismatic Latvian and Lugano star jumps to the NHL - in wake of Bobrovsky mutiny

Quick Tempered – Los Angeles Kings 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:28:48 +0000

REVIEW/STATE OF PLAY - In the first year under new President Luc Robitaille, GM Rob Blake and Coach John Stevens the Los Angeles Kings returned to the playoffs after missing in the previous two of three years - following their second Stanley Cup this decade. Swept decisively by the first-year expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, in four games while only registering three goals highlighted their offensive challenges. A suggestion that a faster NHL game in recent years had left the aging Kings behind a step was an often-repeated conclusion.

They addressed the need for goal scoring by signing 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk to a three-year, $6.25 million AAV. He joins an enviable core that has Anze Kopitar (30-years-old – 2018 Selke Award winner (2^nd time) – 92 points, 7^th in league scoring), Drew Doughty (28-years-old – 2^nd in Norris Trophy Voting (won 15-15) – 60 points, 7^th in defense scoring) and Jonathan Quick (32-years-old – 17-18 William Jennings winner – 64 games, 0.921 SV%, 2.40 GAA, past Conn Smythe winner). Those three will compare to any other team in those positions and share two Stanley Cups. It is hard to argue with a prevailing feeling that if they can make the playoffs, they have the make-up to win it all again in the key positions. A big step toward this goal was signing Drew Doughty to an eight-year extension starting next season at $11 million AAV. They are in it to win now.

KOVALCHUK AND CARTER TO INJECT OFFENSE - Kovalchuk joins a top six that will feature long time LA fixtures Jeff Carter centering the second line) and Dustin Brown both signed for the next four years for a combined $11 million in cap space. Carter appeared in only 27 games last season but in the last two seasons he has scored 45 goals in 109 – an average of 41 goals over 82 games on an offence-starved team. He had been healthy for the previous six years so last season may have an anomaly, but at 33-years-old the questions about a return to form are legitimate.

Dustin Brown

Dustin Brown was a revelation last season after four subpar seasons had rendered his cap hit an untradeable albatross– not withstanding his no movement clause. Lining up with Anze Kopitar and Alexander Iafallo all season he delivered 28 goals, 61 points, averaging 19:50 a night, killing penalties with Kopitar and a fixture on the top power play leading the team with nine goals, while delivering 189 hits. Kopitar had a career year and a step backward for both may be in order Kings are praying the Brown of last year is the one that shows up this year.

Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson were paired much of the year with revolving centerman, most with Adrian Kempe but expect Carter to slide in here on a familiar line. Toffoli is 26-years-old and contributed 24 goals last season, the third time he has topped twenty in the last three seasons. 25-year-old Pearson dropped to 15 goals last season from 24. The Kings will give a long look at a role on that line to Gabe Vilardi, the former 11^th overall pick. At 6’3”, 200 pounds in a big stocky frame and a gifted playmaker who will remind observers of Ryan Getzlaf. Kempe played his first full NHL season and appears ready to inherit the third line role injecting both youth and speed in the line up..

The defense is anchored by perennial Norris contender Drew Doughty. He is ably supported by Alec Martinez (30-years-old) and Jake Muzzin (29-years-old), Muzzin is signed for the next two years and Martinez for three at $4 million AAV each. Muzzin returned to the 40-point level for the third time in four years. The 6’3 defender plays in all situations, killing penalties and playing on the power play and delivering 14 points.

Dion Phaneuf had a terrible season and did not look better in a Kings uniform than he did in a Senators jersey. He contributed 10 points in 26 games, most of them coming in his first few games. cap hit is $5.25 million with Ottawa retaining salary from $7.0 million. He brings other things to the table having delivered 161 hits and 154 blocks last season, but the Kings will need to hope for a lot more than he has shown to date or a buy-out candidate.

In net, Jonathan Quick remains a force and one of the better goaltenders in the NHL. If his health holds he will play a great deal. Veteran Peter Budaj was signed for one year in case of injury to Quick and provided excellent work in exactly that role in 2016-17 for the Kings appearing in 53 games with 2.12 GAA.

OUTLOOK - The Kings will be competitive this year. Number one in the NHL last season in goals against and on the penalty kill. An improved power play should be achievable with Kovalchuk. They showed improvement in the second half of the year – they were 22^nd in the league at 17.3% on the power play overall, but finished with 22.5% conversion, 10^th in the league. The return of Carter for a full season and forward progress from some youngsters and the Kings can make some noise, but age and health are the x-factors.

2015-16 Yearbook: Under the radar fantasy all-stars

James Mirtle — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 12:14:14 +0000

Comeback players, rebound candidates, up-and-coming kids and settling-in sophomores: These are the sort of fantasy all-stars you want to be drafting in your pools. And it just so happens we’ve assembled an entire roster of them.

The basis for making the “under-the-radar” fantasy all-star team is that, quite simply, these players will likely fall further than they should in your draft. That is either because they are unproven, playing for poor or overlooked teams, or coming off of a bad season. But those kinds of gambles are exactly what can win your pool – assuming you’re the only one sharp enough to buy this unbelievable magazine.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that, in recent years, the NHL has become a young man’s league. Teams are increasingly playing players who are 25-and-under in big minutes, which means the likes of Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov are able to suddenly explode and make a team like the Lightning an offensive juggernaut.

So be sure to enter your draft with a good handle on the burgeoning talents out there, even if many didn’t star for Canada (or the U.S.) at the world juniors and aren’t yet household names.

Forwards

Valeri Nichushkin, Dallas. He missed all but eight games of the season with a devastating hip injury that wiped out his 19-year-old season, but Nichuschkin provides a tantalizing mix of skill with opportunity on one of the best offensive teams in the league. If he’s fully recovered, and if he can get back on track after a year away, a spot on a top line with two of the most potent offensive players in the league (Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin) awaits. The payoff could be enormous, as he has the tools to be a star.

Teuvo Teravainen and Marko Dano, Chicago. Patrick Kane’s legal situation – which was unresolved at press time – aside, there’s going to be opportunity on the defending champs this season. Teravainen and Dano (the key piece they received from Columbus in the Brandon Saad trade) are great examples, as they could both slide into top six roles to start the year and surprise. That’s certainly what GM Stan Bowman is banking on given the way he’s remade his roster to squeeze under the cap.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad, Florida. You could even add another two or three names from the Panthers here. Florida was rather pathetic offensively last season (25th), but things began to click late in the year when they added NHL greybeard Jaromir Jagr to the top line with Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. This is an organization that has been bad enough for long enough that they’ve accumulated some terrific young offensive talents; if several of them can put together breakout seasons at the same time, the Panthers could pile up far more goals than recent years. And they’re one of those teams often overlooked on draft day.

David Pastrnak, Boston. Even with the Bruins in disarray last season, the Czech rookie had an impressive North American debut. A better than point-a-game showing in the minors over 25 games turned into a nearly 50-point pace over a half season in the NHL. Now, minus Milan Lucic and with management attempting to get younger, he should be gifted more opportunity on a scoring line and be a key part of the Bruins attack.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington. The Capitals were the sixth highest scoring team in the NHL last season and could easily climb higher this time around, in large part thanks to better depth up front. Newcomers T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams are part of that, but what should make Washington a contender is the progress from their two burgeoning young weapons: Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky. Both showed well in Year 1, but Kuznetsov is the more enticing fantasy pick given he should be given a key role on the team’s second line and has game-breaking talent. His nearly 17 minutes a game in the postseason was proof positive the coaching staff was beginning to trust him with a bigger role.

Teemu Pulkkinen, Detroit. A fourth round pick in 2010, Pulkkinen has been forced to go the patented long, slow Red Wings route through the system. Last year, however, he dominated the AHL to the point it made no sense for him to even be there, with 48 goals in 62 games between the regular season and a dominant playoffs (14 goals in 16 games). Detroit could have used even a fraction of those goals last season; this time around, he’ll get more of a chance – and under his AHL coach no less. A bit of a wild card but one with some upside.

Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim. After posting underwhelming totals in his first two seasons in Anaheim, the 24-year-old Swede put in a remarkable postseason, with 18 points in 16 games to cement a spot in the Ducks top six. Could mesh very well with countryman Carl Hagelin this season, too.

Nazem Kadri, Toronto. It’s going to be new coach Mike Babcock’s way or the highway in Toronto this year and that could go either way for Kadri, whose off-ice issues contributed heavily to the fact he signed only a one-year deal in the summer. The big question is if Tyler Bozak is traded either during training camp or early in the season, as that would free Kadri up to finally fill the first-line centre role, albeit without Phil Kessel there to help. Even without a trade, Kadri may get that chance. Either way, with more of a role on a power play, Kadri has 60-point potential. His 39 last year should be considered the low water mark, although this is a Leafs team that may not score a whole lot.

P-A Parenteau, Toronto. Parenteau is in a similar boat. He wasn’t well liked by his coach in either Colorado or Montreal, which limited his opportunities and offensive totals. But there’s a Kessel-sized hole on right wing with the Leafs, and Parenteau signed a bargain of a one-year deal there in order to try and cash in next July. If he produces, it benefits both parties, as Toronto can convert him into a pick or prospect at the deadline. Win-win.

Elias Lindholm, Carolina. A potential superstar who is going to breakthrough at some point. He nearly doubled his point totals last season even as the Hurricanes year went to hell in a hand basket, and Carolina is a dark horse of a rebound candidate given their all their unheralded young talent. Lindholm is still only 20 years old so his big leap may still be two or three years off. But it’s coming.

Sean Couturier, Philadelphia. Another young player with more to give offensively. It’s more a question of when than anything, and with Couturier, some of that is simply giving him less of an onerous defensive role and better linemates. But opportunity plays in, too, and he would easily break the 40-point barrier with more power play time. A new coach, with a better understanding of his gifts at the other end of the rink, could pay off for Couturier this year.

Tanner Pearson, Los Angeles. His season was completely derailed by injuries, but the key will be opportunity. It appears he’ll be right back in a second line role next season, and linemate Tyler Toffoli is set to breakout in a big way. The big question with Pearson is what exactly his ceiling is offensively, as he didn’t particularly dominate the AHL. Still, betting on 40 points and hoping for more is reasonable.

Mikael Granlund, Minnesota. The expectations are certainly for more than 40 points, especially given all his time on the top line with Zach Parise. But without top unit power play duty, Granlund isn’t likely to truly become an elite scorer. That said, he’s continued to make significant strides in his all-around game and should continue to be trusted with more minutes overall. If he’s healthy all year, topping 50 points should be a gimme.

Defencemen

Sami Vatanen, Anaheim. Vatanen missed 15 games and still finished 34th in scoring among defencemen in only his second NHL season. Prorated, he would have hit the 45-point mark. And that’s on a Ducks team that had the 28th ranked power play, despite loads of talent. Much of that was shooting percentage driven, which means Anaheim should pot more goals on the man advantage, which means good things for Vatanen, who could easily emerge as a top 10 quarterback this year.

Ryan Ellis, Nashville. Another young defenceman with similar offensive talent, Ellis’s main problem is he’s buried behind Shea Weber and Roman Josi and as a result is dealt second unit power play duties. Even so, he produced at a nearly 40-point pace last season and didn’t get there largely because of injury. At the very least, he’s going to produce more than six power play points this time around – especially if one of the big two misses any time.

Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh. No more Christian Ehrhoff. No more Paul Martin. The Penguins are going to be a dangerous offensive team with Kessel in the fold, and there’s loads of opportunity for some young defencemen. Maatta missed most of last season due to an awful run of injuries and illness, but he’s in line for huge minutes – potentially on the top pair with Kris Letang at even strength – and nearly double his power play workload with the other vets gone.

John Klingberg, Dallas. Klingberg already had his breakout and really should have been given more consideration for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year last season. This time around, he won’t start the year in the AHL; he’ll be on the Stars top unit both at even strength and the power play. And while his on-ice shooting percentage may take a dip, repeating his 40 points with what should be a deadly Dallas attack seems highly likely. And 50-plus isn’t out of the question.

Morgan Rielly, Toronto. Buyer beware given the Leafs roster. But Rielly has been quietly evolving into an offensive threat even as the ceiling caved in (multiple times) in Toronto and turning him into an elite weapon will be near the top of Babcock’s to-do list. Finding ice time shouldn’t be a problem given the competition, and without Cody Franson around, Rielly should be on the top power play unit from the start.

Oscar Klefbom, Edmonton. If the Oilers are going to climb out of the abyss, they’re going to need some surprises on the back end. Klefbom seems to be the best candidate on that front, although whether or not he is given much time on the man advantage remains to be seen. A long shot to pile up points given he wasn’t exactly a huge producer in the minors, Klefbom nonetheless is worth keeping an eye on in deeper pools.

Goaltenders

Martin Jones, San Jose. The Sharks are gambling here. If you’re similarly in the mood for a roll of the dice, this isn’t a bad one. Jones has started only 29 NHL games in his career, and all of them were behind the Kings stifling defence, but he put in 3.5 really solid seasons in the AHL, and despite going undrafted, had a decent junior career. San Jose made a huge commitment giving him a three-year, $9-million deal, which means at the very least Jones is going to give you a lot of starts on what remains a decent team.

Petr Mrazek, Detroit. Mrazek wrested the No. 1 duties from Jimmy Howard late last season, which sets up an interesting duel this year for the crease. Howard has four years remaining on a deal with a cap hit of more than $5-million, so he’ll be the favourite to get more starts, but Mrazek’s got a strong pedigree, a relationship with the new coach and age on his side (at eight years younger). Don’t expect him to sit 55-plus games.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Ben Bishop has started 75 per cent of the Lightning’s games the last two seasons. In both years he has had at least 37 wins and a save percentage better than an average starter. So why take a flier on Vasilevskiy? For one, he’s a very good goalie, one of the best prospects at the position in the league. For another, he could take over as Tampa’s starter as early as 2016-17 given the organization’s cap crunch and Bishop’s pending UFA status. Add in Bishop’s injury history, and Vasilevskiy may get more of a look than many expect this season.

A contributor to McKeen’s Hockey in various roles for the last 14 years, James Mirtle covers the NHL for The Globe and Mail and is based in Toronto. You can find more of his work at jamesmirtle.com.