Taylor Raddysh – McKeen's Hockey

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

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 18:51:49 +0000

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) is pictured prior to the National Hockey League game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers on March 18, 2025/ at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)

After reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the previous three seasons, the Rangers dropped off to 85 points (39-36-7) last season and missed the playoffs altogether, a disappointing result that ended with them firing head coach Peter Laviolette and replacing him with former Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan. The Blueshirts ranked 20th with a 49.0 percent Corsi and 24th with 48.2 percent expected goals percentage, so they were on the wrong side of the puck possession battle. Their power play ranked 24th, with 6.37 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play, and ranked 12th with 6.39 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. That’s a team that needed its goaltender to be outstanding and Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick were decent and the Rangers had a .902 save percentage.

What’s Changed?

The Rangers replaced Peter Laviolette behind the bench with Mike Sullivan, ex of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they did not go in for wholesale roster changes. The Rangers also made some big trades, sending left winger Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks and defenceman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, with defence prospect Scott Morrow coming to New York as part of the return for Miller. The Rangers landed defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov, who is a quality two-way defenceman, as a free agent from the Los Angeles Kings and they signed winger Taylor Raddysh, who played for the Washington Capitals last season. Defenceman Zac Jones signed with the Buffalo Sabres and right winger Arthur Kaliyev signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent.

What would success look like?

Returning to the playoffs would be a good start for the Rangers, and there is enough talent on the roster to make that happen, but it also doesn’t look like the team is deep enough to pose a serious threat to the top contenders. With a goaltender like Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have a chance to punch above their statistical weight class a bit, as he gives them a chance even when they might not deserve it, but that is not the path to sustained success, so the Rangers need to figure out how they will get quality contributions from their bottom six forwards.

What could go wrong?

If the Rangers don’t get solid contributions from the lower half of their lineup, it is likely to fall apart, and they won’t make the playoffs again. Could a rookie like Gabriel Perreault and a young forward like Jusso Parssinen step up and make a difference? They could, but that uncertainty is why the Rangers are vulnerable going into the 2025-2026 season. Leading scorer Artemi Panarin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and if he doesn’t have a contract extension signed and the Rangers fall off the playoff pace, he could be a huge trade chip, though he has a no-movement clause which typically limits what the trading team gets in return.

Top Breakout Candidate

Blue collar winger Will Cuylle made nice progress in 2024-2025, his point totals jumping from 21 to 45 points as he received nearly four more minutes of ice time per game. He is a physical winger who has proven he can play and now the Rangers have him ticketed for a role in the top six to start the season, possibly on a line with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, so if Cuylle keeps earning his ice time with determination and a nose for the net, then his point production should keep climbing.

FORWARDS

Artemi Panarin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	37	56	93	1.16

It says a lot about the level of Panarin’s play when he wraps up a season with 37 goals and 89 points in 80 games and it is widely viewed as a disappointment. His 1.11 points per game was his lowest since the 2018=2019 season, but 37 goals counted as the second highest total of his career. He has been a focal point for criticism when the Rangers have been bounced from the playoffs in recent seasons, but that was avoided by the Blueshirts missing the playoffs altogether in 2024-2025. For whatever shortcomings Panarin may have, he is an exceptionally creative winger, who has become more dangerous as he shoots more, and generates offense like few others in the league. Panarin has played for the Rangers for six seasons. In that time, he ranks fourth in the NHL with 550 points (186 G, 364 A) in 430 games, putting him behind only Connor McDavid (710), Leon Draisaitl (644), and Nathan MacKinnon (613). Panarin played primarily with Vincent Trocheck last season, and they outscored opponents 53-37 during five-on-five play, so it’s not like they were the ones leading to the Blueshirts’ downfall, but if the Rangers are going to get back to the postseason that will need to continue. Panarin will turn 34 early in the 2025-2026 season, but he should remain an elite offensive performer, capable of 35 goals and 90 points.

J.T. Miller

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	27	56	83	1.04

His time in Vancouver ended in controversy with allegations of a rift between Miller and Elias Pettersson, but a return to the Rangers did seem to reinvigorate Miller. In the past six seasons, he has accumulated 472 points (165 GG, 307 A) in 436 games, which ranks 10th in the entire league over that time. While Miller may have a reputation for being difficult, that can also translate to his on-ice performance, where he often plays with real passion. Every so often, he has had moments when his effort was clearly lacking but those moments don’t seem to creep up as often anymore. In addition to his elite point production, Miller plays a physical game, recording more than 160 hits in four straight seasons and, as he showed during the Four Nations Face-Off against Canada, Miller will drop the gloves, if necessary. Miller tends to be a high percentage finisher, scoring on 15.6 percent of his shots in more than 400 games for Vancouver, then turning full sniper in his return to the Rangers, scoring on 23.6 percent of his shots in 32 games. The upshot is that he may continue to score at a relatively high rate, but it’s unlikely that he can sustain the shooting percentage that he had with the Blueshirts last season. In 2025-2026, Miller should be a prominent part of the Rangers’ attack, and good for 25 goals and 80 points.

Mika Zibanejad

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	25	45	70	0.86

Perhaps the most maligned of Rangers players last season, Zibanejad finished with 20 goals, his lowest total since 2016-2017, and 62 points, his lowest since 2017-2018 (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season). Considering that Zibanejad had been such a productive player over his tenure with the Rangers, the decline in goals, points, and shots on goal was clearly a disappointing outcome. His 37 even-strength points ranked sixth on the Rangers. When he is on his game, Zibanejad uses his size effectively to protect the puck and finds openings in the offensive zone to launch shots on goal. Perhaps some of last season’s struggles could be attributed to his deployment. Last season, Zibanejad’s most common linemates were Reilly Smith, Will Cuylle, and Chris Kreider. With Smith and Kreider gone, it is possible that Zibanejad will skate on right wing with Miller and Cuylle, which could offer a better chance at success because Zibanejad and Miller were relatively successful when playing together last season, controlling better than 52 percent of shot attempts and expected goals during five-on-five play. That does provide some reason for optimism, so even though Zibanejad is now 32, and bouncing back gets more difficult as a player gets older, he should be expected to contribute 25 goals and 70 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Vincent Trocheck

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	27	37	64	0.78

A veteran center who plays with the heart of an agitator, Trocheck has played more than 21 minutes per game in the past two seasons, and he is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who recorded a career-high 214 hits while winning a career-best 59.3 percent of his faceoffs last season. His all-around contributions are consistently positive. While he is decent defensively, it is the offensive side of the game that leads to Trocheck generating positive results year after year. He is also very durable, having played in every game for three straight seasons. Trocheck’s ability to drive play is enhanced by playing with a creative winger like Panarin, and their styles complement each other, with Trocheck more direct and straight line in his approach while Panarin changes pace and creates more offensively. Trocheck’s aggressive style plays well in the postseason, too, and it’s why other teams might come calling about him if the Rangers have a down season, as they did in 2024-2025. The Rangers will certainly hope to get back into the playoff mix this season, but if they can’t, Trocheck will surely be in demand. In the 2025-2026 season, it is fair to expect 20-25 goals and 60-plus points from Trocheck and, combined with his propensity for physical play, he will remain a valuable fantasy hockey contributor.

Alexis Lafreniere

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	20	32	52	0.63

After breaking through with career highs of 28 goals and 57 points in 2023-2024, Lafreniere’s production dropped to 17 goals and 45 points last season. His most common linemates are Panarin and Trocheck, so Lafreniere is getting the best possible opportunity to be productive, but his lack of power play production puts a limit on his overall contribution. Only four of his 45 points last season came with the man advantage, so he was tied for 80th with 41 even-strength points. At his best, Lafreniere uses his physicality to wreak havoc on the forecheck, and he’s comfortable going to the dirty areas to make plays. The question that still dogs Lafreniere is whether he skates well enough to get where he needs to go. It’s one thing to be willing to engage in physical battles, which he is, but sometimes, it helps just to be able to pull away from defenders and that remains an area for improvement. That Lafreniere finished with 64 fewer shots than the season before is not the most encouraging sign. He will turn 24 in October and has five years in the league, so the time for improvement may be running out. Given the quality of his linemates, Lafreniere should be expected to push 20 goals and 50 points, most of which will come at even strength.

Will Cuylle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	23	30	54	0.66

Although some of the higher profile Rangers are catching heat for their performance, Cuylle is a positive story among the Blueshirts forwards. The 2020 second-round pick broke through in 2024-2025, his second NHL season, scoring 20 goals and 45 points. As a 6-foot-3 winger who brings a physical game along with that touch around the net, Cuylle is on his career ascent and should see an even bigger role with the Rangers in 2025-2026. Full credit to Cuylle, because his scoring doesn’t come by accident. He puts himself in position and is not afraid to get to the front of the net. Among players to play at least 500 five-on-five minutes, Cuylle ranked 18th with 1.00 expected goals per 60 minutes. On top of that, Cuylle tied for third in the league with 301 hits, so he is a player who already has value in banger leagues, but as he climbs the depth chart, he has an opportunity to have more widespread fantasy appeal. There is a realistic shot for Cuylle to have a spot in the Rangers’ top six and if he ends up skating with, say, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, then that would be the kind of deployment that should see him continue to carve out a bigger role and make himself even more valuable. As an added bonus, he’s an effective penalty killer, too. He had the lowest shot attempts and expected goals against among Rangers forwards in four-on-five situations. Cuylle should be good for 20 goals, 40 points and in the neighborhood of 300 hits, but he could pop for more, too.

Taylor Raddysh

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	9	16	25	0.32

After playing very well in a limited role for the Washington Capitals last season, Raddysh may have an opportunity to earn a bigger role with the Rangers this season. Raddysh had a career high 20 goals and 37 points with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-2023, though he was playing 16:34 per game that season. Last season, in Washington, that ice time had dropped to 12:22 per game, but he contributed 27 points with better-than-even possession numbers despite an offensive zone face-off percentage of just 35.2 percent. While the puck tends to move the right way with Raddysh on the ice, he has had some trouble finishing in the past couple of seasons, scoring 12 goals on 213 shots (5.6 percent). There is certainly no guarantee that a bigger role awaits Raddysh in New York, but he is certainly in the competition for a spot in the top nine and that would give Raddysh a chance to elevate his production. He is 6-foot-3, uses his size effectively to gain position to tip pucks in front of the net. With his low percentages and uncertain role, however, expectations have to be modest for the 2025-2026 season, so 25-30 points seems to be a realistic expectation.

Juuso Parssinen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	9	14	23	0.32

A seventh-round pick by Nashville in 2019, Parssinen had 25 points (6 G, 19 A) in 45 games as a rookie in 2022-2023 but he has not been able to maintain that level of production in the two years since. He played with three teams last season, finishing the season with the Rangers, and scoring five points (2 G, 3 A) in 11 games for New York. He also played less than 10 minutes per game and managed just four shots on goal in those 11 games, so while he offers some potential, Parssinen needs more production to secure a regular spot in the lineup. Parssinen is a worthwhile risk for the Rangers to take because he's a 6-foot-3 center with some skill, and he has some offensive upside. He had five points (3 G, 2 A) in eight games for Finland at the World Championships, and he should be able to contribute secondary offence in the NHL. He has, however, bounced around the past couple of seasons with not very much production, so expectations are easily held in check going into 2025-2026. If Parssinen could stay in the lineup for a full season and put up 25 points, that would have to be considered reasonable progress.

Sam Carrick

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	8	14	22	0.27

A veteran fourth-line center who didn’t stick in the NHL as a regular until his age 29 season, Carrick played a career high 80 games for the Rangers last season and delivered a career high 20 points (6 G, 14 A). He also recorded 137 hits, the third time in the past four seasons that he had at least 120 hits. His offensive production is minimal, which is understandable for a center logging 12 minutes of ice time per game, but his limited role means that his hits and penalty minutes aren’t enough to overcome his lack of scoring. None of this is meant to disparage Carrick, who has played 320 NHL games in his career and is now 33 years old. His 2024-2025 season was valuable in an understated way. He played in 80 games, won 54.7 percent of his draws, and while his possession numbers were nothing special, he started 22.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and was a solid penalty killer. Carrick’s contributions hold real-life value in a specific role and can offer more than whatever his fantasy upside might be. The most likely outcome for Carrick is that he provides some bite to the Rangers lineup and contributes 15-20 points.

DEFENSE

Adam Fox

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	53	65	0.83

One of the top handful of defencemen in the league, Fox finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season and that was his worst finish in the past five seasons. To be fair to Fox, he was probably underrated because the Rangers weren’t a playoff team, because his impacts at both ends of the ice were still excellent. A cerebral player, Fox is sound positionally, reads the play well, has excellent patience, and handles the puck with earned confidence. He actively joins the attack and has excellent vision to spot open teammates in transition. If there is a nitpick about his game, Fox is not the biggest blueliner and is not particularly physical in his defensive approach, so he can get outmuscled at times. He could also shoot the puck more, but these are relatively minor issues because there is no denying the immensely positive impact when Fox is on the ice. In his six NHL seasons, the Rangers have outscored opponents 360-255 during five-on-five play with Fox on the ice and he has never been worse than +9 in terms of five-on-five goal differential for a season. His possession numbers have been excellent, controlling 52.7 percent of shot attempts, with +6.6 percent in relative terms, indicating that the Rangers have been vastly better when Fox is on the ice. For the 2025-2026 season, Fox should be expected to contribute double digit goals and 65 points and, if the team results are better, he could return more seriously to the Norris Trophy discussion.

Vladislav Gavrikov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	5	22	27	0.35

The veteran defenceman picked a great time to have the best season of his career, producing 30 points (5 G, 25 A) while providing the best defensive impact of his career while logging a career-high 23:05 of ice time per game for Los Angeles. Although Gavrikov is not particularly physical for his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, he excels in the defensive zone. He does use his size to seal off opponents, is terrific at playing stick-on-puck defence and will lay out to block passes or shots in the slot. Gavrikov is not especially graceful in his movements but is light enough on his feet to show decent agility for his size. He recorded a career-high 140 blocked shots while playing big minutes for a Kings team that was stingy defensively, ranking third in terms of five-on-five shots and expected goals against per 60 minutes for the 138 defencemen that played at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes. Gavrikov also started 40.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, so he was doing heavy lifting on that team, and he still delivered strong results. Going to the Rangers, Gavrikov will be of vital importance to the squad and should play big minutes again. He should be able to contribute between 25-30 points during the 2025-2026 season and is likely only appealing to fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Braden Schneider

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	6	18	24	0.30

A 6-foot-4 right-shot blueliner who was a first-round pick in 2020, Schneider has been on a gradual path but did start to play a bigger role later last season, averaging 19 minutes per game over the last 20 games. His defensive play suffered, allowing his highest rate of shot attempts and expected goals against through his first four seasons. Schneider is a big hitter who steps up in neutral ice to deter his opponents and his hit and blocked shot counts are some of the reasons that he might have fantasy value. Despite playing in a relatively limited role, Schneider recorded 408 blocked shots and 460 hits in the past three seasons, making him one of 12 defencemen to surpass 400 in both categories over that time. Schneider had a career-high 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 2024-2025, including seven points (3 G, 4 A) in the last 20 games when his ice time increased. He won’t score enough to generate widespread fantasy appeal – he might get 20-plus points – but if he plays a top four role it would be possible that Schneider adds 150 hits and 150 blocked shots and that might have enough particular category value to make him more appealing.

Will Borgen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	16	20	0.24

A fourth-round pick who has battled his way into a regular role in the NHL, Borgen has played 248 regular-season games across the past three seasons, which is two more than the standard maximum. Borgen made the most of the opportunity provided to him when he was picked by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. He was not a star by any means, but he was handling a regular role on the third pairing. That was enough to make him part of the trade return when the Blueshirts sent right winger Kaapo Kakko to Seattle last season and then Borgen played 18:12 per game with the Rangers, which was not only a higher average time on ice than he had in Seattle, but he also started just 35.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. When it comes to fantasy value, Borgen has similar category appeal as Braden Schneider. Borgen might reasonably be expected to chip in 20 points along with 160 hits and 120 blocked shots. It says something about the Rangers’ defence that Borgen and Schneider are expected to play significant roles and neither one has great offensive accomplishments.

Goal

Igor Shesterkin

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
63	30	24	6	6	.909	2.67

It wasn't particularly surprising that the New York Rangers missed the postseason this spring, particularly given the continued regression seen from star goaltender Igor Shesterkin. But despite seeing his numbers regress even closer to the league mean, the Rangers bafflingly didn't do much to spare Shesterkin the workload - seemingly operating in a way that pointed to what Henrik Lundqvist did for the club during his career and challenging anyone to criticize their attempt at repeating history. Shesterkin's game relies on crisp decision-making and strong positional foundations, though, which becomes particularly apparent when he's playing just shy of one hundred percent. He's looked like he has needed a nice hefty break for a couple of seasons now, and it's bleeding into his numbers in an increasingly hard to deny way.

Shesterkin will still have veteran voice Jonathan Quick serving as his number two next year, but Quick's consistency has been hard to come by for a number of years now -- and his performance last year looked less like an experienced former starter clocking his team some extra wins, and more like a career backup logging the minutes until his starter was able to suit up again. It's unclear what New York's strategy will be next year - they have a promising young talent in Dylan Garand waiting in the wings, and likely capable of taking on a handful of starts to help manage the workload - but it's surprising to look at the team's depth chart and realize that they're hoping last year was just a fluke.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Michkov flying high, Jenner returns, Byfield is creating, Guenther is sniping, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 21:01:13 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 18: Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) celebrates after scoring a goal during a NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on January 18, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Matvei Michkov is flying high, Boone Jenner returns, Quinton Byfield is creating, Dylan Guenther is sniping, and much more!

#1 Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov went through a midseason slump that likely will prevent him from Calder Trophy consideration. It appears to be a close race between San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson. Nevertheless, Michkov is heating up again and has piled up 10 points (5 G, 5 A) and 24 shots on goal in his past five games. Skating on a line with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett is working for the 20-year-old first year winger.

#2 Shoulder surgery kept Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner on the shelf until last Saturday, but he has hit the ice with authority, recording five assists and eight shots on goal in his first three games. Jenner also has six hits and that has been a consistently valuable factor in his fantasy appeal over the years. He has been skating at left wing with Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson, though Sillinger was injured Thursday at Detroit, so Jenner ended up taking 15 draws against the Red Wings, winning eight.

#3 Los Angeles Kings centre Quinton Byfield has gone nine games without a goal, but he also has 11 assists in his past seven contests. He has averaged 20:30 of ice time in that stretch and the 6-foot-5 pivot is establishing that he is a quality second-line centre, anchoring a line with Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere on his wings. Byfield has had these moments both last season and earlier in this season, too, but the challenge for him is maintaining consistency. He doesn’t need to score 11 points every seven games, though it would be nice, but he also can’t have stretches where he has two points in 12 games, either.

#4 It might seem obvious that Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson would score, but he struggled early in the season and had just 15 points (5 G, 10 A) with 60 shots on goal in his first 26 games. That tide has turned, however, and in 32 games since, he has delivered 41 points (19 G, 22 A) with 102 shots on goal. Robertson is naturally skating on Dallas’ top line with Roope Hintz and they have rookie Mavrik Bourque on the right wing. It’s obviously a great situation for Bourque, who is riding a six-game point streak, but he also has just three shots on goal in those six games – scoring on all three of them! – so it’s not the most sustainable situation, but worth keeping an eye on.

#5 Utah Hockey Club right winger Dylan Guenther missed a dozen games with a lower-body injury but upon returning to the lineup, he turned sizzling hot. In his past eight games, Guenther has 10 points (6 G, 4 A) and 33 shots on goal. Averaging more than four shots on goal per game, for a player with a shot like Guenther’s, is a great way to ensure that production will continue. He is skating on a line with Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone at even strength as well as holding a spot on Utah’s top power play unit.

#6 Since joining the Dallas Stars, veteran forward Mikael Granlund has been reunited with Matt Duchene, with whom he had played previously in Nashville. Playing for a stronger team, Granlund is playing less in Dallas – his ice time down more than three minutes per game – and yet he has recorded six assists in seven games for the Stars. He may be deferring a little too much, though, as Granlund has just nine shots on goal in seven games for Dallas. He has never been a huge shot generator but was averaging 2.42 shots on goal per game with San Jose before the trade.

#7 The Detroit Red Wings are surging up the Eastern Conference standings and part of the reason is that winger Alex DeBrincat is finding the net. DeBrincat scored in Thursday night’s loss to Columbus, extending his point streak to eight games and he has 12 points (6 G, 6 A) and 27 shots on goal during that streak. DeBrincat has been doing his damage at even strength lately, where he is now skating with J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane, but DeBrincat is also a consistent producer on the power play. He has 46 power play goals in the past four seasons, which is tied with Connor McDavid for 13th.

#8 New York Rangers defenceman Adam Fox has been sidelined by an upper-body injury and that leaves the Blueshirts thin on the blueline, especially because K’Andre Miller left Tuesday’s game against the Islanders with an apparent lower-body injury. Miller may not miss time, but the Rangers are prepared to run a five-forward power play in Fox’s absence, with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafreniere on the first unit. If he is healthy, Miller might have some sleeper value because he has just 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 52 games this season, but put up 43 points in 2022-2023, with 38 of those points coming at even strength.

#9 His name is popping up in trade rumours, yet St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn is producing at a high level, which is not hurting his value. He is not generating enough shots, but Schenn does have seven points (1 G, 6 A) and eight shots on goal in his past seven games. He has solid wingers with Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou on his flanks and Schenn adds fantasy appeal with his physical play as he has 150 hits in 60 games, which is tied for 26th.

#10 Although he does not have a consistent role on the Columbus power play, Blue Jackets defenceman Ivan Provorov does have six points (4 G, 2 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. He was logging huge minutes in the games leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off break, averaging 28:55 time on ice in the previous four games and while it’s down to the 22-23 minutes per game range since the break, there is value in logging big minutes for a team that tends to play higher scoring games and the Blue Jackets rank third with 2.86 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-five play.

#11 Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot has quietly been having an excellent season and his production is getting noisier. In his past eight games, he has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 31 shots on goal. That shot rate is elite, and with Chabot delivering strong puck possession numbers (54.3 percent Corsi), it’s reasonable to expect that he can continue to generate offense. Maybe not at seven points in eight games pace, but enough to hold fantasy appeal.

#12 Injuries continue to wreak havoc on the Minnesota Wild and now centre Joel Eriksson Ek will be out of the lineup for weeks with a lower-body injury. Virtually by default, Frederick Gaudreau moves into the second-line centre spot and second-unit power play time virtually by default. In his past 11 games, Gaudreau has eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 19 shots on goal and in his past five games he is averaging 17:32 of ice time per game, so he is getting a chance to contribute more offensively.

#13 A slumping Michael Bunting will be out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for weeks following appendix surgery. Bunting had no goals and two assists, with 20 shots on goal in his last 10 games before he was sidelined. With Bunting out, the Penguins have Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass skating on Evgeni Malkin’s wings. Beauvillier has four points (1 G, 3 A) and 21 shots on goal in his past seven games, which is more appealing than Glass, who has two assists and 21 shots on goal in his past 12 games.

#14 While the spotlight in Washington naturally shines on Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, the Capitals are getting quality production from their supporting cast, too. In his past 14 games, for example, Pierre-Luc Dubois has contributed 15 points (7 G, 8 A) with 26 shots on goal. He could still stand to shoot the puck more, but this scoring surge gives him 49 points (14 G, 35 A) in 59 games, a massive improvement on the 40 points that he produced in 82 games for the Kings last season. There has never been a question about his talent, but it is refreshing to see what kind of production follows when he is engaged in the right situation.

#15 Skating on Dubois’ wings, Taylor Raddysh and Connor McMichael have had different paths this season. McMichael burst out of the gate at the start of the season, scoring 12 goals in his first 16 games, but then went through some lean times in the middle of the season. He is heating up again, though, with nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. With Tom Wilson dealing with an illness, Raddysh received more opportunity, and he has five assists in his past six games. The challenge for Raddysh is securing regular playing time because he has played under 13 minutes in 34 of 59 games this season.

#16 Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens has landed in trade rumours quite a bit this season, in part over frustration as the young forward has not produced as much offense as expected. His 68-point season in 2022-2023 seems to have set a bar that is now difficult for him to approach again, as Cozens finished with 47 points (18 G, 29 A) in 79 games last season and now has 30 points (11 G, 19 A) in 57 games this season. More recently, Cozens does have seven points (1 G, 6 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past nine games, but it will be interesting to see if the Sabres are moved to include him in any deadline deals.

#17 The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting some contributions from unusual places lately. Nick Robertson was an efficient scorer last season but had done little this season until he contributed four points (3 G, 1 A) in his past two games. Robertson’s emergence helps provide depth scoring, as he skates on a line with Max Domi and Matthew Knies. Pontus Holmberg is another Maple Leafs player providing surprising offense, as he works on the left side with John Tavares and William Nylander. Holmberg has mostly been a depth player in his career, but does have five points (4 G, 1 A) in his past three games. With Max Pacioretty potentially returning to the lineup, there could be some shuffling that makes Holmberg less appealing, but Robertson and Holmberg are at least worth keeping tabs on in the short term.

#18 Second-year New York Rangers left winger Will Cuylle can go through some scoring droughts, but he does have three points (2 G, 1 A) in his past four games and that complements his physical game. He is a reliable hitter, ranking fourth in the league with 217 hits, and Cuylle is the only player in the NHL with at least 30 points and 200 hits this season. In banger leagues, that makes him more valuable than his mere scoring numbers would suggest.

#19 With William Karlsson injured, Vegas Golden Knights centre Brett Howden is looking at a better opportunity, centering a line with veterans Brandon Saad and Mark Stone on his wings. Howden has recorded seven assists along with 13 shots on goal during a four-game point streak and while it hinders his Cy Young case – he had 16 goals and 6 assists previously – Howden now has career highs with 16 goals and 29 points in 58 games.

#20 The season looks like it could be getting away from the Boston Bruins and they could be sellers at the trade deadline, but don’t ignore Elias Lindholm. The veteran centre has seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past nine games and, in his past four games, has 18 shots on goal while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game. He’s centering Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle, and that line might not make it through the deadline, but Lindholm is getting ample opportunity, including first-unit power play time, so he could offer some late-season value.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 21:30:46 +0000

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 13: Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones (4) controls the puck during overtime during a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks on April 13, 2023 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

Review: Going into the 2022-23 campaign, the big question surrounding the Blackhawks wasn’t if they’d make the playoffs, it was if they’d win the draft lottery, securing the rights to draft Connor Bedard. That might sound harsh, but it would be hard to make the argument that Chicago was making any effort to compete in 2022-23 after they even traded Alex DeBrincat, who was coming off a 41-goal campaign and still just 24 years old, for nothing more than draft picks. That’s the kind of trade you only make if your goal is to start almost completely from scratch. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Chicago ranked last offensively – they traded Max Domi and Patrick Kane before the deadline, preventing the team from finishing with even a 50-point player – and near the bottom of the pack defensively. The Blackhawks’ 29-49-7 record was just shy of the worst in the league, but they did end up winning the draft lottery.

What’s Changed? As expected, Chicago used the first overall pick to get Bedard, giving them a new headline player as the Blackhawks move past the Kane/Jonathan Toews era. To give Bedard a mentor and potential linemate, Chicago acquired Taylor Hall from Boston. Another veteran leader joining the Blackhawks is Corey Perry, who inked a one-year, $4 million contract.

What would success look like? A good season for Bedard by itself would be a win this year. He’s not the only Chicago prospect who could have a big season though. Lukas Reichel should serve in a top-six capacity and has a lot of potential. Philipp Kurashev doesn’t have the same level of upside as Reichel or Bedard, but Kurashev has 191 career NHL games under his belt now and might get a chance to play on the second line while surpassing his current career-high of 25 points. On defense, rookie Wyatt Kaiser could prove to be a solid top-four option down the road. Make no mistake though: This is a rebuilding season and Chicago is in no way expected to make the playoffs.

What could go wrong? So much depends on Bedard and if he’ll live up to the unreal levels of hype that have been thrust upon him. Early struggles aren’t the end of the world and even a poor rookie campaign from him wouldn’t necessarily be an indication that he’s a bust. After all, 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes recorded just 21 points as a rookie but broke out in his fourth campaign with 43 goals and 99 points in 78 contests. However, so much of the Blackhawks hopes are resting on the idea that Bedard will be the next Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid, so it will be hard to navigate through Chicago’s anxiety if any warning signs crop up.

Top Breakout Candidate: Bedard is the obvious choice, but Reichel shouldn’t be slept on either. Reichel showed a lot of promise last season with 20 goals and 51 points in 55 AHL contests along with seven goals and 15 points in 23 games with Chicago. Reichel should be given every opportunity this year and might even play on the same line as Bedard on both even strength and the power play, further tying their fates together.

Forwards

Taylor Hall - RW

The Blackhawks needed a running mate for Connor Bedard and one fell into their laps with the Bruins trading them Taylor Hall for pennies on the dollar, the only expense for the Hawks being his $6 million AAV cap hit for the next two seasons. Hall is a great player to complement the young star because he can take a lot of pressure off him to “do everything” on his line. He loves carrying the puck and having the play go through him on the wing, which should open up some scoring opportunities for Bedard. Hall’s lines are usually a net positive when it comes to how many shots and goals they create and give up. Hall, himself, however, has been on a bit of the downswing in terms of how many goals he scores himself. His shooting has been on the decline, and he plays at a slower, methodical pace than he used to. This was perfect for the Bruins, as he injected some life into their middle-six and was one of their best forwards in the playoffs. Hall is probably a second liner now, so it will be interesting to see how he does going back to being “the guy” on another team, at least until Bedard emerges. He certainly has plenty of experience playing with first overall picks.

Tyler Johnson - C

The former “Tampa Triplet” had somewhat of a bounce-back season, scoring at his highest rate since the 2020 season, albeit with only 32 points in 56 games. Johnson’s career has been constantly interrupted by injuries over the past four years, so getting 50-something games out of him was nice to see. A good chunk of that production came on the power play, as Johnson can still be dangerous if someone sets him up. He just struggles to create on his own with only six of his goals coming at five-on-five and not having that same finish around the net he used to have. There comes a point where the rigors of the NHL do a number on even the most skilled players, and this appears to be the case for Johnson. His saving grace might be that he could thrive as a forechecker or in a defensive role, but the Hawks needed all the offense they could get and he played most of his minutes on scoring lines. With the roster in dire straits, Johnson will likely be in the Hawks top-six and power play units next season, although there is some help on the way with Bedard and Reichel.

Andreas Athanasiou - LW

Athanasiou’s speed is his one tool and it’s not a bad one to have. Still one of the fastest players in the league and coming off one of his best seasons in a while in terms of boxscore stats. Staying healthy and getting lots of opportunities for offense were the biggest factors, playing a full season after missing almost all of 2022 and potting 20 goals for the first time since he was a Detroit Red Wing. His speed is always going to make him a weapon because he can make space for himself and create quick-strike offense out of nothing plays, which is always going to play its part. Playing on a bad team helps you get more opportunities, but the Hawks need skill to work with their top picks and he formed some decent chemistry with their future star Lukas Reichel down the stretch last year. The downside is offense is pretty much all Athansiou has to offer. His value will be married to his point total and if he isn’t scoring, you’ll often ask yourself “what else is he doing?” This, along with his spotty injury history are the risks he brings.

Taylor Raddysh - RW

How many would guess that the Hawks co-leading goal-scorer was Taylor Raddysh? Granted, that’s only 20 goals but still impressive for a player who was unproven heading into the year. Raddysh was a guy the Hawks liked since they acquired him, giving him minutes with Toews and playing him on the top power play regularly. If you watch him, it’s easy to see why because he loves to shoot the puck and has a great release. Does a lot of the little things you need to do when you’re with great playmakers, always being in motion to get yourself open and recognizing where the play is going. Considering he almost never played on the Patrick Kane line, it’s impressive that he got 12 goals while primarily relying on teammates setting him up. He is an intriguing option to play with Bedard, as he has shown that he won’t get killed defensively in the top-six and the great shot is hard to ignore. Raddysh is also in that awkward spot of being in his mid-20’s on an expiring contract, so it will be interesting to see if he’s part of the Hawks plans going forward.

Nick Foligno - LW

It’s no secret that intangibles were a key factor in Chicago signing Nick Foligno, although his $4 million AAV cap hit to reach the floor also helps. Moving on from most of their leadership core in recent years, the Hawks invested in some older players to help bring some of their prospects along as they navigate their way through the rebuild. The ex-Blue Jacket captain is coming off a nice rebound campaign after a disastrous first year in Boston. He got back to double-digit goals and is always a reliable defensive player. Plays a straight-line game and plays more off the puck than he used to, as he doesn’t have that same burst he once did. Still very effective at getting to the net and capitalize on scoring chances and could see some power play time depending on how the Hawks roster looks come October. He could also play more minutes with the Hawks, as Boston had the luxury to play him in the 12-13 minute range on the deepest forward corps in the league.

Corey Perry - RW

Another veteran signed to a one-year deal, Corey Perry is coming off a couple strong years in Tampa and is still a master at getting under other players’ skin. His body can’t handle the full wear-and-tear of a normal top-sixer, but he’s made the most out of limited minutes in his last two years with the Lightning, going to the net to create chances and being a general menace to play against. This is a different situation than what he’s used to though, as he is usually brought in as a supplementary piece to a contending team. The Hawks aren’t contending this year, so Perry is there to be more of a leader and absorb some of the tougher parts of the game. Tampa rejuvenated his career a little, posting 40 points a couple years ago while giving them solid minutes on their fourth line dubbed “The School Bus Line.” Last year he was more of a power play specialist, scoring 12 of his 25 points with the man advantage and creating most of his five-on-five offense off rebounds.

Ryan Donato - RW

Skilled goal-scorers who don’t fit in the top-six sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Fortunately for Ryan Donato, he played on a Seattle team that played their skilled guys lower in the lineup and formed one of the more efficient scoring lines in the league alongside Daniel Sprong. The Harvard grad scored two points per 60 minutes at five-on-five with the Kraken, comparable with the likes of Trevor Zegras and Alex Iafallo. Possessing a fantastic set of hands, Donato can score some very creative goals out of nothing plays and made Seattle one of the deepest teams in the league last year. Whether it’s off the rush or around the net, he is great at settling down loose pucks and putting defenders in a tough spot if he gets the puck with some speed. The reason why he doesn’t play high in the lineup is that his game is pretty one-dimensional. He is not the best passer in the world and has tunnel-vision to the net most times. He is also a streaky scorer, finding the back of the net only one time in the final two months of the season (including no goals in the playoffs). Gives the Hawks another utility player to work with as they enter the year with a blank canvas.

Philipp Kurashev - LW

Out of all the Hawks forward prospects, nobody was given more of a chance to produce more than Kurashev. Playing almost 18 minutes a night in the Hawks top-six, Kurashev the Hawks wanted to see everything they had in the 23-year-old winger. He has good skills individually; great hands, uses his edges well, decent speed and plays with a high motor. In a game situation, he struggled to put it together, often throwing puck away on cycles and dumping the puck in on most of his entries unless it was off a turnover. There would be moments of greatness once every few games, but that’s just what they were, moments. That said, the Hawks liked him enough to retain him for two years, likely having him play lower in the lineup. He has the skills to be a good checking line player with some pop, as he usually takes smart routes to exit the zone and is effective at skating through traffic. Skills that make him a better fit for a counter-attack offense as opposed to a cycle game that you need from your top line. Last year was probably a good year for him and the Hawks as they know what they have in him and how they can use him better going forward.

Boris Katchouk - LW

The trade deadline opens the door for some players to step up and this was the case for Boris Katchouk. Toiling away as a healthy scratch for most of the year, Katchouk finally got some consistent playing time and linemates once some roster spots opened up. He had a nice month in March alongside Joey Anderson and Jujhar Khaira on what ended up as the Hawks first line on some nights. A high scorer both in junior and the AHL, he could translate that to the pros at times. Katchouk can use his size well to play a more skilled game, as he’s a good puck-handler and is very good at stealing pucks to setup plays from behind the net. He didn’t get much of a chance to do so while playing on the Hawks fourth line and struggled to score even when he got a bump in ice time. At 24, he’s still looking to find his role in the NHL but finds himself in a similar situation to last year where he might get lost in the shuffle.

Defense

Seth Jones - D

One year into his seven-year contract with Chicago, it took some time for Seth Jones to get acclimated to his new team. His point total took a hit, but things were a little calmer when he was on the ice. Having his skillset, it’s easy to think that you need to be the guy that does everything, especially on a bad team, and his workload was scaled back. He still logged more minutes than almost anyone else in the NHL but wasn’t pinching at every opportunity and stepped back more often when defending entries instead of meeting forwards at the red line. Ankle injuries have limited his ability to pivot and skate backwards, so Jones has to pay more attention to where the play is going rather than assuming he can shut it down on his own. It’s a new approach, but it should lead to better results once the players around Jones improve. He is showing that he can reinvent his game and still be a top-pair caliber defenseman, although not the game-breaker the Hawks were hoping for. The return of his shot being a threat was nice to see, mostly because he was likely the team’s best option more times than not. Still very good at getting pucks through traffic and was more opportunistic with creating chances than trying to score from long-distance.

Connor Murphy - D

While his game is mostly in the defensive zone, Murphy (who is now the Hawks longest-tenured player) set a career high in goals last year. He will surprise fans with the times he does jump in because it’s rare to see him outside of the defensive zone. Murphy has the mobility to be more active offensively, but he is mostly about cleaning up messes in his own end. He had his minutes reduced last year but still had big responsibilities on the penalty kill. Also played with a rotating cast of partners, sometimes he would be paired with a rookie, other times he was with Jarred Tinordi, a strictly physical defenseman. Very good at blocking shots without sacrificing his body. Takes a lot of abuse with retrieving pucks and struggles to make the first pass out of the zone, although most of that is from being under constant forecheck pressure. Needs a more mobile partner to succeed and will likely have his hands full this coming year with the Hawks blue line lacking experienced puck movers.

Nikita Zaitsev - D

Zaitsev spent most of last season as a part-time player in Ottawa before being placed on waivers and ultimately getting traded to Chicago in a deal that sent the Blackhawks a draft pick for eating the final year of his contract. Used to playing in the 20–22-minute range in his prime, Zaitsev’s game struggles to translate to the quicker pace of the league now. He plays a thankless role as a shot-blocker and a physical defenseman, but there is a limitation on how effective you can be when your puck skills are as limited as his. He is also a little redundant in Chicago’s lineup with a similar player in Murphy in the top-four and another comparable player in Jarred Tinordi also on the roster. He did score his lone goal of the season after being traded to Chicago but was only used in a depth role with a rotating cast of partners. The influx of younger players could force him out of the Hawks lineup, but it’s tough to say with so many unproven options on Chicago’s blue line.

Jarred Tinordi - D

enseman and Maryland native was claimed off waivers from the Rangers at the start of the year and was a regular in the Hawks lineup. The team likes both his size and the physical brand of hockey he plays. He proved to be effective in certain situations, most notably defending zone entries and limiting chances off the rush. Sometimes you need guys who will just play the system and do the little things to get by and this is exactly what Tinordi did. He won’t complete a lot of passes out of the zone, but he can stop the puck along the wall to free it for his partner or be in position to receive a pass to skate it out. When you’re playing 15-17 minutes a night, that’s all you need to do, and the Hawks were happy with what they got out of him. Eventually they’ll need to upgrade, but Tinordi could be a regular next year if none of the prospects from Rockford impress in training camp. It helps that he set career highs in goals and points, as modest as those totals were.

Goaltending

Petr Mrazek - G

There are few teams as obviously hitting the reset button as the Chicago Blackhawks, and there are few goaltenders entering the 2023-24 season who are as obviously cast as parts of a rebuild as Petr Mrazek. With Chicago GM Kyle Davidson openly stating that the team won’t be chasing additional goaltending depth, it’s likely that Blackhawks fans will see more Mrazek than anything for the upcoming year – whether for better or for worse.

Mrazek came to Chicago as a once-highly-touted veteran who dazzled in his league debut, then never quite lived up to the hype. He has the ability to showcase quick hands and fast skating, sliding out of screens and recovering to make last-second desperation saves when things look dire in front of him. But despite his elite-tier athleticism, his consistency has always been a sticking point – and in Chicago, with a smattering of groin issues and a very clearly deconstructed roster skating out in front of him, the Czech netminder had one of the league’s worst performances last year. The fact that he’s the team’s returnee, and not the surprisingly resilient Alex Stalock, is a testament to just how willing the team is to move away from assets that could prevent them from creating a new empire from the ground up; he’ll tandem with Arvid Söderblom in hopes that Mrazek will remain healthy and Söderblom will be able to hold down the fort when needed. It’s not all doom and gloom in Chicago’s crease, since prospect Drew Commesso is under contract and hopefully going to be ready to take over as the team’s heir apparent in a few years time. But for now, Chicago just has to hope that Mrazek is able to come back fully healthy and able to put up his best performance in nearly three years – if they want to show an ability to take a step forward this upcoming year, he’ll have to be better than he was in 2022-23.

Projected starts: 60-65

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Value to be mined on the waiver wire in time for fantasy hockey playoffs

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 17:41:29 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 27: Carolina Hurricanes Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) skates during the second period of the NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes on January 27, 2022 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Steven Kingsman/Icon Sportswire)

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, the fantasy playoffs are coming, or underway in some cases. There is still value to be mined from the waiver wire, especially if your team needs to adjust to late-season injury news, like the season-ending injury to Andrei Svechnikov. Barrett Hayton, Dylan Strome, Logan Couture, and Jason Zucker are some of the forwards worth a late season add.

#1 The worst of the injury news this week is the Carolina Hurricanes losing left winger Andrei Svechnikov to a season-ending knee injury. At the time of his injury, Svechnikov was one of six players to have at least 20 goals and 140 hits. Brady Tkachuk, Jason Zucker, Lawson Crouse, Alex Ovechkin, and J.T. Miller were the others. With Svechnikov out, opportunity knocks for Jesse Puljujarvi, who gets a shot on Carolina’s top line alongside Sebastian Aho, his former teammate from Karpat in Finland. It has been a disappointing season for Puljujarvi, as he has just 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in 61 games, but this could be a good opportunity to snap out of it.

#2 While we’re talking about Finnish forwards in Carolina, don’t overlook Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who has produced 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in his past 17 games. That does include a five-point game against Tampa Bay and he only has 23 shots in that time, but the increased offensive production is a welcome development from the third pick in the 2018 Draft. His next point will tie his career high of 34 points, set during his rookie season in 2018-2019.

#3 It has not necessarily been the smoothest development path for Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton, who was drafted fifth overall in 2018, but it looks like he is starting to find his groove in the NHL. The 22-year-old has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) during a six-game point streak and is making the most out of his opportunity to center Arizona’s top line. Before the points picked up, Hayton had already started generating more shots and has 68 shots on goal in his past 22 games, which is an encouraging sign for his future production.

#4 The third pick in the 2015 Draft, Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome has had his share of ups and downs with previous stops in Arizona and Chicago but has shown that he can score when given the chance. Strome has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) during a six-game point streak and has hit the 50-point plateau for the second time in his career.

#5 He is older now and playing for a team at the bottom of the standings, but San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture has contributed 21 points (7 G, 14 A) in his past 19 games. That gives him 58 points (24 G, 34 A) in 69 games for the season and his 0.84 points per game is the second highest per-game rate of his career. He’s also widely available for fantasy managers, so worth considering for a late-season push.

#6 Pittsburgh Penguins left winger Jason Zucker has managed to stay relatively healthy and is once again a goal-scoring threat. In his past 10 games, the 31-year-old forward has scored nine goals and put 38 shots on goal, giving him 24 goals and 42 points. The last time he had more in either category was the 2017-2018 season. Zucker’s 20 even-strength goals ranks 20^th in the league.

#7 As one of the few regular forwards to remain healthy in Montreal, Josh Anderson is playing a big role late in the season. In the past 10 games, he has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 23 shots on goal, while averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game. He is up to 21 goals on the season, the second time in his career that he has crossed the 20-goal threshold.

#8 Recently acquired from the Dallas Stars, winger Denis Gurianov is thriving in a bigger role with the Habs. After scoring two goals and nine points in 43 games for Dallas, Gurianov has contributed five points (4 G, 1 a) and 29 shots on goal in 10 games for Montreal. It’s not earth-shattering production, but he is getting more than 15 minutes of ice time per game and, on a depleted Canadiens roster, has a good chance to play a big role for the rest of the season.

#9 Playing a bigger role in Chicago, winger Taylor Raddysh has seven points (6 G, 1 A) in his past five games and has hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. One of the encouraging signs for Raddysh is that he is shooting more – he has 21 shots on goal in the past eight games and this comes after he had recorded a total of five shots on goal in the previous eight games. It is a lot easier to buy Raddysh as a goal-scoring threat if he is averaging 2.5 to 3 shots per game.

#10 On rare occasions, the waiver wire can unearth a gem, and it looks like that could be the case for the Arizona Coyotes with defenseman Juuso Valimaki, the 24-year-old that they claimed from Calgary. Valimaki had 16 points (3 G, 13 A) in 82 games for the Flames before he was waived and has shown that he is not only a legitimate NHLer, but a legit top four, or even top pair, defenseman. In addition to providing sound defensive play, Valimaki has responded well to an elevated role, playing nearly 23 minutes per game since late January. In his past 21 games, Valimaki has earned 16 assists and is quarterbacking Arizona’s top power play unit.

#11 What a strange path it has been for Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak, a 25-year-old who had seven points (1 G, 6 A) in 27 games as a rookie last season and started this season in the American Hockey League. He is now Nashville’s most productive center, playing on the top power play. In his past 14 games, Novak has put up 17 points (9 G, 8 A) with 25 shots on goal. He is obviously not going to keep scoring at that rate without more shots, but Novak has gone rather quickly from fringe NHLer to significant offensive contributor.

#12 Although he is not finishing like he has in the past, Vancouver Canucks right winger Brock Boeser is contributing to the club’s improved play late in the season. Since Rick Tocchet took over behind the Canucks bench, Boeser has 18 points (3 G, 15 A) in 21 games and he is helping center J.T. Miller get back on top of his game, too. Boeser has 45 points, a level that he has hit in each of his six NHL seasons, but just 12 goals.

#13 Los Angeles Kings right winger Gabriel Vilardi had a strong start to the season before some lean times in the middle portion of the schedule, but he is picking up his production again. In his past 17 games, he has 14 points (6 G, 8 A), giving him 22 goals and 39 points, which are both career highs. Of course, given Vilardi’s injury history, the 59 games that he has played this season is also a career high.

#14 Banger league managers may want to have an eye on Blues winger Sammy Blais, who has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 69 hits in 16 games since returning to St. Louis. Philadelphia’s Nic Deslauriers is the leading forward in terms of hits per game (minimum 50 GP), averaging 3.89 hits per game. Blais is averaging 4.31 per game with the Blues. Arizona rookie Jack McBain is another to consider, though probably for deep leagues only. McBain has six points (3 G, 3 A) to go with 25 hits in his past seven games and the Coyotes are giving him plenty of reps – he is averaging nearly 18 minutes per game over the past seven.

#15 At this stage of the season, it is not easy to find goaltending help, so that help may have to come from unlikely sources. If Tristan Jarry continues to struggle for Pittsburgh, Casey DeSmith could see more action. DeSmith has a .932 save percentage in his past six appearances.

#16 Other goaltenders that are more readily available in fantasy are some of the guys getting action with the worst teams in the league. Alex Stalock and Petr Mrazek of the Chicago Blackhawks are both playing better than might be expected. Stalock has had trouble staying healthy but has a .922 save percentage to go with a 9-8-1 record in 19 games. Mrazek struggled for a good chunk of the season, but he has a .926 save percentage in his past eight games. Arizona’s Connor Ingram has a .927 save percentage in his past 10 games but, because it is with the Coyotes, he has a 3-2-5 record in those 10 games. These aren’t ideal options, obviously, but if you’re desperate enough to look for goaltending at this stage of the season, you might be desperate enough to take goalies that are playing on bad teams.

#17 Colorado lost left winger Artturi Lehkonen for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger, suffered in his return to Montreal. That has resulted in guys like Evan Rodrigues and Denis Malgin getting bumped up the depth chart. Rodrigues has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past eight games. Malgin has two goals in his past six games but is not getting enough ice time to generate serious fantasy interest.

#18 The Arizona Coyotes is missing Nick Schmaltz with a lower-body injury, which is unfortunate considering that he had 25 points (14 G, 11 A) in his last 20 games before getting hurt. Newly acquired Brett Ritchie has been plugged into Schmaltz’s spot on the top line and first power play unit, which is not typical deployment for Ritchie. He does have four points (2 G, 2 A) in five games for Arizona and has played more than 18 minutes in each of his past three games.

#19 A lower-body injury has kept Kings right winger Kevin Fiala out of the lineup for the past week. That takes the leading scorer, with 68 points (22 G, 46 A) in 66 games, out of the mix for Los Angeles. Trevor Moore has rejoined Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson on the second line with Fiala out of action and Moore has a goal and an assist in three games since his ice time was bumped up.

#20 Connor McDavid, Clayton Keller, and Cale Makar are tied for the scoring lead in the two weeks since the March 3 trade deadline, with 13 points. They are followed by Matthew Tkachuk, Nathan MacKinnon, Tim Stutzle, and Miro Heiskanen, at 12, with Leon Draisaitl, Barrett Hayton, Jamie Benn, and Vince Dunn coming in with 11. Hayton is obviously making the most of his chance to play with Keller, and the Stars getting big production out of Benn and Heiskanen is a little eye opening considering how dependent Dallas has been on production from the top line. Stutzle and Dunn have both taken a major step forward this season. Dunn is tied for 10^th among defensemen with 56 points (13 G, 43 A) in 68 games while Stutzle has erupted for a career-high 76 points (34 G, 42 A) in 64 games.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Konecny is the Hottest Player in the League – The Good and the Bad of Nashville Predators Prospects, The High-scoring Seattle Kraken – Kevin Hayes bounces back and much more.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 15:51:27 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - NOVEMBER 05: Philadelphia Flyers Right Wing Travis Konecny (11) before a face-off during third period National Hockey League action between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators on November 5, 2022, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers is the hottest player in the league; the good and the bad of Nashville Predators prospects, the high-scoring Seattle Kraken, Kevin Hayes bounces back and much more.

#1 Philadelphia Flyers right winger Travis Konecny is busting out with the best season of his career. He has already tied his career high with 24 goals but has done so in just 36 games. Konecny scored a hat trick in Wednesday’s win over Washington, extending his point streak to 10 games, during which he has piled up 20 points (12 G, 8 A) and 32 shots on goal. For a Flyers team that is starting to show improvement since, especially since the holiday break, Konecny has emerged as a bona fide star.

#2 Nashville has done some remodeling to their forward group on the fly, and it has included calling up Thomas Novak and Juuso Parssinen from the American Hockey League. The two centers are also getting first unit power play time. Novak, 25, had 26 points (11 G, 15 A) in 25 AHL games and has been able to produce for the Preds too. He has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 25 shots on goal in 12 games for Nashville. Parssinen, 21, was called up sooner. He had a goal and an assist in Thursday’s loss at Montreal and now has seven points (1 G, 6 A) during a five-game point streak.

#3 Nashville’s handling of forward prospects has taken some heat, however, after they lost winger Eeli Tolvanen to Seattle on waivers. Tolvanen, 23, was a first-round pick in 2017. He scored a goal in Thursday’s win at Boston, giving him six points (4 G, 2 A) in seven games since he was grabbed off waivers by Seattle. Tolvanen has 14 shots on goal and 16 hits in those seven games, making an immediate impact in a depth role with the Kraken.

#4 Although he is not used in the role of a prime playmaking center, as might have been anticipated when he joined the Kraken via the expansion draft, Yanni Gourde is contributing. In his past 15 games, Gourde has put up 13 points (3 G, 10 A) and 27 shots on goal, and all of those points have come at even strength. The Kraken have scored 3.63 goals per 60 minutes, which ranks third, behind only the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins.

#5 One more to watch for the Kraken: defenseman Vince Dunn recorded an assist at Boston on Thursday, giving him 30 points (7 G, 23 A) in just 41 games. He is on a tear lately, producing 12 points (3 G, 9 A) and 16 shots on goal in the past eight games. Dunn tied his career high with 35 points last season, but it appears that he is well on his way to a new career high in point production this season.

#6 Although he was a healthy scratch recently, Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes has still been a productive playmaker. In the past five games, Hayes has six points (1 G, 5 A) and 17 shots on goal. The elevated shot rate is relatively new for Hayes. He has a career high 2.78 shots on goal per game, though he is scoring on just 8.8% of his shots, the second lowest shooting percentage of his career.

#7 While there are rumors about the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring a forward to play in their top six, versatile veteran Calle Jarnkrok is making the most of his chance to play up in the lineup. Jarnkrok has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in his past 15 games, and is skating on the left side with John Tavares and Mitch Marner, a line that is effectively Toronto’s top line while Auston Matthews remains out of the lineup. Jarnkrok, who scored a career high 35 points in 68 games in 2017-2018, has 20 points (9 G, 11 A) in 36 games for the Maple Leafs.

#8 Second year New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer scored a pair of goals in Tuesday’s big comeback win at Carolina, giving him seven points (2 G, 5 A) in the past six games. Consistency has been a little more challenging for Mercer, as this production followed a seven-game drought, during which he had zero points and 14 shots on goal. His role is suspect, too. He is most appealing when he ends up on the wing with emerging superstar Jack Hughes, but Mercer has moved to right wing on the third line, without a regular spot on the Devils power play now that Ondrej Palat has returned from injury.

#9 The Arizona Coyotes have been giving 22-year-old center Barrett Hayton, the fifth pick in the 2018 Draft, ample opportunity to prove that he belongs in the National Hockey League. With little competition in the middle of the ice, Hayton has recently been centering Arizona’s top line, with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on the wings. Hayton has produced nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 21 shots on goal in the past eight games, which is taking his game to a new level and might offer some hope for his role in the future.

#10 Scoring the tying goal against Dallas in the final second of regulation on Thursday, New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller has seven points (3 G, 4 A) in the past five games, and has a career high 23 points (5 G, 18 A) in 43 games. The smooth-skating 6-foot-5 blueliner has just two points on the power play, so his 19 even-strength points puts him in a tie with Quinn Hughes, Darnell Nurse, Erik Gustafsson, and Hampus Lindholm for ninth among defensemen. His offensive ceiling is going to remain limited because Adam Fox is going to be the No. 1 power play option for the Rangers, but Miller is improving dramatically in just his third NHL season.

#11 With injuries hitting the St. Louis Blues hard, veteran left winger Brandon Saad has stepped up. Although he was held off the scoresheet in two games against the Calgary Flames, he still has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 18 shots on goal in the past eight games and is skating on a line with Brayden Schenn and Ivan Barbashev. That is a veteran trio that plays hard and in straight lines.

#12 He is not playing enough to get a standard fantasy recommendation just yet, but Columbus Blue Jackets rookie winger Kirill Marchenko had a hat trick against Carolina last Saturday and has scored nine goals in his first 18 NHL games. Of course, he is still seeking his first assist so there is room for improvement, but the 22-year-old also had 19 points (8 G, 11 A) in 16 AHL games to earn his promotion to Columbus. The Blue Jackets are obviously rebuilding so expect Marchenko and fellow rookie Kent Johnson to see plenty of ice time in the second half of the season.

#13 Injuries in Philadelphia prompted the call-up of 23-year-old goaltender Samuel Ersson from the AHL. He had a .910 save percentage in 18 AHL games, which is solid, but he has delivered a .924 save percentage in his first five NHL games, flashing talent that might make him a legitimate long-term asset for the Flyers. For fantasy purposes, Ersson has little value when Carter Hart is healthy, but is well worth a look in long-term dynasty leagues.

#14 Los Angeles Kings right winger Gabriel Vilardi got off to a great start to the season, staying healthy for once and showing the kind of offensive chops that made him the 11^th pick in the 2017 Draft. He then went through a dry spell, a 17-game span during which he had four points (3 G, 1 A) with three of those points coming on the power play. Vilardi has rebounded, however, and has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in his past 12 games, making the most of his opportunity to skate on a line with Kevin Fiala and Blake Lizotte, in addition to getting first unit power play time for the Kings.

#15 With No. 1 center Roope Hintz out of the lineup, veteran Tyler Seguin has moved up the depth chart in Dallas to play with Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski on the Stars’ top line. Seguin has a goal and an assist in two games since making the move and is worth adding while Hintz is out. Really, anyone getting a chance to play with Robertson and Pavelski will have some value, and Seguin is the lucky one right now.

#16 The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Patrick Kane on the injured list due to a lower-body injury. While this season has been far from vintage Kane, the Blackhawks will have to find new sources of offense. Rookie Lukas Reichel has displayed some potential with three points (1 G, 2 A) and eight shots on goal in four games since getting called up from the American Hockey League. Taylor Raddysh might have more immediate appeal, as the 24-year-old tallied his 11th goal of the season in Thursday’s win over Colorado.

#17 An injury to Jake Allen could give Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault some regular starts, at least in the short term. Montembeault has a .902 save percentage in 15 games for the Habs this season, and while that might sound mediocre, he had a .892 save percentage in 63 NHL games prior to this season, so this is progress. Of course, wins are not coming easily in Montreal, but if Montembeault can continue to play at this level, he will solidify his spot in the league.

#18 New York Rangers left winger Chris Kreider is out of the lineup, dealing with an upper-body injury and that has opened the door for Alexis Lafreniere. The 2020 first overall pick was a healthy scratch recently and last scored a goal on December 7, but he played a career-high 21:21 in Thursday’s 2-1 overtime win against Dallas. He also recorded three shots on goal, something he had done just once in his previous 12 games.

#19 It is looking like 38-year-old Florida Panthers center Eric Staal still has some gas left in the tank. Since the beginning of December, Staal has contributed 13 points (6 G, 7 A) and 38 shots on goal in 20 games. He played more than 15 minutes in 13 of those 20 games, a significant role for a guy who did not play in the NHL last season. With Anton Lundell moving up the depth chart to play left wing on Aleksander Barkov’s line, Staal has stepped in to handle the third-line center role for the Panthers.

#20 Since the holiday break, Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers leads in all-situations points per 60 minutes (minimum 50 minutes played), followed by Travis Konecny, Kyle Connor, Filip Forsberg, Lucas Raymond, Matthew Tkachuk, Viktor Arvidsson, Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, and Kevin Fiala. Since returning from injury, Ehlers has changed the dynamic in Winnipeg, which is not unexpected – he is an elite play-driving winger who can create a ton of scoring chances. While most of those players are rostered already, Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson are more readily available to help your fantasy team.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

CULLEN: 20 Fantasy Points – Veterans Re-establishing Value, Significant Injuries Shake Up Lines

Scott Cullen — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 18:46:19 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Anders Lee, Dominik Kubalik, and Sean Monahan are veteran forwards re-establishing their value and there are significant injuries starting to shake up lines around the National Hockey League.

#1 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is a six-time 20-goal scorer who is off to a strong start this season, with seven points (4 G, 3 A) in seven games. What is particularly encouraging about Lee is that he is averaging an even three shots on goal per game, a massive jump from the 2.09 shots per game that he averaged last season. In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Lee adds a physical element. He has surpassed 100 hits six times in his career and has 14 hits in seven games to start this season.

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 01: Detroit Red Wings left wing Dominik Kubalik (81) looks on during a time out during a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks on October 1, 2022 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

#2 Intent on beginning a full-scale rebuilding plan in the offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks did not give winger Dominik Kubalik a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. That left Kubalik free to sign with any team and he joined the Detroit Red Wings. Early returns in Detroit have been outstanding as Kubalik has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) during a five-game point streak which started in the second game of the season. While he will not continue scoring on 25.0% of his shots, but with Tyler Bertuzzi injured and Jakub Vrana in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Kubalik moves to the top of the Red Wings depth chart on the left side, so he should play a prominent role for Detroit for a while.

#3 When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Sean Monahan from the Calgary Flames in the offseason, there was some uncertainty about how much Monahan could contribute. He had a career low 23 points in 65 games and was headed for hip surgery. It turns out that Monahan is healthy, and the veteran forward has quickly moved up the Habs’ depth chart. After averaging 14:04 of ice time per game last season, Monahan has played at least 15:45 per game in every game this season, including more than 22 minutes against Pittsburgh.

#4 After busting out with 37 goals and 67 points last season, Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry has continued his career ascent this season. Terry has nine points (4 G, 5 A) in seven games this season and his 2.86 shots on goal per game is a career high. Early viewings of Terry this season reveal a player brimming with confidence and his playmaking ability has contributed to point production and Terry’s positive play-driving results, whether playing with centers Trevor Zegras or Ryan Strome, the results have been positive with both.

#5 The fifth pick in the 2021 Draft, Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kent Johnson is highly skilled and seems to be finding his range in the National Hockey League. After scoring 37 points in 32 games as a sophomore at the University of Michigan last season, Johnson had no goals and three assists in nine games at the end of last season for Columbus. Johnson played just 12:27 per game last season and his average ice time has only moved to 12:37 early in the 2022-2023 season, but he also has goals in three straight games, and that production could force Johnson into a bigger role soon.

#6 Drafted fourth overall in 2019, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram has battled injuries early in his career, but he flashed great potential during Colorado’s run to the Stanley Cup. Byram’s ice time has jumped to more than 21 minutes per game, and he has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) in seven games. He is not going to get the role of power play quarterback on the top unit in Colorado, because Cale Makar is still great, but Byram is showing that he can nevertheless be productive enough to draw fantasy interest.

#7 Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris is out long-term, potentially for the entire season, with a shoulder injury and the Sens have had to shuffle lines to make up for losing their No. 1 center. Tim Stutzle has been bumped up to the top line between Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson, while veteran Derick Brassard has been inserted into the lineup between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. Brassard went from not playing to averaging 16 minutes of ice time per game, and if he sticks with DeBrincat and Giroux, there should be points available in that spot.

#8 Philadelphia Flyers veteran left winger James van Riemsdyk is going to miss a month with a broken finger. He had five points (2 G, 3 A) in six games to start the season and his presence in front of the net will be missed. Scott Laughton is getting net front work on the Flyers power play with van Riemsdyk out. Laughton has three goals and 16 shots on goal in seven games, and he played a career-high 23:24 last game. Laughton also brings a physical presence and has 19 hits in seven games.

#9 With Sean Couturier out of the Philadelphia Flyers lineup indefinitely, Kevin Hayes has been tasked with handling the No. 1 center role. He has thrived in the role of playmaker, putting up 10 points (1 G, 9 A) through seven games. While Hayes has played mostly with Travis Konecny and they have led the Flyers in scoring, the duo has also managed a miserable 30.5% of expected goals during 5-on-5 play.

#10 Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek has established his credentials as a defensive center, finishing in the top seven in Selke Trophy voting in the past two seasons. However, he also scored 45 goals in 133 games over the past two seasons. He has started this season with six points (4 G, 2 A) and 27 shots on goal in seven games. His 3.86 shots on goal per game is a career high and Eriksson Ek has shown that he can produce without depending on having an elite scoring winger like Kirill Kaprizov on his line.

#11 Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson tallied a career-high 50 points (4 G, 46 A) last season and has not slowed down this season, putting up seven points (1 G, 6 A) in six games. He is averaging a career-high 23:54 of ice time per game and is running the point on the Flames’ top power play unit.

#12 St. Louis’ forward ranks have been depleted by injuries, including to wingers Pavel Buchnevich and Brandon Saad. That has created an opportunity for rookie right winger Jake Neighbours to skate with Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn, a good chance to contribute offensively. Neighbours has one goal in six games this season but played a career-high 15:27 in Thursday’s loss at Nashville.

#13 While Detroit Red Wings sophomore defenseman Moritz Seider is off to a slow start, with one point through seven games, Filip Hronek is picking up the slack on the Detroit blueline. Hronek has five assists in seven games, including three assists on the power play. His expected goals percentage of 49.0% during 5-on-5 play is tops among Red Wings blueliners.

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 21: Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) skates up ice during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on January 21, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

#14 Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov is still looking for his first goal of the season, despite putting 26 shots on goal in eight games. His 3.25 shots on goal per game is slightly up from last season, when Barkov produced 39 goals in 67 games. Barkov is not the only forward getting lots of shots but not so many goals. Forwards with most shots on goal with 0 or one goal: Timo Meier (48 shots, one goal), Oliver Bjorkstrand (36 shots, one goal), Trevor Moore (29 shots, one goal), Reilly Smith (27 shots, one goal), Alexis Lafreniere (26 shots, one goal), Boone Jenner (25 shots, one goal), and Sam Bennett (25 shots, one goal).

#15 Players exceeding all-situations expected goals by the most: Andrei Svechnikov (5.02 goals above expected), Valeri Nichushkin (4.47), Connor McDavid (3.87), Shane Pinto (3.78), Jared McCann (3.32), Max Domi (3.08), and Mark Scheifele (3.02). This might be a decent indication that these players will not maintain their current goal-scoring pace but that should also be evident in their production. McDavid, for example, has eight goals in eight games. As great as he is, it would be asking a lot for him to maintain his current pace and score 80-plus goals this season.

#16 On the other hand, players with the largest deficit when it comes to all-situations expected goals are Timo Meier (-3.91), Erik Haula (-3.13), Boone Jenner (-2.96), Sam Reinhart (-2.93), Chris Kreider (-2.62), and Auston Matthews (-2.55). These are players that are getting quality chances but not converting. Matthews’ struggles are well publicized, but most of the options on this list are worth considering as buy-low targets because pucks have to start going into the net at some point. It’s notable that three Panthers – Barkov, Reinhart, and Bennett – are among the forwards that have yet to find their goal-scoring groove despite generating shots and/or scoring chances.

#17 Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson got off to a quick start with six points (2 G, 4 A) in six games before suffering a sprained ankle that could keep him out for 4-6 weeks. With Johnson out, the top scoring options on the wing for the Blackhawks are Patrick Kane (naturally), Taylor Raddysh, Andreas Athanasiou, and Philipp Kurashev. Aside from Kane, none of those players have underlying numbers that suggest sustainable offensive production. Raddysh is worth considering in deep or banger leagues because he does have 15 points (8 G, 7 A), 54 shots on goal, and 54 hits in 28 games since joining the Blackhawks last season.

#18 Goaltending injuries have opened the door to some unexpected starts. Martin Jones is getting starts for the Seattle Kraken with Philipp Grubauer on the injured list due to a lower-body injury. Jones has a .858 save percentage in seven games, though, so if Grubauer is going to be out for a while, maybe Joey Daccord will see some action.

#19 A groin injury has put Petr Mrazek on the shelf, so Alex Stalock seeing regular action for for the Chicago Blackhawks. Stalock, 35, had appeared in one NHL game over the previous two seasons, but has played well early for Chicago. Even after surrendering six goals on 38 shots against Edmonton on Thursday, Stalock has a .913 save percentage in five starts this season. 23-year-old prospect Arvid Soderblom, who had a .919 save percentage in 38 AHL games last season, is also available for Chicago while Mrazek is out.

#20 This is really for the deepest of deep leagues – and that still might be a stretch – but keep an eye on Stefan Noesen in Carolina. The 29-year-old journeyman has four points in five games this season, giving him 58 points in 212 career NHL games spread across six teams. Noesen is crushing it on Carolina’s fourth line with long-time NHLers Paul Stastny and Derek Stepan. In five games, the Hurricanes are controlling 68.6% of 5v5 shot attempts and 65.6% of expected goals with Noesen on the ice. Noesen also had a monster 2021-2022 season in the AHL, scoring 48 goals in 70 regular-season games before putting up 25 points (9 G, 16 A) in 18 playoff games, so the Hurricanes are giving him time on the power play, too.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – First line opportunities have popped up for Anthony Mantha, Phil Kessel, Rickard Rakell and more

Scott Cullen — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 13:09:41 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

In the first 20 Fantasy Points of the season, first line opportunities have popped up for Anthony Mantha, Phil Kessel, Rickard Rakell and more. Here are players to keep an eye on as the new season approaches.

BOSTON, MA - MAY 21: Washington Capitals left wing Anthony Mantha (39) gains the blue line on the power play during Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals on May 21, 2021, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

#1 A rare combination of size and skill, Washington Capitals right winger Anthony Mantha is potentially looking at the opportunity to play on the first line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, at least while Tom Wilson remains out of action as he recovers from a torn ACL. Mantha had his own trouble last season, limited to 37 games by shoulder surgery, he produced 23 points in 37 games, playing 15:10 per game, which was his lowest average time on ice since a 10-game stint with Detroit in 2015-2016, his first action in the NHL. A healthy Mantha, with a prime opportunity could score 20-plus goals for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.

#2 He will be 35 by the time the puck drops on the new season, and he scored just eight goals last season, but Phil Kessel is looking at an excellent opportunity with the Vegas Golden Knights. Kessel could find himself skating with Jack Eichel on Vegas’ top line and that brings significantly higher upside than what he experienced in Arizona last season, when his most common linemates were Lawson Crouse Travis Boyd, Johan Larsson, and Alex Galchenyuk.

#3 Acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Anaheim Ducks last season, Rickard Rakell contributed 13 points and 48 shots on goal in 19 games for the Penguins. While Rakell moved around the Pittsburgh lineup, he had great success playing with Sidney Crosby, controlling 58.9% of the 5v5 shot attempts and 61.9% of the expected goals, outscoring the opposition 11-1 in the 98 minutes that they played together. If Rakell starts the season with Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the Penguins’ top line, it is a fantastic opportunity for the 29-year-old winger who has consistently been able to generate shots, with inconsistent finishing results.

#4 San Jose Sharks winger Kevin Labanc had just six points in 21 games last season before shoulder surgery ended his campaign. However, he is healthy now and not only is he looking at a return to a scoring role with the Sharks, but Labanc will have first crack on San Jose’s top power play unit. He has struggled since producing a career-high 56 points in 82 games during the 2018-2019 season, but Labanc has the talent to be a productive player and it appears that he will have the opportunity.

#5 After a one-year hiatus in Czechia, 36-year-old David Krejci returns to Boston and it’s important to note just how well Krejci fit alongside Taylor Hall. At the end of the 2020-2021 season, after Hall was acquired from Buffalo, the duo played 193 minutes together and controlled 65.7% of 5v5 shot attempts and 67.1% of expected goals, outscoring opponents 14-1. A full season together should bring positive results for Krejci and Hall.

#6 Yanni Gourde scored 48 points in 74 games in his first season with the Seattle Kraken, playing a career-high 18:29 per game, but he also returned early from shoulder surgery, missing a couple of weeks when it was expected that he would miss the first two months of the season. With Seattle improving its forward depth in the offseason, Gourde should have stronger linemates, giving him a shot at better production in his second season for the Kraken.

#7 When Kailer Yamamoto skated on Connor McDavid’s wing last season, they controlled 54.2% of the 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 57.9% of the expected goals. If Yamamoto can secure that right wing spot, beside McDavid and Evander Kane, there will be ample opportunity for Yamamoto to build on his career-high 41-point season. The next step for Yamamoto involves taking more shots, as he has averaged 1.41 shots on goal per game in his career, not enough to sustain higher offensive production over a long period.

#8 Even though he played just 11:32 per game as a rookie last season, Nashville Predators right winger Philip Tomasino contributed 32 points, including nine on the power play. There may be an opening in Nashville’s top six and if it goes to Tomasino, his ice time should get a significant boost. He is a skilled playmaker but struggled in the brief moments that he moved up the depth chart to play with centers Ryan Johansen or Mikael Granlund as a rookie. In his second season, Tomasino should be expected to elevate his game.

#9 The departure of Nazem Kadri from Colorado could open up the second line center spot for Alex Newhook, the second-year pivot who produced 33 points in 71 games as a rookie last season. The Avalanche also have J.T. Compher and Evan Rodrigues available for that spot, but Newhook should have the higher ceiling, which ought to make him the better fit. Like Yamamoto and Tomasino, Newhook could stand to shoot the puck more frequently. He averaged 1.59 shots on goal per game last season.

#10 A 26-year-old winger who put up 53 points in 45 KHL games for SKA St. Petersburg last season, Andrei Kuzmenko is an NHL-ready winger who is looking at a good chance to produce right away for the Vancouver Canucks. Even though the Canucks have improved their forward depth, Kuzmenko should still have a spot in the top six and with the talent supporting him in Vancouver’s lineup, Kuzmenko could be a sleeper candidate for the Calder Trophy.

#11 This season looks like it will be difficult for the Philadelphia Flyers, and Sean Couturier’s continuing health problems only make it more difficult, but while Couturier is out to start the season, there is yet another chance for 23-year-old Morgan Frost to establish his place in the Flyers lineup. He has 23 points in 77 games over the past three seasons, but if Frost could take advantage of an early opening, he might be able to stick in the lineup full time.

#12 Boston will be starting the season with some major absences due to injury, including defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk, which could leave Hampus Lindholm a role on the Bruins power play. The Bruins also might run five forwards on their top power play unit, but if Lindholm gets a shot on the power play, that would upgrade his offensive contribution. Earlier in his career, he had 15 power play points in 2015-2016, but has been in single digits with the man advantage ever since.

#13 For leagues that do not count plus-minus but value hits and blocked shots, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Dysin Mayo might be worth a late-round look. Mayo played almost 21 minutes per game as a rookie last season and while he produced a modest 12 points in 67 games, he recorded 133 blocked shots and 129 hits. On a Coyotes team that will not have the puck very often, Mayo should be served up many opportunities to record more hits and blocked shots.

#14 A 27-year-old who has started a total of 24 NHL games, Eric Comrie is looking at a much bigger workload with the Buffalo Sabres this season. While the Sabres have some goaltending prospects on the way, it looks like Comrie will be sharing the net with 41-year-old Craig Anderson, and that should mean plenty of reps for Comrie. Although the Sabres are probably not going to be a playoff team this season, they should continue to improve and, after posting a .920 save percentage in 19 games for Winnipeg last season, Comrie has a chance to be fantasy relevant (at least in deeper leagues) with more games coming this season.

#15 The Edmonton Oilers paid a lot of money to lure Jack Campbell to be their starting goaltender, so this is not some suggestion that will not be the case, but when looking at backup goaltenders, keep Stuart Skinner in your sights. The 23-year-old had a .913 save percentage in 13 games for the Oilers last season and Campbell does not have a track record of handling a heavy NHL workload, playing a career-high 49 games last season. If Campbell gets injured or slumps, Skinner could step in and provide immediate value playing behind a strong Oilers squad.

#16 The St. Louis Blues have a lot of veteran forwards, and yet 20-year-old Jake Neighbours still could find his way into a top six role. He had two points in nine games for the Blues last season before getting sent back to the Western Hockey League, where he scored 45 points in 30 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings. Neighbours is further down the list of potential Calder Trophy candidates, but if he sticks in a top-six role with the Blues, that is the kind of situation that would allow him to produce enough to contend for the award.

#17 Returning to the NHL after scoring 94 points in 93 games in Switzerland over the past two seasons, Denis Malgin has a chance to not only secure a spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but potentially even in a scoring role. He has managed 60 points in 192 career NHL games, playing mostly in a depth role, so there is no rush to grab Malgin off the waiver wire, but it is worth monitoring what his role could be on a high-scoring team.

#18 There will be precious little to get excited about in Chicago this season, but there may be some deep league value for players that will get overlooked. The Blackhawks acquired Taylor Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning as part of the Brandon Hagel trade last season and Raddysh produced 10 points and 43 shots on goal in 21 games for Chicago. With such a lacklustre lineup, Raddysh has the opportunity to play in a scoring role and on the first unit power play, which might be enough to give him some fringe fantasy value.

#19 26-year-old New York Rangers winger Sammy Blais missed most of last season after tearing his ACL. That limited him to just four points in 14 games and while scoring is never top of mind when it comes to Blais’ contributions, he had 28 points in 76 games while playing a limited role for St. Louis in the previous two seasons. There might be an opportunity on Broadway for Blais, that if the Rangers are looking for someone to fill the right-wing spot on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, Blais might get a shot in that role. If he sticks, that should elevate his offensive production to go with hit totals (403 in 133 career games) that make him a worthy contender for a spot in banger leagues.

#20 When the Seattle Kraken upgraded their forward group in the offseason, it looked like it might squeeze Ryan Donato out of a spot. The 26-year-old winger ultimately re-signed later in the summer. Coming off a season in which he tallied a career-high 16 goals and 31 points, Donato is worth tracking because he has been able to generate shots at a good rate while playing in a depth role, and if he manages to find a spot with better talent in Seattle, he probably has some untapped offensive potential.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – NHL Player Profiles

Corey Sznajder – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 22:28:52 +0000

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Chicago Blackhawks Defenceman Seth Jones (4) skates in warm-ups before a Los Angeles Kings game versus the Chicago Blackhawks on March 24, 2022 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Patrick Kane

Entering the final year of his contract, the talk surrounding Kane is less about his performance and more about where he’s going to be playing by the end of the season. It’s unknown if he wants to stick around for a teardown rebuild and he will be a coveted player if the Hawks make him available. Still one of the league’s stars, Kane is one of a few players who you can bookmark for at least 90 points regardless of his team situation. He has the hands to make impossible plays happen and his passing can change the pace of the game on a dime, halting for a second to freeze the defense and finding a teammate entering the zone with speed seconds later. It papers over some of his concerns away from the puck and makes any line he’s on dangerous. This year is going to be an interesting transition year for him. Kane usually has a sidekick who can read off of him, whether that’s Artemi Panarin or Alex DeBrincat. This year will be a little different with the talent drain in Chicago. Kane has produced with the likes of Artem Anisimov and Nick Schmaltz before, but it’s hard to say if the Hawks even have players of that quality on their roster now. Elite talent always finds a way to produce, but there’s going to be more pressure on just him to carry the load, which doesn’t seem possible given he’s already averaging 22-23 minutes a night. To say this will be a challenging year for him would be an understatement.

Jonathan Toews

It was obvious that Toews wasn’t himself during the first half of the year. It took him until early December to score his first goal and he struggled to make an impact in any area of the game. This wasn’t unexpected after he missed the entire 2021 season, but it was hard to figure out what the “new normal” would be for the Hawks captain. He turned the corner a bit during the second half, not producing the same way he used to but getting back to being a solid play-driver on a line with Brandon Hagel and Dominik Kubalik. Slow starts were a running theme for Toews even before 2020, so last year wasn’t out of the ordinary. What’s a little concerning for the Hawks is that Toews needs a lot more help from his linemates now. He doesn’t carry the puck as often as he used to and is more of a support player than someone driving the bus. Hagel was a great support guy for him for that reason, a worker bee type of winger to help get the puck from Point A to Point B while Toews drove the middle or provided support on breakouts. His production next year could depend on how much the Hawks pair him with Patrick Kane. Even at their age, they still have instant chemistry and Toews will get his points with Kane by his side. It’s been more of an “in case of emergency” thing for the Hawks recently because of the team’s depth, but with so few options and Toews also on an expiring contract, it might become more of a regular fixture.

Max Domi

Three years have gone by and Max Domi has gone from Montreal’s top-line center to just another guy in Columbus. The Jackets struggled to figure out the best way to use the skilled playmaker, not fitting at the top of their lineup and struggling to find chemistry with anyone. He couldn’t play with the same pace he did in Montreal and found himself relegated a third line role on the wing. His great passing chops would appear in spurts, but more off turnovers and plays where he was standing still to find someone going to the net instead of the play-driver he was at his peak. The same can be said for his brief stint with the Hurricanes where he was just a depth player. He had a few nice games and played hard but only had moments where he was a game-breaker for them. With Chicago, he’s getting another chance to show that he can drive his own line and play in the middle. They have some decent speed on the wing to pair him with, so the door is open for him to show teams he still be a difference maker at the NHL level. A fresh start on a new team (and a year where he isn’t recovering from shoulder surgery) could help.

Andreas Athansiou

Speed to burn. That has been Athanasiou’s tagline since he started playing hockey. Putting the rest of his skillset together has been a challenge aside from one 30-goal season in Detroit. His first year with the Kings was a step in the right direction, as he was used up and down the lineup to form “skilled checking lines” with the likes of Blake Lizotte and Gabriel Vilardi, doing a better job of using his linemates instead of trying to fly for a breakaway on every shift. It earned him a spot on the Danault line before injuries kept him from being a key player in the LA lineup. When healthy, Athansiou was on-pace for one of his best NHL seasons from a point-per-game pace (granted with only 28 games played). Still, he was trusted with some good minutes, ending the regular season on a line with Kopitar and Kempe and providing a jolt of “instant offense” to whatever line he was on. Doing this over 82 games will be a challenge, but on a Chicago team in desperate need of skill, he is a welcomed addition.

Tyler Johnson

It’s easy to forget that this is Tyler Johnson’s second year on the Blackhawks because injuries limited him to only 26 games. Between neck surgery and a concussion, the two-time Cup champion never had a chance to begin his career in Chicago. He started to find some traction late in the year on a line with Toews and Kublaik, recording four of his seven points in the month of April when the Hawks put that unit together. The veteran brings a little of everything to the table. He was a great shooter during his prime years in Tampa Bay and has the hockey sense to play off elite linemates, finding soft spots in the defense, giving them a passing option and being the guy who can carry the puck into the zone. The question is how much of that skillset is still intact after so many injuries. He’s only 32 years old, but with over 615 games to his credit, the miles and wear-and-tear on your body starts to add up. Johnson can still move well enough to be a decent support player on a checking line, but it’s tough to say if he can be a dangerous offensive player now. He should have plenty of opportunities to prove this in Chicago this year.

Sam Lafferty

Acquired in a mid-season trade for Alex Nylander, Lafferty filled some of the Hawks needs. He’s a hard-working forechecker and gave the Hawks a small jolt of energy whenever he was out there. The Hawks moved him around the lineup, including giving him time with Kane and DeBrincat and did his job as someone who will play physical with speed and recover pucks. Making plays with the same pace was a challenge, as his point total would indicate, but his lines did a nice job of at least titling the ice. This isn’t a small accomplishment on last year’s Hawks team, as even their good players got caved in from a territorial standpoint. Don’t expect much offense from Lafferty, but a guy like him is needed on a rebuilding team. There are going to be a lot of tough games and the Hawks need some guys who will at least inject some life into the lineup and can play on different lines.

Colin Blackwell

It’s rare for a player to make the NHL in his late 20’s these days, but Colin Blackwell did just that a couple of years ago. Selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft after a 12-goal season with the Rangers, the Harvard grad found a niche as a nice defensive forward on a line with Yanni Gourde and Mason Appleton. He had some scoring upside with the minors and in his brief stint in New York but excelled more with the details of the game after leaving the Rangers (and Panarin’s right wing). He has a jack of all trades type of skillset and was a fixture on Seattle’s aggressive penalty kill, being one of their leaders in shorthanded entries. It was enough to catch the attention of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, who quickly incorporated them as part of their penally kill rotation in the playoffs. The offensive side of the game can be a struggle for Blackwell at times, but his knack for stealing pucks and playing a strong forechecking game make him a great fit on a checking line. This is the role he will likely play in Chicago with some heavy penalty killing duty added in.

Taylor Raddysh

Finally graduating from Syracuse, Raddysh was given every opportunity to succeed in a lower line role with the Lightning. He was a nice player for them and showed that he can play a strong game from the hashmarks down, but he proved to be redundant in their system and he was dealt to Chicago as part of the Brandon Hagel trade. His Hawks career got off to a great start with five goals in his first six games and after that it was tough sailing. Raddysh scored only 4 goals in his last 15 games, two of them coming in the same game, despite getting consistent second line minutes with Jonathan Toews and power play time on top of that. Attempts to make him a goal-scorer who you could setup in the bumper spot didn’t go as smoothly as planned and Raddysh was best utilized as someone who could be the first forward in on the forecheck rather than a scorer. With two years left on his deal, the Hawks have some time to figure out what they have in the former 2^nd round pick. They have plenty of grinders on the roster, so Raddysh developing a scoring touch would help him stick around.

Philipp Kurashev

Kurashev’s highlight reel from his rookie year paints a warped picture of him. He scored some absolutely beautiful goals during the 2021 season and looked like a perfect complementary player for this next chapter of Hawks hockey. Those moments were few and far between, though and Kurashev ended up getting lost in depth forward purgatory by the end of the year. This year was an interesting turn. The goal-scoring touch that he had his rookie year was gone, two of his six goals went off a defender, but there was more of an all-around element to his game. He was more willing to be the first guy into the zone on the forecheck, not trying to split defenders or carry the puck through traffic or force plays that weren’t open. The more direct approach to his game made him a more reliable player away from the puck and helped him find a niche as an energy line type of player with some playmaking upside. A nice player to have for this year, but also a guy who might get lost in the shuffle if there isn’t another level to his game.

DEFENSE

Seth Jones

When Chicago made the trade for Seth Jones and signed him under contract until 2030, the idea was he would be a franchise cornerstone defenseman who could raise the tide of their roster. Instead, they got a defenseman who could log a lot of ice-time, play solid in those minutes but not change the game as much as they hoped. In the vacuum, Jones had a typical season for his standards, and it was a major bounce-back from his final year in Columbus. Some of the warts in his game are still there. He’s a dynamic, explosive skater when the play is moving north and showed that with some of the splash plays he provided on offense. When skating backwards, however, he has trouble containing speed and will misjudge where the puck is going. There aren’t many defensemen who can do both at an elite level, but the Hawks didn’t play with the defensive structure to cover up for Jones’ weakness here. You would see him get caught in the middle while defending entries, unsure if he should protect the middle or chase to the outside. It’s the game you often get stuck in on a team that struggles to control play like the Hawks. The mistakes aren’t always the player’s fault, but they add up overtime. Interim head coach Derek King did a good job of simplifying the games for Jones, but he still carried a heavy burden and only making a major impact on the power play. Jones is stuck in a tough place with a rebuild on the horizon, but he is one of the Hawks go-to guys for now and finding him a partner to replace the departing Calvin de Haan will be a top priority.

Jake McCabe

The longtime Buffalo Sabre set a career high in points with 22 in 75 games, which is a little surprising with how long he has been around. It was a bright spot compared to some of his underlying numbers. McCabe was the victim of Chicago’s volatile defensive system, posting one of the worst Expected Goal Differentials on the team at five-on-five. Part of that is his limited offensive skills and the Hawks exposing some of his weaknesses with defending the rush. He’s a lanky defender with decent puck skills, but not the most agile player in the world and only 12 months removed from knee surgery. He had difficulty turning to retrieve pucks and containing speed, which is concerning for a player who was signed to be more of a steadying presence. Oddly enough, some of his best plays from last year came on at the other side of the rink, showing some decent vision from the left point behind the Hawks top line. Originally signed to play alongside Seth Jones, he could see more time on that pair after spending most of last season in a secondary shutdown role alongside Conor Murphy.

Connor Murphy

Prior to last season, Connor Murphy was the only true shutdown defenseman on the Hawks roster. While mobile, he spent most of his shifts in the defensive zone and was always the one putting out fires there for the Hawks while supplement it with some splash offense off the rush. Last year was another usual season for him, playing on the team’s second pair in a shutdown role with heavy penalty killing duty, but the additions of McCabe, Caleb Jones and Stillman made his skillset a little redundant. He is the most defensively sound member of that group, so his contributions were easy to get lost in the shuffle, although not so much to the Hawks who inked him to a four-year contract. It’s tough to say if Murphy will be relied on for more offense this year. He skates well and has a sneaky good wrist shot when he jumps in, but those moments are becoming once every month now instead of once every few games. It’s less about the willingness to do it and more that he burns so much energy blocking shots and chasing pucks down while defending that he has to change before even thinking about starting a rush. He is someone who could benefit from stronger play-driving in Chicago, which will be tough with the current state of their roster.

Caleb Jones

The younger brother of Seth, it took some time for the Hawks to work Caleb Jones into their lineup, missing the first month of the season with a wrist injury. He was in-and-out of the lineup for most of the season, caught in the middle of not being a trusted veteran and being too “old” to be considered a prospect. Jones had some skills the Hawks needed, as he’s very good at using his stick to disrupt entries and is a good enough skater to keep forwards to the outside. His passing was also a welcome addition to their backend which lacked puck skills, as he provided a nice safety valve for Murphy or McCabe when he got in the lineup. The caveat is that he played a sheltered role for most of the year, exiting the zone on more regroups and controlled plays than beating forechecks. Jones became more of a fixture on the second pair later in the season and is an interesting piece for the Hawks heading into next year. He doesn’t have the reputation as an impact player yet but could be someone Chicago gives more responsibility to with a real lack of mobility on their blue line and a spot on the second power play unit up for grabs.

GOALTENDING

Petr Mrazek

It’s been an up-and-down career for Petr Mrazek, and it’s hard to get overly excited about his latest stop on the league tour. He’ll be presumably taking the reins in Chicago, where a disastrous handful of seasons has left the club – so recently considered a dynasty – sitting at the bottom of the NHL’s standings with little hope of an upward path. That’s a tough fit to consider for the now 30-year-old Mrazek, who most recently struggled behind the ever-mercurial Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mrazek’s game at its best is one characterized by quick, nimble skatework and a willingness to put in the extra legwork to get to those hard-to-reach shots. But when he struggles, Mrazek’s speed can give him an almost sloppy appearance; a lack of crisp positioning leaves leaky gaps in his pads and around his hands that allows pucks to sneak by even when he gets himself into what seems like the perfect position on time. And while he showcased his best work in Carolina, staying on his toes and anticipating defensive breakdowns in time to save the day for the Hurricanes more often than not, he offered Toronto some of his most inconsistent performances in recent memory. Now, he’ll be expected to serve as a stopgap for the clearly-rebuilding Blackhawks; he’s at a point in his career where it’s nearly impossible to see him outlasting their tank efforts. The bright side for him, though, is that it’s hard to see Chicago having much use for him if he does right the ship – and there are a handful of contending teams who don’t have a lot of security in net for the coming year. So, if he sheds the inconsistencies and tightens up the gaps in his pads to kick off the 2022-23 campaign, he could buy himself a one-way ticket to fill a need in net for a playoff franchise midway through the year. The only real question mark? His health – given his propensity for injuries and the lack of much in the way of relief waiting in the wings, it’s a little unsettling trying to predict just what Chicago is going to roll out in net over the course of the year. Ultimately, though, Mrazek is a much better bet for game starts than his tandem partner Alex Stalock – so when it comes to workload, he should at the very least get himself a nice amount of volume.

Projected starts: 60-65

Alex Stalock

If you find yourself surprised that Alex Stalock is still in the NHL for the upcoming season, you aren’t alone – but he’s in for a doozy of a season, set to play a role in Chicago similar to the one Craig Anderson is playing in Buffalo. Fresh off the celebration of his 35th birthday, Stalock arrives in Chicago with just one NHL game to his name in the last two seasons combined.

The Blackhawks are shamelessly throwing their season to the wolves in hopes of building back up from the bottom in the next few seasons, so it’s unlikely they’re worried about Stalock being rusty and costing them wins. But on the bright side, despondent Chicago fans dreading the upcoming season should at the very least enjoy what Stalock has to offer from an entertainment perspective this year – and he’s a genuinely respected presence in the locker room, so there’s little worry that he’ll drag the team down from a morale perspective. He’s one of the most fun goaltenders the modern game has to offer, to boot; with a passion for cutting down angles and challenging shooters, Stalock is practically a living meme. He doesn’t exactly thrive in any one area of his game, but a remarkable level of self-confidence and a near-bottomless bag of tricks he’s willing to pull from leave Stalock operating from a position of strength as he continually keeps shooters guessing. As far as stopgaps go for a club looking to overhaul their lineup, there are few that offer the same entertainment value and feel-good vibes that Stalock does – even if he may not have the kinds of numbers most would associate with free agent acquisitions. And for a team that seems determined to lose a lot, he’s a reasonable bet not to break the tank.

Projected starts: 30-35

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Fallout from the NHL trade deadline, not just from the players that moved, like Claude Giroux, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Giordano, and Max Domi, but also those that remain with potentially new opportunities

Scott Cullen — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 13:30:46 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, fallout from the NHL trade deadline, not just from the players that moved, like Claude Giroux, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mark Giordano, and Max Domi, but also those that remain with potentially new opportunities for the rest of the season.

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 24: Florida Panthers right wing Claude Giroux (28) plays the puck during the Florida Panthers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on March 24, 2022 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

#1 The big ticket forward to move prior to the deadline was Claude Giroux, who has been a premier scorer in Philadelphia for a long time, surpassing 1,000 games with the Flyers just last week. Giroux is going to score. Since 2010-2011, there are three players with more points than Giroux’s 828 points (in 875 games): Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin. He has moved to the right wing on Philadelphia’s top line, skating with Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe, a good opportunity to keep the points flowing. Owen Tippett went to Philadelphia in this deal, and it should give him a better opportunity to play regularly as he auditions this season for a spot with next year’s team. Tippett had 33 points (14 G, 19 A) in 94 games for Florida, averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time per game. In three games with Philadephia, Tippett has averaged 17 minutes per game.

#2 With Giroux gone to Florida and Sean Couturier out for the season with a back injury, Kevin Hayes is the No. 1 center in Philadelphia. He has nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal in the past six games and has played more than 20 minutes in three of his past four games.

#3 The Toronto Maple Leafs turned to Seattle for veteran defenseman Mark Giordano and right winger Colin Blackwell. Giordano had 23 points in 55 games for the Kraken, but that included a team-leading eight power play assists. Vince Dunn, who leads Seattle defensemen with 27 points (7 G, 20 A), is the top candidate for more power play time on the point in Seattle. In Toronto, Giordano started playing with Timothy Liljegren but there is always the potential of Giordano getting reunited with T.J. Brodie, with whom he was frequently partnered when both were with the Calgary Flames. As for Blackwell, he was not playing a lot in Seattle and started on the fourth line in Toronto, but he is a depth forward with some upside. He ranked sixth among Seattle forwards with 1.70 points per 60 minutes of 5v5 play this season and had shown in spurts with the Rangers last season that he can contribute offensively.

#4 There was some doubt about whether goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury would even want to move but he gave the green light for his trade from Chicago to Minnesota and that does make Fleury more appealing than he was with a Blackhawks team that was not winning a whole lot. In Minnesota, Fleury gets to play behind a stronger team and the wins should come more easily. Fleury’s arrival in Minnesota does put a limit on the appeal of Cam Talbot, who had been the Wild starter in net but then he effectively slumped his way out of the job. Talbot will likely play more than a run-of-the-mill backup but also probably less than a standard starting goaltender, which could sewer his fantasy value. With Fleury leaving the Windy City, Kevin Lankinen should get most of the starts for Chicago the rest of the way but that’s not going to be a big help to the Blackhawks. Lankinen had a .931 save percentage in his first dozen games for Chicago last season and in 43 games since then, his save percentage is .896.

#6 With the Wild shuffling goaltenders, that left Kaapo Kahkonen as the odd man out and he was dealt to San Jose for defenseman Jacob Middleton. Kahkonen had a .907 save percentage in 54 games for the Wild across the past three seasons, but the 25-year-old might have a chance to earn a long-term role in San Jose. Veteran James Reimer is still San Jose’s starter but with Adin Hill injured, Kahkonen can establish himself and maybe get a leg up on a competition for the starting job next season, especially if Reimer gets moved.

#7 The Carolina Hurricanes brought in Max Domi from Columbus and while the idea is that he might be able to offer some secondary scoring, he started his time with the Hurricanes skating alongside Derek Stepan and Jesperi Kotkaniemi on Carolina’s fourth line. Not ideal for his fantasy value. With Domi gone, there might be more of an opportunity for wingers Yegor Chinakov and Emil Bemstrom, as well as Alexandre Texier when he returns from a finger injury.

#8 Having lost their entire third line in the offseason, the Tampa Bay Lightning were not afraid to pay a big price at the deadline to shore up those holes in the lineup. Tampa Bay made a trade with Chicago for Brandon Hagel and with Ottawa for Nick Paul. Although Paul scored in his Lightning debut and has a career-high 12 goals this season, he is not likely to have much fantasy appeal. Hagel is more interesting. The 23-year-old has erupted for 21 goals in 57 games in his second NHL season, but that goal total should come with a massive grain of salt. Hagel has scored on 22.1% of his shots this season and that is unlikely to last for even the greatest snipers and, with all due respect, Hagel is not one of the all-time greatest snipers.

#9 The wingers going to Chicago in the Hagel trade, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, will get a chance to prove that they are NHLers. Raddysh is a 24-year-old power forward who had 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in 53 games for the Lightning but has scored four points (2 G, 2 A) in his first three games with the Blackhawks. Katchouk was a part-time player for Tampa Bay, contributing six points (3 G, 3 A) in 38 games. He is still battling for a regular spot in the lineup, but that opportunity is better for him in Chicago than it was in Tampa Bay.

#10 A proven shot generator whose shooting percentage finally started to come around this season, Rickard Rakell is a major addition to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup. Since 2017-2018, Rakell has averaged 2.83 shots on goal per game, which ranks 44^th in the league. In the past three seasons, though, Rakell had trouble converting, scoring on just 8.0% of his shots, before percentages turned back in his favor this season and he had 16 goals in 51 games for the Ducks, scoring on 11.8% of his shots. The expectation is that he will ultimately have a chance to skate alongside Evgeni Malkin on the Penguins’ second line, but in his first couple of games with the Penguins, Rakell has played more with Jeff Carter and Kasperi Kapanen, also seeing some time on Sidney Crosby’s wing. In a depleted Ducks lineup, after Rakell’s departure, Derek Grant and Dominik Simon were skating on Trevor Zegras’ wings while Zach Aston-Reese and Gerry Mayhew were on the flanks of Adam Henrique. None of those wingers are particularly appealing for fantasy purposes, even with suddenly bigger roles.

#11 The Ducks were busy, also dealing defenseman Hampus Lindholm to the Boston Bruins. Lindholm had 22 points (5 G, 17 A) in 61 games for the Ducks, and his career high was 34 points in the 2014-2015 season, he still played a major role on the Anaheim blueline and those minutes will have to get absorbed, so Simon Benoit and Brendan Guhle are candidates for more playing time. In Boston, Lindholm has joined Charlie McAvoy on the Bruins’ top pair.

#12 The Washington Capitals dipped into their past, acquiring Marcus Johansson from the Seattle Kraken. Johansson started his career in Washington, from 2010-2011 through 2016-2017 but he has played for five more teams since. Johansson had 23 points (6 G, 17 A) in 51 games for Seattle this season but with T.J. Oshie out of the Washington lineup, Johansson landed on the right wing with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznestov. That might not last but, in the short term, it’s a pretty good place to be.

#13 With Johansson one of several departures from Seattle, there will be chances for players to prove their value as NHLers. Daniel Sprong was part of the deal going to Seattle and he has flashed talent, on his way to 41 goals in 187 career games. He scored in his first game for Seattle, recording five shots on goal in just 11:24 of ice time. Karson Kuhlman, Kole Lind, and Morgan Geekie are other Seattle forwards that should see an uptick in ice time down the stretch.

#14 Enjoying a strong season in Montreal, Artturi Lehkonen was an attractive trade candidate, and the Colorado Avalanche were willing to pay for his services, expecting Lehkonen to solidify their middle six forwards. With 29 points (13 G, 16 A) in 58 games for the Canadiens, Lehkonen is just two points off of his career high, set in 2018-2019. With Lehkonen departing there is more room for a veteran forward like Paul Byron to fit into the Montreal lineup but that does not offer much fantasy appeal.

#15 Montreal did secure the services of defenseman Justin Barron from the Avalanche in the Lehkonen trade. A first-round pick in 2020, Barron appeared in two games for the Avs earlier in the season and had 20 points (5 G, 15 A) in 43 AHL games. Barron will have a chance to become a big part of the Montreal blueline.

#16 One of the most sought-after pending free agent forwards was acquired by the New York Rangers, as they picked up Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets. Copp’s offensive game started to break through last season when he put up a career-high 39 points in 55 games, but he had 35 points (13 G, 22 A) in 56 games for the Jets before the trade and then he had a couple of assists in his Rangers debut. Copp started his Rangers career on a line with Filip Chytil and Dryden Hunt but finished that first game on right wing with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers also acquired energy winger Tyler Motte from Vancouver and while Motte does not score enough to generate a bunch of fantasy interest, but he does have a very specific fantasy value tied to his hit totals, averaging 2.80 hits per game across the past four seasons.

#17 Even though the Jets decided to trade Copp, they did not give up on their playoff push, however unlikely it might be. The Jets brought back right winger Mason Appleton who was claimed by Seattle in the expansion draft, and the Jets also acquired Zach Sanford from the Ottawa Senators. Neither of these players is as valuable as Copp, but the two wingers are established NHL talent that can play in Winnipeg’s top nine.

#18 Veteran forward Derick Brassard was a low-key addition by the Edmonton Oilers from the Philadelphia Flyers. He had a modest 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in 31 games for the Flyers but might have a little more offensive upside in Edmonton as he started his Oilers career on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi.

#19 The St. Louis Blues were looking to shore up their blueline and landed veteran puck mover Nick Leddy from Detroit, sending Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Walman to the Red Wings. Leddy can quarterback a power play, if necessary, and it might be necessary for the Blues as Torey Krug is injured. If Krug is out long-term, that might give Leddy an opening into a bigger role for the Blues. Sundqvist and Walman may not be stars but they are entirely capable of filling regular roles for the Red Wings.

#20 One more Detroit deal. The Red Wings sent versatile forward Vladislav Namestnikov to Dallas. Namestnikov is still going to have to battle for ice time with the Stars, but his departure does help open up ice time for younger options in the Detroit lineup. Joseph Veleno, Michael Rasmussen, and the recently promoted Taro Hirose are some candidates for bigger roles in Detroit.

2021-22 TOP 15 PROSPECTS: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – RANK: #30 – TIER VI

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 12:00:17 +0000

Tampa Bay Lightning

#30 Tampa Bay - The other systems in this tier have a few high end guys. Not Tampa. Lots of depth, but all of it is low impact.

Taylor Raddysh (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Alex Barre-Boulet

Barre Boulet is at the stage of his development where he has to prove that he's not just a great AHL player but an NHL player. Barré-Boulet has the same problem as many players: He has the talent to play in the pros, but he is not necessarily useful as a bottom six player. Does he fit into an already well-stocked squad like the Tampa Bay Lightning roster? After the team lost the better part of its bottom six this offseason, he may finally have his permanent opening.

Never drafted, his progress from junior hockey to the AHL has been better than most could hope for. Regardless, he continues to do what he's asked to do: produce offensively. There is only one step left for the young man from Montmagny. But there is no doubt that it is the highest of the steps to be taken. A consistent offensive player now, Barre Boulet has worked hard to improve his skating, as he always keeps his feet moving in the offensive zone. Obviously, he is plenty skilled and has terrific scoring instincts too. If he fails to convince the Lightning that he can be a full time NHL player, he should no doubt get a chance with another NHL organization. - BB

Samuel Walker

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Walker electing to return to Minnesota for a senior season is that the two-time captain seemed to see his progress stagnate last season, often a sign that his career would be best served by him finally turning pro, four years after Tampa took a seventh-round flyer on him out of Edina High School. He was already a late developer, spending a very rare extra year at home, playing for his local school, after being drafted, instead of taking the next step to a full season in the USHL (or even the BCHL), as most others do who are drafted out of high school and are not yet ready for NCAA hockey. Walker has certainly come a long way as a player since those days, even if his development is slowing down.

He has always been speedy with exciting playmaking chops. These days, after adding some muscle to his frame, he is more willing to play greasy, and brings two-way accountability to his team. These new(er) elements of his game will come in handy when he finally turns pro, even if he does so next summer as a free agent, as his skill game, while good, seemingly falls short of top six good. His approach to the game would fit well in a third line type role, playing with energy, giving the opposition more to worry about after the top six, and while playing some minutes on the penalty kill. - RW

Boris Katchouk

Simply put, Boris Katchouk’s first two seasons in the AHL were a disappointment. After a great final junior campaign that saw Katchouk as a first team OHL all-star, in addition to a WJC gold medallist (for Canada), many figured that he would move quickly through Tampa’s system because of his speed, strength, skill, and tenaciousness. That certainly has not been the case. However, this past season (Katchouk’s third in the AHL), he finally broke out, leading Syracuse in scoring and re-establishing himself as a high-end prospect for the Lightning.

While Katchouk’s goal scoring ability has not transferred to the pro level quite as expected, his combination of size, speed, sense has made him into a very effective AHL player, especially as he found confidence in his ability to carry the puck and lead the charge offensively this past year. No longer exempt from waivers, Katchouk will need to make the Lightning this year in a checking line role in order to avoid potentially being claimed by another organization. Considering that all three members of the Lightning’s exceptional third line have moved on, Katchouk could easily be someone targeted for filling those skates, given his similar style of play to the likes of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. - BO

Taylor Raddysh

Much like Boris Katchouk, Raddysh’s development as a pro player has not gone quite according to plan. Consistency has been an issue for the former Erie Otters (and Soo Greyhounds) star. However, again like Katchouk, he experienced a breakout AHL season in his third pro year and finished the season second in Syracuse scoring to Katchouk.

Raddysh’s best asset has always been his vision and awareness on the ice. His anticipation in the offensive zone is terrific and as such, he is the perfect complementary piece on a scoring line with how he can find soft spots in coverage or make calculated decisions with the puck. However, his lack of explosiveness as a skater has always been the one negative for Raddysh and it is what has prevented him from becoming an NHL player thus far. Additionally, Raddysh profiles as more of a scoring line forward than a checking line player as he is unquestionably more effective in the offensive end than the defensive end. Could he be a classic tweener? This upcoming NHL training camp will be a big one for Raddysh as he is no longer exempt from waivers. He will need to make a big push to earn a spot, proving that he can keep up with the pace that Tampa likes to play at. - BO

Hugo Alnefelt

For 20-year-old Hugo Alnefelt, it must be quite a relief to know he’ll be playing AHL hockey this upcoming season. The 20-21 season proved to be a bump in the road that has put a bit of a damper on his prospect status. For starters, he went from an impressive 10-7 record and 2.57 GAA in a back-up role in his rookie season in the SHL to a 5-16 record and 3.18 GAA in his second season as a 1B for HV71, which was relegated for the first time since gaining promotion to Sweden’s belle étage - in the 83-84 season!

This step back was accompanied by another as his ‘21 WJC performance paled considerably in comparison to his ‘20 performance, where he starred for Sweden with a 5-1 record, 2.12 GAA, and .924 save percentage. Ultimately, he made the dreaded hero-to-weak link transition as he managed solely a 2-2 record with a pedestrian .902 save percentage this past winter, finding himself allowing several almost unexplainable goals against at critical times. Alas, his star was too bright to this point in time to worry too much. There are still tools that are far above average, and his size is the ideal of the modern goaltender. He will now face a new challenge in the AHL, where he’ll not only need to accustom himself to a new rink and the typical adjustments that come with new angles, but also prove to the organization (and hockey world) that he won’t break mentally when it matters most. This area of his game was placed in great doubt this past season, but Tampa has more than enough time to hold his hand through the next few years of development. - CL

Jack Finley

It was a tough 2020-21 season for the huge pivot, as Finley only got into three games of action, split between the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch and the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The pandemic and a shoulder injury combined to sideline Finley, who underwent successful surgery and expects to be ready for training camp. The Lightning signed Finley to an entry-level deal nonetheless and focused on improving his speed during various development camps.

A raw, tantalizing combination of size and skill, Finley is still understanding how to utilize his massive six-and-a-half-foot frame. He possesses excellent puck skills and remarkably mature decision-making for such a young player (Finley was one of the youngest players in his draft year). His positioning and defensive awareness is above average, but Finley is still scratching the surface of his offensive game. He is effective at creating chances off the cycle and has the requisite skills to be a force in front of the net, as he’s good at deflections, reading the play and has soft hands in tight. Finley figures to spend the next season in junior, developing his offensive game and possibly cracking the Canadian WJC team in December. - AS

Maxim Cajkovic

Due to the pandemic, Cajkovic started the season playing at home with Bratislava of the ICEHL, before returning to the QMJHL for his third season. That shows a certain respect and commitment and he fit in well on a deep Val-d’Or team. He is a dynamic threat on the offensive side with a deadly shot. Cajkovic is also a strong skater with good edges and excellent mobility in small area games. He doesn’t need much room to release his good shot. He still has work to do on his 200-foot game and his play without the puck. He is going to have to be more involved in certain phases of the game to get attention and move up the ladder in the Tampa organization.

On the other hand, his combination of size, quickness, and skill is rare. After a very strong playoff performance for the Foreurs, Cajkovic will play in the AHL this season. There may be a bit of an adjustment period for him as he realizes that he cannot overpower pro defenders the way that he has QMJHL teenagers. However, over the long haul, Cajkovic does possess the potential to be a strong middle six, goal scoring winger if the Lightning are patient with him. - BB

Gage Goncalves

It was another successful year for the late-blooming Goncalves, who posted his first professional point in a two-game AHL stint before returning to Everett of the WHL where he improved on his past breakout season by racking up 34 points in just 22 games for the Silvertips. It’s been the road less travelled for Goncalves, who was never drafted in the WHL and passed over in his initial draft year after scoring just one goal in 2018-19. Then he exploded out of nowhere for 33 goals and 71 points the following year, after which the Lightning tabbed him with a second-round selection.

Goncalves is a very smart player with an unrelenting motor and work ethic. His compete level is off the charts, and he is unafraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice. His shot has become a weapon on the powerplay, and he is responsible in his own end. His NHL upside is probably limited to a bottom-six type role, but Goncalves does have underrated offensive skills that could continue to develop, as he’s certainly beaten the odds at every level so far. Although he is technically eligible to return to junior as a 20-year-old this upcoming season, the Lightning may choose to leave him in the AHL instead to compete against men. - AS

Cole Koepke

A sixth-round pick in his third year of draft eligibility, Koepke has already far exceeded expectations and his professional career is only nine games old. He spent three seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, winning a Frozen Four championship as a freshman, and developing as a moderate goal scorer in his latter two seasons with the Bulldogs. While his junior year was not as strong as his sophomore campaign, the main difference was in the helpers, as his goal scoring actually increased, from just under one goal every two games, to just over one per two.

Nothing in particular about Koepke’s game makes the engaged viewer sit up and take notice, but everything he does adds up slowly to an overall positive contribution in a depth role. He can play in all situations and is just as comfortable on his off wing as he is from the left side. He has good size and skates well enough to be functional as a driver of a fourth line, or a supporting wheel in a middle six role. Koepke’s most impressive tool is probably his shot, although it is not clearly head and shoulders above anything else he does, which is more a case of not having any clear weaknesses than it is about being a well-rounded threat. Slated to spend more time in the AHL, a best-case scenario sees Koepke develop along the lines of a Ross Colton type, with whom he also shares other biographical characteristics. - RW

Jack Thompson

With the OHL on hiatus, Thompson, a third-round selection in 2020, took his talents to Sweden last season to play with Surahammaers IF of the HockeyEttan (the Swedish third men’s league). While the league itself is not incredibly high end, Thompson did perform well and has set himself up for a potentially monster OHL season with Sudbury as the league returns for 2021/22.

A potentially elite level offensive defender, Thompson is at his best with the puck on his stick as he looks to be aggressive in pushing the pace with transitional attacks. A strong skater, Thompson also excels when quarterbacking the powerplay because of a strong point shot and an ability to navigate the offensive end well. The Lightning will be looking for him to continue to improve his comfort level and effectiveness in the defensive end, without sacrificing his offensive production. Thompson has good defensive instincts, but he needs to be more consistently dialed in physically to win the battles that he needs to. 2021/22 is a big year for his development, as Tampa should get a better idea of whether Thompson can be a solid two-way presence, or whether he profiles as more of a sheltered offensive defender at the next level. Look for Thompson to be one of the highest scoring defenders in the OHL this coming year. - BO

Eamon Powell

A 2020 draft selection by the Lightning out of the U.S. U18 program, Powell is coming off of a terrific freshman year for Boston College. The strong skating two-way defender was named to Hockey East’s all-rookie team and will look to build upon that as a sophomore this season.

Odeen Tufto

The undersized forward was a free agent signing by the Lightning this offseason, after four great years at Quinnipiac. He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker last season and will look to prove that he can overcome his stature (5’7) to be an impact pro with Syracuse of the AHL this season.

Dylan Duke

Duke may not be the biggest, but he has a knack for finding soft spots in coverage thanks to his quick feet and excellent anticipation in the offensive zone. A fourth rounder in 2021, Duke will head to the University of Michigan for his freshman year this fall. The program has accumulated some serious depth heading into the season. Hopefully Duke can find his way to quality ice time.

Roman Schmidt

The allure of Roman Schmidt is that he combines great size (6’6, 210) with great mobility. However, his decision making at both ends did leave some to be desired in his draft year. Schmidt had originally intended to attend Boston University in the fall, but recently signed with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, where he will receive significant responsibility. The hope is that the OHL can help him refine his approach and develop as a potential two-way beast on the backend.

Maxim Groshev

During the 2020/21 season, Groshev practically lived out of a suitcase, playing for seven different teams (including Russia at the World Juniors and two different stops in the KHL). The 2020 third round pick loves to push the pace and attack, but he needs consistent playing time to develop. Hopefully he has a better year in Russia with SKA St. Petersburg this coming season.