Teuvo Teravainen – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – This week, the good and the bad with the Ottawa Senators, a young Ducks centre steps into the spotlight, a Wild rookie offering upside on the blueline, and a Red Wings veteran who is ready to find the net.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 21:13:15 +0000

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 24: Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium (8) skates with the puck during the first period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild on April 24th, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, the good and the bad with the Ottawa Senators, a young Ducks centre steps into the spotlight, a Wild rookie offering upside on the blueline, and a Red Wings veteran who is ready to find the net.

#1 With six goals in five games, Ottawa Senators centre Shane Pinto is tied with Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev for the early goal-scoring lead in the National Hockey League. While he is obviously not going to continue at a 98-goal pace, Pinto does have some underlying factors that could help this become his best season in the NHL. The first is that his ice time is up nearly a minute per game from last season and the second is that his rate of shots per game has climbed from 1.81 last season to 3.0 per game early this season. It’s the consistent shot generation that helps to keep production sustainable.

#2 The more immediate concern for the Senators is that team captain Brady Tkachuk will be out from six-to-eight weeks following thumb surgery. Tkachuk is not easily replaced, because there are so few players of his size and physical nature that can also produce offensively. Ridly Greig is getting a chance alongside Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux on Ottawa’s top line, and there is enough time for him to show what he can do in a bigger role.

#3 After making steady progress through his first two NHL seasons, Anaheim Ducks centre Leo Carlsson could be ready to bust out in his third season. He has started the year with six points (2 G, 4 A) and 13 shots on goal in four games. He currently has veterans Chris Kreider and Alex Killorn on his wings, but Carlsson has had success with Troy Terry on his wing and, last season, thrived with Cutter Gauthier. There are options for the Ducks, but it appears that 20-year-old Carlsson might be ready to be the driving force on his line.

#4 Expectations have been very high for Minnesota Wild defenceman Zeev Buium since he was taken with the 12th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He had 98 points (24 G, 74 A) in 83 games in two seasons at the University of Denver, but he has started with five points (1 G, 4 A) in four games this season for the Wild and, crucially, is quarterbacking Minnesota’s first power play unit.

#5 He has yet to score a goal through four games, but the rest of his numbers are very encouraging for Detroit Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat. He has generated 32 shot attempts and 15 shots on goal to go along with six assists in four games. That shot rate of 3.75 per game would be the highest rate of his career, despite fewer than half of his attempts making it on net. Prior to this season, he had hit the net on 54.3 percent of his shot attempts, so he is only down a little in this small sample, but he is putting up eight shot attempts per game and his previous career high during a full season was just under 5.9 shot attempts per game, so the opportunities are there and it’s fair to expect the goals to follow.

#6 As noted above, Chris Kreider is spending most of his time skating on Leo Carlsson’s wing in Anaheim, and he’s getting results early with five points (4 G, 1 A) and 12 shots on goal in four games. In all of his seasons with the Rangers, Kreider managed to average three shots on goal per game just twice and those were the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 seasons, when he scored 52 and 39 goals, respectively, the two best goal-scoring seasons of his career. If playing with Carlsson helps keep Kreider’s shot rate at this level, he could be primed for a bounce-back season with the Ducks.

#7 It’s not as though fantasy managers will be unaware of Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas who broke through with 30 goals and 66 points last season, but one of the concerns about his production was that he was very dependent on percentages, scoring on 21.1 percent of his shots, and a lofty 14.3 on-ice shooting percentage at five-on-five. He is still getting those high percentages on his way to five points (3 G, 2 A) in Washington’s first four games, but he also has 13 shots on goal and is playing 18:55 per game, both of which are notably higher than last season when he averaged fewer than two shots on goal per game and played 16:27 per game.

#8 It’s easy enough to get underrated when playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, given the state of the team these days, but veteran winger Teuvo Teravainen is off to a nice start with six points (1 G, 5 A) in five games, though he has managed just three shots on goal. He’s more playmaker than shooter, but that total is still low. Nevertheless, Teravainen does seem to have a good thing going early in the year on a line with Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi, so it’s worth keeping an eye on his production.

#9 A couple of power play assists early helped to jumpstart Pavel Zacha’s season for the Boston Bruins. He has five points (1 G, 4 A) in five games while skating on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson at even strength, but Zacha is on Boston’s top power play unit and the opportunity to share the ice with David Pastrnak is a critical factor to point production for any Bruins skaters, it seems. Zacha is not a volume shooter, having never recorded even 150 shots on goal in a season, but four shots on goal in five games this season is still rather low.

#10 Seattle Kraken left winger Jared McCann is one of the more established goal scorers on the roster and is off to a nice start with four points (3 G, 1 A) in four games this season. Skating on Seattle’s top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, McCann has recorded 14 shots on goal and 28 shot attempts, both of which represent higher per-game rates (3.5 shots, 7.0 shot attempts) than he has been able to sustain in his career, so even if McCann isn’t going to keep scoring on a pace of 60-plus goals, he is getting the underlying numbers that will support strong offensive production.

#11 Seeking a fresh start in Philadelphia with John Tortorella no longer behind the bench, veteran Flyers centre Sean Couturier has seen his ice time jump by a couple of minutes per game compared to last season and he has five points (2 G, 3 A) with six shots on goal through four games. He has been on the wrong end of the shot counts early, with a 41.4 percent Corsi, but shot quality has played in Couturier’s favor with a 51.1 percent expected goals percentage during five-on-five play. Couturier last topped 50 points in a season back in 2019-2020, but he’s skating with Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov on Philadelphia’s top line, so he ought to have a chance to get there this season.

#12 When the Nashville Predators collapsed last season, some of their high-profile free agent signings ended up with lacklustre production. For example, Jonathan Marchessault went from 42 goals in Vegas in 2023-2024 to 21 goals for Nashville last season. Early this season, Marchessault has four points (2 G, 2 A) in five games, but his 15 shots on goal and 26 shot attempts move closer to the years of his best production in Vegas, so maybe that’s a positive sign for Nashville as a team and Marchessault when it comes to his individual production.

#13 With four goals in four games, it would be very easy to get excited about St. Louis Blues left winger Jake Neighbours. He has moved up to the top line, with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, so that’s encouraging, too, but Neighbours’ ice time is down nearly a minute-and-a-half per game from last season, and he has just six shots on goal in four games. If he’s going to stick with Thomas and Buchnevich, that is probably reason enough to be optimistic but be a little bit wary of his underlying performance.

#14 Coming off of a 41-point season, with his lowest points per game since 2016-2017, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly was a bit of a buy-low option coming into the season. He also had some upside because, with Mitch Marner leaving for Vegas, there was room for Rielly to quarterback Toronto’s No. 1 power play unit again. Thus far, Rielly has delivered, putting up five points (1 G, 4 A) and 14 shots on goal in five games. Rielly has only surpassed 200 shots in a season twice in his career, so that shot rate is very encouraging.

#15 A bargain acquisition in the offseason from the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators defenceman Jordan Spence has been excellent in the early going for the Senators. He has contributed four assists and seven shots on goal in three games and while he is averaging 18:30 of ice time per game, Spence is also dominating his five-on-five minutes, with a Corsi percentage of 67.6 percent and an expected goals percentage of 78.2 percent. It’s not going to be easy to get power play time with Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot ahead of him on the depth chart, so maybe that limits Spence’s upside, but he is worth keeping tabs on.

#16 With the New York Rangers losing centre Vincent Trocheck to an upper-body injury that will keep him out a month, Mika Zibanejad has moved back into the middle of the ice for the Blueshirts. That has created an opening on the right wing in New York’s top six, and veteran winger Conor Sheary is getting a look in that role. He only has one assist and eight shots on goal in six games, but his ice time has gone up, and he has averaged 17:57 time on ice per game in his past two contests. It’s not enough to warrant picking up Sheary, but worth seeing if he can make the most of his opportunity.

#17 The Rangers have had huge problems scoring early in the season, managing just 11 goals through six games. Zibanejad has one goal on 24 shots, Alexis Lafreniere has one goal on 21 shots and Will Cuylle has one goal on 17 shots. These are players skating in top six roles. Add in Artemi Panarin with zero goals on 13 shots and J.T. Miller with one goal in 10 shots, and the most encouraging aspect for the Rangers is that these guys can’t all keep shooting at such low percentages. Eventually, the dam will break and pucks will start to go in the net, so maybe the Rangers offer some buy-low opportunities right now.

#18 Some players have just been snakebit early. Here are the players with the highest individual expected goals total in all situations that have yet to score. Number one is Connor McDavid with 2.29 ixG, followed by David Tomasek (2.09), Alex DeBrincat (2.04), Connor McMichael (1.96), and Nick Suzuki (1.94). The takeaway for any of them is that they are due to start scoring. As any slumping goal-scorer will tell you, they worry more when they aren’t getting the chances and these players are getting chances.

#19 At the other end of the spectrum, Toronto Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok has scored three goals despite recording just 0.5 individual expected goals, suggesting that he may not continue at his current goal-scoring pace. He is averaging 11:08 of ice time per game and has eight shots on goal, so expectations would be understandably modest, but those goals are not necessarily the product of lots of great opportunities.

#20 With Mackenzie Blackwood recovering from injury, Scott Wedgewood has been excellent in goal for the Avalanche, earning 4.71 goals saved above expected (GSAx) in four starts. Other goalies excelling early: Igor Shesterkin (7.20 GSAx), Thatcher Demko (5.38 GSAx), and Spencer Knight (3.74 GSAx). On the other hand, Linus Ullmark (-4.09 GSAx), Dustin Wolf (-4.04 GSAx), Alex Nedeljkovic (-3.65 GSAx), Adin Hill (-3.05 GSAx), and Samuel Montembeault (-2.81 GSAx) are goalies that have started multiple games and have allowed the most goals relative to expectations. It is very early, but good to have this information when evaluating goalie options.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 16:46:45 +0000

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 02: Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks controls the puck during the third period against the Colorado Avalanche on April 2, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

Despite being Connor Bedard’s second season in the NHL and the grand designs management had for taking a big step towards returning to the playoffs, the 2024-25 season couldn’t have been a bigger disappointment all-around for Chicago. The Blackhawks finished with 61 points, a nine-point improvement over 2023-2024, and had the second worst record in the league to San Jose for the second straight season. General manager Kyle Davidson’s plan to surround Bedard and the rest of their younger players with veterans fell flat and stunted their prospects’ growth in ways. Chicago had the league’s worst metrics at five-on-five regarding CorsiFor percentage (44.1) and expected goals for percentage (43.0) and they allowed the most goals (207). Oddly enough, they had the league’s seventh best power play and were middle of the road (14th) in penalty killing. The Blackhawks must show sizable progress this year or else management changes could be on the horizon at a vital time.

What’s Changed?

The Blackhawks will move ahead with new head coach Jeff Blashill. The former Red Wings bench boss comes in after he was an assistant for Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay for the past three seasons and with such a young team to work with, it’ll be up to him to guide Bedard and company into the next level. Changes were kept to a minimum on the ice, however. Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez retired. They brought back Sam Lafferty in a trade with Buffalo and added forward Andre Burakovsky from Seattle for Joseph Veleno to give their top six more speed and skill. In free agency, their biggest moves were retaining and locking up their own guys. Ryan Donato re-signed for four years, $16 million and they extended young star-to-be Frank Nazar for seven years, $46.13 million. What will make this team look different are their own prospects who will get more run. Forwards like Nazar, Oliver Moore and Lukas Reichel will get more play as will defencemen Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov.

What Would Success Look Like?

If things break right for Chicago, they’ll play fast and exciting hockey and allow their younger players to be creative. Blashill’s arrival as head coach comes with a history of developmental success with USA Hockey as well as the lessons learned from coaching in Detroit and assisting in Tampa Bay. If that translates into Bedard living up to his potential and becoming an elite No. 1 center, it’ll be worth the pain they dealt with last season. But it starts with Bedard and has to trickle down to the other young players to take big steps. From Korchinski to Levshunov to Nazar, all of them must improve noticeably and get Chicago out of the Central Division basement and into the wild card picture.

What Could Go Wrong?

The trouble with youth is that they don’t all break through at the same time and sometimes they don’t break through at all. Although last year’s team was built around veterans playing the role of guiding hands, this season will lean heavily on the cadre of top prospects they’ve added over the years. If we’ve learned anything from other teams going through the same thing in the past it’s that not everyone can keep up. If Bedard struggles again this season, it’ll be a crushing turn of events because everything is built around his eventual rise to the level of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid-like ability. Other young guys can go through the motions, but Bedard cannot this season, especially with a big extension due to him soon.

Top Breakout Candidate

Last season, Frank Nazar had 26 points in 53 games upon being called up from the AHL where he had 24 points in 21 games in Rockford. What we saw out of him was a guy who could give some juice to Bedard and allowed Chicago to have a top line that could have some fun playing hockey. He’ll be counted upon to center his own line this season and if he has the same kind of jump to his game, it’ll make the new contract he signed look like a bargain in no time.

FORWARDS

Connor Bedard

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	35	50	85	1.04

The honeymoon phase is over for the former first overall pick. It’s hard to think of a lot of 19-year-olds with two 60+ point seasons in the NHL where the discussion around them is so negative, but the burden of expectations is weighing heavily on Bedard right now. Touted as a generational talent, it’s easy to see why the world is expected of him. He looks like a threat to score whenever he’s on the ice and has vision that even some of the most talented players in the world can only dream of. It just hasn’t resulted in elite results yet for him. His rookie season was promising enough, albeit derailed from a broken jaw, and the feeling was that he has stagnated since. He has a lethal wrist shot but hasn’t been able to score from distance like he did in junior, his defensive play is heavily scrutinized and he’s not a fast skater, so his flaws started to get noticed more. The one thing Bedard is elite at right now is gaining entry with possession, setting up rush chances for his teammates. This can get overlooked because he doesn’t always get on the scoresheet, but the elite skill is there. The Hawks also didn’t generate chances at an elite rate off Bedard’s entries, which is a combination of him not figuring out how to score from distance yet, knowing when to pass after gaining the line and maybe taking the puck to the net more. His defensive play is something that can get better as he gets older but figuring out how to stop leaving so much offence on the table from their star player should be the first priority for Chicago.

Teuvo Teravainen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	16	37	53	0.68

Teravainen’s reunion with the Hawks went nicely, although maybe a little different than how they anticipated. They started the year with him as the primary linemate and setup guy for Connor Bedard and the two barely saw any time together at even strength after October. After the split, Teravainen spent most of his time on a more defensive-oriented line with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. This played to his strengths, as Teravainen is one of the better two-way wingers in hockey with his awareness in the defensive zone and knack for breaking plays up at the last second. Even strength production is his one concern going forward, as almost half of his points came on the power play last season. This is something that could go either way this coming season because if Bedard and the Hawks power play improves, Teravainen will reap the benefits. He has been a power play mainstay for most of his career, acting as the quarterback from the right wall and that should continue into next season. Not needing a lot of puck touches to be effective makes Teravainen an easy player to move around the lineup, so he is going to be a key piece as the Hawks try to break out of what has been a brutal rebuilding period. His late season chemistry with youngster Frank Nazar was encouraging to see if you’re looking for something to build on for the upcoming season.

Ryan Donato

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	28	53	0.65

Having a shoot-first mentality has its benefits and Ryan Donato reaped the reward of it. The 31 goals he scored last season awas a career high at any level he has played at and the first time he has ever scored more than 20 in the NHL. He also more than doubled his career high in points. It’s hard to call it a breakout season since he’s 29 years old with almost 500 games under his belt, but you have to give credit where it's due. Donato has always been blessed with great hands and for years he only got to show it during shootouts or penalty shots. Last year things just fell into place for him, getting lots of ice-time with Bedard or other playmakers like Teravainen and consistently finding ways to get open. His own playmaking game also improved, excelling at the give-and-go game and finding the soft spots in the coverage. He might have been Bedard’s best friend by the end of the season because he gave him some form of linemate consistency after months of trial and error early in the season. The Hawks certainly valued it, opting to re-sign him instead of trading him during a career season. The shooting mindset has always been part of his game, having some moderate success with it during his brief stint with the Kraken, but his results last year were somewhat unprecedented. He’s never had a linemate as good as Bedard, with the closest thing possibly being Adam Fox back in his Harvard days. Repeating this now that teams might have more of a book on him is going to be the challenge.

Tyler Bertuzzi

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	24	21	45	0.55

Bringing in Tyler Bertuzzi made a lot of sense on paper. A tough, net-front player with some finesse is who most teams want to pair their stars with. The match didn’t go according to plan, mostly because Bertuzzi spent most of the first half of the season with Taylor Hall and an assortment of centers instead of Bedard. The duo only played together on the power play and even then, there wasn’t much chemistry with Bertuzzi playing a stationary role in front of the net and the Hawks having trouble creating any puck movement. He had scored only five goals in his first 21 games but began to turn a corner after the Hawks made a coaching switch. He started to get more regular minutes with Bedard and had a nice run in the middle of the season which helped Bertuzzi hit the 20-goal mark again. His fit with the Hawks outside of the offensive zone was a little awkward because he’s a smart player who knows where to be, but doesn’t skate or pass the puck well while the play is moving forward. It makes automatically putting him with Bedard a quandary because there might be better, less limited options there, but you also don’t want Bertuzzi to be a drag on your second line, as he was for most of the season. In the second year of a four-year contract, the Hawks have some time to figure this out.

Frank Nazar

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	24	32	56	0.73

If you watched any of Nazar’s games and timed his shifts in the AHL, he would be close to 23-25 minutes a night. The Hawks didn’t give him that level of leeway, but the youngster did get regular second line minutes along with time on both special teams units. Nazar showed a little of everything in his prolonged call-up stint. You saw some of the game-breaking skill, especially off the rush. The deception he showed with some of the goals he scored without a pass was impressive and as his playmaking continues to develop, he should be a great dual threat on the Hawks second line. He slowly got more comfortable in the NHL game as the season went on. He was primarily a rush threat early on and getting better at creating off second chances in the offensive zone. Stealing pucks was one of his trademarks both in college and the NHL and he’s still developing strength to do it effectively at the NHL level. He also protects the puck well in open ice, allowing him to create some dangerous shots in tight spaces, but he did have some plays die when defencemen played the body on him. There is a lot of tenacity in Nazar’s game, he’s always the first to loose pucks and wants the play to run through him. It bodes well for his future because he has a lot of skill and has the will to play more of a grinding game, now it’s all about getting stronger so he can do it more effectively against NHLers.

Andre Burakovsky

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	14	26	40	0.53

As the hunt for more scoring continues, the Hawks are taking a small risk by adding Burakovsky for the final two years of his contract. He was arguably the most disappointing of the Kraken’s free agent signings, struggling to stay healthy and produce during his time there. Last year was his first in which he was mostly healthy and he didn’t come close to what they were expecting out of him. Burakovsky’s calling card is his strength in transition, he’s excellent at creating offence off the rush and the challenge has been becoming less of a perimeter player. His skill level with the puck is borderline elite, as he can anticipate plays from the outside better than almost everyone. It’s what makes him lethal and also very frustrating to watch because he tries a lot of plays that are very difficult to execute, and it doesn’t always workout. He almost never drives play well enough to make up for it either, so it’s really up to the team to decide if the positives outweigh the negatives with him. His skillset in transition meshes well with the style the Hawks want to play, so this is a good spot for Burakovsky to turn his career around. He’s never been a top line guy, playing in the 15-16 minute range even during his best years with the Avalanche, so he might be more of what the Hawks already have if his struggles to find the back of the net continue.

Lukas Reichel

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
67	9	15	24	0.36

As the new prospects come in, old ones will be phased out and Reichel is dangerously close to the line there. Not producing much in his three NHL seasons, he’s been mostly seen as a disappointment as a former first round pick. Transitioning from being the best player on their AHL club for years to a complementary piece isn’t easy, as he’s used to having the puck on his stick all the time and having everything go through him. This could work for him in the NHL, but Reichel has yet to figure out how to score with any consistency or use his teammates well. The only thing he’s really excelled at is carrying the puck through the neutral zone, which is a good skill to have, but it becomes less of a factor when your defensive game isn’t great, and you aren’t scoring either. Last year was all about finding a role for him and the Hawks couldn’t seem to get him going no matter what they tried. He’s proven in international tournaments that he can be a complementary piece and play well away from the puck, but the NHL is a different animal. With a new wave of prospects coming in, this season is likely Reichel’s last chance to prove he can be part of the solution for the Hawks.

Nick Foligno

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	13	18	31	0.42

Shifting Foligno from Bedard’s linemate to more of a defensive role was the best move for both parties. The veteran enjoyed a small renaissance in his point production with the Hawks but feeding him power play time and minutes on the top line wasn’t working and he was more comfortable forming a checking duo with Jason Dickinson. He actually produced at a better rate at even strength this year than he did the previous season when he was featured on the top line. He was mainly acquired by the Hawks to fill a leadership role, but his ability to play any position is nice to have. You can move him up and down the lineup, but his days of playing on the top line are likely done. His legs aren’t what they used to be, and it has been a long time since he was a high-level offensive player. There isn’t a lot that he does in the offensive zone to help on a top line except retrieve pucks and be a netfront presence, which Chicago signed Bertuzzi for and it made Folgino redundant in that spot. There’s still a lot to like about the player. He did well in a checking role, providing a defensive presence on a forward corps that desperately needed it and showed some flash on the penalty kill with a couple shorthanded goals. Foligno still plays a lot for a defensive forward, especially at his age, so he could be moved higher in the lineup again if the Hawks are looking for a spark.

Ilya Mikheyev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	14	18	32	0.42

Like most of the Hawks, Mikheyev started slow with only two goals in his first 20 games, yet finished the year with his second 20-goal season. It was somewhat surprising to see him get to that mark because the speedy forward had no problem generating chances, he just couldn’t finish. This has been a recurring trend for him over his career, shooting below 10% in his lone full NHL season, but he debunked that trend as the season went on and finished strong. He was one of the Hawks more trusted players, used heavily on the penalty kill and he was one of the more active players in the league at creating shorthanded entries. While the lack of finish was part of his reputation, his defensive game was another. He anticipates plays well in the defensive zone, has a knack for picking off passes and turning them into breakaway opportunities the other way. His speed keeps defences honest even if his finishing has been inconsistent over the year. It’s why he’s played stretches on the top line if they need a spark or someone to stabilize things. A reliable veteran like Mikheyev is nice to have in the lineup and could be an interesting trade piece this season with some prospects knocking on the door for the Hawks.

DEFENCE

Connor Murphy

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	1	14	15	0.21

The one sign of consistency in what has been an abysmal era of hockey for Chicago is Connor Murphy. He is entering his ninth year with the Hawks and has been a steady top four player for almost his entire tenure. Murphy usually starts most of his shifts in the defensive zone and spends a lot of his minutes eating hits from opposing forecheckers. He’s solid enough with the puck to make the connecting plays out of the zone and join the attack if needed, but it’s mostly an afterthought with him. So much that last year he tied a career high in points with only 19. When he does jump in, though, he usually makes it count, as he doesn’t take a lot of empty calorie wristers from 60 feet away and usually waits until he has a good chance if he’s going to shoot. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s nice when your main shutdown D contributes like that. He’s also adjusted his game to fit the Hawks brand of firewagon hockey, learning how to disrupt plays after the entry rather than stepping up at the blue line. This coming year could be his biggest challenge yet with the departure of Seth Jones. Murphy’s always played top minutes, but he had Duncan Keith in front of him previously and then Seth Jones. He got a taste of it last year, but the Hawks opted top play some of their younger defencemen high in the lineup while keeping Murphy in the same role. We will see if new coach Jeff Blashill continues that trend.

Alex Vlasic

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	7	28	35	0.43

Vlasic’s emergence was a revelation to the Hawks blue line. He’s a tall, mobile defenceman that can handle the demands of playing on the top pair. Sometimes you have to let players sink or swim when you’re rebuilding and Vlasic was one of the few players who kept passing every test. Chicago hasn’t been an easy environment for a young defenceman to thrive in the past few years, and Vlasic’s been able to keep his head above water while logging big minutes. He can skate well for a player of his size and uses his long reach to kill plays. The biggest asset to his game is how good he is at retrieving pucks, killing two birds with one stone by nullifying the forecheck and getting the puck moving in the right direction quickly. The Hawks don’t get a lot of controlled breakouts because of the team’s poor defensive structure, but Vlasic is one of the few who can start them consistently. He can also break the puck out himself if he needs to, using those long strides to go coast-to-coast and flip possession. His offence has also come around nicely, especially for someone who starts so many shifts in his own zone. He was a fixture on the power play for most of the season and saw his minutes increase there after the Seth Jones trade. It’s not always the top picks that fill big roster spots when you’re rebuilding and Vlasic is proof of that.

Wyatt Kaiser

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	5	11	16	0.21

With so many young defencemen battling for roster spots, Kaiser’s seniority might give him an inside edge heading into training camp. He doesn’t have the raw skills that some of their other defencemen possess, but almost 100 games of NHL experience are worth something. He’s smaller but has a complementary skillset with some of their star forwards. He loves joining the attack and activating on the cycle, although he didn’t see much of a reward for it on the scoresheet. He was one of the team’s better defenders at killing the rush, using his low center of gravity well to deliver hits and attack forwards directly. He was also the Hawks best defenceman at carrying the puck into the zone, which is a supplementary skill for someone on the third pair, but something that could give him an edge over the other players competing for his spot. Kaiser’s done enough to warrant more of a look, it’s just a matter of whether the Hawks think they have better options within.

Nolan Allan

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
32	1	4	5	0.16

One of the plethora of high defencemen draft picks in Chicago, Allan got a long look in the NHL before getting sent back to Rockford and it’s tough to say where his future lies right now. He fits the mold of a mobile, defensive defenceman but doesn’t have any real standouts skills. He was good enough as a puck-mover with the Hawks but struggled mightily at defending the rush, playing deep in the zone and struggling to kill the play. He can skate well enough to recover but doing it against NHLers was a big learning curve for the young blue liner. It’s part of his game that he has to fine tune because Allan doesn’t contribute much offensively and it’s hard to see that part of his game changing, whereas he can iron out some of the details in how he defends. It’s going to be a crowded training camp in Chicago this fall, so Allen will need to find some sort of niche to start the year on the big club.

GOAL

Spencer Knight

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
48	16	25	4	1	.901	2.08

At the start of last season, Chicago looked ready to glide through their transition phase on the wings - or rather, the well-worn goalie pads - of veteran journeymen Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit. This time around, in the aftermath of a season-ending surgery for Brossoit last August and a mid-season departure for Petr Mrazek to Detroit (he's now soaking up the sun in Anaheim), Chicago is pawing at the ground in anticipation of finally kicking off the Spencer Knight era. If that's not where we all expected it to be, all's the better for Knight - especially with former USNTDP teammate and fellow American up-and-comer Drew Commesso waiting in the wings.

Knight, who was moved to Chicago in March, fared about as well on paper as any of the other netminders who attempted to stem the bleeding for the Blackhawks last year. No single goaltender finished the year with a .900 save percentage in all situations, including Knight - but hopefully, the fact that he was the only goaltender who managed to produce Quality Starts in more than half of his appearances will bode well for Chicago in the long run. He'll likely partner up with Arvid Söderblom for the time being, waiting for Commesso to fully mature and graduate to full-time NHL action, but all eyes will almost certainly be on Knight himself to see what the formerly unflappable prospect can string together. His ability to chameleon his game to match the defence in front of him had been a huge part of his appeal when he was drafted 13th overall in 2019; it will be intriguing to see if he's able to utilize that behind one of the league's most chaotic rebuilds.

NHL: 20 FANTASY POINTS – The NHL season is winding down, some players that are finishing strong, like rookies Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson Blake, as well as veterans Duchene and Gallagher.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 17:15:05 +0000

CALGARY, AB - FEBRUARY 23: San Jose Sharks Center William Smith (2) skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks on February 23, 2025, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, with the NHL season winding down, some players that are finishing strong, like Sharks rookie Will Smith, Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, and Hurricanes rookie Jackson Blake, as well as veterans like Matt Duchene, Brendan Gallagher.

#1 San Jose Sharks rookie Will Smith was brought along slowly at the start of the season, with limited ice time and healthy scratched for some games, but he has really hit his stride in the second half of the season. In his first 40 games, Smith had 15 points (6 G, 9 A) with 56 shots on goal while playing a little more than 14 minutes per game. In 30 games since then, Smith has 29 points (11 G, 18 A) with 65 shots on goal while averaging 17:30 of ice time per game. He had a goal and three assists in Wednesday’s 8-7 overtime loss at Minnesota, playing more than 20 minutes for the third time in his past five games.

#2 It’s not as if he is unknown, but the season that 34-year-old Dallas Stars centre Matt Duchene has put together has probably flown under the radar a bit. He was held off the scoresheet Thursday night, snapping a seven-game point streak, during which he had 10 points (3 G, 7 A), lifting him to 81 points (30 G, 51 A) for the season. It is the second time in his career that Duchene has surpassed 80 points. The first was in 2021-2022 when he was with Nashville.

#3 Buffalo Sabres centre Peyton Krebs has turned into an unlikely source of offensive production late in the season. In his past nine games, Krebs has eight points (3 G, 5 A), albeit with just 13 shots on goal, so maybe not the most sustainable production. Nevertheless, he has tied career highs with nine goals and 26 points and has been a solid two-way centre for the Sabres and Buffalo has outscored the opposition 40-35 with Krebs on the ice during five-on-five situations.

#4 Veteran Montreal Canadiens right winger Brendan Gallagher has stepped up his game as the Habs make a strong late push for a playoff spot. In his past dozen games, Gallagher has 13 points (6 G, 7 A) with 26 shots on goal. He had just five points in his previous 18 games, so this rise in production has come at just the right time and the crease-crashing winger is up to 21 goals and 38 points on the season, his most in both categories since the 2019-2020 season.

#5 The Anaheim Ducks are not in contention for a playoff spot, but they are getting to see what their future could look like, and they are getting some quality production out of second-year centre Leo Carlsson and rookie left winger Cutter Gauthier late in the season. Since the beginning of February, Carlsson has contributed 28 points (11 G, 17 A) with 43 shots on goal in 28 games. Gauthier scored his 20th goal of the season Thursday at Los Angeles, and since the 4 Nations Face-Off, he has 21 points (11 G, 10 A) with 70 shots on goal in 25 games.

#6 Carolina Hurricanes rookie right winger Jackson Blake continues to make great progress and is finishing his first NHL season skating on the Hurricanes’ top line, alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis as well as getting first unit power play time for the ‘Canes. Since the trade deadline, Blake has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) with 37 shots on goal in 15 games.

#7 Second year Philadelphia Flyers left winger Tyson Foerster is playing hard even as the Flyers have fallen out of playoff contention. In his past eight games, Foerster has contributed nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 20 shots on goal. He recorded the first hat trick of his career on Wednesday against the New York Rangers and is up to 22 goals for the season. He is skating on a line with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink in addition to getting first unit power play time for the Flyers.

#8 Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot has had an excellent all-around season and is finishing the season in fine form. In his past eight games, Chabot has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 12 shots on goal and 22 blocked shots. Jake Sanderson is the quarterback on Ottawa’s top power play, so Chabot has only managed seven power play points this season, but his 40 points represents the third time that he has hit that threshold in his NHL career. Moreover, the Senators have outshot, out-chanced, and outscored the opposition with Chabot on the ice.

#9 When the Colorado Avalanche acquired Charlie Coyle at the trade deadline, it was not exactly an earth-shattering deal. Coyle had struggled in Boston this season, putting up 22 points (15 G, 7 A) in 61 games. He didn’t do much upon first arriving in Colorado, managing two assists in 13 games, but Coyle has started to turn things around, with seven points (1 G, 6 A) during a four-game point streak. While he is centering Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey at even strength, Coyle is getting first unit power play time with Nathan MacKinnon nursing an injury.

#10 This has been a forgettable season for the New York Islanders, but they have seen quality development from right winger Simon Holmstrom, who has seven points (3 G, 4 A) during a four-game point streak. After scoring 25 points as a rookie last season, Holmstrom has produced 45 points (20 G, 25 A) this season and is holding a regular top six spot in the lineup, skating on a line with Maxim Tsyplakov and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

#11 Joel Eriksson Ek returned to the Minnesota Wild lineup for the first time in more than six weeks and he buried four goals on eight shots in Minnesota’s 8-7 overtime win against San Jose. Eriksson Ek has 54 shots on goal in his past 13 games and that kind of shot generation does offer more support for his point production. Eriksson Ek gets first unit power play time in Minnesota and skates between wingers Marcus Johansson and Matt Boldy at even strength.

#12 Winnipeg Jets defenceman Neal Pionk returned to action Thursday after missing almost a month with a lower-body injury. Despite missing that time, Pionk has enjoyed a strong season, and his 37 points (9 G, 28 A) is his highest point total since 2019-2020. Pionk tends to offer value for fantasy managers because he delivers hits and blocked shots – he is two blocks away from his third straight season with at least 100 in both categories.

#13 Moving to the Calgary Flames from the Philadelphia Flyers has not brought immediate results for winger Joel Farabee, who is in the midst of a 14-game stretch without a goal, and he only has three assists in that span. Farabee is skating on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, two veterans who have shown that they can consistently control play, but Farabee also has an on-ice shooting percentage of 4.4 percent in Calgary, and that has to improve.

#14 It is understandable that a winger like the Oilers’ Zach Hyman will see his production fall off when Connor McDavid is out with an injury, so maybe he will be rejuvenated now that No. 97 has returned to action. Hyman has gone six games without a point, recording a dozen shots on goal. Hyman’s goal production has been cut in half, from 54 last year to 27 this season, but this late slump is difficult for fantasy managers, especially now that McDavid is back in the lineup.

#15 There is a similar situation in Colorado, except going in the other direction, as Avalanche left winger Artturi Lehkonen has just one assist in his past nine games. It could be encouraging that Lehkonen has 21 shots on goal in his past five games – he’s getting chances – but there is also the possibility that Nathan MacKinnon will be held out of the Avs lineup late in the season as they try to ensure that their superstar forward is healthy for the playoffs, and that makes it less likely that Lehkonen will bounce back too much before the postseason.

#16 It’s not just MacKinnon that could be done for the regular season as there are other stars that are dealing with injuries and may not return during the regular season. That includes Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel, Sam Bennett, Dylan Holloway, Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Aliaksei Protas, and Gabriel Vilardi, all of whom offer value to fantasy managers.

#17 Chicago Blackhawks left winger Teuvo Teravainen has had a relatively productive season, tallying 57 points (15 G, 42 A), but his shot rate is declining, and he is slumping because of it. He has just one assist in his past seven games but also has just six shots on goal, and that is more consistent with his shot rate this season, which is down from 1.87 per game last season to 1.37 per game this season. He is skating on a line with rookie Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi, which should be competent enough to generate some offence, but Teravainen isn’t right now.

#18 Since March 20, the leading goaltenders in terms of save percentage (minimum five appearances): Darcy Kuemper (.942), Jake Oettinger (.942), Anthony Stolarz (.936), Anton Forsberg (.935), Andrei Vasilevskiy (.934), Connor Hellebuyck (.930), Casey DeSmith (.922), Sergei Bobrovsky (.921), Jordan Binnington (.920), and James Reimer (.920). While there are plenty of expected names – the top goaltenders in the league continue to play well – backups like Forsberg and DeSmith have value when they play, and Reimer has backstopped Buffalo’s late-season surge. Reimer is perhaps the most surprising and thus more available for fantasy managers.

#19 Since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, Artemi Panarin and Tage Thompson are tied for the league lead with 13 five-on-five goals, ahead of David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie (both Bruins have 11), Jason Robertson and John Tavares, who both have 10. Cutter Gauthier, Jordan Kyrou, Kyle Connor, and Kirill Marchenko are next with nine. In terms of total goals, Thompson leads with 18, ahead of Alex Ovechkin (16), Tavares (16), Wyatt Johnston (15), and Tuch (15). Pastrnak, Panarin, Robertson, Geekie and Sidney Crosby all have 14 and Nick Suzuki has 13. The leader when it comes to individual expected goals in that time is Auston Matthews, with 13.44 and he has scored 10 goals in 23 games.

#20 With a nod to the future, the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes have both signed top prospects from the KHL. Montreal inked Ivan Demidov, the fifth pick in the 2024 Draft, after he had an exceptional season with St. Petersburg SKA, producing 49 points (19 G, 30 A) in 65 regular-season games before adding five points in six playoff games. Demidov is expected to make his Habs debut on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks and he will do so with great expectations from a fanbase that has been enjoying his development from afar all season. Carolina signed defenceman Alexander Nikishin, a third-round pick in 2020 who has turned into one of the premier defence prospects in the league. Nikishin is 6-foot-4 and has put up 157 points (45 G, 112 A) in 193 games across the past three seasons in the KHL. The Hurricanes have a solid veteran group on the blueline, so they don’t need to rush Nikishin into the lineup, but he will likely bring a higher upside and could prove to be good enough right away that he can’t be denied a spot.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Dustin Wolf makes strong case for the Calder Trophy – Teams and Players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:57:59 +0000

Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

Two months ago, I took a look at the Calder Trophy race, highlighting Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson and Dustin Wolf as the favorites, but I also didn’t go into depth about the Flames goaltender because netminders typically don’t do well in Calder Trophy voting. As noted, Steve Mason was the last goaltender to win it back in 2008-09, and he was so good that campaign -- 33-20-7 record, 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage -- that he finished in Vezina Trophy voting in addition to winning the Calder Trophy. So, the bar Wolf would have to reach to finish ahead of Celebrini and Hutson, who have been impressive in their own right, is high.

Even if he doesn’t end up getting the Calder, though, Wolf deserves recognition for what he’s doing because it’s not an exaggeration to say that the 23-year-old rookie is the single biggest reason Calgary has a legitimate shot of making the playoffs. Wolf has a 22-12-5 record, 2.53 GAA and .915 save percentage in 39 starts this campaign. He might not be a Vezina Trophy contender like Mason was in his rookie campaign, but Wolf is in a four-way tie for fifth in save percentage (min. 20 games played), so he’s certainly one of the league’s top netminders.

His numbers look even better when you consider that Calgary is tied for 20th in xGA/60 (3.11), per Moneypuck, which suggests that the defense in front of him has been average at best. That’s also reflected in his Goals Saved Above Expected, which stands at 16.5, the sixth best in the league. That puts him just behind Andrei Vasilevskiy (17.1), which is good company to be in.

Meanwhile, the Flames have done nothing to help him offensively. The Flames rank last in goals per game with 2.56. Among teams that have averaged 2.60 goals per game or fewer dating back to 2020-21, Calgary at 30-23-11 is the only team with a points percentage above .500 (.555). The next best is the 2021-22 Sharks, who finished at 32-37-13 for a .470 points percentage. What about finishing last in scoring but still managing a points percentage above .500? The last team to do that were the 2015-16 Devils, who finished 38-36-8 on the strength of Cory Schneider (2.15 GAA, .924 save percentage). Even then, those Devils didn’t come close to making the playoffs, so Calgary might one-up them in that metric.

It’s fair to say what Wolf’s doing is rare: taking a team with a mediocre defense and a rock-bottom offense and guiding the squad toward a potential playoff berth. Is that enough to win the Calder? It’s tough to say because it’s so subjective. Lane Hutson is a rookie defenseman who has already breached the 50-point mark and might reach 60 before the season is over. That almost never happens. Chris Chelios had 64 points back in 1984-85 and would have secured the Calder if that wasn’t also the rookie season of Mario Lemieux (43 goals, 100 points). Meanwhile, Macklin Celebrini’s production isn’t quite as rare if we’re judging him against past rookie forwards, but it’s still worth emphasizing that he’s reached the 20-goal mark despite injury and isn’t too far below a point per game. Comparing them is difficult because they serve completely different roles.

Whatever the case, though, Calgary without Wolf would have been a far different and likely substantially worse team this campaign.

Boston Bruins (Mon vs BUF, Thu @ VGK, Sat @ SJS, Sun @ LAK)

Boston isn’t out of the playoff race yet, but after going 3-7-2 from Feb. 5-March 13, the Bruins’ chances of making the postseason seem increasingly bleak. They need a strong week, and the Bruins will be facing two non-playoff teams in Buffalo, who they host Monday, and San Jose, who they have a road matchup against Saturday. However, the Bruins will also have two difficult road clashes in Vegas on Thursday and Los Angeles on Sunday, so there will be challenges for them to overcome.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Boston has won two of its past three games since the trade deadline, despite its longer-term struggles and being a deadline day seller. It helps that one of the few NHL-ready assets the Bruins did get back, Casey Mittelstadt, has kicked off his Boston career with a three-game scoring streak (one goal, two assists). He’s centering the second line, which isn’t a glamorous assignment given the state of the Bruins’ depth, but he is on the first power-play unit, which has already led to him collecting an assist on David Pastrnak’s goal Tuesday.

Speaking of, the dismantling of his supporting cast and the team edging toward rebuild mode doesn’t seem to have demoralized David Pastrnak. He has two goals and two assists in Boston’s three games post-deadline, extending his overall scoring streak to five games (two goals, five assists). He also ranks fifth among all players with 82 points and is tied for fourth in goals with 34. If Boston manages to squeak into the playoffs, he’ll be a big part of the reason why.

Maybe Jeremy Swayman can play a role in guiding them down the stretch too, but that’s hard to count on. Although his early campaigns were great, his 2024-25 GAA and save percentage of 2.98 and .897, respectively, are unimpressive, and a big part of that is inconsistency. For example, he earned two straight wins from March 8-11 while saving 51 of 53 shots (.962 save percentage), but he followed that up with a stinker against Ottawa in which he surrendered four goals in the first period, leading to the yank.

Ottawa is a division rival, and the holder of a wild-card spot, which makes the loss all the more painful. Boston is now seven points back of Ottawa. The Bruins are a mere two points behind Columbus, which holds the second wild-card spot, though Boston has played in two more games and is also contending for that spot with the Rangers, Montreal and Detroit -- combine with Boston and Columbus, all five teams are within a two-point range through Thursday’s action.

Chicago Blackhawks (Tue vs SEA, Thu vs LAK, Sat @ STL, Sun vs PHI)

Staring down the barrel of a possible rebuild, what Boston likely fears is going down the path of Chicago. Sure, the Blackhawks have picked up some remarkable young talent along the way, but Chicago is on course to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year and seventh time in eight seasons. Technically it’s even worse than that, because the lone time Chicago made the playoffs in that span in 2019-20 when the COVID lockdown led to the league expanding the postseason system, causing Chicago to participate despite a 32-30-8 record and last-place finish in the Central Division.

Either way, Chicago isn’t just looking at another season without playoff action, the Blackhawks seem no where near being competitive. After losing a third straight game Thursday, Chicago is 20-37-9. Maybe they’ll be able to finish on a high note? Chicago has a busy week ahead of it, mostly against teams that aren’t presently in a playoff spot. The Blackhawks will host Seattle on Tuesday and the Kings on Thursday. They’ll then take to the road to play in St. Louis on Saturday before returning home to host Philadelphia on Sunday.

If you’re looking for good news, it’s that Spencer Knight has looked decent since being acquired from Florida as part of the Seth Jones trade. He’s 2-2-0 with a 2.24 GAA and a .928 save percentage in four starts with Chicago. That’s a small sample size, but he also held his own with Florida this campaign -- he had a 12-8-1 record, 2.40 GAA and .907 save percentage in 23 outings pre-trade -- and his potential has been known for a while. Still just 23 years old, Chicago might have found its long-term answer in net. Chicago dealt Petr Mrazek to Detroit, so Knight is likely to see most of the starts for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, other parts of the Blackhawks’ young core have been unimpressive recently. Lukas Reichel, 22, hasn’t recorded a point in his past five games and remains at 19 points (six goals) across 57 appearances. Although there have been high expectations put on the No. 17 overall pick from the 2020 NHL Draft, he hasn’t been able to consistently perform offensively at the NHL level despite collecting 42 goals and 116 points across 121 career regular-season AHL games.

More importantly, Connor Bedard has struggled to make any progress in his sophomore season, and he’s been especially cold recently, supplying just a goal and three points over his past 11 appearances. That gives him 17 goals and 52 points in 66 outings in 2024-25, which is great stuff for a 19-year-old but puts him behind the 22 goals and 61 points in 68 appearances he recorded as a rookie. Ultimately, growing pains as a sophomore is nothing to panic over, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he still manages to end the season on a positive note.

In the meantime, it’s the veterans who are getting the job done for Chicago. The 28-year-old Ryan Donato has been incredible lately with eight goals and 20 points across his past 15 appearances, while the 30-year-old Teuvo Teravainen has four goals and 17 points in 14 outings. Please note that Donato is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so even if the Blackhawks have no hope of making the playoffs, he is playing for his next contract, which should help keep him going as we enter the final stretch of the campaign.

Los Angeles Kings (Mon @ MIN, Thu @ CHI, Sat vs CAR, Sun vs BOS)

The Kings won their fourth straight game when they shutdown the Capitals 3-0 on Thursday. That streak has elevated them into the second seed in the Pacific Division, though they have just a one-point edge over Edmonton, albeit with a game in hand, so the Kings need to maintain their momentum in order to secure the home-ice advantage in the first round. They’ll start the week on the road with contests in Minnesota on Monday and Chicago on Thursday. The Kings will then host the Hurricanes and the Bruins on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Shutting out the Capitals is no small feat, so Darcy Kuemper, who made 21 saves, deserves recognition for pulling that off against his former team. The goaltender is on a roll, stopping 101 of 105 shots (.962 save percentage) across his past four starts (3-0-1). He’s also been an important part of the Kings’ success overall with a 21-8-7 record, 2.23 GAA and .916 save percentage in 37 outings. What a comeback he’s had after a disastrous 2023-24 campaign with Washington (13-14-3 record, 3.31 GAA, .890 save percentage). It provides a little silver lining to the whole Pierre-Luc Dubois saga, though it has to be said that Dubois has done well in Washington (17 goals, 57 points), so the Kuemper-Dubois swap has ultimately worked out for both sides.

For those who aren’t aware, there was a brief time when Dubois was seen as a possible successor up the middle for the aging Anze Kopitar. That didn’t go as the Kings had hoped, but fortunately Anze Kopitar hasn’t needed a replacement just yet. The 37-year-old has three goals and seven points in his past seven outings, giving him 16 goals and 53 points in 64 appearances in 2024-25. It looks like he’ll finish just below the 70-point mark, but he should still hit 60 for the seventh time in eight seasons.

The 22-year-old Quinton Byfield is also giving the Kings reason for optimism about the future of their center group. Although he’ll likely finish below the 55-points he provided in 2023-24, Byfield has shown flashes of what he’s capable of this campaign, including his active five-game goal-scoring streak. He’s up to 16 markers and 39 points in 64 outings this season.

Nashville Predators (Tue vs STL, Thu vs ANA, Sat vs TOR, Sun @ STL)

The chances of Nashville making the playoffs are near zero, but the Predators would like to at least finish the campaign on a high note. To that end, Nashville has won four straight going into Friday’s action. The Predators will attempt to extend that run of strong play next week, starting with home games against St. Louis on Tuesday, Anaheim on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday. The Predators will finish the week on the road against St. Louis.

Steven Stamkos has been a huge part of the Predators’ recent success, providing five goals and nine points across that four-game winning streak. His 22 goals and 42 points in 64 outings is still disappointing when measured against his 80-plus points in each of his previous three campaigns, but the 35-year-old clearly still has something left in the tank. Don’t dismiss the possibility of 2025-26 being a comeback season for him -- he might provide great value for those who select him in 2025 fantasy drafts.

I’m less confident about Juuse Saros bouncing back. Even while winning his past three starts, Saros hasn’t looked special, stopping just 65 of 73 shots (.890 save percentage). His goals saved above expected is minus-4.1 this season, suggesting that he’s been below average even if you factor out the Predators’ defense, and he was a similarly underwhelming minus-3.0 last season. He’s still just 29 (30 on April 19), so it’s not like a comeback is impossible. You look at a guy like Sergei Bobrovsky, and you can see how a goaltender can be inconsistent on yearly basis but still average out to be a phenomenal netminder. Even still, I’m at the point where I need to see results from Saros before I’ll start to believe in him again. As it stands, I’d be somewhat worried if I was the Predators’ GM given that his eight-year, $61.92 million contract doesn’t even start until next season.

I’m also not big on the idea that Jonathan Marchessault will do better next season. He has 19 goals and 48 points in 64 appearances this campaign, down from 42 goals and 69 points in 82 appearances with Vegas in 2023-24. The issue is that last season was an outlier from him in terms of goal scoring -- other than that, he’s never done better than 30 markers. He accomplished that feat thanks to his 15.8 shooting percentage, well above his career average of 11.5, so his showing in 2024-25 represents a regression toward the norm. It is noteworthy that he’s managed just 9.4 shots per 60 minutes this season -- he recorded between 10.8-12.4 in each campaign from 2017-18 through 2023-24 -- so perhaps he’ll be somewhat more aggressive next season, leading to a handful of additional goals, but that’s about the most you can hope for.

Philadelphia Flyers (Mon @ PHI, Thu @ WAS, Sat @ DAL, Sun @ CHI)

The Flyers earned a 4-3 shootout win over Tampa Bay on Thursday to end their five-game losing streak, but at 28-31-8, Philadelphia’s chances of making the playoffs seem remote. The task won’t be made any easier next week. The Flyers will be on the road, playing in Tampa Bay on Monday, Washington on Thursday, Dallas on Saturday and Chicago on Sunday.

No Flyers player is particularly hot offensively at the moment, and that includes 20-year-old Matvei Michkov. To be fair, he recorded an impressive six goals and 13 points in nine games from Feb. 6-March 8, but he’s been held off the scoresheet for Philadelphia’s past three outings. The rookie’s talent is without question, but he’s been extremely streaky this season, so be prepared for this cold stretch to potentially last another week or two.

Maybe Bobby Brink is at the beginning of a hot streak, though. He was amazing versus Tampa Bay on Thursday, supplying two goals and an assist. That’s just his fourth multi-point game of the campaign, but don’t get too excited: The previous three times he had a multi-point showing, it didn’t lead to a notable stretch of offensive success. He also has a meh 10 goals and 32 points in 64 appearances overall.

There’s nothing much to jump on in goal either. Ivan Fedotov did have a nice stretch from March 1-9, stopping 75 of 80 shots (.938 save percentage) in three appearances, but even then, the Flyers provided him with just one win in that stretch, and that good run ended Tuesday anyway when he allowed four goals on 23 shots to Ottawa.

If you’re looking for fantasy value, there just isn't much to be found here at this time. However, while I’m pessimistic about Michkov in the short term, the flip side of his streaky nature is that he should rebound eventually -- and likely in a big way.

St. Louis Blues (Tue @ NAS, Thu vs VAN, Sat vs CHI, Sun vs NAS)

St. Louis will start next with in Nashville, capping off an exhausting stretch in which the Blues played seven of eight games from March 2-18 on the road. After that, they’ll get to sleep in their own beds for a while. The Blues will host the Canucks on Thursday, the Blackhawks on Saturday and the Predators on Sunday.

The Blues are 31-28-7 and sit just two points out of a playoff position through Thursday’s action. There’s plenty of competition for that second wild-card spot, but it is fair to say that St. Louis is still playing for something with roughly a month left in the regular-season schedule.

This would certainly be a good time for Jordan Binnington to get hot again. He’s had his moments, especially during the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he’s struggled recently with a 2-2-0 record, 3.49 GAA and .846 save percentage across his past four appearances. Unfortunately, he’s just been too inconsistent to count on, but he’s still appeared in seven of St. Louis’ past nine games, so it seems safe to say the Blues will lean on him over Joel Hofer in the final weeks of the season.

Maybe Binnington will get sufficient goal support to make his occasional struggles moot. Dylan Holloway is certainly doing his best, supplying five goals and eight points across his past nine games. He’s up to 21 goals, 48 points and 138 hits in 66 appearances in 2024-25. This is with the benefit of hindsight, but Edmonton has to be asking itself if declining to match the Blues’ two-year, $4.58 million offer sheet was really the right move, even after factoring in the Oilers’ tricky cap situation.

Zachary Bolduc is another young forward leading the Blues’ push for a playoff spot. The 21-year-old has six goals and seven points across his past eight games, elevating him to 12 goals and 25 points in 56 outings overall. I’m not confident Bolduc will continue to be productive over the final month of the season, but Bolduc is a former No. 17 overall pick (2021 draft), so this kind of offensive outburst isn’t coming out of nowhere.

The veteran Brayden Schenn had been doing his part too, supplying three goals and 10 points in nine games from Feb. 8-March 7. However, he was held off the scoresheet in each of St. Louis’ past two games, so that hot streak might be at its end. The 33-year-old has 14 goals and 40 points in 66 appearances in 2024-25.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Mon vs PHI, Thu @ DAL, Sat @ UTA, Sun @ VGK)

Tampa Bay enjoyed a run of 10 wins in 11 games from Feb. 4-March 6, but the Lightning have stumbled recently, dropping their last three (0-2-1). The Lightning will try to shake that off next week, starting with a home game against Philadelphia. The Lightning will then play in Dallas on Thursday, in Utah on Saturday and in Vegas on Sunday.

Tampa Bay has a 37-23-5 record, which puts the squad two points behind Toronto and six away from the division-leading Panthers. Reaching Florida is unlikely at this point, but the Lightning could still earn home-ice advantage in a probable first-round matchup against Toronto if Tampa Bay finishes the season strong.

A lot of the Lightning’s potential success will be contingent on their main three forwards of Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. That’s typically a good trio to bet on, but Guentzel and Point have each been held off the scoresheet for all of Tampa Bay’s last three games. Kucherov was scoreless in two of those contests and missed the third due to illness. Kucherov did rejoin the Lightning for Friday’s practice, but rather than skate alongside Guentzel and Point, he shared the ice with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, while Yanni Gourde skated on the top unit.

That’s nothing earthshattering. Kucherov has spent 18.5 percent of his even-strength minutes alongside Cirelli and Hagel this season, so while that combination isn’t common, it’s not unheard of. Besides, Cirelli (20 goals, 45 points) and Hagel (30 goals, 72 points) are great forwards in their own right, so they’re good players for the star to work with and might help spark Kucherov.

This is also a good opportunity for Gourde, who has six goals and 19 points between St. Louis and Tampa Bay this season. He has two assists since being acquired by Tampa Bay, but if he shows some chemistry with Guentzel and Point, perhaps Tampa Bay will consider using this combination more regularly, which would likely boost Gourde’s offensive production.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Mon vs CGY, Wed vs COL, Thu @ NYR, Sat @ NAS)

Toronto’s been struggling recently, dropping four of its last five (1-3-1) and failing to win any of those games in regulation or overtime. That’s dropped the Leafs’ record to 39-23-3, which presents them with an uphill battle if they want to overtake the 41-22-3 Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Toronto will look for better results next week, starting with home games against Calgary and Colorado on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Leafs will then hit the road, playing against the Rangers on Thursday and Nashville on Saturday.

Goaltending has been part of the Leafs’ recent issues. Anthony Stolarz has a record of 0-2-1 along with a 3.18 GAA and an .876 save percentage across his past four appearances, and Joseph Woll has allowed at least three goals over each of his past three outings -- though he is 2-1-0 over that stretch. Overall, the Maple Leafs’ goaltenders have still been fine this season with Stolarz being particularly good, posting a 2.37 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 25 games, so I don’t think those issues are a source of panic right now.

On the offensive side of things, Auston Matthews is continuing his interesting season. His 11.5 shooting percentage of 2024-25 is the worst of his career, and he might finish with under 30 goals for the first time -- just one season removed from 69 markers. However, he’s managed to adjust by serving as more of a playmaker, resulting in him collecting 56 points (23 goals) in 50 appearances. He has missed time due to upper body issues this campaign, and perhaps he’s still not 100 percent, which would explain his mortal levels of goal scoring, but as long as he’s finding other ways to contribute, Toronto will be fine.

Meanwhile, the Leafs’ pending UFAs, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, continue to make big contributions. Tavares has seven goals and 14 points in 14 appearances this season, giving him 27 goals and 56 points in 58 outings overall, and Marner has five goals and nine points in his last eight games, bringing him up to 21 goals and 80 points in 64 appearances. It will be extremely interesting to see how Toronto navigates those contract situations over the summer. Letting them walk would be immensely painful, but the silver lining is that roughly $22 million would be coming off the books between the two of them.

Ultimately, what happens in the playoffs might be a determining factor. If the Maple Leafs have a deep run, then Toronto might want to stick with what they have, and it might also serve as extra motivation for Marner to bet on the Leafs long term. However, if Toronto ends up with another first-round exit, then the front office might decide its finally time to close the books on the Marner/Matthews/Tavares/William Nylander experiment that, to this point, has resulted in just one playoff series win.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – What about the Maple Leafs is not working? – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 16:05:37 +0000

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 24: Toronto Maple Leafs Winger William Nylander (88) skates with the puck during the NHL regular season game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 24, 2024, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire)

The Maple Leafs are going through a bit of a rough patch, losing their past three games and six of their last nine. Even after factoring in that slump, though, they have an impressive 30-19-2 record. This downturn is also coming at a time when they’re missing one of their top forwards in John Tavares (lower body) as well as the continued absence of Anthony Stolarz (knee).

Toronto seems to be a city of anxiety when it comes to the Leafs, brought on by years of playoff disappointments, so success seems to be treated with an asterisk whereas slumps come with an “Oh boy, here we go again” attitude, but given the overall success of this team thus far in 2024-25 and the recent injuries, would it be best to dismiss the recent struggles as just the type of stretch that every good team goes through, or is there really an underlining issue being exposed?

Certainly, this is still a good team, but when people express those doubts about Toronto, they’re not disputing that. Instead, they’re saying this team isn’t good enough to be regarded as a serious Stanley Cup contender, and by that standard, I do think this stretch highlights an area of real concern. Toronto has managed just one goal in each of its past three games and ranks 13th in goals per game this campaign with 3.04. For a team that’s built around four elite forwards, to have a lack of offense is rather discouraging.

In fact, 74.5 percent of Toronto’s cap is eaten by forwards compared to 54.3 percent for Winnipeg (3.58 goals per game) and 56.5 percent for Tampa Bay (3.48 goals per game). In fact, the only other team close to the Maple Leafs in terms of the percentage of their cap spent on forwards is Washington, but while the Capitals are at 74.7 percent, their situation is weird because Nicklas Backstrom ($9.2 million against the cap) and TJ Oshie ($5.75 million against the cap) are on LTIR. Even if we were talking apples to apples, though, at least Washington is getting value at 3.49 goals per game.

So, what is it about Toronto that isn’t working? You’ve probably already guessed because it is the common argument against the Maple Leafs’ way of doing things: If you spend $46.65 million on four forwards (Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Tavares and Mitch Marner), then you don’t have much left over for the rest of your forward corps.

On another team, that could be supplemented by young players on entry-level contracts or players locked to team-friendly contracts. Toronto doesn’t have much of either on the forward side of things. Part of that is because for years now, Toronto has been trading futures for playoff runs that didn’t materialize.

The notable exception is Matthew Knies, who has 18 goals and 31 points in 47 appearances this campaign, but even that is about to go away given that this is the last season of his entry-level contract. Outside of him and the Big Four, no Maple Leafs player has reached the 15-goal or 25-point mark.

That also makes them particularly vulnerable to absences, such as the current one by Tavares. It does have to be said that Toronto did fairly well without Matthews during stretches of the campaign, but that was due to strong goaltending rather than other forwards filling the void. In Toronto’s first stint without Matthews from Nov. 5-27, the team went 7-2-0 despite averaging just 2.89 goals per game. Toronto was a mixed 3-3-0 during Matthews second absence from Dec. 21-Jan. 2 and once again managed just 2.83 goals per game.

That strong goaltending has been the backbone of the Maple Leafs this campaign, but we’ve seen vulnerability there since Dec. 14 with Toronto allowing 3.32 goals per game. It’s not coincidental that the Maple Leafs’ dip in goaltending is what’s made Toronto’s underwhelming offense -- something that’s nothing new this campaign -- gain attention. A lot can be forgiven or ignored as long as the team collectively is winning. It’s also not coincidental that Dec. 14 to present covers Toronto’s span without Stolarz, who had been terrific before getting hurt with a 9-5-2 record, 2.15 GAA and .927 save percentage in 17 appearances.

When Stolarz comes back, perhaps he’ll resume his dominant play, and Toronto’s mediocre scoring will once again seem acceptable. Once thing this stretch has highlighted, though: The Maple Leafs need him. Unlike some older versions of the Maple Leafs who were driven by offense, this team hasn’t consistently shown an ability to impress when not backed up by great goaltending.

Calgary Flames (Tue vs TOR, Thu vs COL, Sat vs SEA)

The Flames will wrap up their schedule before the 4 Nations Face-Off with a trio of home games. They’ll host Toronto on Tuesday, Colorado on Thursday and Seattle on Saturday. It’s fairly tough competition, but I wanted to highlight them anyway to discuss the trade that sent Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier and two draft picks (2025 second rounder, 2028 seventh rounder) in exchange for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee.

In terms of what Calgary gave up, the 23-year-old Pelletier is a former first-round pick, but hasn’t developed into a top six forward yet, supplying four goals and 11 points in 24 outings this season before the trade. Meanwhile, Kuzmenko is a former 39-goal scorer, but he’s struggled to do much of anything with the Flames in 2024-25, collecting four goals and 15 points in 37 outings. In other words, the Flyers got some interesting pieces in this trade, but Calgary isn’t losing assets that were likely to help the squad in the short term.

The best piece Calgary got in exchange for that was Frost, who has 11 goals and 25 points in 49 appearances in 2024-25 after recording 41 and 46 points in 2023-24 and 2022-23, respectively. He’s a solid third-line center who looks fine on the draw with a 51.6 winning percentage this year. Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund will probably play ahead of Frost up the middle, and when Connor Zary (knee) comes back, Zary might shift to the wing to play alongside the newly acquired Flyers center.

Frost isn’t likely to turn heads, but he should be a nice secondary scorer for a team struggling to find the back of the net (2.68 goals per game). The only potential sticking point is Frost couldn’t complete Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to New Jersey, which might indicate he’s dealing with an injury. It’s probably nothing serious if the Flames pulled the trigger on this trade, but perhaps it will delay his debut with the Flames.

When it comes to Farabee, he’s another middle-six forward. The 24-year-old did look like he was on track to become more than that last campaign when he supplied 22 goals and 50 points in 82 games, but he’s regressed this year with eight goals and 19 points in 50 outings. Perhaps a fresh start with Calgary will do him some good, but he’ll probably begin his stint with Calgary on the third line with Frost (assuming Frost is healthy).

For the 25-18-7 Flames, the question is if these moves are enough to win them a playoff spot. The team is still very dependent on Dustin Wolf to be stellar in goal -- his 19-8-2 record, 2.51 GAA and .917 save percentage in 29 appearances is a big part of the reason Calgary’s in this position -- but this should at least give him a bit more goal support.

Chicago Blackhawks (Wed vs EDM, Fri vs NSH, Sat @ STL)

The Blackhawks will get to rest up early this week before hosting the Oilers on Wednesday and Predators on Friday. Chicago will then travel to St. Louis for a clash Saturday.

In most cases, I’d label the 18-24-7 Predators and 23-24-4 Blues are favorable matchups, but we’re talking about Chicago…so that doesn’t really work. Chicago is 16-30-5, giving the franchise good odds of getting a top two pick for the third straight campaign. The silver lining is that sets the stage for the Blackhawks to have an amazing core to build around, but in the meantime, Connor Bedard is burning the second year of his entry-level contract on a team that’s not giving him much to work with.

Not that Bedard is putting up Connor McDavid-like numbers, but the Blackhawks sophomore is doing his part with 14 goals and 44 points in 50 games. There’s only so much he can do when only one other player on the team, Teuvo Teravainen, has more than 30 points. Chicago also recently dealt Taylor Hall to Carolina, and while he wasn’t living up to expectations with the Blackhawks, his nine goals and 24 points in 46 outings was still good enough to rank fifth among forwards in Chicago’s scoring race before the trade.

Ryan Donato, who ranks third with 29 points (15 goals) in 49 outings, might be gone soon too. The 28-year-old is in the final season of his two-year, $4 million contract, so it’s fair to believe Chicago will jump at the opportunity to move him for a pick or prospect.

Seth Jones, who is only in the third season of his eight-year, $76 million contract, is likely to stay, though. That contract hasn’t looked great for Chicago and with the benefit of hindsight, the timing was awkward given the Blackhawks’ performance over the life of it. However, Jones has his moments, and he’s going through one of them. The 30-year-old blueliner has recorded at least a point in each of his past seven appearances, giving him two goals and 10 points in that span. If you’re looking for someone who will provide value this week in Chicago outside of Bedard, Jones is your best bet.

Los Angeles Kings (Wed vs MTL, Fri vs DAL, Sat vs ANA)

The Kings will spend the week at home, facing Montreal, Dallas and Anaheim on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, respectively. They’ll try to enter the break on a positive note after going 2-7-1 from Jan. 11-30.

Los Angeles’ recent slump is due in large part to a lack of scoring. The Kings have managed three or more goals just once in that 10-game span. Anze Kopitar has been noticeably quiet. The 37-year-old is having a great campaign overall with 12 goals and 43 points through 49 appearances, but he’s supplied just four assists over his past 13 outings. It should just be a matter of time before the veteran gets going again, but perhaps fantasy managers should consider benching him until that time comes.

Phillip Danault has left plenty to be desired too after collecting only two points (one goal) across his last 11 games. He’s now on pace to record just 38 points this season, which would make it the first time he’s ever finished below the 40-point mark in a season where he’s logged at least 70 games.

Obviously, the slump has skewed the scoring pace downward, but there are areas of concern beyond that. Perhaps the most discouraging aspect of his game is his complete lack of power-play production. He had nine points with the man advantage last season and a career-high 20 in 2022-23, but he still hasn’t found the scoresheet on the power play this campaign. To make matters worse for him, with Drew Doughty back, Danault might find himself shifting out of the power-play makeup entirely.

Speaking of Doughty, he made his season debut following a knee injury without any sort of time management to ease him back in. He logged 23:51 of ice time Wednesday and another 27:43 the very next day. He didn’t get any points over his first two contests, but the Kings were shutout of back-to-back games, so that’s less of a Doughty thing and more of a byproduct of the team’s overall slump.

Los Angeles is a good enough team to overcome its recent struggles, and Doughty should be an effective defender the rest of the way. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him collect 15-20 points over what’s left of the campaign.

Montreal Canadiens (Tue @ SJS, Wed @ LAK, Sat vs NJD, Sun vs TBL)

The Canadiens are one of just a handful of squads set to play four games next week. They’ll start on the road with contests in San Jose on Tuesday and Los Angeles on Wednesday. Afterward, Montreal will host the Devils on Saturday and the Lightning on Sunday.

The Canadiens battled their way back in the playoff conversation by going 13-3-1 from Dec. 17-Jan. 21, but some of that momentum has been lost after dropping their past four games (0-3-1). Unfortunately, Jakub Dobes has lost some of his initial magic. He burst onto the scene by stopping 103 of 107 shots (.963 save percentage) across his first four starts -- all wins -- but he’s allowed at least three goals in each of his past three outings.

The 23-year-old is a promising netminder who has a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 14 AHL appearances this season, but he’s not presently one of the best goaltenders in the world. A drop off from his hot start isn’t shocking and you similarly shouldn’t be surprised if he’s able to work his way back from it. He should average out to be a pretty decent rookie for the Canadiens in the second half of the campaign, but it would be too much to hope for Dobes to drag Montreal into the playoffs.

If the Canadiens are going to feature in the postseason, it will probably need to be the offense leading the charge. Patrik Laine has slumped recently too, though, being held off the scoresheet in each of his past three outings. Laine tends to be a very streaky scorer who sometimes seems unstoppable and on other occasions is a nonfactor. If he’s on your team, you have to work around these cold patches. Benching him wouldn’t be the worst idea in the short term but put him right back into the mix the second he finds the back of the net because one goal from him often kicks off a new hot streak.

When Laine starts going again, it should also help Lane Hutson, who is on a four-game scoring drought. Hutson isn’t solely dependent on Laine for offense, but it’s fair to say that the two have found chemistry, especially with the man advantage, so what’s good for one is often good for the other.

Hutson is also just one point shy of 40. The last time the Canadiens had a rookie defenseman hit that milestone was 1984-85 when Chris Chelios and Tom Kurvers surpassed that mark. The only other rookie blueliner to ever reach that milestone in franchise history was Guy Lapointe in 1970-71.

Ottawa Senators (Mon @ NSH, Tue @ TBL, Thu @ TBL, Sat @ FLA)

During a busier week, I wouldn’t be highlighting the Senators because they have a rather tough schedule, but because they’re one of the rare squads set to play in four games, I’ll feature them anyway. The Senators will be on the road all week, starting in Nashville on Monday before playing two games in Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Thursday. Ottawa will then conclude the week in Florida on Saturday.

In contrast to the Canadiens, Ottawa has won its last three games, bringing the Senators up to an 8-2-1 record dating back to Jan. 11. That’s propelled Ottawa to the third spot in the Atlantic Division, just four points behind Toronto and five shy of Florida.

If you had suggested at the beginning of the campaign that this would be the Senators’ position, many would have assumed that it was a sign that Linus Ullmark had worked out superbly, and while the goaltender does have an impressive 2.38 GAA and .915 save percentage, he’s been limited to 23 outings due to injury and hasn’t played since Dec. 22.

Even with him gone, though, goaltending hasn’t been an issue. Leevi Merilainen has looked fantastic, posting a 7-3-1 record, 2.19 GAA and .921 save percentage in 11 appearances. Although Anton Forsberg hasn’t been nearly as effective overall, he’s done his part recently too with a 3-1-0 record, 2.19 GAA and a .922 save percentage over his last five outings.

Ullmark is close to returning, so it will be interesting to see what Ottawa does next. The path of least resistance would be to send Merilainen back to the minors because he’s waiver-exempt. It feels wrong to demote a goaltender who has been doing this good, but you also need to keep in mind that he’s 22 years old. He might not get many starts in a scenario where all three goaltenders are healthy, so it’s probably better for his development if he’s with AHL Belleville and playing regularly.

That scenario assumes Forsberg can at least do adequately as the backup. He’s done well lately but still hasn’t been great overall, posting a 2.87 GAA and an .893 save percentage across 19 outings in 2024-25. If he starts struggling again, then Ottawa could push him to the side. At the very least, Forsberg has less job security now than he had at the beginning of the campaign.

Perhaps the Senators will consider seeing if there is a taker for Forsberg on the trade market. There might not be much demand for him, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s an avenue they’ve explored. Whatever consideration they gave to the possibility of trading Claude Giroux is probably over, though. The 37-year-old is in the final year of his contract, so it would have made sense to move him before the Senators got hot, but now that a playoff berth is looking realistic, there’s little reason to move one of their top six forwards, so fans of other contenders can likely cross him off their wish list.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Tue vs OTT, Thu vs OTT, Sat @ DET, Sun @ MTL)

Ottawa has surpassed Tampa Bay in the standing, but the Lightning will have an opportunity to reclaim their spot. As noted above, Tampa Bay is set to host the Senators on Tuesday and Thursday. After those two key games, Tampa Bay will hit the road, playing in Detroit on Saturday and Montreal on Sunday.

It might be a bit much to say Tampa Bay is slumping -- the Lightning earned a 3-0 win over LA on Thursday -- but at the least, the results have been mild recently. Dating back to Dec. 29, Tampa Bay has a record of 7-9-1.

The Lightning have scored just 2.47 goals per game during that 17-game stretch, so it’s fair to say offense has been at the heart of the problem. That’s despite Nikita Kucherov providing an impressive seven goals and 22 points in that span.

However, a lot of other players are a step below what they’re capable of producing. Kucherov’s typical linemates, Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point aren’t enduring a full-blown drought, but they’re usually better than the 13 and 10 points, respectively, they’ve collected over the past 17 games. Brandon Hagel (six goals, 14 points) and Victor Hedman (three goals, 12 points) have largely held their own over that stretch too, but their overall scoring pace has declined relative to what it was before Dec. 29.

Taken on their own, the dip of any of those four high-end producers wouldn’t be a big deal, but to have all four of them drop at the same time is noteworthy. That’s compounded by the more significant decline Anthony Cirelli has suffered. After averaging a point-per-game through his first 32 outings (14 goals, 18 assists), he’s managed just two goals and seven points across his past 17 appearances.

Let’s look at this another way: Of Tampa Bay’s top nine scorers through Dec. 28, only one, Darren Raddysh, has seen his point-per-game pace increase over Tampa Bay’s last 17 games. Meanwhile, seven of the nine have a point-per-game pace from Dec. 29-Jan. 30 that’s at least 26 basis points less than it was from the start of the campaign through Dec. 28. Even Kucherov, who as seen a significant decline between those two stretches -- 1.71 PPG compared to 1.29 PPG.

So, it’s not a one player problem. The team collectively has cooled, and there aren’t players outside of that core who have stepped up to fill the void.

Utah HC (Tue vs PHI, Thu @ CBJ, Sat @ CAR, Sun @ WSH)

Utah has a busy week ahead of it. The Hockey Club will host the Flyers on Tuesday before hitting the road with clashes in Columbus on Thursday, Carolina on Saturday and Washington on Sunday.

This has nothing to do with fantasy hockey, but I got to note that Utah will apparently not be able to use the nickname Yeti or Yetis, per The Salt Lake Tribune. That leaves the finalists as the Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws or sticking with Utah Hockey Club. I’ll be honest, I don’t like any of those options, but a good logo and time can cause branding to grow on people.

I just hope they don’t stick with Hockey Club. As a placeholder, I get it, and I understand it’s a perfectly common name in other sports -- as someone from Toronto, Toronto FC immediately jumps to mind, and that’s one of many MLS teams using FC. However, to me, Hockey Club feels like the absence of identity rather than an identity in and of itself. At the end of the day, though, it’s not for me to decide. The fans of the team are what matter here, but if I was picking, that would be last on my list.

Clayton Keller jerseys should sell regardless. He certainly is playing well enough to deserve it. He has 18 goals and 54 points in 49 appearances, and Keller’s been consistent too, not being held off the scoresheet for more than two games in a row this campaign.

Logan Cooley is sure to help define the Utah franchise too. The 20-year-old sophomore is enjoying a breakout campaign with 15 goals and 43 points in 50 appearances. However, Utah will have to get along without him for a while because he suffered a lower-body injury Wednesday and is regarded as being out indefinitely. That’s on top of the absence of Dylan Guenther (lower body), who has 16 goals and 34 points in 40 outings, but hasn’t played since Jan. 8.

With both of them gone, Josh Doan seems set to serve in a top six capacity and the first power-play unit. He hasn’t done much with his opportunities so far this campaign, collecting just two goals and five points in 19 outings, but he does still have upside and is worth keeping an eye on.

We might also see Matias Maccelli get a fresh opportunity. Maccelli has averaged just 13:58 of ice time this campaign and was even a healthy scratch Wednesday, but with Cooley out, Maccelli could find himself on the second unit. Maccelli has just 17 points (eight goals) in 48 outings this campaign, but he had 49 points in 2022-23 and 57 points last season, so a comeback isn’t out of the question.

Vegas Golden Knights (Tue @ NYI, Thu @ NJD, Sat 2 BOS)

Vegas will be on the road next week, playing against the Islanders on Tuesday, New Jersey on Thursday and Boston on Saturday. All of those adversaries are in the mix for a playoff spot, but only the Devils are a safe bet to make the postseason at this time.

Vegas seems all-but certain to make the playoffs too given its 31-15-6 record, but the Golden Knights have faltered recently, going 3-6-3 over their past 12 games. Vegas, which had been doing fairly well on the injury front, also got some bad news there. William Karlsson (lower body) has missed the past five games and isn’t close to returning. Cole Schwindt (lower body) will probably be out for a while too.

The Golden Knights attempted to help fill that void by inking Brandon Saad to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Saad was an unrestricted free agent because he and the Blues mutually agreed to terminate what was left on his remaining on his five-year, $22.5 million contract, which would have run through 2025-26. Even after signing that deal with Vegas, Saad has cost himself millions of dollars by agreeing to walk away from his old deal, but that also highlights how much value he puts on playing in the NHL.

The Blues waived him Tuesday and he cleared because no team wanted his old $4.5 million cap hit. Saad could have simply reported to the minors and collected his paycheck, but the 32-year-old instead took this path, which led him to a fresh opportunity with Vegas.

Although he hasn’t been terribly productive this campaign, recording seven goals and 16 points in 43 outings with St. Louis, he can be an effective middle-six winger. Vegas will likely give him an opportunity to play on the third unit, perhaps alongside Raphael Lavoie and Nicolas Roy. Saad might also get a look on the second power-play unit, but that’s far from certain.

I wouldn’t expect big things from Saad, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he proves to be serviceable with his new team. He also might end up doing a little better when Karlsson returns -- it's entirely feasible Saad and Karlsson will end up playing together when that happens with Roy shifting to the fourth line.

One player Saad is less likely to play with is Tomas Hertl, which is a shame for Saad because Hertl is red hot. The 31-year-old is on an 11-game scoring streak in which he’s provided nine goals and 15 points. Funny enough, he has a neutral plus/minus, even during that terrific stretch, keeping him at a team-worst minus-10 overall. Hertl looks more appealing in terms of possession stats -- his 5v5 relative Corsi and Fenwick are plus-1.8 and plus-4.0, respectively, which suggests the team performs better when he’s on the ice -- but it seems plus/minus is destined to be the one area where he underperforms.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Werenski pushing Norris Trophy candidacy, Stamkos heating up, Cirelli more than a checking centre, Dorofeyev is a finisher, Kakko making most of fresh start, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:51:37 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 27: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates with the puck during an NHL game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. (Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski is pushing his Norris Trophy candidacy, Steven Stamkos is heating up, Anthony Cirelli is more than a checking centre, Pavel Dorofeyev is a finisher, Kaapo Kakko is making the most of his fresh start, and much more!

Here is this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points:

#1 Many of the players that get addressed in 20 Fantasy Points are players that are available in most leagues, but sometimes players who are rostered are doing noteworthy things. Enter Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski, who had a career-high 57 points last season, but has taken his game to a new level in 2024-2025. Werenski had an assist in Thursday’s 4-1 win over San Jose, giving him 51 points (15 G, 36 A) in 45 games to lead NHL defencemen in scoring. Since 2021-2022, Werenski has 40 goals in 196 games, his 0.20 goals per game ranking third among defencemen, behind only Cale Makar and Roman Josi. Werenski has always been a strong shot generator, but this season he has taken it to a new level, leading all defencemen with 3.96 shots on goal per game. He has 19 points on the power play, one behind Makar who leads all defencemen. All of this is to say that 27-year-old Werenski is performing at the peak of his abilities, and he probably warrants Norris Trophy consideration. He may not be easy to acquire in fantasy leagues, but if you have him, understand that his underlying numbers suggest that his production isn’t likely to go away, so he is a sell-high commodity, if he is going to be sold at all.

#2 After a shockingly slow start to the season, the Nashville Predators have started to turn the corner, though it may be too late to salvage the season. Nevertheless, Steven Stamkos has started to find his range and after scoring a goal against Chicago on Thursday, he has 16 points (8 G, 8 A) in his past 16 games. Only three of those 16 points have come via the power play, so Stamkos is making hay at even strength, centering a line with Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault on his wings.

#3 A former teammate of Stamkos, Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli is enjoying his best offensive season. He scored his 18th goal of the season Thursday, which puts him only two behind the career-high 20 goals that he scored in 79 games last season. Cirelli is skating with Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul on his wings and getting power play time, leading to Cirelli playing a career-high 18:41 per game.

#4 Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev has sniped five goals in his past two games, vaulting into the team lead with 19 goals. Since the holiday break, Dorofeyev has scored seven goals on 32 shots while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time per game in 10 games. He may not continue at the same goal-scoring rate, but if he can continue to produce at least three shots per game and hold down his spot on the Vegas power play, Dorofeyev should continue to be a legitimate offensive threat.

#5 Getting a fresh start in Seattle, right winger Kaapo Kakko is thriving with the Kraken, even while the team has been delivering uneven performances. In his past nine games, Kakko has nine points (3 G, 6 A) and is averaging 17:22 of ice time per game. Sometimes all it takes is an opportunity and Kakko was playing 13:17 per game with the Rangers this season so getting a boost in ice time while skating on a line with Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz seems to be working for him.

#6 Detroit Red Wings rookie winger Marco Kasper picked up a goal and an assist in Thursday’s win at Florida, giving him six points (3 G, 3 A) in his past four games. He had seven points in 35 games before this scoring surge and he’s making the most of his opportunity to play on Detroit’s top line, alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. It might be too soon to give a strong recommendation for Kasper, but if he is going to keep playing on the first line, he might offer some short-term value for as long as that continues.

#7 Chicago Blackhawks winger Teuvo Teravainen had a slow start to the season, producing 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in 30 games, but he has taken on more offensive responsibility since then, contributing 18 points (4 G, 14 A) in 15 games. His shot rates are low, so he is more dependent on assists to maintain his production, but he is also on the Blackhawks’ top power play unit, so chances are there for him to make the most of his playmaking ability.

#8 San Jose Sharks left winger William Eklund saw his production slow down in December, but he has bounced back recently. He has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past seven games. Eklund is in a quality situation with the Sharks, playing on a line with sensational rookie Macklin Celebrini and veteran right winger Tyler Toffoli.

#9 Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello obviously benefits from playing on a line with Kirill Kaprizov, but with Kaprizov injured, Zuccarello has continued to produce. In 10 games since Kaprizov was injured, Zuccarello has 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 23 shots on goal, playing nearly 21 minutes per game. Skating with Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi is still a pretty good place to be, it seems. Zuccarello’s Wild teammate Ryan Hartman has emerged from a long offensive slump to deliver seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past eight games. That followed a stretch of 18 games without a point, which pretty much eliminated his fantasy appeal, so maybe he is rediscovering some value.

#10 Healthy and scoring, veteran Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust has tallied 26 points (12 G, 14 A) in his past 23 games, adding 66 shots on goal while playing more than 20 minutes per game. While the Penguins continue to stumble along, Rust’s production is still high level and since he and Rickard Rakell are holding the wing positions on Sidney Crosby’s line, Rust is likely to continue his high level of productivity.

#11 He seems to move in and out of the doghouse in Philadelphia, but Flyers centre Morgan Frost is cooking lately. He is riding a five-game point streak, during which he has six points (2 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal. There is no question that Frost is skilled enough to be a productive scorer in the NHL, but he is constantly in a battle to prove his all-around game to head coach John Tortorella. With his current spot skating between Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny, Frost is being put in a position to succeed and seems to be making the most of it.

#12 Injuries have taken their toll on Edmonton Oilers winger Viktor Arvidsson, making it difficult for him to transition to his new team this season, but he does seem to be finding his spot now. In his past dozen games, Arvidsson has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 31 shots on goal. He is only averaging 14:24 of ice time in that span, but he is getting reps with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin at even strength, so there is good opportunity for Arvidsson to score like he has in the past as a five-time 20-goal scorer.

#13 There have been so many positive stories out of Columbus when it comes to player production. Even veteran winger James van Riemsdyk is providing secondary scoring. Across his past seven games, van Riemsdyk has contributed eight points (4 G, 4 A) and the 35-year-old with soft hands and a big frame is fitting nicely alongside Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson. At the other end of the experience spectrum for the Blue Jackets, they have called up Luca Del Bel Belluz, a second-round pick from 2022 and he has chipped in three points (1 G, 2 A) in his four NHL games this season after scoring in his NHL debut last season. Del Bel Belluz had 37 points (17 G, 20 A) in 34 AHL games to earn his promotion and it looks like he has no intention of going back.

#14 As the Ottawa Senators try to remain in the playoff hunt while starting goaltender Linus Ullmark is injured, the bulk of the goaltending responsibility has fallen to 22-year-old netminder Leevi Merilainen. He was a third-round pick in 2020 and played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL in 2021-2022 before returning to Finland. He split last season between the AHL and ECHL and had a .901 save percentage in 13 games for Belleville of the AHL. That might not seem like a player ready to solve the goaltending problems of an NHL club, but Merilainen has been stellar since getting called up, going 5-2-1 with a .930 save percentage in eight games for Ottawa.

#15 Since the holiday break, Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin is the leader in individual expected goals in all-situations, with 8.00. What makes that even more impressive is how much better it is than the rest of the league. The rest of the top ten is: Zach Hyman (6.15), Mikko Rantanen (6.01), Dmitri Voronkov (5.51), Brandon Hagel (5.44), Nico Hischier (5.28), Tom Wilson (5.16), Alex Ovechkin (5.14), Leon Draisaitl (5.11), and Tomas Hertl (4.93).

#16 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee has moved back up the depth chart and is producing at a high level once again. Last season, he had 37 points (20 G, 17 A) in 81 games for the Isles, but he has 36 points (20 G, 16 A) through 44 games this season. The 34-year-old left winger is still difficult to contain in front of the net and in his past 11 games, Lee has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) and 31 shots on goal. He is playing with Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal, which is a good combination for Lee, who is not going to carry the puck a lot, but he’s good at getting body position in the offensive zone.

#17 Not everything is working for the Islanders, however. Veteran right winger Kyle Palmieri has two assists and just eight shots on goal in his past eight games, which is not nearly enough for a player who is averaging 17:28 of ice time per game. Palmieri is currently on a line with Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov, but they need to get more from a player who tied his career high with 30 goals last season and surely can be expected to generate more than a single shot per game.

#18 Veteran St. Louis Blues centre Brayden Schenn did not have a great start to this season, but he has been picking up the pace under new head coach Jim Montgomery. Schenn managed just nine points (3 G, 6 A) in 22 games before the Blues fired head coach Drew Bannister, but has produced 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in 24 games under Montgomery. Centering a line with Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou, Schenn is productive once again and could challenge for the ninth 20-goal season of his career.

#19 Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk tends to have an impact on the game whether he is scoring or not, thanks to his physical style of play. That doesn’t mean that the Sens are cool with him not providing offensive contributions and he has failed to register a point in five straight games. Tkachuk has 15 shots on goal and 15 hits in those five games, so it’s not like he is invisible out there, but this is the first stretch of the season that he has gone longer than two games without a point. That probably means that he will find the scoresheet again soon.

#20 Although he continues to be a dominant possession player, with a Corsi better than 55 percent, Vegas Golden Knights centre William Karlsson has hit an offensive slump. In his past nine games, Karlsson has no goals, one assist, and 15 shots on goal. For a player averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time per game over that time. At even strength, Karlsson is skating between Brett Howden and Alexander Holtz, which could play a part in his lack of recent production.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Vilardi heating up, Kakko on the move, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:53:01 +0000

_{LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 13: Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi (13) celebrates his goal during an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings on December 13, 2023 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire)}

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Gabriel Vilardi is hot, Pavel Buchnevich is thriving on the wing, Kirill Marchenko leads the surprising Blue Jackets, a fresh start for Kaapo Kakko, and much more!

Here is this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points:

#1 Winnipeg Jets right-winger Gabriel Vilardi is heating up. The 25-year-old forward has tallied 11 points (5 G, 6 A) with 16 shots on goal while averaging 19:26 of ice time per game in his past eight games. He is in a great spot, skating on the Jets’ top line with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, as well as playing on the top power-play unit. Injuries have been a significant factor in Vilardi’s career, and he has never played more than 63 games in a season, so it is surprising that he has played in all 34 games for the Jets thus far. Vilardi has 28 points already, so if he remains healthy, he should surpass his career high of 41 points set in 2022-2023.

#2 The St. Louis Blues tried to shift Pavel Buchnevich to centre at the start of the season, confident that his all-around game would fit in that role, and it did not bring out the best in the veteran forward. He has been returned to the wing and in 10 games since Jim Montgomery took over behind the Blues bench, Buchnevich has contributed nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 27 shots on goal and has most recently found himself skating on a line with Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas.

#3 The leading scorer for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, with 33 points (11 G, 22 A) in 33 games, is third-year right winger Kirill Marchenko. In his past 15 games, he has 17 points (5 G, 12 A) and 46 shots on goal. He plays 18 minutes per game, consistently generates shots and has a good thing going on Columbus’ top line with Dmitri Voronkov and Sean Monahan.

#4 With just 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 30 games for the New York Rangers, right winger Kaapo Kakko was traded to the Seattle Kraken, an opportunity for a fresh start for the second pick in the 2019 Draft. Kakko, 23, had career highs of 18 goals and 40 points during the 2022-2023 season but has not been able to generate enough offense to meet expectations. While Kakko’s puck possession numbers aren’t great this season, it has typically been a strength of his, so he should be able to hold a regular spot in the Kraken lineup. In his first game for Seattle, Kakko skated on a line with Jared McCann and Matty Beniers, which would be a decent spot for him to find his offensive game.

#5 With the Edmonton Oilers scoring at a high rate, ranking second in the league over the past month, there are secondary sources of offense available on this squad. One worth considering is defenceman Darnell Nurse, who has five assists and 14 shots on goal in his past six games. Nurse has 15 points (3 G, 12 A) in 29 games, with just one point on the power play, but he has been this productive despite an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.1 percent during five-on-five play. That mark should go up, so it would be a reasonable expectation for Nurse to score at least a half-point per game for the rest of the season. For a player who delivers hits and blocked shots as well, Nurse has value in most fantasy formats.

#6 Colorado Avalanche left winger Artturi Lehkonen has thrived with the Avs, where his hard-working industrious style of play complements Colorado’s highly skilled top players. In his past 11 games, Lehkonen has nine points (7 G, 2 A) and 25 shots on goal while averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game. He skates on Colorado’s top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, which is obviously a prime position for Lehkonen to continue delivering offensive production.

#7 After a slow start to the season, veteran Utah Hockey Club right winger Nick Schmaltz has started to break out of his slump, scoring at a more typical rate. Through his first 19 games of the season, Schmaltz had zero goals and 13 assists with 38 shots on goal. In a dozen games since then, he has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) with 30 shots on goal. As a key player on Utah’s top line and first power play unit, Schmaltz tends to be a reliable scoring threat and appears to be back on track.

#8 As the Buffalo Sabres are watching their season go down the drain, defenceman Owen Power has quietly been very productive. While Power has 20 points (4 G, 16 A) in 32 games, it’s notable that all 20 points have come at even strength, which puts him third in even-strength scoring among defencemen, behind only Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. Power’s offensive ceiling would seem to be limited in Buffalo, where Rasmus Dahlin (currently injured) and Bowen Byram have power play priority, but the towering defender is already productive at 22 years old.

#9 Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry has become a consistently productive scorer in recent seasons, even if it sometimes gets overlooked because of where he plays. In his past 11 games, Terry has put up 13 points (3 G, 10 A) with 37 shots on goal while averaging 19:53 of ice time per game. On a Ducks team trying to build around young players, Terry is skating on a line with Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome on Anaheim’s No. 1 line.

#10 The Anaheim Ducks shuffled the deck on their blueline, dealing veteran defenceman Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues and part of the reason for the change was to give younger defencemen the opportunity to step into bigger roles. Second-year blueliner Jackson LaCombe is making the most of his chances and, in December, has suddenly produced seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 19 shots on goal in seven games. He is playing nearly 20 minutes per game in that time and is getting first-unit power play time, which makes him a legitimate option for fantasy managers.

#11 Nashville Predators defenceman Roman Josi has been battling a lower-body injury and has landed on the injured list. With Josi out, Brady Skjei takes over as the quarterback on the Nashville power play. Skjei has failed to record a point in each of his past nine games, despite playing nearly 23 minutes per game, leaving him with nine points (2 G, 7 A) in 32 games. That is a long way off the pace that Skjei set in Carolina over the previous three seasons when he produced 124 points (40 G, 84 A) in 243 games for the Hurricanes.

#12 Another former Hurricane, winger Teuvo Teravainen started slowly upon his return to Chicago, managing eight points (4 G, 4 A) in his first 18 games, with half of those goals and points coming in the third game of the season. Since then, Teravainen has 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 15 games and he is skating on Chicago’s third line, alongside Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev.

#13 It would be too soon to recommend Oilers right winger Connor Brown in anything but the deepest of leagues, but he is worth keeping an eye on because the Oilers are not getting consistent production from their wingers and Brown did contribute more offensively before joining the Oilers last season. Brown managed just a dozen points (4 G, 8 A) in 71 games for Edmonton last season, but is up to 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in 32 games this season after producing eight points (3 G, 5 A) in his past 11 games.

#14 Red Winger centre J.T. Compher has contributed a point per game (1 G, 8 A) in his past nine games, a sudden increase in his offensive output. While his ice time is down by 2:33 per game compared to last season, Compher is still getting first-unit power play time in addition to his time at centre on Detroit’s third line. As a player who had 48 and 52 points, respectively, in the previous two seasons, Compher is behind his previous scoring pace, but if he remains productive, his ice time will likely climb.

#15 Seattle Kraken right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand has been a consistent contributor but has elevated his level of play in the past month. In 14 games, he has 15 points (7 G, 8 A) and 30 shots on goal. Bjorkstrand gets first unit power play time for the Kraken, but only five of his 23 points this season have come with the man advantage. The recent uptick in his production has come at even strength, where he has more recently been playing with Shane Wright and Eeli Tolvanen. Bjorkstrand tallied a career-high 59 points (20 G, 39 A) last season, with 25 points on the power play, so that would seem to be an area that still has room for further improvement.

#16 Vegas Golden Knights winger Ivan Barbashev has been sidelined with an upper-body injury and it’s worth pointing out what a big hole that leaves in the lineup. Barbarshev has 26 points during five-on-five play and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov is the only player in the league with more points during five-on-five play. Certainly, playing with Jack Eichel is a big part of Barbashev’s success, and Pavel Dorofeyev has joined Eichel and Stone on Vegas’ top line with Barbashev out of the lineup. Dorofeyev played 19:31 in Thursday’s win against Vancouver, the second-highest ice time of his career.

#17 As the Pittsburgh Penguins may be turning around a season that looked hopelessly lost, defenceman Matt Grzelcyk has turned into a solid contributor, putting up nine points (1 G, 8 A) in his past nine games. Eight of Grzelcyk’s 17 points this season have come on the power play and the Penguins are running a rare power play with two defencemen on the top unit and it’s been Grzelcyk and Kris Letang in those roles, with Erik Karlsson on PP2.

#18 There are ups and downs along the path for Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault, who has had nine games this season in which he has allowed at least four goals, but he has a .914 save percentage to go along with a 4-3 record in seven starts this month. He has 7.73 Goals Saved Above Expected this season, which ranks eighth in the league, ahead of Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, and Jacob Markstrom. Wins might not come so easily for the Canadiens goaltender, but his performance thus far makes him a legitimate fantasy option and it backs up Team Canada’s choice to include him on the roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

#19 Sticking with all situations Goals Saved Above Expected but looking at the low end of the spectrum, the goaltenders with the fewest Goals Saved Above Expected this season: Boston’s Jeremy Swayman (-14.53), San Jose’s Alexandar Georgiev (-13.56), Columbus’ Daniil Tarasov (-11.39), Utah’s Connor Ingram (-9.61), and Carolina’s Spencer Martin (-9.56). From that group, Swayman obviously stands out, given the strong track record that he had prior to this season, but Ingram had an excellent season in 2023-2024, so his decline before getting hurt is notable, too. The goaltenders at the top of the list might be surprising, too, at least after Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (+22.84). The rest of the top five are: Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal (+17.51), Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz (+13.46), Seattle’s Joey Daccord (+11.39), and Utah’s Karel Vejmelka (+10.94).

#20 There are some popular players with fantasy managers who are running ice cold lately, including New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton, Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, and Buffalo’s Alex Tuch, among others. Hamilton has gone seven games without a point and his ice time has dropped below 18 minutes in three of his past four games. In his past five games, Pettersson has zero points and eight shots on goal, while averaging 16:50 of ice time per game. Kreider recorded his first (and only) assist of the season on December 6th and has since gone six straight games without a point, though he does have 17 shots on goal in that span. Tuch has one point (1 G, 0 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past six games and played a season-low 14:34 against Montreal on Tuesday.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Boston Struggling, Colorado returns to health and much more

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:47:10 +0000

Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

If you compare every team since the beginning of the salary cap era (2005-06), you’ll find that the Boston Bruins rank as the best defensively, allowing an average of just 2.55 goals per game. That’s not shocking when you consider that the Bruins have gone from Tim Thomas to Tuukka Rask to the duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman over that period.

Elite goaltending has simply become the norm in Boston, and it didn’t look like it was going to change. Sure, Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for cap reasons, but the 25-year-old Swayman seemed ready to take his place as Boston’s clear No. 1, and yes, the negotiations got tense, resulting in him missing the preseason, but in the end, he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract, ending the saga with a resolution that both sides can be happy with. Except, noone has much reason to be happy with the Bruins right now.

Boston is a middling 8-8-2, a dramatic drop from its 47-20-15 finish in 2023-24, and Swayman has been part of the problem with his 5-6-2 record, 3.35 GAA and .888 save percentage in 13 starts. He leads the league in goals allowed (42), and his goals saved above expected is minus-4.6, per Moneypuck, which puts him in 65th place through Thursday’s action -- not exactly the type of return you’d expect from someone with an $8.25 million cap hit.

Maybe missing the preseason put him behind the curve, contributing to his shaky start, but he doesn’t seem to be stabilizing as the campaign goes on. To be fair, he does have his moments, but his good starts have been counterbalanced by disastrous ones, like allowing six goals on 22 shots en route to an 8-2 loss to Carolina on Oct. 31 or surrendering seven goals on 38 shots in Boston’s 7-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday. Swayman also just has a lot of uninspired starts sprinkled in there -- nine of his 13 outings have involved him surrendering at least three goals.

Maybe it’s the pressure of the contract getting to him, especially with how much he appeared to have to battle to get that deal. There’s a big mental aspect to goaltending, so it’s not hard to see how a slow start, coupled with the new deal, and perhaps even the absence of his longtime friend and goaltending partner Ullmark, could all snowball to create this outcome. Whatever the case, though, Boston is in waters that have been rare for it since the start of the cap era: They have a problem between the pipes.

Colorado has endured its own goaltending issues, but at least the Avalanche are tied for 10th offensively with 3.47 goals per game and could do even better now that their forward corps is largely healthy. They’re still missing Gabriel Landeskog (knee) and Ross Colton (foot), but Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) and Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) are all back, giving them far more options than they’ve had in a while.

This is being written before Friday’s game against Washington, which is set to see the return of Nichushkin, but it looks like the tentative plan is to run two elite lines. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen typically play together, giving the Avalanche one nearly unstoppable unit, but instead, Colorado is slated to break them up, putting MacKinnon with Lehkonen and Drouin while Rantanen will share the ice with Nichushkin and Casey Mittelstadt. If that works out, then it could make things extremely tough on the opposition's defense. It’s a luxury the Avalanche arguably couldn’t afford earlier in the season because the quality of the linemates for MacKinnon and Rantanen wouldn’t have been sufficient to split them, but at this point, it’s something they can experiment with.

It also means Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko are now firmly in the bottom six. There was an opportunity for one or both to show what they could do with greater responsibilities when the team was ravaged by injuries, but neither stepped up. At this stage, it seems reasonable to project that Ivan and Kovalenko won’t have significant fantasy value this year, but at least they’re still okay complimentary pieces for the Avalanche.

All-in-all, Colorado’s offense looks strong at this point. The Avalanche are already on a roll, winning four of their past five games, and Colorado could continue to shine from here.

Anaheim Ducks – Mon @ DAL, Tue @ CHI, Fri vs BUF

You can get whiplash going from a conversation about the Avalanche’s offense to Anaheim’s. MacKinnon has 33 points through 17 games by himself. That equals the combined point totals of the Ducks’ top four scorers -- Troy Terry (11 points), Mason McTavish (eight), Leo Carlsson (seven) and Ryan Strome (seven).

The Ducks are consequently unlikely to generate much offense when they play in Dallas on Monday, but Anaheim might have more success in Chicago on Tuesday and when hosting Buffalo on Friday.

Health will be a factor in that. McTavish has missed the Ducks’ past two games because of an upper-body injury, but he’s day-to-day, so there’s a real chance he’ll be fine for next week’s action.

Even with him back, though, the Ducks need help on offense. A resurgence of Trevor Zegras would be the most obvious boost. However, he had just 15 points in 31 contests in 2023-24 and has diminished further to just three points through 15 appearances this season -- a far cry from his back-to-back 60-plus point campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He’s still just 23 years old, so it seems wrong to suggest he’s washed up, but then what is the problem?

First off, his lone goal this campaign was scored on an empty net, so you’d have to go back to April 13 to find the last time he beat an NHL goaltender in a regular-season game. He’s averaging 6.3 shots per 60 minutes in 2024-25, which is down from 8.1 in 2021-22 and 7.2 in 2022-23, so that doesn’t help. Seven of his 27 shots this year have been fired from a high-danger position, which puts him below the league average of 7.9 among forwards. All that’s bad, but not to the extent where he should have literally zero goals against goaltenders.

Moneypuck gives him an xG of 3.6, he has a PDO of 951 along with exactly zero secondary assists and his IPP of 42.9 is leagues below his career average. All that suggests some of his offensive woes are due to poor luck. Still, three points in 15 appearances is so bad that it’s hard to imagine him having a good campaign even if the luck was balanced.

Still, he’s worth keeping an eye on. The talent is there, and there are some indications that he’s been shifting to a more complete game despite his lack of offense, as Patrick Present of The Hockey News recently noted. Plus, he’s still young, and when coupled with him attempting to adjust his game, some growing pains are understandable. Don’t expect this to be a big campaign from him, but also don’t write him off yet.

Boston Bruins – Mon vs CBJ, Thu vs UTA, Sat @ DET

We talked about Swayman’s woes up top. Perhaps it will help him that the Bruins’ opponents next week rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of goals per game. Boston is set to host the Blue Jackets on Monday and Utah HC on Thursday before playing in Detroit on Saturday.

Swayman is the headline issue for the Bruins, but he isn’t the only one. The forward corps is also leaving something to be desired. We’ve seen better out of David Pastrnak (eight goals and 17 points through 18 games) and Brad Marchand (five goals and 13 points), but both are doing well enough, even when measured against the high standards they’re held to. The problem is no other player on the team has reached double digits in points.

Elias Lindholm, who signed a seven-year, $54.25 million contract over the summer, was the Bruins’ big offseason get to solidify the team up the middle. However, he hasn’t been that great. After scoring two goals and five points over his first three games with Boston, Lindholm has been limited to four assists across his past 15 outings. To be fair, he’s known for his two-way game, and his relative CF% and FF% are outstanding at plus-8.8 and plus-12.2, respectively. Still, you’d like to see more scoring out of him when he’s spending almost all of his 5-on-5 time alongside at least one of Pastrnak and Marchand.

Pavel Zacha has left something to be desired too with three goals and seven points through 18 outings after finishing 2023-24 with 59 points. He might be heating up, though. Zacha has two goals and four points through his past four appearances, so perhaps he can carry that momentum into next week, especially given the mediocre nature of Boston’s upcoming competition.

Chicago Blackhawks – Tue vs ANA, Thu vs FLA, Sat @ PHI

Chicago will host the Ducks and the Panthers on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before visiting Philadelphia on Saturday. Florida is a tough team, but the Ducks and the Flyers haven’t looked good so far in 2024-25.

Not that the Blackhawks have impressed either with their 6-10-1 record. Petr Mrazek has largely held his own with a 2.79 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 13 appearances, which are solid numbers when you consider that Chicago ranks 28th in xGA/60 (3.39), which suggests Mrazek hasn’t gotten much help from his teammates defensively.

They also haven’t helped Mrazek offensively. Chicago is tied for 29th with just 2.41 goals per game, and even Connor Bedard has left something to be desired with three goals and 13 points through 17 appearances. Bedard is on an eight-game goal-scoring slump with four assists in that span, but let’s not be too hard on him. He’s still just 19 years old, so some streaky play is expected, and he has a healthy enough 21 shots during that slump, so eventually he’ll break through.

I’m more disappointed in Teuvo Teravainen. He signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract over the summer to come to Chicago from Carolina and has been primarily used alongside Bedard. However, Teravainen hasn’t been able to generate much of anything in 5-on-5 play with the young star. The 30-year-old has four goals and eight points through 17 appearances with just two of those points (one goal) coming at even strength. Interesting, his 5-on-5 xG is also just one, so the issue isn’t exactly bad puck luck.

Bedard has also been tried with Taylor Hall and/or Tyler Bertuzzi, but significantly less often than Teravainen. Philipp Kurashev has seen significant time alongside Bedard as well, though Kurashev has just three goals and four points through 16 outings. That’s a massive drop from Kurashev’s 54-point showing in 2023-24, and the decline is largely due to a lack of assists.

The line mixing is likely to continue to happen as long as Chicago’s offense remains cold. In the long run, it would be nice to see Kurashev and Bedard rekindle some of their 2023-24 chemistry -- they showed up together on the scoresheet 25 times last season. If we start seeing some of that, then Kurashev would become a good buy-low candidate.

Dallas Stars – Mon vs ANA, Wed vs SJS, Sat @ TBL

Dallas will start the week by hosting the lowly Ducks and Sharks on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Stars will then travel to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning on Saturday.

Matt Duchene will look to extend his recent success during that stretch. He has a phenomenal eight goals and 17 points across his past 10 appearances, including two goals and five points over his last two games. He’s been seeing time alongside Mason Marchment, who is also on fire with two goals and seven points over his past two outings, so that duo could do a lot of damage, especially against rebuilding squads like Anaheim and San Jose.

At the other end of the spectrum, Dallas could use more out of Roope Hintz. His six goals and 10 points through 15 outings aren’t bad, but it’s below the pace Dallas has come to expect after seeing Hintz record at least 30 goals and 65 points in each of his previous three campaigns. Hintz did endure a four-game scoring drought from Oct. 26-Nov. 7, but there’s a silver lining here because he’s found the back of the net twice over his past three games, so perhaps the worst is over.

The action is also spread out enough that Jake Oettinger might start in all three of those games. He’s 8-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage in 11 appearances in 2024-25. He’s also coming off two really strong victories, stopping 43 of 46 shots in blowout wins against Pittsburgh and Boston.

Detroit Red Wings – Mon @ SJS, Thu vs NYI, Sat vs BOS

The Red Wings will play in San Jose on Monday before hosting the Islanders on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday. Detroit will be looking to gain some ground after a mediocre 7-7-1 start.

Detroit has to be disappointed with Vladimir Tarasenko, who inked a two-year, $9.5 million contract over the summer but has just two goals and four points through 14 appearances. This one is a bit of a “the chicken or the egg” problem. Tarasenko is averaging just 13:41 of ice time while typically serving on the third line alongside Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper. That’s not a recipe for success or the top six role many envisioned when he signed his deal. At the same time, he hasn’t done anything to force himself into a bigger role. From Oct. 22-Nov. 2, he appeared in five games without even recording a single shot.

You’re not going to move up in the lineup with that kind of play. On the plus side, he has logged an assist and seven shots over his past two outings, so maybe we’re witnessing the start of him getting some going. I’m skeptical, but it’s worthy of monitoring.

Detroit could certainly use another source of secondary scoring. The Red Wings rank 28th offensively with just 2.47 goals per game. Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin have done fine with 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively, through 15 appearances and Patrick Kane is holding his own at 35, providing three goals and 10 points. The rest of the offense hasn’t been anything to write home about, though, and no one aside from maybe Tarasenko jumps out to me as a struggling forward to watch.

That includes Michael Rasmussen. He was taken with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but he has never even reached the 35-point mark and has just two goals and four points in 15 outings in 2024-25. He’s a towering presence, but at the age of 25, I think it’s fair to believe that the offense isn’t coming.

Edmonton Oilers – Mon @ MTL, Tue @ OTT, Thu vs MIN, Sat vs COL

The Oilers will open the week with road games in Montreal on Monday and Ottawa on Tuesday. They’ll then return to Edmonton to host the Wild on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday.

Edmonton had a mixed start to the season in part because of inconsistent offensive production, but it’s okay now: Connor McDavid remembered that he’s Connor McDavid. The superstar has posted three straight multi-point efforts, causing him to jump to six goals and 19 points through 14 appearances despite a weirdly human start in which he recorded three goals and 10 points in his first 11 outings -- good for others, not for him.

If McDavid has found his grove, then Edmonton is in a far better position, but the Oilers do still have some areas of concern. Stuart Skinner is still a mixed bag with a 5-5-1 record, 3.22 GAA and .881 save percentage in 11 outings. You’ll likely remember that Skinner had a terrible start to 2023-24 before turning a corner, and it could be argued that his Nov. 24 25-save shutout over Washington was when everything started working out for him last year. In other words, we’re getting to roughly the same stage of the year, and we’ll have to see if Skinner can once again find his rhythm or if he doesn’t enjoy that same kind of turnaround in 2024-25.

Edmonton’s offseason attempts at deepening the offense also haven’t paid off yet. Jeff Skinner has just three goals and six points while Viktor Arvidsson has two goals and five points. Arvidsson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, so we might not see him this week. Meanwhile, Skinner has been relegated to the fourth line recently. Skinner has had a weird career full of amazing highs and significant lows. There’s consequently no guarantee that a turnaround is forthcoming this year, but if he does get another look on Edmonton’s top six, which I think is just a matter of time, then he’ll be worth keeping an eye on.

San Jose Sharks – Mon vs DET, Wed @ DAL, Thu @ STL, Sat vs BUF

I like to highlight teams who are set to play four games in a week over those with three or two games on the docket, but there aren’t many examples of that upcoming. San Jose is one of the exceptions. The Sharks’ busy schedule will begin by hosting the Red Wings on Monday. They’ll then play in Dallas on Wednesday and St. Louis on Thursday before returning home to face the Sabres on Saturday.

Naturally, if you’re going to watch Sharks hockey, the player you’ll be most interested in is Macklin Celebrini. Taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, he was out from Oct. 12-Nov. 2 due to a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, he’s been mostly quiet since, providing two goals Nov. 7 but also being held off the scoresheet entirely in his other four appearances dating back to his Nov. 5 return.

It's too small of a sample size to read too much into it, but Celebrini is a tremendous talent who is averaging 19:25 of ice time and has recorded 20 shots over six outings in 2024-25, so I expect him to start producing at a good pace as the campaign progresses.

In the meantime, Mikael Granlund has done his part. He has seven goals and 18 points in 18 games to lead the Sharks offensively this season. A lot of that was due to him recording five goals and 12 points across seven outings from Oct. 17-28, though. He’s been fine since, but his two goals and five points over his past eight contests are a noticeable decline. There might be some merit to selling him high, but I think his goal-scoring pace, which would lead to him finishing with 32 markers, has actual merit.

He’s never reached the 30-goal milestone before and finished 2023-24 with just 12 goals, but he’s traditionally been a very conservative shooter. That’s changed in a big way this year -- he's averaging a career-high 9.9 shots per 60 minutes, and that includes 14 high-danger shots, which puts him on track for 64, up from 44 last year. His increase in shots also means that his 10.9 shooting percentage isn’t significantly off his career average (10.3) despite his big jump in goals.

Granlund and Celebrini are currently centering different lines, but they share the ice on the power play. Although Sharks rank 23rd in terms of power-play percentage (16.4), that might improve as Celebrini gets going, which would also benefit Granlund.

Utah HC – Mon vs WAS, Thu @ BOS, Sat @ PIT, Sun @ TOR

Utah HC is another squad with four games on the schedule next week. The club will host the Capitals on Monday before a road trip that will place Utah HC in Boston on Thursday, Pittsburgh on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.

Utah has been an interesting team. It got off to a 3-0-0 start fueled by some great offensive performances, but the scoring has cooled, and the club is now 7-6-3.

One positive is Mikhail Sergachev has messed well with his new team after being dealt from Tampa Bay in June. Sergachev has three goals and 11 points in 16 outings in 2024-25 while averaging 25:35 of ice time -- that'll be a career high if he maintains it for the full campaign. He also has a big power-play role and has collected three points (one goal) with the man advantage. It’s reasonable to project he’ll surpass the 50-point milestone for the second time in his career as long as he stays healthy.

Up front, Clayton Keller (six goals, 14 points), Dylan Guenther (seven goals, 13 points), Nick Schmaltz (12 assists) and Logan Cooley (two goals, 11 points) have been leading the charge, but none of them are especially hot right now. Nick Bjugstad is an interesting forward, though. He’s capable of being a solid secondary scorer, but he averaged just 13:20 of ice time this season, down from 17:27 in 2023-24. He did make his mark Wednesday, though, scoring his first two goals of the campaign to lead Utah to a 4-1 victory over Carolina. Bjugstad is getting a chance to play alongside Keller and Schmaltz, so he might be able to build off that strong showing.

That would help Utah, but what the club needs more than anything is reliability between the pipes. Although Connor Ingram has a respectable 6-3-3 record, his 3.40 GAA and .879 aren’t inspiring. Meanwhile, Karel Vejmelka is just 1-3-0, but he has a 2.37 GAA and a .926 save percentage. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vejmelka get more work, perhaps leading to him starting in at least two of Utah’s games next week.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Colton, Stolarz, Wolf, and More

Scott Cullen — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 13:00:21 +0000

_{CALGARY, AB - FEBRUARY 20: Calgary Flames Right Wing Jonathan Huberdeau (10) looks on during the second period of an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers on February 20, 2023, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire)}

Each week, I’ll dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. Injuries are forcing changes early in the NHL season, and our sights are set on Ross Colton, Anthony Stolarz, the surprising Calgary Flames and more!

Here is this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points:

#1 With injuries decimating Colorado’s forward lines, the Avalanche have moved Ross Colton up to play on the left wing on Colorado’s top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Colton’s ice time is up nearly five minutes per game compared to last season, which was his career high, and he has five points (4 G, 1 A) with 18 shots on goal and 18 hits in five games. When the Avalanche get players back from injury, it is more likely that Colton will slide back to a third-line centre role, but with the Avs missing Jonathan Drouin short term and Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, and Gabriel Landeskog long term, the opportunity is there for Colton to have a bigger impact than he has to this point in his career.

#2 When Joseph Woll landed on the injured list to start the season, Anthony Stolarz was thrust into the No. 1 goaltending job for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the 6-foot-6 netminder is thriving in the early going. Stolarz has a .940 save percentage in three starts and that is just picking up where he left off last season, when he had a .925 save percentage in 27 games for Florida. Stolarz, 30, has never played more than 28 NHL games in a season, so it remains to be seen if he can handle a starter’s workload, but it’s safe to expect that he will see more action in Toronto this season than in any of his previous NHL seasons.

#3 Entering this season, Calgary Flames left winger Jonathan Huberdeau was practically considered a lost cause, with a massive long-term contract and declining production since arriving in Calgary. But what if the 31-year-old Huberdeau isn’t cooked just yet? Skating on a line with Martin Pospisil and Anthony Mantha, the trio has helped Calgary to a 4-0 start, while Huberdeau has scored three goals at even strength and added three assists on the power play.

#4 Avalanche centre Casey Mittelstadt is getting pushed into a bigger role in Colorado. He has five points (4 G, 1 A) and 17 shots on goal in five games, which is solid, but he is averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game, an increase of more than five minutes per game compared to his ice time with the Avs after he was acquired from Buffalo last season. Mittelstadt has produced 59 and 57 points in the past two seasons, respectively, and could very well exceed those totals this season.

#5 After dominating in the American Hockey League, Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf got called up last season and finished with a .893 save percentage in 17 games for the Flames – not exactly making his case to be the franchise goaltender of the future. When the Flames dealt Jacob Markstrom in the offseason, though, the door was opened for Wolf to step through and he has stopped 68 of 72 shots in his first two starts this season. If the Flames are going to get top-tier goaltending, that does have the potential to change expectations but, for now, it’s just encouraging to see Wolf performing this way at the highest level.

#6 Former Flames centre Sean Monahan signed in Columbus as a free agent, with hopes of re-connecting with Johnny Gaudreau. This summer’s tragedy halted those plans, but the veteran Monahan has stepped into a leadership role for the Blue Jackets, producing four points (2 G, 2 A) and 12 shots on goal in his first four games. His primary linemates have been Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov and the trio has been outrageously dominant in the early going, controlling 79.7 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play.

#7 The No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft, Macklin Celebrini put up a goal and an assist in his NHL debut then immediately landed on the injured list due to a lower-body injury. With Celebrini out, Mikael Granlund has moved back to the middle, centering William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli on the top line. That shuffle has also opened up a spot for Klim Kostin in San Jose’s top six. Granlund does have five assists in five games and is playing more than 21 minutes per game.

#8 Seattle Kraken left winger Jared McCann has scored 69 goals across the past two seasons and yet was still available in quite a few leagues early in the season. He has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 11 shots on goal in five games and McCann and Jordan Eberle had a productive game Thursday night against Philadelphia with Shane Wright skating at centre between the two veteran wingers.

#9 Two thirds of the Utah Hockey Club’s top line is sitting out there, waiting to be scooped up on fantasy waivers. Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz are productive, and it doesn’t hurt that they get to play with a skilled winger like Clayton Keller. Hayton has six points (4 G, 2 A) in five games, already exceeding his goal total from last season when he was limited to just 33 games. Schmaltz has six assists in five games and, in this small sample, has averaged 2.60 shots on goal per game, which would represent a career high.

#10 Utah defenceman Sean Durzi is going to be out 4-5 months after surgery was required for an upper-body injury that he suffered Monday at New Jersey. Durzi had played more than 25 minutes per game through the first three games of the season before getting hurt in Game No. 4. His absence will offer an opportunity for Juuso Valimaki to get a chance on Utah’s second power play unit. Valimaki is still looking for his first points of the season and he only had 17 points (2 G, 15 A) in 68 games last season, but the year before that, he contributed 11 power play points among his 34 points overall, so there is a chance for Valimaki to recapture some of that offensive part of his game.

#11 Chicago Blackhawks winger Teuvo Teravainen returned to the team that drafted him and where he started his NHL career when he signed as a free agent in the summer. He has been a good fit on Connor Bedard’s wing, which should be expected, given Teravainen’s playmaking ability and Bedard’s ever-dangerous shot. Teravainen has seven points (3 G, 4 A) in five games and is skating on Chicago’s top line with Bedard and Nick Foligno while also getting first unit power play time. Teravainen has topped 60 points four times in his career, hitting a career high of 76 points in 2018-2019.

#12 Penguins rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist is challenging Tristan Jarry for a bigger share of playing time in the Pittsburgh crease. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick in 2020 and has a .908 save percentage in his first four games. He had a .919 in 47 AHL games and with Jarry struggling (.836 save percentage through three games), opportunity is knocking for Blomqvist.

#13 When the Toronto Maple Leafs remodeled their blueline in the offseason, Chris Tanev was the defender that drew the most attention. Fresh off a Stanley Cup in Florida, Oliver Ekman-Larsson has moved into a prime role on the Maple Leafs blueline, quarterbacking the top power play and playing nearly 22 minutes per game. Ekman-Larsson has three assists and 15 shots on goal in four games, which is very encouraging production, particularly that shot rate, which is far higher than Ekman-Larsson has produced previously.

#14 A lower-body injury kept veteran Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust out of the lineup for the first couple of games this season, but he has returned to action and has been thrust into a big role, skating on the right side with Sidney Crosby and Anthony Beauvillier. In his first three games, Rust has two points (1 G, 1 A) and 13 shots on goal while averaging 20:31 of ice time per game. He has scored at least 20 goals in five consecutive seasons, recording more than 55 points in three of those five seasons. In the three seasons that he has finished with at least 55 points, Rust missed at least 20 games, so there is still potential for him to produce more over a full season merely by staying healthy.

#15 Drafted with the 21st pick in 2020, Yegor Chinakhov displayed his potential last season, scoring 29 points (16 G, 13 A) in 53 games, a sign that he was going to be able to contribute at this level. In the early going this season, he is taking it to another level, producing six points (2 G, 4 A) with 13 shots on goal in his first four games. Not only is he skating on the top line with Monahan and Marchenko, but Chinakhov is getting first unit power play time, too, so a breakthrough season could be on the way.

#16 The New Jersey Devils went out in the offseason and added some grit to their forward ranks, acquiring Paul Cotter in a trade with Vegas and signing Stefan Noesen, a former Devil who had been playing in Carolina. Cotter had 25 points (7 G, 18 A) in 76 games last season for the Golden Knights, but already has six points (5 G, 1 A) in seven games for the Devils. He has 15 shots on goal and 20 hits, too, which can make him a more valuable fantasy contributor and he has moved up the depth chart to skate with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt at even strength. Noesen had a career-high 37 points in 81 games for the Hurricanes last season and has started this season with six points (2 G, 4 A) in seven games and is working on a line with veterans Tomas Tatar and Erik Haula.

#17 The leading rookie goal scorer early in the season is Devils defenceman Seamus Casey, who has three goals in his first seven NHL games. Montreal’s Emil Heineman and Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov are tied for second with two goals. Casey is a smallish defender who was a second-round pick in 2022. He played two seasons at the University of Michigan, and had 45 points (7 G, 38 A) in 40 games as a sophomore last season. Casey might owe his opportunity to another former Wolverine, as Luke Hughes is recovering from shoulder surgery, opening up a spot on the New Jersey blueline to start the season.

#18 John Beecher, a first-round pick of the Bruins in 2019, has jumped out to a hot start with five points (2 G, 3 A) in five games. Beecher’s ice time is up to 13:35 per game, but he is likely still a risky player for fantasy managers. He had just 10 points (7 G, 3 A) in 52 games last season and only had 36 points in 87 AHL games, so it is difficult to project big things offensively over the long haul. As a short-term option in deep banger leagues, maybe he could have some value for fantasy managers.

#19 Seattle Kraken centre Matty Beniers saw his production fall off dramatically last season and one of the main concerns when it comes to sustainable production is that Beniers had a very low shot rate, averaging just 1.73 shots per game last season. While Beniers has just one assist through five games this season, there might be a slight reason for optimism in that he is averaging 2.60 shots on goal per game. In most leagues, it’s probably worth waiting to see some production start to materialize before assigning too much value to Beniers, but he could be a viable buy-low or waiver wire option.

#20 Blue Jackets winger Kent Johnson suffered an upper-body injury against Buffalo on Thursday, but it is worth noting that an injury to Johnson would not have caused a ripple in the hockey universe. He had just 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in 42 games for the Blue Jackets and was demoted to the AHL, where he did put up 15 points (5 G, 10 A) in 10 games. Nevertheless, with a new coach and a fresh start in Columbus, Johnson has responded with five points (2 G, 3 A) in four games and had logged more than 21 minutes in the second and third games of the season before playing just six minutes against the Sabres before getting hurt. Track Johnson’s health, though, because he is a skilled player and if he is getting a legit opportunity to shine in Columbus, then he could be a fantasy sleeper.