Trevor Zegras – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – An 18-year-old defenceman who is already a star, goaltenders stepping up, Zegras making an impact in Philadelphia, and more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 17:45:04 +0000

ELMONT, NY - OCTOBER 11: New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) warms up before a game between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders at UBS Arena on October 11, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, an 18-year-old defenceman who is already a star, goaltenders stepping up, Zegras making an impact in Philadelphia, and more!

#1 The first overall pick in the 2025 Draft by the New York Islanders, 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer has been incredibly impressive to start his NHL career, registering eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 31 shots on goal in his first 10 games. The last 18-year-old defenceman to score at a higher rate over a full season was Phil Housley, who had 66 points (19 G, 47 A) in 77 games in 1982-1983. The last 18-year-old defenceman to average more than three shots on goal per game was Bobby Orr, in 1966-1967. It’s very early in Schaefer’s career and 10 games is not a big enough sample to determine a player’s fate, but what if this is only the beginning? What if he improves on what could be historically great production? That is the potential that lurks for the Islanders and fantasy managers alike.

#2 When the Florida Panthers drafted Spencer Knight with the 13th overall pick in 1999, he was one of the top up-and-coming goalie prospects in the game. It has not been a smooth path for him, but the Chicago Blackhawks acquired him last season and he seems to have found his game this season. He has a .914 save percentage and 8.72 Goals Saved Above Expected in all situations, which ranks third behind Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (9.58 GSAx) and Montreal’s Jakub Dobes (8.89 GSAx).

#3 With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was injured in the preseason, the Buffalo Sabres thrust Alex Lyon into the role of starting goaltender and Lyon, who has been a career backup, has responded to the challenge. He has delivered a .912 save percentage and 3.24 GSAx, which could make it difficult for Luukkonen to reclaim the crease. His case was not bolstered by allowing four goals on 23 shots at Toronto in his season debut.

#4 When the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Trevor Zegras in the summer, it was seen as a risk worth taking. Zegras is a highly skilled playmaker but had just 32 points (12 G, 20 A) in 57 games for Anaheim last season. He has had two seasons with more than 60 points, so it’s clear that he can do better, and he is at least off to a productive start in Philadelphia, contributing 12 points (4 G, 8 A) and 16 shots on goal in 10 games. His low shot rate is a concern, but it’s good to see him putting up points early because it will help him stay in a prominent role with the Flyers.

#5 A 27-year-old right winger who had played a total of 95 regular-season games prior to this season, Justin Brazeau is making the most of his opportunity with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s not like he is suddenly playing a ton, though this season’s 13:29 ATOI would be the highest of his career, but he has mostly played a second-line role alongside Evgeni Malkin and Brazeau has 12 points (6 G, 6 A) with 22 shots on goal in 12 games. Brazeau also has 17 hits and 12 blocked shots, which gives him a solid statistical base, but if he could see that ice time creep up a little bit more then there is a better chance for his production to be sustainable. Even if he’s not a point-per-game player over the long haul, if Brazeau scores 20-plus goals that would have to be considered a major step forward in his career.

#6 There is a bigger window for Brazeau to get comfortable in a top six forward role for the Penguins because Rickard Rakell will be out for 6-to-8 weeks following hand surgery. Rakell had eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 17 shots on goal in nine games before getting hurt, and rookie Filip Hallander has moved onto Sidney Crosby’s line in Rakell’s absence. It’s too soon to recommend Hallander, but he does have a couple of assists in the past four games, so he’s worth keeping an eye on for managers in deep leagues.

#7 Chicago Blackhawks centre Frank Nazar had a strong start to the season but that has continued. Nazar has 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in 11 games and is averaging 19:37 of ice time per game, ranking second among Blackhawks forwards behind only Connor Bedard. There is some valid concern about his percentages as he is scoring on 21.7 percent of his shots on goal and has a five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage of 14.8 percent, both of which are quite lofty and highly likely to regress.

#8 The Vancouver Canucks have lost right winger Conor Garland to an undisclosed injury and when Brock Boeser had to leave Thursday’s game against the Blues early, that provided even more ice time for blue collar winger Kiefer Sherwood, who played a career high 24:12 against the Blues and recorded a hat trick, giving him nine goals in 12 games. He’s also a hitting machine, with 54 in 12 games after recording 462 last season, so he is very valuable in fantasy circles.

#9 Columbus Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov made nice progress last season, going from 34 points as a rookie in 2023-2024 to 47 points (23 G, 24 A) last season, and it looks like he’s on track to continue that upward momentum in his third season. He has 10 points (5 G, 5A) and 21 shots on goal in 10 games and has a spot on Columbus’ top line with Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko as well as getting first unit power play time, good spots for him to remain productive.

#10 The Seattle Kraken are off to a solid start and they are giving 2024 eighth overall pick Berkly Catton a legitimate chance to stick, especially with Kaapo Kakko and Jared McCann both injured. Catton has three assists in five games and is skating at left wing on Seattle’s top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. Catton had 225 points (92 G, 133 A) in 125 games across the past two seasons in the Western Hockey League, so he has strong offensive pedigree, and the Kraken could definitely use more offensive skill.

#11 Veteran winger Marcus Johansson has reached a stage of his career where he can move into a variety of roles. He’s a skilled player who might just fit in near the bottom of the depth chart, but he knows his way around the offensive zone, so if there are openings he can move up and, right now, he is skating on Minnesota’s top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi. Johansson has five points (2 G, 3 A) in his past four games and played more than 22 minutes against San Jose on Sunday.

#12 As the Calgary Flames look for answers, and no easy ones seem to be forthcoming, they are giving Morgan Frost a shot at right wing alongside Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau. Frost has five points (1 G, 4 A) during a five-game point streak, which is a good way to hold onto a spot higher on the depth chart. He has had two seasons with more than 40 points in his career, but never more than 46, so it’s fair to be cautious about just how much he can produce over the long haul.

#13 Knowing primarily for his checking prowess, Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli put up a career-high 59 points (27 G, 32 A) last season and has started strong this season, too. Through 11 games, Cirelli has 10 points (6 G, 4 A) and 19 shots on goal. He is scoring on 41.6 percent of his shots, a ridiculously high rate, so that is going to regress, but with Brandon Hagel on his left side, he has a reliable linemate. The right side is more of a revolving door, but Cirelli is a solid source of secondary offence for Tampa Bay.

#14 When the Los Angeles Kings traded defenceman Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators in the offseason, that created more of an opening for Brandt Clarke to have a regular spot on the Kings blueline. Clarke has five points (1 G, 4 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past four games, which is a promising sign for a young offensive defenceman. The challenge will be finding his way to the Kings’ top power play unit, where he can maximize his offensive output, but is currently running with five forwards.

#15 The Pittsburgh Penguins traded to acquire Arturs Silovs in the offseason, desperately hoping that he could help stabilize their goaltending. Incumbent starter Tristan Jarry was coming off a down season, during which he was demoted to the AHL, but now the Jarry and Silovs tandem is giving the Penguins a chance to win almost every night, as the Penguins’ .921 save percentage is best in the league. Silovs, who struggled in Vancouver last season before starring during Abbotsford’s run to the Calder Cup in the AHL, has a .919 save percentage in six games for Pittsburgh, splitting time in the crease with Jarry.

#16 Sometimes, the right partner can help steady goaltending. It’s happening in Columbus, too, as Jeat Greaves has emerged as a quality option for the Blue Jackets, but Elvis Merzlikins also has a .915 save percentage in five games. After three consecutive seasons of below average performance, he is off to a good start in 2025-2026 and it might be a case of less is more. He’s more effective when sharing the crease rather than trying to handle a full starter’s workload.

#17 Veteran left winger Jaden Schwartz has helped the Kraken to a good start this season, contributing nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 19 shots on goal through the first 10 games. He is a six-time 20-goal scorer and last season’s 26 goals was the second highest total of his career, so he has known his way around the net for a long time and on a team without offensive stars, like the Kraken, they need solid veterans like Schwartz to deliver.

#18 Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine suffered a core muscle injury that is expected to keep him out of the lineup for 3-4 months, a tough financial hit for him considering that his contract expires at the end of the season. He wasn’t off to much of a start this season anyway, with one assist and six shots on goal in five games. If looking for sources of secondary scoring in Montreal, maybe Oliver Kapanen will have a chance because he has taken over as the second line centre, between Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov and Kapanen has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in 11 games despite playing just 12:24 per game.

#19 With standout Nashville Predators defenceman Roman Josi considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Brady Skjei moves into his spot on Nashville’s top power play unit. He has just three assists and 17 shots on goal in 12 games, but Skjei is playing more than 23 minutes per game and if he is getting time on PP1, then that’s always worth considering. Skjei had 10 power play points, out of 33 points total, last season, so when the opportunity presents itself, he can contribute with the man advantage.

#20 Staying in Nashville, rookie winger Matthew Wood has landed a spot alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly on the Predators’ top line and he is not playing a lot yet, he does have a goal and an assist with 11 shots on goal in five games. If he proves that he belongs and can lift his ice time from the current 12:40 per game that he is playing, then Wood – the 15th pick in the 2023 Draft – could have a chance to provide value.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:25:35 +0000

ELMONT, NY - JANUARY 16: Philadelphia Flyers Right Wing Travis Konecny (11) controls the puck during the first period of the National Hockey League game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders on January 16, 2025, at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

The Flyers missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season in 2024-2025, managing 76 points (33-39-10). They fired head coach John Tortorella late in the season, replacing him with Brad Shaw on an interim basis. The Flyers ranked 26th with a 47.3 Corsi percentage though they fared better when it came to shot quality, capturing 51.5 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play, ranking 11th. Philadelphia’s power play was largely ineffective, generating 4.63 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play, which ranked 30th. They ranked 13th with 6.88 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play, so penalty killing was at least solid. Goaltending was a huge problem for the Flyers, with the trio of Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov combining for a save percentage of .879.

What’s Changed?

The Flyers dipped into their past and hired former Flyers winger Rick Tocchet to be their head coach. Tocchet had a .608 points percentage in three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, but he has coached a total of 22 playoff games in his career, so he is an experienced coach without a lot of postseason success. The Flyers made a big trade to acquire Trevor Zegras, a highly skilled forward who had fallen out of favor in Anaheim but has highlight-reel puck skills and he could be a big hit in Philadelphia if he and Tocchet can connect. The Flyers also signed veteran centre Christian Dvorak to add stability down the middle, defenceman Noah Juulsen who played for Tocchet in Vancouver, and goaltender Dan Vladar, who has a chance to earn a big role between the pipes.

What would success look like?

It’s a big ask for the Flyers to get to the playoffs, since it would take a 15-to-20-point improvement, but it’s a worthy objective, especially if the Flyers can sort out their goaltending issues. The moves they made this offseason were for a team that intends to get better now, and after five years of missing the playoffs, it’s understandable that they want to get back to the postseason. On the other hand, if the Flyers don’t make the playoffs, losing enough to secure a high lottery pick would be success, too. They could always use more high-end skill players, so a finish that would help in that regard could be deemed successful, too.

What could go wrong?

The worst-case scenario for the Flyers is that they end up stuck in the middle, not quite good enough to reach the playoffs and not bad enough to secure a valuable draft pick. The Flyers certainly have incentive to push hard for a playoff spot, with a veteran-laden team and a coach who will push them to get there, but if the team falls off the pace, then it’s important that Philadelphia stock up on future assets. That includes moving veterans for picks and, ideally, landing a high first-round pick in the 2026 Draft. Just missing the playoffs and landing a pick in the teens is not where this team should want to be when the season ends.

Top Breakout Candidate

There are a few other promising young players on the Flyers, but Matvei Michkov is the most likely player to become a star. The seventh pick in the 2023 Draft, Michkov finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting after tallying 63 points in 80 games. He had an outstanding finish to the season, putting up 16 points (6 G, 10 A), and 40 shots on goal in his last 12 games, and if he remains committed to generating shots like that, his point production could take off.

FORWARDS

Travis Konecny

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	27	45	72	0.91

The only player who resembled some form of consistency for the Flyers, Konecny is in it for the long-haul as he starts the first year of an eight-year contract. He is the longest tenured Flyer behind Couturier and has maintained a high level of play despite all the chaos and instability from the organization. The simplicity of his game helps matters, as Konecny’s a straight-line player who loves to shoot and is excellent at picking corners even when he’s forced to take quicker shots off the rush. While most forwards begin to plateau when they hit their late 20’s, Konecny has posted career highs in points each of the last three seasons, bringing an elite combination of speed, tenacity and stickhandling to the table. He showed some versatility last season as a playmaker, having to pass to create most of his scoring chances and getting the results with 52 assists. This should be exciting news for Michkov, as the two could form a potentially lethal combination if they get regular minutes together, as they did down the stretch last year. The Flyers didn’t like playing this line too much because it was feast-or-famine with the chances they gave up, but the rate the two were converting at was hard to ignore. The question with him is how long he can keep this up because the Flyers have played him regularly in the 20–21-minute range the last three years. They’ll look to do that again as he remains one of the team’s only reliable forward options on the roster.

Matvei Michkov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	30	46	76	0.94

It’s only a matter of time before Michkov is the Flyers best player. He already made a strong case for that title with the torrid pace he scored at down the stretch. A point-per-game player after the Four Nations break, Michkov gave the coaching staff no choice but to give him all the leeway he needed. If there was an opportunity to create offence, Michkov was going to milk every ounce of his shift length to get it. He spent a lot of his time in the defensive zone playing above the puck, looking for loose plays and turnovers so he could strike the other way. He had the skill to capitalize on them too as he didn’t just lead the Flyers in shots off the rush, he was one of the best players in the entire league. Up there with the likes of Martin Necas, Jack Hughes and Nikita Kucherov. His game is still a work in progress when he’s on the cycle in the offensive zone. He was always looking to make plays and trying to fit pucks through traffic. He trusts his skill level to a dangerous degree because while it led to some beautiful goals, it also led to turnovers and chances the other way. This is something that doesn’t necessarily need to be reined in but controlled to a degree because you still want him to do what got him drafted so high and look for the high-percentage play. He should get better at this with more experience, as he got a lot of it last year, and had an excellent season despite some growing pains. He’s shown game-breaking ability early and it should excite the Flyers about what’s to come.

Sean Couturier

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	17	31	48	0.69

The Flyers captain can only hope for more stability with the coaching change. The longtime 1C of the Flyers started last season as the fourth line left wing and even after regaining his usual spot, his ice-time was limited in the middle of the season, being taken off both power play and penalty kill units for almost a month. While the days of Couturier producing like a first line center are likely over, the last two seasons should probably come with an asterisk, as he was returning from a two-year absence the first year and last season was marred by strange deployment to say the least. Couturier also had the worst two seasons of his career in terms of finishing chances and while the volume of chances he created last year also decreased, he’s always been an above-average shooter so there is hope for a bounce-back season. His ability to drive play, however, was very strong as he kept the Flyers defensive game in check whenever he was out there. How much he can drive the offence now is a fair question, but he should get some help if he continues to develop chemistry with the emerging star Matvei Michkov. Barring a major breakout from Trevor Zegras, Couturier is still the team’s best option at center, so he will have plenty of opportunities to put the last two years behind him.

Owen Tippett

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	27	25	52	0.66

It’s not often that a player scores eight fewer goals while shooting at a higher percentage than he did the previous year, but that was the case with Owen Tippett. The speedy forward is in the second year of an eight-year deal he earned after a breakout season and last year was a hard fall from grace after looking like a blossoming star for a couple years. His skillset is easy to notice to the naked eye because he’s very quick, gets a lot of puck touches per game and loves to shoot. His flaws are also easy to notice for the same reason because while the goals and his quick-strike offence will impress some, others might notice how often he misses the net or that he could use his linemates better rather than playing a one-man game all the time. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as even in a down year Tippett will still get you solid secondary scoring and his ability to enter the zone frequently and get chances is still going to be something that other teams have to prepare for. The way he started and ended the year is concerning, though. He scored only one goal in 11 games in October and finished the season with only two goals in 22 games after February. Goal-scorers are streaky by nature and with Tippett being such a volume shooter, stretches like this get noticed more and why last year left such a sour note in Flyers fans mouths.

Trevor Zegras

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	16	37	53	0.72

Zegras spent more of the last two seasons either on injured reserve or in trade rumors than he did on the highlight reels. It was a steep decline from a player some saw as one of the future faces of the league. Some of that is valuing flash over substance with his knack for making ridiculous looking plays. Still, Zegras was someone who, at worst, was a lower-end first line player during his first couple years with the Ducks. He soon became someone they wanted to move on from and the Flyers made a good low-risk gamble to get him. There’s still a lot up in the air about the type of player he is. He’s been yo-yoed back and forth between center and wing, but the Flyers are likely to give him a run in the middle with the hole they have there. The one thing that’s stayed constant is that Zegras is an excellent playmaker. He reads plays from behind the net better than most and he’s excellent at getting the puck off the wall when playing on the cycle. The Flyers have the talent who can complement him well, with Michkov as an emerging star and a few wingers who love to shoot the puck in Tippett and Konecny. His defensive game has also come a long way from where it once was, so maintaining that while seeing if they can reignite what made him special in his rookie season will be a key factor for the Flyers this season. The question is whether that ability is still there or if Zegras is just a highly skilled middle six guy at his peak.

Christian Dvorak

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	16	25	41	0.51

Dvorak appears to be a stopgap to get the Flyers through the season, albeit an expensive one at $5.4 million. There was a premium on veteran centers in the market, so it’s understandable. He is now reunited with Rick Tocchet from his Arizona days where he played his best hockey and Dvorak always got the best results when paired with a puck-hog like a Taylor Hall or Conor Garland. The Flyers have a few players who fit that mold, but maybe not in the same role that Dvorak is slotted to play. If Zegras doesn’t work out at center, Dvorak's not a bad option in that spot to shore things up. He can do a lot of the little things like win faceoffs and kill penalties so the more skilled guy doesn’t have to absorb all the defensive minutes. His offensive production will hinge on who he plays with, although he did fairly well for his standards last year with 12 goals in a checking line role alongside Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson. He has great hands and can get to the net but needs someone to help him get the puck there, although the ship has likely sailed on him being a high-impact offensive player. He might be able to sneak on the Flyers second power play unit out of camp.

Tyson Foerster

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	23	20	43	0.52

One of the players sticking around from the Flyers ex-prospect core, Foerster found a niche for himself as an excellent two-way forward. He was a dark horse Calder pick his rookie year and could continue to get Selke votes as he progresses. He’s a big, powerful skater at 215 pounds and has great hands around the net. One of the few Flyers forwards who could create offence when the rush game wasn’t open, Foerster did an excellent job of working the cycle game in the offensive zone, knowing when to go to the front of the net and when to read off his teammates to keep the play going on. Watching him is a great way to learn how good defensive play can start in the offensive zone, as Foerster does an excellent job of staying above the puck at all times, making the right play and covering for pinching defencemen. He was someone the Flyers could count on to settle the play down when they needed to and provide some extra offence in their middle six. It earned him somewhat of an elevated role, playing more than your typical third liner. His playmaking could still improve, but he is set to be a mainstay on the Flyers roster for the time being.

Bobby Brink

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	14	31	45	0.57

This is somewhat of a “prove it” year for Brink with his RFA deal expiring and right now he’s somewhat in the middle of convincing the Flyers that he can be an impact player. A injury-riddled rookie season was followed up with a solid 41 points with Brink showing flashes of being a great playmaker. He’s smaller, but controls the perimeter game well, making great touch passes from the wall into traffic and excelling in the give-and-go game off the rush. He’s willing to go to the net but gets boxed out easily by bigger defencemen. An elite player in college, Brink has yet to show he can do the same in the NHL. The type of game he plays requires high-level linemates or a finisher to get the most out of hm, but you have to earn your way to those roles in the NHL and he’s on his way to at least getting a shot if he can progress. Being a dog on the forecheck, as he has shown he is willing to do, also helps. The two things working against him is the Flyers acquiring a similar player in Zegras, who could make Brink redundant if he moves to the wing (and takes his power play time) and Brink undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum, his second hip surgery in three years. Still, he showed enough in his sophomore season to make you believe.

Noah Cates

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	14	25	39	0.48

Cates emerged as an intriguing player a few years ago, receiving some Calder and Selke love from those who follow advanced stats, and it caught some people off-guard. Mostly because if you don’t watch the Flyers you have probably never heard of him before. While he didn’t follow it up in his sophomore season, he had saw a nice return to form last year and formed an excellent defensive line with Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink. Cates starts virtually every shift in the defensive zone, so adding Brink added a nice wrinkle to this line as someone who could spark the transition game. This isn’t Cates specialty, but he does a good job of complementing it with good positioning and helping start the rush from his own zone. He had the highest successful exit percentage on the Flyers and was their best forward at not turning the puck over on breakouts. It’s made him a go-to option for their penalty kill and he should be a favourite of the new coaching staff for that alone. The offence is gravy with him but having a third liner who can get you close to 40 points is always going to be valuable. Cates’ good hands and knack for deflecting pucks also helps with that, as this line feeds the point for a lot of their offence.

DEFENCE

Travis Sanheim

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	10	30	40	0.49

It took a while for Sanheim to really blossom as a top-tier defenceman. He was always someone who could play the big minutes and hold his own, but the dynamic playmaking ability didn’t start to show until a couple years ago. Having somewhat of a trial by fire introduction to the NHL paved the way for him, as he had to build his game from the defensive zone out, learning when to make safe plays and when to be aggressive. He always had the skillset in him but was never in the right situation to show it. That has changed the last couple of years, as he is one of the most active defenders in the league at leading zone entries and he’s been able to use his high-level passing ability for playmaking rather than moving the play forward. The area where it’s helped the most is when he can patrol the offensive zone to look for a deflection or go cross-ice. You might not expect him to be one of the league leaders in that category, but the stats back that up. As the Flyers forward corps continues to improve, he should see more of a reward for it on the scoresheet. Even without the offence, Sanheim has the raw skills of a top-pair defenceman. He skates laterally incredibly well, can keep up with top forwards and his rush defending has gotten better with age. The new wrinkle in his game could help propel him to the next level, although some of that might depend on if he gets power play time too.

Cam York

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
48	4	17	21	0.27

York’s profile and college stats suggest that he’s an offensive, puck-moving defenceman but if you watched him last year you might think he’s a shutdown defenceman. He didn’t get to play with the puck much and spent most of his shifts chasing forwards around the defensive zone. A product of a rough environment on a struggling Philly team but even when you consider that, York did an admirable job in this role. Defencemen who can skate are how the modern shutdown game is played, and York does a lot of the little things that mesh with it. He has an annoying presence in the defensive zone with how he stays with forwards or gets a stick on a puck to deflect it out of the way. Also not afraid to use his body to defend and kill the cycle even if he’s not the biggest guy. The common problem was that a lot of these positive plays from him went to waste often because the forwards couldn’t get the puck out after that. He still formed a solid pair with Sanheim, but there is more on the bone with York that the Flyers can unlock. It’s uncertain if the offence is still part of the package for him, as they’re likely giving the power play minutes to Drysdale and York has been transitioned to more of a heavy penalty killing duty. Finding your niche is what the NHL is all about and York seems to have done this well.

Jamie Drysdale

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	8	21	29	0.37

In the final year of his contract, this is likely Drysdale’s last chance to prove that he can be a long-term piece for the Flyers. Last year wasn’t exactly encouraging because they fed him top power play minutes only to be rewarded with two goals and seven points with the man advantage. Not exactly what you want to see when you’re known for quarterbacking a power play, especially when you have the reputation as a defensive liability on top of that. There was a grace period with evaluating Drysdale, as he dealt with major injuries for two years, but he was injury free last year and didn’t do much to set himself apart from the rest of the Flyers. There was also a level of diminishing returns when looking at what he provided while others like Sanheim got less power play time and roster hopefuls like Emil Andrae had to wait their turn to play after impressing in their initial NHL stints. There’s still some hope for Drysdale, as this year brings a fresh start (with an old teammate in Zegras) and he has shown he can be an impactful offensive player in the NHL before, albeit all the way back in 2022. He has the raw skills, is an excellent skater and can walk the blue line better than most but translating it to anything outside of overtime was a challenge.

Rasmus Ristolainen

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	3	16	19	0.29

One of the few players who has gotten better in a rough period of Flyers hockey, Ristolainen’s made the transition from being overplayed and unreliable to a solid middle-of-the-roster player. This started a few years ago when they had Ristolainen focus more on killing plays in the defensive zone through being less physical, acting more as a disrupter and getting pucks out instead of trying to go coast-to-coast. He adapted well, but he also saw his minutes cut back to 17-18 minutes a game while playing on the third pair. Last year, he got back into the 20–21-minute range and posted similar results which were solid, albeit nothing mind blowing. He also saw a return to being more involved in the play offensively, rating average in scoring chance creation for a defenceman and it led to him being used on the power play again, granted with only three assists to show for it. Much of the credit for his resurgence has been given to former Flyers assistant Brad Shaw, who has a reputation of getting the best results out of defencemen everywhere he’s coached. With him departing to New Jersey’s bench, it will be interesting to see if Ristolainen’s play holds up.

Goal

Samuel Ersson

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

The Philadelphia Flyers were dealt a miserable hand in net when starter Carter Hart saw his contract terminated by the team during a highly publicized sexual assault trial and prospect Ivan Fedotov saw his arrival in North America delayed by a detainment by the Russian military. Although Fedotov finally made his way to North America last season, he and fellow tandem partner Samuel Ersson held the distinction of making up the league's worst pairing statistically. Among starters, only Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alexandar Georgiev had worse years than Ersson, and Fedotov couldn't seem to find his footing well enough to stem the bleeding; he fared better than Ersson, but not by much.

The pair might get some help this upcoming season in the form of former Calgary Flames backup Dan Vladar, who left after losing the starting gig in Calgary to wunderkind Dustin Wolf. Vladar's lanky stature and smooth, speedy skating make him great for last-second desperation saves and extra reach on a defensive breakdown, something that both Fedotov and Ersson mightily struggled with last season. But from a numbers standpoint, Vladar is as much a reclamation project as he is a form of reinforcement for the other two Philadelphia could ice next season. The Flyers seem to be struggling to attract free agents to fill their goaltending depth chart, and that could make for a painful few years until they can figure out their long-term plans and develop some new options to offer.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Zegras scoring again, Sharangovich finding his form, Valeri Nichushkin is a difference maker again, a closer look at some of the top rookies, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:58:22 +0000

Calgary Flames center Yegor Sharangovich (17) (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I’ll dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Trevor Zegras is scoring again, Yegor Sharangovich is finding his form, Valeri Nichushkin is a difference maker again, a closer look at some of the top rookies, and much more!

#1 Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras had two 60-point seasons to his credit before managing just 15 points in 31 games last season when his campaign was shortened by injuries including a broken ankle. It wasn’t getting any better early in 2024-2025 either, as Zegras had just three points (1 G, 2 A) through his first 15 games. There have been some recent signs of progress, however, as Zegras has produced seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 16 shots on goal in the past six games. It is still ridiculous that he is skating at centre while winning 39.4 percent of his faceoffs, but if that is the best spot for his playmaking ability to shine, then that is what the Ducks need to do. With Leo Carlsson suffering an upper-body injury earlier this week, the Ducks need Zegras to continue delivering offensive production.

#2 A pleasant surprise for the Calgary Flames last season when he hit career highs with 31 goals and 59 points after he was acquired from New Jersey, Yegor Sharangovich suffered a lower-body injury in the preseason and started slowly once he rejoined the lineup. He had just two goals in 12 games, despite playing more than 18 minutes per game, but he has picked up five points (3 G, 2 A) in his past four games while recording 20 shots on goal and averaging 19:50 of ice time per game. Of his seven points on the season, four have come via the power play, so there is room for much improvement during five-on-five play.

#3 Returning to the Colorado Avalanche lineup after serving a six-month suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program policy, Valeri Nichushkin had no points and just four shots on goal in his first three games but appears to be back on track. In the past three games, Nichushkin has contributed five points (2 G, 3 A) with eight shots on goal and he played a season-high 22:47 in Wednesday’s win over Vegas.

#4 Anaheim Ducks rookie winger Cutter Gauthier came into the season with some expectations. He was the fifth pick in the 2022 Draft, scored 102 points (54 G, 48 A) in 73 games in two seasons at Boston College and was productive in international play, too, producing 22 points (6 G, 16 A) in 14 games across two years at the World Juniors, plus he had nine points (7 G, 2 A) in 10 games at the 2023 World Championships. All of this indicated that he should be able to contribute quickly in the NHL. He did not record a point in his first five games, but since then has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 38 shots on goal in 16 games. There is also a stat that is quite encouraging about Gauthier’s potential ability to sustain his production. Among players that have played at least 200 five-on-five minutes, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg (24.82) is the only one with a higher rate of individual shot attempts per 60 minutes, as Gauthier has 21.95, putting him ahead of Owen Tippett, Brady Tkachuk, and Jeff Skinner.

#5 The leading point producer among rookies is Philadelphia Flyers right winger Matvei Michkov, who has 17 points (8 G, 9 A) in 21 games, despite being a healthy scratch for two games. Michkov has an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.0 percent during five-on-five play, which is quite low for an offensive forward, so he should be able to find his way to more assists, but he is also scoring on 20.0 percent of his shots on goal, so there could very well be some regression on that side of the ledger, too.

#6 The first pick in the 2024 Draft, San Jose Sharks centre Macklin Celebrini may very well be the best of the rookie class. He missed some time due to injury, but he has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in 13 games. He has 43 shots on goal, and is averaging 20:15 of ice time per game, both of which are great indications that his production should continue at a high level. To temper some of the enthusiasm, it should be noted that Celebrini has an individual points percentage of 100.0 percent and that is not likely to last an entire season. To be fair, however, last season’s top rookie, Conor Bedard finished with a league-leading IPP for 91.89 percent (minimum 1000 five-on-five minutes).

#7 Second-year Anaheim Ducks defenceman Olen Zellweger is on the smaller side of things, listed at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, but he is such a nimble skater with a flair for offensive production that there is clearly a role for him in the Ducks’ plans. In his past six games, Zellweger has six points (2 G, 4 A) with 13 shots on goal. Zellweger is quarterbacking the Ducks’ top power play unit and four of his 10 points this season have come with the man advantage.

#8 Dallas Stars centre Tyler Seguin is playing 16:15 per game, his lowest average time on ice since his rookie season 2010-2011. Nevertheless, he is also averaging better than a point per game with 18 points (8 G, 10 A) in 17 games. That is built on some high percentages, including an individual shooting percentage of 19.0 percent and an on-ice shooting percentage of 13.0 percent during five-on-five play. Both of those marks would be career highs for Seguin, so regression is probably coming, but he may offer some short-term value before those percentages start to level out.

#9 The third pick in the 2022 Draft, Utah Hockey Club centre Logan Cooley continues to make progress in his second NHL season. Cooley has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 14 shots on goal, while averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game, across his past six games. He is playing on Utah’s top power play unit while centering Jack McBain and Dylan Guenther at even strength.

#10 Vancouver Canucks right winger Kiefer Sherwood has climbed the depth chart and is skating on Vancouver’s top line, alongside Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. Sherwood has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past six games and is far and away the leading hitter in the NHL, with 137 hits in 21 games. He is 34 hits ahead of Nashville defenceman Jeremy Lauzon and 43 hits ahead of the second-ranked forward, Brady Tkachuk. Sherwood’s outrageous hit totals give him fantasy value anyway, but with an increasing offensive role, his appeal is growing by the game.

#11 Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere is a power play specialist this season, recording 12 of his 17 points (70.6 percent) this season with the man advantage. The only defenceman in the league with a higher ratio of power play points is Ottawa Senators blueliner Jake Sanderson, who has registered 14 points, with 11 (78.6 percent) on the power play. Among defencemen with at least five power play points, the top five gets rounded out by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly and Montreal Canadiens’ Mike Matheson, who both have seven of 13 points on the power play, as well as Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi, who has half of his 18 points on the power play.

#12 While Gostisbehere is pumping up his point totals on the power play, his teammate, Dmitry Orlov, is busy getting his production at even strength. Orlov has recorded an assist in six straight games and has zero power play points among his 14 points this season. The highest scoring defencemen who have yet to record a power play point this season: Buffalo’s Owen Power and Vegas’ Alex Pietrangelo, who both have 15 points, one more than Orlov. Buffalo’s Bowen Byram has 13 and three defencemen – St. Louis’ Colton Parayko, Minnesota’s Jake Middleton and Colorado’s Samuel Girard – have a dozen points without any on the power play.

#13 Shuffled into the background in Nashville, defenceman Dante Fabbro has thrived since he was acquired off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In seven games since joining Columbus, Fabbro has four points (2 G, 2 A), while playing 21:42 per game as a partner for Zach Werenski. It is probably too soon to go after Fabbro, save for the deepest of leagues, but he is worth keeping tabs on in his new location.

#14 Veteran Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland has been a consistent source of secondary scoring throughout his career, but the Canucks are giving him more responsibility this season and he is responding favorably. He has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 16 shots on goal in his past six games, giving him 18 points (6 G, 12 A) in 21 games, leading Vancouver’s forwards in scoring. Garland is averaging a career-high 19:13 of ice time per game, which includes time on the first power play unit, and he has six power play points this season surpassing last season’s total of five power play points.

#15 Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier may not get back to the offensive production that marked the peak of his career, but he is still delivering quality results for his team. Couturier has goals in three straight games, recording 10 shots on goal in the process, lifting him to 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in 22 games, but the Flyers are also controlling 56.9 percent of shot attempts and 55.2 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play with Couturier on the ice. He is also winning 58.0 percent of his faceoffs, which ranks 11th among players that have taken at least 200 faceoffs.

#16 The St. Louis Blues reacted quickly when Jim Montgomery was fired by the Boston Bruins, hiring him to replace Drew Bannister. Dylan Holloway and Zack Bolduc have been early beneficiaries of the change. Holloway has produced four points (2 G, 2 A) and eight shots on goal while playing 16:55 per game since Montgomery took over on the Blues bench. Bolduc does not play as much, but still scored two goals with seven shots on goal in Montgomery’s first game.

#17 Maybe wins don’t come too easily for Chicago Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek, but he is giving his team a chance to win most nights. Mrazek was mediocre in his first handful of starts, posting a save percentage of .887, but since then has a .923 save percentage with a 5-5-1 record in 11 starts. His overall save percentage of .912 ranks 12th among goaltenders that have appeared in at least 10 games.

#18 With Lukas Dostal posting a .922 save percentage in 14 games, ranking fourth among goalies to play at least 10 games, it has been challenging for veteran John Gibson to reclaim his role in the crease for the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson has been playing well since returning from injury, though, putting up a 4-0-1 record with a .919 save percentage in five starts. If Gibson is playing at a high level, that could increase his likelihood of finally getting traded and there are teams that might be ready to pull the trigger for a veteran goaltender who could use a fresh start with a team that has better defensive structure.

#19 Speaking of teams that might have goaltending concerns, the Carolina Hurricanes have Pyotr Kochetkov in concussion protocol and Frederik Andersen is out long-term following knee surgery. That leaves Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets in net for the ‘Canes. Martin has a .856 save percentage in seven games for Carolina this season while Perets has 13 minutes of NHL experience and had a .825 save percentage in three AHL games when he was called up. If Kochetkov recovers quickly, the Hurricanes may be able to survive, because they are the best puck possession team in the league, but if he is out long-term, the Hurricanes may need to look for an external solution to their goaltending problem.

#20 Through 360 games in this season, there is an average of 6.13 goals per game, but there has not been a huge advantage for being the home side, with home teams averaging 3.125 goals per game while road teams have 3.008. For fantasy managers, particularly those making daily roster decisions, this suggests not to be overly discouraged if a player happens to be on the road, because it should not have a significant effect on a player’s likely production.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anaheim Ducks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boston Bruins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Los Angeles Kings

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minnesota Wild

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

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

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

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

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

New Jersey Devils

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York Islanders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York Rangers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seattle Kraken

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – 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.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – ANAHEIM DUCKS – Team Preview

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:00:04 +0000

_{WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: Ducks center Mason McTavish (37) stickhandles during the Anaheim Ducks versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on February 23, 2023 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)}

The rebuilding Ducks weren’t expected to make the playoffs in 2023-24, but there was still some hope that they might at least take a step forward compared to their 2022-23 finish under new bench boss Greg Cronin. Given that they finished the prior campaign with a 23-47-12 record, that couldn’t be a lower bar to exceed, but in the end, they had a similarly dreary showing in 2023-24, finishing at 27-50-5. It didn’t help that Trevor Zegras was limited to 31 contests last season after previously leading the Ducks offensively with 65 points, but even still, it’s hard to blame finishing 30th offensively (2.48 goals per game) and 30th defensively (3.57 goals allowed per game) on some injury issues

WHAT’S CHANGED? Jakob Silfverberg decided to end his NHL playing career, but the Ducks otherwise didn’t lose any major players over the summer. They didn’t make any major acquisitions either, though, with arguably the most noteworthy add being Robby Fabbri, who is projected to serve in a middle-six capacity after being grabbed in a trade with Detroit. However, that’s not to suggest Anaheim’s upcoming roster will be a near carbon copy of its previous one. Cutter Gauthier might make a big impact as a rookie, and we also should see youngsters Pavel Mintyukov, Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish take steps forward.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? If Gauthier lives up to the hype after scoring 38 goals and 65 points across 41 contests with Boston College last year, and becomes a prominent part of Anaheim’s top six, then that alone would be reason for celebration. Getting to see some measurable progress out of the aforementioned Mintyukov, Carlsson, and McTavish would also be a big deal. Outside of that, a lot of attention will be on 24-year-old goaltender Lukas Dostal, who had some absolutely stunning starts last year, but lacked consistency. If he can find his rhythm this season while the Ducks simultaneously get contributions from that young group, then Anaheim would be an exciting team to watch.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? When you’re a young team relying on prospects, the most obvious potential issue is that they need more time to develop than initially thought. McTavish, for example, made some strides last season, but he didn’t end up having the breakout campaign some hoped for. Anaheim might encounter similar growing pains again. Then there’s the issue of the team’s overall defence. Dostal had two 50-plus save performances last season, which is an amazing accomplishment, but also highlights the defensive shortcomings of those in front of him. Anaheim ranked 30th last year with 3.4 xGA/60. If the Ducks don’t improve meaningfully by that metric, then it's hard to envision them competing for a playoff spot even if everything else goes ideally.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Trading Jamie Drysdale to Philadelphia in January was a difficult decision, but Gauthier could make it worth it. He has the potential to be the full package, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Anaheim use him in a top six capacity this season.

FORWARD

Troy Terry

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	24	31	55	0.70

While Terry had his third straight season with at least 20 goals and 50 points, his production dipped a bit from the previous two seasons. Part of that was a function of a declining shot rate, going from 2.69 shots on goal per game in 2022-2023 to 2.26 shots on goal per game in 2023-2024. He has still matured into a reliable first-line winger, even if not necessarily a star; a reliable contributor at both ends of the rink. Terry’s confidence has grown, and it is reflected in his play and how he has the patience to attack defenders one-on-one and make plays to generate scoring chances. He also plays a game that is not especially physical. Among the 223 forwards that have played at least 200 games in the past three seasons, Terry ranks 222nd (ahead of only Johnny Gaudreau) with 35 hits. Nevertheless, on a team that is depending on elite young talent, a proven performer like Terry is of vital importance to help those players get to the next level in their development. Part of the challenge when forecasting his production in 2024-2025 is that proliferation of young forwards at the top of the depth chart in Anaheim. That does leave some variability but, considering his performance in recent seasons, 25 goals and 60 points remain reasonable objectives.

Trevor Zegras

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	18	28	46	0.58

A broken ankle and lower-body injuries limited Zegras to just 31 games last season and while he managed just 15 points, he did have quality underlying numbers, so he does have a chance to deliver a bounce back season. For one thing, Zegras is a creative playmaker who can make highlight reel plays and there is an audacity to his game that is exciting. The challenge will be to turn his immense puck skills into better on-ice results. Since Zegras has not been able to improve in the faceoff circle, winning 40.6 percent of his draws, it could make sense to shift him to the wing, at least some of the time. That would free him up to focus more on the attack, which is an obvious strength to his game. He already has two seasons with more than 60 points, so he has offensive upside that could really pay off under the right circumstances. The question will be whether he finds those right circumstances in Anaheim next season. The Ducks are improving their depth of talent and there should be enough quality available that Zegras can play a top six role as well as first-unit power play. He had a career low on-ice shooting percentage (7.7 percent) last season, and his shooting percentage of 8.2 percent was down from the previous couple of seasons. If his percentages pick back up, Zegras should be able to once again challenge for 20 goals and 60 points.

Frank Vatrano

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	26	26	52	0.63

A sturdy winger who has always been able to generate shots, Vatrano reached his peak performance level in 2023-2024, setting career highs with 37 goals and 60 points. He also delivered 156 hits, the first season of his career in which he exceeded 100 hits. He added banger league value with a career-high 85 penalty minutes, too. What is wild about Vatrano’s impressive statistical breakout season is that his on-ice results were quite poor. The Ducks controlled 44.1 percent of shot attempts and 45.1 percent of expected goals during five-on-five play while Vatrano was on the ice. They were outscored 67-47. That was better than his first season in Anaheim but, still, there is a lot of room for improvement in his all-around impact. Vatrano played mostly with Ryan Strome and Mason McTavish, so there is talent around him, but their defensive play needs dramatic improvement if the Ducks are going to be more competitive. Putting aside the team impacts, fantasy managers are going to be interested in Vatrano because of his offensive production, coupled with hits and a strong shot rate as he recorded a career-high 3.32 shots on goal per game last season. It is probably fair not to expect Vatrano to repeat his career-best season, but he could still deliver 25 goals and 45-50 points, along with 100-plus hits.

Leo Carlsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	20	29	49	0.65

The second overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Carlsson made a smooth transition to the NHL as an 18-year-old centre. The 6-foot-3 pivot plays a game well beyond his years, particularly on the defensive end, where he has an active stick and plays a sound positional game. Carlson’s combination of size and skill offers tantalizing potential. He scored six goals in his first nine games and endured some injuries on his way to finishing with 12 goals and 29 points in 55 games. He missed time with a sprained MCL, a concussion, and another lower-body injury, which obviously didn’t help his development, but he showed well in the games that he played. That is barely scratching the surface of Carlsson’s potential, but it also might take some time for the skilled young forward to reach that potential. Carlsson’s play driving numbers – better than break-even in terms of Corsi percentage and expected goals percentage – while playing more than 18 minutes per game on a team near the bottom of the standings, were very encouraging. He shoots the puck well enough already to score from distance and has soft hands that serve him well when he has the puck in close to the net. These signs suggest that it’s not a reach to expect a significant offensive jump this season. Something along the lines of 20 goals and 50-plus points would be a move in the right direction.

Mason McTavish

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	23	33	56	0.73

The third pick in the 2021 Draft, McTavish continued to make progress in his second NHL season, ultimately finishing with one less point in 16 fewer games than he played in 2022-2023. His 1.65 primary points per 60 minutes of five-on-five play ranked 81st. Considering that he is 21 years old, this is a strong rate of production. While his possession numbers continue to improve, McTavish is still underwater there, with 45.4 percent Corsi and 46.8 expected goals percentage. A strong and physical forward who can win battles along the boards and use his body to effectively protect the puck, he should be able to improve his shot differentials. Last season, he did miss 18 games with a variety of injuries and while none of them were major, that is going to be something to monitor as his career progresses. When it comes to determining McTavish’s offensive upside in 2024-2025, it will depend on what kind of offensive opportunities are provided to him. On a team that also has Leo Carlsson and Trevor Zegras down the middle of the ice, McTavish is facing competition for prime scoring ice time. Considering where he is in his career, though, there should be more progress, so 20 goals and 50 points are reasonable targets for him this season.

Alex Killorn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	22	28	50	0.63

Coming off career-highs of 27 goals and 64 points in 2022-2023, Killorn cashed in last summer as a free agent after years of being a quality contributor during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup runs. The veteran winger was the beneficiary of an unsustainably high shooting percentage that season, though, so he was a natural candidate for regression in his first season with the Ducks. Sure enough, Killorn’s production dropped to 18 goals and 36 points in 63 games while playing a career-high 18:44 per game. That required a rather furious finish, which saw Killorn score 11 goals in his last 24 games. Even in his mid-30s, Killorn was still an effective play driver, his 51 percent Corsi ranking second among Ducks regulars and he was a reliable penalty killer. While his contract may not age well, in the short term, Killorn brings a professionalism and commitment that can help lead the young Ducks in the right direction. At his age, there is a decreasing likelihood that Killorn will bounce back to previous levels of production, so 15-20 goals and a 40-point season is a fair expectation, but some of that will depend on how well the younger players perform. If they are not ready to step into prominent roles, then Killorn could still be needed to score for the Ducks.

Ryan Strome

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	13	28	41	0.50

A veteran forward who can play centre or wing, Strome has put up back-to-back 41-point seasons in his first two years with the Ducks. While he is a capable complementary player at the offensive end, Strome’s defensive play has declined significantly in his first two seasons with the Ducks. Maybe some of that is a function of an inexperienced supporting cast, but the Ducks have been outscored 126-85 with Strome on the ice for five-on-five play across the past two seasons. In those two seasons, the Ducks have managed 43.7 percent of shots attempts and 41.3 percent of expected goals with him on the ice, so his poor results are backed by poor underlying numbers. That’s not going to cut it, especially when he is needed to be a veteran leader for this team. Strome’s ability to play multiple positions does give Anaheim more options when trying to put their lines together, but it would be most helpful if Strome added a dose of reliability wherever he ultimately fits in the lineup. If not, his ice time could continue to decrease. Last season, his ice time fell below 16 minutes per game for the first time since 2018-2019. At this point, with younger players pushing for bigger roles with the Ducks, it’s probably not reasonable to expect Strome to provide much more than the 40 points.

Robby Fabbri

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	16	17	33	0.44

A veteran forward who has had to overcome three ACL tears to continue his NHL career, Fabbri has skill and is obviously extremely resilient, but injuries have taken a toll on him. Despite tying his career high with 18 goals last season, Fabbri has been dependent on finishing at a high percentage – he had a shooting percentage of 18.9 percent across his last two seasons in Detroit – because he does not generate a lot of shots on goal. On the positive side, Fabbri scored 1.09 goals per 60 minutes last season, which ranked 47th among forwards that played at least 500 minutes. Fabbri’s ice time fell below 13 minutes per game last season, the first time he failed to meet that threshold since 2018-2019. Fabbri has some versatility that allows him to fill a middle six role for Anaheim. He has also been a poor defensive player, so that could potentially pose problems for a Ducks team that does not have an abundance of quality two-way forwards. In any case, Fabbri should be able to contribute secondary scoring as long as he is healthy, but he played 68 games last season and that was his most since playing in 72 games as a rookie, so it’s almost assured that he will miss time. That leaves some variability in expectations but something in the range of 15 goals and 30 points is a fair expectation.

Brett Leason

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	12	12	24	0.30

Leason is a 6-foot-5 winger who enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2023-2024, scoring 11 goals and 22 points, high-water marks to this point in his career. Leason’s size gives him an edge when it comes to battling for pucks and his ability to chip in offensively made him a valuable depth forward for the Ducks last season. For a player who tends to spend most of his time on the lower end of the depth chart, Leason does have a potent wrist shot, which makes him capable of scoring from distance. If he is going to be something more than a fourth-line player, the next challenge is for him to be able to generate more opportunities to use that shot. Leason’s best stretch came in the second half of the season when, upon returning from an upper-body injury, he tallied nine points (5 G, 4 A) in 14 games while he averaged 14:29 of ice time per game. He could not sustain those numbers over a longer period, and it would be unreasonable to expect that from him, but looking ahead, Leason could still contribute double-digit goals and 20-plus points, with some upward mobility if he manages to climb the depth chart.

DEFENCE

Cam Fowler

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	7	36	43	0.52

A steady veteran who has played 14 seasons in Anaheim, Fowler’s experience and steady hand is of major importance on a Ducks blueline that is developing young talent. Fowler has always been an adept distributor of the puck and has surpassed 30 assists in each of the past three seasons. He has averaged more than 24 minutes of ice time in each of those three seasons and he should remain in that kind of prominent role again. Oddly enough, Fowler led the Ducks in ice time during four-on-five play, even though his results have crashed hard in recent seasons. Across the past three campaigns, there are 113 defencemen that have played at least 300 minutes of four-on-five play and only three have a higher expected goals against and three have a higher goals against per 60 minutes than Fowler. Nevertheless, Fowler is of critical importance on this team, a consistent presence who has been durable, missing a total of seven games across the past four seasons. He is not a strong physical presence, instead relying on strong instincts and hockey IQ to put him in the right position. Considering his role and reliability, Fowler should find himself scoring in the range of 40 points once again.

Pavel Mintyukov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
71	5	30	35	0.49

The 10th pick in the 2022 Draft, Mintyukov made his NHL debut last season, and it was a strong first season. He showed lots of potential, and it is going to be up to the young blueliner and the Ducks organization to develop him into a bona fide No. 1 defenceman. Mintyukov skates well and is not shy about using that skill to join the attack, entering the offensive zone with confidence. He recorded seven power play points in a 30-game span from November 1 through January 10, but he suffered a separated shoulder and missed more than a month of action and did not record another point with the man advantage for the rest of the season. Even so, Mintyukov averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game after returning from his injury and contributed nine points in 23 games. There were naturally some growing pains in his first NHL season, because he was 19 years old when last season started, and he was playing significant minutes on a team that was among the weakest squads in the league. For a top player like Mintyukov, though, that experience should be valuable, giving him the opportunity to step forwards into an even more significant role in his second season. Certainly, the hope will be that he manages to stay healthier than he did in his rookie campaign and that could reasonably lead to 35-40 points, possibly more if Mintyukov takes over as the quarterback on Anaheim’s top power play unit.

Radko Gudas

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	4	12	16	0.22

Despite missing 16 games last season, Gudas was one of just two defencemen to record at least 150 blocked shots and 200 hits last season (Detroit’s Moritz Seider was the other one). Gudas is a warrior who sacrifices his body for his team and the 34-year-old blueliner has been doing it for quite some time. He joined the Ducks as a free agent last summer and averaged 19:30 of ice time per game, the second highest average of his career, and his highest average time on ice since 2015-2016. Although Gudas has a well-earned reputation for borderline hits, that should not overshadow that he is an excellent defender, who had the lowest on-ice rate of expected goals against (2.28 xGA/60) among Anaheim defenders last season. He is known much more for his play without the puck, but Gudas also contributes at the offensive end, partly because he is ready and willing to fire the puck whenever the opportunity is there for him. Among the eight defensemen that played at least 200 five-on-five minutes for the Ducks last season, Gudas had the highest rate of shot attempts (11.83 iCF/60) and shots on goal (4.38 Shots/60). For fantasy managers, Gudas offers sneaky value because he last reached 20 points in a season in 2018-2019, but he provides hits, blocked shots and even a passable rate of shots on goal that can make him useful. His penalty minute totals make him even more valuable in banger leagues. At this stage of his career, there is little point in expecting a dramatic change, so Gudas should be expected to contribute 15-20 points.

Brian Dumoulin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	4	14	18	0.22

Moving to Seattle resulted in an odd decrease in ice time, with Dumoulin averaging 17:01 of ice time per game after seven straight seasons averaging more than 20 minutes per game. That should get reversed in Anaheim, where the Ducks can surely use Dumoulin’s reliability on the blueline. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner who was not merely a passenger on those Penguins teams – he was averaging more than 20 minutes per game on epic playoff runs. It is also unusual that Dumoulin saw this ice time reduced in Seattle because his on-ice results were quite strong, leading Kraken defencemen (minimum 500 five-on-five minutes) in both Corsi (53.9 percent) and expected goals percentage (54.5 percent). That doesn’t seem like a player who should have been playing less! Even at his peak, Dumoulin was never a big scorer, but he did have a career-high 25 points with Pittsburgh in 2022-2023. With a more prominent role on Anaheim’s blueline, Dumoulin should be able to find his way to 20 points, but he has surpassed 125 blocked shots and 100 hits four times each in his career. That kind of production in peripheral statistical categories might make him a worthwhile addition in deep leagues.

GOAL

John Gibson

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
43	16	23	5	0	0.901	3.60

Lukas Dostal

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
39	14	20	4	2	0.904	3.45

The post-John Gibson era in Anaheim is slowly approaching. With just three years left of the albatross eight-year deal that Gibson and the Ducks have been slogging through, and a bright new future with Lukas Dostal sitting front and center, it almost seems like Anaheim might just let the remainder of their veteran star's contract burn itself out at the Honda Center. While it seemed at the start of the 2023 season like Gibson might have been on the upswing, though, only Chicago's Arvid Soderblom served as a greater albatross in net as the year came to a close. While the Ducks continued to struggle with allowing quality shots in the high slot, a full season of both Gibson and Dostal made it painfully apparent that it wasn't just the team struggling - Gibson was struggling with them.

Things look bright for Anaheim with regards to how Dostal handled his first full season as half of an official NHL tandem, so the picture in Southern California isn't as bleak as it has been in recent years. While Dostal struggled almost as much as Gibson with net-front attacks, he was able to clean up the peripheral damage that Gibson had allowed to fester with poor defensive coverage outside the circles. His numbers matched up to a strong ability to stay on-angle and recover in time for rebound attempts in a way that Gibson hasn't been able to in at least a handful of seasons. Things won't truly turn around in net for the Ducks until Gibson's contract has finally reached an end, but the future looks much more promising now than it has since the Gibson-Frederik Andersen era.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – A look at the playoff race – Teams with favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:07:22 +0000

Last week I touched on Detroit’s losing streak, but the Red Wings’ situation has since stabilized. The Red Wings have won three of their past four games and earned a 6-3 victory in a key contest against the Islanders on Thursday. The Red Wings (36-28-6) now have a three-point edge over Washington (33-26-9) in the battle for the second wild-card spot, though Washington has two games in hand, so Detroit still has no margin for error.

At this stage, it looks like the fight for the final playoff seed in the East will come down to Detroit and Washington, but the Islanders (29-25-15), New Jersey (34-32-5), Buffalo (33-33-5) and even Pittsburgh (30-29-9) all have an outside chance of squeaking into the playoffs. Would it be shocking if, say, the Penguins earned a postseason berth? Absolutely, but it’s at least a mathematic possibility at the time of writing.

The final wild-card slot in the Western Conference is slightly more secure. Vegas (37-25-7) has a four-point edge over St. Louis (37-30-3) and a five-point lead over Minnesota (34-28-8) despite playing in one game less than either team. The Golden Knights likely still need to be solid down the stretch to secure their playoff berth, but at least they have a bit of breathing room.

The Blues and Wild are Vegas’ only real competition, but there is still an outside chance of a Cinderella story involving Calgary (33-30-5) or Seattle (28-28-12).

The Golden Knights still also have a path to earn the third seed in the Pacific Division over Los Angeles (36-22-11), though I’d almost say it doesn’t matter. Getting the third seed would put the Golden Knights on track to face Edmonton in the first round instead of Winnipeg, Colorado, Dallas or Vancouver. All five of those potential adversaries are great, so Vegas will have a tough first round either as a wild-card team or as the third seed in the Pacific Division.

Either way, the battle for the last playoff spots should be fun.

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 24: Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal (1) in warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the Anaheim Ducks on January 24, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Anaheim Ducks - TUE @ SEA, THU @ SEA, SAT @ EDM, SUN @ VAN (BTB)

Anaheim is set to play on the road all of next week. They have back-to-back contests against Seattle on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by games in Edmonton on Saturday and Vancouver on Sunday. It’s certainly not an easy schedule, especially on the back half, but the Ducks are one of the few teams scheduled to play four games, so they’re still worthy of mention.

Trevor Zegras hasn’t been in the lineup since Jan. 9 because of an ankle injury, but he has been able to resume practicing without restriction, which suggests that he’s close to returning. After exceeding the 60-point milestone in each of his previous two campaigns, he has just four goals and seven points in 20 outings this year. There’s a good chance he’ll at least be able to finish the year on a positive note, but regardless of what happens, it’s important you remember him for next season’s fantasy drafts. The 23-year-old forward should enjoy a comeback campaign, provided he gets better luck on the injury front.

The 2024-25 campaign should also be one of progress for Leo Carlsson, who has recorded nine goals and 24 points in 43 games as a rookie this season. In the meantime, though, he suffered a lower-body injury Thursday, so his status for next week’s contests is undetermined. If he can’t play then Isac Lundestrom might serve in a top-six capacity, but honestly rather than that be an opportunity for Lundestrom, it would just highlight the sorry state of the Ducks. The 24-year-old has just six points (four goals) in 34 contests this year and likely won’t do much offensively even if he moves up to the second line.

At least they have goaltender Lukas Dostal, who has done alright lately, posting a 2.69 GAA and a .916 save percentage over his past eight games. That’s worlds better than John Gibson’s 5.80 GAA (yes, really) and .833 save percentage in his past four outings. Given the disparity in their play, Dostal should get the majority of the remaining starts.

Buffalo Sabres – WED VS OTT, FRI VS NJD, SAT VS TOR (BTB)

The Sabres are likely to miss the playoffs for the 13th consecutive campaign, extending their record for the longest postseason drought in NHL history. However, they still have an outside shot of squeaking into the playoffs. In order to keep that hope alive, they’ll likely need to win all three of their contests against Ottawa on Wednesday, New Jersey on Friday and Toronto on Saturday. It’s a tall order, but at least the Sabres will have the home-ice advantage in all those games.

With Buffalo’s postseason hopes all but dashed, Jeff Skinner will likely have to wait even longer to make his first playoff appearance. The 31-year-old is approaching 1,000 career regular-season contests. This hasn’t been his best campaign, but Skinner has been alright with 24 goals and 45 points in 63 outings. He also earned his seventh career hat trick Monday when he led Buffalo in its 6-2 victory over Seattle.

Tage Thompson is surely hoping he won’t have to wait nearly as long as Skinner to get into the playoffs. However, if Thompson had played like he did in 2022-23 (47 goals, 94 points), perhaps the Sabres’ fortunes would have been different this campaign. Instead, he’s been alright, but not great with 21 goals and 43 points through 60 outings. The 27-year-old might end the season on a positive note, though. He’s on a four-game scoring streak in which Thompson has provided a goal and six points.

Meanwhile, Bowen Byram is just 22, but his name is already on the Cup thanks to his time with the Avalanche. Now a member of the Sabres, Byram is playing a prominent role and has taken advantage of that opportunity. He’s recorded three goals, six points, 17 blocks and 17 hits in eight contests while averaging 23:53 of ice time. Byram has even averaged a healthy 2:39 with the man advantage as a member of the Sabres, though the presence of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power means the fight for power-play ice time will always be fierce among Buffalo defensemen.

Columbus Blue Jackets – TUE @ ARI, THU @ PIT, SAT VS PIT

This will mark the Blue Jackets’ fourth straight season without a playoff berth. Nothing they do now will alter the fact that it’s been a rough campaign, but they can at least end things on a positive note. It helps that they’ll be facing other non-playoff teams next week – they’ll play in Arizona on Tuesday, in Pittsburgh on Thursday and then host the Penguins on Saturday.

Johnny Gaudreau isn’t the reason Columbus will be missing the playoffs, though it is true he hasn’t lived up to expectations. His 55 points (11 goals) through 69 outings, would mark the lowest point-per-game pace of his career if the season ended now. However, Gaudreau has contributed a goal and six points in his past four contests, so the stage is set for him to finish the campaign on a positive note.

The same might be true of Alexander Nylander, who has eight goals and 11 points in 13 contests since being acquired by Columbus from Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old forward was held off the scoresheet in his previous two games, and it’s reasonable for fantasy managers to wonder if this is the right time to jump ship, especially because he doesn’t have a track record of success beyond his recent stretch. Personally, I recommend waiting a little longer though to see if his production picks up again. Keep in mind, Nylander is being utilized on the Blue Jackets’ top line and first power-play unit, which are roles that he hasn’t enjoyed for any noteworthy stretch until now, so there might be more to his production than a mere hot streak. I’m not saying that his new role has transformed him into a superstar, but he might still do well enough to be fantasy relevant the rest of the way.

Daniil Tarasov might have value going forward too. The 24-year-old has been subpar in 2023-24 with a 7-9-3 record, 3.20 GAA and .903 save percentage across 20 appearances, but he’s been far better dating back to Feb. 21, posting a 2.30 GAA and .934 save percentage over nine games. His strong play has led to the Blue Jackets increasingly using him over Elvis Merzlikins.

Ottawa Senators – WED @ BUF, THU VS CHI, SAT @ WPG

Ottawa will begin next week with a breather before playing in Buffalo on Wednesday. The Senators will then host Chicago on Thursday and play in Winnipeg on Saturday. Like Ottawa, the Sabres and Blackhawks are having campaigns and aren’t expected to make the playoffs (Chicago has been mathematically eliminated while Buffalo has just a fringe chance of a wild-card spot), so those are two winnable games.

Ottawa is in a four-way tie for 28th defensively with 3.59 goals per game despite having an xGA/60 of 2.94, which ties the Senators for 11th overall. Those two stats in combination suggest is Ottawa’s defense is underrated and has been made to look bad this year due to poor goaltending. A case could be made that Joonas Korpisalo has been this year’s worst starter, ranking last in Goals Saved Above Expected at minus-19.4. In terms of his base stats line, he has a 15-21-4 record, 3.37 GAA and .887 save percentage in 44 contests. While it would be an oversimplification to say that Ottawa isn’t making the playoffs because of Korpisalo, it is fair to say that his terrible play has been a key factor.

Unfortunately, it seems the Senators overvalued his strong 2022-23 campaign when they inked Korpisalo to a five-year contract. While he had a Goals Saved Above Expected of 12.7 last season, he finished in the negatives in each campaign from 2017-18 through 2021-22, so performing below average relative to the team in front of him appears to be the norm for Korpisalo rather than the exception. This is all to say that if you’re looking for the 29-year-old goaltender to rebound in 2024-25, you’re making a risky bet that likely won’t pay off.

Not that Anton Forsberg, who has a 12-12-0 record, 3.42 GAA and .885 save percentage in 25 outings in 2023-24, is good either. Forsberg is signed through 2024-25 at a cap hit of $2.75 million, so Ottawa might have this unfortunate duo again next year. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see them making the playoffs in 2024-25 either.

That’s unfortunate for Claude Giroux, who is 36 years old and consequently running out of chances to make another run at the Cup. If the direction of the Senators has been weighing on him, though, he hasn’t let that bleed into his game. He’s still provided a goal and five points over his past six contests, giving him 19 goals and 58 points through 68 outings overall. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran finish the season on a high note. That should also be true of Brady Tkachuk, who has provided four goals and five points over his past four contests.

The goaltending clearly needs work, but with players like Giroux and Tkachuk leading the forward corps, at least that aspect of the Senators is strong.

Philadelphia Flyers – TUE @ NYR, THU @ MTL, SAT VS CHI

The Flyers are set to play on the road against the Rangers on Tuesday and the Canadiens on Thursday before hosting the Blackhawks on Saturday. While the Rangers are a tough adversary, Philadelphia has a golden chance to collect four points against Montreal and Chicago as it looks to secure its playoff spot.

The biggest story in Philadelphia is coach John Tortorella scratching Sean Couturier for the Flyers’ 4-3 win over Toronto on Tuesday and 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina on Thursday. This comes after a stretch in which Couturier registered just three assists and had a minus-13 rating over 14 games from Feb. 15-March 19. He also has only six points (one goal) in his last 23 contests, undoing his solid start to the campaign -- 30 points (10 markers) through his first 41 appearances.

Maybe this time off will allow him to reset and come back stronger. He’ll certainly be a player to watch closely next week because when Couturier’s at his best, he’s a strong top-line option.

In the meantime, Owen Tippett has been leading the Flyers’ attack. He has three goals and eight points over his past five games, bringing him up to 25 goals and 46 points through 66 outings this year. The 25-year-old is just two goals and three points shy of his career highs.

Morgan Frost is also on a five-game scoring streak, totaling three goals and seven points in that span. He hasn’t had an amazing campaign overall (12 goals and 38 points in 59 games), but the 24-year-old has been centering the top line and serving on the first power-play unit during Couturier’s absence. Given how well he’s done in that role, Frost might continue to feature prominently even after Couturier slides back into the lineup.

Pittsburgh Penguins – TUE VS CAR, THU VS CBJ, SAT @ CBJ

The Penguins have faded out of the playoff picture at this point and things aren’t going to get any easier when they host the Hurricanes on Tuesday. The silver lining is Pittsburgh does have a home-and-away series against the lowly Blue Jackets, which will take place Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Michael Bunting, who Pittsburgh acquired from Carolina in the Jake Guentzel trade, seems to be settling in with his new team. He’s on a three-game scoring streak and has recorded a point in four of his last five contests, totaling two goals and two assists in that span. He’s seeing time on the top power-play unit and alongside Evgeni Malkin at even strength, so Bunting seems set to have a solid finish to the campaign.

Bryan Rust is looking to finish on a high note too. He’s been limited to 48 games this season due to injury, but he has been effective when healthy with 21 goals and 41 points. The 31-year-old has done particularly well recently, providing three goals and five points across his last four contests.

Lastly, while it doesn’t have fantasy relevance, you might want to pay attention to Jeff Carter. The 39-year-old is dealing with an upper-body issue, but when he returns, he’ll likely be playing out the last games of his career. While it’s possible he’ll pursue a new contract once his present one expires this summer, he likely won’t find any takers. He’s been held to nine goals and 12 points in 61 outings this campaign. Still, Carter has had a storied career, scoring 440 goals in 1,310 career games and playing a significant role in Los Angeles’ Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014.

Seattle Kraken – TUE VS ANA, THU VS ANA, SAT VS DAL

Seattle will start the week with a pair of favorable home matchups against the lowly Ducks on Tuesday and Thursday. After that two-game series, the Kraken will host the Stars on Saturday.

Vince Dunn hasn’t played since March 4 due to an upper-body injury, and he doesn’t appear to be close to returning. He’s been a key offensive defenseman for the Kraken this campaign, providing 11 goals and 45 points in 57 games. Due to Dunn’s absence, Brian Dumoulin has seen an uptick in even-strength minutes, while Ryker Evans was summoned from AHL Coachella Valley and has received a power-play role.

Evans has done decently during Dunn’s absence, recording three assists -- all with the man advantage -- in the last seven games. He’s also played with a physical edge, accumulating eight PIM and 16 hits in the same span. Once Dunn returns, Evans might lose his spot in the lineup, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to make those kinds of contributions until Dunn’s back.

Seattle’s forward corps hasn’t done great this campaign and Seattle’s attack has been particularly lackluster recently, totaling just five goals in four games from March 14-21. Still, Oliver Bjorkstrand has been a rare bright spot with a goal and three points during that stretch. He also has five goals and eight points over his last 11 contests to put his cold spell from Jan. 30-Feb. 24 (one assist in eight outings) well behind him.

As poor as the Kraken’s offense has been, Anaheim has done even worse, ranking 30th offensively with just 2.49 goals per game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see goaltenders Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord split the two-game set against the Ducks, and both netminders would be a good play versus Anaheim.

Vegas Golden Knights – MON @ STL, TUE @ NAS, (BTB), THU @ WPG, SAT @ MIN

The Golden Knights are one of the few teams set to play four games next week, though they’ll be on the road for that stretch. They’ll play in St. Louis on Monday, Nashville on Tuesday, Winnipeg on Thursday and Minnesota on Saturday. It’s not the easiest schedule, but the Golden Knights’ hold on the second wild-card spot is loose, so they’ll need to find a way to win a good chunk of those contests.

Their pursuit of a playoff berth has been complicated by Adin Hill, who has struggled mightily with a 3.90 GAA and an .872 save percentage over his last seven games. By contrast, Logan Thompson has saved 41 of 43 shots (.953 save percentage) over his last two contests, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vegas pivot to Thompson, at least in the short term. Earlier in the campaign, the Golden Knights might have been more open to riding out Hill’s cold spell in the hopes that he’d rebound, but they don’t really have that luxury at this stage.

In terms of offense, it’s been defenseman Shea Theodore who has led the charge. The 28-year-old has collected 15 assists in 14 outings since returning from an upper-body injury. That’s propelled him to four goals and 33 points across 34 outings in 2023-24. Theodore has missed significant portions of the last two campaigns due to injury, but he would likely breach the 50-point milestone for the second time in his career if he manages to stay healthy next season.

Meanwhile, blueliner Noah Hanifin seems to be settling in fine with Vegas. He has four assists, a plus-3 rating, 10 blocks and 10 hits in seven contests since being acquired from the Flames. Hanifin’s also averaging 22:09 of ice time with Vegas, though he’s only on the second power-play unit, which limits his offensive potential a bit.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (February 19th to 25th) – Guentzels injury complicates a tough situation for Penguins – Favourable schedules and players to target

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 14:27:49 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) takes a face-off wearing his CCM helmet, gloves, and stick and left wing Jake Guentzel (59) on his wing during the Pittsburgh Penguins versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on October 13, 2023 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

Pittsburgh earned a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Thursday with Sidney Crosby scoring two goals, including his 30th of the campaign -- marking the 12th time he’s reached that milestone. However, with a 24-20-7 record, the Penguins are still five points behind the Detroit Red Wings and the second wild-card spot and would need to climb over the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils on their way to gaining that position.

That’s not an insurmountable obstacle, but it’s one that got much harder when Jake Guentzel suffered an upper-body injury Wednesday that’s projected to cost him four weeks. The Penguins have already taken the step of moving him to the long-term injured reserve list.

That complicates an already tough situation. As I’ve talked about before, Pittsburgh went into this season trying to manufacture at least one more run out of the era of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang before time finally catches up to them. That would make them very reluctant sellers at the deadline as it would essentially be an admission that the era is over and the Penguins now need to rebuild.

As it happens, that brings us back to Guentzel. He’s playing out the final season of his six-year, $30 million contract and is in line for a big raise. It’s not clear if the Penguins will re-sign him, but if they feel they can’t or are otherwise willing to commit to rebuilding, then he could potentially command a huge return on the trade market. Obviously, his injury complicates that -- he might not even be healthy by the March 8 deadline -- but those interested in his services will naturally have an eye toward the playoffs and based on Guentzel’s timetable, he should be fine well before the postseason starts.

Pittsburgh still has 10 games before the deadline, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas waits until those contests are in the books before deciding what direction he wants to go. That makes those upcoming games of vital importance to the future of the franchise and, perhaps, whether Crosby spends his final campaigns in the NHL as part of a contender or as a mentor for a rebuilding squad.

Anaheim Ducks - MON @ BUF, WED VS CBJ, SAT @ LAK, SUN VS NSH (BTB)

The Ducks will begin the week with a game in Buffalo on Monday and then host the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. After a breather, the Ducks will visit LA on Saturday before playing at home against the Predators on Sunday. Anaheim isn’t a strong team, but the Blue Jackets are one of the few with a comparable record. The Sabres are also far outside of the playoff hunt, so that should be another competitive matchup for the Ducks.

Anaheim has an especially good chance of winning those contests if Frank Vatrano stays hot. The 29-year-old forward has two goals and seven points over his past five appearances. He’s having a strong campaign overall too with 23 goals and 41 points in 53 outings, which matches his career high in points, which was set in 2022-23. It helps that Vatrano is playing on the top power-play unit, which has accounted for 15 of his points, and he’s likely to remain in that role for the remainder of the campaign.

Trevor Zegras should join him on the first power-play unit once he’s recovered from a broken ankle, which he sustained Jan. 9. Based on his original six-to-eight week timetable, we’re getting to the point where you’ll want to keep an eye on the situation. Zegras has just four goals and seven points in 20 contests in what’s been an injury-riddled season, but he’s capable of far more. If nothing else, remember him for your 2024 fantasy drafts, because the 22-year-old should be an excellent rebound candidate.

Mason McTavish hasn’t had the same kind of rough campaign that Zegras has endured, but McTavish should also see improvement in 2024-25. You don’t have to wait, though. In fact, this might be a good week for the 21-year-old, especially after he scored three goals and six points over his last eight outings.

Columbus Blue Jackets - TUE @ LAK, WED @ ANA (BTB), FRI VS BUF, SUN VS NYR

Columbus will start on the road with games in Los Angeles and Anaheim on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Blue Jackets will then return home to face the Sabres on Friday and the Rangers on Sunday.

Although Ivan Provorov was able to complete Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to Ottawa, he might have suffered an injury while blocking a shot and underwent X-rays as a result. At the time of writing, the results aren’t known, so it’s unclear if he’ll be available next week. Provorov has four goals, 23 points, 44 hits and 99 blocks in 52 contests while averaging 22:36 of ice time, so he’d leave a considerable hole in the lineup if he’s unavailable.

If Provorov is forced to miss time then we might see Jake Bean take on a bigger role at even strength and start regularly featuring on the second power-play unit. Bean has four goals and nine points in 49 contests, so he hasn’t been particularly productive this season, but he’s been averaging just 16:17 of ice time and has gotten almost no work with the man advantage. The 25-year-old recorded 25 points in 2021-22 while averaging 20:34, so Bean can chip in offensively when given the opportunity.

We might also see Andrew Peeke play regularly should Provorov miss time. Like Bean, Peeke can do a bit with the puck when the opportunity presents itself. The 25-year-old blueliner has six assists, 39 hits and 40 blocks in 20 contests while averaging 15:40 in 2023-24.

When it comes to hot players, Boone Jenner is an interesting pickup option after scoring three goals in his past two games. He has 16 markers and 21 points through 37 contests in 2023-24, so he’s not a great long-term option but can provide some help when he’s on a roll.

Detroit Red Wings - MON @ SEA, THU VS COL, SAT VS STL, SUN @ CHI (BTB)

The Red Wings will start next week in Seattle for a contest Monday, but they’ll get to return to Detroit afterward to host the Avalanche on Thursday and the Blues on Saturday before closing out the week with a game in Chicago on Sunday.

With four games on the schedule, including a back-to-back set during the weekend, it’s safe to assume that the Red Wings will need more than Alex Lyon in goal. With Ville Husso once again shelved due to a lower-body injury, though, James Reimer is instead projected to get at least one start next week.

If you’re still holding onto Husso, you might want to drop him. It’s unfortunate because he only recently recovered from a different lower-body injury, but the reality of the situation is he’s week-to-week and even if he does return before the end of the campaign, he’s unlikely to receive much work. Although Husso entered the season as the projected No. 1 goaltender, the 29-year-old has lost that role to Lyon due to Husso’s 3.55 GAA and .892 save percentage in 19 appearances. With Husso’s three-year, $14.25 million contract set to run through 2024-25, he’ll need to rebound next year if he wants the league to still see him as a legitimate starter candidate.

Patrick Kane is healthy, though, having returned last Saturday from a lower-body injury. He hit the ground running with a goal and four points in three contests since rejoining the lineup. Kane’s contributed eight goals and 20 points in 22 games this season, demonstrating that the 35-year-old is still a high-end scoring threat.

Christian Fischer certainly won’t match Kane in terms of offensive production, but the 26-year-old forward is on a three-game scoring streak in which he’s collected three assists. That might be enough to warrant consideration for a short-term pickup, but Fischer’s fantasy value is typically minimal, so don’t hold onto him if he cools down.

Edmonton Oilers- MON @ ARI, WED VS BOS, FRI VS MIN, SAT VS CGY (BTB)

The Oilers will play in Arizona on Monday to conclude a three-game road trip. Afterward, Edmonton will host the Bruins on Wednesday, the Wild on Friday and the Flames on Saturday. Boston is a difficult team, but the Oilers’ other three adversaries next week have been middling.

Whether you’re lucky enough to have Connor McDavid on your fantasy squad or not, you might want to watch him next week for the fun of it. He’s doing amazing even by his incredibly high standards, scoring four goals and 20 points in his past seven games. That’s barrelled him to the 80-point milestone (21 goals, 59 assists) by his 48th contest. Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon are the only players ahead of him in the scoring race, and it wouldn’t be shocking if all three of them finish with at least 120 points each. To put that into context, there have been seven occasions of a player reaching the 120-point milestone since the start of the salary cap era, so for three to achieve that feat all in the same campaign would be remarkable.

One of McDavid’s three assists Thursday came on a Corey Perry goal. It was Perry’s first goal and second point in six contests with Edmonton. Since signing a one-year, $775,000 contract with Edmonton on Jan. 22, Perry has seen time on the ice with McDavid and he’s also been utilized alongside Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane. While those are choice assignments, Perry’s power-play work has been somewhat limited and he’s finished with more than 15 minutes in just two of his six games -- and even then, just barely. The 38-year-old should be seen as an okay secondary scorer, but not someone who is going to be a big enough threat with the Oilers to be worth having on a standard fantasy league team.

By contrast, Stuart Skinner was a great fantasy option for months, posting a 22-5-0 record, 2.02 GAA and .926 save percentage in 27 games from Nov. 11-Feb. 6. He’s hit a rough patch, though, allowing at least three goals in each of his past three contests. Skinner’s struggles haven’t gone on long enough to warrant panic, but meanwhile, Jack Campbell has been finding himself with AHL Bakersfield. He got off to a rough start after being sent to the minors but allowed just 20 goals over nine starts from Dec. 30-Feb. 14. Perhaps it’s time for Campbell to get another shot with the Oilers.

New York Rangers - TUE VS DAL, THU @ NJD, SAT @ PHI, SUN @ CBJ (BTB)

The Rangers will host Dallas on Tuesday, but after that they’ll take to the road, playing in New Jersey on Thursday, Philadelphia on Saturday and Columbus on Sunday. That opponent list is a mixed bag with Dallas doing well, the Flyers and Devils being decent, but not amazing, and the Blue Jackets ranking near the bottom of the NHL.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have built a firm lead in the Metropolitan Division race and their offense has been a key factor. Chris Kreider can take some credit for that. After scoring a hat trick Thursday, he’s up to 27 goals and 51 points through 54 contests this season, including seven tallies and 12 points over his past 10 games. Kreider’s goals tend to come in bunches, so be sure to take advantage of him while he’s hot if given the opportunity.

Will Cuylle hasn’t been making the same kind of headlines as Kreider. The 22-year-old is serving in a bottom-six capacity and has offered the kind of gritty play that role typically dictates, recording 38 PIM and a team-leading 173 hits in 54 appearances this season. However, Cuylle was an offensive force at lower levels, providing 80 points (43 goals, 37 assists) in 59 outings with OHL Windsor in 2021-22 as well as 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in 69 games with AHL Hartford last season. He’s up to 10 goals and 18 points in 54 contests with the Rangers in 2023-24 despite his limited playing time and is on a three-game scoring streak. Consider picking up Cuylle for the duration of his hot stretch, especially if your league uses hits as a category.

You also might want to consider giving Kaapo Kakko a chance. When healthy, he struggled mightily on offense during the first half of the campaign, scoring three goals and four points across 26 contests. However, he’s shown life recently, contributing three goals and five points over his last seven outings.

Tampa Bay Lightning - MON VS OTT, THU VS WAS, SAT @ NYI, SUN @ NJD (BTB)

The Lightning are set to play at home against the Senators on Monday and the Capitals on Thursday. They’ll follow that up with a road set over the weekend versus the Islanders and the Devils on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. None of Tampa Bay’s upcoming opponents are in a playoff position, though the Islanders and Devils still have a solid shot of reaching the postseason.

The Lightning is in a strong spot in the playoff race with a 30-20-5 record thanks to their run of 11 wins over their past 14 contests. The Lightning’s resurgence is thanks in no small part to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has rebounded from a rough start to post a 10-2-0 record, 2.41 GAA and .915 save percentage in his last 12 starts.

Meanwhile, Jonas Johansson has been used sparingly, but he’ll probably get a start Saturday or Sunday. If it’s against the Islanders, who are tied for 22nd offensively with 2.91 goals per game, then he might be worth considering as a short-term pickup for a spot start. Johansson has a 3.46 GAA and an .889 save percentage in 23 outings, so he’s not having a great year, but with Tampa Bay rolling, he’s at least a decent candidate to collect a win.

In contrast to Johansson’s struggles, Anthony Cirelli had one of the best campaigns of his career with 12 goals and 30 points through 54 appearances. A lot of that production has come recently -- Cirelli has three four and 13 points over his last 11 outings. He’s unlikely to maintain that pace, but fantasy managers should take advantage of the 26-year-old forward while he’s hot.

Vegas Golden Knights - MON @ SJS, TUE VS NSH, THU VS TOR, SAT @ OTT

The Golden Knights will start the week with a road game against the lowly Sharks before hosting the Predators and the Maple Leafs on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, and finishing with a visit to Ottawa on Saturday. Toronto is the only team on that list in a playoff position, though the Predators are also in the running.

Jack Eichel, who underwent lower-body surgery in mid-January, was originally given a four-to-six-week timetable, so we’re at the point where he might be getting close to returning. When Eichel is back, he’ll likely serve on the first line and top power-play unit. His return might cut into Nicolas Roy’s playing time, especially with William Karlsson having also recently rejoined the lineup from a lower-body injury. If that happens, Roy, who has 10 goals and 29 points in 44 outings, would likely see his production dip.

Shea Theodore (upper body) is also getting close to returning and when he does, Daniil Miromanov will likely see his power-play role vanish. However, the 26-year-old defenseman is an interesting pickup to hold onto until Theodore’s back. Miromanov missed most of the campaign because of an undisclosed injury, but after recovering he recorded a goal and six points in five outings during a conditioning stint with AHL Henderson, and he made his NHL season debut Feb. 8. Although he didn’t record a point in his first two contests with Vegas, he did average 2:38 with the man advantage (17:56 overall), so he’s getting a solid opportunity.

If Logan Thompson is available to be picked up, he’s also worthy of consideration given the likelihood that he’ll start versus San Jose on Monday or Nashville on Tuesday. Obviously, facing the Sharks is preferable for the goaltender, but Nashville ranks 19th offensively with 2.96 goals per game, so either opponent might yield a good result. Thompson has been alright this season with a 16-10-4 record, 2.77 GAA and .906 save percentage in 31 games, but he’s fallen into the No. 2 slot with Adin Hill recovered from his undisclosed injury.

Winnipeg Jets - MON @ CGY, TUE VS MIN, FRI @ CHI, SUN VS ARI

The Jets will face the Flames in Calgary on Monday, and then return to Winnipeg to play against Minnesota on Tuesday. After that back-to-back, Winnipeg will play in Chicago on Friday and host the Coyotes on Sunday.

Winnipeg’s offense has gone ice cold in February, scoring just four goals over its last four contests. That’s despite acquiring Sean Monahan from Montreal on Feb. 2 at the cost of the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick. Monahan hasn’t recorded a point with the Jets, but he’s fired nine shots while averaging 16:16 of ice time, including 2:13 with the man advantage, over his first four games with Winnipeg, so it should just be a matter of time before he breaks through.

Monahan’s addition has been bad news for Adam Lowry, though. Lowry has averaged just 14:55 since the Jets’ trade and has received almost no power-play ice time. He has eight goals and 23 points in 51 outings in 2023-24, so Lowry already wasn’t a significant factor in fantasy circles, and his offensive production is likely to slow further.

One player who conversely might start doing better is Cole Perfetti. The 22-year-old has been limited to an assist over his last 11 games, but it’s not unusual for younger forwards to be prone to big hot and cold streaks. In terms of strong stretches, he had eight goals and 17 points across 18 contests from Oct. 24-Dec. 2 as well as five markers and 10 points in 11 games from Dec. 18-Jan. 9, so be on the lookout for his next big run.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 Fantasy Points – Fresh start for Drysdale – Big opportunity for Harley – Bedard’s injury – Geekie’s emergence – Kadri bouncing back + much, much more

Scott Cullen — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:10:05 +0000

Thomas Harley (55) of the Dallas Stars. (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, a fresh start for Jamie Drysdale, a big opportunity for Thomas Harley, Connor Bedard’s injury, Morgan Geekie’s emergence, Nazem Kadri bouncing back from a slow start, and much, much more!

#1 Moving to the Philadelphia Flyers could be just what defenceman Jamie Drysdale needs to get his career on track. The 21-year-old blueliner was the sixth pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2020 Draft band scored 32 points (4 G, 28 A) during the 2021-2022 season, but has battled injuries since, so the smooth-skating puck-moving defender has not been able to consistently show what he can do. Drysdale had five points (1 G, 4 A) while playing more than 21 minutes per game in 10 games with the Ducks prior to getting traded to Philadelphia for centre Cutter Gauthier, but there were few teams that more desperately needed a player with Drysdale’s particular set of skills. Drysdale started on Philadelphia’s second power play unit, but it would be shocking if he is not given a shot on the top power play and that gives Drysdale the scoring upside that will make him appealing to fantasy managers.

#2 Cutter Gauthier was the fifth pick in the 2022 Draft and has lived up to expectations with his performance since. He tallied 37 points (16 G, 21 A) in 32 games as a freshman at Boston College last season, putting up 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in seven games at the World Juniors, and adding nine points (7 G, 2 A) in 10 games at the World Championships. All of that would suggest that he might have been ready to embark on his pro career, but he did not sign with the Flyers and returned to Boston College, where he has produced 23 points (13 G, 10 A) in 17 games and he was part of the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the World Juniors, contributing a dozen points (2 G, 10 A) in seven games. He will presumably join the Anaheim Ducks following his college season and should be a cornerstone piece for the rebuilding Ducks for years to come.

#3 With Miro Heiskanen vaguely considered week-to-week with an injury after crashing into the net, opportunity is knocking for 22-year-old Stars defenceman Thomas Harley, who has 19 points (9 G, 10 A) in 37 games, but is capable of more. In four games since Heiskanen was injured, Harley has a couple of assists, but has also played more than 23 minutes per game, a significant jump from the 18:44 per game that Harley had played previously.

#4 Chicago’s star rookie, Connor Bedard, is out 6-8 week after suffering a broken jaw from a hit by Devils defenceman Brendan Smith. Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 33 points (15 G, 18 A) in 39 games but only two Chicago skaters have more than 20 points – Philipp Kurashev, who has 23 points (8 G, 15 A) in 35 games, and Jason Dickinson, who has 21 points (14 G, 7 A) in 42 games. Kurashev and Dickinson are manning the top two centre spots for the Blackhawks, with Rem Pitlick and Taylor Raddysh on Kurashev’s wings and Colin Blackwell and Joey Anderson on Dickinson’s wings. This is all to say that Blackhawks players are only offering fantasy value in the deepest of leagues.

#5 It seems I get to talk about Boston’s centres a lot this season, and that was not what I expected in the aftermath of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retiring in the offseason. Signed as a free agent after he did not receive a qualifying offer from Seattle, Morgan Geekie has stepped into a bigger role with Boston and is thriving. Since December 9, he has played nearly 17 minutes per game, putting up 14 points (6 G, 8 A) in 16 games. Geekie had a career high 28 points (9 G, 19 A) for the Kraken last season but he is poised to soar past that total.

#6 After a slow start to the season, veteran centre Nazem Kadri is hitting his stride for the Calgary Flames. Kadri had produced 18 points (8 G, 10 A) and 65 shots on goal in his past 18 games. That shot rate is a very encouraging sign for Kadri to sustain his scoring rate and he continues to thrive with rookies Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil on his wings.

#7 The Winnipeg Jets have been a pleasant surprise this season and part of the reason for their success is quality depth. Second-year forward Cole Perfetti has been a reliable source of offense, putting up 10 points (5 G, 5 A) with 30 shots on goal in his past 12 games. He’s recently been skating at left wing on a line with Vladislav Namestnikov and Alex Iafallo. Namestnikov isn’t shooting as much as Perfetti, but has still managed to chip in 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in his past 13 games.

#8 Taken with the ninth pick in the 2021 Draft, right winger Dylan Guenther had 15 points (6 G, 9 A) in 33 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season before returning to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League to finish the season. He started this season in the American Hockey League and the 20-year-old winger earned his promotion to the big club by putting up 28 points (10 G, 18 A) in 29 games. In three games since getting called up, Guenther has three points (2 G, 1 A) with 10 shots on goal and he is getting first unit power play time, which elevates his appeal for fantasy managers.

#9 A 34-year-old who had provided below average goaltending for five consecutive seasons and started this season in the American Hockey League, Martin Jones was not the most likely candidate to answer a playoff team’s goaltending questions. Nevertheless, that is what has happened in Toronto, where Jones has stepped up with Joseph Woll injured and Ilya Samsonov going through a crisis of confidence. In his past seven starts, Jones has a 5-2 record, with a .953 save percentage. That can’t last, but if Jones is merely adequate until Woll is ready to return, which is expected to be sometime in February, then Jones will have done the job.

#10 Veteran Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin is playing at a high level again. He has battled injuries and it has affected his production in recent seasons, but the 31-year-old is on a four-game goal-scoring streak and has nine points (6 G, 3 A) with 21 shots on goal in his past six games. His line, with Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene, has been excellent, outscoring opponents by a 28-14 count during five-on-five play.

#11 It was looking bleak early in the season for Colorado Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin, who had zero goals and one assist in his first 10 games with his new team, but his performance has improved over the past month. In his past 14 games, Drouin has 14 points (6 G, 8 A) and it has earned him the trust of Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, as Drouin has played more than 21 minutes in six straight games.

#12 There are signs of life from the Calgary Flames’ highest paid player, left winger Jonathan Huberdeau. The 30-year-old winger had just 15 points (4 G, 11 A) through 35 games but is starting to emerge from that long slump, producing eight points (2 G, 6 A) in his past seven games. Huberdeau has returned to Calgary’s top line with Elias Lindholm and Yegor Sharangovich, and Sharangovich’s hat trick at Arizona on Thursday lifted him to 19 points (12 G, 7 A) and 49 shots on goal in his past 17 games.

#13 Claimed on waivers from Nashville last season, Seattle Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen continues to make Seattle look smart. During a four-game point streak, Tolvanen has six points (1 G, 5 A) and he is fitting in nicely alongside Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, with the trio outscoring opponents 14-11 while getting 56.2% of expected goals during five-on-five play.

#14 Sticking with players who moved on the NHL waiver wire, Florida Panthers defenceman Gustav Forsling has contributed eight points (2 G, 6 A) in his past nine games. He is a plus-27 and has recorded 89 shots on goal. Forsling’s 6.26 shot on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play ranks 11th out of 133 defencemen that have played at least 500 five-on-five minutes.

#15 Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry has not been producing to his customary level this season, but he does appear to be turning the corner. The 26-year-old winger has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past nine games. Terry is skating on a line with veterans Ryan Strome and Adam Henrique, a trio with enough skill to maintain his point production.

#16 Rumours started swirling this week, following the Drysdale trade, that Anaheim might consider trading centre Trevor Zegras, too. Those plans were put on hold, it seems, when Zegras suffered a broken ankle at Nashville. It would not be a high point in Zegras’ value to move him, even if he was healthy, as he has managed just seven points (3 G, 4 A) in 20 games. For a player who had a career-high 65 points last season and 61 the season before that, it is fair to wonder where Zegras fits with the Ducks long term because Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson both appear to be long-term fixtures in the middle of the ice and Anaheim just added Cutter Gauthier, who can also play centre.

#17 Buffalo Sabres left winger Jeff Skinner is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, which has opened the door for Casey Mittelstadt to join Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch on the Sabres’ top line. Mittelstadt has produced 13 points (5 G, 8 A) in his past 12 games, so he has already been scoring, but playing with Buffalo’s most dangerous offensive forwards should only elevate his ceiling. One challenge for Mittelstadt is to generate more shots on goal. Even on his current productive run, he has just 19 shots on goal in 12 games, which is not sufficient.

#18 As the New Jersey Devils try to stay afloat with star centre Jack Hughes out of the lineup for weeks with an upper-body injury, they need other players to step up. Erik Haula, for one, is doing his part. In his past four games, Haula has five points (1 G, 4 A) while averaging 20:12 of ice time per game. While Haula often plays centre, he has moved up to left wing with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer, which is the Devils’ top line with Hughes and Timo Meier sidelined.

#19 Not only is goaltending an unpredictable position, as I’ve lamented throughout the season, but injuries have been a growing problem. The list of goaltenders battling injuries includes John Gibson, Linus Ullmark, Pyotr Kochetkov, Jake Oettinger (who may be nearing his return), Ville Husso, Filip Gustavsson, Semyon Varlamov, Philipp Grubauer, Joseph Woll, and Adin Hill. With so many goaltenders hurt, Martin Jones, Joey Daccord, and Alex Lyon are quality alternatives under the circumstances. Also, keep an eye on Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota’s top goaltending prospect who gave up seven goals in his NHL debut against Dallas, but has a .911 save percentage in 58 AHL games across the past two seasons. The 21-year-old is surely the goaltender of the future, but if Gustavsson is out for a while, that could give Wallstedt a longer look in the present.

#20 Following what has been, for him, a relatively slow start to the season, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk is heating up. He has 16 points (7 G, 9 A) during a seven-game point streak and has recorded nine shots on goal in each of his last two games. Tkachuk ranks third (among players to play at least 50 all-situatiosn minutes) with 2.55 individual expected goals per 60 minutes since January 1, behind crease crashers Chris Kreider and Zach Hyman. Following Tkachuk are William Nylander, Yanni Gourde, Gabriel Vilardi, Elias Pettersson, Valeri Nichushkin, Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, and Warren Foegele. There are many stars on that list who will not be readily available for fantasy managers, but Gourde and Foegele are interesting. Just outside that group, Columbus’ Cole Sillinger is tied with Auston Matthews, so that’s another name to consider in deep leagues. Sillinger has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 25 shots on goal in his past 10 games.

DADOUN: THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD (December 25th to 31st) – Senators make a coaching change – Ducks, Sabres, Avalanche, Stars, Oilers, Devils, Islander and Leafs look good in short week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 17:24:26 +0000

Ottawa Senators Defenceman Jake Sanderson (85). (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

We’ve seen examples of coaching changes this year led to immediate improvement in Edmonton, Minnesota and St. Louis, but firing your bench boss isn’t a magic bullet that guarantees a turnaround, as the Ottawa Senators are learning.

Since replacing coach D.J. Smith with Jacques Martin, the Senators have lost two contests to Arizona and Colorado, dropping their season record to 11-17-0. There’s still time to dig out of that hole, but it seems unlikely. To put it into context, if we assume it’ll take 92 points to make the playoffs this year, which was the case in 2022-23 and is a reasonable expectation in general, then Ottawa would need to go 35-19-0 the rest of the way to make the playoffs, which amounts to a .648 winning percentage. Not impossible, but highly improbable given what we’ve seen of this team.

The defense just isn’t there. Ottawa ranks 28th in xGA/60 at 3.51, and goaltenders Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg haven’t been nearly good enough to make up for the sloppy play in front of them. The Senators do have a solid forward core, but it’s not enough to make up for that defense either.

The silver lining is Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson are all still young and locked to multi-year contracts. Jakob Chychrun is fairly young too at 25 and signed through 2024-25. All isn’t lost if the Senators miss the playoffs this year, though after falling short of a postseason berth in every campaign since 2017, I’m sure there is some eagerness in Ottawa to move past the rebuilding phase.

Anaheim Ducks – WED VS VGK, FRI VS ARI, SUN VS EDM

There are no games scheduled on Monday or Tuesday due to the Christmas break, and consequently, no team plays more than three games this week. Anaheim is among those that have a full three-game set, hosting the Golden Knights on Wednesday, the Coyotes on Friday and the Oilers on Sunday. Vegas will be a tough match, but the Coyotes are middling while Edmonton’s been inconsistent, especially when it comes to the Oilers’ goaltending.

I highlighted Anaheim last week too and mentioned at that time that Trevor Zegras (lower body) was getting close to returning. He didn’t end up returning in the time between columns, but Zegras did participate in Thursday’s optional skate, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him make his return next week. When he does return, he could go on a tear. Zegras has just two points in 12 contests this season, but he was playing hurt before being shut down due to the injury, so when he comes back, he’ll hopefully be 100 percent.

In the meantime, Adam Henrique has been red hot, scoring six goals and seven points over his last six contests. He’s averaging 16:34 of ice time, including 2:24 with the man advantage, and might be leaned on even more next week, depending on the status of Leo Carlsson, who sustained a lower-body injury during Thursday’s game.

Rookie Pavel Mintyukov has also done well recently, scoring a goal and four points over his last five outings, bringing him up to two goals and 17 points in 32 contests this season. Taken with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Mintyukov is a fantastic prospect who could realistically maintain his rookie point-per-game pace, to finish the campaign in the 40-45 point range.

Buffalo Sabres – WED VS BOS, SAT VS CBJ, SUN @ OTT (BTB)

The Sabres will start the week at home with contests against Boston on Wednesday and Columbus on Saturday before heading to Ottawa for a game Sunday. The Bruins are one of the league’s best teams, but the Blue Jackets and Senators sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference

This might be a good week to pick up Kyle Okposo. At the age of 35, he’s not quite as effective as he used to be, but Okposo still has something left, providing eight goals and 14 points in 34 outings. He’s been great recently too, netting three markers over his last two contests.

Rookie Zach Benson is hot too with two goals and six points over his last five outings. He’s averaging a healthy 15:25 of ice time this year, and that’s gone up even further to 17:43 over his past five games, so rather than just being a nice short-term pickup, the 19-year-old might be someone you want to hold indefinitely.

Colorado Avalanche – WED @ ARI, FRI @STL, SUN @ DAL

The Avalanche will begin the week with road games in Arizona on Wednesday and St. Louis on Friday before hosting the Sharks on Sunday. None of those adversaries are particularly impressive with Arizona holding the best record among them at 17-13-2.

When a team is 20-11-2 like the Avalanche are, the issues it’s facing can become background noise, but make no mistake, there are points of concern for Colorado, chief among them is how much this team relies on its star players.

Nathan MacKinnon is having an unreal campaign with 18 goals and 53 points in 33 contests. He’s on a 17-game scoring streak and had another superb contest Thursday, scoring four goals and five points to earn a 6-4 victory over Ottawa. Mikko Rantanen (17 goals, 42 points), Cale Makar (eight goals, 39 points) and Valeri Nichushkin (15 goals, 32 points) have done their part to back up MacKinnon this campaign, but outside of those four, the rest of the team isn’t particularly impressive.

No other player has even 20 points while starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has left plenty to be desired with his 3.01 GAA and .898 save percentage through 26 starts. You could argue at this point that even Edmonton is less reliant on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl than Colorado has become on MacKinnon and Rantanen. It’s really become that severe of a house of cards for the Avalanche.

Perhaps that’s changing a little, though. Jonathan Drouin was one of the players the Avalanche added over the summer to try to bolster the team’s offensive depth. He had a rough start to the campaign, scoring three goals and eight points through 26 contests but has rebounded recently with a goal and six points over his last five appearances. Drouin is currently serving on the top power-play unit, which has been the source of four of those six points. If he’s available in your league, he’s worth taking a chance on right now.

Dallas Stars – WED @ STL, FRI VS CHI, SUN VS CHI

Dallas will play in St. Louis on Wednesday before hosting the Blackhawks twice, on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Given Chicago’s 10-20-1 record, including a 4-12-0 record on the road, this should be a good week for the Stars.

The Stars have a roughly equivalent offense to Colorado (3.52 goals per game compared to the Avalanche’s 3.64), but while the Avalanche achieve that success through a couple of superstars, Dallas’ top-end talent hasn’t been nearly as productive, but it compensates through its depth. Dallas has nine players with at least 20 points in contrast to Colorado’s four.

Thomas Harley isn’t among those who have hit 20 points, but he’s made great strides towards that milestone recently, contributing three goals and five points over his last four outings. Especially with Dallas’ relatively easy schedule next week, Harley has a good shot of extending that hot streak.

His success pales in comparison to Matt Duchene’s though, who has five goals and nine points in his past five outings. That brings him up to 11 goals and 29 points in 30 contests this season. He might not maintain that pace, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he at least surpasses the 60-point milestone before the end of the season, making him amazing value for his $3 million cap hit.

Edmonton Oilers – THU @ SJS, SAT @ LAK, SUN @ ANA (BTB)

Edmonton will get a week-long break before playing in San Jose on Thursday. After that, they’ll travel to LA for a contest Saturday and then play in Anaheim on Sunday. It’s not a particularly easy schedule, but with less to choose from this week, I felt it was worth highlighting the Oilers.

Connor McDavid continues to be dominant, supplying 10 goals and 33 points over his last 17 contests and his success should continue going forward. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is likely to stay productive too after contributing three goals and 12 points over his last seven outings. Then there’s also Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and defenseman Evan Bouchard, who have the potential to step up on any given night.

The one high-end player who hasn’t been living up to his potential recently is Evander Kane. The 32-year-old has been fine this year with 12 goals and 22 points in 30 contests, but he’s on a five-game scoring drought and has just two points over his last nine outings. Kane tends to be a somewhat streaky player though, so don’t be surprised if he starts playing like a superstar for a little while after breaking out of his present slump.

Keep an eye on Sam Gagner as well. He registered two assists in Thursday’s 6-3 win over New Jersey, bringing him up to a goal and five points over his last six contests. He’s only averaging 10:56 of ice time this year but has seen some time on the second power-play unit and will occasionally share the ice with some combination of Nugent-Hopkins, Kane and McDavid at even strength.

New Jersey Devils – WED @CBJ, FRI @ OTT, SAT @ BOS

The Devils will host the Blue Jackets on Wednesday before playing in Ottawa on Friday and Boston on Saturday. As noted above, the Blue Jackets and Senators have the two worst records in the Eastern Conference, so those are games the Devils need to win to avoid falling behind in the tight Wild Card race.

The Devils have already hurt their cause by dropping their last three games. They’ve scored just six goals in that span, which isn’t nearly good enough for a team that averages 3.61 goals allowed per game.

Vitek Vanecek (3.35 GAA, .883 save percentage) and Akira Schmid (3.25 GAA, .893 save percentage) haven’t been good enough, especially compared to the Devils’ defense in front of them, which has been average thus far with an XGA/60 of 3.2 -- putting New Jersey 18th in the league in that regard.

It’s worth keeping an eye on New Jersey’s goaltending situation, though, because if Schmid or Vanecek rebound, then they’ll be positioned to secure the No. 1 job on a team averaging an impressive 3.42 worth of goal support per game.

Here’s one interesting scenario to keep in the back of your mind: Joseph Woll (ankle) going on the injured reserve list led to the Maple Leafs calling up Martin Jones, who hasn’t been great, but has had his moments, including a 38-save shutout over Pittsburgh last Saturday. When Woll returns, Jones will likely be put on waivers to send to the AHL. If neither of the Devils’ goaltenders has rebounded by that point, is it possible that they’d put in a waiver claim for Jones? There might be other opportunities for New Jersey to claim a goaltender too -- Montreal is carrying three healthy netminders, for example -- and whatever netminder the Devils potentially add would be entering a favorable situation.

Goalies aside, you might want to consider Michael McLeod as a short-term pickup. He’s on a three-game scoring streak, collecting two goals and four points in that span.

New York Islanders – WED VS PIT, FRI VS WSH, SUN @ PIT

The Islanders will open the week at home with contests against the Penguins on Wednesday and the Capitals on Friday. The Islanders will then travel to Pittsburgh for a game Sunday. For much of the salary cap era, a week full of matches against Pittsburgh and Washington would have been a nightmare, but with those two teams aging cores, it’s not nearly as bad of a schedule nowadays.

The Islanders typically rotate between Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, but Varlamov has allowed at least three goals in each of his last nine contests, so you have to wonder if Sorokin will start in all three games next week given how spread out the upcoming schedule is. Sorokin has had his struggles too this campaign, but he’s 3-0-1 with a 2.44 GAA and a .929 save percentage over his last four outings, so he has been the better option recently.

Traditionally goaltending has been at the heart of the Islanders’ success, but dating back to Nov. 18, the Islanders rank second offensively, averaging 3.69 goals per game. Brock Nelson has been a huge part of that, especially this month with him supplying five goals and 12 points in 10 contests. Meanwhile, Bo Horvat has eight goals and 17 points over his last 12 contests and Mathew Barzal’s contributed five goals and 17 points over his past 11 appearances.

Anders Lee hasn’t been nearly as impressive, scoring nine goals and 12 points in 32 outings this year, but he might be heating up after finding the back of the net in each of his last two contests.

Toronto Maple Leafs – WED VS OTT, FRI @ CBJ, SAT VS CAR

The Maple Leafs have a home contest against the Senators on Wednesday, then they’ll play in Columbus on Friday and finish the week by hosting the Hurricanes on Saturday.

As noted above, Joseph Woll is out with an ankle injury. He’s not likely to return next week, which leaves the Maple Leafs with Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones. You’d think Samsonov would be leaned on under those circumstances, but the 26-year-old goaltender has a 5-2-5 record, 3.79 GAA and .871 save percentage in 14 contests this campaign. He’s been particularly bad lately, allowing 15 goals on 83 shots (.819 save percentage) over his last three contests. Under those circumstances, Jones might start in two of Toronto’s three games next week, making him an okay pickup if you need starts.

While the Maple Leafs have some goaltending issues, they’ve found success at the other end of the ice. Auston Matthews is leading that charge with an unreal 12 goals over his last eight contests. I floated the possibility of Matthews having a 50-in-50 run back in mid-October. The 26-year-old had a stretch from Nov. 8-30 in which he had just one goal in nine contests, which likely killed his chances of becoming the first player since Brett Hull in 1991-92 to accomplish that tremendous feat, but even still, Matthews isn’t fully out of the running after scoring 26 goals over Toronto’s first 30 games.

Lost a little in the noise is Max Domi being productive in limited time. He has three goals and seven points in nine contests despite averaging just 12:22 of ice time. It’s impressive and makes him worthy of utilizing in the short-term, but the Maple Leafs are likely to be buyers at the deadline, so eventually Domi’s already small role might diminish further.