Victor Olofsson – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: 20 FANTASY POINTS – A big opportunity in Edmonton, Corey Perry keeps getting it done, Pierre-Luc Dubois is out, Troy Terry is surging, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:57:33 +0000

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 21: Jack Roslovic #28 of the Edmonton Oilers prepares for a face-off against the Ottawa Senators on October 21, 2025, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, a big opportunity in Edmonton, Corey Perry keeps getting it done, Pierre-Luc Dubois is out, Troy Terry is surging, and much more!

#1 When the free agency carousel stopped spinning this summer, Jack Roslovic was still looking for a spot and ultimately ended up signing with the Edmonton Oilers. Roslovic tied his career high with 22 goals last season, finishing with 39 points, but there may be more upside awaiting him in Edmonton, where there is room for him to play in a scoring role. After a slow start to the season, Roslovic has hit his stride, with seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 17 shots on goal in the past six games. He is skating on a line with Vasily Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl at even strength and is on the first power play unit, averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game in the past six games.

#2 Part of the reason that the Oilers had an opening on right wing is that they did not bring back Corey Perry, The 40-year-old right winger has enjoyed a brilliant start to his time with the Los Angeles Kings, putting up nine points (6 G, 3 A) and 24 shots on goal in his first nine games. Perry has tended to play fourth line minutes in the latter stages of his career, but he can move up the depth chart, and he is getting first-unit power play time with the Kings right now.

#3 The Anaheim Ducks are starting to make noise, averaging a league-leading 4.15 goals per game, and veteran right winger Troy Terry is one of the Ducks players off to an excellent start. Through 13 games, he has 17 points (5 G, 12 A) and 32 shots on goal. He’s skating on a line with emerging star centre Leo Carlsson and veteran winger Chris Kreider and all three are on the Ducks’ top power play unit.

#4 Washington Capitals centre Pierre-Luc Dubois will be out for an extended period of time after suffering a lower-body injury. Dubois had a career-high 66 points (20 G, 46 A) last season but failed to record a point in six games this season. His absence will thrust Connor McMichael into the second-line centre role for Washington, skating between Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. McMichael is off to a slow start this season, too, but this could be a big opportunity for him to get going.

#5 Second year San Jose Sharks right winger Will Smith is continuing to make progress, riding shotgun with Macklin Celebrini on the Sharks’ top line. In his past eight games, Smith has nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal. That shot rate is a touch low to sustain his production, but Smith’s deployment is plenty of reason to be optimistic, as he skates on San Jose’s first line and has a spot on the Sharks’ top power play unit.

#6 After a relatively slow start in Vancouver, it’s looking like Evander Kane is starting to find his footing with the Canucks. In his past six games, Kane has five points (3 G, 2 A) with 21 shots on goal, including 10 shots on goal in Wednesday’s loss to Chicago. It was his most shots on goal since a game in Vegas on March 28, 2023. Kane is skating on the Canucks’ top line with Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland, who recently returned to the lineup.

#7 The Chicago Blackhawks have rotated through a variety of wingers, trying to find the right fit for Connor Bedard on the top line. It looks like veteran winger Andre Burakovsky is a good fit. He has six points (3 G, 3 A) in his past five games, though with only eight shots on goal, so the goal-scoring may not sustain itself, but if Burakovsky can maintain his position on Bedard’s line, that’s as good an opportunity that he has had in years, probably since 2021-2022 when he tallied a career-high 61 points (22 G, 39 A) for the Colorado Avalanche.

#8 Although he doesn’t get the same kind of ice time that he did earlier in his career, Avalanche winger Victor Olofsson has found a niche as a power-play specialist and he’s making the most of his time in Colorado early in this season. In his past five games, Olofsson has eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 18 shots on goal. Five of his 12 points this season have come via the power play, and he is averaging 3.0 shots on goal per game, which is quite encouraging. In addition to his role on the No. 1 power play unit, Olofsson skates on a line with Jack Drury and Gabriel Landeskog at even strength.

#9 In a constant battle to secure regular playing time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nicholas Robertson has five points (2 G, 3 A) and nine shots on goal in his past four games, and that kind of production has helped him to find a spot alongside John Tavares on the Leafs’ second line. If history is any kind of indicator, Robertson’s place in that spot is precarious, but it is worth noting that he is among the most productive Maple Leafs forwards. Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, Robertson has scored 1.18 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. On the Maple Leafs, that ranks second in that time, behind Auston Matthews (1.42) and ahead of William Nylander (1.17).

#10 After some decline in the past few seasons, Anaheim Ducks defenceman Jacob Trouba is once again a significant contributor for fantasy managers. The key for Trouba is point production because he accumulated hits and blocked shots like few others. After managing just 14 points (1 G, 13 A) in 77 games last season, Trouba also has eight points (3 G, 5 A) with 21 shots on goal in 13 games this season. The Ducks are also outscoring opponents 18-6 at evens with Trouba on the ice. That’s fueled by percentages, as he has 109.5 PDO, but these Ducks are a much more competitive squad than they have been in recent seasons and Trouba is still playing nearly 22 minutes a game, giving him ample opportunity to contribute.

#11 New York Islanders veteran Kyle Palmieri is a classic guy who gets overlooked because he’s been around for a while but he’s steady. In his past eight games, he has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 24 shots on goal. In addition to first unit power play time, he is skating on a line with Jonathan Drouin on the left side and rookie Calum Ritchie down the middle. Ritchie, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Brock Nelson trade, had three points (1 G, 2 A) in three AHL games to start the season but has zero points and one shot on goal in three games for the Islanders.

#12 In 2023-2024, Philipp Kurashev busted out with 54 points (19 G, 35 A) for the Chicago Blackhawks, a career high while playing more than 19 minutes per game for the lowly Chicago squad. Last season, his ice time plummeted to 13:43 per game and he put up a paltry 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in 51 games. He signed a one-year deal with San Jose in the offseason, a chance to make good, and he’s starting to fit in with the Sharks. In his past six games, Kurashev has eight points (4 G, 4 A) and 18 shots on goal, while averaging 19:24 of ice time per game.

#13 When the Buffalo Sabres traded J.J. Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in the offseason, it seemed that defenceman Michael Kesselring as the priority for the Sabres, and right winger Josh Doan was maybe more than a throw-in, but not necessarily a focal point. Doan has quickly shown that he can be a contributor for the Sabres and in the past 11 games he has nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 32 shots on goal. With injuries to Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jason Zucker, and Jiri Kulich, the Sabres need forwards to step up and Doan is making the most of his opportunity, even getting first unit power play time.

#14 In 2023-2024, Minnesota Wild defenceman Brock Faber was runner-up for the Calder Trophy after producing 47 points (8 G, 39 A) while playing 24:58 per game. His production dropped to 29 points last season, his power play points dipping from 16 to 10, but his ice time went up to 25:32 per game. This season, Faber is playing less – 23:36 per game – but has been effective on the power play with half of his eight points coming with the man advantage. What’s intriguing is that Faber has recorded 36 shots on goal in 15 games, his average of 2.4 shots on goal per game is well above his previous high of 1.7 shots on goal per game set during his rookie campaign.

#15 When the rebuilding Sharks brought in veteran blueliner Dmitry Orlov in the summer, he was considered an adult in the room, a proven professional defenceman who had played more than 800 NHL games. He has been that and is playing 22:33 per game, which includes power play time and four of his 10 assists this season have come via the man advantage. For a player who has never had more than eight power play points in a season, this is opening doors for offensive production if he can merely remain in a regular role with the Sharks. If John Klingberg continues to struggle at five-on-five, there might be more power play opportunities awaiting Orlov, too.

#16 Although he managed just 27 points (15 G, 12 A) in 67 games for the Edmonton Oilers last season, Viktor Arvidsson is starting to hit his stride with the Boston Bruins. In his past nine games, he has contributed six points (4 G, 2 A) with 25 shots on goal and he’s playing nearly 16 minutes per game in that span, up from 13:30 per game before that. Arvidsson is a five-time 20-goal scorer and, currently skating on a line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt, he could his that mark again.

#17 Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe isn’t necessarily known for his offensive output, in part because he doesn’t get regular power play time. Nevertheless, he does have six points (1 G, 5 A) in his past six games, and for a player who records more than two blocked shots per game that might be enough to warrant the interest of fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

#18 After suffering an injury in the preseason, Calgary Flames left winger Jonathan Huberdeau wasn’t ready to start the season and then managed one point in his first four games. Since then, though, he has put up seven points (3 G, 4 A) during a six-game point streak. He’s skating on a line with Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato, in addition to first-unit power play time, so Huberdeau remains a useful performer for fantasy managers, even if he is a long way from his peak production seasons in Florida.

#19 The Pittsburgh Penguins have been an early season surprise, but they are starting to get hit by injuries and it will be interesting to see how they can overcome the losses. Forwards Rickard Rakell, Justin Brazeau, Filip Hallander, and Noel Acciari are all out of the lineup right now and goaltender Tristan Jarry is out for at least three weeks with a lower-body injury. Jarry has been excellent, with a .911 save percentage in seven starts, but now Arturs Silovs is likely to see more action in the Penguins net. Silovs has a .912 save percentage, so he has been strong, too, but this will be a good test to see if Silovs can handle the workload of a starting goaltender, even over a short period of time. The Penguins called up 21-year-old goaltender Sergei Murashov from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, where he had a .931 save percentage in seven games, so he could get a taste of NHL action in Jarry’s absence.

#20 With winger Jake Neighbours out for at least five weeks with a leg injury, the St. Louis Blues have moved captain Brayden Schenn to right wing on their second line, with Pius Suter and Dylan Holloway, while rookie Dalibor Dvorsky has stepped into the third-line centre role. Schenn has six points (2 G, 4 A) in 15 games this season and had failed to record a shot on goal in three straight games before generating three shots in his last game. Consider him a buy-low candidate given this modest productivity.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Are the New York Rangers really this bad? – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 13:30:15 +0000

_{NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers prior to the National Hockey League Eastern Conference Final game 5 against the Florida Panthers on May 30, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)}

Are the New York Rangers really this bad or just stuck in an absurdly long slump? Or is there a third possibility?

The common narrative seems to put the blame on Rangers president and GM Chris Drury, who some speculate has created a rift between management and the players that's having a significant impact on the ice. Vincent Z. Mercogliano of Lohud reported that some on the team have taken issue with Drury's methods, from waiving Barclay Goodrow to get around his no-trade clause to threatening to do the same to captain Jacob Trouba if he didn't sign off on a trade to Anaheim, to Drury reportedly issuing a memo that the Rangers were open for business on the trade front following a loss to Edmonton, despite team still being a strong 12-6-1 at that time.

Then there was the incident with Kaapo Kakko. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to scratch him for Tuesday's tilt against Nashville after New York lost 10 of 13, dropping to 15-14-1. However, Kakko took exception to that, feeling he was getting unfairly singled out.

"I know you've got to do something as a coach when you're losing games, but I think it's just easy to pick a young guy and boot him out. That's how I feel, to be honest," Kakko said, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. He added, "I have not been the worst guy. But that was me out of the lineup."

The Rangers ended up losing 2-0 to Nashville. The next day, Kakko was dealt to Seattle. Even if Kakko never really developed as the Rangers hoped when they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, that whole saga this week was another distraction that the team could ill afford.

But is this really as simple as mismanagement leading to the group failing to play up to its potential or is there a deeper problem? On the surface, the answer seems obvious. The Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024 and started the campaign 12-4-1. How could this not be a team capable of contending?

There are some areas of concern, though. Chris Kreider's success has been driven by his ability to score goals, but he might be slowing in that regard at the age of 33. He has 10 markers in 28 appearances in 2024-25, which would be considered good for other players, but he doesn't bring a lot else to the table -- he has just one assist -- so that's worrying.

Mika Zibanejad has seen his production dip too. He has six goals and 21 points through 31 outings and is in a four-way tie for the fourth-worst plus/minus at minus-17. Plus/minus isn't the best metric, but he also has a relative 5v5 CF% and 5v5 FF% of minus-6.7 and minus-5.8, respectively, which suggests that his team is doing better in terms of puck possession when he's off the ice compared to when he's on it. He also has a 5v5 CF%/FF% of 44.0/44.2, which would represent career lows for him.

To some extent, this reminds me a little of what happened to the San Jose Sharks. They were a perennial contender through the 2018-19 campaign. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 and the Western Conference Final in 2019. San Jose was far from resting on its laurels either. Still searching for that elusive championship, San Jose acquired elite defenseman Erik Karlsson in September 2018 and locked him up to an eight-year, $92 million contract in the summer of 2019.

The stage seemed to be set for the Sharks to be Cup contenders in 2019-20. Sure, Joe Pavelski was gone, but the forward group of Timo Meier, Evander Kane, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl was still fairly young. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were there as the veteran presences, and the duo of Karlsson and Brent Burns was one of the best on paper. Not only did San Jose fail to make the playoffs that year, but the Sharks haven't made it since. In retrospect, they misjudged their core and got caught in an awkward position of needing to rebuild but being slow to do so due to their already established long-term contracts.

It might be overly dramatic to suggest that the Rangers are a repeat of that, but a slump this long and dramatic is unusual and hard to dismiss.

Igor Shesterkin just has to hope that the Sharks comparison proves to be invalid. In that scenario, he'd be the Karlsson: A player who made a major commitment to a team he thought was going to be a contender, only to see some of his prime years squandered. Shesterkin recently agreed to his own eight-year, $92 million contract that doesn't even begin until next year. Maybe he'll end up having better luck with the team around him than Karlsson…

Boston Bruins (Mon @ VAN, Thu @ SJS, FRI @ ANA, Sun vs. SEA)

The upcoming week will be relatively light because the NHL will not play Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday due to its Christmas break. That said, there are still teams worth highlighting, starting with the Bruins, who begin the week with a difficult home game against Washington on Monday but will then face the rebuilding Blue Jackets on the road Friday and then in Boston on Saturday.

The Bruins' rough start to the campaign is largely behind them. From Nov. 21 onward, the Bruins have a 9-4-1 record to put them at 17-13-4 overall. The single biggest difference is that Boston has given up far fewer goals, going from an average of 3.45 goals allowed over its 8-9-3 start to 2.71 across its past 15 games.

Jeremy Swayman has been a benefactor of that, posting a 2.68 GAA over that 15-game span (he's appeared in 10 of those contests) while earning a 6-3-1 record. However, Swayman's save percentage during that stretch is a less impressive .892. It's worth noting that span includes a rough 8-1 loss to Winnipeg in which Swayman was charged with every goal. If you exclude that one start, then his save percentage during that span jumps to .912.

Boston's offense has also improved over the past 15 games, though it's still not special, earning 2.86 goals per game over that stretch compared to 2.40 during the first 20 games. Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie have provided some key secondary scoring recently, totaling nine and eight points, respectively, across Boston's last 15 outings. Neither one has been particularly consistent, though, and their production is only impressive when measured against their dreadful starts to the campaign.

Meanwhile, Elias Lindholm continues to underwhelm with five goals and 17 points through 34 appearances. However, he is on a three-game scoring streak (two goals, four points), so perhaps he'll be effective in the upcoming week.

Buffalo Sabres (Mon vs. DAL, Thu @ MIN, FRI vs. PIT, Sun vs. STL)

I started this article by highlighting the Rangers for their struggles, but Buffalo has been even worse. Going into Friday's action, the Sabres have lost 11 straight games, dropping to 11-17-4. Rather than showing signs of turning things around, they suffered a 6-1 loss to Montreal on Tuesday.

The Sabres won't face particularly stiff competition next week, though, so perhaps they can stabilize. They'll play on the road against the Islanders on Monday, host Chicago on Friday and conclude the week in St. Louis on Sunday.

Finding a diamond in the rough on a team doing that poorly is difficult. Jason Zucker is about as close as you'll come. He has eight goals and 21 points through 32 appearances, making this a nice bounce-back campaign for him after he finished 2023-24 with 32 points in 69 regular-season games between Arizona and Nashville. It helps that he's averaging 2:53 with the man advantage, which would be a career-high if he maintains that. Zucker has seven power-play points (three goals), which puts him on track to easily surpass his 2023-24 total of 10 and potentially even best his personal best of 16, which was set in 2017-18.

Outside of that, though, there isn't much to like. Rasmus Dahlin (back) is set to return on Friday, which should be a significant boost for Buffalo. The Sabres' losing streak predates Dahlin's seven-game absence, but it's still reasonable to say that Dahlin plays an important role for Buffalo and that his exclusion from the lineup was felt. He has six goals and 19 points in 25 appearances in 2024-25 while averaging 24:42 of ice time, including 3:23 with the man advantage.

Owen Power has been seeing significant power-play usage recently, but with Dahlin back, Power might be absent from the power play entirely for Friday's game. For other defensemen, that would be a big blow, but Power has failed to take advantage of that role -- he hasn't recorded a single power-play point in 2024-25 -- so it shouldn't change much for those who have Power on their team.

Dallas Stars (Mon @ BUF, Thu vs. VGK, FRI vs. TBL, Sun vs. MIN)

Dallas is set to play in Utah on Monday, host the Wild on Friday and play in Chicago on Sunday. It's not a bad schedule, but under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be good enough to highlight. Still, it's nice to have an opportunity to talk about Dallas, which has done well this campaign with a 19-12-0 record heading into Friday's action.

The Stars are also in an interesting spot right now. Matt Duchene is their scoring leader with 30 points (13 goals) in 31 appearances, but his hot start has come to an end with him recording just a goal and three points across his past nine outings. Duchene's cold stretch probably isn't the new normal, but it's equally fair to suggest that he overperformed early in the campaign. His shooting percentage, which remains an uncomfortably high 26.0, suggests that there might still be more backsliding to come. He might ultimately finish the campaign with 60-70 points, which would be in line with his 2023-24 results and would represent a mild, but not dramatic, scoring decline from his overall scoring pace this campaign.

Fortunately for Dallas, Duchene's decline has corresponded with Jason Robertson showing signs of life. The 25-year-old forward's overall numbers this campaign remain well below what you'd expect from him (seven goals and 21 points in 31 games), but he has collected two goals and six points over his past five appearances.

Jamie Benn has also been solid, recording an assist in each of his past six outings and contributing two goals and nine points across his last 10 games. His 20 points through 31 appearances in 2024-25 still put him on pace to finish below his 60-point regular-season total from 2023-24, but it still wouldn't be shocking to see him end up hitting that mark by the end of the campaign.

Minnesota Wild (Mon vs. TBL, Thu vs. BUF, FRI @ VGK, Sun vs. DAL)

The Wild will begin next week by hosting the Blackhawks before playing in Dallas on Friday and finally returning home to face the Senators on Sunday. Dallas, as discussed above, is a tough opponent, but Chicago is a rebuilding squad, and the Senators are a middling 7-7-1 on the road.

The big question out of Minnesota is the health of Filip Gustavsson. At the time of writing, he's out with a lower-body injury, but his status appears to be day-to-day, so it's possible he'll be back next week. Gustavsson has been a key part of Minnesota's success with a 14-5-3 record, 2.24 GAA and .922 save percentage in 22 appearances.

Marc-Andre Fleury has been mostly okay this campaign, but the 40-year-old netminder is coming off a rough 6-1 loss to Florida on Wednesday, which dropped him to a 2.88 GAA and a .898 save percentage through 10 outings this season. The current alternative to him is Jesper Wallstedt, who stopped 24 of 27 shots en route to a 3-2 loss to Vegas on Dec. 15. To be fair to both goaltenders, Florida and Vegas are some of the toughest competition they could have possibly faced.

Still, it seems reasonable that they'll need a meaningful amount of goal support going forward. Fortunately for the Wild, Kirill Kaprizov is continuing to play like Kirill Kaprizov. The elite forward has nine goals and 14 points over his past 11 appearances, which gives him 22 goals and 48 points in 31 outings overall. Mats Zuccarello also returned Dec. 14 from a lower-body injury and has gotten back to work with three assists over three outings.

Zuccarello's return also means Matt Boldy has shifted to the second line. Boldy has an impressive 13 goals and 30 points in 32 contests in 2024-25, but Kaprizov has been involved in 18 of those points. They are still sharing the ice on the power play, but if they don't skate together regularly in 5-on-5 situations, then Boldy might see a modest decline in production.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Mon @ STL, Thu vs. VGK, FRI @ BUF, Sun @ TBL)

Pittsburgh seemed doomed to miss the playoffs again based on its 7-12-4 start, but the Penguins have rebounded by going 8-2-1 since. Can they keep it up next week? They'll host the Flyers on Monday before a back-to-back set against the Islanders on Saturday and Sunday. Pittsburgh will be on the road for the first half of that set and then play at home.

So who is responsible for Pittsburgh's comeback? Is it Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin? Actually, it's Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell.

That's not to take anything away from Crosby, who has nine goals and 35 points in 34 outings in 2024-25, or Malkin, who has seven goals and 27 points. However, Crosby has been largely productive during the good times and bad while Malkin was actually doing better early in the campaign.

Their importance is clear, but what has really changed recently is Rust and Rakell providing far more than just secondary scoring. If I told you that a Penguins forward had nine goals and 17 points across the past 11 appearances without providing any other context, your first guess would likely be Malkin or Crosby, but that's what Rust has done. He was limited early in the campaign due to injury, but he's been playing some of the best hockey of his career lately.

Rakell has been nearly as good, supplying eight goals and 14 points across the same 11-game span. That brings him up to 15 goals and 26 points through 34 outings overall. His offensive struggles in 2023-24, dropping to 37 points from 60 points in 2022-23, were part of why the Penguins fell short of playoffs last year, so it seems appropriate that his resurgence is leading Pittsburgh back into postseason contention.

Not everything is rosy with the Penguins, though. Goaltending was the team's biggest issue early in the campaign and it remains a question mark. Tristan Jarry has a 3.62 GAA and a .883 save percentage through 14 outings and has surrendered at least three goals in three of his past four starts. Alex Nedeljkovic isn't giving the Penguins much of an alternative, though, with his own 3.26 GAA and .886 save percentage through 14 outings.

Pittsburgh does rank 28th in xGA/60 (3.30), per Moneypuck, which suggests that the defense in front of the netminders deserves part of the blame. However, Nedeljkovic has a goals saved above expected of minus-6.0 while Jarry is at minus-6.5, so this seems to be a case of both a bad defense and poor goaltending. The result is Pittsburgh ranks last in the league in goals allowed per game at 3.68. For context, that's just outside of the top-10 worst of any team in the salary cap era (2005-06 and onward). Of the teams who have posted a goals allowed per game worse than Pittsburgh, none of them finished with a points percentage of .500 or better.

St. Louis Blues (Mon vs. PIT, Thu @ DAL, FRI vs. TBL, Sun @ BUF)

The Blues will start next week with a game in Detroit on Monday, but after that, they'll return to St. Louis to host Nashville on Friday and Buffalo on Sunday. St. Louis has been a mixed bag in 2024-25, posting a 15-16-3 record going into Friday's action.

Jordan Binnington has left plenty to be desired this campaign with an 8-13-3 record, 3.00 GAA and .896 save percentage in 25 appearances. He's had some good stretches, but he's been inconsistent and is presently in a cold stretch after allowing at least three goals in six of his past seven games. His struggles have led to Joel Hofer becoming more of a 1B rather than a true backup, and Hofer might begin to migrate into being the 1A. The 24-year-old hasn't been stealing the show, but he has been the better option with a 7-3-0 record, 2.72 GAA and .907 save percentage through 11 appearances.

Of course, the Blues aren't alone in their goaltending woes. We just discussed a worse situation in Pittsburgh, but St. Louis doesn't have the offensive prowess to make up for it. The Blues rank 30th in goals per game with 2.50.

Robert Thomas has done well recently with four goals and 14 points across his past nine appearances while Jordan Kyrou has supplied seven goals and eight points over the same stretch, so the team isn't completely devoid of scoring, but it lacks depth and consistency.

Brandon Saad stands out as someone who has been disappointing when it comes to secondary scoring. After supplying 26 goals and 42 points in 82 outings last year, he has four markers and 10 points through 30 appearances in 2024-25. His decline has led to St. Louis using him less and less. He's even set to be a healthy scratch Friday. At this point, I don't have a lot of hope that he'll rebound, though he's not too old at 32, so anything is possible.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Mon @ MIN, Thu vs. PIT, FRI @ STL, Sun @ PIT)

Tampa Bay is riding a five-game winning streak and is 7-1-0 over its past eight to improve to 18-10-2 on the season. The Lightning will seek to keep that momentum going next week, when it plays in Florida on Monday and hosts the Rangers and the Canadiens on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Lightning deserve a lot of credit for moving on from Steven Stamkos and instead signing Jake Guentzel over the summer. While Stamkos has started to find his way with Nashville after a rocky start, Guentzel is four years younger and has proven to be a great fit.

Guentzel enjoyed an incredible seven-game goal-scoring streak from Nov. 30-Dec. 17 and now has 18 markers and 33 points across 30 appearances in 2024-25. The trio of Guentzel, Brayden Point (21 goals and 38 points in 26 outings) and Nikita Kucherov (14 goals and 35 points in 31 appearances) have been wildly successful. It would not be shocking if each of those three finished the campaign with over 40 goals and 80 points. That alone would make the Lightning a dangerous adversary, but they also have Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli excelling on the second line with 37 and 28 points, respectively.

One underrated aspect of this team is how well Tampa Bay has performed defensively. The Lightning ranked 18th in xGA/60 last campaign (3.14) but are sixth in 2024-25 (2.78). That's part of the reason why Andrei Vasilevskiy has looked so much better this campaign, posting a 2.38 GAA and a .911 save percentage through 25 appearances compared to his 2.90 GAA and .900 save percentage in 51 regular-season games last year.

Tampa Bay could use a better backup, though. Jonas Johansson has a 3.84 GAA and .882 save percentage in six appearances, and the Lightning's lack of trust in him has led to Tampa Bay leaning heavily on Vasilevskiy. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy is no stranger to heavy workloads, but I have to wonder if the Lightning won't look to add a goaltender at some point in the hopes of managing Vasilevskiy a bit ahead of what Tampa Bay doubtlessly hopes will be a lengthy playoff run.

Vegas Golden Knights (Mon vs. SEA, Thu @ DAL, FRI vs. MIN, Sun @ BOS)

The Golden Knights have a relatively favorable week ahead of them. They'll host the Ducks on Monday, play in San Jose on Friday and then return home to face the Flames on Sunday. Vegas is 21-8-3 and has been particularly dominant at home (12-3-0), though the Golden Knights should also be heavy favorites against the 11-19-5 Sharks, even if that is a road engagement.

Injuries have been a recurring issue for Vegas in recent years, and while they haven't been immune to them in 2024-25, it hasn't been as bad. Vegas has nine forwards, including Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl, and four defensemen, namely Noah Hanifin, Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden McNabb, who have logged at least 29 of 32 games. That doesn't make Vegas special from a health perspective, but it's certainly not bad.

Mark Stone is the main notable exception to that. He was so good early in the campaign with six goals and 21 points through 13 appearances, but he suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out of 14 games from Nov. 8-Dec. 4. Since returning, he's been fine, but the injury stopped his momentum, leaving him with four assists across his past five outings.

Eichel's been healthy, though, and on his way to having the best campaign of his career. He's up to nine goals and 42 points through 32 outings. Eichel's never recorded more than 82 points in a single campaign, in large part due to injuries. That's killed the whole Eichel versus Connor McDavid debate -- although Eichel is the one with a championship, there's no question who has been more impressive -- but not too much has separated them so far this campaign. McDavid is narrowly ahead with 15 goals and 45 points through 29 outings.

Another former Sabres forward has been even hotter than Eichel recently. Surprisingly, Victor Olofsson has provided four goals over his past four games. He had just seven goals and 15 points over 51 outings last year, and a lower-body injury that sidelined him from Oct. 17-Nov. 29 (a total of 20 games missed) has complicated his first campaign with Vegas. However, it'll be interesting to see if he can keep this going now that he's healthy. Olofsson did score 28 goals in 2022-23 and has surpassed the 20-goal milestone three times, so there is some upside here, especially with Vegas currently using him on the second line and first power-play unit.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS – Team Preview

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 20:00:40 +0000

_{ST. LOUIS, MO - March 25: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) during a regular season game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues on March 25, 2024, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)}

The defending Stanley Cup champions made it into the playoffs, recording 98 points (45-29-8), and lost in seven games to Dallas Stars in the first round. The Golden Knights dealt with injuries to key personnel, with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, and Alex Pietrangelo all missing at least 18 games, so there were some difficulties that had not been such a problem the year before. The Golden Knights ranked 21st in Corsi percentage (48.6%) but fared better when it came to expected goals percentage, ranking 13th with 51.3%. Either way, those are numbers closer to a mediocre team and not necessarily a championship contender. Vegas’ power play ranked 21st with 7.19 goals per 60 minutes while the penalty killing ranked 11th with 7.15 goals per 60 minutes. Those special teams results pretty much even each other out, so there was not much reason to believe that the Golden Knights were capable of defending their championship. They had enough to get into the playoffs and enough to give Dallas a competitive series, but ultimately the Golden Knights were not serious championship contenders.

WHAT’S CHANGED? It was a difficult offseason for the Golden Knights as they watched both Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson leave via free agency, signing with Nashville and Seattle, respectively. Veteran defenceman Alec Martinez moved on to Chicago and winger Anthony Mantha signed in Calgary. The Golden Knights made their biggest acquisitions before the trade deadline, acquiring defenceman Noah Hanifin from Calgary and centre Tomas Hertl from San Jose. In the offseason, Vegas signed winger Victor Olofsson, who had played with Eichel in Buffalo, and traded left winger Paul Cotter to New Jersey for right winger Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. The Golden Knights also signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who played for Toronto for the past two seasons.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? The Golden Knights have always appeared to be pushing for the Stanley Cup and that would presumably be the team’s goal this season, but after their losses in free agency it seems like the next championship is further out of their grasp. Making the playoffs again would count as modest success, but if the Golden Knights are in the playoff hunt, they will find a way to bring in more talent so that they can compete for a title because that is how this team rolls.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? While the Golden Knights come under scrutiny for having team captain Mark Stone emerge from the injured list just in time for the playoffs, it is noteworthy that Stone has missed large chunks of each of the past three seasons. Injuries are a concern for any team, but the Golden Knights have enough older players that their injuries can take longer to heal, and eventually those players just become shells of the players they were before. Stone is the most glaring case, but there are plenty of quality players in Vegas who could have a negative impact if they are knocked out with injuries. Any team will be in trouble if key players are injured, but the Golden Knights do not have great depth so they could be in tough shape if they suffer significant injuries.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Having lost quality players this summer, the Golden Knights could really use some younger players to rise to the occasion. Up front, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brendan Brisson are possibilities, but Alexander Holtz is the best breakout candidate for the Golden Knights. Holtz was the seventh pick in the 2020 Draft and while he has taken some time to carve out his place in the NHL, he scored 16 goals (15 at even strength) last season while playing just 11:38 per game. There will be a chance for Holtz to play more minutes in Vegas and potentially unleash the scorer that is waiting to be turned loose.

Forwards

Ivan Barbashev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	23	28	51	0.62

Ivan Barbashev has been a fixture along top center Jack Eichel ever since arriving in Las Vegas. The chemistry between these two continues to grow and evolve and 2023-24 was no exception. Barbashev was only slightly behind the pace of his normal offensive rates and ended the year with 19 goals with only three of those coming via the power-play as he had limited minutes with the man-advantage. The quicker the pace, the more Barbashev looked at home last season. He finished in the top third of the league’s forwards in forecheck involvement and rush offence, a testament to his partnership with Eichel. Barbashev’s defensive returns are generally not very grand, but they regressed in 2023-24 and he found himself in the 1st percentile of NHL forwards regarding even-strength defensive WAR. Barbashev’s puck support and off-puck positioning often do the thankless work of opening up space for teammates or keeping loose pucks alive in the offensive zone. Barbashev ended the season posting puck-possession and expected-goal rates that were roughly five percent higher relative to his teammates. The expectation for this season is for Barbashev to return to Eichel’s wing on the top line and continue to take peripheral power-play minutes. While his shooting percentage and finishing ability experienced a bump year over year, Barbashev’s shot totals dipped slightly. In order for his goal total to go beyond 20 this year, he’ll need to shoot the puck a bit more this season.

Jack Eichel

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	37	35	72	1.03

Eichel cracked the 30-goal plateau last season for the first time since 2019-20 and experienced an increase in almost every statistical bucket offensively speaking. He was in the 99th percentile of NHL forwards with regards to both zone entries with possession of the puck and shots created off of the rush, a testament to how much the puck was on Eichel’s stick. His skating has, over time, matured into a great combination of speed and power. His first few steps are explosive, and he continues to exhibit high levels of puck protection and dangle-ability, routinely putting defencemen in compromising positions in transition. Eichel’s offensive performance last season was so strong that he experienced great leaps in his defensive results by virtue of playing a lot of hockey in the offensive zone and being dogged on the backcheck. Eichel’s even-strength defensive returns went from the 58th percentile of NHL forwards in 2022-23 to the 94th percentile of NHL forwards in 2023-24. Although the reliability and speed of Jonathan Marchessault is no longer there, former linemate Victor Olofsson, former linemate of Eichel in Buffalo, steps in to take his spot. I expect Eichel to continue to lead the pace for the Golden Knights forward group using his explosive skating and confidence in carrying the puck as the main straw that continue to stir the drink for Vegas’ offence.

Victor Olofsson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	18	16	34	0.46

Victor Olofsson is arriving to Vegas alongside a familiar face. During their tenure together in Buffalo, Olofsson and Jack Eichel spent over 800 minutes together at even-strength over the years. Olofsson has two separate 20 goal campaigns playing alongside Eichel. Although he struggled last year to return to his 28-goal form of the previous season, there’s a longstanding history of Olofsson being able to provide 20+ goals in the right environment. Playing on the Golden Knights top line certainly seems to be that kind of potentially thriving environment. Olofsson’s finishing took a big hit last year as he missed a significant chunk of time with injury. Assuming he deploys on the Golden Knights top line, the familiar face and playmaking ability of Eichel combined with the space creating ability of Ivan Barbashev seems like the perfect situation for a player of Olofsson’s skill. His shot and ability to nestle into open space are two of his best attributes. He should find plenty of time and space to execute on his best abilities but be cautioned that the Golden Knights’ power-play is chock full of talent and I don’t expect Olofsson to usurp anyone on that unit. He may get secondary power-play minutes, but whether or not he cracks the 20-goal plateau this year may depend on exactly how much power-play time that ends up being.

Mark Stone

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
60	22	40	62	0.13

While Mark Stone became the centerpiece for discussions around Long Term Injured Reserve cap savings last season, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he was actually hurt. His recovery from a lacerated spleen took a long time and wasn’t anything to be written-off as cap shenanigans. Despite the injury, Stone looked much like himself upon returning to the lineup for the post-season. Despite only playing in 56 games during the regular season, Stone’s 53 points were his highest total since 2020-21. When healthy, Stone is the rare type of player that can give you tangible results in the offensive and defensive zone alike. A dedicated, two-way forward, he uses his size and skating to put himself in advantageous positions with and without the puck. A cerebral player, Stone is deployable in virtually any situation and can be leaned on for both needing a goal late in a game and holding a lead late in the game. Stone posts yearly results with regards to Wins Above Replacement that are markedly similar year after year, a testament to his overall consistency when he’s in the lineup. One note to watch for, Stone’s shot rates were low last year relative to his own averages. If those numbers increase, expect Stone to best his 16-goal total from last season.

Tomas Hertl

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	26	36	62	0.81

Hertl arrived in Vegas via trade out of San Jose and was shelved for a knee injury before his arrival and had to wait until April to make his official debut. Getting his wheels back under him post-procedure seemed to take a little bit of time, and the Golden Knights were eliminated from playoff contention before we really had an opportunity to see the new pieces, Hertl especially, settle into their new roles. The expectation for Hertl this season is that he’ll step into second-line duty alongside Mark Stone. That gives the Golden Knights some significant size and skill in their top six unit, as both he and Stone play a physical, north-south style of hockey. Stone and Hertl didn’t spend enough time together in the playoffs to garner any real insight into how they match up, but the early returns weren’t the best. They didn’t register a goal together in just under an hour of ice time and spent an uncanny amount of time in their own zone. Traditionally sound defensively, Hertl should bolster the already great defensive returns provided by Stone. With three goals in his first thirteen games as a member of the Golden Knights, it’s fair to assume training camp will provide the needed organization and control required to pick up on a new environment with a clean bill of health. He should be a safe bet to return to 25 goals and 60+ points.

Pavel Dorofeyev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	25	25	50	0.69

Pavel Dorofeyev had a breakout season last year offensively and has seemingly cemented a spot for himself in the Golden Knights top six forward group. He missed time due to injury last year, most notably an upper-body issue at the midpoint of the season. Fresh off of a two-year extension, the expectation is for him to slot into the second line alongside Mark Stone, but don’t rule out a promotion later in the year if he gets hot from a goal scoring perspective. Dorofeyev is a deceptive, talented winger that has a great shot that he uses in a variety of fashions and strong individual skills that he uses to dangle through defenders. He has added weight each season and improved his strength in some of the battle areas of the ice. Overall, however, no Vegas forward had a lower impact on shots generated off the forecheck or the cycle. Dorofeyev is at his best when he’s surrounded by players that can do that lifting for him and a combination of Stone and Tomas Hertl should significantly help in that department. Dorofeyev had the fourth highest carry-in percentage of any Golden Knights forward, a testament to his skill with the puck and desire to get north as quickly as possible. With a clean bill of health, Dorofeyev is one of the more interesting forwards to keep an eye on this upcoming season, as there’s plenty of reason to believe his game is still maturing. If he finds chemistry on his line, and can stay healthy, he can threaten 20 goals and 50+ points.

Alexander Holtz

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	18	18	36	0.44

Holtz arrives in Vegas having played his first full 82 game season with the New Jersey Devils last year and looking to soften some of the forward losses Vegas experienced over the offseason. In what can be considered a personnel issue, Holtz was not given a ton of looks inside the Devils top six and never was able to leapfrog his peers for ice time in that grouping. He arrives in Las Vegas with a similar issue facing him, but a cast of characters and playing style that might suit him well. At just 22 years old, Holtz still has a lot of maturation and development in front of him, but we’ve already seen the core of his skills that should grow and mature with age. Holtz’ best attribute is his shot, and he isn’t afraid to use it. He was in the 85th percentile of NHL forwards regarding raw shot totals and the 93rd percentile of NHL forwards with regards to shots taken off of the rush. With 16 goals in 82 games last year, Holtz was able to showcase some of the elusiveness and puck skill that made him a top ten pick in the 2020 NHL draft. Expect Holtz to get some looks in the top six in the event of injuries, but the expectation is that he’ll form a partnership with fellow speedy countryman, William Karlsson.

William Karlsson

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

Karlsson was a force last year for Las Vegas, scoring 30 goals and 60 points in a 70-game campaign that saw him crack the 30-goal mark for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. Karlsson has proven he has the ability to be deployed in any situation. His footspeed allows him to be a vital member of the penalty kill and his ability to shoot from everywhere and get the puck on net consistently is vital to the power-play. Last year, Karlsson’s defensive returns at even-strength put him in the 92nd percentile of NHL forwards, a testament to his two-way game and investment in backchecking to break plays up. He played through an injury in the NHL post-season that noticeably hampered his ability to operate in his usual capacity. One of the higher hockey IQ’s in the league, Karlsson uses his mobility to cut off plays on the forecheck. No Golden Knights forward had a higher percentage of forecheck pressures per 60 minutes of even-strength than Karlsson did. While his linemates are due to change this year, expect the core foundations of his game to remain the same. While another 30-goal season may be difficult to replicate, he’ll be surrounded by players that can complement his fast style of play.

Nicolas Roy

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	13	20	33	0.44

This will be the first year in the existence of the Golden Knights bottom-six that William Carrier is not a foundational piece after departing for Carolina in free agency, but expect Nicolas Roy to step in and lay claim as the challenger to that throne. Roy is proving to be an extremely reliable bottom-six scoring presence. While his 13 goals in 2023-24 were his lowest total in three years, he surpassed his high-water mark for points with a total of 41 on the year. Held off the scoresheet entirely in the post-season, Roy will be looked upon to continue to provide a steady scoring presence in the bottom half of the Golden Knights lineup. You can summarize Roy’s 200-foot approach to the game by looking at impacts he has at both ends of the ice. Roy finished the year in the 99th percentile of NHL forwards with regards to his forecheck involvement and was in the 92nd percentile of NHL forwards for defensive zone exits. His shot metrics were down a touch last year, which could explain his slight drop on goals, but his puck-distribution abilities were on display in a major way as he bested his career assist total for a single season. Roy is deployable in a variety of situations and effectively uses his size to protect the puck and be a problem for opposing forwards in the defensive zone.

DEFENCE

Alex Pietrangelo

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	10	39	49	0.63

Alex Pietrangelo enjoyed another year as the leader of the Golden Knights defence. He remains one of the better skating defencemen in the league and is almost unflappable in his unwavering attention to protecting his own blueline. While his point totals were down year over year, he missed a bit more time due to injury than previous seasons. Coming into this year with a clean bill of health, Pietrangelo looks to get back to the success he had last year on the blueline. No Golden Knights defenceman had a lower percentage of opponents carry the puck across the blueline than Pietrangelo did. He also led the Golden Knights in defensive puck retrievals per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time. That success on retrievals put him in the 100th percentile for NHL defencemen last year, a testament to how well Pietrangelo operates under pressure at both ends of the ice. He was also in the 92nd percentile for both shots and scoring chances among NHL defencemen last year. Pietrangelo seems immune to the effects of Father Time. Expect him to continue to take huge minutes for the Golden Knights in all situations, especially on the power-play, where he co-led in ice time with Shea Theodore. Pietrangelo was targeted for zone entries the least of any Golden Knights defenceman last year, directly speaking to his reputation as someone that can shut down an oncoming rush. On offence you can expect 10 or more goals and between 40 and 50 points.

Noah Hanifin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	12	33	45	0.55

After arriving via trade from the Calgary Flames, Hanifin immediately re-upped with the Golden Knights, signing an eight-year contract with an $7.35 million AAV. A steep price to be sure, but when you consider all the things Hanifin is good at, it seems like a small price to pay for a defenceman as multi-faceted as this. Hanifin arrived from Calgary and immediately fit into the Golden Knights system. This easy transition netted him 12 points in 19 regular season games with the team, and he followed that up with five points in seven playoff games. Hanifin ranked in the top third of the league in virtually every statistical bucket for defencemen: shots, assists, zone entry prevention, zone exits, and puck retrievals. You’d be as hard pressed to find a weakness in his game as you would be hard pressed to see him slip up under pressure. Hanifin is the perfect complement to a defenceman like Alex Pietrangelo and I expect the two of them to fully control the pace of play. In their 19 regular season games together, they controlled 58 percent of the shot-attempts and 55 percent of the expected goals. Their careful maintenance of the defensive blueline combined with their mobility will make this one of the most formidable top pairings in the league, and Hanifin will be a large part of that. In his 19 games, power play time was relatively split between Hanifin and Theodore, which will put a lid on offensive upside, but a safe bet for eight to 10 goals and 35 – 40 points.

Shea Theodore

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	12	44	56	0.74

Theodore missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 campaign due to surgery on an upper-body injury. That put him out of contention for almost a third of the season and put a stop to a scorching hot start that saw him register 18 points in the first 20 games of the season. Theodore struggled to regain that pace and settle back in but had a strong ending to the season and once again cracked the 40-point plateau for the year. Theodore’s strength is being the puck moving presence on the second pairing for the Golden Knights. Despite his injury, he still ranked in the 91st percentile among defencemen for defensive zone exit rate and in the 94th percentile for scoring chance contribution. Theodore is most comfortable with the puck on his stick, navigating his way through traffic. A true power-play architect, he isn’t afraid to sneak into the offensive zone to set up his teammates and put pucks on net. Theodore’s strong suit has never been transition defence, but it was an area he noticeably struggled in last season. Entering the final year of his contract, it will be interesting to see what direction Theodore heads as the trade deadline approaches. Does Vegas look to re-sign him, or does he end up an asset at the deadline? He will be motivated and should be favourite to head up the first power play, but he has competition there and by no means a sure thing. If healthy he should be a threat for 60+ points with the potential for more with a contract as incentive.

Brayden McNabb

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	3	17	20	0.24

Brayden McNabb played every regular season game for the Golden Knights for the second season in a row. The only thing steadier than his presence in the lineup is his presence defensively. McNabb’s 26 points in 2023-24 are the highest total he’s reached in his career and a testament to how much was asked of him in the absence of some of his puck-moving teammates to injury last season. McNabb’s strength is gap control and tidy business along the defensive blueline, a modern version of what shutdown defenceman looks like, as his approach is multifaceted. He was in the 78th percentile for hits last season and the 90th percentile for defensive zone entry denials. Only Alex Pietrangelo had a higher amount of defensive zone puck retrievals last season. A regular in the shot-blocking category, McNabb is very strong in front of the net and in the battle areas of the ice. While puck handling is not his strength, he can maneuver with the puck with competency and move it out of danger for a safe play. His penalty-killing presence has been of major importance to the Golden Knights throughout his tenure there. McNabb’s gap control and stick work make him a calming presence during rush situations. Also entering the last year of his contract, it will be intriguing to see what Vegas decides to do regarding his future with the team.

GOAL

Adin Hill

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
38	21	14	3	2	0.906	2.79

Ilya Samsonov

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
44	24	16	4	2	0.904	2.88

Former Arizona Coyotes prospect Adin Hill is a Stanley Cup champion - and now, it seems, he’s a clear-cut starter for a Vegas Golden Knights roster that seems poised to bank on the historically weak Pacific Division staying as weak as it’s been. Vegas cleared the way for Hill to become the true number one when they sent Logan Thompson out the door, ushering in a new third-stringer in Akira Schmid and bringing on a surprising backup in Ilya Samsonov.

Samsonov brings a higher upside and more-renowned pedigree than Hill, so the number one spot isn’t necessarily Hill’s for keeps. But despite stretches of strong play in Toronto, Samsonov was plagued by both dismal stretches and lengthy injury bouts that call into question just how high his ceiling truly is. He serves as a bit of a gamble for Vegas, but the Sin City club seems to enjoy leaning into their hometown’s favorite pastime when it comes to manning the crease. Samsonov certainly brings no more uncertainty to the lineup than Robin Lehner, Marc-Andre Fleury, or Jonathan Quick did before him - and with a much lower-pressure environment than he faced in Toronto, it’s entirely possible that fans will finally get a chance to truly see what he can do.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 21:37:53 +0000

ST. PAUL, MN - JANUARY 28: Buffalo Sabres Defenceman Rasmus Dahlin (26) follows the play during a game between the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres on January 28, 2023, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)

Review: In 2022-23, the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs, extending their NHL-record postseason drought to 12th consecutive campaigns. As hard as it is for a fanbase to feel good after that much pain, the latest iteration of the Sabres were fun to watch and showed plenty of promise. Tage Thompson led the offense with 47 goals and 94 points in 78 contests, making GM Kevyn Adams look like a genius for locking him up in the summer of 2022 to a seven-year, $50 million contract that will begin in 2023-24. Thompson was far from their only weapon though. Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch and Dylan Cozen each provided over 30 goals and 65 points while Rasmus Dahlin was one of the league’s top offensive defensemen, contributing 15 goals and 73 points. With that core, Buffalo ranked third offensively (3.57 goals per game), but the squad was ultimately held back by poor defense and mediocre goaltending.

What’s Changed? While it’s not technically a change, the single biggest difference from 2022-23 to 2023-24 is that Buffalo will now get a full campaign of Devon Levi after the goaltending prospect appeared in seven NHL contests last year. The 21-year-old has a lot to prove, but he has the potential to be the solution in net Buffalo sorely needs. The Sabres also inked defensemen Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton in the hopes of making life a little easier on their goaltenders.

What would success look like? At this point if the Sabres make the playoffs, that’s a win. It’s not going to be easy in the immensely competitive Atlantic Division, but it’s certainly an obtainable goal for Buffalo. That talented offense that carried them last year is still there and many of their key forwards are just now entering their prime. If Clifton and Johnson help stabilize their defense while Owen Power takes another step forward in his march towards being an elite two-way blueliner, then Buffalo will be a far more well-rounded team. Levi is by far the biggest X-Factor, but even a decent year out of him might be all the Sabres need to get over the hump.

What could go wrong? It’s just as possible that Levi might not be ready. Even with an encouraging seven-game stint with the Sabres last campaign, he’s still largely inexperienced and has yet to be tested against the grind of an 82-game season. If he’s not up to the task then that leaves Buffalo with Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but both left plenty to be desired last season. The Sabres offense should be at least fine even in a worst-case scenario, but Skinner has had a rollercoaster career, so there’s no guarantee he’ll come even close to his 35-goal and 82-point 2022-23 performance.

Top Breakout Candidate: It’s got to be Levi. As much of a risk as he is, the talent and opportunity are there. If he proves that he’s capable now of holding that starting gig – and yes that’s a significant if – then he’ll have the benefit of the Sabres’ immense offensive support, making it possible for him to reach the 30-win mark as a rookie.

Forwards

Tage Thompson - C

Hard to believe there was a question about how Tage Thompson would do as a follow-up to his breakout 38-goal season in 2021-2022, but he showed it was not a one-season-wonder. Thompson piled up career-highs in goals (47), assists (47), and points (94) and led the Sabres in goals and points. It’s incredible to see his growth in production at the center spot and how he’s become one of the elite players in the NHL and a couple years after there was doubt as to whether he’d be an NHL player at all. Thompson’s explosion has spurred the Sabres out of the doldrums of a seemingly never-ending rebuild into a team that’s on the brink of making the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and possibly becoming a Stanley Cup contender. Understandably, Thompson’s shot output increased in 2022-2023 and his shot percentage improved by nearly one percent (15 to 15.9). That’s the kind of repeatable output the Sabres love to see because they’ll want him to continue ripping the puck. What’s more impressive is he doubled his goal output on the power play from 10 to 20 goals. He has an elite shot and one of the most potent one-timers in the game and it makes him someone opposing penalty kills must cover at all costs. With 53 of his 94 points coming on the power play last season, Thompson alone makes committing penalties against Buffalo a recipe for losing games.

Jeff Skinner - LW

The turnaround Jeff Skinner’s career has had under coach Don Granato continued in 2022-2023. Skinner was second on the Sabres in points with 82 and was third on the team in goals with 35. It was the first time he had 30-plus goals in consecutive seasons and his 82 points broke his previous career-high of 63 (which he’d done four times, twice each with Buffalo and Carolina). After his 40-goal season in 2018-2019, he scored 21 goals the next two seasons combined playing for Ralph Krueger and Granato. Skinner continued his career-long trait of being an outstanding even strength scorer with 27 of his 35 coming at evens and 25 at 5-on-5. While Skinner has never been a strong power play scorer, his 21 power play points last season set a new career high. While Skinner was a top-line scorer for Buffalo in his first season with the Sabres, his resurgence under Granato has had him there again playing on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Although Granato tried to see what other line combinations would work last training camp, the experimentation didn’t last long and the trio was reunited quickly. Expect them to stay together this season and be one of the NHL’s top scoring lines again.

Alex Tuch - RW

Alex Tuch continued to be the power forward the Sabres always dreamed of again last season. Tuch had a career year with 36 goals and 79 points with 27 goals coming on even strength (21 of them at 5-on-5). At 6’4” 219 pounds, Tuch’s work around the net complements the high-end skill of Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner with the ability to boss his way to and around the net. Coupling that with a deceptive wrist shot and he’s proved to be an all-around offensive threat for the Sabres. On top of his offensive production, Tuch also plays a strong two-way game again incorporating his size and reach to disrupt puck carriers and ability to be physical when needed. Although Buffalo’s penalty kill hasn’t been a high point in recent years, Tuch had a shorthanded goal for the second straight season. But it’s the offensive ability that sets Tuch apart and that he scored at more than a point per game pace for the first time in his career last season at age 26 shows he’s hitting his prime at the right time for the Sabres. Although Buffalo has a load of offensive options, Tuch’s power forward play makes him unique and a necessary change-up compared to the speedy snipers and skill players elsewhere on the roster.

Dylan Cozens - C

It was only a matter of time before Dylan Cozens had a true breakout season and 2022-2023 was it. Cozens set career highs with 31 goals and 68 points in just his third season. The 22-year-old from Yukon took the lessons learned from his first two NHL seasons as well as from playing wing for Canada at the 2022 World Championships to become more of a shooter and lean into that part of his game. It paid off in a big way as his shot output jumped dramatically (160 to 211) and his shooting percentage with it (8.1 to 14.7). Cozens was a threat in all situations and scored 24 goals at even strength to go with five on the power play and two shorthanded. His tenacious forechecking and eagerness to play the body helps him stand out from the likes of Thompson, Peyton Krebs, and Casey Mittelstadt up the middle. Even though his new scoring marks set a tricky bar to meet or exceed, the growth in his game and how players like Thompson have elevated over the years indicate that being able to do just that is very possible. Cozens slots in automatically as the Sabres’ No. 2 center as well as leading their second power play unit. As he’s gotten stronger, his physical play has grown but it’s the offensive end of the ice where he’s most dangerous and he was the de facto leader on a line with rookies J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn last season despite the three of them all being roughly the same age. It’s right to expect a bit more from Cozens this season because we’re just starting to see the best of him now.

Jack Quinn - RW

Quinn’s rookie season didn’t have the kinds of numbers that knock your hair back when compared to some of the other outstanding first-year players around the league, but a deeper look at what he accomplished shows there’s reason to believe he’d be due for a big season. Quinn had 14 goals and 37 points over 75 games in 2022-2023. That put him seventh among NHL rookies in scoring and tied for eighth in goals with Montreal’s Raphael Harvey-Pinard. Quinn’s output was similar to what Dylan Cozens had in his second NHL season but Quinn’s skill with his shot and stick handling ability indicates he’s a player that will be able to fill the net in years to come. What’s difficult for him this season is how he’ll come back from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon he sustained during offseason workouts in June. That injury will keep him out of action until December or January at the latest and will certainly affect his total offensive output. The Sabres depth at forward will prevent Quinn’s absence from being a major blow, but how it affects his further development is worth paying attention to. It’s the second time Quinn has had an injury affect his offseason. In April 2021, he needed sports hernia surgery that ended his season in the AHL, but his performance in 2021-2022 showed he had no lingering ill effects. Buffalo hopes that will repeat itself when he returns in winter.

J.J. Peterka - LW

Peterka’s first NHL season saw him ride the typical rookie roller coaster in learning what he can and can’t get away with against the best players in the world. He had 12 goals and 32 helpers for the Sabres and showed the speed and creativity in his game that has everyone in Buffalo excited to see what more he’s capable of doing. Although he’s working on improving his two-way game, it’s the offensive play that will set him apart from his peers. His ability to get in behind defenders with his speed helps him get free for chances but how he finishes plays will be something to keep an eye on going forward. He’s able to create opportunities out of nowhere and what he’s capable of doing sets him apart from his usual linemates in Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn. He and Quinn have chemistry from their year together in AHL Rochester and that helped them both during last season in Buffalo, although they would occasionally struggle while learning the ropes. But that’s nothing out of the ordinary when bringing along two 21-year-old players into their first NHL seasons. More will be expected of Peterka, of course, and with Quinn’s absence to start the season the hope is all steps he’s taken in the offseason will pay off instantly. He was outstanding for Germany during the 2023 World Championships. He tied for second in the tournament in scoring with 12 points in 10 games and was named the best forward in the tournament. Germany won silver, their first medal at Worlds since 1953.

Casey Mittelstadt - C

Patience is proving to be Casey Mittelstadt’s best quality during his time with Buffalo. The 2017 No. 8 overall pick in the NHL Draft had a career year for the Sabres last season. He had 16 goals and 59 points in a year that was a borderline make-it-or-break-it season for him. His point total was more than twice his previous career-high of 25 points back in 2018-2019 and his 15 goals were three better than his previous best also set that season. Aside from good health, what allowed Mittelstadt to break out was his versatility. He played both at center and on the wing and showed he could lift his linemates in any given situation. He also showed he can be an effective scorer on the power play and provide help shorthanded as well. As a 5-on-5 player he was above-average in shot generation and suppression and broke even in goals scored and allowed when he was on the ice. Although the light that shined on Mittlestadt in previous seasons seemed to focus on his negative outcomes, there’s no doubt he was able to turn that around last season by consistently being involved offensively and creating shots and scoring opportunities for his teammates. A devoted teammate, Mittelstadt always strives to improve his game and to do what he can to better himself for the rest of the group. That he was able to post a breakout season and still be under the radar compared to his teammates speaks volumes to the value he does have. He’s become a vital cog for the rest of the lineup and gives the Sabres depth scoring beyond the first line for sure and takes the heat off some of his younger teammates as well. That said, it was such a standout year from him that it stands to wonder what he can do to follow that up this season.

Peyton Krebs - LW

While the majority of the attention among the Sabres youngest players went to the likes of Jack Quinn, Dylan Cozens, and JJ Peterka, Peyton Krebs did a lot of the dirty work that doesn’t always get noticed, least of all in the stat columns. Krebs was an anchor up the middle on a line with Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo. While that line gets referred to as the “fourth line” often, the truth is it functioned as the Sabres’ shut down/energy line used to change the tempo of the game in their favor and regain steady puck possession. Krebs was able to do this by transforming into an irritator and a tenacious forechecker. Although he doesn’t stand out physically, he was able to use his body and his strength to his advantage to throw opponents off their games. Krebs even went so far as to get in a few fights last season, a rarity among the Sabres in general. All that said, Krebs still set career highs with nine goals and 26 points. What makes him different than a lot of forwards that play that kind of role is Krebs still has strong offensive instincts and abilities. He has an uncanny ability to read plays and to make difficult passes that would normally not come from other third-or-fourth-line forwards. Although Krebs thrives in the shutdown role, he is more than capable of sliding up the lineup to add more offense when called upon. At 22 years old, there’s a lot more to come from Krebs, the question is how much more offense will come or how much more of a shutdown forward he will turn out to be.

Victor Olofsson - RW

Every team in the league has a pariah when it comes to the fan base and unfortunately for Victor Olofsson, he was it last year. What’s wild is Olofsson had a career-high 28 goals last season, fifth most on the team, seven of which came on the power play. Of his 40 points, 12 came on the power play and his 17 goals at 5-on-5 were the most he’s had in a season in his career. The raw box car numbers seem great, assists aside, and they scream out that he’s a player who is doing what’s asked of him and is capable of more. So, what’s got fans upset with him? It’s his 5-on-5 play in general that stood out in the worst way. The majority of Olofsson’s teammates had better possession numbers away from him than with him (according to Natural Stat Trick) and at 5-on-5 he was 10th on the team in scoring but the Sabres were outscored 52-34 when he was on the ice. And while Tage Thompson’s numbers exploded on the power play, Olofsson’s have plateaued with seven power play goals in three straight seasons. There’s an opportunity for redemption this season, however. With Quinn out until December or January, it opens the chance for Olofsson to reclaim his role in the lineup by becoming a stronger 5-on-5 player and to not just rely on ripping shots from the circle to score goals and generate chances. He enters the season in the final year of his contract so there’s an abundance of motivation for him to turn it around with Buffalo and if not ultimately with them then another team to acquire him.

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin - D

Of the many players whose careers have blossomed in Buffalo under coach Don Granato, Rasmus Dahlin’s growth into one of the top point-producing defensemen in the NHL is perhaps the sweetest redemption. When he arrived as a rookie in 2018, scoring was never a problem but playing a solid all-around game was a bit difficult. For a couple of seasons, the offense waned and the worry about whether he’d live up to being a No. 1 overall draft pick began, but over the past two seasons, and especially after 2022-2023, he’s shown to be exactly who many thought he would become. He was fourth on the Sabres in scoring last season with 73 points including 15 goals, both of which set new career highs. He was fifth among NHL defensemen in scoring and had 32 points on the power play which was fourth best among blue liners. His possession and shot metrics at 5-on-5 were tops among Sabres defensemen as well and showed that it wasn’t just the points that carried his game, something noticed by the PHWA voters as he finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting. He’s Buffalo’s No. 1 defenseman by far and one of the best in the NHL and just 23 years old.

Owen Power - D

Power’s rookie season showed a lot of why he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021. His 35 points made him the leading scorer among rookie defensemen and 26 of those points came at even strength. He was entrusted with power play duty on the second unit thanks to Rasmus Dahlin running the show most of the time, but he was apt to distribute there with eight power play points. Even though Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson made up most of the time on the first pairing, Power was tasked with vital ice time and averaged 23:48 per game, second only to Dahlin. At 20 years old, Power was a major contributor and a vital cog to the Sabres defense corps and the maturity in his game earned him the coaching staff’s trust. What helped that out was his unflappable ability to work out of tough situations and his ice-cold demeanor to get the job done. His advanced numbers did not stand out as strongly as the anecdotes and standard statistics (his 5-on-5 expected goals percentage was under 49 percent) and his defense partners seemed to take a lot of that blame. With the additions of Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson, we’ll get to see how well Power adjusts with one of them by his side for much of the season. If nothing else, Power has shown early in his career he’s not only up to such challenges but also ready to exceed expectations as well.

Mattias Samuelsson - D

When Mattias Samuelsson signed a seven-year, $30 million extension last October, there was a lot of head-scratching going on around the league because he’s a guy who hadn’t played a lot of NHL games and wasn’t known for producing points. Then he paired up with Rasmus Dahlin and the young Swede put up career numbers and became a much better defensive player as well. Coincidence? Not according to Dahlin and the Sabres coaching staff. Samuelsson’s dogged defensive and physical play, to them, allows Dahlin to have more freedom in the offensive zone to create as well as carry the puck all over the ice. If a $4 million-plus cap hit allows for that, you can argue that it’s money very well spent. But Samuelsson does enough of his own work to justify the deal. His big size causes opponents to be weary of going into corners against him for pucks as well as dread being around the front of the net. He’s also capable enough with the puck to make a good first pass out of the zone to start a breakout. Samuelsson is a modern-day throwback defensive defenseman where 20 years ago he’d have spent a lot of time scrapping with foes, but now he’ll settle disputes during the flow of play instead. Intangibles don’t generally have a price tag, but for Samuelsson there’s a solid approximation of the value.

Connor Clifton - D

The Sabres had a few areas of weakness last season that didn’t have to do with goaltending. They weren’t very good on the penalty kill (fifth worst in the NHL) and they weren’t a physical team (last in the NHL in hits by a substantial margin). To address those needs, the Sabres signed former Boston Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton to a three-year, $10 million contract. Clifton arrives in Buffalo with a history of playing for Don Granato during his junior hockey days and a reputation for delivering physically punishing hits all over the ice while also capable of playing up-tempo hockey. Clifton had 208 hits last season, 23rd most in the league, which was 101 more hits than the Sabres leader Mattias Samuelsson (who played in 23 fewer games). The hits stand out, but Clifton also had 23 points and only had 60 PIM last season. With his style of hockey, he provides an arguably necessary change on the Sabres blue line and a player who can draw attention away from their more skilled players when the temperature rises throughout a game. He’s not there to be a goon, of course, but instead he’ll be counted on to use his solid speed to help move the puck as well as adding some physical explosiveness to the blue line group. The Sabres haven’t had a player who made opponents keep their heads on a swivel in many years and they’re expecting Clifton to change that for them and give them an element they’ll need if they’re to make the playoffs and have success therein.

Goaltending

Devon Levi - G

It might seem premature to bank on Devon Levi as an NHL starter this upcoming season for the Buffalo Sabres. But even if he only splits the net with one of the more established options the team has under contract, it’s hard to argue that he’s the most talented piece they have on the roster by a wide margin.

Buffalo finally seemed to admit defeat on the Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen experiment this past season when they signed Levi to an entry-level deal at the culmination of his second collegiate season. Luukkonen, while the starter for Buffalo over the largest volume of games, once again struggled to put up league-average numbers and lost out on nearly a third of the starts on the year to a 41-year-old Craig Anderson. And while Eric Comrie always seemed just a step away from being ready to take the reins at the NHL level, his abbreviated performance at the NHL level last year also looked like nothing more than a tweener backup option to be used as a stopgap. Buffalo desperately needs to finally take a step forward, and Levi seems like their best chance to do that. The good news, though, is that he’s got all the makings of being the next franchise number one. He’s taken top-tier tracking and fluid lower-body movements and added in cleaner transitions than initially displayed his draft year. Perhaps the best part of his game, though, is that he’s got lightning-quick hands and a willingness to stop the puck to halt play; he’s perfectly confident setting up the face-off in his own end, and he holds his depth long enough to control incoming approaches from the offense. For Buffalo, the structure he has in his game should help balance out a defensive lineup that has struggled to establish consistency over the last decade-plus, especially with young names poised to revamp the blue line in the team’s incoming era. A Sabres lineup with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power pairing up with Devon Levi could become a team to watch for in the East. The question, ultimately, isn’t whether or not Levi is ready – it’s how many games he’ll have to play in rotation with Comrie and Luukkonen.

Projected starts: 35-40

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Standout Rookies and Riding the Seattle Wave

Scott Cullen — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:31:57 +0000

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

This week, standout rookies Owen Power and Cole Perfetti are scoring, Jared McCann and Oliver Bjorkstrand are riding the wave in Seattle, Filip Chytil is emerging as a scoring threat and much more.

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

#1 The first pick in the 2021 Draft, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power has been an impact player from the drop of the puck but has been getting overlooked to some degree because he was not scoring. He had no goals and 15 assists through 41 games. Those days could be in the past, as he has three goals and an assist during a four-game point streak. He may have his offensive ceiling capped by Rasmus Dahlin getting first unit power play time, but Power could provide sneaky offensive value down the stretch.

#2 Another rookie to keep in mind, is the Jets’ Cole Perfetti. The 10^th pick in the 2020 Draft, Perfetti has moved up the Winnipeg depth chart to skate on a line with Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois. In his past 10 games, Perfetti has contributed nine points (1 G, 8 A), giving him 29 points for the season. That puts him in second place in rookie scoring, seven points behind Seattle’s Matty Beniers.

#3 Staying in Winnipeg but moving to the other end of the career spectrum, 36-year-old right winger Blake Wheeler continues to put up points and remains available in many fantasy leagues. Even with reduced ice time, Wheeler has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past eight games, giving him 36 points in 41 games. In a change of pace, Wheeler has six power play goals and just four power play assists. It would be the first season of his career in which he finishes with more power play goals than assists.

#4 As the Seattle Kraken have surprisingly become one of the top scoring teams in the league, Jared McCann is leading the way with 23 goals. He has 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in his past 13 games. Among players that have played at least 500 five-on-five minutes, McCann has scored a league-best 2.29 goals per 60 minutes. The rest of the Top 10 is Jason Robertson, Jack Hughes, Tage Thompson, David Pastrnak, Cole Caufield, Connor McDavid, Victor Olofsson, Brayden Point, and Mikko Rantanen, so McCann is traveling in some rare company.

#5 Coming off a career-high 28 goals and 57 points for Columbus last season, Oliver Bjorkstrand was supposed to be an impact player for the Kraken. He scored a goal on opening night and then went 17 games without a goal. There has been progress lately, though, as he has seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 30 shots on goal in his past 10 games

#6 Due to a lack of premier playmaking options down the middle in Columbus, veteran Boone Jenner is still handling the first line center role and he has scored a goal in three straight games, but also has gone 11 games without recording an assist. The goals and hit totals are enough to give Jenner fantasy value, but if he is playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine, there have to be a few more helpers on the board.

#7 Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren picked up a couple of points in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers and the 23-year-old is stepping into a bigger role. He has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past nine games and has played more than 20 minutes in six of his past seven games. Since the start of last season, the Maple Leafs are controlling 57.4% of expected goals during five-on-five play with Liljegren on the ice. Among defensemen to play at least 1500 minutes, only three come in with a higher percentage – Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, and Matt Grzelcyk.

#8 In that Rangers loss at Toronto, Blueshirts center Filip Chytil scored a pair of goals, and he now has a career-high 15 goals in 40 games. In his past 10 games, Chytil has 11 points (7 G, 4 A) and 29 shots on goal, so it looks like the 23-year-old is ready to move beyond a depth role with the Rangers and become a real offensive contributor.

#9 Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson is on a goal-scoring tear, putting up 11 points (10 G, 1 A) and 38 shots on goal in the past 12 games. That gives Olofsson 23 goals and six assists in 48 games, making him a contender for the hockey Cy Young award. Cole Caufield (26 G, 10 A) is closest, but the Montreal Canadiens winger is done for the season with a shoulder injury. Aside from Olofsson, the players with the most goals, while still recording single digit assists totals are Brandon Saad (14 G, 7 A) and Josh Anderson (14 G, 3 A).

#10 The ninth pick in the 2017 Draft, Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen took some time to develop but appears to be taking the next step in his development. After notching a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win at Montreal, Rasmussen has seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past six games. At 6-foot-6, Rasmussen can play both center and wing and is up to 24 points (9 G, 15 A) in 45 games, pushing closer to his career high of 27 points, set in 80 games last season.

#11 While the Nashville Predators have called up Juuso Parssinen and Tomas Novak to fill center ice spots, the latest center to move to the top line is Cody Glass, who has quietly been a nice reclamation project for the Preds. In his past 19 games, Glass has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) to go with 38 shots on goal. He has been moved up the depth chart to center Nashville’s top line, between Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene, so if the production continues, Glass should be able to count on remaining in a strong situation.

#12 Even with Jake Allen returning from injury to help stabilize the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltending situation, Samuel Montembeault has surely earned a substantial role in the Habs crease. In the past three weeks, Montembeault has started eight games and delivered a .930 save percentage in that time. He has a .910 save percentage in 21 starts and his 10 wins is already a career high.

#13 Montreal has a long list of injured players, and it includes eight skaters that have been regulars in the lineup this season. That has resulted in Rem Pitlick and rookie Jesse Ylonen securing spots among the top six forwards and Evgeny Dadonov is getting firs unit power play time. Of those three, Dadonov would have the most fantasy appeal, and it’s not much.

#14 The return of Josh Norris to the Ottawa Senators lineup was brief, as he will now have season-ending shoulder surgery. Considering where the Senators are in the standings, this should mean a good run for rookie Shane Pinto. He has 19 points (12 G, 7 A) in 47 games, which is not going to draw fantasy interest even though 12 goals rank third among rookie goal-scorers, but if Pinto’s ice time goes up, there will be an opportunity for him to produce more later in the season.

#15 For much of the season, the New York Rangers have been trying to figure out the right combination of linemates for star winger Artemi Panarin. Although he is still scoring better than a point per game, Panarin has five points (1 G, 4 A) in the past eight games and one of those games was a three-assist effort against Florida. The latest line combinations for the Blueshirts have Panarin skating with Mika Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey. Certainly, Panarin and Zibanejad are rostered just about everywhere, but this is quite an opportunity for Vesey who has four points (2 G, 2 A) in his past 16 games and played a season-high 19:18 at Toronto on Wednesday.

#16 It looked so good early in the season for Jack Eichel in Vegas. He was healthy and scoring, but now as his production is slowing down, he has taken public criticism from head coach Bruce Cassidy. In six games since Mark Stone landed on the injured list, Eichel has managed one assist and 11 shots on goal, which is not nearly good enough, but the Golden Knights are not exactly setting up Eichel to succeed at this point – his most recent linemates are Nicolas Roy and Paul Cotter and it’s a big ask for those players to handle the responsibility of playing on a No. 1 scoring line for a Stanley Cup contender.

#17 Carolina Hurricanes left winger Andrei Svechnikov has yet to score in 2023, picking up five assists in 11 games, but that could make him a good buy-low option on the fantasy trade market. Svechnikov is still generating chances – he has 41 shots on goal in those 11 games – and while there is some variance in his ice time from game to game, he is still averaging more than 18 minutes per game over that stretch, which is consistent with his average time on ice for the season. So, the opportunities are there for him and the Hurricanes have plenty of incentive to get Svechnikov back on track.

#18 Another possible buy-low candidate is skating in Ottawa. Alex DeBrincat has three points (2 G, 1 A) in 11 games since the calendar turned to 2023. While he has 39 points in 47 games, DeBrincat has just 15 goals, which is well below the pace that he was scoring at for Chicago in the past couple of seasons. However, DeBrincat is actually averaging 3.52 shots on goal per game this season, more than he ever has in his career. The problem is that he is scoring on 9.6% of his shots, which is way down form the 17.2% that he scored on in the past two seasons. But if the percentages bounce back a bit, DeBrincat could still have a hot streak of goal-scoring in him.

#19 Since January 1, the leaders in per 60 minutes individual expected goals in all situations (minimum 50 minutes): John Tavares, Max Pacioretty, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Timo Meier, Brady Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, Jack Hughes, and Matthew Tkachuk. The season-ending Achilles injury to Pacioretty is obviously a big loss for the Hurricanes and most of these names are to be expected, though Tavares being tops in the league is somewhat surprising and Verhaeghe is showing that he is a consistent scoring force. In his past six games, Verhaeghe has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 25 shots on goal.

#20 At the other end of the spectrum, looking at forwards that have not been generating a lot of chances or expected goals in 2023, naturally, a lot of those forwards are fourth liners, who are often not expected to contribute offensively. However, there are some notable names among the bottom 40 forwards when it comes to expected goals per 60 in 2023. That includes Mike Hoffman, Jonathan Toews, Jack Roslovic and…Mitch Marner? Marner has 15 points (4 G, 11 A) with 24 shots on goal in 12 games in the new year, but perhaps that stark difference between Tavares and Marner helps explain why the Maple Leafs went back to having Marner play with Auston Matthews earlier this week.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – NHL Player Profiles

Joe Yerdon – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 21:41:19 +0000

FORWARDS

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

Tage Thompson

As breakout seasons go, perhaps none were more out-of-the-blue and stunning as Tage Thompson’s 38-goal, 68-point year in 2020-2021 all while playing a position he hadn’t played in the NHL. Coach Don Granato moved Thompson to center and watched the six-foot-seven score more than twice as many goals in one season as he did in his first four with Buffalo and St. Louis. Thompson going from a player you wondered if he would ever pop off in the NHL to suddenly being the Sabres No. 1 center without a doubt is an incredible glow-up. Thompson’s rise to the top of the line-chart saw him team up with Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch to provide the Sabres’ first dangerous top line since Skinner skated next to Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Of his 38 goals, 26 came at even strength and 10 on the power play. Adding a couple of shorthanded tallies was a chef’s kiss on top of an incredible season. On top of that, Thompson trailed only Skinner in shots taken and he was fourth among six players on the roster to have a greater than 50 percent CorsiFor at 5-on-5 last season. The Sabres believe he can do it again and signed him to a seven-year, $50 million contract prior to training camp.

Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner’s Sabres career has been an incredible journey and he just finished his fourth season in Buffalo. After he scored 40 in his first season and landed an eight-year, $72 million contract his following two seasons had him buried in the lineup by then coach Ralph Krueger and his offense disappeared posting the worst seasons of his career in back-to-back years. With Krueger out and Don Granato in, Skinner found himself back on the top line and thrived. Skinner finished second on the Sabres behind Tage Thompson in goals (33) and points (63). As he’s done throughout his career, he thrived at even strength scoring 28 goals and his time on the power play increased greatly and led to five goals. Having a player with the offensive ability of Skinner made it seem like a no-brainer to put him with other players who can drive play and teaming up with Thompson and Alex Tuch helped make everyone better. Skinner’s ice time even recovered to a normal level as his average per game jumped by 2:35. What Skinner will look to avoid is the roller coaster effect he’s had year to year going from a big goal season to a more average one. After breaking free of the restrictions of the past, Skinner will aim to keep the good times rolling.

Alex Tuch

It’s not often when a player is traded for a superstar that he turns into the breath of fresh air needed to give a team life. This was the story for Alex Tuch after arriving in Buffalo from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade. Tuch embraced being a Sabre as he was a fan of them growing up outside of Syracuse, NY and impressed fans in Western New York with his big frame he uses to drive the net and create opportunities close to the net. Tuch returned from offseason shoulder surgery to play 50 games for Buffalo and posted 12 goals and 38 points tying him for fifth with Dylan Cozens on the team. Tuch teaming up with Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson on the top line for most of the season allowed him to be the power forward while Thompson and Skinner thrived with the room he provided. Tuch’s scoring rate of 0.76 points per-game was also a career high and his best since 2018-2019 with the Golden Knights. He was second on the Sabres behind Rasmus Asplund with a 51.6 percent CorsiFor at 5-on-5 and when you’ve got the puck more than the opponent does, you’re doing it right. Tuch also showed characteristics of being a possible future captain of the team, if not this season, then certainly down the road. With a complete offseason of training and a full season, it should mean the best is yet to come for Tuch.

Victor Olofsson

Victor Olofsson has one of the best shots in the NHL and he found ways to grow his game when his shot wasn’t there. For a span of time that’s somewhat unclear, Olofsson dealt with a wrist injury that appeared to take the speed and accuracy away from his laser beam of a shot and held him to 20 goals. Although he missed only 10 games, having his best weapon unavailable for any amount of time would be frustrating. Consider that he scored on 12.2% of his shots last season, a normal season would’ve meant scoring closer to 25 or 30 goals. The last time the Sabres had more than two 30-goal scorers in a season was 2006-2007 when they had four. Watching Olofsson evolve into a player who can do more than just score laser beam goals on the power play to one who can set up others and score for himself is a very welcome change. This isn’t to say Olofsson’s play ever disappointed the front office, but when you add more to a player’s game that can make them a better threat and keep opposing defenses on their toes, it makes a difference. This evolution in his game shows that sometimes out of the most difficult situations, solutions arise. With a new two-year contract signed and set, Olofsson will be eager to show off all his weapons.

Casey Mittelstadt

Last season was supposed to be Mittelstadt’s opportunity to show what he can really bring to the lineup. He had a great training camp and appeared ready to have his best season at the most important time of his career. Instead, an upper-body injury in the first game of the season kept him sidelined until December where he re-aggravated it and didn’t return until late January. He missed two more weeks with a separate injury in February. In all, injuries cost him 42 games and kept him to six goals and 19 points in 40 games. Mittelstadt’s career has had plenty of ups and downs to this point, but provided injuries stay away, he’ll be in the same position to show what he can bring to a rejuvenated lineup. His hands and shot are excellent as we’ve seen in the past and whether he stays at center or slides to wing, he can be a productive forward. He’ll have a bit more competition this year with Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, and J-J Peterka set to challenge for bigger roles and spots on the roster. He found success last season playing with Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Asplund as those three were able to have strong possession and shot generation. With good health and ice time to match it, the best of his career may be yet to come, but competition for spots among forwards will be stiff.

Dylan Cozens

The 21-year-old native of Yukon enters his third NHL season and while he’s been fine during those seasons, he’s in the best position to have a breakout season in Buffalo now. For roughly the first half of last season, Cozens was one of the Sabres most impressive young players. He showed great aptitude for carrying the puck into the zone and he helped drive play on his line. For a time, he was on a 20-goal pace, but things cooled off a little and he finished with 13 goals and 38 points. The rates on his offensive metrics all improved quite a bit and he further developed the edge to his game that won’t allow larger players to take advantage of him. He’s also not afraid to drop the gloves if the situation calls for it. Cozens saw more of his shift starts come in the offensive zone going roughly 60-40 offensive to defensive zone. This may seem a bit sheltered, but he played most of the season with Vinnie Hinostroza and Kyle Okposo and giving lines that may or may not be a bit lower in the lineup a bit more juice to get some scoring chances never hurts. With Cozens’ ability to possess the puck up the ice and able to gain the zone with the puck under control, he may be able to help get the team out of danger more often. With an expected influx of young scoring talent, it may open things up for Cozens to boost his own offensive output.

Rasmus Asplund

It’s true that many forwards who excel defensively fly under the radar unless they’re also outstanding scorers. After all, doing the grunt work doesn’t usually get on the highlight reels. But when you did through the numbers and search out players whose possession and shot suppression numbers look, perhaps no one went as unnoticed as Rasmus Asplund. At 5-on-5, Asplund was the Sabres best at CorsiFor percentage (53.3), he trailed only Alex Tuch in Shots For percentage and expected goals for percentage. Even more impressive is that he had most of his zone starts in the offensive end. Asplund is not an offensive dynamo. He had eight goals and 27 points and 22 of those were at even strength. He went 46 games between goals, when he scored Nov. 21 and not again until March 27, but his defensive work earned him a few votes for the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. Given his defensive abilities, he’ll likely be deployed on an energy line or will line up with other players whose main skills are not centered around shutting down opponents. That Asplund has emerged like this gives Buffalo someone they can rely on to forecheck and pressure the puck relentlessly all over the ice and to play smart on the penalty kill. If Asplund were better at finishing he’d have a few more goals as he can generate chances, but for now it’s not his main mission.

Peyton Krebs

As the other key acquisition in the Jack Eichel trade, Krebs joined the Sabres as a potential future top-six centerman. Although he was drafted by Vegas, he’s done most of his pro hockey development with Buffalo last season. He joined the Sabres organization having played seven AHL games with Henderson and 13 with the Golden Knights. Over 48 games in Buffalo he posted seven goals and 22 points and showed an adept ability to thread passes to teammates and create scoring chances or set up goals. Like Cozens, Krebs was a first-round pick in 2019 but his road to the NHL was a bit more methodical, not to mention slowed by injuries, but his time to start shining is approaching. Something that will help Krebs get to the NHL and be a top-six or top-nine forward is the improvement in his defensive game. While his vision on the ice as well as his passing ability are outstanding, he struggled in his own end. When he was sent to the AHL at the conclusion of the NHL season, his play in there showed he’s not far off in general, but he put a lot of work in his play away from the puck and it helped him immensely. Building off that will help him in the competition for minutes in the lineup. With his offensive gifts already showing a lot of promise, he’ll have a huge opportunity to capitalize in competition with teammates.

DEFENSE

Rasmus Dahlin

It would feel wrong to say that Dahlin has been a bit beleaguered in his four NHL seasons, but there’s a lot of truth to it. He’s played for three head coaches, each with different systems and ideas for how Dahlin should play, and it’s hurt him, particularly early on in seasons. Last season started similarly as the player who went No. 1 in the 2018 NHL Draft seemed like he would never show up. But that changed in the second half of the year. Dahlin became a puck-rushing force, particularly in the offensive zone. Dahlin’s moments to pinch in were well-timed, his reads on plays were spot on, and his ability to finish chances improved as the season wound down. He had 13 goals and 40 assists when it was all said and done, and it seemed like the new energy surrounding the team manifested itself within his game. Ten of his goals came at even strength, as did 21 assists. On the power play which he was the quarterback on the top unit, he scored three goals with 18 assists and even had a shorthanded assist as well. He played the most minutes per game in his career (over 24:01) and was hands-down their No. 1 defenseman. These are key reasons to be excited about what’s to come this season, all he must do is not stumble out of the gate and play like that for a full season. It’s a big ask, but it’s the ask that’s always been made of him from the beginning.

Mattias Samuelsson

The one thing that kept the 6-foot-4, 226-pound rookie from being a Sabre all season was an injury sustained during a prospects challenge game before the start of training camp. That blocked shot kept him out of action for some time and meant he started the season in the AHL when he was cleared to play. It wasn’t long after that he was off to Buffalo where he instantly became a top pairing defender with Rasmus Dahlin and made Buffalo’s blue line that much better. Over 42 games, Samuelsson had 10 assists and averaged an even 20 minutes per game. While he played most his minutes with Casey Fitzgerald to start, his time with Dahlin is what has everyone in Buffalo excited about what’s to come. In 140 minutes of time at 5-on-5 with Dahlin, he posted a 54.6 percent CorsiFor and a 51.3 percent expected goals for. Even with all that, there was some bad luck as their PDO together was .967 (average is 1.000). Samuelsson also provides a physical element to the roster that’s severely lacking. He was third on the team with 100 hits. Dahlin was first with 121 but he played in 38 more games. The best is yet to come for Samuelsson, and he’ll be counted on to play top pairing minutes, likely with Dahlin. His throwback style with a modern twist is the exact kind of thing Buffalo has needed for a long time.

Henri Jokiharju

A lot had been asked of Jokiharju in his first couple seasons with Buffalo. He was originally Rasmus Dahlin’s partner and stayed there for a few seasons. The importance of that pairing playing most minutes and being tasked the toughest matchups began to show that perhaps that wasn’t the ideal role for the now 23-year-old Finn. Now that Mattias Samuelsson has assumed that role on the top pairing, Jokiharju has slid back to the second pair where, while the minutes are fewer, it’s allowed Jokiharju to settle in and take better advantage of the lesser matchups. What that really means is it’s a long-winded way of saying Jokiharju was fine but unspectacular. His numbers, both standard and advanced, don’t jump off the screen. He had three goals and 19 points in 60 games and his possession numbers were middle of the road both in terms of the Sabres and in general. He had some power play time and a bit more on the penalty kill, although it stands to reason with Owen Power’s full-time arrival, power play time will be scarce for Jokiharju from here on out. What will make or break him is how steady and consistent he can play. There were stretches last season where his play was a bit off and left fans frustrated. Saving him from top pairing minutes should do well to eliminate that from occurring and allow Buffalo to get the best from him.

Ilya Lyubushkin

True defensive-defensemen are a bit scarcer in the modern NHL, but when there’s a need for one on a team it’s always apparent. Therefore, one of the Sabres few free agent signings addressed that need for the blue line and it was former Coyote and Maple Leaf defender Ilya Lyubushkin that fit the bill. While Mattias Samuelsson provides a lot of that bite on the top pair, Lyubushkin will provide another option on a lower pairing. One thing that makes Lyubushkin stand out is his consistency. The player he was when he came up with Arizona is the same guy he is now. His shot suppression numbers were decent with Arizona considering how poorly they’ve played the past few seasons. In his short time with the Maple Leafs, those numbers naturally improved but his game held strong. He’s not a big time shot blocker nor is he overwhelmingly physical, but at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds he can fill the space and close the gaps with attention to detail. If there’s someone Lyubushkin seems ideal to line up next to it’s Owen Power. His defensive-minded play counters Power’s strong puck carrying ability and offensive play. That’s a spot he may have to compete with Jokiharju to lock down. Make no mistake though, Lyubushkin is a Sabre because he can handle himself very well in his own end of the ice, anything else he can add is gravy.

Craig Anderson

It seems like Craig Anderson just doesn’t want to quit – at 41-years old, he’ll be one of the oldest players in the league, much less in net. With the announcement that Mike Smith will likely miss the 2022-23 campaign, that leaves Anderson as the league’s only over-40 goaltender – and the next closest in age, Marc-Andre Fleury, will only be 38. It’s hard not to root for him to keep having fun, especially given the mentor status he’ll assume during the upcoming year.

Buffalo found itself scrambling when former up-and-comer Linus Ullmark left in free agency last summer, and they still haven’t quite recovered. That leaves them in a position where they need Anderson for as long as he’s happy to skate out and dress the part, even if his numbers during the 2021-22 season were far from exemplary. He remains one of the league’s most old-school holdouts from a technical standpoint, which becomes more and more apparent with each passing year; as the game speeds up and requires faster and smoother lateral work, he struggles to keep up. But despite the fact that his game clearly doesn’t seem suited for going the distance on a postseason run anymore, he continues to have one of the most consistent game styles out there. That’s an incredible asset for a Buffalo franchise that’s not necessarily trying to win a cup this year but is trying to ingrain good habits in the up-and-coming players they have on roster. Add in the guidance that Anderson can provide for the newly-acquired Eric Comrie and the stable reliability he offers for the team’s coaching staff as a backup, and there’s a lot to like about his continued presence in the Niagara region – even if he signifies yet another year of a seemingly-endless rebuild.

Projected starts: 35-40

Eric Comrie

It seems like Eric Comrie has been just a step away from regular league action for years now, but he’ll finally get his chance this season. With Malcolm Subban on the injured reserve list, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen coming off a lackluster year spent nearly entirely in the AHL, and Erik Portillo still developing at the University of Michigan, the door is wide open for Comrie to finally establish himself as a consistent NHL presence.

Comrie had a stellar coming-out year for Winnipeg this past season, posting his first career NHL shutout and boasting a .920 save percentage in all situations through 19 games. It seemed as if he finally took the technical precision he was so well known for during his prospect years and added a bit more confident from a decision-making standpoint. During some of his brief earlier showings at the NHL level, he struggled with keeping his movements fluid and minimal after allowing a tough goal. This past year, though, he managed to keep his game consistent through entire 60-minute showings, relying on smart technique and a lack of over-aggressive challenging to give himself an edge in a season where so many goaltenders were still re-establishing their own game baselines post-covid shutdowns. Now, though, he’ll have to replicate that success with what’s likely to be a much higher workload, behind a team that’s dealt with far less success than Winnipeg has seen in the last few years. Buffalo has struggled with not just structure to their games, but with consistency – particularly in how they manage their blue line. That means that although Comrie is going to be given more responsibility, he’ll be given less direction in how to handle it. Hopefully, he’ll be fine with Craig Anderson as a reliable mentor, but he wouldn’t be the first goaltender to see his confidence rattled by a scattered system offered up by the Sabres.

Projected starts: 50-55

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Rookies Matt Boldy and Vasily Podkolzin are surging late in the season, plus unexpected value from Dmitry Orlov, Gustav Forsling, Ross Colton, Artturi Lehkonen, and Frederick Gaudreau.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 15:04:22 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

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

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, rookies Matt Boldy and Vasily Podkolzin are surging late in the season, plus unexpected value from Dmitry Orlov, Gustav Forsling, Ross Colton, Artturi Lehkonen, and Frederick Gaudreau.

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 12: Vancouver Canucks right wing Vasily Podkolzin (92) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Arena on April 12, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

#1 When Matt Boldy joined the Minnesota Wild this season, after recovering from a broken ankle suffered in the preseason, he fit into the lineup instantly, scoring 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in his first 13 games. After a dip in production, he is heating up again, currently on a nine-game point streak, during which he has 12 points (3 G, 9 A). He leads rookies (minimum 10 games played) with 0.86 points per game, ahead of Michael Bunting (0.81), Trevor Zegras (0.80), Lucas Raymond (0.72), and Anton Lundell (0.69).

#2 While Canucks winger Vasily Podkolzin has shown flashes of talent during his rookie season, late season injuries have opened the door to more playing time and Podkolzin has been able to rise to the challenge. With the Canucks making a desperate bid for a playoff berth, Podkolzin has produced eight points (4 G, 4 A) while averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time per game in his past seven games.

#3 Veteran Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov has generally been a very good player though one with mostly deep league fantasy appeal for most of his career. He has elevated his production this season, though, and six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past five games has lifted Orlov to career highs of 12 goals and 35 points. His 31 even-strength points is tied for 21^st in the league among defensemen.

#4 There are benefits to playing on the highest scoring team in a generation and Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling is reaping some of those rewards. Even after a quiet game against Detroit Thursday, Forsling has produced 11 points (7 G, 4 A) and 38 shots on goal in his past 11 games, giving him 36 points for the season; not a bad jump for a player whose previous career high was 17 points in 43 games last season.

#5 Even as the Anaheim Ducks have faded down the stretch, veteran defenseman Cam Fowler has delivered eight points (2 G, 6 A) in his past nine games, giving him a career high 42 points. He has been handling a heavy load on the Ducks blueline, averaging 24:59 time on ice per game since the All-Star break.

#6 When the Tampa Bay Lightning turned over their entire third line in the offseason, there was naturally an expectation that Ross Colton would see an expanded role following a solid showing in a limited role as a rookie last season. While Colton has seen more ice time, he is still averaging less than 13 minutes of ice time per game and after a three-point night against Toronto on Thursday, Colton has 11 points (9 G, 2 A) and 31 shots on goal in the past 11 games. Among players that have played at least 300 5v5 minutes, Colton ranks seventh with 1.42 goals per 60 minutes.

#7 Ahead of Colton in 5v5 goals per 60 minutes are Auston Matthews (1.98), Filip Forsberg (1.73), Vladimir Tarasenko (1.64), Max Pacioretty (1.51), Andrew Mangiapane (1.47), and Ryan Hartman (1.42). Rounding out the Top 10 are Nathan MacKinnon (1.41), Roope Hintz (1.40), and Matt Boldy (1.39).

#8 A lot of attention around the Buffalo Sabres has been focused on the top line, and deservedly so, but the supporting cast is doing its part as the Sabres have been winning more down the stretch. Winger Victor Olofsson has notably contributed 17 points (8 G, 9 A) and 33 shots on goal in his past 13 games, lifting him to 47 points (20 G, 27 A) in 69 games.

#9 Injuries have hindered the production of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak this season, so he has not lived up to my Fantasy All-Star billing in the preseason, but he is contributing enough to have some late-season waiver wire appeal. Cernak has recorded an assist in four straight games and has racked up 38 hits and 18 blocked shots in 11 games this month.

#10 This has hardly been an ideal season for him and it’s looking like the playoffs could be slipping away from the Vegas Golden Knights, but center William Karlsson has put up 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 29 shots on goal in his past 11 games. It is wild that the one-time 43-goal scorer has just 11 goals in 63 games this season, but a lot of that difference can be attributed to shooting percentage – 8.8% this season compared to 24.3% in 2017-2018, the inaugural season of the Golden Knights.

#11 Robert Thomas scored his 20^th goal of the season Thursday at San Jose, making him the eighth 20 goal scorer on the Blues, joining Tarasenko, Pavel Buchnevich, David Perron, Jordan Kyrou, Ivan Barbashev, Brayden Schenn, and Brandon Saad. Colorado ranks second, with seven 20-goal scorers. Montreal (Nick Suzuki) and Seattle (Jared McCann) each have one 20-goal scorer.

#12 The Colorado Avalanche resurrected the career of winger Valeri Nichushkin, who had zero goals in 57 games in 2018-2019, his last season with the Dallas Stars. After a couple of seasons of establishing that he is an elite checking winger, Nichushkin is up to 22 goals in 58 games this season. To some degree, the Avs might think that they can get a similar result from Artturi Lehkonen, an excellent checking winger with some trouble finishing when he was with Montreal. With some injuries in Colorado, Lehkonen has stepped up, tallying six points (3 G, 3 A) with 16 shots on goal in the past five games. That gives Lehkonen a career high of 36 points in 69 games.

#13 The Minnesota Wild signed center Frederick Gaudreau as a free agent last summer, after he had put up a career high 10 points in 19 games for Pittsburgh. Through the end of January, Gaudreau had contributed 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 34 games but since then he has produced 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in 37 games, making the most of his opportunity to play with Boldy and Kevin Fiala. When Gaudreau and Boldy are on the ice at 5v5, the Wild are outscoring opponents 32-15.

#14 Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault has made a major difference since joining the team as a free agent last summer. Not only has Danault provided his expected strong defensive play, but he has picked up his offensive production, too. Danault is on a five-game goal-scoring streak and has 27 points (16 G, 11 A) in 33 games since the beginning of February.

#15 Although this has been an uneven season for Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, opening the door for Ville Husso to emerge as the starter, Binnington has been better recently. In his past four starts, he has a .944 save percentage, which might offer a little more reason for St. Louis to hope that they have two viable options in goal down the stretch and into the playoffs.

#16 It appears that the best option in net for the Vegas Golden Knights right now is Logan Thompson, the 25-year-old rookie who has a .920 save percentage in 15 games this season. Robin Lehner does not appear to be entirely healthy and his .907 save percentage this season would be his lowest since the 2014-2015 season.

#17 The Vegas Golden Knights were obviously in a state of desperation when they pulled captain Mark Stone off of LTIR, but Stone has not been himself since returning, failing to record a point and managing nine shots on goal in five games. With the Golden Knights scrambling in an effort to earn a playoff spot, they don’t just need Stone to play, they need him to produce, but if his back is still causing him problems, that might not be in the cards.

#18 Although the wins are not coming easily since his move to San Jose, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen is making the most of his opportunity to play more regularly. In his past five appearances, Kahkonen has posted a .940 save percentage and this late-season audition is a good chance for him to stake his claim to a potential starting role next season.

#19 Lightning center Brayden Point is dealing with a lower-body injury but even before he was sidelined, Point had managed zero goals and one assist in his last eight games. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said that he hopes Point will be available by the weekend, but time is running out for Point to be a factor for fantasy managers at the end of the regular season.

#20 A handful of notable forwards that have faded since the All-Star break:

Nashville’s Luke Kunin, who does add some fantasy value with his physical play, has just four points (3 G, 1 A) in 31 games since the break.

Dallas Stars winger Alexander Radulov has faded from the lineup, now a healthy scratch after managing seven points (2 G, 5 A) in 32 games since the All-Star break.

There was a time earlier in the season that the Penguins were expecting Kasperi Kapanen to fill a top-six role and it has not worked out. Like Radulov, Kapanen is now a healthy scratch after putting up seven points (2 G, 5 A) in his past 35 games.

Going into the All-Star break, Los Angeles Kings left winger Alex Iafallo had put up 14 goals and 28 points in 45 games. Since then, just eight points (2 G, 6 A) in 32 games even though he is still getting more than 18 minutes of ice time per game.

Injuries may be catching up to Capitals right winger T.J. Oshie, who has played in 39 of Washington’s 77 games this season. In his past 11 games, Oshie has just three points (2 G, 1 A).

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Big forwards that are elevating their production, including Anders Lee, Lawson Crouse, Jordan Greenway and more, plus a few trades getting done before Monday’s deadline with Calle Jarnkrok, Ben Chiarot, and Josh Manson already on the move.

Scott Cullen — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 17:49:28 +0000

20 FANTASY POINTS

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

In this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points, big forwards that are elevating their production, including Anders Lee, Lawson Crouse, Jordan Greenway and more, plus a few trades getting done before Monday’s deadline with Calle Jarnkrok, Ben Chiarot, and Josh Manson already on the move.

#1 Coming off a torn ACL last season, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee had a rough start to this season, managing four goals and no assists through his first 15 games. His performance since then has been uneven – some good, some bad – but Lee is now on a six-game goal-scoring streak, during which he has 10 points (9 G, 1 A).and 19 shots on goal. Since 2017-2018, Lee has scored 123 goals in 311 games to rank 28^th in the league over that time.

#2 In deep leagues, Arizona Coyotes left winger Lawson Crouse has had value from time to time because he provides hits in addition to modest offensive contributions but what happens when the scoring contributions are more than modest? In his past six games, Crouse has put up eight points (5 G, 3 A), 11 shots and 19 hits. Crouse is up to a career-high 19 goals in 59 games.

#3 Sticking with the trend of big wingers making a mark, Minnesota Wild left winger Jordan Greenway has not had a terribly productive season, but Greenway recently missed a couple of weeks with an injury and since returning to action has contributed three points (2 G, 1 A), 13 shots on goal, and 12 hits in five games.

#4 With Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog on the shelf with a knee injury, opportunity is knocking for Valeri Nichushkin, a powerful winger that I have recommended at various times this season already, but he’s now skating on Colorado’s top line and getting first-unit power play time. In his past 21 games, Nichushkin has 16 points (5 G, 11 A) and 59 shots on goal, but the chance to play with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen is even more appealing than Nichushkin’s recent level of production.

#5 Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot has suffered a broken hand which could keep him out for the rest of the season, and for fantasy purposes, it opens the door for someone else to quarterback the Ottawa power play. Enter Erik Brannstrom, a 22-year-old puck-mover who has just five assists in 31 games. Brannstrom played a career-high 27:53 in the Senators’ last game, so he may be looking at an opportunity to play a big role down the stretch for Ottawa.

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 16: Ottawa Senators Center Josh Norris (9) skates during the second period of the NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 16, 2021 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Steven Kingsman/Icon Sportswire)

#6 Senators center Josh Norris missed five weeks with a shoulder injury, but he has been excellent since returning to the lineup, tallying eight points (6 G, 2 A) along with 19 shots on goal in eight games. Norris has played 100 NHL games over the past two seasons, scoring 41 goals. His 0.41 goals per game across the past two seasons is tied with the likes of Mitch Marner, Mika Zibanejad, Andrew Mangiapane, and Matt Duchene.

#7 Moved to the Edmonton Oilers top line with Connor McDavid and Evander Kane, Kailer Yamamoto is starting to produce after what has been a mostly mediocre season. He started the year with just six points (5 G, 1 A) in his first 28 games but has started to come around. During his current four-game goal-scoring streak, Yamamoto has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 11 shots on goal.

#8 Industrious Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Ondrej Kase has been a welcome source of secondary scoring for the Leafs. In his past six games, Kase has six points (4 G, 2 a) and 14 shots on goal. In the past couple of games, he has been skating on the second line, with Alex Kerfoot and William Nylander, which offers a little more offensive upside than when he skates on the wing of David Kampf’s line.

#9 With Bruins center Patrice Bergeron injured, Boston is dependent on the rest of their centers to fill the void. This is an opportunity for Charlie Coyle to step up and Coyle has been more productive recently, delivering 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in his past 16 games. Coyle has 33 points in 61 games this season and that 0.54 points per game is his highest since 2017-2018.

#10 The Calgary Flames made another savvy move before the trade deadline, acquiring versatile forward Calle Jarnkrok from the Seattle Kraken. Jarnkrok has been playing 16:48 per game this season, tying his average time on ice last season for the highest of his career, and there is a decent chance that he will not be required to play that much in Calgary. Jarnkrok has 26 points (12 G, 14 A) in 49 games, the fourth time in the past five seasons that he has averaged better than 0.50 points per game. That should fit comfortably in the Flames’ middle six up front.

#11 The other big trade from Wednesday was the Florida Panthers paying a big price to get defenseman Ben Chiarot from the Montreal Canadiens. Chiarot has deep league fantasy appeal, particularly after a recent scoring surge saw him put up nine points (2 G, 7 A) in his last nine games for the Habs. With Chiarot departing, the most obvious candidate to fill that ice time on the Canadiens blueline is Joel Edmundson, the veteran blueliner who has just returned to the lineup, playing his first two games of the season.

#12 Earlier in the week, the Colorado Avalanche made a big acquisition with their deal for veteran right-shot defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks. Manson only has nine points (4 G, 5 A) in 45 games this season, but he did have three points in his last three games with the Ducks before the trade. While the scoring numbers may not make much of a difference in Colorado, Manson had 10 hits in his first game for the Avs, so there might be some peripheral stats value for fantasy managers.

#13 With Boone Jenner sidelined, Jack Roslovic has moved up the depth chart for the Columbus Blue Jackets and sometimes all that is needed is a better opportunity. In his past 12 games, Roslovic has contributed nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 19 shots on goal. Roslovic had a breakthrough season last year, scoring 34 points in 48 games, but his ice time is way down this season, from 16:54 per game last season to 12:38 per game this season.

#14 21-year-old Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton has taken some time to make his mark since he was the fifth overall pick in the 2018 Draft, but he should be looking at a consistent role for the rest of the season as Arizona tries to find players that can be part of the long-term plan in the desert. In Hayton’s case, he has put up eight points (3 G, 5 A) in the past eight games and that might give him some sleeper value late in the season.

#15 Florida Panthers rookie goaltender Spencer Knight was a potential Calder Trophy candidate coming into the season, but his performance was underwhelming enough that he ended getting sent to the AHL where he had a .905 save percentage in 11 games, hardly an assurance that he would be able to handle his return to the NHL, but Knight has been excellent since returning to the Panthers, posting a .928 save percentage in four starts.

#16 Carolina Hurricanes backup goaltender Antti Raanta has had trouble staying healthy for long enough to secure a starting job, but he has performed well enough to have value when he is healthy. In his past six starts for the ‘Canes, Raanta has a .930 save percentage, lifting his save percentage for the season to .917. For fantasy spots starts, Raanta is worth considering.

#17 Since the All-Star break, the NHL leaders in primary points (goals plus first assists) per game (minimum 10 games): Patrick Kane, J.T. Miller, Auston Matthews, Elias Lindholm, Nick Schmaltz, Jonathan Huberdeau, Connor McDavid, Clayton Keller, Jack Hughes, and Kirill Kaprizov. Miller is playing as well as he ever has while Schmaltz and Keller are driving Arizona’s sudden offensive explosion. Hughes has been playing at a star level since returning from injury.

#18 Nashville defenseman Roman Josi has produced a whopping 28 points in his last 15 games, surging into the scoring lead among defensemen with 72 points in 59 games, ahead of Colorado’s Cale Makar, who has 66 points in 57 games.

#19 Since the All-Star break, the players with the highest rate of individual shot attempts per 60 minutes (minimum 100 5v5 minutes): Viktor Arvidsson, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Victor Olofsson, Arthur Kaliyev, David Pastrnak, Nic Hague, and Jake Walman. Some of those names are familiar and expected but Kings rookie winger Kaliyev along with Golden Knights defenseman Hague and Blues defenseman Walman are more surprising.

#20 Skaters with the highest on-ice xGF/60 since the All-Star break (minimum 100 5v5 minutes): Mitch Marner, Patrice Bergeron, Auston Matthews, Timothy Liljegren, Michael Bunting, Connor McDavid, Thomas Harley, Mikko Rantanen, Evan Bouchard, and Trevor Moore. Toronto’s top line is dominating and Bergeron, McDavid, and Rantanen are entirely expected to create quality scoring chances, but young defensemen Liljegren, Harley, and Bouchard are driving positive results when they are on the ice.

#21 The players that have been most snakebit since the All-Star break, with the greatest difference between their all-situations expected goals and their actual goals: Brendan Gallagher, Anthony Beauvillier, Andrew Copp, Rasmus Asplund, Alex Iafallo, Roope Hintz, Nazem Kadri, Joe Pavelski, John Tavares, and Mikko Rantanen. From that group, I would expect Hintz, Tavares, and Rantanen to be the most likely to see their goal-scoring numbers improve down the stretch.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Buffalo Sabres 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 10:11:09 +0000

With only two full years and three drafts under his belt, it cannot yet be said that the Buffalo Sabres’ pipeline has been built in the imagine of current General Manager Jason Botterill. Looking at the 20 players highlit below – the 20 best prospects in the system – six predate the Botterill era. The other 14, including each of the top five, as well as the three nearest misses were all brought to the Sabres by Botterill and company.

Much ink – digital and literal – has already been spilled on Botterill’s draft tendencies. In particular, the peculiarity about his reluctance to draft players out of the CHL. In three drafts, he did not select a CHLer until his first pick this past June, taking current top Buffalo prospect Dylan Cozens out of Lethbridge of the WHL. And then the Sabres went back to the rest of the world, not touching any of the three CHL leagues with any of their remaining picks. They have had a number of players that they had drafted from other locales who later moved on to the CHL, including Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (#3) and Matej Pekar (#12) below, but Buffalo’s scouts have been able to keep their sight turned south of the border, or across the water.

So, where do they go? Most common is looking for players on the collegiate track. Not counting players drafted out of Europe who proceeded to cross the pond to play for an NCAA school (see #7 Erik Portillo), there were seven players drafted in three years who were either already in college, or playing in a league that traditionally leads to college, generally the USHL.

After that, Botterill’s Buffalo has invested heavily in Scandinavian scouting. They drafted five players out of Sweden and another four out of Finland. That leaves only two players added to the system in the past three years we haven’t covered. One, the aforementioned Cozens, was their sole CHLer. Lastly, with their final 2019 pick, the Sabres had their first foray into Central Europe, drafting Lukas Rousek out of the Czech Republic.

It is too early to state that Botterill’s drafting habits will continue, especially considering the additions of both the CHL and the Czech Republic to his route. Who knows where the Sabres will turn to next year? More pressingly though, as time passes and the drafted players continue to develop – or is some cases, fail to develop – we will learn about whether this depth at the expense of width scouting will turn out well.

The Sabres used to draft players from everywhere but struggled to pick up good players outside of the first round. Since 2010, Jake McCabe and J.T. Compher are the only players picked outside of the first round by Buffalo who have played in at least 100 games in the NHL. That number will increase, and player like Oskari Laaksonen (#4) may be the harbinger of what is to come. Not only was he a surprise third round pick in 2017, but some draft experts didn’t know him at all. Now he is one of the best prospects in the system, a testament to trusting area scouts.

-Ryan Wagman

BUFFALO, NY - APRIL 02: Buffalo Sabres left wing Victor Olofsson (41) skates during a game between the Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres on April 02, 2019, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Photo by Jerome Davis/Icon Sportswire)

1 Dylan Cozens, C/RW (7^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Dylan Cozens is a surprisingly fast skater with high agility despite his 6-3” frame. He uses his speed effectively on zone exits and entries as well as to engage on the forecheck. Once he closes the gap on the defender, he has good hand eye coordination to knock down errant passes and the strength to out-battle his opponent along the wall. He is excellent in traffic whether trying to get a shot off, make a pass or carry the puck to the net. Below the dots he consistently creates turnovers and disrupts opponents’ zone exits. In open ice he has good puck handling skills and a powerful wrist shot. His playmaking is under-rated as he makes everyone on the ice more dangerous. He projects as a top six forward who could start out on the wing and move into the middle once he has established himself at the pro level, which may not be too far away. - VG

2 Ryan Johnson, D (31^st overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) As last season progressed, one of the draft prospects with the most helium was undoubtedly Johnson. That helium continued to expand and lift his profile right through the final whistle of the USHL season as Johnson was a key driver of his Sioux Falls’ squad’s postseason run to a Clark Cup championship. His game is the type that can require multiple viewings to really appreciate as his offensive skills are not yet fully at fruition. He is a beautiful skater, with fine speed and great edges and agility. His own zone game is also remarkably refined, a reminder that having a longtime NHLer and skills coach as a father can supersede growing up in a non-traditional hockey market such as Southern California. Heading to the University of Minnesota, Johnson looks like a future second pairing mainstay, and possibly more if his instincts in the offensive zone grow more acute. - RW

3 Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, G (54^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 6) Luukkonen starred for the Sudbury Wolves this past year, earning not only top goaltender in the OHL, but also the Red Tilson as the league’s most outstanding player. Additionally, he backstopped Finland to an U20 gold medal. He is the complete package as a goaltender with his size and athleticism. Luukkonen moves so well in his crease, but with his size is able to square up to shooters still and take away all angles. He also reads and reacts to the play around him as he is rarely caught out of position. His composure in the crease this year was one of his more impressive features. Luukkonen has what it takes to develop into a topflight NHL netminder and has to be considered one of the best goaltending prospects on the planet. He just had hip surgery and will be sidelined for at least the next six months. Buffalo would be smart to take things slowly with his recovery because they potentially have a great one on their hands. - BO

4 Oskari Laaksonen, D (89^th overall, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) Laaksonen has made tremendous strides since being drafted in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. His skating is very good, he is agile and smooth, with the ability to pivot well and transition quickly from forwards to backwards and vice versa. He gives a crisp first pass which consistently arrives precisely on the tape His hands are smooth and swift, allowing him to carry the puck up the ice. Laaksonen has improved his physicality and defensive game. Neither is his strength right now, but the improvements make me very optimistic about his future as an NHL defenseman. His shot has also improved. I think he has a realistic chance to be a second-pairing NHL blueliner, one who moves the puck well and helps his team start offensive transitions. - MB

5 Mattias Samuelsson, D (32^nd overall, 2018. Last Year: 4) Looking at the top three defensemen on this list, all acquired in the Botterill era, we can begin to see that the current Buffalo brass has a clear preference for high end IQ, especially when it comes to drafting blueline prospects. They also have an appreciation for speedsters, which Johnson and Laaksonen, as well as 2018 first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin all have in spades. Samuelsson has the former trait of high hockey IQ as the son of longtime NHLer Kjell Samuelsson, as well as two years with the USNTDP program. While he also skates relatively well for his gargantuan size, his speed will never be better than average. He has decent offensive tools and is a solid puck mover, but he projects as more of a people mover, using his great size and strength to maintain order in front of his own net. He might be ready to turn pro after his upcoming sophomore season at Western Michigan. - RW

6 Victor Olofsson, RW (181^st overall, 2014. Last Year: 7) For a player selected in the seventh round, Olofsson has defied the odds with his natural skill and hockey smarts. He is a gifted player and by far one of Buffalo’s top prospects. After spending several years playing professionally in Sweden in the SHL, he made his North American debut this past season starting with the Rochester Americans of the AHL where he led the Amercs with 63 points in 66 games. After gaining momentum in the second half of the season he earned a successful call up to the Sabres where he managed four points in six games. Olofsson has a high ceiling and natural scoring ability, and I expect to see him play what is likely his last season in the AHL as a top six forward before earning a longer call up to the Sabres where he will most likely start as a bottom six attacker. - SC

7 Erik Portillo, G (67^th overall, 2019, Last Year: IE) A large goalie with good reach and big hands, Portillo plays with poise and reads the play well. He uses his size well and is strong mentally in the way that he can totally shut down games when he is at his best and also bounces back well from a bad goal. When he plays his best game, every shot looks simple to save and he talks a lot with the defense helping to demonstrate poise towards the opposition. Portillo has some technical flaws and can overwork when he is stressed. He needs to get stronger to hold up his big body and could get faster as well, but he has NHL potential. He has committed to NCAA Michigan for next season and Buffalo can follow his development in North America over the next couple of seasons. Last season, he was the best goalie in SuperElit, but has no senior experience yet. - JH

8 Marcus Davidsson, C/LW (37^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 5) A top six talent that has shown steady, but not explosive, development over his time in Sweden. He has scored just over 0.5 points per game his first two seasons as a senior level player. It is tough to secure a job as a top six forward in the NHL and he will need to take bigger steps forward to reach that potential. He has signed on with Vaxjo for next season where he hopes to find a fresh start and a bigger role. The potential is still there and when he plays his best games, he shows a lot of promise. He is smart and processes the game well, making quick decisions with his quick hands. He is a bit soft physically, but if he can get more consistent with his skills he can get that break. He is a quite sneaky forward with skill who has some similarities with Loui Eriksson that way, but he still has a long development road ahead. - JH

9 Lawrence Pilut, D (Undrafted free agent, signed May 15, 2018. Last Year: 10) After earning accolades in Sweden, including recognition as defenseman of the year in the SHL two seasons ago, it was easy to see why Buffalo did not hesitate to sign him and made sure to give Pilut lots of opportunities both in the NHL and AHL this season. Starting the season with Rochester in the AHL, Pilut had 26 points in 30 games leading him to split the second half of the season between the AHL and the Sabres, where he was slow to fit in, often finding himself behind the play and slow to move the puck. Pilut is good at finding shooting lanes and has the smarts to play with Buffalo. He will be a good pick to start up with the Sabres this coming season once he is 100% healthy, ideally in a third pairing to start, due to the Sabres influx of defensive talent. - SC

10 Rasmus Asplund, C (33rd overall, 2016. Last Year: 9) Despite having a somewhat shaky start to the season, Asplund managed to prove he is deserving of a second line spot with the Rochester Americans as the season progressed. He is a smaller forward but a great forechecker working well to fill a spot as a grinder. Always keeping his feet moving, many of his 41 points this year came from rebounds and net scrambles. At times he is a little bit sloppy with his positioning which may be the reason why he has yet to earn a call up to the Sabres. Asplund’s progress and development throughout his first AHL season led him to earn Most Improved at the end of the season for the Americans and with any luck will lead him to also earn his first call up to the Sabres next season. He will be a top six forward with Rochester to start and should hopefully be reclaiming his spot on the Americans top penalty killing unit as well. – SC

11 Will Borgen, D (92^nd overall, 2015. Last Year: 12) Borgen is a strong player and a good skater who shows off those skills most when protecting the net and on the breakout. Although he only managed 14 points in a near complete AHL season with Rochester, he is a very offensive defenseman. Borgen is a skilled player with a good shot, however he would be able to get even more scoring opportunities if he spent less time in the penalty box. His skills are better used on the ice as he is a big and energetic defender who has adjusted well to the maturity of the professional level. His ceiling is high if he can clean up his game and focus on securing his spot as a top two pairing instead. Borgen is set to start with the Rochester Americans again and if he can use his gritty attitude to his advantage, he may see time up as a bottom two pairing in Buffalo as well. - SC

12 Matej Pekar, C/RW (101^st overall, 2019. Last Year: 17) Pekar is a relentless and fearless offensive player who had a successful first season with the Barrie Colts this past season. He plays an aggressive brand of hockey, constantly looking to attack the net like a gnat who just will not go away. He excels East/West by working the cycle and looking to get the puck to the middle of the ice. Pekar is also a tremendous penalty killer when that high-end motor is put to work. Unfortunately, a broken collarbone ended his season early, but the groundwork was laid for future success. Moving forward, Pekar’s ceiling as an offensive player may not be extremely high, but Buffalo may have a quality third line winger eventually who can slide up and down the lineup and play a variety of different roles for them. His versatility and well-rounded game will play well at the pro level and endear him to whatever coaching staff he works with. - BO

13 Brandon Hickey, D (64^th overall, 2014 [Calgary]. Last Year: 15) Hickey is an average defenseman capable of getting things done. His skills are not spectacular and nothing he does particularly stands out except for the fact that he is dependable and solid. Hickey has yet to join the big club for a game but plays with the maturity to do so. He is great defensively and a capable shot blocker with just enough grit and skill to play on any line with Rochester. With Buffalo’s defensive chart so full of talent it is hard to say if Hickey will see a long term stay with the Sabres should he earn a call up, however that is not saying he lacks the skill or the know-how but simply that he may not be able to find a permanent spot amongst the many offensive defensemen in their system. With Hickey’s more stay at home style look to find him as a veteran top four defenseman with Rochester next season. - SC

14 C.J. Smith, LW (Undrafted free agent, signed Mar. 30, 2017. Last Year: 18) The Buffalo Sabres have this uncanny ability of seeing the talent that other teams have passed over with their undrafted prospects. Smith is a great example of this as he is an entertaining player to watch and brings energy and drive to each game. It comes as no surprise that Smith will be given the chance to start up with the Sabres next season and with the way his development has played out so far, this coming season should be even better than his last where he spent the majority with Rochester tallying a total of 58 points and finishing second on the team behind only Victor Olofsson. His natural skill and scoring ability made him a stand out forward for the Americans last year, and are what will hopefully push him to work hard to gain a top six spot despite starting as a bottom six forward with the Sabres for the 2019-2020 season.- SC

15 Casey Fitzgerald, D (86^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 16) Fitzgerald isn’t the biggest defenseman at 5-11”, 186 pounds but he has had an outsized impact at Boston College. His family tree includes an impressive array of hockey players along a number of branches. He has a low accurate point shot and is a positive contributor on the power play. His passing is also solid. His stick and puck control are both above average for the levels he has played. Beyond that, one of his best traits is good puck pursuit in his own zone. He took his college career as far as it could go and turned pro after his senior season ended, his second as team Captain. He had three points in four games with Rochester and is expected to play the entire season there next year. He could be a decent second pairing defender down the road. - RC

16 Jean-Sebastien Dea, C (Undrafted free agent, signed Sep. 16, 2013 [Pittsburgh]. Last Year: 14 [Pittsburgh]) Dea is a hard-working forward who plays a good offensive game. He is always present on the forecheck and plays well in the neutral zone. In the defensive end he is sometimes behind the play and out of position, but thankfully he makes up for that with his smarts. After bouncing around amongst four teams last year, Dea will make his start with the Rochester Americans next season. He is a veteran forward with professional experience who brings a level headedness and know-how with the puck. Having already played 29 games in the NHL it would not be surprising if Dea were to see a few more games in the NHL again next season. It will be tough to estimate where Dea will fit in Rochester’s lineup due to the number of veteran forwards they have and set lines from previous seasons therefore he may have to start as a bottom six and work his way up. - SC

17 Brett Murray, LW (99^th overall, 2016. Last Year: Not ranked) Drafted out of the CCHL, Murray spent a year with Youngstown of the USHL for a half season before moving on to the NCAA to play with the burgeoning Penn State program. He was never a big scorer as a teen, with a game that was more reliant on great size, although not physicality, outside of trying to establish space. After a year and a half of disappointment with Penn State, Murray returned to the USHL as an over-ager. He led the league with 41 goals. The results were very impressive but need to be taken with a few dozen grains of salt. I have already mentioned his age, and I should also note that he is a below average skater, which can be forgivable due to the size. He has decent hands and smarts and we should keep an eye on him, wherever he goes next, but don’t expect more than a decent fourth liner as his highest projection. - RW

18 Linus Weissbach, LW/RW (192^nd overall, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) To Murray’s yin, Weissbach adds the yang. The Swedish winger is tiny, speedy and as proven it at higher levels, getting better and more effective with experience. None of his individual tools are exceptional, but they work well in tandem to produce a player who, at least at the levels he has performed at, is fun to watch. He performed at close to a point per game pace as a sophomore with Wisconsin, finishing one point off the team lead despite missing 10 games, although his role may diminish a bit next year in light of the school’s bumper crop of incoming recruits. He may be a bit of a tweener, as he lacks the physicality of defensive zone play to be a traditional bottom six forward and his skill game, while promising, is unlikely to be enough to feature in a top six. If he can increase his agitation levels, he could max out in an energy role. - RW

19 Arttu Ruotsalainen, C/LW (Undrafted free agent, signed May 8, 2019. Last Year: IE) Ruotsalainen had a breakout season with Ilves in the Liiga and the Sabres took notice, signing him to an NHL contract. The small, speedy forward has an excellent work rate, he plays with energy, passion and competes in every shift. He is versatile and played both on the power play and penalty kill last season. He also has some skill to boot – quick hands and solid passing skills. Ruotsalainen is a quick thinker with the puck and does not need a whole lot of room to maneuver and be a scoring threat in the offensive zone. He has a decent wrist shot and scoring touch. It remains to be seen how he adapts to the North American game, but with his speed, versatility and work rate, he has a chance to make it to the NHL. - MB

20 Miska Kukkonen, D (125^th overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Kukkonen was having a decent season with Tappara U20 before leaving the club for Lukko, where he played both with the Liiga and U20 teams. The right-shot defenseman possesses good puck moving abilities. He sees the ice very well and can quarterback a power play. His skating isn’t particularly explosive, but he is quite mobile with good foot speed and balance. He likes to play rough and lay heavy hits from time to time – he uses his size to his advantage and punishes opposing forwards when the opportunity arises. Kukkonen needs to work on his defensive game, especially positioning and play reading away from the puck. There is some upside and although he has a way to go, I could see him develop into a respectable third-pairing NHL defenseman. - MB