Zach Benson – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Fantasy playoffs are upon us, the Blackhawks bring in another top prospect, Marco Rossi, Anthony Cirelli, and Quinton Byfield are producing in the middle of the ice as Troy Terry and Zach Benson are working the wings.

Scott Cullen — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:27:53 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 24: Vancouver Canucks center Marco Rossi (93) vies for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. (Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, as fantasy playoffs are upon us, the Blackhawks bring in another top prospect, Marco Rossi, Anthony Cirelli, and Quinton Byfield are producing in the middle of the ice as Troy Terry and Zach Benson are working the wings.

#1 While it has been another tough season for the Chicago Blackhawks, they are getting a nice boost late in the season with the arrival of Anton Frondell, the third pick in last summer’s draft, who tallied 20 goals and eight assists for 28 points in 43 games for Djurgardens in the SHL. Frondell has arrived in Chicago, registered two assists in his first three NHL games, and is skating on the top line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene in addition to getting first unit power play time. He’s 18, so expectations need to be kept in check, but he’s also getting enough of an opportunity to make him immediately interesting for those in deep leagues.

#2 There may be some fantasy value to be found in players that are playing for teams out of the playoff picture. For example, it’s easy enough to dismiss the Vancouver Canucks as they have endured a brutal season, but centre Marco Rossi has produced 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in his past eight games, is getting first unit power play time and is thriving with linemates Liam Ohgren and Brock Boeser.

#3 With an established reputation as a strong two-way player, Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli is getting a shot at an expanded offensive role, skating on the top line between Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel. In his past 12 games, Cirelli has produced 14 points (5 G, 9 A) and 21 shots on goal, with 13 of those 14 points coming at even strength. With 2.51 points per 60 minutes during five-on-five play this season, Cirelli ranks 22nd in the league. Not bad for a checking centre.

#4 He has missed some time with injuries, but Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry has been on a good run since Christmas, producing 17 points (7 G, 10 A) with 29 shots on goal in 15 games. He is scoring better than a point per game this season, a feat he has not been able to accomplish in a full season. He was scratched from Thursday’s game at Calgary, so his reliability remains an issue but his productivity makes him a valuable player whenever he is in the lineup.

#5 There are so many great stories on the Buffalo Sabres this season, as the team is poised to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2010-2011 season, and one of those great stories is the play of 20-year-old winger Zach Benson. In his past six games, Benson has seven points (3 G, 4 A) with seven shots on goal. That shot rate needs improvement, but Benson is thriving on a line with Josh Norris and Josh Doan. When Benson is on the ice at five-on-five, the Sabres are outscoring opponents 39-22.

#6 As the Los Angeles Kings push for a playoff spot, centre Quinton Byfield has stepped up his game, with nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven contests. Consistency has been elusive for Byfield, as he had five points (4 G, 1 A) in the previous 17 games, but when he’s going, Byfield can be a physical force. He is currently skating on a line with Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere while getting second-unit power play time.

#7 The Ottawa Senators are in a competitive battle for a playoff spot but they are dealing with serious injuries on the blueline. Jake Sanderson was already out of the lineup with an upper-body injury when Thomas Chabot suffered a broken arm that will keep him out for 4-to-8 weeks. Add in injuries to Nick Jensen and Dennis Gilbert and the Sens were forced to make changes, which included calling up 2024 first-round pick Carter Yakeumchuk from Belleville of the American Hockey League, where he had 36 points (10 G, 26 A) in 50 games. Yakemchuk has two points (1 G, 1 A) with four shots on goal in his first three NHL games and the injuries on Ottawa’s blueline may prompt the Sens to keep Yakemchuk and his offensive skills in the lineup. Some D to consider from the waiver wire: Damon Severson, who has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in 14 games this month, Rasmus Sandin, who has five points (2 G, 3 A) in his past seven games, and even Sens defenders Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence, who have combined for 12 points in the past eight games.

#8 In the past month, New Jersey Devils right winger Connor Brown has been moved into a more offensive role and has delivered 14 points (4 G, 10 A) and 24 shots on goal in 13 games. He has been a reliable middle six winger in his NHL career, but he’s skating on a line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, while also getting top-unit power play time. He is up to 36 points (14 G, 22 A) on the season, within striking distance of his career high of 43 points, set during the 2019-2020 season when he was with the Ottawa Senators.

#9 It has not been an easy season for Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault, but he has recorded 10 assists in his past 11 games, a veritable surge in production for a player who has just 28 points (11 G, 17 A) in 53 games. The veteran winger is playing on PP1 for the Predators and is skating on a line with Matthew Wood and Filip Forsberg, so he’s in a decent situation to produce late in the season.

#10 It’s been a similar situation for Anaheim Ducks veteran winger Alex Killorn, who has eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 17 shots on goal in his past 10 games, which is a significant improvement for a player who had 20 points in 63 games before that. The 36-year-old winger is skating on a line with veteran pivot Mikael Granlund and rookie right winger Bennett Sennecke, which is a strong enough situation to consider Killorn for some late-season value.

#11 As the Seattle Kraken try to stay in the playoff hunt, captain Jordan Eberle has contributed seven points (1 G, 6 A) in his past seven games. He is up to 23 goals on the season, which is his most in a season since 2017-2018, when he scored 25, so he is within range of that total. He has consistently been playing on Seattle’s top line with Matty Beniers at centre and there have been several wingers rotating through. Right now, it’s rookie Berkly Catton getting a shot on the left side.

#12 Staying in Seattle, right winger Kaapo Kakko is delivering quality results late in the season. In his past seven games, Kakko has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) with seven shots on goal. That shot rate is not enough to sustain that level of offensive production, but he provides useful secondary scoring, skating on a line with Chandler Stephenson and Bobby McMann.

#13 Early this season, the Utah Grizzlies winger Lawson Crouse was not playing a big part and his production was modest, managing nine points (4 G, 5 A) through his first 26 games. It’s gotten better throughout the season, and in his past seven games, he has six points (4 G, 2 A) and 24 hits, which is really where Crouse brings his most reliable value for fantasy managers. He has scored 20 goals for the fourth time in his career and it’s the fifth time in his career that he has recorded at least 190 hits. If you have a need on the wing at this point in the fantasy season, you could do worse than adding Crouse.

#14 There have been reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs are not inclined to give a qualifying offer to right winger Matias Maccelli this summer, but Maccelli has been one of the few Maple Leafs contributing consistently. Since the beginning of February, Maccelli has 16 points (7 G, 9 A) with 33 shots on goal in 20 games. He is tied with John Tavares for second on the team in scoring over that span, three points behind William Nylander and one point ahead of Matthew Knies. Most recently, he’s been skating on a line with Dakota Joshua and Bo Groulx, but that hasn’t deterred him.

#15 Although the wins aren’t coming easily, Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll has been playing well late in the season while facing a heavy workload. In his past eight starts, Woll has a 2-4-2 record, but he has a .910 save percentage while facing an average of around 35 shots per game. The Leafs’ lack of success doesn’t help Woll’s value, but it is part of the reason that he’s still available in a decent percentage of leagues and he’s playing well enough that he could help a fantasy manager who needs a late-season upgrade between the pipes.

#16 While we’re considering goaltenders on teams that are out of the playoff race, look at St. Louis Blues netminder Joel Hofer, who has been unbeatable since the Olympic break. In nine games since the break, Hofer has a 7-0-2 record with a .955 save percentage! He has a .911 save percentage on the season and has recently overtaken Jordan Binnington in terms of starts, with Hofer at 36 and Binnington at 35. Perhaps this is the changing of the guard for the Blues, as Hofer has 13.44 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) and Binnington has -20.01 (GSAx), a stark difference in performance.

#17 There was some suspicion around the Olympic break that the Florida Panthers could be on the verge of shutting down a bunch of players with injuries because the playoffs were looking less and less likely, so there was not as much incentive for players to play through the injuries that they might when the team is mounting a Stanley Cup run. Aleksander Barkov has been out all season of course, but Brad Marchand is out, Anton Lundell will miss 2-6 weeks with an upper body injury, Evan Rodrigues is out 4-6 weeks with a broken finger, and Mackie Samoskevich is due to return soon, but he’s still out. That leaves forwards like Jesper Boqvist and Tomas Nosek playing bigger roles than would typically be expected of them.

#18 Philadelphia Flyers centre Christian Dvorak has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games, and he really has the trust of Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet. In the past 22 games, Dvorak has played more than 20 minutes 12 times, including a season-high 25:32 last week at San Jose. He is now averaging 18:28 of ice time per game, a career high, and his 44 points (15 G, 29 A) is also the high-water mark for his career. All of this is to suggest that, in a pinch, Dvorak could have late-season value for fantasy managers.

#19 It’s a little troubling for the Vegas Golden Knights, as they scramble for a playoff spot, that star centre Jack Eichel has hit a slump. They are hoping he has broken out of it with a three-point game last night against Washington. In his previous seven games, Eichel has generated 22 shots on goal while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game, and yet he has managed just one assist. It would be a tad aggressive to go cutting Eichel at this stage of the season, especially when he’s generating shots at this rate, but it’s also possible that he doesn’t need to be in your fantasy lineup automatically. It’s not much better for Golden Knights right winger Mitch Marner, who has two assists and 19 shots on goal in the past eight games.

#20 Anaheim Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier is tied for the league lead with 11 goals in March, tied with Pavel Zacha. Gauthier ranks second in expected goals with 7.61 ixG, barely trailing Brady Tkachuk at 7.69. Other forwards that have been around the net, rounding out the top ten when it comes to individual expected goals: Zach Hyman (7.09), Brock Nelson (6.98), Alex DeBrincat (6.93). Beckett Sennecke (6.85), Bryan Rust (6.68), Rickard Rakell (6.60), Alexis Lafreniere (6.49), and Timo Meier (6.49).

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Major injuries at the Olympics, including Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen, and Kevin Fiala, plus young players like Matt Savoie and Jimmy Snuggerud getting bigger opportunities and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:27:31 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, some major injuries at the Olympics, including Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen, and Kevin Fiala, plus young players like Matt Savoie and Jimmy Snuggerud getting bigger opportunities and so much more!

#1 Not only did Canada lose in overtime of the Gold Medal Game at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, but they lost captain Sidney Crosby to a lower-body injury against Czechia in the quarterfinals. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain suffered an apparent knee injury after getting hit by Radko Gudas and it is expected to keep him out of the lineup for another four weeks. The Penguins have responded to the loss of their captain by shifting veteran Rickard Rakell to centre, with rookie Avery Hayes taking left wing, on Pittsburgh’s top line. Hayes, 23, had 30 points (19 G, 11 A) in 36 AHL games and scored a pair of goals in his NHL debut at Buffalo on February 5.

#2 The Dallas Stars lost their leading scorer Mikko Rantanen to a lower-body injury suffered at the Olympics. Rantanen is considered week-to-week, with head coach Glen Gulutzan saying that he will be back before the end of the season, which is not the most encouraging timeline for fantasy managers! With Rantanen out, consider Mavrik Bourque, who has been getting more ice time in Dallas and has produced seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past nine games. He’s on the Stars’ top line with Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson, so this is a prime opportunity for Bourque to break out as an offensive performer in the NHL.

#3 One of the more devastating injuries at the Olympics was suffered by Swiss winger Kevin Fiala, who broke his leg after a hit from Tom Wilson. Fiala is second on the Kings with 40 points and with the trade to acquire Artemi Panarin, the Kings had reason to hope that they could be poised to make a push for the playoffs after the Olympics. They have since lost their first two games out of the break and, with Fiala out, Corey Perry is playing in the Kings’ top six as well as on PP1. Perry has zero points in his past five games, but did have 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in the 12 previous games.

#4 An upper-body injury suffered in the opening game at the Olympics has landed Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey on the injured list. With Neal Pionk and Colin Miller also out, the Jets are missing some puck movers on the back end, so Logan Stanley is getting first crack at quarterbacking the power play, though the Jets also have Ville Heinola available. He had 21 points (3 G, 18 A) in 40 AHL games and while he has struggled to earn a regular NHL role, he has the mobility and puck skills to play an offensive role on the blueline.

#5 Staying in Winnipeg, Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury that he suffered at the Olympics. The veteran winger’s production is down this season, as he has 19 points (8 G, 11 A) in 55 games, and the tough thing for the Jets is that they don’t have great options to bolster the third line in his absence. Gustav Nyquist has zero goals and nine assists in 36 games. Vladislav Namestnikov has 13 points (7 G, 6 A) in 56 games, and Jonathan Toews has 19 points (7 G, 12 A) in 57 games, so there is not a lot of reason for optimism beyond their top scorers.

#6 With Jiri Kulich and Jordan Greenway already out of the lineup, the Buffalo Sabres are also missing winger Zach Benson, who suffered an upper-body injury before the Olympic break. Benson had nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 19 shots on goal in his last 13 games before getting hurt and the 20-year-old has been a solid complementary winger with 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 42 games. If looking for potentially undervalued players in Buffalo, consider Peyton Krebs, who has moved to left wing on the top line and has contributed 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in his past 12 games, though he has a total of 11 shots on goal in those 12 games, which is rather low when it comes to offensive sustainability.

#7 The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenceman Sam Girard from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade for veteran Brett Kulak. Girard is undersized but is a quality puck mover and should be a good addition for a Penguins team that has elder statesmen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang leading their blueline. The deal does look like a downgrade for Colorado, even if Kulak was better for the Penguins than he was in Edmonton to start the season. From the Avalanche’s perspective, Kulak can fill a third-pair role at a lower cost, giving Colorado more flexibility when it comes to possible moves at next week’s trade deadline.

#8 Edmonton Oilers rookie winger Matt Savoie came out of the Olympic break skating on left wing with Leon Draisaitl at centre and Jack Roslovic on the right side, and Savoie put up five points (1 G, 4 A) with four shots on goal in the first two games. Savoie may not be a driver of results at this stage of his career, so when he does get a prime opportunity like this, it bears watching.

#9 St. Louis Blues rookie winger Jimmy Snuggerud went into the Olympic break on a high, with nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 13 shots on goal in six games, and while he was held off the scoresheet in his first game back, Snuggerud is likely to get plenty of reps down the stretch for a Blues team that is a long way from playoff contention. With Robert Thomas out of the lineup, Snuggerud has been on a line with Dalibor Dvorsky, the rookie who was thriving in a bigger role with Slovakia in the Olympics, scoring six points (3 G, 3 A) in six games. Dvorsky has one assist with four shots on goal in his past five NHL games, but he should have ample opportunity to play late in the season. Maybe he’s not offering great value now but could very well handle a bigger role as the season winds down.

#10 With Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul injured, the Tampa Bay Lightning have made some adjustments to their forward lines. Jake Guentzel has shifted to centre and Gage Goncalves has been lifted to play left wing on the top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Goncalves contributed three points (1 G, 2 A) against Toronto on Wednesday, and anyone playing on that line would have fantasy appeal, but Goncalves is probably a short-term fix who will lose his prime spot when Cirelli and Paul return to action.

#11 After missing time in December with a lower-body injury, Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann returned to action and has been in fine form ever since, producing 23 points (11 G, 12 A) and 56 shots on goal in his past 23 games. He didn’t record a point in the first two games coming out of the break, but McCann is as dangerous offensively as anyone on the Kraken roster, skating on the top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle in addition to getting first unit power play time.

#12 One of the players who gives the Penguins hope to survive Crosby’s absence is that rookie Ben Kindel continues to get better and in his past seven games, he has seven points (6 G, 1 A) and 18 shots on goal. He is centering the third line right now but has towering wingers Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau on his flanks and those guys have been productive, ranking second and fourth, respectively, in goals for the Penguins this season.

#13 Over the course of his career, Vegas Golden Knights winger Ivan Barbashev has had some ups and downs in his career, but when he heats up, he can be a serious contributor. In his past nine games, he has nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 17 shots on goal while playing nearly 18 minutes per game. His strength is playing a solid physical game, but he can do it alongside skilled linemates and that’s what is happening in Vegas, where he is skating on the top line with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, and when Barbashev is scoring like this, he is much more appealing for fantasy managers.

#14 As the Buffalo Sabres have been climbing the standings across the past few months, it’s not only the top guys getting the job done. Consider right winger Jack Quinn, who has 15 points (5 G, 10 A) and 42 shots on goal in his past 16 games. He may not have the highest ceiling, but his line with Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker is outscoring opponents 17-11 during five-on-five play.

#15 Veteran St. Louis Blues defenceman Justin Faulk continues to deliver strong fantasy results even on a Blues squad that is having a tough season. Faulk has nine assists with 16 shots on goal in his past seven games. It’s noteworthy that Faulk isn’t hitting as much as he had in previous seasons, with 44 hits in 58 games, but the points and shot rate for a guy who is quarterbacking the top power play are both valuable for fantasy managers.

#16 At the Winter Olympics, plenty of top players delivered expected production, but some players also stepped up in bigger roles for their home nations. One example is New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier, who has managed a meagre four points (3 G, 1 A) despite recording 65 shots on goal in his past 18 games for the Devils. Playing for Switzerland in the Olympics, though, Meier had seven points (3 G, 4 A) in five games and played the physically punishing style that he does when he’s at his best. On the Devils, Meier is skating on a line with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer

#17 Nashville Predators centre Erik Haula may be on the trade block as the deadline approaches and he’s not hurting his value with his recent play. Haula is riding a five-game point streak in the NHL, scoring a goal and four assists in those games and had six points (3 G, 3 A) in six games for Finland at the Olympics. Another Finland forward, who had strong showing on the way to the bronze medal, was Kaapo Kakko, who had five points (3 G, 2 A) in six games and he has been playing well, when healthy, for Seattle. In his past 27 games, Kakko has 19 points (6 G, 13 A) and 38 shots on goal.

#18 It’s a difficult time for fantasy hockey managers if they still need a goaltending answer, but there are a few who are likely to see significant playing time down the stretch and are still available in a good percentage of leagues. The Vancouver Canucks are not likely to win games, because they haven’t been winning this season anyway, but rookie goalie Nikita Tolopilo is showing that he is ready for this league. He has a .908 save percentage in 10 games for the Canucks and with Thatcher Demko out for the rest of the season, Tolopilo should see lots of time in the Canucks’ crease. Former Canucks – and current Penguins – goaltender Arturs Silovs is sharing time with Stuart Skinner, but in his past eight starts, Silovs has a .928 save percentage, which is the level of play that will force his way into more playing time.

#19 This season has been difficult for the Florida Panthers, and the playoffs may not be in the cards for them, but there could be some players that have surprising value late in the season. Evan Rodrigues is centering the Panthers’ top line, between Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart, and in his past seven games, he has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 28 shots on goal while averaging 19:48 of ice time per game. If he keeps playing that much, with high quality linemates, Rodrigues could deliver fantasy value.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Veterans who are elevating their play, including Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Hartman, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and so much more!

Scott Cullen — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:22:00 +0000

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, veterans who are elevating their play, including Zach Hyman, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Hartman, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and so much more!

#1 Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman was not ready to start the season, as he recovered from wrist surgery, so he didn’t get into the lineup until mid-November and even then it took him some time to get up to speed. It does appear that he’s starting to cook. In his past 11 games, Hyman has 15 points (9 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal. He’s getting first unit power play time and skating on the Oilers’ top line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, so Hyman should be in a prime position for the rest of the season.

#2 In his first 29 games this season, Nashville Predators right winger Steven Stamkos had 11 points (8 G, 3 A) and when that happens to a player in his mid-30s, it can look like the end is near. He has turned back the clock recently, however, putting up 11 points (7 G, 4 A) with 29 shots on goal in his past seven games. He’s skating on a veteran line with Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg and the key is that Stamkos is generating shots on goal. In his first 29 games, he had just 58 shots on goal, so to go from two shots per game to more than four shots per game in this recent uptick in his performance shows that he can still be a legitimate offensive threat.

#3 Ryan O’Reilly has been a huge part of the Predators’ resurgence. In the past 14 games, the Preds are 10-4 and O’Reilly has 19 points (5 G, 14 A) in those 14 games. He has just 23 shots on goal, and a low shot rate is a concern for offensive sustainability, but O’Reilly is a consistent play driver year after year and that has continued this season in Nashville, with a 55.8 CF%, which would represent the best Corsi percentage of his career.

#4 Although he moves around the Minnesota Wild lineup quite a bit, there is usually reason to like when Ryan Hartman gets his turn playing on the top line. With Marco Rossi dealt to Vancouver in the Quinn Hughes trade, Hartman has moved in between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, with Hartman putting up seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven games, after he had eight points (4 G, 4 A) through his first 29 games this season.

#5 The Ottawa Senators are getting quality production from veteran wingers Claude Giroux and David Perron. Giroux has eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 11 shots on goal in his past seven games while Perron has seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. They are getting second unit power play time and, for a pair of 37-year-olds, they are still providing reliable secondary scoring for the Sens. As with many of the veterans in this week’s article, they are not producing at the level of their best career performance but in their mid-30s that’s not a reasonable expectation and it is part of the reason that these players are more widely available.

#6 When he was acquired by the Ottawa Senators from the San Jose Sharks last season, Fabian Zetterlund responded with a meagre five points (3 G, 2 A) and 40 shots on goal in 20 games. He followed that up by starting this season with four points (1 G, 3 A) and 28 shots on goal in his first 20 games, but he has turned the corner and is now a solid offensive contributor on a talented Senators squad. In his past 16 games, Zetterlund has 12 points (8 G, 4 A) and 38 shots on goal, and appears to have secured a regular spot on the top line alongside Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk.

#7 With injuries decimating the Tampa Bay Lightning blueline, Darren Raddysh has been the primary beneficiary from an offensive standpoint, as he is quarterbacking the top power play unit and producing at an elite level. His partner, J.J. Moser, has been making inroads recently, with five points and 16 shots on goal while averaging 23:32 of ice time in his past six games. Moser only had seven points (1 G, 6 A) and 34 shots on goal in his previous 28 games, but he does seem equipped to provide more offense than that.

#8 Although he is getting surpassed by his younger teammates in San Jose, Sharks right winger Tyler Toffoli has put up 13 points (5 G, 8 A) and 38 shots on goal in his past 13 games, recording two four-point games in the process. Toffoli is skating on San Jose’s second line, alongside William Eklund and Alexander Wennberg, while also getting time with the top power play unit.

#9 At this stage of his career, 40-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns is not the focal point for offense on the blueline, but he hasn’t abandoned those parts of his game, either. In his past 12 games, he has delivered eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 26 shots on goal, while averaging 19:44 of ice time per game. Only one of Burns’ 19 points this season have come on the power play, so there is a limit to his offensive contribution, but he remains a contributor for an Avalanche team that is steamrolling the rest of the league.

#10 Staying on the Colorado blueline, Samuel Girard has suddenly started to provide offense. In his past six games, Girard has six points (2 G, 4 A) and eight shots on goal, but he had just two assists in the 15 games that he played before that. Like Burns, Girard is not getting power play time in Colorado, but the Avs are so good that it could be worth considering these guys in deeper leagues.

#11 Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron has never scored more than 21 points in an NHL season, but that could change this season. He has found a role on Winnipeg’s third line, alongside Adam Lowry and Alex Iafallo, and in his past six games, Barron has five points (4 G, 1 A) and a dozen shots on goal. He is up to 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in 29 games this season, so he has a real chance to set a career high in point production. For fantasy managers, his appeal is mostly in very deep leagues, though his offensive surge coupled with 67 hits in 29 games does give him some added fantasy value.

#12 It seems as though Oliver Bjorkstrand has been underutilized in Tampa Bay, as he is playing just 14:23 per game, which would be his lowest average time on ice since 2018-2019. However, in his past seven games, Bjorkstrand does have seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 12 shots on goal while playing 15:32 per game. He is currently on the Lightning’s second line, with Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel.

#13 Buffalo Sabres left winger Zach Benson was having a hard time finding the back of the net, going without a goal in his first 17 games of this season, but he has started to put it together recently. In his past six games, Benson has five points (3 g, 2 A) and 12 shots on goal, As the Sabres are making a concerted effort to turn their season around, Benson is getting first unit power play time while skating on a line with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn at even strength.

#14 After a slow start to the season that saw him demoted to the fourth line, Carolina Hurricanes left winger Andrei Svechnikov does seem to be back on track. In his past nine games, Svechnikov has 10 points (2 G, 8 A) and 20 shots on goal. He’s now skating on a line with Jordan Staal and Jackson Blake, which is more of a two-way line than usual, but Svechnikov is delivering results.

#15 The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired left winger Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken after the consensus was that Marchment’s time in Seattle was just not a good fit. After he had 13 points (4 G, 9 A) with 46 shots on goal in 29 games, which was not the kind of production that he was providing in his previous seasons with Dallas. Early returns in Columbus are more promising, as he has been playing with Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko and Marchment has three goals and seven shots on goal in his first two games with Columbus. He is still more of a deep league option for fantasy managers, but he has a chance to provide value.

#16 The Buffalo Sabres are turning around their season and goaltender Alex Lyon is putting up great results. He has won each of his past six starts, posting a .922 save percentage. When the Sabres’ season looked like it was getting away from them, it was looking more likely that Lyon or Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen could get traded, but now that the Sabres have moved to within two points of a Wild Card playoff spot, they are more likely to stick with their tandem.

#17 While the Seattle Kraken are battling to stay in the playoff hunt, currently three points back of the second Wild Card spot, they are getting quality play from goaltender Joey Daccord. In his past five starts, Daccord has won three while posting a .934 save percentage. On the season, Daccord has 4.14 Goals Saved Above Expected, which is the kind of goaltending that can keep a team in the playoff race and it might make him a viable fantasy option.

#18 When looking for players who might be ready to bust out offensively, consider those that have not been living up to their underlying numbers. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, for example, has just one goal in 11 games this month, despite having 5.70 individual expected goals in all situations. Some other players whose goal numbers have been below expected goals in December: William Eklund (-4.25), Anthony Cirelli (-4.04), Chris Kreider (-3.88), John Tavares (-3.61), Rickard Rakell (-3.36), Logan Stankoven (-3.21), Jake DeBrusk (-3.20), Nico Hischier (-3.12), Tom Wilson (-3.11), and Jake Guentzel (-2.83).

#19 With Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar injured, the Chicago Blackhawks have veterans Jason Dickinson and Ryan Donato holding down their top two centre spots. Donato played a season-high 21:35 in the last game before the break and does have a goal and an assist in his past two games, so he may have some short-term appeal while the Blackhawks are in the tough situation of missing their top two centres.

#20 Newly acquired Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry suffered a lower-body injury that should keep him out for a couple of weeks and that has opened the door for Connor Ingram, who has won his first couple of starts with Edmonton, stopping 92.0 percent of the shots that he faced in the first two games. He had a .856 save percentage in 11 AHL appearances, so it’s not like he was forcing his way back into the NHL with his play, but the Oilers are playing better and if it means that Ingram can get comfortable in the NHL again, he could at least have short term appeal for fantasy managers.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 16:49:22 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 21: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) waits for a face off during an NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. (Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire)

Last season, the Sabres turned back the clock and welcomed Lindy Ruff back as head coach after they dismissed Don Granato in hopes of ending the franchise’s playoff drought. Instead, the Sabres took a step back as they adjusted to the tougher ways Ruff brings behind the bench. The Sabres went from 84 points in 2023-2024 to 79 in 2024-2025. While Buffalo was able to score plenty at five-on-five (185 goals, fourth in NHL), their power play was slightly improved going from 16.6 to 18.8 percent but their penalty kill got worse going from 79.8 to 76.4 percent. With the kinds of offensive weapons they have, improving the power play is a necessity and if they’re going to be a playoff contender, the penalty kill must improve dramatically. Ruff returns for his second season and will hope to help them avoid a 15th straight season out of the playoffs.

What’s Changed?

Big changes usually happen in Buffalo after a disappointing season and while they avoided making coaching or executive changes, they traded their second leading scorer J.J. Peterka to Utah for defenceman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan. Peterka made it clear he didn’t want to stay in Buffalo and wouldn’t re-sign with them as a restricted free agent and in return the Sabres got a righthanded defenceman in Kesselring they view to be the potential long-term partner for Owen Power or Rasmus Dahlin. With Doan, they get a high intensity forechecker and energetic player with loads of upside as well as an NHL lineage as the son of Shane Doan. Buffalo also added defenceman Conor Timmins from Pittsburgh in a draft weekend trade and signed goalie Alex Lyon and energetic forward Justin Danforth in free agency. If the goal of the offseason was to make the roster into more of a classic Lindy Ruff-style team, that’s what general manager Kevyn Adams accomplished.

What Would Success Look Like?

Playoffs. That’s it. The Sabres have been close enough to make it without doing so in recent years and that didn’t do anything to quell the fan base. If Tage Thompson (44 goals) and Alex Tuch (36 goals) pick up where they left off a year ago and Rasmus Dahlin continues to assert himself as one of the premier defencemen in the NHL, there’s no reason the Sabres shouldn’t be in striking range of the playoffs. A return to form for goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and a big step forward points-wise from defenceman Owen Power would allow Buffalo the chance to perhaps even threaten for a top three spot in the Atlantic Division, but that’s putting the cart way before the horse. There are zero questions about the talent level, but plenty of questions about how to make the talent work best.

What Could Go Wrong?

If the special teams continue to struggle and if Luukkonen’s goaltending falters again, it could be yet another long season in Buffalo. The team cannot afford to get off to a slow start and must avoid any extended losing streaks to keep up with the playoff race. Their 0-10-3 stretch during November and December last season virtually eliminated them from playoff contention because the hole they fell in was too deep to get out of. It took Boston faltering even harder to get Buffalo out of last place in the Atlantic. The Sabres are relying on Josh Norris returning healthy, for Jiri Kulich to take a step forward and Ryan McLeod to repeat what he did last season for their center depth to lead the way. It’s not exactly asking a lot, but it’s not an easy ask just the same. The number of “if” statements attached to them for things to work out is uncomfortable.

Top Breakout Candidate

When last season began, it wasn’t a definite that Jiri Kulich was going to be part of the Sabres roster, but he quickly made sure to do the right things to stay in Buffalo. His 15 goals and nine assists in 62 games and ability to play well enough at center to earn a spot on the top line late in the season with Thompson and Zach Benson. Kulich’s history in the AHL showed he can fill the net (24 and 27 goals in his 18-year and 19-year-old seasons) and there is more growth to come for the 21-year-old Czech with an elite shot. If he earns more power play time and continues to play minutes in the top six, the chances will pile up for him to score more.

FORWARDS

Tage Thompson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	46	32	78	1.01

If there were any worries about whether Tage Thompson would be able to regain his goal scoring prowess after seeing his goal total fall to 29 in 2023-2024 from his career-high 47 in 2022-2023, they disappeared in 2024-2025. Thompson led the Sabres with 44 goals last season and returned to his electrifying ways of filling the net. What’s more impressive is he did it while leading the league with 37 even strength goals. It might be viewed as worrisome that he posted just seven power play goals, but the Sabres power play struggled all season (ninth worst in the NHL) trying to find cohesion. You’d have to imagine that if their power play struggles get hammered out and Thompson is able to fire blasts from the circle at will again that his goal totals could jump even higher. What’s most striking about how Thompson was able to fill the net again is he did it mostly from the wing after he was moved there following a lower-body injury early last season. He teamed up with Jiri Kulich and Zach Benson late in the season and thrived on Kulich’s right side. His move to wing opens up questions elsewhere in the lineup, but the results from seeing him light it up again from a different position are hard to argue. Thompson was the Sabres leading scorer with 72 points in 76 games and despite not being named to the United States roster for the Four Nations Face-Off, his performance leading the U.S. to gold at World Championships may help land him a spot on the Olympic team in February.

Alex Tuch

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	38	35	73	0.89

Alex Tuch proved last season that he can excel at both ends of the ice and provided a bright spot in what was a gloomy season for the team in Buffalo. Tuch was second on the Sabres with 36 goals and was tied with Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck for most shorthanded goals with six. Tuch’s two-way game shined as he used his long reach and big body to take away shot and pass lanes on the penalty kill as well as the forecheck. His ability to make teams pay for turning the puck over was vital on the Sabres’ ability to frustrate teams while shorthanded. Tuch had 67 points which made him fourth on the team in scoring. Even though he was able to help drive the Sabres offence a couple of seasons ago playing on the wing with Tage Thompson, he found success last season playing with Ryan McLeod and Peyton Krebs during the second half of the season. Coach Lindy Ruff was looking for lines that could generate offence and still be sensible defensively and that allowed Tuch to settle into a role on a line with guys who can generally play well in their own ends. With Tuch having that ability to finish in the offensive end of the ice, it helped lift up his linemates who aren’t generally counted on to contribute offensively. In Tuch’s case, it cracked open his natural ability to frustrate opponents with his size and reach defensively and to use that to his advantage at both ends of the ice. Tuch is entering the final year of his contract with the Sabres, and a big payday is on the horizon.

Josh Norris

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
65	22	24	46	0.71

The Sabres acquisition of former 35-goal scorer Josh Norris came in one of the bigger trades ahead of the deadline last season when they sent 2019 first-round pick Dylan Cozens to Ottawa for him. Norris’s career with the Senators was much maligned due to repeated shoulder injuries and surgeries and although those ailments appear to be behind him for now, his time with Buffalo was cut short last season due to an oblique injury he attempted to play through. Norris had a goal and an assist in three games with the Sabres after he put up 20 goals and 13 assists with Ottawa. Although he’s a center, Norris is a shooter more than a playmaker and where he figures to fit into the lineup is one of the bigger mysteries of the new season. Although he’ll play in the top six forward group, who his wingers will end up being is something worth watching out for. He’ll have a lot of options between Zach Benson, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn, Jason Zucker and Josh Doan, but the Sabres will need to have Norris healthy more than anything else. In the past, Norris has shown himself to be a dynamite offensive player with a good shot and solid puck skills. It’s unfortunate he couldn’t get more of an introduction with his teammates last season, but if the Sabres are going to end their 14-year playoff drought, they’ll need him on the ice so as to not thin out their center group.

Ryan McLeod

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	19	35	54	0.66

Contract years tend to bring out the best in players and in Ryan McLeod’s case that was an exemplary truth. McLeod had a career-high 20 goals and 53 points after coming over from the Edmonton Oilers. He proved to be one of the most versatile players in the Sabres lineup as he was able to play center on any of the four lines, on the power play and most especially shorthanded. His speed and tenacity on the forecheck made him frustrating for opponents to get away from and no longer being pigeonholed as a solely checking line player proved to be advantageous to Buffalo given his massively increased offensive output. His great season earned him a four-year, $20 million restricted free agent deal. Considering the reaction to the trade that brought him to Buffalo in which he was swapped one-for-one with 2022 ninth overall pick Matthew Savoie was overwhelmingly negative for the Sabres, McLeod’s huge season and overall performance has helped make it out to be one of Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams’s savvier trades. What’s worth watching now is how McLeod performs with higher expectations put upon him thanks to the new contract. Whether he’s centering the second, third or fourth lines or playing on the wing, the Sabres are content knowing they’ll get the same effort out of him regardless.

Jason Zucker

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
70	17	26	43	0.61

A year ago, Jason Zucker was the Sabres most noteworthy free agent signing and he came as advertised and provided a sorely needed veteran presence in the locker room for a very young team. Zucker had 21 goals and 32 assists and was the team’s leading scorer on the power play with 11 goals. He found a lot of success being around the net tipping pucks and cleaning up rebounds His speed and hockey know how injected an air of confidence into the lineup they sorely needed up front while some of their younger players struggled adapting to Lindy Ruff’s coaching style. After the Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner last summer, adding Zucker to replace his production while also giving them a player who can help better perform defensively was a needed change. Even though there were questions about where Zucker would best fit into the lineup, like Ryan McLeod, it didn’t necessarily matter which line he was on because he was going to play the same way no matter what. Although Zucker could’ve been a prime trade piece at the deadline, he signed a two-year, $9.5 million extension to stay with the Sabres. At 33 years old, he’s the Sabres oldest player. Make no mistake, his presence is vital to their young group in helping stay grounded and loose. His versatility in being able to play anywhere in the lineup makes him even more valuable to them.

Jiri Kulich

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
73	21	14	35	0.48

Among the many young players that make up the Sabres lineup, the emergence of Jiri Kulich in the NHL last season was a key one for their future. After he spent the past two seasons in the American Hockey League, Kulich forced his way into the Sabres lineup with his ability to handle play at center and his elite shot. He had 15 goals and nine assists in 62 games with the Sabres which doesn’t totally grab people’s attention, but when you consider he spent the latter part of the season as their No. 1 center between Zach Benson and Tage Thompson, it becomes a fair bit more impressive to take in. Kulich was the third of three first-round picks the Sabres made in 2022 and the 28th overall pick established a reputation as a goal scorer in the AHL as he put up 24 and 27 goals the previous two seasons. Although he was drafted and believed to be a winger, he’s taken to playing center by improving his attention to detail defensively and improving his work on faceoffs. Now 21 years old, Kulich is among the younger players on the roster but after proving his capabilities last season and showing that his offensive capabilities carried over from the AHL, it’ll be worth watching to see how his game grows in his second full NHL season, especially with the possibility of playing for Czechia in the Olympics on the horizon.

Jack Quinn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	21	24	45	0.57

After coming off a season in which he missed half of it recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and then even more time with a broken leg afterwards, Jack Quinn was poised for a return to health and goal scoring form last season. But the change from Don Granato to Lindy Ruff as head coach didn’t go as smoothly for him. Despite all of that bad-sounding news, Quinn posted career-highs with 15 goals and 24 assists and 39 points in 74 games. The numbers outpaced his rookie season performance, which is good, but being two years removed from that makes it a bit of a downer. His pace was off and the attention to detail in his defensive game lapsed at times which didn’t help with his new head coach. Quinn signed a two-year, $6.75 million contract in the offseason that will function as a prove-it deal for him. Staying healthy like he did last season will go a long way to helping him do that. His shot creativity and ability to score off the rush are high end and when he’s playing at the top of his game he’s a dangerous scorer, but being able to stay consistent will be necessary. Now that Tage Thompson is on the wing, it makes things a bit more crowded on the right side with Thompson and Alex Tuch also on the right side. That said, now that both Dylan Cozens and J.J. Peterka are gone, the center Quinn fits best with is worth keeping an eye on be it Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris or Ryan McLeod.

Zach Benson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	24	36	0.47

If there’s one player up front to really watch to see how their game evolves this season, it’s Zach Benson. Benson was a big-time scorer in the WHL who used his offensive smarts, skill and ability to frustrate defenders with his tenaciousness. The latter trait has more than carried over into the NHL as he’s become an effective forechecker and penalty killer on top of being someone at the middle of many scrums after the whistle. Last season with Buffalo, Benson had 10 goals and 18 assists, numbers that were very slightly down from his rookie year. Benson just turned 20 in May and is headed into his third NHL season and that he made the Sabres roster as an 18-year-old said a lot about him and the Sabres alike. His dogged style of play, however, has endeared him to fans and earned respect from his coaches. He’s been a classic “if everyone played like him, they’d be doing great” kind of player, but for him to take his game to another level he must increase his offensive output. If Benson’s game evolves by continuing to do things that make him more like similarly statured players in the league like Brad Marchand, it would make for a massive change for the overall performance and attitude of the Sabres. If he continues to hover around the net and wreaks havoc, the goals will come.

Josh Doan

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	12	20	32	0.41

With the departure of J.J. Peterka to Utah, Josh Doan will be viewed as having some big skates to fill to help make up for the loss in scoring. At 23 years old, Doan’s NHL career is just getting started, however. Doan played 51 of his 62 career games last season and had seven goals and 12 assists while playing a third-or-fourth line role. He’s best known for his intense forechecking ability and getting in on plays deep in the zone to frustrate opposing defenders trying to exit the zone. He’s strong and quick and during his time playing at Arizona State and the AHL, showed a solid scoring touch. If he can see more of that translate over to the NHL, the Sabres will be very happy to see it although they’ll be satisfied having a guy that plays as hard as he does. It’s expected that Doan will play lower in the Sabres lineup either on the third or fourth lines, but having him work with guys like Peyton Krebs, Jordan Greenway or Beck Malenstyn could help give Buffalo a tough and annoying line to deal with each game. Being Shane Doan’s son, he might set a high bar for expectations for some, but Josh’s game should fit in well with what Lindy Ruff ideally wants to see the team play like.

DEFENCE

Rasmus Dahlin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	20	50	70	0.88

If fans weren’t aware of how good a defenceman Rasmus Dahlin was already, watching him or tracking his stats last season would’ve done the trick. Dahlin was a dominant presence for the Sabres and finished tied for second on the team in scoring with J.J. Peterka with 68 points in 73 games. He led Sabres defencemen in scoring, goals (17) and assists (51) as well as average time on-ice (24:14). For comparison’s sake, the Sabres’ other nine defencemen combined to score 23 goals. To say everything runs through Dahlin would be putting it lightly. What’s more remarkable about Dahlin’s performance last season is that virtually every defenceman who paired with him during the year saw their own performances improve greatly because of it. Dahlin’s play was noticeable enough to land him sixth in the voting by the PHWA for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenceman. With the puck on Dahlin’s stick and in control of the play up and down the ice, the Sabres’ best chances to score goals and win games comes when he’s on the ice. With Bo Byram re-signed and the addition of Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins to the blue line corps, it remains to be seen who will start the season as Dahlin’s partner, but you’d have to think it would start with Byram who had some of his best play of the season alongside Dahlin. Regardless of who gets the call, however, expect Dahlin to continue to grow into one of the best defencemen in the league.

Owen Power

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	9	36	45	0.58

There’s a big step forward in Owen Power’s game that’s coming and it’s just a matter of when it will happen. Power had seven goals and 33 assists in 79 games last season and was second among Sabres defencemen in scoring behind Rasmus Dahlin. It was a career-year offensively for him, but fans are waiting for his game to take a leap forward the way Dahlin’s has. Although his defensive numbers weren’t as strong as you’d like to see, a lot of what he does very well to disrupt opponents doesn’t necessarily get tabulated in stats. This only serves to help make arguments about him get a bit heated. As an extremely smart player with and without the puck, Power can make elite plays with regularity. His size, reach and agility make him frustrating to play against for puck carriers and shooters, and now with the addition of Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins, the hope for the Sabres is they’ve found a regular right-handed partner for Power to pair up with. Over his first few seasons in the league, he’s had a regular rotation of defence partners and a theory for his occasional struggles centered around the lack of consistency there. Expect to see Kesselring with him this season at some point if not immediately in camp.

Bowen Byram

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	8	33	41	0.50

When the Sabres acquired Bo Byram from Colorado two seasons ago, the hope was they added a player who would give them one of the most formidable defence units in the NHL. Last season, we saw a lot from Byram that helped encourage that belief. Byram had seven goals and a career-high 31 assists last season to set a new career-high in scoring with 38 points. As a lefthanded shot, Byram fitting into the Sabres lineup can be tricky with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson also being lefthanded. But when he paired with Dahlin, we got a chance to see some of what helped make him such a highly sought-after player. Byram’s ability to carry the puck through all three zones and his offensive instincts were noticeable while he worked with Dahlin and the quick moving play they developed together also didn’t necessarily hurt them defensively either. Although that pairing didn’t stick together all season, this summer’s additions might allow for them to be reunited on the top pairing. That Byram is back in Buffalo is a bit of a surprise. He was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason because of his restricted free agent status and the fact that Dahlin and Power are responsible for most of the five-on-five and power play time, but he signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal to avoid arbitration that will also walk him to unrestricted free agency when it ends. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to show what he can do until then.

Michael Kesselring

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	5	22	27	0.33

When the Sabres made their offseason trade with the Utah Mammoth to send J.J. Peterka out of town, the main player general manager Kevyn Adams zeroed in on was Michael Kesselring. This might sound a bit strange, but the reasons for going after the 6-foot-5 righthanded defenceman make a lot of sense. Kesselring has been a bit of a late bloomer since he was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round in 2018. He spent three seasons in the AHL after he was signed by Edmonton out of Northeastern University and then was sent to Arizona in the Nick Bjugstad trade in 2023. With the Coyotes and Utah Hockey Club, however, he was able to grow and become a steady defensive defenceman who also possesses a powerful slap shot. In 82 games with Utah last season, Kesselring had seven goals and 22 assists as well as 89 penalty minutes thanks to his physical play and willingness to fight when called on. That kind of edge has been lacking overall from the Sabres lineup, but especially on the blue line. The hope is he’ll be able to pair with Owen Power and mind the defensive side of the game to a point to better allow Power the freedom to create more offensively and boost the Sabres attack further.

Goal

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
48	22	18	4	3	.905	3.05

Of all the league's starting goaltenders who stayed in place throughout the year, no one struggled more mightily than Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Cornered by a Sabres lineup that featured a limited-usage James Reimer and a still-developing Devon Levi, Luukkonen was left to shoulder the lion's share of the starts - and the result left Buffalo floundering as the agile but highly mobile Luukkonen struggled to find a flow amidst poor defence and growing fatigue. His numbers aren't entirely his fault; his game play looked like a severe mismatch with the defensive strategy in front of him, forcing extra scrambling for soft rebounds and limited sightlines for a goaltender who relies on his agility to get him where he needs to go in the nick of time.

In what seems to be a signal that Buffalo doesn't want to hamper Devon Levi's development, though, the Sabres have brought experienced veteran backup Alex Lyon into the fold to help weather the storm this year. At best, he can serve as a reliable, steadying technical presence during stretches in order to give Luukkonen a break without prematurely throwing Levi to the wolves full-time. And in a worst-case scenario, Luukkonen might end up being the odd man out, leaving Levi and Lyon to handle the workload for larger chunks of time. Either way, the Buffalo crease doesn't necessarily look set for the long term - but it does look like things might be less hectic for Luukkonen, at least for this year.

NHL: DADOUN – FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – What to make of the Buffalo Sabres – Teams and players to target this week

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:41:42 +0000

_{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),}

How should we define the 2024-25 Buffalo Sabres? On paper, they’re not a terrible team. Tage Thompson is an elite goal scorer, and Alex Tuch is a good first-line forward and well suited to being Thompson’s accomplish. Rasmus Dahlin, though currently out with a back injury, is a high-end offensive blueliner, and the Sabres also have two promising young defensemen on the rise in Owen Power and Bowen Byram. In net, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has shown that he can be a solid option.

This isn’t a good team either, though. The Sabres do have some offensive depth, especially with Jason Zucker enjoying a comeback campaign (seven goals and 20 points through 29 appearances), but their overall scoring still isn’t anything special. The blueliners do have a mixture of talent and promise, but as a squad, the Sabres have struggled on defense, as evidenced by the team ranking 22nd in xGA/60 (3.13) per Moneypuck. Those shortcomings have trickled down to Luukkonen, who has an 8-8-3 record, 2.79 GAA and .903 save percentage in 20 starts despite a passable plus-2.6 goals saved above expected.

More than anything, Buffalo is inconsistent. Sometimes this group can click, which led to Buffalo looking like a potential contender for a playoff spot earlier in the campaign, but other times they fall apart. Buffalo has lost its last eight games, dropping its record to 11-14-4.

That kind of inconsistency would be more forgivable if Buffalo was a rebuilding team, but is that still an appropriate definition for the Sabres? They certainly do still have younger players like defensemen Power and Byram, forwards Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson as well as goaltender Devon Levi honing his game in the minors. None of those five have celebrated their 24th birthday yet, so it’s reasonable to believe their game will continue to grow.

At the same time, Tuch and Thompson are already in their prime, albeit in the early stages at 28 and 27 years old, respectively. Dahlin is still young but also in his seventh campaign, so ideally this is a foundation that should have started to get results by now.

But those results never come. You could easily make an argument that this is a rebuilding team even with those three either in or approaching their prime, but you could have made the argument that basically every Sabres team over the last decade has been a rebuilding squad. At some point, you need to transition from rebuild.

It’s been nine years since Jack Eichel was selected as the No. 2 overall pick to be the Sabres’ future. It’s been six years since Dahlin was selected as the No. 1 overall pick to headline Buffalo’s defense. It’s been four years since Power was taken with the top pick, giving the Sabres a potentially amazing blue-line duo. It’s been three years since that relationship soured to the point where Buffalo traded him to Vegas.

Buffalo hasn’t participated in a single playoff game over that span. That’d be bad enough, but the drought dates back even further. When Buffalo was last a playoff team in 2011, Tomas Vanek was the Sabres’ leading scorer and Thompson’s age. Tyler Ennis was among the team’s promising young forwards while Tyler Myers was a sophomore coming off a Calder Trophy-winning campaign. Ryan Miller was in his prime, having won the Vezina Trophy the previous year. Lindy Ruff was the bench boss… well, actually, that’s true now too… but there were six bench bosses for Buffalo between Ruff’s tenure with the team that ended during the 2012-13 campaign and his current assignment with the team.

The Sabres’ playoff appearance drought is the longest in NHL history. That’s got to way on the team, and you have to wonder if it will eventually lead to talented players getting frustrated in Buffalo as it has for others in the past. Still, it’s not as if this is a doomed team.

As stated at the top, there are positives to be found in this roster, and the place we’re judging the Sabres from now might be at or near their low point. There’s still season enough for them to turn this thing around. If they don’t, there is still hope for the future with this young group…even if that promise feels a little hollow after so many other failed rebuild attempts.

Calgary Flames (Tue vs. BOS, Thu vs. OTT, Sat vs. CHI)

The Flames have just three games scheduled for next week, but all those contests are at home, and it’s a pretty favorable schedule. Boston, which the Flames will host Tuesday, did have a 7-2-0 stretch from Nov. 21-Dec. 7, but the Bruins’ have fallen back after big losses to Winnipeg and Seattle over their past two games. After facing the Bruins, Calgary will host Ottawa and Chicago on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Neither of those adversaries are in a playoff position.

Jonathan Huberdeau’s eight-year, $84 million contract is looking like it might go down as one of the worst contracts in recent memory, but he’s at least hot at the moment, providing four goals and nine points across his past six appearances. Will he keep that up? It’s possible, but it’s hard to get too excited. His 11 goals and 21 points through 30 outings overall still puts him on pace to get 57 points, which isn’t bad, but it’s well below the type of numbers he put up in Florida. Additionally, he has a 21.6 shooting percentage compared to his career average of 12.5, so if anything, Huberdeau’s benefited from some good puck luck and is more likely to slow as the campaign progresses than maintain that overall scoring pace.

If Huberdeau has potentially overperformed, would Andrei Kuzmenko be at the other end of the spectrum? No one expects him to repeat his 39-goal, 74-point performance from 2022-23, but is his goal and 10 points through 28 outings in 2024-25 simply the result of bad luck? His 3.3 shooting percentage is unusually low, but I’m more concerned about his decline in shots. He’s averaging just 4.1 shots/60, down from 6.8 last year.

Of his 30 shots this campaign, 19 have been fired from high-danger locations, which does put him ahead of the league average for forwards of 12.8, so that is a little bit of a silver lining. He’s on track for 52 high-danger shots this campaign, which would be down from 60 last year, a drop of 13.3 percent, whereas his overall shot total is on track to finish at 82, compared to 121 in 2023-24, a decline of 32.2 percent. So a deeper dive suggests things might not be quite as bad as they seem -- at least in terms of shot quality -- but it’s still not good, just less bad.

It's fair to believe that Kuzmenko’s shooting percentage will climb as the campaign progresses, but unless he starts getting a bit more aggressive with the puck, I wouldn’t count on him putting up numbers sufficient to give him relevance in the majority of fantasy leagues.

We might see better from Nazem Kadri, though, at least relative to his current point pace. He has 10 goals and 19 points in 30 appearances this campaign, which is a far cry from his 75-point showing in 2023-24. Kadri has been a steady contributor recently, though, supplying five goals and 11 points through his past 13 outings. He’s not a safe bet to reach the 70-point milestone again, but he was getting significantly fewer assists than is normal early in the campaign, and that seems to be balancing out and is likely to continue to do so. There’s a good chance he’ll finish the season as Calgary’s scoring leader.

Colorado Avalanche (Mon @ VAN, Thu @ SJS, FRI @ ANA, Sun vs. SEA)

The Avalanche will start next week on the road, playing in Vancouver on Monday, San Jose on Thursday and Anaheim on Friday. Colorado will then conclude the week by hosting the Kraken.

Colorado acquired Mackenzie Blackwood along with Givani Smith and a 2027 fifth-round pick from San Jose in exchange for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 second-round selection.

With Blackwood on side, the Avalanche have now completely changed their goaltending tandem. They started with Georgiev and Justus Annunen, and now have Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. The 32-year-old Wedgewood started the campaign with Nashville, posting a 1-2-1 record, 3.69 GAA and .878 save percentage through five appearances, but he’s done far better since joining the Avalanche, going 3-2-0 with a 1.92 GAA and a .931 save percentage across five outings. Of course, that’s a small sample size, and Wedgewood typically hasn’t been more than an acceptable backup goaltender, so Blackwood will be needed too.

For his part, Blackwood had a 6-9-3 record, 3.00 GAA and .909 save percentage in 19 appearances with the Sharks before the trade. He has a plus-3.9 goals saved above expected this campaign, per Moneypuck, so he’s been solid when factoring out the Sharks’ defense. Speaking of that defense, San Jose ranks 29th in xGA/60 (3.36) while Colorado is 13th (2.95). That should lead to Blackwood putting up meaningfully better numbers post-trade, and naturally, his winning percentage should improve too now that he has the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar providing him with goal support.

Having Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen naturally helps too. That duo wasn’t available at the start of the campaign, but they’re in the lineup now, providing some critical secondary scoring. Nichushkin and Lehkonen have each supplied four goals through six games in December. They won’t match MacKinnon and Rantanen in terms of points, but they’re fantastic for Colorado to have on the top six.

Edmonton Oilers (Mon vs. FLA, Thu vs. BOS, Sat vs. SJS, Sun vs. OTT)

The Oilers will be at home next week, hosting the Panthers on Monday, the Bruins on Thursday, the Sharks on Saturday and the Senators on Sunday. Edmonton has been fantastic recently, winning seven of its past eight games to improve to 17-10-2 on the campaign, so the Oilers will be looking to stay hot.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have unsurprisingly been a major factor in Edmonton’s recent success, providing 15 points (five goals) and 14 points (six), respectively, over their past eight games. Vasily Podkolzin (three goals, five points) and Connor Brown (one goal, five points) have been less expected contributors. Podkolzin has benefited from playing in a top-six role, but he still might lose that job once Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed) is available. It would be a little surprising if Arvidsson, who has been out since Nov. 12, returned next week, but he has resumed skating and might attend a team practice soon.

As for Brown, while there was some hope of him playing alongside his old OHL teammate, McDavid, when he first joined the Oilers, that’s never panned out. The 30-year-old has been playing strictly in a bottom-six capacity and has received almost no power-play time this campaign, so while his four goals and 10 points through 29 appearances aren’t bad under the circumstances, Brown isn’t in a position to increase that scoring pace.

In goal, Stuart Skinner has stabilized after a rough start to the campaign, posting a 4-1-0 record, 1.41 GAA and .947 save percentage across his past five starts. He had a similar track in 2023-24 with a rocky opening to the season followed by mostly strong play beyond that, so perhaps history is repeating.

Florida Panthers (Mon @ EDM, Wed @ MIN, Fri vs. STL, Sun vs. TBL)

Florida will open next week with road games against Edmonton and Minnesota on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The Panthers will then host the Blues on Friday and play in Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Matthew Tkachuk was one of the hottest forwards in the league from Nov. 19-Dec. 7, supplying six goals and 19 points across 10 appearances. However, he’s been held off the scoresheet in each of his last two outings, so while he’s a fantastic forward regardless, his latest hot streak might be over.

To be fair, though, Florida as a squad has managed just one goal (excluding the shootout) over its past two games, so it’s not just Tkachuk who has cooled off. That’s just a mini-slump on the Panthers’ end, but Anton Lundell has been cold for longer. He hasn’t recorded a point across his past five appearances, leaving him at eight goals and 19 points through 29 outings in 2024-25.

Most of Lundell’s success came from an amazing start to the campaign in which he recorded six goals and 14 points in 14 appearances, but he was also averaging 18:49 of ice time. By contrast, he’s dropped to two goals and five points over his past 15 games and his average during that stretch is 15:39. The 23-year-old is capable, but when everyone is healthy, he typically serves on the third line, which limits his fantasy impact. If injuries result in him moving up to the top six, then he could be a great short-term play.

Los Angeles Kings (Tue @ PIT, Thu @ PHI, Sat @ NSH, Sun @ WSH)

The Kings have a full schedule with four games on the docket next week and just one of their upcoming opponents (the Capitals) occupy a playoff spot. The downside is the Kings will be on the road for the entire week. They’ll play in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Philadelphia on Thursday, Nashville on Saturday and Washington on Sunday.

When looking at the Kings’ campaign thus far, the player who has most impressed me is Anze Kopitar with his eight goals and 32 points through 29 appearances. We’re currently in a time where several forwards have excelled well past their prime -- Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being the most obvious examples -- so Kopitar’s longevity has flown under the radar somewhat. The fact that he remains an effective playmaker at the age of 37, is still impressive, though. It wouldn’t be surprising at this point to see him reach the 70-point mark for the 10th time in his career.

Alex Laferriere was nearing his sixth birthday when Kopitar made his NHL debut, but the two are in their second campaign together and the sophomore Laferriere has been coming into his own with 12 goals and 22 points in 29 contests this season. Laferriere has continued to be a steady contributor lately, collecting three goals and seven points across his past seven games.

However, I am a little worried about Laferriere’s 20.0 shooting percentage. That seems rather high and his PDO of 1033 is a touch up there too, which suggests he has been getting a bit of puck luck. I don’t expect a crash, but his goal-scoring pace will likely decline somewhat.

Adrian Kempe’s shooting percentage of 17.9 is on the higher side too. Kempe did have a 16.4 shooting percentage in 2022-23 when he finished with 41 markers, so he’s not too far above his career high, but it’s still a notable step above his career average of 12.7. Like Laferriere, I don’t expect Kempe to collapse, but a small decline might be in his future. Kempe does have 14 goals and 28 points in 29 outings overall.

New Jersey Devils (Tue @ STL, Thu @ CBJ, Sat vs. PIT)

The Devils are set to play just three games next week, but the competition is favorable, so I decided to highlight them. New Jersey will play in St. Louis on Tuesday and Columbus on Thursday before hosting the Penguins on Saturday.

The Devils have a commanding 19-10-3 record compared to their mediocre 38-39-5 finish to 2023-24 and the difference is almost entirely at their end of the ice. New Jersey is allowing just 2.66 goals per game, which is a huge drop from 3.43 last year. But how much of that is thanks to Jacob Markstrom?

The Devils had an xGA/60 of 3.26 last campaign, which suggests that they were a poor defensive team independent of their goaltending. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jake Allen largely held their own with a plus-1.4 and minus-1.9 goals saved above expected, but when the defense is that bad, merely being okay leads to bad results. The Devils also employed Nico Daws, Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek, who did even worse by that metric.

Markstrom was brought in over the summer to stabilize the situation, but much like Kahkonen before him, he’s been acceptable, but not brilliant, posting a plus-1.5 goals saved above expected through 22 appearances. The difference is the Devils have burdened their goaltenders far less in 2024-25, as evidenced by their 2.70 xGA/60.

So, while Markstrom certainly hasn’t been a problem, he hasn’t necessarily been their savior. Either way, fantasy managers have can reap the benefits of Markstrom playing in a favorable situation, which has resulted in him posting a 14-6-2 record, 2.41 GAA and .906 save percentage. He’s also hot going into this week with a 3-0-1 record, 1.48 GAA and .933 save percentage over his past four outings.

Allen has been dealing with an upper-body injury, and the Devils’ schedule is spread out enough to allow Markstrom to start in all three games next week. Isaac Poulter will be with New Jersey for the duration of Allen’s injury, but Poulter is unlikely to get a start. The 23-year-old Poulter has struggled in the AHL this campaign with a 3.32 GAA and an .871 save percentage across nine appearances.

Poulter not getting playing time isn’t surprising, but it was a bit eyebrow-raising to see Tomas Tatar out of the lineup Thursday. Perhaps it shouldn’t be, though. Tatar has averaged just 10:41 of ice time this campaign, which is a far cry from even two seasons ago when he logged 15:07 per game. The Devils are a deep team, and it seems like there’s not much of a role for him. I’d be interested to see what would happen if the Devils traded the 34-year-old. He’s on a one-year, $1.8 million contract, so he’s movable, but New Jersey might ultimately decide that they’d rather have him on board as an insurance policy against injuries. If Tatar does find himself in a middle-six role, he might do enough offensively to have some fantasy relevance. As it is, he’s a non-factor in most leagues.

Seattle Kraken (Tue vs. OTT, Thu @ CHI, Sat @ VGK, Sun @ COL)

Seattle will host Ottawa on Tuesday, but the Kraken will spend the remainder of next week on the road, playing in Chicago on Thursday, Vegas on Saturday and Colorado on Sunday.

The Kraken have largely held their own this campaign without being anything special, posting a 15-14-2 record. Joey Daccord has been a major highlight with a 12-6-2 record, 2.42 GAA and .916 save percentage through 20 appearances. We just talked about how Markstrom is benefiting from plenty of support, but Daccord has had to do much more to keep the Kraken afloat. They are tied for 24th in xGA/60 (3.14) and are tied for 16th in goals per game (3.03). For his part, Daccord’s plus-9.2 in goals saved above expected ranks seventh in the league.

Seattle’s offense is mediocre in part because it lacks star power. Through Friday’s action, 48 players have scored at least 12 goals and none of them play for the Kraken. Seattle’s points leader, Jared McCann, (11 goals, 15 assists), is also outside of the top 47 in that category. The Kraken have nine players who have recorded at least five goals, which is respectable -- the league average is 7.7 per team -- but without a star leading the charge, the offense is still just okay.

Maybe Shane Wright will eventually fill that role. Taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wright had just a goal and an assist through his first 18 appearances in 2024-25. Then he spent three games as a healthy scratch from Nov. 17-23, and that seemed to do him plenty of good. He’s managed six goals and 11 points across 10 outings since that stint in the press box.

The 22-year-old Matty Beniers has promise too. He had 24 goals and 57 points as a rookie in 2022-23 but took a step back in 2023-24 with 15 goals and 37 points. The 2024-25 campaign has been a mixed bag -- he has four goals and 17 points in 31 games -- but he’s done well recently with seven assists across his past seven appearances.

Vancouver Canucks (Mon @ COL, Wed @ UTA, Thu @ VGK, Say vs. OTT)

The Canucks will split next week between two games at home (Monday vs. the Avalanche and Saturday vs. the Senators) and two road tilts (Wednesday in Utah and Thursday in Vegas). The Canucks are 15-8-5, which is pretty good, but in a tough Pacific Division, that’s only good for fourth place.

Going into the campaign, it wasn’t clear if Vancouver would be able to hold its own without starting goaltender Thatcher Demko, who was dealing with a knee injury. Fortunately for the Canucks, Kevin Lankinen stepped up and now has a 14-4-3 record, 2.52 GAA and .912 save percentage across 21 outings.

Lankinen became the clear starter during Demko’s absence, but his role is less clear after Demko made his return. The 29-year-old Demko made his season debut Tuesday, though he left something to be desired, stopping 21 of 25 shots en route to a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis. That was followed by Lankinen posting a 27-save shutout Thursday.

We shouldn’t judge Demko based on only one start, but it might take him some time to shake off the rust. With Vancouver’s upcoming schedule relatively full, the Canucks will probably split the workload between Lankinen and Demko, which will give the latter more time to get eased in. If Lankinen keeps playing like he has been, and Demko eventually finds his rhythm, then Vancouver would have a great 1A/1B situation on its hands.

The Canucks also got J.T. Miller back, who was absent for 10 games due to personal reasons. He looked good in his return Thursday, providing two assists, including one on the power play. Now that he’s back, Pius Suter is likely to serve in a reduced capacity. During Miller’s 10-game absence, Suter had five goals and nine points while averaging 18:14 of ice time, but Suter dropped to 15:15 on Thursday and wasn’t used at all with the man advantage for the first time since Nov. 14. If you’ve been enjoying Suter’s recent success, now might be the time to explore your alternatives.

NHL: DADOUN – THE FANTASY WEEK AHEAD – Kicking Off the 2024-25 NHL Season

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 13:00:04 +0000

_{CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 21: Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) looks on during a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks on October 21, 2023 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)}

The season’s underway, but it’s important not to read too much into the early numbers. Instead, it’s better to focus on how players are being utilized, especially which players seem to be getting new opportunities this season.

In our first Look Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, I’ll be focused on highlighting players in such positions and discuss what we might see from them this year.

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo will be on the road next week, but the competition is relatively favorable with visits to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Columbus on Thursday and Chicago on Saturday.

The Sabres started their season with three straight losses while managing just one goal in each of those games. Fans weren’t expecting them to be Stanley Cup contenders, but the hope is that they’ll at least compete for a playoff spot this campaign, especially given that they haven’t been to the postseason since 2011. Still, it’s very early, and the upcoming schedule is favorable, so there’s an opportunity here for Buffalo to make up some lost ground.

Zach Benson in particular is one to watch in Buffalo. The 19-year-old didn’t stand out as a rookie with his 11 goals and 30 points across 71 games, but it was impressive for the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to make the jump straight from WHL Winnipeg to the NHL. The only other players from his draft class that logged at least 40 games last season were No. 1-3 picks Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli.

Benson should do significantly better this season, especially given how he’s been utilized so far. He averaged 18:16 of ice time over his first two games this season, up from 14:31 in 2023-24. Of particular note is the fact that Benson has averaged 4:16 with the man advantage this year. He logged just two power-play points last year, so there’s a lot of room for increased production there.

Bowen Byram is also getting plenty of power-play ice time -- an average of 3:39 through three contests. He was never utilized much with the man advantage during his Avalanche days and consequently went into this campaign with just eight career power-play points. If Buffalo continues to use him in this way, then Byram might take a big leap up from his 29-point showing in 2023-24.

Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina has a trio of contests next week against teams that failed to make the playoffs in 2023-24. The Hurricanes will host the Devils on Tuesday, then visit Pittsburgh and St. Louis on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Hurricanes haven’t made their season debut at the time of writing, but one player I’m very interested in is Brent Burns. He’s recorded at least 40 points in 10 of his past 11 seasons, and you’d have to go back to 2013-14 when he was utilized as a forward to find the last time he averaged less than 20 minutes per game over the course of a season. Still, he’s 39 now with his 40th birthday coming March 9, so I have to wonder how much more he has left in the tank. It wouldn’t surprise me if Burns’ role is somewhat reduced this campaign, and he might even serve on the No. 2 power-play unit with Shayne Gostisbehere being utilized on the first. For that reason, it wouldn’t shock me if Burns ends up with closer to 30 points instead of 40.

This might prove to be an up-season for Jack Roslovic, though. After signing a one-year, $2.8 million contract with Carolina over the summer, Roslovic seems set to skate on the top line alongside Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho. That’s a great position for the 27-year-old to be in after he was limited to nine goals and 31 points across 59 regular-season outings between Columbus and the Rangers in 2023-24.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks will play in Calgary on Tuesday before heading home for contests against the Sharks and Sabres on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. None of Chicago’s competitors next week made the playoffs.

Not that the Blackhawks made the playoffs either -- far from it, they finished with a 23-53-6 record. Chicago isn’t expected to do much better this season, but the team does have a bit more veteran help.

Teuvo Teravainen signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract with Chicago over the summer and is getting a chance to play alongside Connor Bedard. That duo has already developed some chemistry with Bedard setting up Teravainen’s goal in Chicago’s season opener versus Utah on Tuesday.

Bedard is a legitimate candidate to finish with over 80 points this season after recording 22 goals and 61 points across 68 contests as a rookie, so naturally playing on his line is the best assignment Chicago can offer. Still, the Blackhawks’ second unit might not be as lackluster as it was in 2023-24. Tyler Bertuzzi was also lured to Chicago over the summer, inking a four-year, $22 million contract, and he figures to serve primarily on the second line alongside Taylor Hall, who missed all-but 10 games last season due to a knee injury.

Bertuzzi and Hall aren’t likely to set the league on fire, but they could put up decent numbers this year, especially while sharing the ice with Philipp Kurashev, who was second to Bedard in Blackhawks scoring in 2023-24 with 54 points (18 goals).

None of this is likely to help goaltender Petr Mrazek much, though. He did his best for the rebuilding squad last year, but still finished with an 18-31-4 record, 3.04 GAA and .907 save percentage in 56 games. He’ll probably have rough numbers again this time around.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche will be busy next week, hosting the Islanders on Monday, Boston on Wednesday and Anaheim on Friday. Colorado will then head to San Jose for a contest Sunday.

The hope in Colorado is that Gabriel Landeskog (knee) will make his return this season, but there’s no timetable for that. He hasn’t played since June 26, 2022. The Avalanche are currently also missing Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension), which leaves their top six a little thin. Adding to the Avalanche’s woes, Jonathan Drouin is hurt now too, and the team announced Friday that he was likely to miss the next few games.

Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen can be counted on to carry the offense on most nights and Drouin has been an effective option to share the ice with them, but he’s hurt so the Avalanche will need a replacement. Perhaps the 22-year-old Ivan Ivan or the veteran Miles Wood will get a look in that spot. Neither is anything close to an ideal option for Colorado, but either would see a temporary boost in fantasy value by virtue of playing alongside two elite forwards.

Then there’s the second line. Casey Mittelstadt is the obvious option to center it, but finding wingers for him is a bigger challenge.

For now, the 19-year-old Calum Ritchie appears to be getting a chance on the second unit. He does have a good amount of offensive upside, so he’s worth keeping an eye on, but it remains to be seen if he’s ready to serve a big role in the NHL at this time. Nikolai Kovalenko also got a look on the second line during Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to Vegas. Kovalenko was reassigned to the minors Thursday, but that might just be a paper transaction for cap purposes, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him promptly recalled before Colorado’s next contest.

Like Ritchie, Wednesday’s game was Kovalenko is largely unproven in the NHL, but the 24-year-old has years’ worth of experience in the KHL. He accumulated 32 goals and 89 points over 98 regular-season games with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo between 2022-23 and 20223-24. He might be worth a short-term pickup if Colorado does continue to utilize Kovalenko in a second-line role, but keep in mind he’ll likely dip in the depth charts once Colorado has at least one or two of Lehkonen, Nichushkin or Landeskog available.

Keep in mind that with Drouin hurt, it’s also possible that Ritchie or Kovalenko will get a look on the top line, which would further thin the second unit, but it just speaks to how difficult a position Colorado is in for the moment.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are on the road next week, but they have four games on the docket, including three versus teams that failed to make the playoffs in 2023-24. They’ll be in Canada to kickoff the week, visiting Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Los Angeles will then head closer to home to play against the Ducks on Sunday.

This is part of a larger seven-game road trip to open the season. Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Kings, has been undergoing renovations, which is why the Kings’ home opener isn’t until Oct. 24. The silver lining is LA will play 13 of their final 19 games at home, so don’t be surprised if the Kings end the regular season on a high note.

Of course, they would rather not be dependent on a late push to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, LA already is off to a rough start after losing Drew Doughty to an ankle injury that will sideline him for months. His absence increases the importance of 23-year-old Jordan Spence, who logged 22:07 of ice time in LA’s season opener Thursday, including 4:26 with the man advantage. That’s a huge jump from his average of 14:26 in 2023-24 and makes Spence an interesting pickup option. He had two goals and 24 points in 71 regular-season contests last campaign, which isn’t remarkable, but also not bad given his previously limited role. He’s also shown a lot of offensive potential at the AHL level, recording 87 points across 102 regular-season appearances between 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Getting a good season out of Spencer would go a long way towards improving the Kings’ playoff aspirations, but goaltender Darcy Kuemper’s performance figures to hold more weight. He’s coming off a rough campaign with Washington in which he had a 14-13-3 record, 3.31 GAA and .890 save percentage across 33 regular-season contests, but he’s moving from a team that was mediocre defensively last season (Washington ranked 19th with a 3.15 xGA/60, per moneypuck) to one of the strongest defenses (LA finished sixth with 2.82 xGA/60), so that might help the veteran goaltender rebound.

New Jersey Devils

The Sheldon Keefe-era in New Jersey will continue next week with games in Carolina and Ottawa on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, as well as home games versus Utah and Washington on Monday and Saturday, respectively.

Dougie Hamilton, who was limited to 20 games last season due to a pectoral injury, hasn’t recorded a point through three games in 2024-25, but the most important thing is he’s averaged 4:35 of power-play ice time over that span. The big question, though, is what’s going to happen once Luke Hughes (shoulder) and Hamilton are healthy at the same time. Hughes took over as the Devils’ top power-play quarterback during Hamilton’s absence last year and flourished in that role, but there’s no guarantee Hughes will be in that position over Hamilton once the 21-year-old Hughes is healthy. It's a situation worth monitoring closely because the outcome should have a significant impact on both of those defensemen’s fantasy value.

Seamus Casey is also a consideration in all this. The 20-year-old rookie defenseman recorded his first NHL point when he found the back of the net on the power play during New Jersey’s 3-1 victory over Buffalo on Oct. 5. Casey is on the second power-play unit, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him lose that role once Hughes is healthy. Losing that assignment might prevent Casey from generating enough offensive production to be appealing in standard fantasy leagues this season, but he does have long-term upside. The Florida native scored seven goals and 45 points across 40 games with the University of Michigan last season.

Regardless of who is playing with the man advantage, New Jersey figures to be a high-scoring team this season so long as they can stay relatively healthy -- something that evaded the Devils last season. That should aid Jacob Markstrom, who was acquired from Calgary over the summer. Markstrom is a goaltender capable of outshining the defense in front of him, and with that goal support, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him hit the 30-win mark for just the second time in his career.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh is set to play in Montreal on Monday before a two-game home stint involving the Sabres on Wednesday and the Hurricanes on Friday. The Penguins will conclude the week with a road contest versus Winnipeg on Sunday.

Being a largely veteran team led by aging superstars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, there isn’t much room for surprise here, but injuries have resulted in a bit of a shakeup. Bryan Rust (lower body) would typically play alongside Crosby, but he missed the first two games of the campaign and his status for next week remains in question. For now, Anthony Beauvillier is on the top line and is taking full advantage, providing a pair of goals Thursday, both assisted by Crosby.

Pittsburgh is also missing Alex Nedeljkovic (lower body), which led to Joel Blomqvist making his NHL debut Thursday. Blomqvist saved 29 of 32 shots en route to a 6-3 victory over Detroit. It wasn’t a bad showing, and given Tristan Jarry’s struggles -- he lost the starting gig toward the end of the 2023-24 campaign and opened this season by surrendering six goals on 40 shots to the Rangers -- it will be interesting to see how much work Blomqvist gets before Nedeljkovic returns. Pittsburgh’s schedule isn’t tight enough to pressure the Penguins to use a backup next week, but Blomqvist might get a start all the same if Nedeljkovic remains unavailable.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks will begin the week with a three-game road trip involving stops in Dallas on Tuesday, Chicago on Thursday and Winnipeg on Friday. San Jose will end the week by hosting the Avalanche on Sunday.

Not much is expected of the Sharks this season, but the presence of 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini gives them something to be excited about. Celebrini immediately made his presence felt, recording a goal and an assist in his debut Thursday, though San Jose still lost that game in overtime to St. Louis. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Celebrini’s track this season be somewhat similar to what we saw out of Bedard last year. Like Bedard, Celebrini is an elite prospect joining a team that will utilize him on the first line and top power-play unit.

Unfortunately, like Bedard, Celebrini might not play the full 82 games as a rookie. The 18-year-old missed Friday’s practice because of a lower-body injury and as of the time of writing is still being evaluated. The Sharks just have to hope that it’s nothing that will keep Celebrini off the ice for long.

When Celebrini is healthy, playing alongside him is by far the best assignment the Sharks can offer. William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli were the first to serve as his wingers. Eklund is an especially interesting option. He logged his first full NHL campaign in 2023-24, providing 16 goals and 45 points across 80 games. The 21-year-old is another important piece of the Sharks’ future and could make major strides this season, especially if he develops chemistry with Celebrini.

The 19-year-old Will Smith is another key part of that youth movement. He made his NHL debut Thursday, so his performance didn’t draw the same kind of praise afforded to Celebrini -- Smith had no points and two shots in 13:41 of ice time. If Celebrini does miss a time due to injury, then it might be Smith who moves up to the top line.

Also keep an eye on Logan Couture’s (groin) situation. It doesn’t seem like he’s anywhere close to returning after logging just six contests last season, but getting the 35-year-old back would naturally big a significant boost to the Sharks’ offense. Couture might play alongside Celebrini at even strength once he’s healthy, and at the least, the two would share the ice during the power play.

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – BUFFALO SABRES – Team Preview

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 16:00:02 +0000

_{MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 21: Look on Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) during the Buffalo Sabres versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 21, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)}

Although all eyes were on young goaltender Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen proved to be the star of the 2023-24 Sabres, posting a 27-22-4 record, 2.57 GAA and .910 save percentage across 54 contests. However, his strong netminding was undermined by forwards Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and Casey Mittelstadt all seeing meaningful declines in offensive production when compared to a season prior. The end result was that Buffalo finished 39-37-6 and missed the playoffs for a 13th consecutive year.

WHAT’S CHANGED? Since the Sabres replaced Lindy Ruff as the head coach, they have cycled through six bench bosses and none of them could lead Buffalo to the postseason, so Buffalo went back to the last thing that worked by rehiring the now 64-year-old Ruff. Outside of the coaching change, Buffalo bought out Skinner and let Victor Olofsson walk as an unrestricted free agent. Meanwhile, they brought in Ryan McLeod in a trade with Edmonton, who might play on the third line alongside Jason Zucker, who was inked to a one-year contract.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? The Sabres have endured the longest stretch between playoff berths in NHL history, but that might come to an end this season. Luukkonen was great last year, and at the age of 25, seems well positioned to be a high-end starter for years to come. Combine that with Levi’s high-end potential, and Buffalo’s goaltending is looking good. What Buffalo needs is for its forward corps to recapture some of the magic it had in 2022-23. If that happens, then the Sabres will be a great, well-rounded squad.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Of course, Luukkonen has just 100 career NHL games under his belt, and he wasn’t that effective in 2022-23, so there’s no guarantee he won’t regress, and for all Levi’s potential, he’s completely unproven. Buffalo did try to hedge its bet by inking free agent James Reimer, but he’s 35 now and probably won’t be able to save the Sabres if their young goaltenders struggle. On top of that, playing in the Atlantic Division will do Buffalo no favors. Sure, the Sabres have promise, but Ottawa and Detroit improved over the summer while Montreal’s rebuild is making progress. Throw Florida, Boston, Toronto, and Tampa Bay into that mix, and even a Buffalo team that plays capably might still miss the playoffs.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: After buying out Skinner, there’s a path for Zach Benson to play a bigger role this campaign, and the 19-year-old might take advantage. He had a serviceable 2023-24 campaign with 11 goals and 30 points across 71 contests while averaging 14:31 of ice time and has the potential to do so much better. Also keep an eye on Jack Quinn, who was limited to 27 games last year, but looked good when he was healthy with nine goals and 19 points. Now with 104 NHL contests under his belt, it’ll be interesting to see what he could do if he stays healthy this year.

FORWARD

Tage Thompson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	39	45	84	1.05

Thompson’s 2023-2024 season, like that of the whole of the Buffalo Sabres, was a frustrating one. Although he finished the season leading the team with 29 goals, he missed 11 games and dealt with an injury to his wrist that affected his shooting. His power play production dropped from 20 goals in 2022-2023 to nine as Buffalo’s power play fell apart. Showcasing how well Thompson performed despite the injury helped highlight the opportunities that have slipped through the Sabres hands the past two seasons. That he wanted to hurry back into the lineup after the injury to help his team that struggled with consistency makes sense. He’s become a leader in the room and is deeply motivated to help end their playoff drought. But playing through an issue that clearly hindered his greatest weapon, his shot, only proved to add to the frustration the team sorted through. Thompson showed late in the season that when he is healthy, he’s as dangerous a scorer as there can be in the NHL. His creativeness with the puck, his size, his hands and his shot make him extremely difficult to defend. Giving him space lets him get clear to fire away but pressing him can lead to being put on his highlight reel when he toe-drags or nutmegs the defender. Good health and a more direct power play scheme along with Lindy Ruff’s style of play could lead Thompson to a monster season.

Dylan Cozens

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	22	32	54	0.66

Two seasons ago, Dylan Cozens appeared to have arrived in a big way as an offensive star in Buffalo. His 31 goals in 2022-2023 firmly put him in place behind Tage Thompson as Buffalo’s No. 2 center and set the stage for the Sabres to have a dangerous one-two punch on their top two lines. But 2023-2024 proved to mimic Cozens’s 2021-2022 season a bit too closely. He posted 18 goals with 29 assists last season, a mark that put him fifth on the team in scoring. He struggled with his consistency on offence and battled with his own confidence in his shot as his task load increased throughout the year. Following the trade of Casey Mittelstadt, Cozens become the de facto faceoff man and ultimately one of their most important players on the penalty kill. But Cozens struggled to win draws (45.5 percent on the year) although Buffalo’s penalty killing greatly improved going from 77 percent in 2022-2023 to 82.7 percent last season, tied for 12th best in the NHL. Although the strong defensive work is certainly encouraging, it’s offence Cozens wants to help with even more and the Sabres will need it following the buyout of Jeff Skinner. Should he use his solid performance at World Championships (nine goals, two assists in 10 games) to spark him like it did in 2022-2023, it’ll be a big bounce back season for him.

Alex Tuch

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	27	44	71	0.91

On paper, Alex Tuch had a strong season in 2023-2024. He tied with Rasmus Dahlin for the team lead in scoring with 59 points and his 22 goals were fourth most on the team. Being a team leader is a good thing, normally, except when things go poorly, which they did for Buffalo. Tuch battled all season riding the waves of inconsistency with the rest of his teammates, but when on top of his game, he showed why he’s a premier power forward. His ability around the net to score on rebounds is excellent and he again showed that he’s got a dynamite shot from the slot or on the rush off the wing. A player with his size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) can be a game-changer and, like many of his Sabres teammates, there were quite a few ups and downs throughout the year. Tuch’s body of work through his career shows how dynamic he can be and since coming to Buffalo from Vegas, we’ve been able to see why he’s such a valued player. Last season marked the third time he scored 20-or-more goals, but the drop from 36 to 22 was substantial. As much as Buffalo wanted to recreate that success, something was off in how Tuch, Thompson and Skinner (and later JJ Peterka) were able to play together. This season, Tuch’s childhood dream of playing for Lindy Ruff will come true and he’ll be a vital player in the Sabres’ success.

JJ Peterka

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	32	26	58	0.71

The big question last offseason was who among JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn would have a big breakout season in 2023-2024. When Quinn sustained an Achilles tendon injury in the summer, all eyes were on Peterka to see if he would take the next step into becoming one of the top scorers on the Sabres and he lived up to the expectations. Peterka set career highs in goals (28) and points (50) and became a first line player alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, supplanting Jeff Skinner in the process. Peterka used his speed, shot, and creativity with the puck to generate scoring opportunities and did the bulk of his damage at even strength with 25 of his 28 goals coming then. At 22-years old, Peterka taking a step forward like this came at the best time for the Sabres and you could postulate that his rise (as well as the arrival of Zach Benson) helped general manager Kevyn Adams decide to buy out Skinner this summer. Peterka’s skill set was made to flourish with such offensively capable teammates and although Buffalo didn’t play with quite the same speed and attack mentality last season, he was still able to take off. With a new coach in place, opportunity is there for the taking to have Peterka make another big step forward and his ability to play better two-way hockey will give him the ability to shine even brighter.

Jack Quinn

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	25	24	49	0.64

Hopes last season for Jack Quinn were dashed months before the season even began when he ruptured an Achilles tendon during offseason workouts. That injury put him out of action until a week before Christmas and when he returned, the Sabres were already sagging back in the standings and offensively. While Quinn did his best upon his return to jumpstart the team, bad luck took over for him again in late-January when he sustained a lower-body injury in an awkward board collision that kept him out another two months. When he wasn’t on the shelf, Quinn had nine goals and 10 assists in 27 games, a scoring rate of 0.7 points per game. That kind of production being absent from the Sabres lineup was a harsh blow to take for the team and highlighted how there really wasn’t anyone who stepped up to replace him. A fully healthy offseason for Quinn should allow him to be ready to explode on the scene this season as he’s penciled in to play on a line with Dylan Cozens once again. His ability to score from odd shooting angles with peculiar timing makes him a perplexing player to defend and goaltend against and allows him to be dangerous from anywhere in the zone, particularly in the slot. If he has a fully healthy season, the breakout that was anticipated a year ago may come to fruition.

Zach Benson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	23	38	0.49

Zach Benson’s first NHL season was loaded with surprises. When the Sabres selected him 13th overall at the 2023 draft, it was stunning that one of the WHL’s top scorers managed to slip that far down the board and into the hands of a team that already had a cadre of high-end prospects in the first place. It was just as surprising when Benson showed during training camp in September that not only was it a mistake for other teams to pass on him but that at 18-years old, he was good enough to be in the NHL right away. Benson earned a spot on the Sabres and took full advantage of his hard skating and hard-working style of play to become arguably the best forechecker on the team. His aggressive skating and ability to annoy opponents worked to his advantage as he was able to force turnovers further up the ice and become an instantly excellent penalty killer. Although he was a big-time scorer in juniors, his 11 goals and 19 assists couldn’t generate a lot of attention for the Calder Trophy. All that aside, with his defensive smarts and instincts already in place and excellent at the NHL level, it’ll only be a matter of time before he finds his stride offensively as he’s extremely creative with the puck and with his shot. It bears watching how much more he will score this season. A major breakout is on the horizon, it’s only a question of when.

Peyton Krebs

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	11	16	27	0.33

The 2023-2024 season proved to be a deeply frustrating one for Peyton Krebs. At 23-years old, he put up four goals and 13 assists and had the lowest offensive output of his career. Krebs played mostly in a fourth-line role between Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo which didn’t exactly help with generating offence, but that was the role he was asked to play and he handled it as best as he could. Krebs was the 17th pick in the 2019 draft, the same year as Dylan Cozens, and the expectations for him as an offensive player have always been high. When he had the opportunity to play up in the Sabres lineup, he struggled and couldn’t click well offensively with wingers like Zach Benson or JJ Peterka. While he possesses an adept ability to make passes and has solid offensive instincts, it hasn’t quite come together for him yet in Buffalo. As he heads into a new season, where he fits into the Buffalo lineup is a bit murky. Ideally, they’d like Krebs to play up in the lineup somewhere, be it at center or the wing, but he’s performed poorly any time he’s been on the wing. With the additions of Ryan McLeod and Sam Lafferty, it would seem the center spot on the third and fourth lines is spoken for unless Krebs forces the issue in camp or winds up playing elsewhere.

Jason Zucker

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	15	14	29	0.38

When the Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner in the offseason, the biggest question GM Kevyn Adams faced was how he was going to replace the point production he provided. When July 1st rolled around, the Sabres made the call for veteran Jason Zucker to address that need. Zucker is a five-time 20-plus goal scorer in the league and is two seasons removed from putting up 27 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins. At 32-years old, he’s a knowledgeable veteran who knows his role and has always used his speed to his advantage both in the offensive game and as a forechecker. The Sabres will lean on Zucker to play in a role like what they had with Skinner late in the season. He’ll be able to play on any of the top three lines and likely battle with JJ Peterka and Zach Benson for those spots on the left wing. But most importantly, they’ll look for Zucker to find his scoring touch once again. He struggled last season with Arizona and Nashville and put up 14 goals with 18 assists. They would love to see him return to the prowess he had in Pittsburgh or previously with the Minnesota Wild, but should Peterka and Benson outperform him, at the very least the depth Zucker will provide will be greatly appreciated.

Ryan McLeod

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	8	15	23	0.29

One of the newest faces in Buffalo will also be one of, if not, the fastest on the team in Ryan McLeod. The Sabres acquired McLeod from the Edmonton Oilers in a swap that sent 2023 ninth overall pick Matthew Savoie back home to Alberta. The trade was panned by many given Savoie’s lofty draft status, but the specific role McLeod plays was greatly needed in Buffalo. As he showed during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, McLeod’s speed forces the issue on opponents trying to get out of their own zone. His forechecking and ability to recover and regroup rapidly helped provide a defensive presence on a team that desperately needed one up front. His role in Buffalo is expected to be the same and with Lindy Ruff’s system in place, the pressure McLeod puts on opposing puck carriers will be vital. Although he’ll be in a third- or fourth-line role, McLeod isn’t a physical player, but with the presence of others like Jordan Greenway, Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn in Buffalo, he won’t have to be. His five-on-five possession numbers shined in Edmonton (career 54.7 percent shot attempts for at five-on-five) and he did that away from all their elite scoring forwards. If he can carry that over to Buffalo, it’ll provide a huge lift to their overall performance.

DEFENCE

Rasmus Dahlin

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	18	50	68	0.83

Being the No.1 defenceman on the Buffalo Sabres can be a difficult job, but Rasmus Dahlin has handled all the slings and arrows that were thrown at him to become one of the top blue liners in the NHL. Dahlin tied with Alex Tuch for the team scoring lead with 59 points and he had his first 20-goal season in 2023-2024. Whether it was on the power play or at even-strength, Dahlin’s ability to move the puck from end to end is outstanding. He’s capable of making passes akin to what a first-line center would make and can rip slap shots with the kind of power very few possess. He’s a dynamic offensive presence on the blue line and while his point totals dipped last season compared to the previous season, the uptick in goals showed the evolution his game is making. Dahlin has also developed a physical edge and doesn’t shy away from stirring things up either. He’s become an excellent on-puck defender and his ability to deny passes is impressive. It’s not something that shows up in highlights or box scores, but watching it happen in the flow of play is outstanding. He’s a leader on the ice and in the locker room, but he must improve on the number of penalties taken. The 29 infractions drawn last season were most on the Sabres and given he drew 27, the difference wasn’t too bad. But for the Sabres to have success, he must stay on the ice.

Owen Power

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	7	33	40	0.50

It may not always be reflected in his boxcar statistics, but Owen Power is an outstanding defenceman already at age 21. Last season, he had six goals and 27 assists in 76 games and his 33 points were second in defensive scoring behind Rasmus Dahlin. Considering he was second on the Sabres in average time on ice (22:55) behind Dahlin, that makes a lot of sense. After being the No. 1 in the 2021 draft, the lofty expectations that go with it mean he’s supposed to have juicier overall stats. But Power’s effectiveness stands out in both his advanced stats and via the eye test. Watching how well he’s able to exit the defensive zone and control the play from the backend through the neutral zone shows why he was the top pick three years ago and why the Sabres rely on him as much as they do. That said, he’s going to be the No. 2 guy on the blue line behind Dahlin for years to come since both signed long-term contracts a year ago to stay in Buffalo. The key for Power is to play with the kind of swagger and confidence Dahlin plays with now. At 6-foot-5, Power’s stature on the ice is impressive and a player as big as him being as smooth and heady on his feet makes him a unicorn of sorts, for him to take the next step in his career, he’s got to assert himself more in a similar way his teammate did a few years ago.

Bowen Byram

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	20	32	0.42

When the Sabres added Bo Byram from the Colorado Avalanche in the trade that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to Denver, it was a classic eye-popping hockey deal and one that helped Buffalo build one of the more impressive collections of young defencemen in the league. Things appeared to stagnate a bit for Byram in Denver last season and the Avalanche’s need for forward help and the Sabres’ fear of what Mittelstadt’s next contract would look like helped make the deal happen. Upon his arrival in Buffalo, it was a bit tricky to sort out his performance. His initial impression showed a lot of what was expected: strong puck-moving capability, fast pace of play and natural offensive instincts. But as the season ground to the finish, he struggled without an established role on the blue line and finished with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 18 games with the Sabres. The hope this season will be that Lindy Ruff’s new system and desire to up the pressure all over the ice will open things up for defencemen to carry and attack when called for and give Byram and his teammates the chance to fly. There’s no doubt he would like the fresh chance to show what he can do because he’s slated to play somewhere within Buffalo’s top four on defence, be it next to Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power. His tools are too good to not work with the talent the Sabres have.

Henri Jokiharju

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	4	14	18	0.24

Henri Jokiharju’s stronger dedication to defensive play on the blue line was more than apparent last season. The Sabres have plenty of other more offensive options on the blue line in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bo Byram, so it’s the defensive side of the game Jokiharju needed to zero in on. He was a solid complementary player whether he was teamed up with Dahlin or Power on the right side and his plus-14 rating was best on the Sabres. He had 17 points in 74 games with three goals to his credit. One thing that helped him straighten up on defence was how he stuck to his role and what he was asked to do. Often in previous seasons, there would be disconnects between those he was paired with and was more meant to carry the puck up the ice and pinch in the offensive zone to add to the attack. That kind of miscommunication caused defensive breakdowns and golden scoring chances for opponents. Seeing that limited last season while he minded the defensive zone was encouraging. But Jokiharju can be effective with the puck. His shot from the blue line is decent and he’s able to get it through screens if he does let it fly. As he enters his final season before potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent next July, it’ll be worth paying attention to how he fits into what Lindy Ruff wants to do.

GOAL

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
52	25	22	6	4	0.908	2.63

Devon Levi

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
25	12	11	2	1	0.903	3.01

Compared to teams with Vezina-caliber goaltending, the 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres in-net offerings didn't necessarily put up any performances of note. But the team's ability to finish their season with a positive goal differential - something the Sabres hadn't done since 2011 - felt like both a remarkable breath of fresh air and a sign that things might finally be going right for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The 24-year-old Luukkonen, who had already temporarily lost his NHL gig twice with reassignments to the minors and benchings behind 41-year-old Craig Anderson, finally took the step forward that the team had been dying for. He finished the 2023 campaign with quality starts in nearly two-thirds of his games played, recording his first NHL shutout (and then adding four more, for good measure) and finally hitting his stride behind a team that seems poised to take a long-overdue step forward.

The real question now will be aimed at prospect Devon Levi. The expectation last year was that Levi, who had been putting up stellar performances at every level, would be able to step in and help guide the team as they took a step forward. Instead, Luukkonen finally put all the pieces together with his own game, improving his movement fluidity and tracking the puck in a way he hadn't with any regularity in years past. And Levi, typically a goaltender who looked best when beckoning pucks to him and holding his positioning, started to become more erratic and harder to stay confident in. The Sabres provided some relief for Levi (and Luukkonen) with a veteran James Reimer coming on board as this season's locker room leader, so Levi is free to work on his conditioning at the AHL level for a bit without feeling the pressure to perform immediately. But Reimer's own numbers have been middling at best for the last few seasons, and his workloads have been limited in volume. So sooner rather than later, expect the Luukkonen-Levi tandem to make another appearance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Fantilli takes on more responsibility – Rasmussen stepping up – Zary providing scoring punch – plus much more ..

Scott Cullen — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 21:07:45 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 26: Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (11) waits for a face-off during the Columbus Blue Jackets versus the Montreal Canadiens game on October 26, 2023, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, Adam Fantilli takes on more responsibility in Columbus, Michael Rasmussen is stepping up in Detroit, Connor Zary is providing scoring punch for Calgary, and Edmonton has a goaltender offering fantasy value once again.

#1 It can be difficult to make the jump straight from college hockey to the NHL and it’s even more challenging when the player is asked to handle major responsibility at the NHL level. Columbus’ Adam Fantilli has recorded six points (4 G, 2 A) and 17 shots on goal in his past seven games and with Boone Jenner injured, Fantilli has now been thrust into the role of top line centre, skating with Johnny Gaudreau. Patrik Laine has also been recently injured and that has opened up a spot for Justin Danforth to play right wing on that line. Fantilli played a career high 19:29 in Thursday’s win at Toronto and he is looking at significant ice time for at least the next few months, as long as he can handle it.

#2 At the start of the season, Michael Rasmussen was languishing on the bottom half of the Red Wings depth chart, managing just five points (2 G, 3 A) in 19 games. December has brought more production from the 6-foot-6 centre, as Rasmussen has eight points (5 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in seven games this month. With Dylan Larkin and J.T. Compher injured and David Perron appealing his six-game suspension, there is more ice time available in Detroit and Rasmussen is doing his part to earn it.

#3 Calgary Flames rookie winger Connor Zary has produced 15 points (6 G, 9 A) in 20 games since getting called up from the American Hockey League early in the season. His 0.75 points per game ranks second among rookies, behind some character named Bedard, and is skating on a line with Nazem Kadri and fellow rookie Martin Pospisil. There is a warning sign, however. Zary has failed to record a shot on goal in three of his past four games and has a total of 24 shots on goal in 20 games. That is not the ideal path to sustainable offensive production.

#4 Surrendering five goals on 22 shots in Thursday’s loss to Tampa Bay put a damper on the recently improved play of Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. The Calder Trophy runner-up last season, Skinner started poorly this year and, with Jack Campbell demoted to the AHL, the Oilers were still pushing Skinner out there, hoping for better results. Before Thursday’s loss, they were getting those better results, as Skinner had seven straight wins with a .935 save percentage in his previous seven starts.

#5 Arizona Coyotes winger Matias Maccelli continues to produce. He had 49 points in 64 games last season and is up to 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 28 games this season after scoring five points (2 G, 3 A) in his past six games. What is more compelling about Maccelli’s production is that he is shooting the puck a lot more. HE has 22 shots on goal in his past six contests, which is a substantial upgrade over his 36 shots on goal in 22 games before that.

#6 With Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor out 6-8 weeks after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Ryan Strome, the Jets will need Nikolaj Ehlers to handle more of the offensive load. He has tended to be underused in the past couple of seasons but does have 15 points (7 G, 8 A) and 38 shots on goal in his past 15 games. Now, the challenge will be maintaining that kind of production with Gabe Vilardi moving up to the top line to fill in for Connor.

#7 It is fair to say that Mason Marchment’s first season in Dallas did not go according to plan, as he finished with 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in 68 games. He scored on just 8.1 percent of his shots on goal, which contributed to his lower than anticipated output. This season, Marchment has scored on 16.1 percent of his shots on goal and has put up 12 points (6 G, 6 A) and 30 shots on goal in his past 12 games. It’s amazing what a difference it makes to score at nearly double the rate of shots on goal! Nevertheless, Marchment has found a good fit alongside veterans Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin in Big D.

#8 New York Islanders captain Anders Lee got off to an abysmal start this season, managing just two points (1 G, 1 A) through his first 15 games. For a player who lives at the top of the crease, that’s not making the most of his opportunities. Lee’s production is starting to improve, though, as he has eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 34 shots on goal in his past 13 games. Lee is back on the Islanders’ top line, with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, so that should provide more consistent scoring opportunities.

#9 Coming off a career high 27 points last season, Vancouver Canucks winger Sam Lafferty is getting a great opportunity to skate on Vancouver’s top line with Elias Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev. Lafferty has contributed five points (3 G, 2 A) in his past six games, and his situation makes him appealing in the short term but his track record and the possibility that he could easily get bumped down the depth chart does put a limit on his appeal in this scoring role.

#10 With Philipp Grubauer injured, Joey Daccord is looking at his best opportunity to establish himself in net for the Seattle Kraken. Daccord, 27, does have a .912 save percentage in his past eight appearances, so he could be an upgrade on the underachieving Grubauer. If Daccord falters, Chris Driedger might get some time, too. The 29-year-old missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL at the 2022 World Championships. Driedger was squeezed out of Seattle at the start of the season but had a .916 save percentage in 15 games for Coachella Valley in the AHL at the time of his recall.

#11 The Carolina Hurricanes are not scoring enough and one of the reasons is that Andrei Svechnikov had managed just one goal on 41 shots in 16 games. He is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, so Stefan Noesen has moved up the Carolina depth chart. Noesen has six points (3 G, 3 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past eight games and played a season-high 16:38 in Thursday’s win at Detroit.

#12 A top checking centre for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anthony Cirelli is at his best when he is contributing at both ends of the rink. He is having a good run recently with seven points (5 G, 2 A) and 16 shots on goal in his past 6 games. Cirelli is playing with Tanner Jeannot and Brandon Hagel, a trio that is giving the Lightning legitimate secondary scoring behind their powerful top line.

#13 Detroit’s injuries have provided not only an opportunity for the aforementioned Michael Rasmussen, but also for Joe Veleno, a 23-year-old centre who has mostly been a fourth liner to this point in his career. In his past four games, Veleno has contributed three points (1 G, 2 A) while playing more than 21 minutes in every contest. He is centering Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, while also getting first unit power play time. That may not last, especially once the Wings get healthy, but in the short term, Veleno suddenly finds himself offering potential value for fantasy managers.

#14 Boston Bruins centre Pavel Zacha is injured and that has opened the door for Morgan Geekie to take on a bigger role, skating on Boston’s top line with wingers Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak. Geekie had a career high 28 points (9 G, 19 A) in Seattle last season, so his offensive track record is limited, but he has played more than 17 minutes in back-to-back games contributed goal and an assist in those two contests.

#15 A big hit from Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon has landed Buffalo Sabres left winger Jeff Skinner on the injured list with an upper-body injury. That does create an opportunity for rookie Zach Benson who has shown flashes of skill on his way to a modest eight points (3 G, 5 A) in 20 games, but Benson is on a line with Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, along with second unit power play time so, at the very least, it is worth monitoring his progress.

#16 Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot is out for at least four weeks with a leg injury, which comes on the heels of a broken hand that cost him time earlier in the season. He has appeared in just nine games as a result, and his current injury opens the door for Jake Sanderson to step up as Ottawa’s No. 1 defenceman. Sanderson opened the season with 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 14 games but has managed just two points (1 G, 1 A) in 10 games since. However, with the chance to quarterback the Sens’ top power play, Sanderson becomes more valuable for fantasy managers.

#17 Among players that have played at least 50 minutes in December, the leaders in individual expected goals per 60 minutes: Kyle Connor (2.81), John Tavares (2.67), Zach Hyman (2.30), Anders Lee (2.09), Quinton Byfield (2.03), Dylan Larkin (2.02), Austin Matthews (2.01), Colton Sissons (2.01), and Carter Verhaeghe (2.00). While there are familiar and expected names in that list, it should be an encouraging sign for the likes of Lee and Byfield, that their production could be sustained, while Sissons could be worth watching in deeper leagues as he has five points (3 G, 2 A) and 13 shots on goal in seven games this month.

#18 It has been a running theme here this season how unpredictable goaltenders can be. Among the 27 goaltenders that have appeared in at least four games this month, here are the leaders in save percentage: Juuse Saros (.953), Filip Gustavsson (.944), Connor Hellebuyck (.939), Petr Mrazek (.938), and Joey Daccord (.934). You will be forgiven for doing a double take at the last two names on that list. Then take a look at the other end. Here are the bottom five goaltenders for save percentage in December, minimum four games: Arvid Soderblom (.844), Igor Shesterkin (.865), Jake Oettinger (.868), Sergei Bobrovsky (.878), and Joonas Korpisalo (.884). Shesterkin and Oettinger are unexpected entries but consider that this is a very small sample size and not representative of a goalie’s overall value.

#19 Among defenceman to play at least 50 minutes this month, the leaders in individual expected goals per 60 minutes: Jacob MacDonald (0.93), Charlie McAvoy (0.61), Darnell Nurse (0.57), K’Andre Miller (0.55), and Drew Doughty (0.54). Leaders in shots on goal per 60 minutes: Mike Reilly (11.73), Justin Faulk (11.27), Jacob MacDonald (10.24), Rasmus Dahlin (9.47), and Morgan Rielly (8.90). MacDonald does have three goals in five games in December, but it is still tough to trust that he will have regular ice time in San Jose. Reilly is making the most of his opportunity with the Islanders. He has four points (1 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past five games and played a season high 20:37 in Wednesdays win over Anaheim.

#20 Forwards who have yet to score in December with the highest total of shots on goal: Cole Caufield (29), Dylan Cozens (22), Yanni Gourde (22), Carl Grundstrom (18), Timo Meier (18), and Cam Atkinson (18). This should be encouraging, that these players are still generating shots on goal and that eventually leads to actual goals. In the case of someone like Caufield, who has established his credentials as a finisher, it would seem to be just a matter of time before he breaks through.

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Rookies getting a long look at camp – Vasilevskiy goaltending shuffle? – Laine switching positions plus much more

Scott Cullen — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:19:27 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - SEPTEMBER 25: Philadelphia Flyers Forward Tyson Foerster (71) skates with the puck during a preseason game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils on September 25, 2023 at Prudential Center in the Newark, New Jersey.(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

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

This week, Tyson Foerster, Matt Coronato, Matthew Poitras, and Zach Benson are among the rookies getting a long look at training camps. The Lightning are trying to survive Andrei Vasilevskiy’s injury, Patrik Laine’s shifting positions, and more.

#1 Drafted 23^rd by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2020 Draft, Tyson Foerster has been steadily progressing and he tallied 48 points (20 G, 28 A) in 66 AHL games last season and added seven points (3 G, 4 A) in eight NHL games. The 21-year-old is getting a real chance to make the team this year. His most common linemate in the preseason has been Joel Farabee, followed by Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier. That might indicate that Foerster is not only going to make the Flyers, but he could get a look in a scoring role, which might give him the opportunity to be fantasy relevant.

#2 The past couple of seasons have been the most productive of Evan Rodrigues’ career and it looks like he will have a chance to continue producing with his move to Florida, where he is getting a chance to skate alongside Aleksander Barkov, both at even strength and on Florida’s top power play unit. Rodrigues has scored 35 goals and 82 points in 151 games over the past two seasons, playing for Colorado and Pittsburgh. Rodrigues has been a top shot generator, averaging 9.67 shots per 60 minutes of five-on-five play in the past two seasons, which ranks 33^rd. He also has a shooting percentage in those two seasons of 8.2%, so he is just waiting for a bust-out season with improved percentages.

#3 There are few goaltenders in the league as indispensable as Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has handled a heavy workload throughout his career, allowing the Lightning to invest little in their backup goaltender. However, now that Vasilevskiy is going to miss at least a couple of months to start the season due to a back injury and that leaves the Lightning with Jonas Johansson, Hugo Alnefelt, and Matt Tomkins between the pipes. Johansson has been a quality AHL goaltender – he had a .920 save percentage in 26 AHL games last season – but he has a .887 save percentage in 35 career NHL games, which hardly screams ready to handle a starter’s role for a couple of months. Alnefelt is a 22-year-old who had a .904 save percentage in 33 AHL games last season. Tomkins is a 29-year-old who had a .909 save percentage in 65 games in the Swedish Hockey League over the past two years. On top of all of that, the Lightning have precious little cap space, especially until they get Vasilevskiy on LTIR.

#4 Tampa Bay is not the only team with goaltending concerns. It’s just that the Lightning have the biggest concern. However, for teams that might need goaltending, there are enough teams with quality number three goaltenders that the waiver wire or trades could be a path to stabilizing the situation between the pipes. Buffalo’s Eric Comrie, Calgary’s Daniel Vladar, Detroit’s Alex Lyon, Florida’s Anthony Stolarz, Los Angeles’ David Rittich, Toronto’s Martin Jones, and Seattle’s Chris Driedger or Joey Daccord are among the goaltenders with NHL experience that could be available as the season approaches.

#5 The Anaheim Ducks lost veteran left winger Alex Killorn for 4-6 weeks with a broken finger and his absence likely helps someone like Frank Vatrano, who is going to have a better shot at playing in the Ducks’ top six and skating on the wing with someone like Mason McTavish at centre is a good opportunity. Vatrano has some deep league fantasy appeal as a two-time 20-goal scorer who ranks 30^th in shots per 60 minutes over the past two seasons.

#6 An interesting development with the Blue Jackets is that they have shifted Patrik Laine to centre, between Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko. While Laine’s skill set does not scream elite centre, if he can handle the role, he has the size to be a monstrous presence in the middle and with a playmaker like Gaudreau on the wing, Laine will still be able to fulfill his typical role as finisher. Laine has six points (3 G, 3 A) in four preseason contests. This development could be most interesting for Marchenko, who is getting a chance to skate with Columbus’ most dangerous offensive players, and it probably knocks down the value of Boone Jenner, who would potentially lose that spot on the top line.

#7 Some other players producing in the preseason, with a focus on players that might be exceeding expectations: Calgary rookie Matt Coronato has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in five games, Columbus’ Emil Bemstrom has six points (3 G, 3 A) in four games, Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson has five assists in two games, Detroit’s J.T. Compher has five points (1 G, 4 A) in three games, and St. Louis’ Jakub Vrana has five points (3 G, 2 A) in four games. Small samples, obviously, but take the preseason production as an encouraging sign.

#8 A couple more rookies that are producing in the preseason and might just be forcing their way into NHL jobs: Bruins C Matthew Poitras, who has five points (3 G, 2 A) in five games and could at least get a trial as Boston’s No. 2 centre as the Bruins try to fill the gaping holes left by the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Buffalo’s Zach Benson, the 13^th pick in the 2023 Draft, has been getting quality looks in Sabres camp, playing on the top line with first unit power play time, and has five points (3 G, 2 A) in five preseason contests.

#9 When the New York Islanders acquired Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last season’s trade deadline, he was given a bigger role, playing an extra couple of minutes per game with the Islanders, and he contributed nine points (5 G, 4 A) in 18 games. It looks like Engvall could have a chance to stick in the Isles’ top six, as he is skating with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on the second line. Engvall has a career high of 35 points coming into the season and it looks like he will have a real shot to play a bigger role with the Islanders.

#10 Looking back at the past three seasons, the points per 60 minutes leaders tend to be expected names – Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk – but there are always some surprises that deserve more notice. Carter Verhaeghe ranks 12^th among skaters that played at least 500 five-on-five minutes, with 2.62 points/60. Nikolaj Ehlers is 19^th at 2.57 points/60, Jakub Vrana is 21^st at 2.56 points/60, Michael Bunting 26^th at 2.49 points/60, and Andre Burakovsky 34^th with 2.43 points/60. That’s the second note in favour of Vrana.

#11 Turning the focus to goals per 60 minutes, the leaders are mostly as expected: Auston Matthews, Jakub Vrana, David Pastrnak, Max Pacioretty, Filip Forsberg, Jared McCann, Daniel Sprong, Carter Verhaeghe, Roope Hintz, and Cole Caufield, all coming in ahead of 11^th-ranked Alex Ovechkin. There are some players who have missed significant time in the past three seasons, including Vrana, Pacioretty, Forsberg, Sprong, and Caufield, but that is a third positive reference for Vrana.

#12 Andrew Mangiapane is not only getting a look with Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm on Calgary’s top line, but he is getting first unit power play time, too. Mangiapane went from a career-high 35 goals in 2021-2022 to 17 goals last season with his shooting percentage crashing from 18.9% to 9.3%, so he is a prime candidate to rebound and especially if he is going to get a shot with top offensive performers.

#13 When winger Sammy Blais returned to St. Louis at the trade deadline last season, he was given a new opportunity. He saw his ice time jump nearly five minutes per game, from 9:38 with the Rangers to 14:36 with the Blues, and Blais contributed 20 points (9 G, 11 A) in 31 games. He scored on 23.1% of his shots and that is not sustainable, but that increased role and productivity put Blais on the radar for fantasy managers because he also had 119 hits in 31 games. He is an injury risk as last season’s 71 games was the first time that he had played more than 40 games in an NHL season, but if opportunity knocks in St. Louis this year, Blais is going to be in position to chip in and offer fantasy appeal, at least in deep or banger leagues.

#14 An efficient depth player for much of his career, Ryan Donato is the latest to get a look on Chicago’s top line, skating alongside Taylor Hall and Connor Bedard. In the past two seasons, Donato has scored 29 goals at even strength, the same number as Pierre-Luc Dubois, and more than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evgeni Malkin, among others. With 1.08 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play in the past two seasons, Donato ranks 46^th among skaters to play at least 1,000 five-on-five minutes. He may not last alongside Bedard and Hall but might be worth a late-round flier in a deep league just in case he sticks there and continues to score, only with more ice time, in Chicago.

#15 The second pick in the 2020 Draft, Quinton Byfield has been making slow progress, but has loads of potential and has an opportunity to break through as he skates on the Kings’ top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Byfield had 22 points in 53 games last season, managing just three goals, but he did have some flashes. He had nine points (1 G, 8 A) during a 10-game stretch in the second half of the season and contributed four points (1 G, 3 A) in six playoff games against Edmonton. It would help if he could increase his shot rate, but it is also too soon to be giving up on a 21-year-old who is 6-foot-5 and can skate like Byfield, so this could be a pivotal season for his development.

#16 Sticking with the 2020 Draft, top pick Alexis Lafreniere has not fulfilled his potential yet, either and it leads to complicated discussions. In three NHL seasons, Lafreniere has produced 44 even strength goals, which ranks 81^st in the league. It’s the same number as Anze Kopitar and one more than Mika Zibanejad, which would seem like pretty good company, but Lafreniere has a total of six power play points in 216 games and that leaves him with uninspiring point totals. With a new coach, Peter Laviolette, behind the bench for the Blueshirts, it looks like Lafreniere should have a chance to play in the top six, but it also looks like he is not getting power play time, and that is going to put a limit on his fantasy appeal.

#17 Nashville’s top power play unit is interesting. Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi are obvious veteran anchors for the unit, but Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista are getting regular spots and then there is a spot for either Ryan O’Reilly or Cody Glass. If the Predators are trying to rebuild on the fly, giving young players like Novak, Evangelista, and Glass a real chance in prominent roles is a way to find out if they are going to be able to remain competitive through the process. For fantasy managers, that does elevate the appeal of those less proven Preds.

#18 With Vasily Podkolzin getting cut and Ilya Mikheyev’s health in question in Vancouver, that makes it look like Nils Hoglander and Phil DiGiuseppe will have regular spots in the Canucks lineup. Hoglander does offer more upside, scoring 24 of his 26 career goals at even strength, but he managed just nine points (3 G, 6 A) in 25 games before getting demoted to the AHL last season. Hoglander had 27 points (13 G, 14 A) in 56 games as a rookie in 2020-2021 but was going in the wrong direction, so this might be the opportunity he needs to get back on track.

#19 Looking back to the 2022-2023 season, there were a few players who really surged after the All-Star break. Many are the top players in the league, but some might come as a surprise. Arizona’s Clayton Keller, for example, ranked fourth with 45 points (19 G, 26 A) in 32 games following the break. Dallas defenceman Miro Heiskanen had 33 points (4 G, 29 A) in 31 games, Nashville’s Tommy Novak had 32 points (13 G, 19 A) in 32 games, Buffalo’s Casey Mittelstadt produced 31 points (8 G, 23 A) in 33 games, and Washington’s Dylan Strome had 29 points (12 G, 17 A) in 29 games. He missed some time, but Columbus’ Patrik Laine had 21 points (8 G, 13 A) in 19 games to finish last season.

#20 Finally, with the season just around the corner, beware of the injury bug. Last week, I wrote about how John Klingberg was getting a chance on Toronto’s top power play unit, and he hasn’t played since, as he nurses an upper-body injury. Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston have both been out for the Dallas Stars and while they appear to be making progress, it seems possible that they might not be ready for opening night. Mattias Ekholm has been out of the Oilers lineup, leaving a gaping hole on the Edmonton blueline. Ottawa centre Josh Norris is working his way back from shoulder surgery, but with Shane Pinto still unsigned, that leaves the Sens suddenly thin down the middle, at least for the time being. Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel was not expected to be ready for the start of the season, following offseason ankle surgery, but has been practicing with the Penguins so he may be getting close. San Jose’s Logan Couture does not appear likely to be ready for the start of the season. That probably gives Mikael Granlund a bigger role for the Sharks. Neck spasms have been keeping Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers out of the lineup, a huge absence for Winnipeg, and Winnipeg is being careful so he may not be ready for the start of the season either.