Zack Kassian – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – ARIZONA COYOTES – NHL Player Profiles

Scott Cullen - Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 20:48:55 +0000

FORWARDS

SAN JOSE, CA - May 8: Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller (9) carries the puck during the San Jose Sharks game versus the Arizona Coyotes on May 8, 2021, at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA. (Photo by Matt Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

Clayton Keller

Although the 24-year-old winger suffered a broken leg that ended his season prematurely, Keller recorded 63 points, including a career high 28 goals, in 67 games. Keller is a slick and confident playmaker who operates with a lot of confidence when he has the puck. After scoring 65 points as a rookie in 2017-2018, Keller’s production was uneven for the next three seasons before rounding into form last season. From January 15 through March 19, Keller tallied 31 points in 22 games, remarkable production for a team that was consistently getting outshot and outscored last season. That situation figures to repeat itself, and maybe to an even greater degree, so Keller faces the challenge of trying to produce offensively even though it is unlikely to have a material effect on the team’s results. A lack of supporting cast talent could make for a challenging season, but Keller ought to find a way to generate 60 points to lead the Coyotes’ attack.

Nick Schmaltz

The 26-year-old playmaking forward has shown flashes of high-end setup skill and that includes a stretch from the beginning of March through nearly mid-April when he scored 27 points in 20 games, on his way to a career high 59 points in 63 games last season. The Coyotes have consistently had better results with Schmaltz on the ice in the past three seasons but that is as much a reflection of the team’s lack of quality depth as it is an accomplishment of Schmaltz’s. Even so, for a Coyotes team that sorely lacks dynamic offensive players, Schmaltz and Keller are a couple that offer some small reason for optimism. If Schmaltz could put up 55-60 points that would have to be considered a success under the circumstances.

Lawson Crouse

While he might not live up to some of the hype leading up to the 2015 Draft, Crouse has turned into a solid pro winger. He scored a career-high 20 goals and 34 points in 65 games last season, and he has recorded more than 2.5 hits per game in each of the past four seasons. A 6-foot-4 winger who has the size to play a physical game, Crouse moves well and plays a sound defensive game, which makes him a valuable contributor, though one that can get overlooked when he is on a team that is getting buried in the standings. If Crouse puts up 30 points and 200 hits, that will still offer deeper league value in leagues that reward physical play.

Travis Boyd

After bouncing around as an over-qualified fourth liner for several teams, the 28-year-old pivot secured a regular role for the Coyotes and produced a career-high 17 goals and 35 points. While Boyd was always more skilled than a typical fourth liner, he is also not necessarily equipped to play a prime scoring role in the NHL either. Given the Coyotes’ lack of established talent down the middle of the ice, though, Boyd is likely to play a significant role for the team in 2022-2023. If that means that he could duplicate last season’s production, 35 points, that’s a fair baseline for expectations. Boyd might be able to score more if he is a first-or-second line center but it’s hard to bank on that considering that last season was the first time he ever had that kind of role for a full season in the NHL. The path to more points for Boyd is on the power play. Of his 35 points last season, 31 came at even strength, the same number of even-strength points as Teuvo Teravainen, David Perron, and Tim Stutzle, believe it or not.

Nick Ritchie

After washing out with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ritchie responded well to his move to the desert, scoring 10 goals in 24 games for the Coyotes. When he is on his game, Ritchie is a 6-foot-2, 230-pound winger who can have a physical impact, especially as a forechecker, but also as a complementary scorer. He does not create the chances on his own but is capable of finishing if linemates can transport the puck into the offensive zone. In the past two seasons, Ritchie has scored 27 goals in 113 games and last season was the third time in his career that Ritchie was credited with more than 150 hits. He might be looking at a bigger role with the Coyotes, mostly due to Arizona’s lack of legitimate NHL talent, but he has also had trouble playing a full schedule of games, missing at least 20 games in three of his past four seasons. That puts a limit on his upside, so Ritchie could contribute 25-30 points with big hit totals, which makes him not quite as valuable as Crouse.

Barrett Hayton

The fifth pick in the 2018 Draft, Hayton has struggled to get a foothold in the National Hockey League, but the 22-year-old did produce a career high 24 points in 60 games last season and, maybe more importantly, provided sound defensive play, which is not to be taken for granted from such a young player. The rebuilding Coyotes should have plans to play Hayton in a big role this season, in the hopes that his defensive play remains strong and, ideally, he could add more to his offensive repertoire. In addition to having difficulty producing in the NHL, Hayton has 16 points in 36 AHL games, so it’s fair to wonder if he is going to score like he did in his last season of junior, when he tallied 66 points in 39 games and looked like he would reward the Coyotes for taking a chance on him with such an early pick. On this team, opportunity should be screaming out for Hayton to step into a scoring role. Contributing 30 points for the first time would be a good starting point but there is more upside for Hayton depending on his role.

Nick Bjugstad

A towering 6-foot-6 forward who plays more on the wing at this stage of his career, Bjugstad contributed a modest 13 points in 57 games for the Minnesota Wild last season, but his overall contributions were solid enough in a fourth-line role. There was a time that it looked like Bjugstad could turn into something more – he scored 49 points in 2017-2018 – but it didn’t stick and was traded after a slow start the following season. He creates just enough offensively and is serviceable enough defensively to fill a role in the NHL but there is little upside to be found in a 30-year-old who has missed at least a dozen games in six of his past seven seasons. Taking his health into consideration, it would be asking a lot for Bjugstad to produce more than 20 points.

Zack Kassian

A 31-year-old winger who was acquired in a salary dump from the Edmonton Oilers, Kassian does have a pair of 15-goal seasons to his credit and can be a useful depth forward who bangs bodies and causes havoc on the forecheck. Trouble is, Kassian’s performance tends to come and go and when he is not asserting himself physically, he does not bring enough to the table otherwise. He should get an opportunity to play a decent role for the Coyotes, but without the potential superstar boost that he would get at times in Edmonton when he would land on Connor McDavid’s wing. Kassian has missed more than 60 games over the past three seasons, so he is probably going to miss games this season, too. If he ends up with 20 points and 150 hits, that will meet expectations.

Christian Fischer

Since scoring 33 points as a rookie in 2017-2018, the 25-year-old winger has just seen his production fade away, and he managed just 10 points in 53 games for the Coyotes last season. He will play the body, especially when forechecking, but the lack of production really has him hanging on the edge of the NHL at this point in his career. This season could be a last gasp for him as he tries to hold onto his NHL career. As such, it is hard to project him into any kind of scoring role. He has 30 points in 161 games across the past three seasons so double-digit points is a modest, but deserved, expectation.

DEFENSE

Jakob Chychrun

A 24-year-old defenseman who has played more than 23 minutes per game for the past two seasons, Chychrun had a career season in 2020-2021, scoring 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games, on his way to finishing 10^th in Norris Trophy voting. The percentages flipped on him last season however, and instead of scoring on 10.2% of his shots, he scored on 5.0% of his shots, finishing with seven goals and 21 points in 47 games. Chychrun has generated more than three shots per game in the past two seasons, one of three defensemen to hit that threshold – Roman Josie and Dougie Hamilton are the others – and Chychrun is more active as a shooter rather than a playmaker, which might not be an ideal path to generating offense from the blueline. He has landed in trade rumors recently and would presumably bring a significant haul of assets as a top-pair defenseman in his prime on a team-friendly contract. Depending on his health, Chychrun could score 15 goals and 40 points. If he gets traded to a better team, which is virtually guaranteed, there would potentially be an opportunity for more assists and therefore a higher ceiling on his point totals.

Shayne Gostisbehere

After falling out of favor in Philadelphia, to the point that he was a healthy scratch, Gostisbehere showed that he is still a very capable NHL defenseman. The 29-year-old scored 14 goals and 51 points for the Coyotes last season, resurrecting his NHL career with the second highest goal and point totals of his career. While Gostisbehere is not the most rugged player and does come with some defensive deficiencies, his ability to skate, jump into the attack, and distribute the puck surely outweighs the negative impacts related to the things that he does not do well. Gostisbehere is likely to play a major role for the Coyotes this season, at least until he gets traded before the deadline. It would be impressive if he could match his production from last season, but even 40-45 points would still be a strong season for the veteran blueliner.

Troy Stecher

An undersized right-shot defenseman, Stecher brings tenacity to the game and has more puck skills than might be expected from a player who had just three points in 29 games for the Red Wings and Kings last season. Stecher has good mobility, battles hard for loose pucks, and should be an asset to the Coyotes defense corps, though an asset that is not likely to score a ton of points, something in the mid-teens is reasonable. From Stecher’s perspective, this should be an opportunity to re-establish his credentials as an NHL defenseman.

Dysin Mayo

A 25-year-old who was a rookie last season, Mayo burst onto the scene and played nearly 21 minutes per game for the Coyotes. However, his results were mostly miserable, with Arizona getting outshot and outscored by large margins with Mayo on the ice. There were 213 defensemen that played at least 500 5-on-5 minutes last season and Mayo ranked dead last from that group when it came to his on-ice expected goals percentage of 38.6% and his on-ice Corsi of 39.6%. Say this for him, Mayo is active as he was one of 20 defensemen to record at least 125 hits and 125 blocked shots last season. If he scores 15-20 points but provides value in those peripheral categories, he might have some appeal in the deepest of fantasy leagues. Whether that translates to value for the Coyotes is still to be determined.

GOALTENDING

Karel Vejmelka

Few goaltenders surprised viewers more last season than Czech prospect Karel Vejmelka, who arrived with the Arizona Coyotes as a first year North American goaltender and took on a surprise role as the team’s starter with zero complaint. He struggled to perform up to league-average standards, but he did better than most goaltenders likely would have behind a stripped-down rebuilding club in a year where they likely would have been better suited to a season of adjustment in the AHL; he picked up on shot timing and communication with his teammates well enough to hold his own in a surprising number of games, and strung together some truly surprising stretches by failing to fall into slumps when the team deployed him in clear no-win situations.

The biggest learning curve that Vejmelka seemed to face came down to his depth management and decision-making on when to challenge shots outside the blue paint and when to remain more patient and wait out his opponents; he went through a fairly extensive amount of trial and error trying to suss out the best balance of his natural high-speed game based on rhythms and reactions and a more controlled game based on positioning and tracking. His performance for the Czech Republic at the World Championships in May, though, offered Coyotes fans some promising data to parse through; while he then struggled with opening his game play back up and utilizing the more open-ice format the the World Championships offered, he showcased some real improvements behind the higher-end defensive structure of his country’s best players. And to Arizona’s credit, they seemed willing to let Vejmelka make his mistakes and learn as he went along; if they’re able to keep that mentality into the new season, he should remain a reliable and fun option, if not one that fans can bank on statistically outclassing his opponents every night.

Projected starts: 40-45

Jon Gillies

It’s honestly a little hard to figure out just what Arizona is trying to do here by adding Jon Gillies as their number two; while they’re far from the only team that made a seemingly inexplicable choice with the tandem they’re heading into the season boasting (looking directly at Chicago as their direct competitor in the Disastrous Goaltending Tandem Sweepstakes), they seem to be the team that can least afford to lose fan interest in the process.

Gillies comes to Arizona as a goaltender who seems unlikely to offer services as anything more than a stopgap to someone else; he has just 32 career NHL games to his name, and he has a whopping three-year gap between appearances in the league. At nearly 29-years old, he’s no longer considered a prospect that may just have bloomed late; at this point, he’s an AHL tweener who likely serves less to give Arizona a goaltender for their future and more to help them keep their rebuild on track. What he has going for him, though – and what should help Arizona regardless of the performance he puts up – is that he’s more likely to stay healthy through the year than a number of the other journeymen that were available on the market this summer. The team was burned last year by the long-term injury sustained by free agent signee Carter Hutton early on in the season, which left them forced to rush some of their younger goaltenders to the NHL during a year that was designed to help them draft well and rebuild their core. The addition of a younger stopgap who hasn’t started to show the signs of wear and tear that could leave them forced to throw their prospects to the wolves means that they’ll be better equipped to truly allow their young players to grow and develop at the minor league level, which gives them a better chance of success a few years down the line.

Projected starts: 30-35

McFries – Edmonton Oilers 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:46:43 +0000

REVIEW/STATE OF PLAY - Hard to call last season anything other than an unmitigated disaster both in the standing, horrific enough in dropping 25 points to finish sixth in your division, 22^nd in the league - after finishing second in your division and winning a playoff round. The optics of Taylor Hall winning the Hart trophy and Matt Barzal (they traded the pick he was taken with along with the 33^rd overall for Griffin Reinhart) winning the Calder, were brutal. Questions surround GM Chiarelli’s big acquisitions including Milan Lucic, Cam Talbot and Adam Larsson (albeit with a difficult personal situation) had dismal seasons. He and coach Todd McLellan are on the hot seat entering their fourth season after an uncharacteristic quiet offseason.

Connor McDavid

MOVING FORWARDS - The season started with great excitement after their first playoff appearance in 10 seasons and a generational first line center in Connor McDavid, and his number two ‘the Messier-apparent’ amongst the fan base, Leon Draisaitl – both signed to monster contracts to start the season. Nobody can fault either for their performance, though some will try with Draisaitl (70 points in 80 games) by not ascending to superstar status.

Talbot should bounce back, and Larsson did what was expected of him when available. Solid but not an offensive juggernaut. Lucic with five years remaining on a healthy contract looked lost, slow and the game appears to be passing him by. His typical fiery, nasty, physical side seemed lost with one goal and eight assists in the last 46 games. It seems to be a long way back to be effective. A proud competitor he needs to find his spirit and game. He can add a dimension when he does.

Ryan Strome, the key piece added for Jordan Eberle struggled as well with his second worst showing in points-per-game in five seasons. The fifth overall pick just turned 25, so will be given the benefit of the doubt in his second season in Alberta, but window seems to be closing on whether this prospect will breakout. Questions about skating nag him in the modern NHL. He and Lucic were paired together last season and the great hope is they can anchor an effective third line with scoring potential. Anchor being perhaps a bad choice of word.

6’4, 215 pound Jujhar Khaira was one of very few pleasant surprises and a heavy presence on the boards and physically. He also boasts impressive skating and decent puck skills. Ready to take the fourth line center role and let the other pieces fall into place. Number four pick 20-year-old Jesse Puljujarvi may take some seasoning yet. Tried beside Lucic, even McDavid for a ten-game test, but eventually saw a myriad of wingers after that, but had settled in alongside Lucic by the end of the season.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ended the season lining up beside Connor McDavid on the wing after a long trial with Lucic. Draisaitl played sporadically with Draisaitl as well, but clearly, they want the two to lead separate lines. Nugent-Hopkins as an effective centreman provides a plug and play option on the top two lines allowing the coach to play Draisaitl with McDavid when necessary.

DEFENSIVE CHALLENGES - The Oilers defense had its challenges last season, but a young group with some promise. Oscar Klefbom entered the season as a potential breakout candidate with an opportunity to seize the lead role on the back end of a potentially lethal offenSe. The result was a power play finishing dead last in the league, bookended with a woeful penalty kill (25^th). A combination of injuries, lost confidence contributed to a long season and a subject of trade rumours. A rebound season is possible and signed to a reasonable $4.167 million AAV for the next five years. A left-shot defenseman, they covet a right-hand shot, with Larsson and Matthew Benning the only options. Justin Faulk is available but there is scant left in the cupboard after Chiarelli used it up in the past two seasons.

The emergence of Darnell Nurse in 2018-19 was one of the bright spots. He was second on the team in TOI/GP including time on the penalty kill and in key situations. He saw little power play time but brings size and intensity to the blueline and an RFA this season

They received a blow when it was learnt that Andrej Sekera was sidelined indefinitely with a torn achilles heal after a shortened season last year. His absence leaves a void that will provide urgency to trade rumours.

Cam Talbot ranks amongst the most disappointing revelations of 17-18 after a terrific 16-17 and the apparent solution in the net. He struggled out of the gate last year and never quite found his form. In the final year of his contract at 31-years-old this remains an area of great exposure for the Oilers. He was a tower in 73 appearances in the previous season, and his regression showed how exposed the organization is in net. They signed Mikko Koskinen out of the KHL after a standout season for $2.5 million for one season.

OUTLOOK – They should be improved but questions on the back end and depending on a number of players to have bounce back season, most importantly Talbot. They will struggle to be competitive for a playoff spot.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire

McKeen's Hockey — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 20:00:58 +0000

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching and now is the time to make a move and give your fantasy roster a push if you are a contender. This week the Waiver Wire looks at NHL players on hot streaks. Some are short term solutions, but some may have keeper potential for some leagues.

Jordan Staal, Centre – Carolina Hurricanes, 50% owned

Carolina currently sits just outside a playoff spot, and are 5-3-2 in their last ten games. In that stretch, Staal has ten points, including four points in his last two games. Staal is putting up a strong second half of the season so far with 16 points in a 14 game span, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Benoit Pouliot, Left Wing – Edmonton Oilers, 45% owned

Pouliot has seven points in his last ten games, including back-to-back two point games coming against Ottawa, and Columbus. As long as he remains on a line with Connor McDavid, and Jordan Eberle, Pouliot is fantasy relevant and is worthy of picking up off the waiver wire over a higher profile player who is slumping or injured.

Zack Kassian, Right Wing – Edmonton Oilers, 26% owned

His second chance this season (and likely the last of his career) with Edmonton has gotten off to a good start, considering he missed the first half of the season and training camp. Kassian has played in ten games for the Oilers and has four points, 16 shots, 43 penalty minutes, and 37 hits. He has shown flashes of offensive skill during his career in the minors and when he was on a line with the Sedin twins in Vancouver. His real fantasy value comes in leagues which score peripheral stats such as hits and PIM’s.

Joseph Blandisi, Left Wing – New Jersey Devils, 27% owned

Since being recalled by the Devils Blandisi has been on fire with four points in four games. He has been bounced between the NHL and AHL a few times this season, but to date he has ten points including three powerplay points in 15 games. He mainly gets recalled for injury relief, but his offensive production may earn him a regular roster spot on the top line with Adam Henrique and Lee Stempniak as well as powerplay time. Don’t sleep on Blandisi!

Cody Ceci, Defence – Ottawa Senators, 41% owned

The Sens only other offensive defenseman has been red hot lately with eight points in his last ten games, doubling his point total on the year to 16 in 47 games. That scoring pace has him on par with teammate Erik Karlsson, which is obviously unsustainable, but shows promise for his offensive development and fantasy relevance going forward. The former first round pick continues to improve, suggesting his ownership number will quickly increase so don’t procrastinate.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Watch

Peter Harling — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 13:40:14 +0000

The NHL season is just past the half way mark and the Olympic break is upon us. This means it is crunch time in fantasy hockey. Time to fish or cut bait on the season. Are you a contender? Or should you be looking to the future? If you want to go for it you can look to trade with a bottom dweller offering picks or prospects for current producing NHL players. Another and much cheaper option is to look at the waiver wire where you can snag a player for free. Here are five players to look at who may be available in your league depending on its size and format

Tyler Johnson - Tampa Bay Lightning, C, 63% Fantrax Owned

Johnson went undrafted in the NHL, and if he also went undrafted in your fantasy league take advantage. Johnson has eight points in his last five games including a hat-trick against Colorado on January 25^th.

Ondrej Palat – Tampa Bay Lightning, LW, 49.7% Owned

Palat and Johnson are line mates and the pair has been red hot as of late. I am a big fan of owning teammates ever since the duo of Brett Hull and Adam Oates made me a fantasy hockey Champion. Palat has five points in his last three games played. If you can’t snag Johnson, snap up his wing man.

Zack Kassian – Vancouver Canucks, RW, 41% Owned

Kassian is a streaky player in that he is often either scoring on the first line, or in the coaches dog house riding pine, or worse in the press box. The Canucks have been hot lately winning four of the last five and Kassian has been a big part of their success. He has three points and 16 PIM’s in that span. Kassian has the skill, size and mean streak to be a dominant forward and is having the best year of his career. He may be on the cusp of his long awaited coming out.

Andrej Meszaros – Philadelphia Flyers, D, 28.8% Owned

Meszaros has been plagued by injury and missed all but 11 games last season and has often been a healthy scratch this season. However, he has had a good month, scoring 11 points in 13 games and sporting a plus/minus of plus-2 in that span. He carries a heavy cap hit $4 million which expires after this season and could find himself on a new team as a UFA or sooner via trade.

Brian Gibbons – Pittsburgh Penguins, RW, 11% Owned

Gibbons made this list earlier in the season, but in case you missed it here he is again. He was first called up after scoring 22 points in 15 AHL games and he had a two point NHL debut. He has been back and forth between leagues a bit, and was injured but now has six points in 14 career games and is playing on a line with Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby. His cap is the league minimum of $550,000 and he is well worth the gamble.