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In this edition of the hotstove we look at some players who have bounced back this season following struggles in recent years.
Todd Cordell
I'll go with Travis Zajac.
Since Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk left his offensive numbers have not been good, especially at 5v5. Zajac averaged ~38 points per year from 2013-16 while tallying a woeful 1.17 points per 60 minutes played.
This season Zajac is on pace for almost 60 points and is averaging 2.16 points per 60 at 5v5, which puts him ahead of Alex Ovechkin, Joe Pavelski, Auston Matthews and Filip Forsberg to name but a few.
Obviously, it's unlikely Zajac will continue producing at this pace but, even so, it seems likely he'll blow by the totals he has put up in recent years. He's having a nice bounce back year.
Honorable mention goes to Ryan Kesler. The season is young but he's on pace for 67 points, which would be his highest total since 2010-11.
Peter Tessier
There are a few guys who have looked better than the year before, no shortage to choose from but my choice for bounce back player is Jeff Skinner.
Skinner didn't have a poor year last year with 51 points in 82 games but since his issues with concussion many have wondered if he would return to his rookie form. I think we're starting to see that now.
Skinner has 26 points in 30 games for .866 points per game. That's a jump from .621 last year .402 the year before and is eclipsing his pace from 13-14 and 10-11. That's good news for the Hurricanes and Skinner and hopefully the pace and production continues on for the rest of the season.
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