I can post a daily blog in here from the Athletic if you fellas would like? Just to give you something to read.

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By Harman Dayal
Jan 6, 2023

How Canucks’ Quinn Hughes is becoming a leader: ‘I’m gonna be here a long time’


Quinn Hughes was upset and pissed off after his sophomore 2021 season.

Hughes had scored 41 points in 56 games, yes, but he was also lit up for goals against at one of the highest rates in the NHL. He hated looking at his plus-minus and was determined to change.

“I was really disappointed with it,” Hughes said about that sophomore season. “I just knew that I’d never be a good defenceman if I was just known as an offensive guy that gave up a lot defensively. “You hear about ‘He doesn’t know how to play defence, he can’t play defence’ so that always bothered me and (I) wanted to prove people wrong.

“(My whole life) if you just looked at me, guys, without even watching my game, would be like: ‘He’s undersized and he can’t play D.’ That was all the questions at the (draft) combine: ‘How are you going to defend in the NHL?’ That’s just always been on my mind.”

Hughes spent the summer refining his backward skating. He learned how to use his speed to play better defensive angles. He practiced implementing different defensive techniques while defending his brother Jack, Trevor Zegras, Kyle Connor, and others during on-ice summer sessions. Quinn also followed the guidance of his father Jim, who had 10 years of experience as the Leafs’ director of player development.

All of it paid off in Hughes’ third season where he bounced back decisively and played a complete two-way game, earning penalty-killing minutes and being trusted in the highest-pressure situations when defending a lead under Bruce Boudreau.

“I wanted to be sharper defensively and I was,” said Hughes. “I was plus-12 last year and it also helps that our team was better (compared to 2021), Demmer (Thatcher Demko) was unreal. I think my game’s gotten better and so this year I don’t think I have to worry about it as much. Obviously, I’m still working on that, you see all these broken plays and guys miss a poke check or whatever and that’s how goals are scored, but I can kinda (just) play because I feel like I’m at that point where I’ve fixed that part of my game a bit.”

With his defensive game stabilized, Hughes set his sights on a new mission for this season: Becoming a leader.

Agent Pat Brisson, who counts Hughes among his long list of star NHL clients, won’t ever forget the first time he encountered Quinn.

“I met Quinn at the famous Brick U10 tournament while he was watching his brother Jack play for Team Toronto against my son on Team California. My other son Jordan and Luke Hughes were the same age and (watching the tournament).

“Quinn came in and he knew that us parents were busy focusing on watching the games. I wouldn’t call it babysitting but he took care of Luke and Jordan while they were climbing trees everywhere around the rink. He was a really nice, mature kid at 11 years old. I saw an admirable trait of respect in a young man who understood the environment pretty quick. Quinn understood the responsibility and those are the little signs of a future leader — it’s silly but I think it was a very telling observation.”

“Idiots,” Hughes said with a laugh when recalling that experience with his brother Luke and Brisson’s son, Jordan. “I remember all of it,” he said with a wide smile.

During the Canucks’ first road trip last season, Hughes played the big brother role again by taking rookie Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Höglander (who’d never been on a normal NHL road trip at that point because of the pandemic) out to the movies in Seattle. Hughes developed a relationship with those two and Podkolzin joked earlier in the year that Quinn was worried why they weren’t hanging out as much now that there were other Russians on the team for Podkolzin to spend time with.

Heading into this season, the Canucks told Hughes that they wanted him to expand his leadership role. He told them he was ready. Why did he feel that confidence?

“I’ve been here a while, I’m the longest-tenured D on the team,” said Hughes. “I’ve done a lot since I’ve been here. It’s my fourth year, I feel more mature. I’m talking mature in the sense that you’re getting good food, eating well and you’re competitive, not too high or low, things like that and I think that’s helped me. Off the ice, I have my moments too where I’m not mature at all by any means.

“I’m gonna be here a long time so might as well start. I think I’ve always been a good leader… I don’t need to change who I am but if it’s also taking more of a vocal role on the team now — I can also do that.

“I want to win and I want this team to do well so whatever I can do to help progress that and make that happen quicker — if that’s me pushing the pace a bit more and get this team going that’s what I’m going to try and do. But it’s not just me, it’s all the guys. I know Petey’s (Elias Pettersson) trying to take a step and everyone’s trying to be a better leader and we’re going to need that.”

Brisson, who represents some of the best captains and leaders in the sport, could sense that Hughes was ready for that leadership step too.

“The one trait all of the best leaders from Sidney (Crosby) to (Jonathan) Toews to (Anze) Kopitar have in common is they know how to listen well and absorb and ask questions,” said Brisson. “I see these traits in players, the curiosity in the team approach, observing other leaders. That’s what Quinn is strong at, he observes everything.”

Hughes’ effort to become a more prominent leader has caught the attention of Canucks captain Bo Horvat.

“They’re the future of this club,” Horvat said of Hughes and Pettersson. “And they have done it this year where leading by example, working out in the gym, saying things at different times and obviously their play speaks for itself. We need those type of guys to step up because we did lose those veteran presences (like Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom and Brandon Sutter) recently.

“I’ve noticed a big difference (in Quinn). Just him being able to speak his mind and tell different guys — veteran guys — what he sees because he is a smart player and other guys want to get better too. For him to mature that way is big for his game and for us as a team.”

It’s vital that Hughes is taking this step because the top players on any given team have unique weight and authority in the locker room.

“You look at any winning team, the top guys have to be your leaders on and off the ice,” said Luke Schenn. “Those guys set the tone — I played in L.A. You got (Anze) Kopitar, Drew Doughty Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Jonathan Quick — those guys were the leaders of the team. You go to Tampa, it was (Ryan) McDonagh, (Victor) Hedman, (Steven) Stamkos.”

Hughes is naturally a reserved, laidback personality but he’s become more comfortable speaking up.

“There’s gonna be moments where the room wants to hear somebody different,” said J.T. Miller. “And we need him to take that step and be able to talk because guys are listening to him.”

What has that looked like in practical terms?

“The other day we were talking in the intermission,” said Luke Schenn. “We were talking about certain D-zone face-off plays where I’ve got an opinion and he came and (said) ‘Well, I think we could probably do this off the d-zone face-off and I think if we’re able to execute this pass, I can get in a hole and jump up in the play’ and I’m like ‘Well, yeah if you think you can do that let’s work that.’

“It’s situations like that where it’s not necessarily in front of 20 guys but a smaller group where he’s not just nodding his head (acting like he’s) agreeing when he thinks something else, he’s speaking up.

“In the o-zone too, last game I shot a puck to the net and nothing came out of it and he said ‘Hey, give it to me over, I’m open if you have a look there,’ whereas in the past he probably would have said nothing to me because I’m an older guy but I want that feedback and that’s what a partnership is.”

Hughes is comfortable being vocal from time to time but he stressed that he isn’t radically changing who he is. He emphasized that a big part of the role has been learning how to lead by example.

As captain, Horvat’s studied what works and what doesn’t as a leader and he’s had conversations with lots of players. Talking a big game doesn’t matter nearly as much as how hard you push yourself.

“There’s a time and a place to say a lot of things,” said Horvat. “(But) if you say ‘rah rah’ all the time, then guys I think find it a little exhausting. For me, I learn the most from just watching guys and how they act on a daily basis, from personal experience and just talking to a lot of guys, they like to watch how certain guys prepare and act around the rink.”

Leading by example is cliche but it’s way easier said than done. It means being on every day, never succumbing to the rigors of an intense 82-game schedule with the taxing travel demands of playing on the west coast. There are times over a season when a team might land at 1 a.m., get in bed by 3 a.m., and only have short sleep before an 11:30 a.m. practice. It’s easy for some players to coast through that practice because they’re exhausted from the travel demands. Leading by example is understanding that as a top player, you have a responsibility to set a standard and push your teammates to follow along.

That can be especially challenging when you’re not in the playoff picture — you have to help keep the team’s mindset healthy and morale high even amid chaos and waning playoff odds.

“A lot of it’s mental,” said Horvat. “To bring that mindset every day and always have a smile on your face no matter how it’s going is the biggest thing — not showing your teammates that it sucks coming to the rink. Every day you should be excited to come to the rink and working your bag off.

Hughes is definitely earning that kind of respect.

“He’s not really a young guy anymore to us,” said Miller. “The amount he wants to win is impressive and he really, really cares. Just the way he plays on a nightly basis, very rarely does he not perform. And it doesn’t mean getting points and all that. You’re a sponge, you pay attention to the guys that play consistent hockey, play to win and that’s him.”

Hughes has played well this season but he hasn’t quite been at his apex form. He looked banged up early in October when he had some struggles and with the chaotic environment around him, there are details in his game to sharpen. But what’s going to separate him over the long run is his insatiable thirst to level up.

“He says: ‘I can do better, I can do better,'” said Boudreau. “For him, there’s no ceiling in that he is driven to be as good as he can be.

“It’s a built-in desire, the way-you’re-made type thing. Some guys are just happy to be here. Some guys want to be better than everybody in the league. Usually, when you look at the stars, that’s who you’ve got.”

I can post a daily blog in here from the Athletic if you fellas would like? Just to give you something to read.

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By Harman Dayal
Jan 6, 2023

How Canucks’ Quinn Hughes is becoming a leader: ‘I’m gonna be here a long time’


Quinn Hughes was upset and pissed off after his sophomore 2021 season.

Hughes had scored 41 points in 56 games, yes, but he was also lit up for goals against at one of the highest rates in the NHL. He hated looking at his plus-minus and was determined to change.

“I was really disappointed with it,” Hughes said about that sophomore season. “I just knew that I’d never be a good defenceman if I was just known as an offensive guy that gave up a lot defensively. “You hear about ‘He doesn’t know how to play defence, he can’t play defence’ so that always bothered me and (I) wanted to prove people wrong.

“(My whole life) if you just looked at me, guys, without even watching my game, would be like: ‘He’s undersized and he can’t play D.’ That was all the questions at the (draft) combine: ‘How are you going to defend in the NHL?’ That’s just always been on my mind.”

Hughes spent the summer refining his backward skating. He learned how to use his speed to play better defensive angles. He practiced implementing different defensive techniques while defending his brother Jack, Trevor Zegras, Kyle Connor, and others during on-ice summer sessions. Quinn also followed the guidance of his father Jim, who had 10 years of experience as the Leafs’ director of player development.

All of it paid off in Hughes’ third season where he bounced back decisively and played a complete two-way game, earning penalty-killing minutes and being trusted in the highest-pressure situations when defending a lead under Bruce Boudreau.

“I wanted to be sharper defensively and I was,” said Hughes. “I was plus-12 last year and it also helps that our team was better (compared to 2021), Demmer (Thatcher Demko) was unreal. I think my game’s gotten better and so this year I don’t think I have to worry about it as much. Obviously, I’m still working on that, you see all these broken plays and guys miss a poke check or whatever and that’s how goals are scored, but I can kinda (just) play because I feel like I’m at that point where I’ve fixed that part of my game a bit.”

With his defensive game stabilized, Hughes set his sights on a new mission for this season: Becoming a leader.

Agent Pat Brisson, who counts Hughes among his long list of star NHL clients, won’t ever forget the first time he encountered Quinn.

“I met Quinn at the famous Brick U10 tournament while he was watching his brother Jack play for Team Toronto against my son on Team California. My other son Jordan and Luke Hughes were the same age and (watching the tournament).

“Quinn came in and he knew that us parents were busy focusing on watching the games. I wouldn’t call it babysitting but he took care of Luke and Jordan while they were climbing trees everywhere around the rink. He was a really nice, mature kid at 11 years old. I saw an admirable trait of respect in a young man who understood the environment pretty quick. Quinn understood the responsibility and those are the little signs of a future leader — it’s silly but I think it was a very telling observation.”

“Idiots,” Hughes said with a laugh when recalling that experience with his brother Luke and Brisson’s son, Jordan. “I remember all of it,” he said with a wide smile.

During the Canucks’ first road trip last season, Hughes played the big brother role again by taking rookie Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Höglander (who’d never been on a normal NHL road trip at that point because of the pandemic) out to the movies in Seattle. Hughes developed a relationship with those two and Podkolzin joked earlier in the year that Quinn was worried why they weren’t hanging out as much now that there were other Russians on the team for Podkolzin to spend time with.

Heading into this season, the Canucks told Hughes that they wanted him to expand his leadership role. He told them he was ready. Why did he feel that confidence?

“I’ve been here a while, I’m the longest-tenured D on the team,” said Hughes. “I’ve done a lot since I’ve been here. It’s my fourth year, I feel more mature. I’m talking mature in the sense that you’re getting good food, eating well and you’re competitive, not too high or low, things like that and I think that’s helped me. Off the ice, I have my moments too where I’m not mature at all by any means.

“I’m gonna be here a long time so might as well start. I think I’ve always been a good leader… I don’t need to change who I am but if it’s also taking more of a vocal role on the team now — I can also do that.

“I want to win and I want this team to do well so whatever I can do to help progress that and make that happen quicker — if that’s me pushing the pace a bit more and get this team going that’s what I’m going to try and do. But it’s not just me, it’s all the guys. I know Petey’s (Elias Pettersson) trying to take a step and everyone’s trying to be a better leader and we’re going to need that.”

Brisson, who represents some of the best captains and leaders in the sport, could sense that Hughes was ready for that leadership step too.

“The one trait all of the best leaders from Sidney (Crosby) to (Jonathan) Toews to (Anze) Kopitar have in common is they know how to listen well and absorb and ask questions,” said Brisson. “I see these traits in players, the curiosity in the team approach, observing other leaders. That’s what Quinn is strong at, he observes everything.”

Hughes’ effort to become a more prominent leader has caught the attention of Canucks captain Bo Horvat.

“They’re the future of this club,” Horvat said of Hughes and Pettersson. “And they have done it this year where leading by example, working out in the gym, saying things at different times and obviously their play speaks for itself. We need those type of guys to step up because we did lose those veteran presences (like Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom and Brandon Sutter) recently.

“I’ve noticed a big difference (in Quinn). Just him being able to speak his mind and tell different guys — veteran guys — what he sees because he is a smart player and other guys want to get better too. For him to mature that way is big for his game and for us as a team.”

It’s vital that Hughes is taking this step because the top players on any given team have unique weight and authority in the locker room.

“You look at any winning team, the top guys have to be your leaders on and off the ice,” said Luke Schenn. “Those guys set the tone — I played in L.A. You got (Anze) Kopitar, Drew Doughty Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Jonathan Quick — those guys were the leaders of the team. You go to Tampa, it was (Ryan) McDonagh, (Victor) Hedman, (Steven) Stamkos.”

Hughes is naturally a reserved, laidback personality but he’s become more comfortable speaking up.

“There’s gonna be moments where the room wants to hear somebody different,” said J.T. Miller. “And we need him to take that step and be able to talk because guys are listening to him.”

What has that looked like in practical terms?

“The other day we were talking in the intermission,” said Luke Schenn. “We were talking about certain D-zone face-off plays where I’ve got an opinion and he came and (said) ‘Well, I think we could probably do this off the d-zone face-off and I think if we’re able to execute this pass, I can get in a hole and jump up in the play’ and I’m like ‘Well, yeah if you think you can do that let’s work that.’

“It’s situations like that where it’s not necessarily in front of 20 guys but a smaller group where he’s not just nodding his head (acting like he’s) agreeing when he thinks something else, he’s speaking up.

“In the o-zone too, last game I shot a puck to the net and nothing came out of it and he said ‘Hey, give it to me over, I’m open if you have a look there,’ whereas in the past he probably would have said nothing to me because I’m an older guy but I want that feedback and that’s what a partnership is.”

Hughes is comfortable being vocal from time to time but he stressed that he isn’t radically changing who he is. He emphasized that a big part of the role has been learning how to lead by example.

As captain, Horvat’s studied what works and what doesn’t as a leader and he’s had conversations with lots of players. Talking a big game doesn’t matter nearly as much as how hard you push yourself.

“There’s a time and a place to say a lot of things,” said Horvat. “(But) if you say ‘rah rah’ all the time, then guys I think find it a little exhausting. For me, I learn the most from just watching guys and how they act on a daily basis, from personal experience and just talking to a lot of guys, they like to watch how certain guys prepare and act around the rink.”

Leading by example is cliche but it’s way easier said than done. It means being on every day, never succumbing to the rigors of an intense 82-game schedule with the taxing travel demands of playing on the west coast. There are times over a season when a team might land at 1 a.m., get in bed by 3 a.m., and only have short sleep before an 11:30 a.m. practice. It’s easy for some players to coast through that practice because they’re exhausted from the travel demands. Leading by example is understanding that as a top player, you have a responsibility to set a standard and push your teammates to follow along.

That can be especially challenging when you’re not in the playoff picture — you have to help keep the team’s mindset healthy and morale high even amid chaos and waning playoff odds.

“A lot of it’s mental,” said Horvat. “To bring that mindset every day and always have a smile on your face no matter how it’s going is the biggest thing — not showing your teammates that it sucks coming to the rink. Every day you should be excited to come to the rink and working your bag off.

Hughes is definitely earning that kind of respect.

“He’s not really a young guy anymore to us,” said Miller. “The amount he wants to win is impressive and he really, really cares. Just the way he plays on a nightly basis, very rarely does he not perform. And it doesn’t mean getting points and all that. You’re a sponge, you pay attention to the guys that play consistent hockey, play to win and that’s him.”

Hughes has played well this season but he hasn’t quite been at his apex form. He looked banged up early in October when he had some struggles and with the chaotic environment around him, there are details in his game to sharpen. But what’s going to separate him over the long run is his insatiable thirst to level up.

“He says: ‘I can do better, I can do better,'” said Boudreau. “For him, there’s no ceiling in that he is driven to be as good as he can be.

“It’s a built-in desire, the way-you’re-made type thing. Some guys are just happy to be here. Some guys want to be better than everybody in the league. Usually, when you look at the stars, that’s who you’ve got.”
- LeftCoaster

Nice story, I like his growth, I haven't noticed him having very many bad games lately but maybe I'm not paying enough attention it's hard to get into watching a Canuck game now a days.

MOBY-DICK

or, THE WHALE.

By Herman Melville

CHAPTER 34. The Cabin-Table.

It is noon; and Dough-Boy, the steward, thrusting his pale loaf-of-bread face from the cabin-scuttle, announces dinner to his lord and master; who, sitting in the lee quarter-boat, has just been taking an observation of the sun; and is now mutely reckoning the latitude on the smooth, medallion-shaped tablet, reserved for that daily purpose on the upper part of his ivory leg. From his complete inattention to the tidings, you would think that moody Ahab had not heard his menial. But presently, catching hold of the mizen shrouds, he swings himself to the deck, and in an even, unexhilarated voice, saying, “Dinner, Mr. Starbuck,” disappears into the cabin.

When the last echo of his sultan’s step has died away, and Starbuck, the first Emir, has every reason to suppose that he is seated, then Starbuck rouses from his quietude, takes a few turns along the planks, and, after a grave peep into the binnacle, says, with some touch of pleasantness, “Dinner, Mr. Stubb,” and descends the scuttle. The second Emir lounges about the rigging awhile, and then slightly shaking the main brace, to see whether it will be all right with that important rope, he likewise takes up the old burden, and with a rapid “Dinner, Mr. Flask,” follows after his predecessors.

But the third Emir, now seeing himself all alone on the quarter-deck, seems to feel relieved from some curious restraint; for, tipping all sorts of knowing winks in all sorts of directions, and kicking off his shoes, he strikes into a sharp but noiseless squall of a hornpipe right over the Grand Turk’s head; and then, by a dexterous sleight, pitching his cap up into the mizentop for a shelf, he goes down rollicking so far at least as he remains visible from the deck, reversing all other processions, by bringing up the rear with music. But ere stepping into the cabin doorway below, he pauses, ships a new face altogether, and, then, independent, hilarious little Flask enters King Ahab’s presence, in the character of Abjectus, or the Slave.

It is not the least among the strange things bred by the intense artificialness of sea-usages, that while in the open air of the deck some officers will, upon provocation, bear themselves boldly and defyingly enough towards their commander; yet, ten to one, let those very officers the next moment go down to their customary dinner in that same commander’s cabin, and straightway their inoffensive, not to say deprecatory and humble air towards him, as he sits at the head of the table; this is marvellous, sometimes most comical. Wherefore this difference? A problem? Perhaps not. To have been Belshazzar, King of Babylon; and to have been Belshazzar, not haughtily but courteously, therein certainly must have been some touch of mundane grandeur. But he who in the rightly regal and intelligent spirit presides over his own private dinner-table of invited guests, that man’s unchallenged power and dominion of individual influence for the time; that man’s royalty of state transcends Belshazzar’s, for Belshazzar was not the greatest. Who has but once dined his friends, has tasted what it is to be Cæsar. It is a witchery of social czarship which there is no withstanding. Now, if to this consideration you superadd the official supremacy of a ship-master, then, by inference, you will derive the cause of that peculiarity of sea-life just mentioned.

Over his ivory-inlaid table, Ahab presided like a mute, maned sea-lion on the white coral beach, surrounded by his warlike but still deferential cubs. In his own proper turn, each officer waited to be served. They were as little children before Ahab; and yet, in Ahab, there seemed not to lurk the smallest social arrogance. With one mind, their intent eyes all fastened upon the old man’s knife, as he carved the chief dish before him. I do not suppose that for the world they would have profaned that moment with the slightest observation, even upon so neutral a topic as the weather. No! And when reaching out his knife and fork, between which the slice of beef was locked, Ahab thereby motioned Starbuck’s plate towards him, the mate received his meat as though receiving alms; and cut it tenderly; and a little started if, perchance, the knife grazed against the plate; and chewed it noiselessly; and swallowed it, not without circumspection. For, like the Coronation banquet at Frankfort, where the German Emperor profoundly dines with the seven Imperial Electors, so these cabin meals were somehow solemn meals, eaten in awful silence; and yet at table old Ahab forbade not conversation; only he himself was dumb. What a relief it was to choking Stubb, when a rat made a sudden racket in the hold below. And poor little Flask, he was the youngest son, and little boy of this weary family party. His were the shinbones of the saline beef; his would have been the drumsticks. For Flask to have presumed to help himself, this must have seemed to him tantamount to larceny in the first degree. Had he helped himself at that table, doubtless, never more would he have been able to hold his head up in this honest world; nevertheless, strange to say, Ahab never forbade him. And had Flask helped himself, the chances were Ahab had never so much as noticed it. Least of all, did Flask presume to help himself to butter. Whether he thought the owners of the ship denied it to him, on account of its clotting his clear, sunny complexion; or whether he deemed that, on so long a voyage in such marketless waters, butter was at a premium, and therefore was not for him, a subaltern; however it was, Flask, alas! was a butterless man!

Another thing. Flask was the last person down at the dinner, and Flask is the first man up. Consider! For hereby Flask’s dinner was badly jammed in point of time. Starbuck and Stubb both had the start of him; and yet they also have the privilege of lounging in the rear. If Stubb even, who is but a peg higher than Flask, happens to have but a small appetite, and soon shows symptoms of concluding his repast, then Flask must bestir himself, he will not get more than three mouthfuls that day; for it is against holy usage for Stubb to precede Flask to the deck. Therefore it was that Flask once admitted in private, that ever since he had arisen to the dignity of an officer, from that moment he had never known what it was to be otherwise than hungry, more or less. For what he ate did not so much relieve his hunger, as keep it immortal in him. Peace and satisfaction, thought Flask, have for ever departed from my stomach. I am an officer; but, how I wish I could fish a bit of old-fashioned beef in the forecastle, as I used to when I was before the mast. There’s the fruits of promotion now; there’s the vanity of glory: there’s the insanity of life! Besides, if it were so that any mere sailor of the Pequod had a grudge against Flask in Flask’s official capacity, all that sailor had to do, in order to obtain ample vengeance, was to go aft at dinner-time, and get a peep at Flask through the cabin sky-light, sitting silly and dumfoundered before awful Ahab.

Now, Ahab and his three mates formed what may be called the first table in the Pequod’s cabin. After their departure, taking place in inverted order to their arrival, the canvas cloth was cleared, or rather was restored to some hurried order by the pallid steward. And then the three harpooneers were bidden to the feast, they being its residuary legatees. They made a sort of temporary servants’ hall of the high and mighty cabin.

In strange contrast to the hardly tolerable constraint and nameless invisible domineerings of the captain’s table, was the entire care-free license and ease, the almost frantic democracy of those inferior fellows the harpooneers. While their masters, the mates, seemed afraid of the sound of the hinges of their own jaws, the harpooneers chewed their food with such a relish that there was a report to it. They dined like lords; they filled their bellies like Indian ships all day loading with spices. Such portentous appetites had Queequeg and Tashtego, that to fill out the vacancies made by the previous repast, often the pale Dough-Boy was fain to bring on a great baron of salt-junk, seemingly quarried out of the solid ox. And if he were not lively about it, if he did not go with a nimble hop-skip-and-jump, then Tashtego had an ungentlemanly way of accelerating him by darting a fork at his back, harpoon-wise. And once Daggoo, seized with a sudden humor, assisted Dough-Boy’s memory by snatching him up bodily, and thrusting his head into a great empty wooden trencher, while Tashtego, knife in hand, began laying out the circle preliminary to scalping him. He was naturally a very nervous, shuddering sort of little fellow, this bread-faced steward; the progeny of a bankrupt baker and a hospital nurse. And what with the standing spectacle of the black terrific Ahab, and the periodical tumultuous visitations of these three savages, Dough-Boy’s whole life was one continual lip-quiver. Commonly, after seeing the harpooneers furnished with all things they demanded, he would escape from their clutches into his little pantry adjoining, and fearfully peep out at them through the blinds of its door, till all was over.

It was a sight to see Queequeg seated over against Tashtego, opposing his filed teeth to the Indian’s: crosswise to them, Daggoo seated on the floor, for a bench would have brought his hearse-plumed head to the low carlines; at every motion of his colossal limbs, making the low cabin framework to shake, as when an African elephant goes passenger in a ship. But for all this, the great negro was wonderfully abstemious, not to say dainty. It seemed hardly possible that by such comparatively small mouthfuls he could keep up the vitality diffused through so broad, baronial, and superb a person. But, doubtless, this noble savage fed strong and drank deep of the abounding element of air; and through his dilated nostrils snuffed in the sublime life of the worlds. Not by beef or by bread, are giants made or nourished. But Queequeg, he had a mortal, barbaric smack of the lip in eating—an ugly sound enough—so much so, that the trembling Dough-Boy almost looked to see whether any marks of teeth lurked in his own lean arms. And when he would hear Tashtego singing out for him to produce himself, that his bones might be picked, the simple-witted steward all but shattered the crockery hanging round him in the pantry, by his sudden fits of the palsy. Nor did the whetstone which the harpooneers carried in their pockets, for their lances and other weapons; and with which whetstones, at dinner, they would ostentatiously sharpen their knives; that grating sound did not at all tend to tranquillize poor Dough-Boy. How could he forget that in his Island days, Queequeg, for one, must certainly have been guilty of some murderous, convivial indiscretions. Alas! Dough-Boy! hard fares the white waiter who waits upon cannibals. Not a napkin should he carry on his arm, but a buckler. In good time, though, to his great delight, the three salt-sea warriors would rise and depart; to his credulous, fable-mongering ears, all their martial bones jingling in them at every step, like Moorish scimetars in scabbards.

But, though these barbarians dined in the cabin, and nominally lived there; still, being anything but sedentary in their habits, they were scarcely ever in it except at mealtimes, and just before sleeping-time, when they passed through it to their own peculiar quarters.

In this one matter, Ahab seemed no exception to most American whale captains, who, as a set, rather incline to the opinion that by rights the ship’s cabin belongs to them; and that it is by courtesy alone that anybody else is, at any time, permitted there. So that, in real truth, the mates and harpooneers of the Pequod might more properly be said to have lived out of the cabin than in it. For when they did enter it, it was something as a street-door enters a house; turning inwards for a moment, only to be turned out the next; and, as a permanent thing, residing in the open air. Nor did they lose much hereby; in the cabin was no companionship; socially, Ahab was inaccessible. Though nominally included in the census of Christendom, he was still an alien to it. He lived in the world, as the last of the Grisly Bears lived in settled Missouri. And as when Spring and Summer had departed, that wild Logan of the woods, burying himself in the hollow of a tree, lived out the winter there, sucking his own paws; so, in his inclement, howling old age, Ahab’s soul, shut up in the caved trunk of his body, there fed upon the sullen paws of its gloom!

[quote=LeftCoaster]I can post a daily blog in here from the Athletic if you fellas would like? Just to give you something to read.

------------------------------------------------------------------

What a horrendous load of fluffy seahorse shit!
I didn't know that Hallmark was doing hockey blogs.

Thanks Lefty, trade Hughes to Ottawa for their 2023 & 2024 first round picks and Shane Pinto!

The Sens really need to up their defense, Quin and Brady are buds, Hughes is under contract several more seasons at a decent cap number. Maybe it’s not two 1st, maybe it’s a 1st and a 2nd.

Start over, tear it down, boom!

Gretzky, Howe or Ovechkin: Who’s the NHL’s greatest goal scorer of all time? The answer’s not so simple.

Mark Lazerus
Dec 24, 2022

Human performance only gets better with time, right? Better training techniques, better nutrition, better equipment, better technology, better information, better development programs — it all leads to better results. Times in the 100-meter dash only go down. Fastball velocity only goes up. So it’s easy to say that the last guy off the bench in today’s NBA would have been a dominant megastar in the 1960s, that Babe Ruth wouldn’t know what to do with a Jacob deGrom 93-mph slider, that Alex Ovechkin — having passed Gordie Howe on Friday for the second-most goals in NHL history (802), and closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s once-unbreakable record of 894 — is the greatest goal scorer of all time.

But is he?

Comparing athletes across eras is always a fool’s errand, but it’s also a fun one. And whether you’re in a bar arguing with buddies or talking to actual players who lived and played in those eras, well, once you start trying to determine if the modern-day NHL is indeed the most difficult era in which to score, you start talking yourself in circles.

Look, obviously, it’s harder to score now. Look at the size and athleticism of these goalies!

Modern-day goalies are borderline freaks of nature. They’re 6-foot-5, hyper-athletic, as flexible as gymnasts and get across the crease in a split second. They have video and science and the reverse VH and all sorts of practical theory behind the so-called voodoo. When you look at someone like Andrei Vasilevskiy and compare him to the goalies of yesteryear, it’s a wonder every game doesn’t end in a shootout with the score tied 0-0.

For Gordie’s sake, those guys in the 1980s were skinny and tiny and playing that awkward, flailing, stand-up style. And those guys in the 1950s and 1960s didn’t even wear masks! Case closed.

“Look at the butterfly,” said Denis Savard, who potted 473 goals from 1980 to 1997, the highest-scoring era in NHL history. “We didn’t have that. For me, I’d come down the right side and I’d shoot it on the ice, stick side. And it worked! Today, forget about it. It’s a routine save for them. You’ve got to be able to elevate the puck at crazy speed. Obviously, Ovi can do that.”

And goalies aren’t just bigger and better. They also have equipment that helps, rather than hinders.

“If you go back to about 1979 through 1984, our lack of lateral mobility when I watch the goalies of today is evident,” said former Blackhawks goalie Darren Pang, who at 5-foot-5 is six inches shorter than the shortest of the 79 goalies who have played in the NHL this season. “But the other part of it is the equipment evolution. Our skate blades were lower, and our pads went over the top of our goalie skates. So any time you moved any which way, the inside of your pad got caught and you couldn’t move as fast at these guys. Now, their pads are higher on their skates, and their skate blades are higher. And their pads are lighter. They’re not as wide as ours, and our gloves were bigger than the gloves of today. But they’re able to do so much more. And part of that is because they’re more powerful.”

And don’t even start with those guys from Howe’s era.

“Christ, when I came in, we had no masks,” said Eddie Johnston, a longtime Bruins goalie who gave up 27 goals to Howe in his career, and who was the last goalie to play every minute of every game in a season, back in 1963-64. “We didn’t have those shoulder pads and all that stuff, either. We were black and blue from training camp on because we had those short pads — made of cloth, for chrissakes! Plus, our pads weighed 20 or 30 pounds. Now, you can pick them up with one finger. The protection is terrific now. God bless them, it’s great. We didn’t have anything. No masks. That’s why we all wore No. 1, because that was our IQ.”

Yeah, yeah. Not buying it. It was obviously harder to score in Howe’s era. There was no dead weight on the rosters!

There are 32 teams in the NHL these days. That’s more than 700 players, including at least 64 goalies, who can call themselves NHLers on any given day. In Howe’s time, during the Original Six era, there was a fraction of that.

“Every player I played against is in the Hall of Fame!” laughed Frank Mahovlich, a Howe contemporary who scored 533 NHL goals and 89 WHA goals from 1956 to 1978.

Indeed, just about every game, Howe was going up against Montreal’s Jacques Plante or Chicago’s Glenn Hall or New York’s Gump Worsley or Toronto’s Harry Lumley or Johnny Bower. And Howe had Terry Sawchuk at his back in Detroit.

Not to mention the fact that the best players were on the ice a lot more. A slower, more methodical game allowed for much longer shifts, meaning far more ice time for the best players in the world. Just about every shift, you were going up against truly great players.

Oh, please. The three greatest goalies of all time played in Gretzky’s era. Obviously, it was harder to score then.

Pang started calling games for ESPN in 1993. From then until the 2004 lockout, he crisscrossed the continent to broadcast the NHL.

“And every night, it seemed like there was a world-class No. 1 goaltender in net,” he said. “That era of the mid-80s to whenever Patrick (Roy), Marty (Brodeur) and (Dominik) Hasek retired was the elite era of goaltending. Do we have guys like that right now, with 64 goalies? It wasn’t just those three guys, either. You had your (Mike) Vernons, your (Tom) Barrassos, your (Grant) Fuhrs, your (Ron) Hextalls. (Evgeni) Nabokov. (Felix) Potvin. Go on down the list. The guys today are pretty amazing, and they regularly make saves off one-timers that are 100 mph. But I’m not sure if they have the same hockey sense as we had to have.”

And that’s not even getting into the hilariously oversized equipment goalies wore in the 1990s. Arturs Irbe looked like he strapped two twin-sized air mattresses to his legs every night.

“All I know is, I see some saves today and I go, ‘Oh my God, these guys are absolutely incredible,'” Pang said. “Then I see some goals go in short-side, high above the shoulder, and I go, ‘Oh, boy, these goalies, what are they doing?’ Then I see a goalie that lets a player skate right through the crease and go post to post and tuck it in, and I go, ‘Where’s their stick?’ The hockey sense just isn’t there.”

Whatever. Gordie Howe never had to try to score on a Barry Trotz defense. Obviously, it’s harder to score now than it’s ever been.

Savard laughed when asked if he could have pulled off his patented spin-o-ramas and toe-drags in the modern era. Maybe every once in a while. But certainly not as often.

“The structures are way better than when we played,” Savard said. “We had structure, but not as much today. We didn’t have as much film, either. There were way more great scoring chances when we played because of that.”

The further back in time you go, the looser the play gets.

“Coaches make way more adjustments now,” said Johnston, who coached the Penguins in the 1990s before moving into the front office. “They changed the way of setting up, checking in their own end. They know how to take away the center and keep the puck to the outside. We didn’t have nearly as much of that.”

Oh, but come on. The game was so much rougher in Howe’s time. Obviously, it was harder to score back then, when you could get your head taken off by a cross-check on every shift.

Ovechkin is built like — and plays like — a freight train, but so many of his goals come from one-timers in open ice, particularly in his “office” in the left circle.

Howe had plenty of skill, of course, but his goals tended to come with a little more elbow grease. Famously strong, with tree trunks for thighs and bodybuilder arms, Howe had to literally fight for some of his goals. The NHL was like the lawless wild west, with opponents taking all sorts of liberties as you battled for the puck.

“I don’t think there’s been a bench-clearing in years,” Johnston said, almost wistfully. “Back then, if you went into Boston or certain rinks, you’d better bring toughness. You’d never be surprised if the benches cleared.”

“Gosh, some of the checks we used to see,” Mahovlich said. “(Bill Gadsby) hit Tim Horton once (in 1955) and broke his jaw and gave him a spiral break in his thigh. One check. You heard the crack all over the rink. We had some great body checks. Ovechkin’s a big strong guy, though. He could probably get through it. He could get by.”

Are you kidding? Have you ever watched a game from the ’80s or ’90s? You had defenders waterskiing behind the puck-carrier, hooking a stick around his hip and going for a ride. Obviously, it was harder to score in Gretzky’s clutch-and-grab era, before the crackdowns on hooking, slashing, cross-checking and other types of obstruction.

Count Savard as someone who thinks it’s tougher to put the puck in the net now than it’s ever been. That said, he salivates at the idea of having the modern rule book during the 1980s. Would 1981-82 Gretzky still lead the league in scoring if he were magically dropped into the 2022-23 NHL? Savard’s not sure. But if he could play 2022-23 NHL hockey against 1980s players, goalies and coaches?

Oh, baby.

“I can tell you, with the rules that they have now, in our era, there’d be way more goals,” Savard said. “Gretzky might have scored 1,200 goals against the players in our era with the rules they have now. I would have had 100 more goals. No question. The rules now are designed for the guys who play with skill. It’s still a hard game, but guys used to hook us all the way to the neutral zone. You couldn’t go anywhere. Happened to me every time against St. Louis or Minnesota. One time, this guy had his stick on my hip and I’m dragging him up the ice. I ask him, ‘You’re really happy about this? This is fun for you, isn’t it?’ What am I gonna do? There’s nothing I can do.”

The removal of the center red line following the 2004-05 lockout further empowered goal scorers. Just like the NFL has opened up the passing game by making it infinitely harder to be a defensive back or a pass-rusher than it used to be, the NHL has started gearing the rule book toward goal scorers. In the NFL, it’s turned the record book on its ear. That hasn’t happened in the NHL — yet.

When Mahovlich sees a game these days, he barely recognizes the sport.

“It’s just not the same,” he said. “The game has changed. The rules have changed. The game is a lot faster. It looks like everybody’s fast. And it seems like everyone is scoring.”

So statistically speaking, what is the hardest era in which to be a prolific goal scorer?

One way to look at it is how many individual players average 0.5 goals per game or more over the course of a single season. In the 1950s, there were 23 such seasons, but with only six teams playing — so each team had an average of 3.83 of those seasons, or 0.383 per year. In the 2020s, there have already been 55 of those seasons (including the 22 we’re on pace for in 2022-23), which — with the league expanding from 31 to 32 teams in 2021-22 — averages out to 0.579 per team per year.

By this math, the answer is that Ovechkin’s era has been the hardest for goal scorers, but Howe’s is close.

Prolific goal scorers all but disappeared in the mid-1990s, but they’re making quite a comeback in recent seasons. Since comparing across generations is impossible, we can best compare Gretzky, Ovechkin and Howe to their contemporaries. Pick one of them, and you can make the numbers support him as the greatest goal scorer ever.

In 1952-53, Howe scored 49 goals. Nobody else had more than 32, and only two had more than 30 (there were only six teams, of course). In 1982-83, Gretzky scored 71 goals. There were two others with at least 60, four more with at least 50, 16 more with at least 40, and 28 more with at least 30. Last season, Auston Matthews had 60 goals, three others had at least 50, 13 more had at least 40, and 34 had at least 30.

Ovechkin has led the league in goals nine times, but only three of those times by 10 goals or more. Howe led the league in goals five times, also three times by 10 goals or more. Gretzky led the league in goals five times in a six-season span in the 1980s, but only twice by at least 10 goals. Of course, one of those times was by 31 goals, and the other was by 28.

It’s just not that simple, is it?

You say athletes are simply better now. Someone else points out that the talent pool has been dramatically watered down by expansion. Another person notes that the game is global now, with talent pouring out of countries around the world.

You say equipment is simply better now, with whippy, composite sticks firing the puck at speeds never seen before. Someone else points out that the goalies’ equipment is better, too. Another person notes that Bobby Hull might have had the hardest shot ever, using that old wooden twig.

When Howe and Mahovlich played, they flew commercial to every game. And there was no food or drinks at the rink before, during or after a game. When Gretzky and Savard played, they had to fight through an endless barrage of hooks and hugs and wrestling maneuvers. Now that Ovechkin plays, he has to find the tiniest openings in these massive, learned and ridiculously athletic goaltenders.

The rules have changed, the systems have changed, the goaltending has changed, the equipment has changed, the world has changed. All told, the game has changed too much over time to say anything with certainty.

Well, almost anything.

“Here’s you and I talking in circles,” Savard said. “It’s very hard to define. But I’ll tell ya — if you score 800 goals or 900 goals, I don’t care what year it is or what time of life it is, it’s pretty amazing.”

[quote=LeftCoaster]Gretzky, Howe or Ovechkin: Who’s the NHL’s greatest goal scorer of all time? The answer’s not so simple.

Ovechkin kills babies.

Canucks’ big Bo Horvat trade market question and Tyler Myers’ defensive woes.

By Harman Dayal
Jan 8, 2023

With the Vancouver Canucks entering the toughest part of their schedule and their playoff hopes already hanging on by a thread, many wondered whether these next two weeks would deliver the unofficial knockout punch to the 2022-23 team. Those questions were only amplified after the club’s embarrassing 6-2 loss to the Islanders early last week.

The Canucks showed they weren’t ready to give up, however. Vancouver rebounded from that listless Islanders effort by erasing a 2-0 deficit and blasting 43 shots on net in a 3-2 regulation win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks showed a renewed focus on blocking shots, were sharper with defensive details, won battles and handily controlled play — all ingredients they lacked just two nights earlier. It was flat-out one of their best performances of the season.

This is when you worried whether the club was poised for the type of random, unexpected hot stretch that prevents it from getting a high pick but isn’t sustainable enough to make a genuine push for the playoffs.

Maybe that’s still in the cards, but Sunday afternoon, the Canucks lost the sharp, assertive A-game they employed against the Avalanche. Vancouver had strong stretches when it controlled play but practically rolled out a red carpet at the defensive blue line for the Winnipeg Jets to create rush chances.

Even still, this is the kind of average performance the Canucks would have converted to a win seven times out of 10 during the “Bruce there it is” peak last season. Strong goaltending would have papered over a few more of the countless odd-man rushes the Canucks leaked, and the power play would have scored in the third period to tie it and spark a comeback rather than surrendering a backbreaking short-handed goal.

But this year’s group is worse across the board in every goal-prevention-related aspect of the game. That may be a blessing in disguise for the big picture because we saw Bo Horvat juice his trade value with another goal, Elias Pettersson showed more flashes of brilliance, J.T. Miller found some offensive traction, and the 7-4 loss ultimately helps the club’s lottery positioning.

OEL-Myers pair’s defensive woes

The Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Tyler Myers pairing was a stabilizing force last year. Ekman-Larsson was playing lockdown defence with his angling to the outside, one-on-one defensive ability and smart, disruptive stick. Myers turned the dial down on his mistakes. He was making way fewer defensive positioning gaffes and managed the puck a lot more consistently.

OEL and Myers played 982 five-on-five minutes last season, most of it matched up against the opposition’s best players, and were essentially break even in the shot, scoring chance and goal differential battles. They admirably held their own.

Both players’ regression this season has corroded Vancouver’s ability to control even-strength play. Myers and Ekman-Larsson have played 282 five-on-five minutes together this season in which they’ve controlled an ugly 40 percent share of shot attempts and expected goals. They’ve been dominated territorially, and in the last few games it feels like they’re getting burned for odd-man rushes every other shift.

The biggest problem I see is that they make bad pinches and are too slow to recover. That was on full display when Ekman-Larsson unsuccessfully pinched and Myers got turnstiled by Kyle Connor for his second goal.

Myers’ ill-timed pinch caused an odd-man chance just a few minutes earlier.

Animated GIF

The Jets were able to split through Myers for a partial breakaway later in the second period, too. From there, he failed to shoulder check, didn’t identify Morgan Barron was making himself a tap-in option, and it resulted in an easy goal.

Animated GIF

Myers was on the ice for four goals against and Ekman-Larsson three. The difference in Myers’ underlying numbers this year compared with last is jarring.

Pettersson is on fire and Miller’s finally cooking at 5v5

The Jets had stretches when they struggled to handle the Canucks’ forecheck. But one area they really excelled in was defending the blue line. Anytime the Canucks made an outlet pass from the defensive zone, there was a Winnipeg player already on top of the Canuck receiving the pass in the neutral zone. There was very little space for the Canucks to enter the attacking zone with possession and create off the rush.

That environment is what made Pettersson’s first-period play so cool. Nobody could solve the Jets’ neutral zone defensive shell until Pettersson corkscrewed his way in for a clean entry in the fashion only a superstar can. He did a full 360-degree turn with the puck upon receiving a pass against Josh Morrissey, turned his back to the defender to shield the puck, twisted back forward and unleashed a low shot for a rebound on the clean entry. Pettersson then outworked Pierre-Luc Dubois for the puck, jamming the puck toward the net for Miller to score.

Pettersson looked like he was on the cusp of scoring all night. He rang a turnaround jumper-like shot from the slot off the crossbar, and he had multiple other high-danger chances.

Miller, meanwhile, followed his goal up by making a nifty one-touch pass to Horvat in the second period to notch an assist. He later added another on the power play — this time from the right side of the 1-3-1 power-play formation — on Sheldon Dries’ redirect goal.

It was the first time since April 23 that Miller’s recorded a three-point night. Most encouragingly, two of those points were at even strength, where he hasn’t created nearly enough offensively this season. I don’t think the Pettersson/Miller combo has quite found its apex form yet, but they’ve been dangerous offensively the last couple of games, and I like Boudreau’s thinking of trying to get Miller going at five-on-five by pairing him with the club’s best player.

It’s paid dividends for Miller. Let’s see whether the momentum can continue.

Team tank catches a break and keeping an eye on Colorado

Team tank supporters caught a break Sunday. Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, Cole Perfetti and Nate Schmidt returned from injury late this week in time to play against the Canucks. Ehlers had a goal and two primary assists and Schmidt drove a 75 percent expected goal share and outscored the Canucks 2-0 during his five-on-five minutes. Subtract those four players, with David Rittich still in net, and I don’t think the Jets beat the Canucks.

Speaking of teams that have been tested by injuries lately, Canucks fans should keep an eye on the Colorado Avalanche over the next few weeks. Everybody expects the Avalanche to be a very aggressive buyer at the trade deadline, one of the teams that should be a front-runner for Horvat, but Colorado has to put itself in the right position to justify that expensive bet first.

Canucks fans saw firsthand just how awry the Avalanche looked last week. They lost five straight before beating the Edmonton Oilers in overtime Saturday night and are two points outside the final wild-card spot, albeit with three games in hand on Edmonton. Colorado’s top players look tired — Mikko Rantanen has averaged over 25 minutes per game over the last 12 contests, Cale Makar’s regularly playing over 30 minutes per night, Nathan MacKinnon’s forced to play massive minutes despite only recently returning from injury, and Devon Toews’ heavy workload seemed to catch up to him against the Canucks, too.

Looming over all of this is the uncertain health status of captain Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog hasn’t played all year, and coach Jared Bednar reiterated he’s still “nowhere close” to returning. What if Colorado’s unsure whether he’ll be fully healthy by the start of the playoffs?

With Colorado barely hanging on in the playoff race, tired top players and uncertainty around Landeskog’s status for this season and the playoffs, would general manager Chris MacFarland have any pause about giving up a massive haul for a rental like Horvat? The Avs’ performance and Landeskog’s rehab over the next few weeks will probably determine whether they feel confident enough to go all in and offer the Canucks a huge haul (remember they also gave up a lot of assets at last year’s deadline) or whether they’ll turn to more affordable upgrades.

For the sake of maximizing Horvat’s return — assuming the Canucks go down that route of trading him — they obviously want maximum bidders to drive the price up. Hopefully, Colorado can get the train back on track so it doesn’t drop out of the bidding.

[quote=LeftCoaster]Canucks’ big Bo Horvat trade market question and Tyler Myers’ defensive woes.

Please stop.

NHL stock soaring, Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud showing he has ‘another level to hit’.

By Jeremy Rutherford
Jan 11, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS — It was last summer, a few months before Jimmy Snuggerud began his hockey career at the University of Minnesota. He knew only one player on the Golden Gophers’ roster at the time, junior defenseman Mike Koster. Koster asked him to play softball with the guys so he could get to know the rest of them.

“He was a really good baseball player growing up, I guess, is what some guys were saying,” Gophers captain Brock Faber recalls. “He kind of bounced around, played a lot in the outfield.”

Snuggerud only played five or six games because he was busy with the NHL combine, the draft, where he was taken No. 23 by the Blues, and later development camp with his new club. But when back in his hometown of Minneapolis, you could find him on the diamond.

“I started out as ‘rover,’ kind of roving the outfield,” Snuggerud says. “But after a couple of games, I guess they realized I could play a better position than that, so I went to the infield.”

It’s been a theme in Snuggerud’s young career.

Once the college hockey season started, it wasn’t long before his teammates realized what Minnesota coach Bob Motzko had seen in Snuggerud since the ninth grade, and once the World Junior Championship began, it wasn’t long before the NHL world began picking up on the Team USA forward, who looks like quite a prospect for the Blues.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Snuggerud, who leads the Gophers with 28 points this season, was third at the world juniors with 13 points in seven games, trailing only Logan Cooley (14 points), the No. 3 pick in 2022, and Connor Bedard (23), the phenom teams are tanking to get a chance at drafting No. 1 in 2023. He was named one of Team USA’s top three players in the tournament, in which the country brought home the bronze medal.

“He was just lights out,” says Motzko, who watched back in Minneapolis. “We were like, ‘That’s the Jimmy we know!'”

Snuggerud, 18, is the son of Dave Snuggerud, a former Minnesota captain, Olympian (1988) and NHLer, and the grandson of James Westby, another ex-player for the Golden Gophers and Olympian (1964).

“The Snuggerud name is well known in this territory,” Motzko says, “But Jimmy, he just backs it up by being a tremendous young man and a leader who does everything right.”

With such a rich family history, it was important to Snuggerud that his new teammates not have any preconceived opinion of him coming into college, and that’s why the summer softball league was a perfect introduction.

“That was huge, especially for a team that could be a national championship team,” he says.

What they saw was what Cooley, Snuggerud’s Minnesota and Team USA linemate, had witnessed since the two players spent a couple of seasons together at the U.S National Team Development Program in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

“He’s such a positive guy, such a driven guy,” Cooley says.

Cooley saw Snuggerud develop what he calls a “world-class shot” and also make massive improvement to his skating stride.

“I think that’s what makes playing with him so special,” he says. “He has everything: the shot, the IQ and now the skating.”

The first two games of his Gophers career, though, started off slowly.

“You could see that he demands a lot from himself, and I could see some frustration,” teammate Matthew Knies says.

Knies, a prospect for the Maple Leafs, mentioned something subtle to Snuggerud that made a difference.

“He said, ‘We’ve got 32 games left in the season. I’m going to have a lot of time to improve every day,'” Snuggerud says. “The next weekend, I had a way better weekend.”

Actually, it was the next game.

In a 4-1 win over Minnesota State-Mankato, in front of a crowd of 8,472 at Minnesota’s 3M Arena at Mariucci, Snuggerud had a hat trick.

“You’re a freshman, and the third game of the year, great crowd, playing in-state, and he gets a hat trick,” Motzko says. “That shakes all the nerves — like the lid is off. Your confidence level will never be shaken.

“You might go through what a normal athlete goes through, an off weekend. But when you have a game like that early in your career, that pressure is released and he can just move forward.”

A week later, the Gophers put Snuggerud, Cooley and Knies together, and two months later, many consider them to be the best line in college hockey.

“We’ve got Cooley up the middle, who can skate well and make plays, but once it ends up on Jimmy’s stick, the play is done and it’s in the back of the net,” Knies says. “He’s just got that shooting mentality of ‘put it through the goalie and rip it through the net.’ Once I put the puck on his stick, we know we have a good opportunity to score.”

Motzko calls Snuggerud’s shot a missile.

“It’s different; it’s just different,” Motzko says. “We’ve got film of a couple of goals where, when you break it down, how he’s getting it, there’s no way it should be getting off that way.

“It’s how he shoots, and where he shoots from. He doesn’t have to have it in the right spot. It’s just an uncanny, high-level, different shot than you’re going to see from most hockey players.”

Faber jokes that he’s jealous and says he should’ve known after watching him on the ball field.

“I know what Coach (Motzko) is saying and I feel like it has something to do with his athleticism,” he says. “He finds himself in quirky little spots where he’ll be below the goal line and ring one off the crossbar, and his one-timers come out of nowhere.

“He just has very good spatial awareness to know when he has time to make a play or get it off quickly. That’s probably the most special part about his game, that he’s always aware of his surroundings, and having a shot to add to that is a pretty lethal combo.”


Teammates say that Gophers forward Jimmy Snuggerud has a terrific shot.
Snuggerud was selected to play for Team USA at the World Junior Championship, and before he left, Motzko gave him and other Gophers participating some advice.

“It’s natural to be nervous if you’re a first-year guy,” says Motzko, who coached in three of the tournaments. “I said, ‘Go in there like you own it. Go in there and establish yourself from the moment you step in the rink that you’re here to play.’

“A lot of guys, they kind of take a backseat to the guys that have been there before. So the best advice I could give was just get after it from day one and make your presence felt that you belong there.”

Advice heeded.

Snuggerud had two goals in a 5-1 preliminary-round win over Switzerland.

“That was just a ‘Snuggerud game,'” Motzko says. “Like the puck is coming to him, and you know it’s in. You’re raising your hand before it even goes in. You’re not a coach anymore; you’re a fan. You’re waiting for him to get the puck to do his thing.”

Snuggerud added another in a 6-2 win over Finland in the second game of the tournament and was on his way to a five-goal, eight-assist performance at the world juniors.

“He took off from there and he was a big part of the reason we won bronze,” Cooley says.

In 16:17 of ice time per game, Snuggerud led Team USA and was fourth in the tournament in shots on goal, with 37 (5.3 per game). He was also a club-best plus-5, with the Americans outscoring their opponents 14-9 when he was on the ice.

“Snuggy is a great player,” Team USA coach Rand Pecknold says. “He’s so creative and deceptive with how he gets things done. High-character kid. Great work ethic. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”

An NHL scout, who was at the tournament and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he’s prohibited from discussing other teams’ players, concurred.

“Good size, decent skater with good skill and ability,” the scout told The Athletic. “Would like to see a bit more jam and stiffness out of him, like a power forward, but overall he is a solid, two-way player with some offensive upside and ability to score goals. He’s a real solid prospect.”


Snuggerud admits that he had struggled with his confidence earlier in his career, and he believes the world juniors will do wonders for him.

“I think it’s something that you need,” he says. “Like shooting in certain situations where you don’t think the puck might go in, but it squeaks in. Making dynamic, creative plays, that’s something that you have to have confidence to do because you need to learn from your mistakes. It’s something I’ve improved on.”

The Gophers say that Snuggerud may have improved his international stock, but it’s nothing they needed to see.

“He just keeps validating it,” Motzko says. “He’s not going to stop now. That’s the great thing about Jimmy is he’s got another level to hit. We’ve watched his skating go from one level to another level. And then his strength, when his strength goes to another level, his game will as well.

“I can tell you this: I don’t think the Blues would second-guess their pick. But I have a feeling there’s a lot of teams above them that are second-guessing their pick. He makes other players better and has attributes that are just different.”

Cooley, one of Snuggerud’s best friends, is happy to see the recognition he’s getting after watching him so closely for years.

“For him to start getting this much attention, I think he should’ve been a higher pick,” Cooley says. “His game is going to continue to get better, and if I was a St. Louis Blues fan, I’d be super-pumped because you’re getting a player that will be a really good NHL player one day.”

When will that day come?

Will Snuggerud turn pro after his freshman season with Minnesota, or will he go back to the Gophers?

“I still have a ways to go, development to do,” he says. “I think no matter where the future holds, it’s going to be where it is. Playing against some AHL players and NHL players (at the world juniors), you kind of realize that you’re up to speed with them, but the NHL is a whole different wolf.

“I think just watching on TV, you realize how fast it is. So again, I think the future holds itself, and it’s going to happen when it’s going to happen, and I’m just not really sure of that yet.”

2023 NHL prospect pool rankings: Scott Wheeler evaluates every team.

Scott Wheeler
Jan 9, 2023

Welcome to the 2023 edition of my annual ranking of every NHL team’s prospect pools.

This 31-day project counts down to the NHL organization with the best collection of prospects, totalling nearly 100,000 words of evaluation on nearly 500 prospects. This page will update daily from Jan. 9 to Feb. 8.

Throughout, I have made a regular effort to feature quotes and insight from sources about these players. However, the evaluations and rankings themselves (both of individual prospects and each team’s farm system overall) are strictly my own. These assessments are the byproduct of countless viewings (both on tape and in person) and conversations spanning several years. Wherever my exposure to a prospect is limited, I have said so and relied more heavily on others.

Each list this year will include up to a maximum of 15 prospects (plus honourable mentions) per organization, down from the 20-player cap of previous projects in the interest of length and evaluating only prospects who have a moderate chance at making the NHL.

To be eligible for inclusion, a skater must:

Be under 23 years old. We know that by the time a player turns 23, he is largely done with the steep upward progression we see in prospects and will begin to plateau.
Not be a full-time NHL player. This is the arbitrary section of the criteria. Here, I trust my judgment for whether or not a rostered NHL player is still likely to bounce between levels more than I trust any pre-determined games played before the cutoff. Preference for inclusion as an NHL prospect is more likely to be given to teenagers than 22-year-olds.
Either be signed to an NHL contract or selected in the entry draft, without the expiration of either of those rights. Players who are signed to AHL contracts are not considered.
To be eligible for inclusion, a goalie must:

Be under 25 years old. This age criteria is more reflective of the typical goalie trajectory, allowing for the continued consideration of goalies who are very much still prospects.
Not currently be established as one of their NHL club’s two go-to options.
The rankings are also broken down into team-specific tiers in order to provide you with better insight into the gaps between groups of prospects, as well as a sense for the potential fluidity within those groups. The tiers are not universal across the league and do not have pre-set boundaries or projections in an effort to avoid (as best I can) boxing prospects into black-and-white expectations.

You will, however, notice the consistent emphasis placed on upside and skill in my rankings. These are not rankings based on proximity to the NHL. A player with top-of-the-lineup potential may rank higher than a player with NHL experience who projects into a depth role, even sometimes in cases where the former is less likely to reach his ceiling than the latter. Teams who’ve consistently swung on talent, instead of playing it safe, will tend to grade higher overall. I believe that approach should be the foundation of modern scouting. In the long run, the teams that will distinguish themselves in a league built on parity are those who will develop homegrown stars that can make an impact, in a cap world, early on in their earning power. Those are the sport’s most precious resource, particularly when depth pieces are so readily available through trades and free agency. My rankings should reflect that.

For more insight into my experience, my process, the things I look for, and my potential biases and limitations, check out my guide to scouting. And for a second opinion on many of these players, check out the work of The Athletic’s Corey Pronman in his NHL pipeline rankings, last released in August.

The Ranking
32. Colorado Avalanche
After making just 11 of their allotted 21 picks in the last three drafts in pursuit of their Stanley Cup, and after trading some of the prospects that they did have, the Avalanche’s stable of young prospects has taken a hit. They do still have a few kids of interest, but the improvement of the pool will be a work-in-progress long term as they’ve already moved half a dozen of their selections in the next two drafts as well.

31. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning’s prospect pool has been depleted for years now, but that’s the cost of doing business you can live with when you’ve got two Stanley Cups to show for it. They’ve actually done OK around the margins finding plug-and-play potential with few picks, but their system is made up primarily of players who project to the bottom of a lineup at their ceiling, with maybe a couple of exceptions.

30. Boston Bruins
The Bruins have a handful of quality prospects at multiple positions but their pool lacks just a little by way of high-end talent at the top and a little more by way of depth relative to the rest of the league. I’ve got a lot of time for some of what they do have, and intrigue in some of the rest. They’ve got at least a couple of guys with untapped potential in the right development plan as well, so there’s reason for optimism after some lean years within their pool.

29. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins’ window refuses to close, and their prospect pool’s years-long spot near the bottom of the league persists as a result. Their group has had some key additions in the last year though, and it looks closer to turning the corner toward league average than it has in some time as a result. Anecdotally, it has improved — even if its league-wide slotting hasn’t.

LeBrun: Latest trade rumblings on Oilers, Erik Karlsson, Jakob Chychrun, Ivan Provorov and more.

By Pierre LeBrun
Jan 10, 2023

It’s that time of year again, with the world juniors behind us, when NHL clubs start to hold their scouting meetings to get ready for the trade deadline.

Several clubs are holding those meetings this week, and more will follow before the end of the month. These are meetings in which NHL front office staffs try to explore every possibility the trade market could present and plan for a number of different scenarios ahead of the March 3 deadline.

But as one team executive shared with me Tuesday, the problem in discussing the NHL trade market right now is that there’s still so much uncertainty. There’s about a quarter of the league at the top of the standings you know are going to be buyers, a quarter at the bottom you know are going to be sellers, and the rest of the league is in the middle quicksand, not quite sure yet. General managers on those teams aren’t ready to commit yet, either way.

Still, what I gathered this week in making calls around to NHL front offices is that conversations between teams have certainly picked up.

Here are the rumblings I’m hearing.

Oilers working the phones
The Oilers are scouring the market, looking at defense options. That was always the expectation, of course, but the point here is that veteran GM Ken Holland has been active of late making those calls and trying to get a realistic view of what’s available. So yes, I believe they’ve talked to Arizona about Jakob Chychrun, to Montreal about Joel Edmundson, and well, to about every selling team you can think of with a defenseman potentially up for grabs.

The Oilers want to get a full understanding of what’s out there. The problem is the prices, in most cases, are sky-high this far out from March 3.

We’ve talked before about the high price for Chychrun and will have more on that below. Edmundson won’t be cheap for the simple reason that the Habs don’t necessarily want to move him (he’s signed through next season so not a rental). Most notable defensemen on the market are going to be priced at at least a first-round pick right now because it’s January and, well, because Montreal got that last year for Ben Chiarot and Columbus got it two years ago for David Savard. Selling teams are using that as a jumping-off point.

I don’t think Holland wants to make a panic move just because the team is struggling to find its footing. But I do think he’ll trade for a D eventually. The other thing is this: One trade won’t be a cure-all. The Oilers need improvement from within from a lot of players, especially defensively. That’s going to have a bigger impact than one trade alone.


Interest in Dumba
My colleague from TSN, Darren Dreger, reported during our Insider Trading segment Tuesday evening that the Senators and Oilers have shown some interest in pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Dumba. I think that’s another example of the Oil checking in on what’s out there.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo has noted a few times that while the Wild aren’t shopping Dumba because they’re in a playoff spot, he could see the blueliner dealt as part of a hockey deal that helps the team this season.


Teams calling on Karlsson
The idea of an Erik Karlsson trade was theoretical when we first broached the subject earlier this season. Based on his strong start, we wondered if teams would be enticed. Then Sharks GM Mike Grier at the November GMs meeting in Toronto said he would listen on Karlsson, so we wondered if teams would actually engage or if that contract would be too much of an issue.

Well, Karlsson’s strong season has continued, and from what I’m hearing, there are teams that have in fact engaged with the Sharks in discussions. That doesn’t mean something will happen by March 3, given the complexity of this trade — a contract paying him $11.5 million average annual value per season for four seasons after this one plus a full no-move clause that gives Karlsson control of the process.

Still, the point here is that the Sharks are indeed talking to teams, which shows legitimate interest. I still think it’s more likely than not that this waits until the offseason, but we shall see. What it’s going to come down to is how much the Sharks are willing to retain of Karlsson’s contract in a trade, and even if a team is willing to go all the way, whether that club is interesting enough to Karlsson for him to waive.

Asking price for Chychrun
The Coyotes remain patient on the Chychrun trade front, because well, they don’t actually have to move him before March 3. He’s signed for another two years after this season. But the desire is still there to move him for the right price.

Speaking of which, while the price generally remains two first-round picks plus a prospect in exchange for Chychrun, I’m told the Coyotes are willing to be flexible depending on the quality of the prospect, for example. So there appears to be another avenue to make a deal happen, but the assets offered would have to equal the original asking price in the eyes of Arizona.

Kuzmenko drawing increased interest
I’m hearing that teams are calling more and more on pending UFA forward Andrei Kuzmenko, and that’s not surprising given his cheap cap hit ($950,000) and his solid offensive output so far this season.

When one considers how cap-strung so many playoff-bound teams are, a player of his ability and cheap cap hit is a gift from heaven. However, I also heard Tuesday that the Canucks aren’t sure yet they want to part with him, as they haven’t given up hope on the idea of re-signing him. There haven’t yet been any contract talks on an extension between the Canucks and agent Dan Milstein, although I suspect that will happen within the next month. I would imagine the starting price from the Kuzmenko side would be at least $6 million a year on a bridge deal.

It’s also worth noting that the player seems to very much like it in Vancouver, despite the team’s turbulent season.


Poking around on Boeser
Sticking with the Canucks, word is that teams keep poking around on Brock Boeser and are exploring it in a more realistic manner. I don’t think anything is imminent, but teams are giving it more thought and trying to see how they could make it work.

Boeser still has another two years on his contract after this season at a $6.65 million AAV.

The Wild have talked to Vancouver about it, and Boeser returning to his home state would be a good story, but it doesn’t sound like Minnesota feels it can make it work cap-wise.


Flyers listening on Provorov
Teams are calling and the Flyers are in listening mode on defenseman Ivan Provorov, multiple sources confirmed Tuesday.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first speculated about the possibility of Provorov moving earlier this week, mentioning that he believes the player and team are frustrated with each other.

Provorov has two years left after this season on his deal at a $6.75 million AAV, so the Flyers certainly don’t feel like they need to move him. But given where they are in the standings, they feel obliged to at least answer calls on him. I don’t even think they’ve established an asking price; it’s very much about listening right now. He may not move at all. Still, an intriguing name out there to be sure.


Ducks want first-rounder for Klingberg
The price on pending UFA defenseman John Klingberg starts with a first-round pick, or at least that’s what the Ducks have told some clubs.

Never say never, but given Klingberg’s struggles so far this season, I just don’t see a team jumping up to pay that price.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Klingberg on a contender would begin to look like his old self again, but still, that just seems like too high a price.

I don’t blame the Ducks at all for trying. It’s still January. Lots of time before March 3.

2023 NHL prospect pool rankings: Scott Wheeler evaluates every team.

Scott Wheeler
Jan 9, 2023

Welcome to the 2023 edition of my annual ranking of every NHL team’s prospect pools.

This 31-day project counts down to the NHL organization with the best collection of prospects, totalling nearly 100,000 words of evaluation on nearly 500 prospects. This page will update daily from Jan. 9 to Feb. 8.

Throughout, I have made a regular effort to feature quotes and insight from sources about these players. However, the evaluations and rankings themselves (both of individual prospects and each team’s farm system overall) are strictly my own. These assessments are the byproduct of countless viewings (both on tape and in person) and conversations spanning several years. Wherever my exposure to a prospect is limited, I have said so and relied more heavily on others.

Each list this year will include up to a maximum of 15 prospects (plus honourable mentions) per organization, down from the 20-player cap of previous projects in the interest of length and evaluating only prospects who have a moderate chance at making the NHL.

To be eligible for inclusion, a skater must:

Be under 23 years old. We know that by the time a player turns 23, he is largely done with the steep upward progression we see in prospects and will begin to plateau.
Not be a full-time NHL player. This is the arbitrary section of the criteria. Here, I trust my judgment for whether or not a rostered NHL player is still likely to bounce between levels more than I trust any pre-determined games played before the cutoff. Preference for inclusion as an NHL prospect is more likely to be given to teenagers than 22-year-olds.
Either be signed to an NHL contract or selected in the entry draft, without the expiration of either of those rights. Players who are signed to AHL contracts are not considered.
To be eligible for inclusion, a goalie must:

Be under 25 years old. This age criteria is more reflective of the typical goalie trajectory, allowing for the continued consideration of goalies who are very much still prospects.
Not currently be established as one of their NHL club’s two go-to options.
The rankings are also broken down into team-specific tiers in order to provide you with better insight into the gaps between groups of prospects, as well as a sense for the potential fluidity within those groups. The tiers are not universal across the league and do not have pre-set boundaries or projections in an effort to avoid (as best I can) boxing prospects into black-and-white expectations.

You will, however, notice the consistent emphasis placed on upside and skill in my rankings. These are not rankings based on proximity to the NHL. A player with top-of-the-lineup potential may rank higher than a player with NHL experience who projects into a depth role, even sometimes in cases where the former is less likely to reach his ceiling than the latter. Teams who’ve consistently swung on talent, instead of playing it safe, will tend to grade higher overall. I believe that approach should be the foundation of modern scouting. In the long run, the teams that will distinguish themselves in a league built on parity are those who will develop homegrown stars that can make an impact, in a cap world, early on in their earning power. Those are the sport’s most precious resource, particularly when depth pieces are so readily available through trades and free agency. My rankings should reflect that.

For more insight into my experience, my process, the things I look for, and my potential biases and limitations, check out my guide to scouting. And for a second opinion on many of these players, check out the work of The Athletic’s Corey Pronman in his NHL pipeline rankings, last released in August.

The Ranking
32. Colorado Avalanche
After making just 11 of their allotted 21 picks in the last three drafts in pursuit of their Stanley Cup, and after trading some of the prospects that they did have, the Avalanche’s stable of young prospects has taken a hit. They do still have a few kids of interest, but the improvement of the pool will be a work-in-progress long term as they’ve already moved half a dozen of their selections in the next two drafts as well.

31. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning’s prospect pool has been depleted for years now, but that’s the cost of doing business you can live with when you’ve got two Stanley Cups to show for it. They’ve actually done OK around the margins finding plug-and-play potential with few picks, but their system is made up primarily of players who project to the bottom of a lineup at their ceiling, with maybe a couple of exceptions.

30. Boston Bruins
The Bruins have a handful of quality prospects at multiple positions but their pool lacks just a little by way of high-end talent at the top and a little more by way of depth relative to the rest of the league. I’ve got a lot of time for some of what they do have, and intrigue in some of the rest. They’ve got at least a couple of guys with untapped potential in the right development plan as well, so there’s reason for optimism after some lean years within their pool.

29. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins’ window refuses to close, and their prospect pool’s years-long spot near the bottom of the league persists as a result. Their group has had some key additions in the last year though, and it looks closer to turning the corner toward league average than it has in some time as a result. Anecdotally, it has improved — even if its league-wide slotting hasn’t.
- LeftCoaster

I'm surprised the Canucks didn't make the top 5.

The title of this thread is “…daily blog”. Come on Gemcoaster, keep up your end of the bargain.

The title of this thread is “…daily blog”. Come on Gemcoaster, keep up your end of the bargain.
- 1970vintage

Pearsongate.

Pearsongate.
- Marwood

I honestly can't believe how much traction this is getting, based on a post game comment from a player who likely has no idea what's actually going on.

The NHL’s best surprises and biggest disappointments halfway through the 2022-23 season.

The Athletic NHL Staff
Jan 14, 2023

It’s halfway through the NHL’s regular season, and Erik Karlsson is scoring like it’s 1989, Stuart Skinner has wrestled the reins from Jack Campbell in Edmonton and the Maple Leafs’ goalies look … good?

Those are just a few of the unexpected developments we heard about this week when The Athletic asked its NHL staff for their best surprises and biggest disappointments as most teams have crossed the 41-game mark.

Here’s one surprise and one disappointment for each team in the first half.

Anaheim Ducks
Best surprise: Mason McTavish

Considering he was among the preseason favorites for the Calder Trophy, it might be a stretch to say McTavish is that “big” of a “surprise,” but there aren’t many good surprises to pick from in Anaheim — and the fact that he is making progress by the week and flourishing for a team deep in last place has made him a singular bright spot in a torturous season for the Ducks. McTavish is among the top rookie scorers and is now playing first-line center after starting the season on left wing and centering the third and fourth lines at times. He hasn’t turned 20 yet and still has lots of growing to do, but his play often resembles that of a more mature soul.

Biggest disappointment: The big-name additions

Narrowing the disappointments down to one is a task. Coach Dallas Eakins’ ability to get effective play out of the group seems to have ended with last season’s surprising first half. The power play and penalty kill have taken huge steps backward. But it is the underwhelming impact of the veterans general manager Pat Verbeek brought in last summer that has been the most discouraging development. The four players — John Klingberg, Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano and Dmitry Kulikov — weren’t expected to be superstars, but the idea was that they would fill huge gaps and help Anaheim be more competitive on a nightly basis. Instead, all four have struggled to varying degrees and the team is even worse than the one gutted at last year’s trade deadline. — Eric Stephens


Arizona Coyotes
Best surprise: Karel Vejmelka’s dogged work in goal

Their current seven-game losing streak has colored many of the Coyotes’ first-half positives, but on a rebuilding team thought to be destined for the bottom of the standings, Vejmelka’s 11 wins, plus a save percentage that’s still above .900, and unwillingness to quit on any puck has kept the team in games they had no business winning — or even being in. Unquestionably, he’s been the team MVP.

Biggest disappointment: Barrett Hayton

Mostly because of his draft pedigree — fifth overall in 2018, two spots ahead of Quinn Hughes — the expectation was that Hayton would eventually evolve into a top-six difference-maker. At 22, it still hasn’t happened. He has just five goals and 14 points in 41 games despite getting decent playing time (15:30 per night). — Eric Duhatschek

Boston Bruins
Best surprise: Linus Ullmark

Everybody expected Ullmark would be more settled as a second-year Bruin. Nobody expected him to be in the Vezina race. Everything about the ex-Sabre’s game has been exceptional: squareness to shots, rebound control, recoveries, puck touches, athleticism, skating. The Bruins will continue to keep Jeremy Swayman in the mix in terms of regular appearances. But Ullmark has become the clear ace.


Biggest disappointment: Craig Smith

The Bruins expected Smith to be the No. 3 right wing. But Smith has been on the fourth line, benched, healthy scratched and waived. He has just two goals and is averaging a career-low 9:44 of ice time per game. Coach Jim Montgomery is trying to get Smith more involved by playing him in Jake DeBrusk’s spot on the No. 1 line. Smith is in a contract year and unlikely to be brought back. — Fluto Shinzawa

Buffalo Sabres
Best surprise: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Luukkonen started the season with AHL Rochester and struggled when he was first called up to replace the injured Eric Comrie. He has hit his stride recently, though, winning six straight starts before Thursday’s loss to the Jets. The 23-year-old is starting to look like a player who could solve Buffalo’s long-standing issues in net.


Biggest disappointment: Team defense

The Sabres made a few moves to bolster their defense, but injuries and inconsistent play have led to some disappointing results. Buffalo leads the league in goals per game (3.83) but is also allowing the ninth most goals per game (3.48). This offense is good enough to get the team to the playoffs if the defense can catch up. — Matthew Fairburn

Calgary Flames
Best surprise: Adam Ruzicka

Ruzicka began the year on the outside of the lineup but has since turned himself into a regular forward. He’s gotten power-play time and even briefly played on the first line alongside Elias Lindholm, to Lindholm’s approval. Ruzicka needs to be more consistent in his production, regardless of his line placement, but 20 points in 33 games is a pleasant surprise.


Biggest disappointment: Jonathan Huberdeau

Huberdeau has at least been producing offense lately (11 points in his past 12 games), but he still has to adjust to his new teammates, and the Flames have to hope there’s more production to come. He’s well off his career-best pace from last season, and the points aren’t coming in bunches. More is expected from him. — Julian McKenzie




Carolina Hurricanes
Best surprise: Jordan Martinook

In an effort to maximize the team’s long-term-injured-reserve cap space, Martinook was put on waivers before the start of the season. The team expected him to clear, and he did, but they couldn’t have known he would put together his best NHL season. Martinook has admirably replaced Nino Niederreiter on Jordan Staal’s left wing, and with nine goals and 20 points, is already closing in on a career-high in points (25).

Biggest disappointment: Frederik Andersen

Andersen finished fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy last season but has an .893 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average in just nine games in 2022-23 and has gone from having his durability questioned to being certifiably injury-prone. There is still the possibility for redemption. Andersen stopped 21 of 23 shots Thursday in his first game in two months, and the door is open for him to reestablish himself as Carolina’s No. 1 with both Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta struggling of late. — Cory Lavalette


Chicago Blackhawks
Best surprise: Goaltender Alex Stalock

With a .923 save percentage behind *this* defense, Stalock has clearly taken over the No. 1 goaltending job from Petr Mrazek. Stalock’s wildly aggressive play has been easily the most entertaining aspect of the Blackhawks’ season, and it seems to energize the players in front of him, too. That he’s doing all this after playing just one game over the past two seasons because of a heart condition makes it all the more impressive — and inspiring.

Biggest disappointment: Patrick Kane

Kane has made a career out of producing at a high level with middling linemates, but even he has struggled to score at his usual pace with this team. While scoring is up around the league, Kane is below a point-per-game pace for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Now he’s missing time with an apparent hip injury. All of which can’t help his all-important trade value ahead of the March 3 deadline. — Mark Lazerus


Colorado Avalanche
Best surprise: Evan Rodrigues

Rodrigues has 20 points in 29 games — a career-best 0.69 points per game — and he’s doing it on a reasonable $2 million cap hit. He has proven himself to be someone who can play alongside high-end skilled players, and if the Avalanche get back on track, that will be valuable come the playoffs. The question with Rodrigues, who got off to a hot start last year in Pittsburgh, is if he can sustain that level of play for a full season. If he can, he’ll likely remain Colorado’s best surprise.

Biggest disappointment: Samuel Girard’s regression

Two years ago, Girard looked like one of the more promising up-and-coming offensive-minded defensemen in the league. He played more than 23 minutes per night and had 32 points in 48 games for 0.67 points per game. He saw a downturn in production last year (0.42 points per game) and he’s down to 0.29 this year with a minus-13 rating. Coach Jared Bednar has liked recent stretches of play from Girard, but the Avalanche need him to be more consistent, especially given their injury situation. He isn’t the only disappointment, though. Alex Newhook wasn’t able to fill in for Nazem Kadri at second-line center — which was perhaps an unfair expectation for a 21-year-old — and Colorado has gotten very little from its AHL call-ups while dealing with injuries. — Peter Baugh


Columbus Blue Jackets
Best surprise: Joonas Korpisalo

Korpisalo had hip surgery last spring on the heels of two sub-par seasons, and you wondered if he’d ever return to the form he showed with his record-setting performance in the 2020 playoffs. But he has been one of the Blue Jackets’ few bright spots in 2022-23, not to mention their only reliable goaltender. He’s 6-8-1 with a .908 save percentage and 3.28 goals-against average. Those numbers may be pretty mediocre if you look across the league, but they stand out when you consider that the Blue Jackets’ other goalies (Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov) are a combined 6-19-1 with an .883 save percentage and 4.12 GAA.

Biggest disappointment: Elvis Merzlikins

There are so many candidates here. Cole Sillinger, Jack Roslovic and Patrik Laine were all considered. But Merzlikins’ struggles have been profound. His .865 save percentage and 4.65 GAA jump off the page. They aren’t just the worst in the league this season; they’re the worst from the past several seasons. The play in front of Merzlikins has done him no favors and may have contributed to his erratic, unsettled performances. The Blue Jackets have no choice but to let him play his way out of this, too, as he just started a five-year, $27 million contract. — Aaron Portzline


Dallas Stars
Best surprise: Wyatt Johnston

The Stars’ 19-year-old rookie had the talent, but nobody expected him to be this good this fast. He is second in the NHL among rookies with 11 goals and is in the discussion with Tyler Seguin for the second-best centerman on the team this season. And more than how good Johnston has been, it’s his consistency that has really been impressive.


Biggest disappointment: Denis Gurianov

The excuses have finally run out in Dallas for Gurianov. He flashed great potential as a rookie in 2020, leading the team in goals, and tangibly he is a pretty complete package. There were high hopes for him in Pete DeBoer’s system, which has been kind to pretty much everybody, but he just has not been able to put it all together on the ice. Gurianov’s failure to be the middle-six right winger he was expected to be has resulted in a domino effect, giving the Stars a need they will need to fill. — Saad Yousuf

Detroit Red Wings
Best surprise: Jake Walman

Walman, acquired last trade deadline in the Nick Leddy deal, has been a revelation for Detroit. He started the season injured but since has steadily climbed up the lineup to the Red Wings’ top pair next to Moritz Seider. And his impressive play has held up throughout the climb, with his 51.86 percent expected-goals share at five-on-five best among Red Wings defensemen. This looks like Walman’s breakout season at age 26, and it’s coming at a good time for Detroit.


Biggest disappointment: Immediate returns on big contracts

I chose this answer trying to look through the eyes of the fanbase, who have been pretty vocal about wanting more from the two big-ticket free-agent signings: Ben Chiarot and Andrew Copp. But personally, I think that perceived disappointment may be a bit more due to expectations and external circumstances, especially in Copp’s case. The forward had an abdominal surgery that sidelined him for all of camp and the preseason, and he still hasn’t really looked like himself yet, especially in terms of his defense. But it’s worth noting, he is still on pace for close to 50 points this season — not far off his career high of 53 last season. You want to see the shutdown defensive element come back obviously — it may be more important than the production with Copp — but everything in his track record says it should with more time post-surgery. Meanwhile, Chiarot’s profile before coming to Detroit was just about exactly what he’s been with the Red Wings: a physical force on the back end who can sometimes get into trouble with his aggressiveness. That’s been spot on, for better and for worse, so far. The four-year length on his deal seems to be the main sticking point with fans, but for what it’s worth, Chiarot’s usage at 20:59 per game would indicate the Red Wings’ coaching staff feels better about the player than the fanbase does. — Max Bultman

Edmonton Oilers
Best surprise: Stuart Skinner

Jack Campbell’s struggles could have sunk the Oilers’ season, but Skinner’s efforts have helped keep them in the playoff hunt. Skinner was solid as the third-stringer last season, posting a .913 save percentage, but he compiled that in just 13 appearances. He’s maintained that efficiency in 2022-23 while taking on a starter’s workload, posting a .914 save percentage and 12-10-2 record entering play Friday. The three-year contract extension he signed in December was well-earned.


Biggest disappointment: The penalty kill

There are lots of options to choose from here. Depth scoring has been nearly nonexistent. Defensive woes have been prevalent. To say Campbell has underperformed would be putting it mildly. But the penalty kill has been among the league’s worst for most of the season. Coverage has been woeful and lost faceoffs have led directly to several goals. The low point was allowing four power-play markers to the Kings on Monday. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

Florida Panthers
Best surprise: Brandon Montour

Since Montour’s first full NHL season in 2017-18, he’s 54th in points per game (0.45) among defensemen. His issue has been either producing enough points to cancel out defensive shortcomings or improving that facet of his game. In easier minutes in 2022-23, he’s done a bit of both, but the production has been particularly strong. Through Thursday, he was eighth among NHL defensemen in scoring and seventh in scoring at five-on-five, projected to finish with more than 65 points. He’s also been a net positive as a play-driver.

Biggest disappointment: Everything else

Outside of Montour and Matthew Tkachuk, it’s hard to find much to like. The Panthers have fallen woefully short of expectations, due to a combo of injuries (Aleksander Barkov, Anthony Duclair) and widespread regression under first-year coach Paul Maurice. Mix in poor goaltending (Spencer Knight was 58th in goals saved above expected through Thursday and Sergei Bobrovsky 65th) and you’ve got a team cruising for the draft lottery … where it’ll send its pick to Montreal. Whoops. — Sean Gentille

Los Angeles Kings
Best surprise: Pheonix Copley

Before he made his Kings debut on Dec. 6 in Ottawa, Copley had played in only two NHL contests (with just one start) since the 2018-19 season. The 30-year-old from North Pole, Alaska, is now on a run that could reach storybook proportions if it continues. He has won 12 of his 14 starts and given L.A. some desperately needed stability in net as Kings coach Todd McLellan continues to ride him. As a runner-up here, Gabriel Vilardi’s ascent can’t be ignored, as he offers a reminder that the payoff on a high draft pick sometimes doesn’t come right away. Taken at No. 11 in 2017, the talented right wing has emerged as an impact player at age 23, leading the Kings in goals for much of the season and sitting at 17 (a 31-goal pace). Vilardi used a strong preseason to claim an everyday job. He hasn’t looked back.

Biggest disappointment: The presumed goalie duo

Copley coming out of nowhere has been massive for the Kings, but the longtime AHL goalie wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get back in the NHL and play regularly without Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen struggling the way they have. Quick is well below average when it comes to quality starts and the number of goals prevented (minus-13.4) against the league average on shots faced, while traditional numbers such as save percentage (.884) and goals-against average (3.40) are far off what we’ve been accustomed to seeing from the longtime No. 1. Petersen is trying to straighten himself out in the AHL after the shocking demotion on Dec. 1. — Eric Stephens


Minnesota Wild
Best surprise: Filip Gustavsson

Nobody, NOBODY, could have imagined Gustavsson would be this good, probably not even general manager Bill Guerin, who traded disgruntled Cam Talbot to Ottawa for him in July. The 24-year-old got off to a rough start, like the entire Wild, but in 10 starts since Nov. 19, he has an 9-2-0 record and ranks second in the NHL with a .939 save percentage and first with a 1.64 goals-against average. The coaching staff has gained a lot of confidence in him, meaning he could see more starts than expected to spell Marc-Andre Fleury in the second half.

Biggest disappointment: Marco Rossi

After setting an Iowa Wild rookie scoring record with 53 points in 63 games last season, expectations were lofty for the 21-year-old entering training camp. Rossi then led the NHL in preseason scoring, but 16 games into the regular season, he had no goals and one assist and just wasn’t engaging the way the Wild had hoped. He is averaging more than a point per game back down in Iowa, but there’s no roster room for him right now. He’ll have to be patient to get back, but by all accounts, he’s been mature down in the minors and further development can only do him good. — Michael Russo


Montreal Canadiens
Best surprise: Sam Montembeault

Montembeault’s future as an NHL goaltender was never really clear until this season. He may never become a starter, but he’s shown he can be consistently solid as opposed to spurts of good play. Whether his future is in Montreal or elsewhere, he’s proving that he’s an NHLer.

Biggest disappointment: The power play

Expectations were low for the Canadiens coming into the season, but one area where it could have been reasonably expected for them to succeed was the power play. With Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Sean Monahan and Mike Hoffman, the Canadiens had four legitimate threats to keep teams guessing. But the coaching staff has not found a way to make the various parts work together. — Arpon Basu


Nashville Predators
Best surprise: Juuso Parssinen

The rookie center turned a lot of heads in training camp but figured to be a year away, then played too well in Milwaukee to delay things any longer. He has been a solid, physical centerman with some sizzle to his game, as seen in his pass to Filip Forsberg for the Preds’ only goal Wednesday at Toronto. After adding a goal and an assist Thursday, he has 16 points in 27 games.


Biggest disappointment: Secondary scoring, namely Tanner Jeannot

It may be unfair to single out an undrafted player whose production this season would exceed any reasonable expectations when he signed in 2018. Also, he continues to smash everything in sight. But Jeannot’s 24 goals and 41 points last season raised the bar, and his inability to get anything to go in this season (three goals and nine points in 41 games) is a problem for a team with such offensive limitations. — Joe Rexrode

New Jersey Devils
Best surprise: The impact of assistant coaches

There was rightfully some concern when it was announced that Lindy Ruff would return behind the bench in New Jersey, and it’s still a valid question whether he’s the right person to lead this team. But there are clear tactical and stylistic differences this season, despite that. Offseason hires Andrew Brunette and Ryan McGill both seem to be very influential on this team’s play and help show just how important these roles are in this league.

Biggest disappointment: Losing the cushion

New Jersey’s hot start helped them bank points early. The team had a major lead on most of its competitors, not just in the Metropolitan but in the Eastern Conference. That’s slipped, though, since December. It was a mix of bad luck and a lack of adjustments as teams around the league caught onto the Devils’ style of play. — Shayna Goldman

New York Islanders
Best surprise: Zach Parise

Despite his age, the 38-year-old Parise is proving to be one of the better values in the NHL and is third on the Islanders with 12 goals. Three of those goals have been on the power play, where the Islanders have really struggled. It’s not difficult to envision the Islanders bringing him back on another one-year deal next season.

Biggest disappointment: The power play

From Feb. 1 on last season, the Islanders had the NHL’s fourth-best power play (26.6 percent). After bringing back the same players this season, it would stand to reason that the unit would pick up where it left off, right? Well, no. The power play has been brutal, especially lately, and is just 27th in the league headed into Friday’s games. It will have to get much better for the team to qualify for the playoffs. — Kevin Kurz


New York Rangers
Best surprise: Filip Chytil’s scoring mentality

Chytil’s first four NHL seasons were marked with inconsistency and hesitation in scoring situations. Then he had a wonderful two-week stretch in the playoffs when he was the biggest five-on-five scoring threat the Rangers had; and he’s carried that attitude into this season, on pace for career highs in goals, points and shots while still getting barely 14 minutes per game.

Biggest disappointment: Jacob Trouba

Heavy is the sweater that has the C, apparently. Trouba is still the unquestioned leader of the Rangers, and his signature moment of throwing his helmet and yelling at his own bench six weeks ago was powerful, but his on-ice game has looked erratic from Day 1. Still waiting for him to become a steadier presence. — Arthur Staple

Ottawa Senators
Best surprise: Jake Sanderson

Sanderson arrived in Ottawa with lofty expectations, but I think he’s managed to surpass them already. The 20-year-old has seamlessly fit into the Senators’ top four, logging more than 21 minutes per night and playing in all situations. Perhaps the biggest feather in his cap is the fact that he’s playing a major role on Ottawa’s penalty kill. Since Dec. 1, the Senators have the No. 1 PK in the entire NHL and no Ottawa player has seen as much shorthanded time in that window as Sanderson. He’ll likely need to pop a little more offensively if he wants to get into the Calder Trophy race, but Sanderson’s cool and calming presence on the blue line has been exactly what this team needed.

Biggest disappointment: Even-strength scoring

The Senators have had a top-five power play for most of this season, operating with a better than 27 percent success rate. But they’ve been downright awful at five-on-five, which is a major reason this team is currently sitting well outside the playoff field. The Senators have been outscored 88-66 at five-on-five this season — the fifth-worst differential in the league as of Thursday. If that number were a little more balanced, this team would likely be sitting in a playoff spot at the midway point of the campaign. — Ian Mendes


Philadelphia Flyers
Best surprise: Travis Konecny

Before the last month, Carter Hart’s resurgence would have been the no-brainer answer. But while Hart’s play has remained steady even as he’s fallen a bit from his otherworldly early-season results, he’s not the big story surrounding the Flyers anymore. That’s Konecny, who has racked up 12 goals and 20 points in his past 10 games and is suddenly pacing for a 50-goal, 100-point season. Konecny appeared in the midst of a breakout back in 2019-20, but two disappointing campaigns in its wake put a halt to that talk. Now, he’s rolling again, except this time he’s doing it with far less support on the roster. Perhaps the Flyers aren’t completely lacking in high-end talent after all? Konecny is certainly making that case.


Biggest disappointment: The Ivan Provorov–Tony DeAngelo top pair

The hope on general manager Chuck Fletcher’s part was that by ponying up three draft picks to acquire Tony DeAngelo, he would fill the team’s longstanding top-pair right-handed defenseman hole and help the best version of Ivan Provorov to reemerge after two down seasons. The result? The duo didn’t click, DeAngelo was healthy scratched once and is now on the second pair with Travis Sanheim, and Provorov is the subject of trade rumors. That plan sure didn’t pan out. — Charlie O’Connor


Pittsburgh Penguins
Best surprise: Marcus Pettersson’s emergence

Pettersson has been the steadiest Penguins defenseman this season, helping settle a corps that has gone stretches without Kris Letang and Jeff Petry. After vowing to improve upon a disappointing end to last season, Pettersson has turned into a viable top-four blueliner whose own-zone play has noticeably improved.

Biggest disappointment: Third-line struggles

Jeff Carter’s best days as a center are behind him. Kasperi Kapanen was once a healthy scratch in nine of 10 games and hasn’t taken to a more two-way role. These are two players who were supposed to form the foundation of a difference-making third line. Instead, that line has dragged down the Penguins in most games. — Rob Rossi


San Jose Sharks
Best surprise: Erik Karlsson

The first three seasons of Karlsson’s eight-year, $92 million contract were a disappointment in San Jose. Year 4 has been more than just a comeback. He’s on pace for the best offensive season by a defenseman in three decades and could win the Norris Trophy for the third time in his career.

Biggest disappointment: The goaltending

Before the season, goaltending was the one area the new regime could feel pretty confident in, but it hasn’t worked out that way. James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen are both sporting sub-.900 save percentages, and the Sharks have the second-worst team save percentage in the NHL. Reimer has never had a sub-.900 save percentage before this in his 13-year career. — Corey Masisak

Seattle Kraken
Best surprise: Martin Jones

Jones hasn’t earned the best reputation in the NHL for his play between the pipes, but he’s really picked up his game in Seattle. After a good start, he slipped a bit in late November but has found his footing once again. So far in January, he has a .946 save percentage, with quality starts in five out of six games, including a shutout Thursday. That’s the netminding this team needs to back up the goals support they have.

Biggest disappointment: The power play

The Kraken are well below average in their offensive generation on the man advantage. Maybe it’s because their forward group isn’t headlined by All-Stars. The scoring-by-committee approach works at even strength, but on the power play, a team usually performs best with a bonafide top unit of five legitimate offensive threats. There’s potential to fix it as Matty Beniers becomes that star or if Seattle adds another high-end forward. But the roster may hold back their power-play scoring for a while. — Shayna Goldman

St. Louis Blues
Best surprise: Calle Rosen

The 28-year-old defenseman had suited up in fewer than 40 NHL games before 2022-23, and with the Blues planning to assign him to the AHL at the start of the season, there was no plan to add to that total. But after preseason injuries to Marco Scandella and Scott Perunovich, Rosen has been a regular and, at times, the team’s best defenseman. At $750,000, he’s been the Blues’ best bargain by far.

Biggest disappointment: The defensive play, particularly from veterans

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong signed Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk and Torey Krug each to contracts worth $6.5 million per season and brought in Nick Leddy at $4 million, hoping to build a defense that could skate well and move the puck quickly. Many questioned the construction of that blue line on paper, and it’s been even worse on the ice. Faulk has handled himself OK, but the subpar play of the other veterans has hurt the club tremendously. — Jeremy Rutherford

Tampa Bay Lightning
Best surprise: Nick Perbix

The rookie defenseman, who didn’t start the season on the roster, has cemented his place on the blue line. Perbix, a sixth-round pick, has fit in well, earning a top-four role and playing alongside Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev at times. He even was given a two-year extension based on the returns.


Biggest disappointment: Inability to win on the road

The Lightning are pretty comfortable in a playoff spot as of now, third in the Atlantic Division. But their road record (9-9-0) has been holding them back, though it could improve on an upcoming five-game trip. There aren’t many individual disappointments, but Vladislav Namestnikov got off to a slow start and was even healthy scratched. Phillippe Myers, acquired in the Ryan McDonagh trade and signed to an extension, passed through waivers and is now in AHL. — Joe Smith

Toronto Maple Leafs
Best surprise: The goaltending duo

The biggest question mark for the Leafs — by far — coming into the season was how the goalies would handle the load. And while Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov have both cooled off a bit of late (as expected), all in all, the goaltending has been solid with half the season in the books, with Murray at a .919 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average and Samsonov at .914 and 2.33. Better than could have been expected, for sure.

Biggest disappointment: October

The Leafs have been so good, for the most part, since the beginning of November that October has largely been forgotten. But it might well cost them a chance at the division title. The Leafs went 4-4-2 in the first month; the Bruins went 8-1-0. It’s a lot closer since, the Leafs at 22-6-5 and Bruins at 24-4-4. Now maybe the team’s sharp play over the last two-plus months doesn’t happen without that sluggish start, but points left on the table in October might sting when all is said and done. — Jonas Siegel

Vancouver Canucks
Best surprise: Andrei Kuzmenko

Kuzmenko came over from Russia as an unknown NHL commodity when he signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Canucks. There was hope he could be a middle-six contributor, but he’s exceeded all expectations, scoring 17 goals and 35 points in 39 games. Kuzmenko’s been a dynamic play-driver and has run into very limited turbulence in his adjustment to the NHL.

Biggest disappointment: J.T. Miller

Thatcher Demko, who struggled enormously before going down with an injury, would be the answer if this was purely based on performance. But Miller’s play has been even more concerning and disappointing for Canucks fans because of the financial considerations. The massive seven-year, $56 million extension he signed in the summer, which could come at the expense of losing captain Bo Horvat, hasn’t even kicked in. Miller’s been unable to stick at center and has struggled enormously defensively, and his offensive production, especially at five-on-five, has declined. Vancouver’s in big trouble long-term with that contract if Miller can’t turn it around. — Harman Dayal

Vegas Golden Knights
Best surprise: William Carrier is a goal scorer

Entering 2022-23, Carrier had never reached double-digit goals in six NHL seasons. He’s been an important piece of Vegas’ bottom line since 2017 but is rarely relied on for offense. That has changed this year in a big way. He’s already set a new career high and tied for fifth on the team with 11 goals.

Biggest disappointment: Phil Kessel

When the Golden Knights signed Kessel this summer, there was a lot of talk about a highly motivated veteran scorer who was eager for a return to the spotlight after down years in Arizona. That hasn’t exactly happened. Kessel hasn’t produced on the power play as Vegas hoped he would and has the worst goals above replacement (minus-4.3) of any player on the team, according to Evolving-Hockey. His cap hit is only $1.5 million, so it wasn’t a huge risk, but to this point, Kessel hasn’t been the undervalued impact signing the Golden Knights hoped he might be. — Jesse Granger

Washington Capitals
Best surprise: Charlie Lindgren

When No. 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper got hurt on Dec. 3, the Caps were 10-12-4 and mired in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. No one could have predicted what came next: Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren, a 29-year-old who came into the season with 29 games of NHL experience, saved the Caps’ season. From Dec. 5 until Kuemper returned on Dec. 22, Lindgren went 7-1-0 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average to catapult the Caps back into playoff contention.


Biggest disappointment: Anthony Mantha

With several key forwards hurt early, the Caps hoped Anthony Mantha (nine goals and 23 points in 42 games) would seize on the opportunity, elevate his play and author a breakout season. Instead, the team’s fifth-highest-paid forward ($5.7 million per) has frustrated coaches with his inconsistency, as evidenced by his recent scratching. Mantha’s season hasn’t been bad; it’s been underwhelming. And with a second half to come, there’s still plenty of time for him to turn it around. — Tarik El-Bashir

Winnipeg Jets
Best surprise: Everything — a massive, team-wide turnaround

To watch the Jets early last season was to see a solid team play a below-average game and win its way around porous defense and halfhearted backchecking efforts. To watch them down the stretch was to see a team gone completely off the rails. Rick Bowness’ Jets have been a well-organized, better-structured team from Day 1 of camp, and Winnipeg is getting an even better season than they bargained for a year ago. The playoffs now feel like a given, and home-ice advantage is a realistic ask.


Biggest disappointment: Neal Pionk

It’s a little harsh to praise the team up and down but pick on Pionk, whose 19 points in 41 games have him on pace for one of his very best offensive seasons. The problem is that Pionk’s defending has given a lot of that back in terms of shots, scoring chances and goals against. During Pionk’s early Jets career, he was among the team’s best zone-entry defenders, but, to me, he hasn’t moved or tracked nearly as well in his own zone this season as he did during those early days. — Murat Ates

NHL Power Rankings: Midseason grades for every team
Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille.

Jan 13, 2023

We’re halfway through the NHL season and it’s time to give out some grades for the first half. If the NHL was a school these aren’t the grades that really matter. They’re midterms, a way to assess whether teams are on the right track for finals in the spring.

There are overachievers, underachievers, and those right on target — but the key is that teams still have a few months to make changes, for better or worse.

The Power Rankings Boys have put on their tweed jackets for this one, grading each team on a curve based on what was expected of them. If we thought you’d be good before the season started and you’re bad, guess what? We’re giving you a D for disappointment. The opposite is true too, an A for anyone above expectations. That and everything in between based on each team’s season so far.

Pencils down, all grades are final. Here’s each team’s first half grade.

1. Boston Bruins
Last Week: 1
Record: 32-5-4
Sean rank: 1
Dom rank: 1

Midseason grade: A+

We weren’t one of the bozos who thought the Bruins were cooked before the season started, no sir. Couldn’t be us. The Bruins looked like a playoff team with a chance to contend from the start, especially once they survived early injuries to Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy.

What we didn’t expect was this absolute unit of a team, a group that didn’t just survive without their best players — but actually thrived. They’ve been even better since getting healthy and now sport a record that still looks like a typo: 32-4-4 at the halfway point. That’s stupid good, a 139-point pace.

Even the most optimistic Bruins backers couldn’t have seen a first half like this, the most thoroughly dominant in recent memory. The Bruins are a juggernaut and the only grade that fits is an A+. Even that doesn’t seem like it’s enough.



2. Carolina Hurricanes
Last Week: 2
Record: 26-9-7
Sean rank: 2
Dom rank: 2

Midseason grade: A

The Bruins are the curve-buster, but the Hurricanes aren’t far behind and they’d have gotten this mark even if they’d been fully operational for the bulk of the season. Consider for a moment, though, that they’ve played at a 110-point pace with the best five-on-five expected goals rate in the league (60.2) and fifth-best actual goals rate (56.4) despite having to deal with an injury to Frederik Andersen and largely ineffective play from backup Antti Raanta. Pyotr Kochetkov has been solid in 18 appearances (.914 save percentage, 8.43 GSAx), but that’s still impressive.

Martin Necas leveled up. Brent Burns is still Brent Burns. Now, they’re adding Max Pacioretty to the mix. Plenty to like.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Week: 4
Record: 26-10-7
Sean rank: 3
Dom rank: 3

Midseason grade: B

The Leafs always get good marks at midterms. It’s exam season that’s a struggle. Will that change this season? With this cursed team, the safest answer is no, but there’s enough to love in the first half that it’s easy to once again get suckered into optimism.

The big guns haven’t quite lit it up like last year and the team still finds itself with the third-best record in the league. Team defense has been a massive source of improvement and the biggest preseason question mark, goaltending, looks to be a non-issue. This is an elite team, one that’s a shade above preseason expectations at the halfway point.

Maybe this year will be different, but they’ll have to earn their A in April (and May and June), not November and December.

4. Dallas Stars
Last Week: 6
Record: 25-11-7
Sean rank: 4
Dom rank: 4

Midseason grade: A-

Realistically, this is best-case-status stuff from the Stars. If there were lingering doubts over Jason Robertson’s elite status — and there shouldn’t have been — they should’ve dissipated sometime in November. Robertson-Roope Hintz–Joe Pavelski is still a remarkable line, scoring nearly 74 percent of all goals while they’re on the ice and spending more time together than any other forward grouping in the league.

That’s to be expected. What has helped the Stars stick toward the top of the West, though, is secondary scoring from their two (former) franchise players. Tyler Seguin’s production has dipped a bit, but he’s still above a 60-point pace, and Jamie Benn is there, too — with better play-driving numbers to match.

5. New Jersey Devils
Last Week: 9
Record: 26-12-3
Sean rank: 6
Dom rank: 6

Midseason grade: A

The Devils played Games 27-41 to a 5-8-2 record while getting outscored 52-45 with the 19th-best expected goals rate in the league. That’s mediocre stuff for any team, let alone one that spent the first couple months of the season threatening to break everyone’s calculators. The last six games of that run, though, have featured wins over Pittsburgh, Carolina and the Rangers. Those are good teams. Maybe things have normalized.

Most of all, those 15 games weren’t enough to erase the greater point of the Devils’ first half: They’re a team that’s capable of doing real damage, not just the reigning Offseason Champs, and they can do it in style.

6. Tampa Bay Lightning
Last Week: 5
Record: 26-13-1
Sean rank: 7
Dom rank: 5

Midseason grade: B

The Lightning are the Lightning. They’re on pace for around 110 points and ready to roll for a fourth straight Stanley Cup Final berth. Nikita Kucherov rules. The core remains strong. The depth is working well. This team is a contender again. Water is wet. Sky is blue. Etc.


7. Vegas Golden Knights
Last Week: 3
Record: 27-13-2
Sean rank: 5
Dom rank: 8

Midseason grade: A

That’s more like it from Vegas. Last year was an injury-riddled write-off for the Golden Knights, but it added doubt about the team’s future. This year that doubt is non-existent as the Golden Knights not only have a borderline top-five record, but have managed it while still dealing with injury issues. Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore have all missed significant time, but Vegas keeps trudging along anyway. A hot start certainly helps alleviate those issues, but it’s still night and day from last season when injuries were impossible for the team to overcome. Not this year.

Vegas entered the season with a lot of question marks with no guarantee of a postseason berth. At the midway point, there are very few questions for a team that has returned to the West’s peak as one of the teams to beat.

8. Seattle Kraken
Last Week: 15
Record: 25-12-4
Sean rank: 8
Dom rank: 7

Midseason grade: A-

Until the last couple weeks, the lesson of Seattle’s season was simple: Their goaltending had gone from “replace Phillip Grubauer with a Shooter Tutor and see if anyone notices”-caliber bad to garden-variety mediocre, and they added a pair of elite talents (Andre Burakovksy and Matty Beniers) to the top of their lineup.

Now, though? Things are getting a little more complicated. Jones isn’t just winning games — he’s playing great. Heading into their game against Boston, he’d won five straight with a .934 save percentage and GSAx of 4.91 … and then he shut out the Bruins on 27 shots. Seattle’s shooting percentage is absurd (10.94, tops in the NHL by nearly a point) and Jones’ track record isn’t good, but they’ve still got something going.

9. Winnipeg Jets
Last Week: 7
Record: 27-14-1
Sean rank: 9
Dom rank: 9

Midseason grade: A

It’s hard to think of many teams who have exceeded our expectations more than the Jets going from league-wide afterthought to a weekly fixture in the top 10. This team is not just the Connor Hellebuyck show anymore — they’re a well-oiled machine with a potent top six, an elite number one defenseman and a strong defensive structure. Rick Bowness has turned this team’s fortunes right around in short order and after a few off years, the Jets finally look like they’re back to finish what they started in 2017-18.

And most of that was without Nikolaj Ehlers, arguably the team’s best skater. He’s only been back for four games, but in that span already has seven points while dominating at five-on-five as usual.

10. New York Rangers
Last Week: 11
Record: 24-12-7
Sean rank: 10
Dom rank: 10

Midseason grade: B

Last season, thanks to Igor Shesterkin, the rest of the Rangers outkicked their coverage. At the start of this season, the script flipped, and they weren’t meeting expectations. Now, they’ve normalized, looking like the high-90s team they always seemed to be, and they’re doing it without getting anything otherworldly from Shesterkin (.916 save percentage, ninth best GSAx in the league). If they find a way to make everything click at once, look out.

11. Minnesota Wild
Last Week: 8
Record: 23-14-4
Sean rank: 11
Dom rank: 11

Midseason grade: C+

The Wild aren’t quite on track to match their efforts from the last two seasons so it’s hard to give an above-average grade here. But after a very slow start, the team has 50 points in 41 games, a tidy 100-point pace that puts the Wild in a very safe spot in the West playoff race. Things could be better in Minnesota, no doubt, but they could also be far worse. With better health in the second half, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Wild approach last year’s highs.

12. Los Angeles Kings
Last Week: 12
Record: 25-14-6
Sean rank: 12
Dom rank: 13

Midseason grade: B+

The Kings, thanks to a solid top-six with Kevin Fiala as a front man, have turned out to be one of the league’s best five-on-five teams. And since Pheonix Copley’s first start on Dec. 6, they’ve gotten goaltending that’s competent enough to make those improvements count. A .904 save percentage and positive GSAx counts as a step up. We’ll see if Copley can keep it going.

13. Pittsburgh Penguins
Last Week: 14
Record: 21-13-6
Sean rank: 14
Dom rank: 12

Midseason grade: B-

Let’s take a look at the Penguins season so far.

A 4-0-1 start. Then 0-6-1. Then 15-3-2. Then 0-4-2. Now two straight wins. This team has multiple five-game winning streaks and losing streaks this season after just 40 games. It’s been a roller coaster that’s gotten the team to a 98-point pace, right in line with preseason expectations. The Penguins may not be a contender anymore, but this is still a strong playoff team and they get strong marks for keeping that going.

14. Washington Capitals
Last Week: 10
Record: 23-15-6
Sean rank: 13
Dom rank: 14

Midseason grade: B

Since Nov. 23, the Capitals have gone 16-5-3 and scored 88 goals. Twenty of them have gone to Alex Ovechkin. Mix in some good goaltending by Charlie Lindgren, followed by some great goaltending by Darcy Kuemper, and you’ve got a team that’s controlling nearly 60 percent of the five-on-five goals scored during their season-saving run. They’re right where they should be.

15. Calgary Flames
Last Week: 19
Record: 20-14-9
Sean rank: 15
Dom rank: 15

Midseason grade: D+

All of a sudden, the Flames are carrying a .570 points percentage in the first wild-card spot. That’s probably not enough to calm down folks in Calgary. It’s not great for those of us who, uh, picked the Flames to win the Cup, either — but it’s something. They’re not world-beaters, and they’re not playing at the 106-point pace the model predicted, but the doom-and-gloom of November should’ve lifted.

Ultimately, this is still a top-10 five-on-five team with a favorable schedule on the way and a lineup that still has some coalescing to do. If Jacob Markstrom can put things back together on a permanent basis — and that’s not a guarantee — Calgary will be fine. Maybe not great, but fine.

16. Colorado Avalanche
Last Week: 16
Record: 20-17-3
Sean rank: 16
Dom rank: 16

Midseason grade: D

It’s hard to give the Avalanche a fair grade given all the injury troubles they’ve dealt with. But this is still a team many expected to be at the top of the league and instead they’re middle of the pack, outside the playoff bubble, with an even goal differential, playing at an 88-point pace. Anything but a D-grade is generous — and even that feels a little high. It’s the defending Stanley Cup champions we’re talking about and their first half simply hasn’t been good enough.

It’s the team’s most recent spell that has signaled some alarm bells as the Avalanche are in a 1-6-1 funk, notably losing to the Blackhawks, Canucks and Coyotes in that span. Colorado is better than this. Way better than this. We will see that in the second half — but we’re still extremely disappointed in the first half.

17. New York Islanders
Last Week: 13
Record: 22-18-3
Sean rank: 17
Dom rank: 17

Midseason grade: C+

A 90-point pace and ninth in the East? Yup, that’s spot on. The Islanders have been exactly what we expected. No notes, here’s a C-plus.


18. Buffalo Sabres
Last Week: 17
Record: 20-18-2
Sean rank: 18
Dom rank: 19

Midseason grade: B+

That’s factoring in an A-plus-plus for Big Strong Tage.


Everything about the Sabres is middle-class and rising. They’re one of the few teams in the league that should be thrilled about an 85-point projection, and that’s where they find themselves.

19. Edmonton Oilers
Last Week: 18
Record: 22-18-3
Sean rank: 19
Dom rank: 18

Midseason grade: D+

The Oilers looked like they were finally turning a corner last summer with a run to the Western Conference finals and that had many believing this team was finally a bonafide contender. If that was your prior, it’s difficult not to be immensely disappointed with how the first half has turned out for Edmonton.

The Oilers are playing at an 89-point pace and sit outside the playoff picture, a ludicrous thought considering what Connor McDavid is doing on a nightly basis. If you have the best player in the world scoring at a 150-point pace, you should be somewhere near the top of these power rankings — not bordering the bottom third.

20. Nashville Predators
Last Week: 20
Record: 19-16-6
Sean rank: 21
Dom rank: 20

Midseason grade: C

The Predators aren’t a serious contender now, and they weren’t a serious contender in October — no matter how hard David Poile wished it so. Juuse Saros and his 24.2 GSAx, second only to Ilya Sorokin, has dragged them this far. He did it last season, too, and we all saw how that turned out.

21. St. Louis Blues
Last Week: 21
Record: 21-19-3
Sean rank: 20
Dom rank: 21

Midseason grade: C-

Do the Blues deserve an F or a D because of how poor their first half has been? No, because we never thought much of them to begin with.

22. Florida Panthers
Last Week: 24
Record: 19-20-4
Sean rank: 22
Dom rank: 22

Midseason grade: F

The model still likes the Panthers a fair bit thanks to some decent five-on-five numbers, putting them at a 94-point pace. That doesn’t quite line up with the overall situation in South Florida, though. Matthew Tkachuk has been great, and Brandon Montour has been both fun and productive, but the goaltending is brutal, the rest of the lineup has regressed under Paul Maurice and the cap situation is a catastrophe. They’re going to have to haul ass to stay out of the lottery, and they’d better — because, thanks to the Ben Chiarot deal, nothing good is waiting on the other side.

23. Ottawa Senators
Last Week: 22
Record: 19-19-3
Sean rank: 23
Dom rank: 23

Midseason grade: C-

This summer’s most overhyped team is playing .500 hockey at the halfway point. On one hand, that’s a clear step up from previous seasons in the 70-point range. On the other hand, the hockey world didn’t sit through a multitude of “Hot Dorion Summer” takes for an 82-point season. Wasn’t this team supposed to threaten for a playoff spot? Halfway through the season and Ottawa is sitting at two percent — essentially no chance. Not much has changed, except for the taste of disappointment. That’s new.

24. Detroit Red Wings
Last Week: 23
Record: 18-15-7
Sean rank: 24
Dom rank: 24

Midseason grade: C+

After a strong start, the Wings have tailed off, going 7-10-3 since U.S. Thanksgiving. That shouldn’t have been unexpected. Same goes for Moritz Seider’s growing pains. There’s still plenty to like about his game, but it was unfair of people to expect a 21-year-old in his second year to contend for a Norris — let alone one with his underlying stats from 2021-22. He’s heated up of late, for whatever that’s worth.

As for the rest of the roster, consider it a small step forward. Steve Yzerman’s choice to end the years of abject losing made sense, and he’s also on track to get another lottery pick out of it. Not a bad compromise.

25. Philadelphia Flyers
Last Week: 25
Record: 17-18-7
Sean rank: 25
Dom rank: 25

Midseason grade: D+

One of the warnings we gave Flyers fans to start the year was that this team might be too good to tank. Lo and behold the Flyers find themselves in the unenviable position of 24th in the league after winning eight of their last 12. With a franchise-changing talent waiting for the biggest loser at this year’s draft, the Flyers are taking themselves right out of the running with their recent surge. Philadelphia is earning more points than expected and at this stage of the power rankings, it’s hard to reward that positively. That’s an easy D to give out.

26. Vancouver Canucks
Last Week: 26
Record: 17-21-3
Sean rank: 27
Dom rank: 26

Midseason grade: F

To watch the Canucks is to wonder whether you’ve ever seen a worse defensive team, rather than just one of the few worst this season, and it’s because of stuff like this:


They’ve played 41 games and allowed four goals or more in 26 of them. Somebody do something.

27. San Jose Sharks
Last Week: 29
Record:13-22-8
Sean rank: 26
Dom rank: 27

Midseason grade: C+

The Sharks — even with strong seasons from Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture — are still a trainwreck. That the team is below preseason expectations with a Norris-caliber season from Karlsson is a shock, but it’s also a best-case scenario for a club that needs to bottom out. They’re doing just that while also seeing Karlsson suddenly recuperate trade value that once seemed like a lost cause. It’s a win-win and this season can only be seen as a success for San Jose’s long-term goals.

28. Montreal Canadiens
Last Week: 27
Record: 17-22-3
Sean rank: 28
Dom rank: 28

Midseason grade: C-

For all the good vibes that carried them through the first chunk of the season, the Canadiens have started to come untethered, losing 14 of 18 before Thursday’s win over the Predators. In that stretch, they’d been outscored 78-42, which is … woof. If the goal is to lose a bunch of games without completely falling apart or sacrificing the development of their young stars, though, Montreal has done well.


29. Arizona Coyotes
Last Week: 28
Record: 13-23-5
Sean rank: 29
Dom rank: 29

Midseason grade: C

Things are starting to return to normal in the desert after the team earned some shocking wins in the season’s first few months. Arizona has now lost seven straight and the preseason “worst team on paper” is starting to see its record look the part. The Coyotes were projected to finish the season with 64 points and are now right in line with that forecast with 31 points in their first 41 games. The Coyotes are who we thought they were.

30. Anaheim Ducks
Last Week: 30
Record: 12-26-4
Sean rank: 30
Dom rank: 30

Midseason grade: F-

The Ducks weren’t trying to be this bad. If they were, they wouldn’t have gone out and signed John Klingberg, Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano for more than $40 million total. And at the time, those moves seemed fine. Young core (Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Jamie Drysdale), meet your older reinforcements. Not a bad way to build on a 76-point season.

Now, here we are. The Ducks are last or close to it in most meaningful categories, and they’re 25 points off their preseason prediction of 83. No team is doing a worse job of living up to its expectations, and thus no team received a grade worse than this one. It’s technically impossible, but it’s what they deserve.

31. Columbus Blue Jackets
Last Week: 31
Record: 12-27-2
Sean rank: 31
Dom rank: 31

Midseason grade: F

Remember when fans thought it was simply unfathomable to imagine the Blue Jackets having a worse record than last year after adding Johnny Gaudreau? Well, Columbus needs 55 points in its final 41 games to get there. Whoops!

Expectations are everything before the season started and there was plenty of reason for those expectations to be tempered, even with Gaudreau in the fold. But this team has failed even the most pessimistic forecasts and now holds the NHL’s worst record. The silver lining is that an accidental tank is exactly what this franchise needs, but it’s impossible to give a passing grade given what many expected from the Blue Jackets back in September. Injuries have hurt, sure, but at the end of the day this still is — and always was — a putrid team.


32. Chicago Blackhawks
Last Week: 32
Record: 11-25-4
Sean rank: 32
Dom rank: 32

Midseason grade: A+

Shayna Goldman and Scott Powers did the math; the Blackhawks bought themselves, give or take, negative-5 wins with Hot Tank Summer. At this point, they may not even need that cushion; they’re projected to finish with 52 points, down from their preseason prediction of 69. A remarkably awful team, just as Kyle Davidson intended. Way to go, everyone.

LeBrun: O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs, Monahan to the Avalanche and 4 more perfect NHL trade fits.

January 16, 2023

We are a bit more than six weeks away from the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline, and a lot can change in that time, as far as the standings and team needs based on injuries alone.

That presents the age-old dilemma for NHL front offices looking to add: Do you try to do it as soon as possible, to allow any new players as much time as possible to adjust to their new surroundings? Or do you wait as long as possible, knowing the assets you have to make a deal are essentially all the currency you have?

There’s no easy answer.

Whether it’s planned or happens organically because of the salary cap and the natural effect of a deadline forcing decisions, most deals do wait until the final week. But every year is different.

With that in mind, I might want to revisit some of these ideas below, based on what transpires over the next month.

For now, let’s have fun and play matchmaker. Here are six players I personally like as fits on the following playoff contenders:

Jakob Chychrun to the Kings

My understanding is that the Coyotes have talked to the Kings, on and off, dating back a year regarding Chychrun, and I can’t let go of the idea that it makes so much sense for the Kings, based on how deep they are on the right side of their blue line and how they could really strengthen their top four on the left side with the left-shot Chychrun. He can play both sides, but it’s on the left where the Kings need him.

I get that Arizona’s price remains high, but the Kings have a chance to make hay in a wide-open Western Conference. And this isn’t a rental. This is a hockey deal. It makes too much sense.


Ryan O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs

It’s a fact that Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas isn’t keen on trading for rentals, especially if it means giving up a first-round pick. But come on, the time is now.

The playoff-savvy Lightning likely await again in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, O’Reilly has struggled this season, and now he’s injured, but he’ll be back before the deadline. And adding a veteran top-six forward with his Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe pedigree would be an ingredient the Leafs could benefit from as they try to shed their playoff demons. Worth noting that he also has the acuity to play wing if need be.

Now, there’s also the little fact that the Blues haven’t given up on their season, at least not yet, despite their injuries. They’re hanging in there, just six points out of a wild-card spot. But Blues general manager Doug Armstrong also has a track record of being realistic with his team’s chances. I predict he’s a seller closer to March 3.

There is no tomorrow for this Leafs front office if this isn’t the year, finally, where this team gets over the playoff hump. Go get ROR.

Luke Schenn to the Bruins

I’m not sure there’s really any glaring need on the powerhouse B’s, but any team that’s serious about a deep playoff run will look for depth, and my sense is adding a right-hand shot defenseman is something that Boston may look at. And I love the idea of the veteran Schenn in a Bruins uniform. Talk about a guy who would endear himself in a hurry to that fan base. He plays the game hard and physically and would be an ideal addition for depth.

It’s my understanding that the Bruins have already had a chat with Vancouver about him, although this is the time of year when contenders are calling a lot of teams to explore what’s out there and potential prices. Still …

John Klingberg to the Kraken

The sizzling Kraken have won eight straight and have a real shot at the playoffs in Year 2 of their existence. They’ve also got draft capital to spend if they want to add before the deadline — three second-round picks in this year’s draft, for example.

I know Klingberg has struggled this season, but I think he’s worth a flyer, given his body of work. I like the idea of the Kraken adding Klingberg’s offensive skills and puck-moving ability to the back end. My sense is the Ducks want a first-round pick for Klingberg, but I don’t think based on his play they’ll be able to get it — although I’ve been wrong before. Like I said, the Kraken have three second-round picks …

Sean Monahan to the Avalanche

Bo Horvat is the sexier idea for the defending Cup champs, but given where the injury-riddled Avs currently sit in the standings, I’m not sure giving up the farm for the pending unrestricted free agent Horvat is a wise move. I think dialing it down a notch and zeroing in on the cheaper Monahan, also a pending UFA, is a more measured approach, depending if the Canadiens are reasonable with their ask. And maybe it’s a move that helps Colorado get into playoff position.

(As an aside, imagine the Avs getting healthy finally and sliding into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the West and creating all kinds of havoc.)

Monahan can play anywhere in Colorado’s top nine. The two teams connected on the Artturi Lehkonen trade a year ago, and to me, this is a sensible idea too. Monahan should be back soon from injury, and before he got hurt he was writing a nice comeback story for himself.


Patrick Kane to the Rangers

It’s felt like a match since Kane hit the trade rumor mill: the bright lights of Broadway being the perfect stage for the veteran offensive magic man — not to mention a reunion with old pal Artemi Panarin.

With a full no-move clause, Kane controls not only if he actually wants to be dealt but also where he’ll end up. And as far as currency, the Rangers have a pair of first-round picks in this year’s draft — their own plus the Stars’. Maybe they make the first-round pick conditional, with Chicago getting the higher of the two?

The one caveat here is the Rangers holding their part of the bargain as far as winning games and looking the part of an appealing contender. They’ve been better of late.

Drance: Why Canucks fans deserve better than another ‘retool’ approach.

By Thomas Drance
Jan 17, 2023

The primary issue facing the Vancouver Canucks at the moment is one of confidence, or a lack thereof, both internally and — most importantly — among their paying customers.

Sure, there are fires raging on all fronts and they deserve independent examination, but the fundamental truth facing the Canucks in the big picture is that the ticket-buying, hockey-watching, jersey-wearing public in Vancouver no longer believes in the organization.

Fans don’t seem to believe in the organization’s ability to ice a winning team. They don’t seem to believe in the organization’s ability to treat people — including Canucks players and coaches — the right way. Canucks fans don’t believe in the direction of the franchise. Full stop.

That’s a very tough place for an organization to be. Typically in professional sports, if you can’t sell wins, you should at least be able to sell hope. Hope, however, is apparently out of stock on Canada’s West Coast at the moment.

On Monday morning at Rogers Arena, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford held court. He appeared at first with club medical personnel to discuss the latest controversy embroiling this organization: a four-week Tanner Pearson injury that has now required four surgical procedures with a fifth operation still to come, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and will cost Pearson at least the balance of this campaign.

The NHLPA and the NHL are now involved, and the matter became an urgent one when franchise defenseman Quinn Hughes pointedly suggested the injury “wasn’t handled right” during the club’s recent five-game road trip.


The portion of the availability concerning Pearson’s multiple setbacks was short on specifics. Rutherford said that the club’s internal review of the matter was completed over the weekend, but insisted on multiple occasions that should more issues become apparent over the course of further review, that the priority going forward would be to fix it.

“Hopefully the right things were done and if they weren’t, hopefully they are going forward,” Rutherford said.

Once the discussion of Pearson’s extended recovery concluded, Rutherford remained alone on the dais and unloaded — lock, stock and multiple smoking barrels — on a variety of topics.

Rutherford said he was disappointed in his own performance, specifically his inability to carve out additional cap space. He called for major surgery on the roster, suggesting that the extent of the roster changes required will exceed his original expectations when he joined the organization.

He admitted that the team was “stuck” due to some of the abysmal contract work that his regime has mostly inherited, but in truth, has also added to.

He joked that the club was already tanking, based on their results.

He confirmed that the club had been talking to potential Bruce Boudreau replacements for months.

He said that the club was going to struggle to make Bo Horvat a better offer than the one they’d already made him, leaving little doubt that the club’s captain and leading goal scorer is more likely to be dealt before the trade deadline than he is to be re-signed. How the probability of Horvat’s departure squares with the club’s plan to get better in an awful hurry is anyone’s guess.

The availability ultimately ran for 45 minutes. Rutherford even waved away Canucks public relations officials attempting to bring the proceedings to a close, so as to continue swinging at the pointed questions being lobbed his way.

As an exercise in raw honesty and executive stamina, it was a heck of a performance. Whether it served to restore the confidence of a deeply skeptical marketplace is another question entirely.

As Monday’s availability reached its climax, Rutherford discussed his plan to turn this club around relatively quickly. I threw a three-year timeline at him, which he seemed to regard as generous. His plan is to be seriously competitive more quickly than that.

Rutherford then broadly outlined that plan, noting he preferred the word “retool” to “rebuild” as a descriptor of this club’s direction. He suggested that the Canucks’ primary targets ahead of the trade deadline would be young NHL players — those in that 25-27 age range or younger who hadn’t established themselves on their entry-level contracts — rather than futures, although the club would also like to add draft picks.

There will be no scorched Earth rebuild. An organization comfortable with chastising the impatience of fans in a passionate, long-suffering hockey market will continue to demonstrate none of it themselves.

This is somewhat unfair to Rutherford and the management team he’s assembled, but the crushing weight accumulated during a decade of rank mismanagement comes to bear here. There is scar tissue in the Vancouver market, one the organization would do well to heed.

Rutherford has only been enmeshed in the Vancouver hockey market for about 13 months now, but for fans of this team, his plan sounded disturbingly familiar. It sounded very much like the plan that Jim Benning and company tried — and failed — to execute, wasting Henrik and Daniel Sedin’s final seasons in the process.

The problem with retooling — and pursuing young NHL players, as opposed to futures — is that it’s a tightrope. It’s theoretically possible to pull off, but the path is narrow and fraught in a hard-cap league with fully guaranteed player contracts.

A retooling team is effectively trying to beat the natural gravity of an NHL system that generously rewards failure. If you can land star-level players like Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak in the mid-to-late first round, or land three franchise-level players like Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger in a single draft class, it’s doable.

Frankly, the success or failure of a retool is more about getting lucky at the draft table — and make no mistake, it’s more luck than it is repeatable skill — than it is about anything else.

The advantage of rebuilding, however, is that it’s a highway. If done thoughtfully and intentionally — in contrast with the messy way the Canucks bottomed out over the past decade — it’s the faster, more reliable path.

This is the hidden danger of retooling, too. If an organization is too busy carefully walking a tightrope and chasing the teams ahead of them, they can easily get passed by the teams behind them speeding along below on the more logical path.

Because it’s not just about the Pacific Division teams that are better than Vancouver is today — the Alberta teams or the expansion cousins in Las Vegas and Seattle. It’s also about what the Los Angeles Kings accomplished from 2017-2020, demolishing a contending roster and rising again as a far better side than Vancouver, even as the Canucks were pretending to be on the come-up. That’s a path the Anaheim Ducks — owners of 10 picks in the first three rounds over the next two years, with more to come prior to the trade deadline — are poised to repeat in short order.

Which is why, on Monday, Rutherford’s plan sounded to Canucks fans less like hope, and an awful lot more like a bizarre insistence on repeating an approach that has completely and totally failed the Canucks franchise for 10 years running.

Why the Canucks need to trade Andrei Kuzmenko, not re-sign him.

By Cam Charron

If the Vancouver Canucks re-sign Andrei Kuzmenko before the end of the season, as it’s expected they will, they will not just be passing up a golden opportunity to get a good return for a player that cost them nothing to acquire. They’ll also be locking in more years of this core of players — a core that is 20th in the NHL in points percentage since the start of last season.

In his long press conference Monday morning, Canucks president Jim Rutherford confirmed that the team has started discussions with Kuzmenko’s camp on a contract extension. Kuzmenko is a few days shy of his 27th birthday, and, going into Wednesday night’s game against Tampa Bay, is third on the Canucks in scoring, with 38 points, sitting behind Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat.

There were many puzzling things about that entire press conference, but the Kuzmenko issue sat with me the longest. From where I’m standing, trading Kuzmenko at the deadline, rather than re-signing him, makes the most sense based on where this team is in its contention window. The Canucks are about as close to a playoff spot as they are to the bottom of the NHL standings, so treading water and keeping the same group together doesn’t help the team push forward and come closer to becoming a contender. The Canucks need to get better, but the only way they can do that right now is to be more efficient.

And when discussing contract extension terms as being in the $6-million range on a bridge deal, as reported by Pierre LeBrun, then you really start to question just how efficient this team can be with Kuzmenko around. While Kuzmenko has been a breath of fresh air and one of the few bright spots watching the Canucks this season, signing those types of deals isn’t likely to make the Canucks more efficient, for several reasons.

First, we need to discuss the wonderful opportunity the Canucks have with Kuzmenko. He’s not a big player, but he’s strong. He has the ability to create space for himself in front of the net. Prior to Wednesday night’s games, he was 26th in the NHL among regular forwards in terms of five-on-five shooting percentage at 16 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.


Andrei Kuzmenko and MacKenzie Weegar. (Derek Leung / Getty Images)
Kuzmenko is also sixth in the NHL in five-on-five assists rate, just behind teammate Pettersson. While Kuzmenko may have lots of control over his own shooting percentage, the reality exists that his linemates have also been finishing a lot of their shots and boosting Kuzmenko’s assists rate. With Kuzmenko on the ice, the Canucks are scoring on 13 percent of their shots, the fourth highest in the NHL. Kuzmenko has also registered an assist on 61 percent of goals he has been on the ice for, not counting the ones he scored himself. The NHL average for those stats, over full 82-game seasons since 2015, are 7 percent and 53 percent. Kuzmenko has had several extra points sprinkled onto his stat sheet thanks to the variance this season.

And it’s important to consider that since when signing a player to a contract, you’re signing the player to his future performance, not his past performance. The moment that Kuzmenko signs his name to the paper, all past performance no longer matters, and it all comes down to whether he can maintain his high level of offence going forward.

Making a bet based on a player who has succeeded through a half-season’s worth of strong on-ice shooting percentage isn’t likely to hit. Three players that have notably regressed in five-on-five scoring this season: Mason Marchment (1.4 points per 60 minutes this season, down from 3.4), Johnny Gaudreau (2.4, down from 3.6) and Kirill Kaprizov (2.1, down from 3.2) were all among the league leaders in on-ice shooting percentage last season among forwards.

Good offensive players usually sustain much higher shooting percentages, both individual and on-ice, than average players. However, the percentages that have led to Kuzmenko’s success simply don’t get sustained over the course of a full season. Having dug through Natural Stat Trick, I can find only two players who played at least 62 games in a season (or three-quarters of an 82-game season) and sustained an on-ice shooting percentage higher than Kuzmenko’s 13.6 percent on-ice shooting percentage: Daniel Sedin in 2010-11 and Henrik Sedin in 2010-11.

An example I have some personal experience with is Andreas Johnsson, a former Maple Leaf forward who was the MVP of the American Hockey League playoffs in 2018. The following season, the 2018-19 season, was Johnsson’s first full-time season in the NHL. In his NHL career to that point, Johnsson’s five-on-five points rate was 2.4, good for 25th in the NHL, right ahead of players like Filip Forsberg, Aleksander Barkov, and Sidney Crosby. Johnsson was a restricted free agent and re-signed to a four-year deal.

However, Johnsson’s scoring was partially aided by some good fortune as well. Johnsson’s on-ice shooting percentage over that same span of games was 10 percent or the 16th-highest in the NHL. As a result, Johnsson was scoring like a first liner. But the next season came around and it was time to pay the piper: Johnsson’s on-ice shooting percentage fell to 8 percent, resulting in a points rate of just 1.5, or equivalent to an average third-line player at the time. Johnsson bounced around the bottom six that season and was eventually traded in the offseason for a minor league player. This season, the last in his four-year deal, he’s been a point-a-game player: for the Utica Comets of the AHL.

I do stay awake at night wondering what could have been had we sold high on Johnsson that summer rather than re-sign him to a deal. But the Maple Leafs in 2019 were in a much different spot than the Canucks are at currently (they’d just posted a second consecutive 100-point season and lost in seven games to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins in the first round), and it made more sense then to take a gamble on a good offensive player.

The Canucks are in a different spot in their contention window. Rather than trying to bolster the lineup for their star players in Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, the Canucks at all costs need to become more efficient and ensure that these players will have better players around them before their team control lapses. Trading Kuzmenko might seem like a backwards idea to that extent, but consider how poorly the Canucks have fared this season even with Kuzmenko producing the way he is. What happens in the third year of his deal, when Kuzmenko is on pace for 15 goals and 30 points as a 29-year-old winger on a $6-million contract?

One of the team’s issues, as noted by Rutherford in his press conference, is that the number of bad contracts they have has is weighing down their ability to move forward and add pieces. Bloated contracts for underperforming players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tyler Myers, and arguably Brock Boeser and Conor Garland have replaced the contracts previously given out to players like Loui Eriksson, Brandon Sutter, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel. Simply paving the way for the next wave of deals isn’t going to bring this team closer to contention.

Next, we need to discuss what an opportunity the Canucks have in adding assets to a poor prospect pool. Despite all the losses, the Canucks have made just one first-round pick in the last three drafts. They do not have a single player ranked in the top 100 of Corey Pronman’s list of players and prospects and ranked 28th league-wide in Scott Wheeler’s prospect pool rankings. The consensus opinion league-wide, not restricted to the Vancouver media, is that the Canucks do not have a lot of assets to build this team going forward.

A player like Kuzmenko would have a lot of value around the league right now. He’s a rare player who is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end in addition to being a rookie (though ineligible for the Calder Trophy thanks to his age). Being on an entry-level deal, he’s also cheap, and any team looking to trade for him would easily be able to fit him onto their cap sheet for this season. That means a higher number of potential suitors for Kuzmenko, and it isn’t difficult to imagine he would net a larger return than Bo Horvat, especially since teams know he can play effectively with top players and on the power play.

The Canucks are running out of highway exits to turn this franchise around as a short-term, rather than a long-term project. It’s not out of the question to say that with the assets the team gets in return for Kuzmenko, Horvat, and Luke Schenn at the trade deadline, in conjunction with some draft lottery luck, and big contracts coming off the book two summers from now, they can make a real run for the playoffs in 2024-25 with a sustainably-built team.

Kuzmenko has been strong, but he isn’t a perfect player by any means. He’s a good, complimentary winger for a star winger like Pettersson, but lots of players have success in this league playing with star centremen. By my own hand tracking, Kuzmenko is third on the team in scoring chances taken per minute at five-on-five, and fourth in scoring chances set up by passes. But his contributions pretty much end there: based on my tracking for zone entries and exits, he’s much closer to average: seventh in offensive zone entry rate, sixth in offensive zone controlled entry percentage (including the highest percentage of entries resulting in turnovers at the offensive blueline), fifth in defensive zone exit rate, and 11th in defensive zone controlled exit percentage.

What all that means to say is that while there are no large red flags hanging over his performance, Kuzmenko has failed to distinguish himself as a puck carrier on a team that has struggled to move the puck. While he’s good in the offensive zone, he hasn’t been able to really help the puck get there. Nor is he great at playing off dump-ins: again by my tracking, Kuzmenko is the worst forward on the team in winning retrieval races off dump-ins, and in terms of forcing turnovers. He has not been able to create plays on his own.

With the recent experience the Canucks have had with winger contracts (think of how quickly it took the JT Miller deal to start to turn sour) it doesn’t make sense to shell out any money that isn’t going to players who make a difference at both ends.

The Canucks need to be shedding salary and creating flexibility so that in 18 months, with a young core taking shape, they’ll have the salary cap space to add the players that can help that group succeed. Part of that begins by making the most of the opportunity they’ve been given with Kuzmenko’s strong year.

Ranking the best NHL players and prospects under 23: Rasmus Dahlin tops the list.

Corey Pronman
Jan 17, 2023

Welcome to the midseason update of the under-23 NHL player rankings for the 2022-23 season.

This is an age-based ranking of the best young players overall on teams’ reserve lists, meaning within an NHL organization, in or outside the league. This is a ranking meant to show who I think will have the best pro careers, not who I would take in a game tomorrow. This is also a good exercise to show how the last five age groups compare to each other, as this largely spans the player pool from the 2018 through 2022 NHL drafts.

A player must be 22 years old or younger as of Jan. 1, 2023, to qualify.

With 154 players listed, that comes out to about 31 players per draft who I see as potential quality NHL players, although with the caveat that some of the late birthdates from the 2018 draft class have aged out.

Ranked players are placed into tiers and given tool grades. Tool grades are based on a scale with six separate levels, with an eye toward how this attribute would grade in the NHL (poor, below average, average, above average, high-end and elite). “Average” on this scale means the tool projects as NHL average, which is meant as a positive, not a criticism. Skating, puck skills, hockey sense and compete for every projected NHL player are graded. Shot grades are only included if a shot is notably good or poor.

You’ll notice two significant changes to this list from previous iterations. First, there is a much larger value placed on defensemen with premium physical tools as a result of a recent change in my process. Second, after hearing readers’ feedback loud and clear, the higher end of my tool grade scale will be used more frequently, particularly for the very best players.

Elite NHL player
1. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo

April 13, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 202 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 7

Analysis: Dahlin’s first half this season has been as good as you could have hoped for if you are a Sabres fan. He’s looked like the definition of a game breaker. His skill level is off the charts, showing the ability to make unique plays with the puck at a high rate. He’s a good enough skater to make those skilled plays with pace. Dahlin shows a lot of creativity as a playmaker and in how he activates into attacks. He’s more offensive tilted, but his defense has progressed well enough to make the most of his skill and make sure his team has the puck when he’s on the ice. The No. 1 pick from the 2018 draft has emerged as one of the premier defensemen and overall players in the league.

2. Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey

May 14, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2019

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 1

Analysis: Hughes has been a leading player on one of the best teams in the NHL. He looks like everything you thought he could become when he was a dominant junior player. Hughes is an electric skater, puckhandler and playmaker who can drive play like few others in the league, despite not having a large frame. He shows up every night and wants the puck on his stick to make things happen. The biggest thing for Hughes has been adding a goal-scoring element, as he’s now a legit mid-range shot threat to go with excellent playmaking. He’s a star No. 1 center, and a player who you build a winner around.

Bubble elite NHL player and NHL All-Star
3. Tim Stützle, C, Ottawa

Jan. 15, 2002 | 6 feet | 193 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 3 in 2020

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 8

Analysis: This season hasn’t gone how some would have hoped in Ottawa, but Stützle’s play hasn’t been the reason. He’s been a point-per-game center and a driving force when he’s on the ice. He’s a special skater with the speed and edge work to push pace at an elite level. He combines that with great skill, vision and work ethic. He wins battles and doesn’t shy away from attacking the net. He has all the makings of a potential superstar forward in the league.


Andrei Svechnikov rose from No. 6 in the August edition of this ranking to No. 4 by midseason. (James Guillory / USA Today)
4. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Carolina

March 26, 2000 | 6-foot-2 | 195 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 6

Analysis: Svechnikov is in the midst of another strong season, being a go-to player for a top NHL team in Carolina. Svechnikov has every tool you want in a top winger. He’s a big, fast, powerful forward with elite skill who can break open a shift. He can create offense in many different ways off the rush, while also being a mid-range shot threat who can make plays. He’s a franchise winger.

5. Dylan Cozens, C, Buffalo

Feb. 9, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 195 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 7 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 13

Analysis: Cozens has had a breakout season for Buffalo, becoming a true two-way force down the middle, and giving the Sabres two No. 1 centers between him and Tage Thompson. Cozens is a handful at 6-3 with his speed and skill combined with a great compete level. He can overpower opponents to win pucks while also being able to beat them with skill. He’s gotten more offensive opportunities including running a PP1 flank at times to use his skill and shot. His emerging offense combined with strong defensive play makes him one of the best young players in the league and a potential Selke Trophy candidate further down the line of his career.

6. Matthew Beniers, C, Seattle

Nov. 5, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 178 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 14

Analysis: Beniers has been the best rookie in the NHL this season, and a leading part of one of the NHL’s best offenses in Seattle despite only being two years removed from his draft. Beniers is a well-rounded forward. He’s a highly competitive, fast, center who plays hard and can win battles versus men. His offensive touch with the puck has continued to develop and is far better than I thought it would be when he was younger. Beniers makes a lot of tough plays with the puck, hitting seams at a high rate. He’s also a goal-scoring threat who can run a power play from the flank. His ability to create offense from the perimeter and interior while also being a reliable two-way player will make him a star for a long time.

7. Trevor Zegras, C, Anaheim

March 20, 2001 | 6 feet | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 9 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: Elite
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 3

Analysis: It’s been a tough go this season for anyone in Anaheim, but Zegras continues to be a bright spot. He’s a special player with the puck on his stick, with unique skill and creativity as a playmaker. He has one of the most creative offensive minds in the NHL and can make defenders miss at a high rate. Zegras works hard enough, but lacks the speed and physicality to be a true two-way force down the middle. He produces so much offense, though, that it’s not a big concern as he will be a star forward in the league for a long time.

8. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit

April 6, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 204 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 2

Analysis: Coming after the high of highs with an outstanding rookie NHL season, Seider has been fighting it a bit more this season. Everything is relative, and Seider’s “struggles” are still a 23 minutes per game NHL defenseman at age 21. He’s still a long, mobile, mean as heck defenseman. The puck movement in his game hasn’t looked as crisp as last season, but he has still has legit NHL skill and vision even though you could argue it may not be true top level and that 50 points from his rookie season may have set unrealistic expectations. He’s a star defenseman.

NHL All-Star
9. Cole Caufield, LW, Montreal

Jan. 2, 2001 | 5-foot-7 | 174 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 15 in 2019

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Elite

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 30

Analysis: ​​Caufield picked up where he left off last season, scoring goals at a high rate and being an impactful player for Montreal. Inside the offensive zone, he’s lethal due to his skill and shot. His hands are special in how he can manipulate pucks in small areas, and Caufield is a threat to score from anywhere in the zone with either his wrist shot or one-timer while also being a good passer. His size, and good but not amazing skating for his frame aren’t ideal, but he’s shown for years he’s a power-play weapon and someone who can score versus bigger, stronger players.

10. Owen Power, D, Buffalo

Nov. 22, 2002 | 6-foot-6 | 218 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 20

Analysis: Power has looked excellent in his rookie NHL season, and every bit like a first-overall pick. His mobility given his length at 6-foot-6 is very impressive and despite not being overly physical, it allows him to break up so many plays. Dahlin is the offense guy on that blue line, but Power has offense too. He’s shown legit playmaking ability from both ends, and the skill and poise to make tough plays. He looks like an emerging star two-way defenseman and a blue line with him and Dahlin for the next decade will terrify opponents.

11. Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders

Jan. 7, 2000 | 6-foot-4 | 194 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 12 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 31

Analysis: Dobson is one of the most important players on the Islanders. He’s a rare combination of a big, mobile, right-shot defenseman with significant offense. Dobson displays excellent vision and patience with the puck. He can make tough plays at both ends. His offensive IQ combined with a hard point shot makes him quite valuable on the man advantage. He’s not the most physical player, but his defense will be good enough given his range and reach. Dobson has all the indicators of a star No. 1 defenseman.

12. Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim

Jan. 30, 2003 | 6 feet | 213 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 3 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 24

Analysis: McTavish has been very good as a teenage rookie in the NHL. There’s so much about his game to like. He’s a big, powerful, fast center with a ton of skill. He can impact the game in numerous ways and projects to become a two-way No. 1 center as he matures. His offensive touch and playmaking continues to get better as time goes on, and while he may never be his teammate Zegras with the puck, he could still put up big scoring numbers.

13. Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa

July 8, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 195 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 27

Analysis: Sanderson has looked very strong to start his NHL career. His excellent skating ability, both in speed and edgework, has allowed him to make a lot of plays at both ends of the rink right away. He won’t be the go-to guy offensively on a top NHL team, but he has skill and offensive instincts and can use that in combination with his skating to create chances. He’s a rock defensively due to his elite gap work and a strong motor. He’s an emerging star and a guy who will play big minutes in the NHL for a long time.

14. Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey

Sept. 9, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 184 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 4 in 2021

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 11

Analysis: Hughes’ numbers haven’t been as eye popping as his freshman season, but his on-ice impact has looked similar. He’s a freakishly good skater for being 6-foot-2, with unique edgework and elusiveness to go with his length. Hughes can lead a rush very well due to his speed and skill, and make a ton of plays from the offensive blue line. Defensively, he’s progressed a lot into a solid defender, mostly due to his skating. Hughes’ pure puck moving isn’t as high end as his other attributes and he tends to be overly risky with the puck, but it’s good enough. He shows up every night and makes an impact and looks like a budding NHL star defenseman.

15. Matthew Boldy, RW, Minnesota

April 5, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 201 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 21

Analysis: Boldy has become an important part of Minnesota’s offense over the last year. Boldy has tremendous puck skills and vision. He displays the soft touch to execute tough plays at a high rate, and is a very creative player inside the offensive zone. He can create off the perimeter and in the tough areas. The only drawback of his game is a lack of footspeed, but to date it hasn’t held him back from being successful as a pro. Boldy has turned into a legitimate top-line winger in the league.

Bubble NHL All-Star and top-of-the-lineup player
16. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal

March 30, 2004 | 6-foot-3 | 238 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 15

Analysis: Slafkovsky’s rookie NHL season has been up and down, with more ups of late. You still see all the reasons you liked him as a draft eligible. There aren’t many players with his combination of size, speed and skill. He can break a shift open and projects to one day be a big time scorer in the NHL. That day isn’t today though, as he’s still figuring out how to be consistent versus pros. I think he will figure it out. There’s too much talent and no issues with his work ethic, but it may take some time.

17. Logan Cooley, C, Arizona

May 4, 2004 | 5-foot-10 | 174 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 3 in 2022

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 17

Analysis: Cooley started off the season a bit slowly but has been on a tear of late, has looked like one of the best players in the NCAA and was great at the world juniors. There’s so much to like about Cooley’s game. He has a ton of skill. He’s an excellent skater who plays with a ton of energy and pace. He’s undersized, but plays hard and doesn’t mind getting his nose dirty. He’s an impactful player who will be an excellent NHL center despite his size.

18. Lucas Raymond, RW, Detroit

March 28, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 176 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 4 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 9

Analysis: After an excellent rookie NHL season, Raymond’s second season hasn’t seen a big step forward offensively even if he’s been better of late. He remains an excellent young player with a bright NHL future, though. He has game-breaking skill and offensive sense. Inside the zone there aren’t a lot of players who can make the plays Raymond can. With a smaller body and a lack of true blazing speed, he’ll need to win more battles to generate consistent possession, but it will come with time and physical maturity.

19. Bowen Byram, D, Colorado

June 13, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 190 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 4 in 2019

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 18

Analysis: Byram is an awesome player, when healthy. He’s a dynamic skater, who can get into rushes and activate from the blue line at a high-end level due to his feet and skill. He competes well, and projects as an excellent two-way defenseman due to all his positives. He just needs to stay on the ice and has had several injuries over the last few seasons.

20. David Jiricek, D, Columbus

Nov. 28, 2003 | 6-foot-4 | 199 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 23

Analysis: Jiricek has been one of the most impactful teenage defensemen I’ve seen in the AHL in recent years and was the best defender at the world juniors. He’s always been a big, mean defender with a big point shot and some offense, but he’s showing a whole other level of offense this season. His stick skills are excellent and he’s showing strong creativity as a puck mover. Everything, except for his footspeed, points to a big minutes NHL defenseman.

21. K’Andre Miller, D, New York Rangers

Jan. 21, 2000 | 6-foot-5 | 215 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 22 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 43

Analysis: Miller has developed into a legit two-way top-pairing defenseman. He has all the tools you want. He’s big, skates well, plays hard, and his offensive touch has continued to develop. He can attack and create with his skating and skill, makes a good outlet pass — while also being a physically tough player to get past for opposing players.

22. Alexander Nikishin, D, Carolina

Oct. 2, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 196 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 69 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 75

Analysis: Nikishin is one of the very best players outside the NHL currently. He’s also signed in the KHL through the end of their 2024-25 season. This looks like the next Evgeny Kuznetsov/Kirill Kaprizov situation in that regard. He’s been arguably the best defenseman in the KHL this season as a 21-year-old. He’s a large, mobile, highly-physical defenseman who is showing a ton of offense this season that he didn’t in previous years. Nikishin’s playmaking has stood out in my viewings, to go with his excellent point shot. He has all the tools and indicators of an impact defenseman in the NHL. Now it’s just about getting him over.

23. Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas

May 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 23 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 62

Analysis: Johnston continues his sharp upwards development trend looking quite good for a teenager in the NHL and contributing to the success of a top NHL club. Johnston makes so many good plays with the puck. He has excellent hands and vision, being able to run a pro power play well and is a threat when he gets space in the offensive zone at even strength. His footspeed is just fine, and he’s not overly physical, but Johnston’s compete level is high, showing great effort to win battles and be first on pucks. He’s going to be a great NHL forward for a long time whether at center or wing.

24. Seth Jarvis, RW, Carolina

Feb. 1, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 175 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 13 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 12

Analysis: Jarvis started off the season slowly but the last month or two has looked more like himself. He’s a very fast and competitive winger who, despite a lack of size, plays the game without fear. Jarvis attacks the middle and does so with significant skill and creativity. He’s been an important part of a top NHL team over the last two seasons at a young age.

Top-of-the-lineup player
25. Quinton Byfield, C, Los Angeles

Aug. 19, 2002 | 6-foot-5 | 220 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 22

Analysis: A few years ago I would have figured by the time Byfield was 20 years old he would not only be a full-time NHL player but a very good one. That the latter hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. Byfield has been quite strong in the AHL this season and still has a special toolkit. There aren’t many people his size who can skate like him, while also having legit offensive skill. You add the fact he plays hard and there’s a lot of reason to still believe in Byfield’s upside and having a bright future ahead of him.

26. Shane Wright, C, Seattle

Jan. 5, 2004 | 6 feet | 192 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 4 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 16

Analysis: Wright made the Kraken but struggled to stick in the lineup. He looked good in his brief time in the AHL and with Canada’s U20 team. A lot of ink has been spilled over Wright, but he remains a very good all-around player, even if he’s not the most dynamic player. Wright is an excellent playmaker who can shoot the puck well. He shows good two-way play and has detail in his game. He plays with good pace and has a game that should translate to a lot of NHL success with time.

27. Alexis Lafrenière, RW, New York Rangers

Oct. 11, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 195 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 10

Analysis: I struggle with where to rate Lafrenière. I can see the argument he’s too high or that he will eventually break out. There’s a lot of “what-ifs” you can do with him. You can “what-if” how he would have performed in the AHL, or on a different team without a stacked PP1. But in the current reality, he’s been a good, but not great NHL winger. He shows flashes of his high-end skill and playmaking, but not consistently enough given his lack of pace. He’s still only 21 and given everything I know about the player. between the talent and his context, I think a breakout will come eventually, but I certainly can’t sit here and say I feel overly confident about it.

28. Kent Johnson, LW, Columbus

Oct. 18, 2002 | 6 feet | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 35

Analysis: Johnson has been solid for Columbus this season. He’s become a bigger part of their team as the season has progressed and due to their injuries. With the puck on his stick he’s fantastic, with elite hands and offensive creativity. He can make all kinds of plays in small areas and run a power play well. He’s not the best skater or the most physical, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how Johnson has been able to get inside on NHL defenders and create at the net. He will be a very good NHL player with time — to be determined whether it’s at center or the wing.

29. Cole Perfetti, LW, Winnipeg

Jan. 1, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 177 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 10 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 38

Analysis: Perfetti has become an important part of Winnipeg’s offense. As a junior there was always concern about how a player with his frame and subpar quickness would translate to the pros. His stick skills and especially his hockey sense/offensive poise are so good though that it helps overcome those issues. Perfetti has shown he can make plays and create like a top-six forward. He may not be able to drive a line by himself at the NHL level, but he works hard enough, will get a lot of points in his career and be a major part of an NHL power play.

30. Kevin Korchinski, D, Chicago

June 21, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 7 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 128

Analysis: Korchinski has looked excellent this season, as one of the top defensemen in the CHL and a leading player on a top club even if he didn’t get much of a role on Canada’s U20 team. Korchinski controls the game when he’s on the ice, mostly due to his plus skating ability. His quickness and edgework are high end, with a smooth, powerful stride that lets him get up into attacks and walk the blue line like an NHLer. Korchinski isn’t the most physical defender, but his skating lets him close on guys well enough and he’s great on retrievals. He has very good hands and can make tough passes at a high rate. He looks like a high-in-the-lineup defenseman who impacts transition play and can put up points.

31. Jack Quinn, RW, Buffalo

Sept. 19, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 8 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 39

Analysis: Quinn has looked very good as a rookie NHLer, with the line of himself, Cozens and JJ Peterka clicking in the first half of the season. He’s got excellent hands and his stick handling in tight spaces stands out. Quinn makes a lot of tough passes and is a shot threat as well. His only knock is his pure footspeed, as I think his overall effort on and away from the puck is good too. He is trending to become a legit top-line winger.

32. Kaapo Kakko, RW, New York Rangers

Feb. 13, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 206 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 48

Analysis: Kakko’s had a positive season with the Rangers. He’s scoring at a slightly higher clip than in previous years, but it’s how he’s generating offense that inspires some confidence. He’s creating a lot around the tough areas of the offensive zone that should translate to more scoring down the line. He’s always had the skill and size, but the physical impact he’d shown before the NHL didn’t translate as quickly as hoped.

33. Anton Lundell, C, Florida

Oct. 3, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 29

Analysis: Lundell has been asked to play a bigger role for Florida this season and has done so effectively. He’s not the flashiest forward from a speed or skill perspective, but Lundell is a highly intelligent and competitive player. He makes a lot of positive plays for his team at both ends of the ice while still providing a good amount of offense.

34. Jamie Drysdale, D, Anaheim

April 8, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 183 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 34

Analysis: Drysdale injured his shoulder in November which will cause him to miss most of the 2022-23 season. His report thus is mostly unchanged from a year ago, when I saw a guy trending positively with excellent skating ability and hockey sense.

35. Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit

Feb. 5, 2003 | 6-foot-6 | 209 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 6 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 32

Analysis: Edvinsson has looked very good this season, building off his success in the SHL to play a big role in the AHL as a 19-year-old. There aren’t many defensemen his size who can both skate and provide legit offense. He’s going to be a solid NHL defender due to his reach and feet but also because he works hard and doesn’t mind playing physically. His skill and IQ are good, not great, but enough to be a quality puck-mover. Edvinsson will be in the league soon.

36. Pavel Mintyukov, D, Anaheim

Nov. 25, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 192 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 10 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 152

Analysis: Mintyukov has been arguably the best player in the OHL this season. He’s a constant offensive threat. He’s full of skill, skates well, and can make so many difficult plays with pace. The way Mintyukov activates into attacks on the rush and off the blue line with high-end skill is very difficult to stop. At times he looks and plays like a forward with how aggressive he is, but it works! He’s a shot threat too from the point. He’ll need to clean up his defensive play, but the skating, size and compete are good enough that you think it will come as a pro with the right coaching.

Bubble top and middle-of-the-lineup player or quality starting goaltender
37. Dylan Guenther, RW, Arizona

April 10, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 175 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 9 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 25

Analysis: Guenther made the Coyotes this season and has looked like an NHL player as a teenager. He’s a big winger who can skate like an NHLer, while also having very good hands and offensive creativity. His shot is his main weapon and he will be able to beat NHL goalies from the dots. I wouldn’t call him an overly physical player, but his work ethic is good enough. His game isn’t sexy, but he will be a very good top-six wing for a while.

38. Kirby Dach, C, Montreal

Jan. 21, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 212 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 41

Analysis: Dach was traded from Chicago to Montreal over the summer. In his first season with the Habs, Dach has looked very good, although he’s been moved from the middle to the wing. He has a clear top-six toolkit given his speed, skill and frame and can make a lot of plays off the rush. Dach is a strong playmaker too. His lack of goal-scoring touch though has dogged him for a while, and overall, he can be quite inconsistent. I don’t see a premier NHL forward, but he could be a solid top-six forward, even if it’s unclear if that will be at center or not.

39. Kaiden Guhle, D, Montreal

Jan. 18, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 205 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 16 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 119

Analysis: Guhle has looked excellent as a rookie NHL player. His defensive game is highly impressive, especially for such a young player. He’s a strong skater with good reach and size, but it’s how hard he plays and how effectively he closes his gaps, often with force, that makes him so good. The question with Guhle has always been with the puck, not without, and he’s answered those questions. He’s shown he can provide secondary offense as a pro to go with all the stops he can make.

40. Simon Nemec, D, New Jersey

Feb. 15, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 190 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 2 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 26

Analysis: Nemec has played a lot of minutes in the AHL this season, especially for an 18-year-old defenseman. The offensive success hasn’t been immediate, but he’s young and the points will come. He’s so smart and skilled to go with solid mobility and work ethic that with time, Nemec is going to be an excellent pro in North America just like he was in Europe.

41. Philip Broberg, D, Edmonton

June 25, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 199 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 8 in 2019

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 76

Analysis: Broberg has had a few minor injuries this season that’s held him back, but when healthy I think he’s moving in a positive direction between his play in the AHL and NHL. He’s such a good skater for someone who is 6-foot-3 and has a good enough compete level that with time I think he will develop into an excellent defender. Whether his puck game and puck-moving will be anything special in the NHL is to be determined, and I think it will probably just be okay, but the athletic tools are so high-end that I find it hard to see a path where he doesn’t become a good NHL defenseman in some form.

42. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Los Angeles

June 26, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 210 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 33 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 33

Analysis: Kaliyev has settled into an important role with the Kings. He’s a very good at two important things: Scoring goals and setting up plays. He’s a super smart offensive player and from the right faceoff dot his shot is a legit threat. If you’re expecting a great carry-and-create type of forward, he’s not going to do that. But he’ll have a good career as a top-six forward helping a power play and scoring his fair share of goals.

43. Logan Stankoven, C, Dallas

Feb. 26, 2003 | 5-foot-7 | 170 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 47 in 2021

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 63

Analysis: Stankoven, like the previous season, has been a dominant junior player in 2022-23 and had a great world juniors. There’s so much to like about his game. He has high-end puck skills and shooting ability. He’s faster than I’ve given him credit for before, which when combined with a great motor makes him a handful to deal with. He’s constantly buzzing around the ice, winning battles, pushing the pace and creating offense. The only downside to his game is his size, but everything else is clear NHL quality.

44. William Eklund, LW, San Jose

Oct. 12, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 181 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 7 in 2021

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 50

Analysis: Eklund’s previous season in Sweden was slightly concerning but he’s looked more like his old self in the AHL this season. His skating and playmaking jump out at you when you watch him. He’s got such good edgework and creativity at full speed. He combines that talent with a strong compete level and a willingness to get inside for a smaller player. If Eklund can learn to finish a few more of his chances he could trend in a really positive direction.

45. Dawson Mercer, RW, New Jersey

Oct. 27, 2001 | 6 feet | 180 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 18 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 46

Analysis: Mercer has become an important player for the Devils who is a regular on both special teams units. He isn’t the most dynamic player you will ever see, but he has skill, and more importantly, he uses that skill around the net. He creates a lot in the high-traffic areas and competes at a high level at both ends of the ice.

46. Spencer Knight, G, Florida

April 19, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 192 pounds | Catches left

Drafted: No. 13 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 40

Analysis: Knight has split starts this season in Florida and I would guess is on his way to becoming the true No. 1 guy. He’s looked very impressive at times especially as a 21-year-old goalie. Knight anticipates the play at a high level and has adjusted to the NHL pace. He shows the ability to make tough saves without his technique breaking down.

47. Jiri Kulich, C/LW, Buffalo

April 14, 2004 | 5-foot-11 | 172 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 28 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 89

Analysis: Kulich’s development has been on a sharp upward trajectory over the last 18 months. He’s been excellent versus men this season as an 18-year-old, and just followed up his MVP performance at last year’s U18 worlds by being one of the better forwards at the world juniors. There’s nothing about his game that’s high end, but a lot of what Kulich does looks like an NHL player. He’s a fast, competitive, direct, skilled winger. He can make tough plays with the puck and has a great shot. Kulich gives an honest effort every game and has the puck game to create offense in the NHL.

48. Mattias Samuelsson, D, Buffalo

March 14, 2000 | 6-foot-4 | 231 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 32 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

Analysis: Samuelsson has quickly become a major part of the Sabres’ lineup as part of their top defense pairing. Samuelsson is a true shutdown defenseman. He’s got great length, skates very well for a big man, and is highly physical. He punishes opposing forwards regularly with his physical play and breaks up a lot of rushes. His offense will never be a selling point, but his outlets and sense are good enough.

49. Cutter Gauthier, LW, Philadelphia

Jan. 19, 2004 | 6-foot-2 | 189 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 54

Analysis: Gauthier has been a productive freshman at Boston College this season and was a top player for USA at the world juniors. There’s a lot to love about his pro projection. He’s a big center who skates well, has very good hands, and a shot that will beat NHL goalies. He doesn’t overwhelm you with power, but Gauthier works hard on the ice and can make tough plays with pace.

50. Kirill Marchenko, RW, Columbus

July 21, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 197 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 49 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 58

Analysis: Marchenko went down to the AHL out of Columbus camp, where he was quite impactful from the get-go, and eventually worked his way into the Blue Jackets’ lineup. He’s always had a unique toolkit as a big, fast, highly skilled goal-scorer, but it was a question of when or if it would click for Marchenko. This season it looks like it’s starting to. I see a lot of pro potential in his game.

51. Braden Schneider, D, New York Rangers

Sept. 20, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 208 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 19 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 79

Analysis: Schneider’s been mostly the same player as the previous season for the Rangers, which given his age and their deep right side of the blue line is more than enough. Schneider is a mobile and highly competitive defenseman. He plays hard and punishes forwards physically. His puck movement is fine. He’s smart enough to make a good first pass and skate pucks out of trouble but will never be a big points guy. He should evolve into a higher minutes guy with time.

52. John-Jason Peterka, LW, Buffalo

Jan. 14, 2002 | 6 feet | 189 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 34 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 68

Analysis: Peterka has been a part of that great kid line in Buffalo with Cozens and Quinn. Peterka has a lot of positive offensive elements. He’s a strong skater who plays fast. He has excellent puck skills and can make difficult plays at speed. He can both shoot the puck well and make plays. Peterka isn’t the biggest or most physical guy, but competes well enough to survive in the NHL. I don’t know if he’ll ever be ‘the guy’ on a scoring line, but he could be a very solid top six winger.

53. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis

June 1, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 186 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 23 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 147

Analysis: Snuggerud came out of the gates flying this season. He’s been one of the best forwards in the NCAA through the first half, and was very good at the world juniors too. Snuggerud’s skating has never been and still isn’t strong, but the rest of his game is quite impressive. He’s a skilled, and intelligent winger who can score goals. He has offense, but Snuggerud is also a tough player to play against who wins a lot of close battles and doesn’t mind throwing his body around.

54. Connor Zary, C, Calgary

Sept. 25, 2001 | 6 feet | 178 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 24 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 93

Analysis: Zary has had an excellent second pro season, being a top player on one of the best AHL teams. Zary has a lot of offensive touch, with great stick skills and the ability to beat defenders 1v1. He can create with his perimeter playmaking, but also doesn’t shy from going to the net. He has everything you want except for his skating with a slightly unorthodox stride that lacks NHL quickness. I think given his skill and compete he will overcome that and become a good player.

55. Lukas Reichel, LW, Chicago

May 17, 2002 | 6 feet | 170 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 17 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 28

Analysis: Reichel was a minor surprise to be cut from Chicago’s camp. Since then he’s been quite good in the AHL, drawing positive reviews from scouts, playing center regularly and was a recent call-up to the NHL. He’s a well-rounded forward. He skates well, has good hands and vision, can shoot the puck well, and works hard. He’s not an overly physical forward, but he plays hard and doesn’t shy from going to the high-percentage areas of the offensive zone.

56. Joel Farabee, LW, Philadelphia

Feb. 25, 2000 | 6 feet | 183 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 14 in 2018

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 37

Analysis: Farabee has settled into a regular top-six role for Philadelphia over the last two seasons and is a regular on both special teams. He’s a very smart player with the puck who gives an honest effort regularly. There may not be a whole lot of dynamic in his game in terms of speed or skill to ever become a big points scorer in the NHL, but his brain and work ethic will help him create enough to be a valuable part of a lineup.

57. Lian Bichsel, D, Dallas

May 18, 2004 | 6-foot-5 | 216 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 18 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 125

Analysis: Bichsel has been just OK in the SHL with limited minutes for Leksands, but his play at the world juniors reassured me of the player I’ve seen over the years. That player is a tall, mobile, highly physical defenseman with secondary puck-moving ability. Bichsel isn’t a natural puck-mover type who will have a ton of offense, but he has enough skill to go with his excellent defending that I think he will be a good NHL defenseman in time.

58. Philip Tomasino, RW, Nashville

July 28, 2001 | 6 feet | 179 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 24 in 2019

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 45

Analysis: Tomasino was a mild surprise to be sent down to the AHL out of Nashville camp after being a full-time member of the team last season. That being said he hasn’t exactly torn up the AHL to make the team quickly change course. I still believe a lot in this player. He has a tremendous combination of speed and creativity and a skill set that will translate into NHL offense. Tomasino needs to be more consistent but I think he will find that with time and become a good NHL forward.

59. Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto

Oct. 17, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 210 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 57 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 65

Analysis: Knies like in his freshman season has been a top player for a top NCAA team in Minnesota. He’s a big, skilled winger who competes hard. He can create a lot of offense around the net and has good playmaking ability too. Knies’ skating isn’t amazing, but he projects to score in the NHL due to how well he handles the game physically.


Shane Pinto is a big center whose compete is praised by evaluators. (Marc DesRosiers / USA Today)
60. Shane Pinto, C, Ottawa

Nov. 12, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 201 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 32 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 66

Analysis: A now healthy Shane Pinto who had missed a fair amount of hockey the last few years, has become an important part of Ottawa’s team. He’s a big center who works hard. He has good skills and vision, and can shoot the puck, but it’s his details and compete that get evaluators excited about him. He just needs to stay healthy, and if he does Ottawa has a good player on their hands.

61. Cole Sillinger, C, Columbus

May 16, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 201 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 47

Analysis: One of the best prospect stories from last season was Sillinger’s quick ascent to the NHL. This season he’s hit a wall though. I still like the player a lot. He’s a skilled, highly competitive center with a bit of a mean streak. His footspeed isn’t the best though and his puck game isn’t off the charts. He honestly looks like a player who would have benefited from more time outside the league, but hindsight is 50/50 after how good he looked the previous season.

62. Yaroslav Askarov, G, Nashville

June 16, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 178 pounds | Catches right

Drafted: No. 11 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 149

Analysis: Askarov has been up and down in his first season in North America, but the ups have been notable and he’s looked often like his old self. Askarov is a super athletic goalie who can make a lot of difficult saves and has the ability to steal a game. You’d like to see him quiet his game at times and be more consistent, but he’s trending in a good direction. It’s also good to see him get consistent game action which he hasn’t gotten for several years.

63. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota

Nov. 14, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 214 pounds | Catches left

Drafted: No. 20 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 52

Analysis: Wallstedt has looked good in the AHL, not as dominant as he was in Sweden, but still looks like a very strong pro prospect. Wallstedt is still a super smart and technically polished goalie who has shown he can play well versus men. The pace of the AHL has looked a little quick for him at times but I think he will adjust with time.

64. Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota

Sept. 23, 2001 | 5-foot-9 | 182 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 9 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 72

Analysis: Rossi had a great camp and made the Wild but was eventually sent back to the AHL. There’s a lot to love around Rossi’s game. He has a ton of skill and sees the ice at a high level. He’s not big, but he’s a worker, who doesn’t mind going to the hard areas and is responsible defensively. His skating is fine, but he lacks the pure footspeed for a smaller player you’d like to see. If you’re expecting a good NHL player, I think he’ll be that with time, but due to his skating, he probably is not going to fully translate his junior scoring to the pros.

65. Marco Kasper, C, Detroit

April 8, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 183 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 8 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 67

Analysis: Kasper has been a good SHL player this season, playing a regular center role for Rogle. Kasper’s speed and compete have been his major selling points, but he’s shown more flashes of skill and offensive touch this season. I’ve always thought he had offense in his game, but I’m open to the argument it could be significant even if I’m not all the way there yet.

66. Brandt Clarke, D, Los Angeles

Feb. 9, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 8 in 2021

Skating: Poor
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 87

Analysis: Clarke had an excellent camp with the Kings and looked like he belonged in a few of the NHL games he played. He’s a highly skilled defenseman with excellent hockey sense. He always wants to make a play and has an attacking mindset. Clarke is also a competitive defender who doesn’t shy from playing the body. The biggest issue with Clarke is his skating. He has a technically weird stride that limits him notably in getting around the ice and will make it hard to defend in the NHL. His size and compete are good enough though that with his offense he should be a very good NHL defenseman.

67. Matthew Coronato, RW, Calgary

Nov. 14, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 183 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 13 in 2021

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 107

Analysis: Coronato has shown progression as a sophomore, becoming a top player in his conference this season. Coronato doesn’t have a true standout attribute but does a lot well. He has good hands and can make and finish plays. He skates well and has NHL pace in his game. Coronato lacks size, but he plays with courage and gives an honest effort every game. He’s playing center this season in college, but in the NHL he’s probably a winger.

68. Shakir Mukhamadullin, D, New Jersey

Jan. 10, 2002 | 6-foot-4 | 178 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 20 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 105

Analysis: Mukhamadullin is a very talented defenseman with all the tools you look for in a top four defender who has looked very good in the KHL. He’s quite mobile, especially for such a large man. He has good stick skills and can make skilled plays with the puck on the move. He’s not an amazing puck-mover, but he can make some plays and has a hard point shot. Mukhamadullin is fine defensively because of his length and skating, but I wouldn’t call him a hard to play against defenseman.

69. Carter Mazur, RW, Detroit

March 28, 2002 | 6 feet | 170 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 70 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

Analysis: Mazur’s development has been on a sharp upward trend over the last few years. He’s been one of the best players in college hockey this season for Denver. His skating and compete level have always been positives in his game, but the level of offense he’s showing right now is quite significant from a few seasons ago. Mazur has very good puck skills and offensive sense to go with his speed and direct style of play.

70. Brock Faber, D, Minnesota

Aug. 22, 2002 | 6-foot-1 | 200 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 74

Analysis: Faber has continued to be what he’s been for years. He’s not a standout offensive player, but he’s an excellent skater and competitor who projects to play real minutes as a pro. His puck-moving/offensive IQ is good enough given his defensive pluses and he still has scored at a solid clip in college this season.

71. Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Washington

Feb. 4, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 20 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 86

Analysis: Miroshnichenko missed a full year of hockey after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was cleared to play again midway through this season. His ice time has been managed carefully, but as he’s gotten up to speed he’s looked a lot like the old Miroshnichenko. He’s shown the same speed, skill, power and goal-scoring touch that got scouts so excited about his pro potential. We’ll see how his development goes over the next few years, but from what I’ve watched this season he looks like a player who could be a good NHL winger presuming good health.

Middle-of-the-lineup player or starting goaltender
72. Alexander Holtz, RW, New Jersey

Jan. 23, 2002 | 6 feet | 195 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 7 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 56

73. Filip Bystedt, C, San Jose

Feb. 4, 2004 | 6-foot-2 | 187 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 27 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

74. Reid Schaefer, LW, Edmonton

Sept. 21, 2003 | 6-foot-3 | 215 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 32 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 118

75. Elmer Söderblom, LW, Detroit

July 5, 2001 | 6-foot-8 | 246 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 159 in 2019

Skating: Poor
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 96

76. Peyton Krebs, LW, Buffalo

Jan. 26, 2001 | 6 feet | 187 pounds | Shoots left

Acquired via trade

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 42

77. Calen Addison, D, Minnesota

April 11, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 173 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 60

78. Cam York, D, Philadelphia

Jan. 5, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 14 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 78

79. Justin Barron, D, Montreal

Nov. 15, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 201 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 131

80. Thomas Harley, D, Dallas

Aug. 19, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 205 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 18 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 55

81. Matthew Savoie, C/RW, Buffalo

Jan. 1, 2004 | 5-foot-9 | 179 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 9 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 64

82. Conor Geekie, C, Arizona

May 5, 2004 | 6-foot-3 | 193 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 11 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 124

83. Nathan Gaucher, C, Anaheim

Nov. 6, 2003 | 6-foot-3 | 208 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 22 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 82

84. Olen Zellweger, D, Anaheim

Sept. 10, 2003 | 5-foot-9 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 34 in 2021

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 51

85. Rutger McGroarty, LW, Winnipeg

March 30, 2004 | 6 feet | 200 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 14 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 132

86. William Dufour, RW, New York Islanders

Jan. 28, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 215 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 152 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 77

87. Barrett Hayton, C, Arizona

June 9, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 207 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2018

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 44

88. Denton Mateychuk, D, Columbus

July 12, 2004 | 5-foot-11 | 188 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 95

89. Thomas Bordeleau, C, San Jose

Jan. 3, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 38 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 111

90. Janis Moser, D, Arizona

June 6, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 173 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 60 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 133

91. Jonatan Berggren, LW, Detroit

July 16, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 197 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 33 in 2018

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 151

92. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, New York Islanders

June 13, 2000 | 6-foot-2 | 204 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 11 in 2018

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 85

93. Carson Lambos, D, Minnesota

Jan. 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 197 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 26 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 138

94. Xavier Bourgault, RW, Edmonton

Oct. 22, 2002 | 6 feet | 172 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 22 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 120

95. Jakob Pelletier, LW, Calgary

March 7, 2001 | 5-foot-9 | 160 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 26 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 81

96. Aatu Räty, C, New York Islanders

Nov. 14, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 190 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 52 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 126

97. Frank Nazar, C, Chicago

Jan. 14, 2004 | 5-foot-9 | 175 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 13 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 94

98. William Wallinder, D, Detroit

July 28, 2002 | 6-foot-4 | 191 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 32 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

99. Joakim Kemell, RW, Nashville

April 27, 2004 | 5-foot-11 | 182 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 17 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 61

100. Alexander Romanov, D, New York Islanders

Jan. 6, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 215 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 38 in 2018

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 106

101. Liam Öhgren, LW, Minnesota

Jan. 28, 2004 | 6 feet | 187 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 19 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 146

102. Nils Höglander, RW, Vancouver

Dec. 20, 2000 | 5-foot-9 | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 40 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hockey sense: Below NH

[quote=LeftCoaster]Ranking the best NHL players and prospects under 23: Rasmus Dahlin tops the list.

Corey Pronman
Jan 17, 2023

Welcome to the midseason update of the under-23 NHL player rankings for the 2022-23 season.

This is an age-based ranking of the best young players overall on teams’ reserve lists, meaning within an NHL organization, in or outside the league. This is a ranking meant to show who I think will have the best pro careers, not who I would take in a game tomorrow. This is also a good exercise to show how the last five age groups compare to each other, as this largely spans the player pool from the 2018 through 2022 NHL drafts.

A player must be 22 years old or younger as of Jan. 1, 2023, to qualify.

With 154 players listed, that comes out to about 31 players per draft who I see as potential quality NHL players, although with the caveat that some of the late birthdates from the 2018 draft class have aged out.

Ranked players are placed into tiers and given tool grades. Tool grades are based on a scale with six separate levels, with an eye toward how this attribute would grade in the NHL (poor, below average, average, above average, high-end and elite). “Average” on this scale means the tool projects as NHL average, which is meant as a positive, not a criticism. Skating, puck skills, hockey sense and compete for every projected NHL player are graded. Shot grades are only included if a shot is notably good or poor.

You’ll notice two significant changes to this list from previous iterations. First, there is a much larger value placed on defensemen with premium physical tools as a result of a recent change in my process. Second, after hearing readers’ feedback loud and clear, the higher end of my tool grade scale will be used more frequently, particularly for the very best players.

Elite NHL player
1. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo

April 13, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 202 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 7

Analysis: Dahlin’s first half this season has been as good as you could have hoped for if you are a Sabres fan. He’s looked like the definition of a game breaker. His skill level is off the charts, showing the ability to make unique plays with the puck at a high rate. He’s a good enough skater to make those skilled plays with pace. Dahlin shows a lot of creativity as a playmaker and in how he activates into attacks. He’s more offensive tilted, but his defense has progressed well enough to make the most of his skill and make sure his team has the puck when he’s on the ice. The No. 1 pick from the 2018 draft has emerged as one of the premier defensemen and overall players in the league.

2. Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey

May 14, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2019

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 1

Analysis: Hughes has been a leading player on one of the best teams in the NHL. He looks like everything you thought he could become when he was a dominant junior player. Hughes is an electric skater, puckhandler and playmaker who can drive play like few others in the league, despite not having a large frame. He shows up every night and wants the puck on his stick to make things happen. The biggest thing for Hughes has been adding a goal-scoring element, as he’s now a legit mid-range shot threat to go with excellent playmaking. He’s a star No. 1 center, and a player who you build a winner around.

Bubble elite NHL player and NHL All-Star
3. Tim Stützle, C, Ottawa

Jan. 15, 2002 | 6 feet | 193 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 3 in 2020

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 8

Analysis: This season hasn’t gone how some would have hoped in Ottawa, but Stützle’s play hasn’t been the reason. He’s been a point-per-game center and a driving force when he’s on the ice. He’s a special skater with the speed and edge work to push pace at an elite level. He combines that with great skill, vision and work ethic. He wins battles and doesn’t shy away from attacking the net. He has all the makings of a potential superstar forward in the league.


Andrei Svechnikov rose from No. 6 in the August edition of this ranking to No. 4 by midseason. (James Guillory / USA Today)
4. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Carolina

March 26, 2000 | 6-foot-2 | 195 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 6

Analysis: Svechnikov is in the midst of another strong season, being a go-to player for a top NHL team in Carolina. Svechnikov has every tool you want in a top winger. He’s a big, fast, powerful forward with elite skill who can break open a shift. He can create offense in many different ways off the rush, while also being a mid-range shot threat who can make plays. He’s a franchise winger.

5. Dylan Cozens, C, Buffalo

Feb. 9, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 195 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 7 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 13

Analysis: Cozens has had a breakout season for Buffalo, becoming a true two-way force down the middle, and giving the Sabres two No. 1 centers between him and Tage Thompson. Cozens is a handful at 6-3 with his speed and skill combined with a great compete level. He can overpower opponents to win pucks while also being able to beat them with skill. He’s gotten more offensive opportunities including running a PP1 flank at times to use his skill and shot. His emerging offense combined with strong defensive play makes him one of the best young players in the league and a potential Selke Trophy candidate further down the line of his career.

6. Matthew Beniers, C, Seattle

Nov. 5, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 178 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 14

Analysis: Beniers has been the best rookie in the NHL this season, and a leading part of one of the NHL’s best offenses in Seattle despite only being two years removed from his draft. Beniers is a well-rounded forward. He’s a highly competitive, fast, center who plays hard and can win battles versus men. His offensive touch with the puck has continued to develop and is far better than I thought it would be when he was younger. Beniers makes a lot of tough plays with the puck, hitting seams at a high rate. He’s also a goal-scoring threat who can run a power play from the flank. His ability to create offense from the perimeter and interior while also being a reliable two-way player will make him a star for a long time.

7. Trevor Zegras, C, Anaheim

March 20, 2001 | 6 feet | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 9 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: Elite
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 3

Analysis: It’s been a tough go this season for anyone in Anaheim, but Zegras continues to be a bright spot. He’s a special player with the puck on his stick, with unique skill and creativity as a playmaker. He has one of the most creative offensive minds in the NHL and can make defenders miss at a high rate. Zegras works hard enough, but lacks the speed and physicality to be a true two-way force down the middle. He produces so much offense, though, that it’s not a big concern as he will be a star forward in the league for a long time.

8. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit

April 6, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 204 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 2

Analysis: Coming after the high of highs with an outstanding rookie NHL season, Seider has been fighting it a bit more this season. Everything is relative, and Seider’s “struggles” are still a 23 minutes per game NHL defenseman at age 21. He’s still a long, mobile, mean as heck defenseman. The puck movement in his game hasn’t looked as crisp as last season, but he has still has legit NHL skill and vision even though you could argue it may not be true top level and that 50 points from his rookie season may have set unrealistic expectations. He’s a star defenseman.

NHL All-Star
9. Cole Caufield, LW, Montreal

Jan. 2, 2001 | 5-foot-7 | 174 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 15 in 2019

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Elite

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 30

Analysis: ​​Caufield picked up where he left off last season, scoring goals at a high rate and being an impactful player for Montreal. Inside the offensive zone, he’s lethal due to his skill and shot. His hands are special in how he can manipulate pucks in small areas, and Caufield is a threat to score from anywhere in the zone with either his wrist shot or one-timer while also being a good passer. His size, and good but not amazing skating for his frame aren’t ideal, but he’s shown for years he’s a power-play weapon and someone who can score versus bigger, stronger players.

10. Owen Power, D, Buffalo

Nov. 22, 2002 | 6-foot-6 | 218 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 20

Analysis: Power has looked excellent in his rookie NHL season, and every bit like a first-overall pick. His mobility given his length at 6-foot-6 is very impressive and despite not being overly physical, it allows him to break up so many plays. Dahlin is the offense guy on that blue line, but Power has offense too. He’s shown legit playmaking ability from both ends, and the skill and poise to make tough plays. He looks like an emerging star two-way defenseman and a blue line with him and Dahlin for the next decade will terrify opponents.

11. Noah Dobson, D, New York Islanders

Jan. 7, 2000 | 6-foot-4 | 194 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 12 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 31

Analysis: Dobson is one of the most important players on the Islanders. He’s a rare combination of a big, mobile, right-shot defenseman with significant offense. Dobson displays excellent vision and patience with the puck. He can make tough plays at both ends. His offensive IQ combined with a hard point shot makes him quite valuable on the man advantage. He’s not the most physical player, but his defense will be good enough given his range and reach. Dobson has all the indicators of a star No. 1 defenseman.

12. Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim

Jan. 30, 2003 | 6 feet | 213 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 3 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 24

Analysis: McTavish has been very good as a teenage rookie in the NHL. There’s so much about his game to like. He’s a big, powerful, fast center with a ton of skill. He can impact the game in numerous ways and projects to become a two-way No. 1 center as he matures. His offensive touch and playmaking continues to get better as time goes on, and while he may never be his teammate Zegras with the puck, he could still put up big scoring numbers.

13. Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa

July 8, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 195 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 27

Analysis: Sanderson has looked very strong to start his NHL career. His excellent skating ability, both in speed and edgework, has allowed him to make a lot of plays at both ends of the rink right away. He won’t be the go-to guy offensively on a top NHL team, but he has skill and offensive instincts and can use that in combination with his skating to create chances. He’s a rock defensively due to his elite gap work and a strong motor. He’s an emerging star and a guy who will play big minutes in the NHL for a long time.

14. Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey

Sept. 9, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 184 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 4 in 2021

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 11

Analysis: Hughes’ numbers haven’t been as eye popping as his freshman season, but his on-ice impact has looked similar. He’s a freakishly good skater for being 6-foot-2, with unique edgework and elusiveness to go with his length. Hughes can lead a rush very well due to his speed and skill, and make a ton of plays from the offensive blue line. Defensively, he’s progressed a lot into a solid defender, mostly due to his skating. Hughes’ pure puck moving isn’t as high end as his other attributes and he tends to be overly risky with the puck, but it’s good enough. He shows up every night and makes an impact and looks like a budding NHL star defenseman.

15. Matthew Boldy, RW, Minnesota

April 5, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 201 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 21

Analysis: Boldy has become an important part of Minnesota’s offense over the last year. Boldy has tremendous puck skills and vision. He displays the soft touch to execute tough plays at a high rate, and is a very creative player inside the offensive zone. He can create off the perimeter and in the tough areas. The only drawback of his game is a lack of footspeed, but to date it hasn’t held him back from being successful as a pro. Boldy has turned into a legitimate top-line winger in the league.

Bubble NHL All-Star and top-of-the-lineup player
16. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal

March 30, 2004 | 6-foot-3 | 238 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 15

Analysis: Slafkovsky’s rookie NHL season has been up and down, with more ups of late. You still see all the reasons you liked him as a draft eligible. There aren’t many players with his combination of size, speed and skill. He can break a shift open and projects to one day be a big time scorer in the NHL. That day isn’t today though, as he’s still figuring out how to be consistent versus pros. I think he will figure it out. There’s too much talent and no issues with his work ethic, but it may take some time.

17. Logan Cooley, C, Arizona

May 4, 2004 | 5-foot-10 | 174 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 3 in 2022

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 17

Analysis: Cooley started off the season a bit slowly but has been on a tear of late, has looked like one of the best players in the NCAA and was great at the world juniors. There’s so much to like about Cooley’s game. He has a ton of skill. He’s an excellent skater who plays with a ton of energy and pace. He’s undersized, but plays hard and doesn’t mind getting his nose dirty. He’s an impactful player who will be an excellent NHL center despite his size.

18. Lucas Raymond, RW, Detroit

March 28, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 176 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 4 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 9

Analysis: After an excellent rookie NHL season, Raymond’s second season hasn’t seen a big step forward offensively even if he’s been better of late. He remains an excellent young player with a bright NHL future, though. He has game-breaking skill and offensive sense. Inside the zone there aren’t a lot of players who can make the plays Raymond can. With a smaller body and a lack of true blazing speed, he’ll need to win more battles to generate consistent possession, but it will come with time and physical maturity.

19. Bowen Byram, D, Colorado

June 13, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 190 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 4 in 2019

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 18

Analysis: Byram is an awesome player, when healthy. He’s a dynamic skater, who can get into rushes and activate from the blue line at a high-end level due to his feet and skill. He competes well, and projects as an excellent two-way defenseman due to all his positives. He just needs to stay on the ice and has had several injuries over the last few seasons.

20. David Jiricek, D, Columbus

Nov. 28, 2003 | 6-foot-4 | 199 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 23

Analysis: Jiricek has been one of the most impactful teenage defensemen I’ve seen in the AHL in recent years and was the best defender at the world juniors. He’s always been a big, mean defender with a big point shot and some offense, but he’s showing a whole other level of offense this season. His stick skills are excellent and he’s showing strong creativity as a puck mover. Everything, except for his footspeed, points to a big minutes NHL defenseman.

21. K’Andre Miller, D, New York Rangers

Jan. 21, 2000 | 6-foot-5 | 215 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 22 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 43

Analysis: Miller has developed into a legit two-way top-pairing defenseman. He has all the tools you want. He’s big, skates well, plays hard, and his offensive touch has continued to develop. He can attack and create with his skating and skill, makes a good outlet pass — while also being a physically tough player to get past for opposing players.

22. Alexander Nikishin, D, Carolina

Oct. 2, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 196 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 69 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 75

Analysis: Nikishin is one of the very best players outside the NHL currently. He’s also signed in the KHL through the end of their 2024-25 season. This looks like the next Evgeny Kuznetsov/Kirill Kaprizov situation in that regard. He’s been arguably the best defenseman in the KHL this season as a 21-year-old. He’s a large, mobile, highly-physical defenseman who is showing a ton of offense this season that he didn’t in previous years. Nikishin’s playmaking has stood out in my viewings, to go with his excellent point shot. He has all the tools and indicators of an impact defenseman in the NHL. Now it’s just about getting him over.

23. Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas

May 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 23 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 62

Analysis: Johnston continues his sharp upwards development trend looking quite good for a teenager in the NHL and contributing to the success of a top NHL club. Johnston makes so many good plays with the puck. He has excellent hands and vision, being able to run a pro power play well and is a threat when he gets space in the offensive zone at even strength. His footspeed is just fine, and he’s not overly physical, but Johnston’s compete level is high, showing great effort to win battles and be first on pucks. He’s going to be a great NHL forward for a long time whether at center or wing.

24. Seth Jarvis, RW, Carolina

Feb. 1, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 175 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 13 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 12

Analysis: Jarvis started off the season slowly but the last month or two has looked more like himself. He’s a very fast and competitive winger who, despite a lack of size, plays the game without fear. Jarvis attacks the middle and does so with significant skill and creativity. He’s been an important part of a top NHL team over the last two seasons at a young age.

Top-of-the-lineup player
25. Quinton Byfield, C, Los Angeles

Aug. 19, 2002 | 6-foot-5 | 220 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 22

Analysis: A few years ago I would have figured by the time Byfield was 20 years old he would not only be a full-time NHL player but a very good one. That the latter hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. Byfield has been quite strong in the AHL this season and still has a special toolkit. There aren’t many people his size who can skate like him, while also having legit offensive skill. You add the fact he plays hard and there’s a lot of reason to still believe in Byfield’s upside and having a bright future ahead of him.

26. Shane Wright, C, Seattle

Jan. 5, 2004 | 6 feet | 192 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 4 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 16

Analysis: Wright made the Kraken but struggled to stick in the lineup. He looked good in his brief time in the AHL and with Canada’s U20 team. A lot of ink has been spilled over Wright, but he remains a very good all-around player, even if he’s not the most dynamic player. Wright is an excellent playmaker who can shoot the puck well. He shows good two-way play and has detail in his game. He plays with good pace and has a game that should translate to a lot of NHL success with time.

27. Alexis Lafrenière, RW, New York Rangers

Oct. 11, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 195 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 10

Analysis: I struggle with where to rate Lafrenière. I can see the argument he’s too high or that he will eventually break out. There’s a lot of “what-ifs” you can do with him. You can “what-if” how he would have performed in the AHL, or on a different team without a stacked PP1. But in the current reality, he’s been a good, but not great NHL winger. He shows flashes of his high-end skill and playmaking, but not consistently enough given his lack of pace. He’s still only 21 and given everything I know about the player. between the talent and his context, I think a breakout will come eventually, but I certainly can’t sit here and say I feel overly confident about it.

28. Kent Johnson, LW, Columbus

Oct. 18, 2002 | 6 feet | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: High-end
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 35

Analysis: Johnson has been solid for Columbus this season. He’s become a bigger part of their team as the season has progressed and due to their injuries. With the puck on his stick he’s fantastic, with elite hands and offensive creativity. He can make all kinds of plays in small areas and run a power play well. He’s not the best skater or the most physical, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how Johnson has been able to get inside on NHL defenders and create at the net. He will be a very good NHL player with time — to be determined whether it’s at center or the wing.

29. Cole Perfetti, LW, Winnipeg

Jan. 1, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 177 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 10 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 38

Analysis: Perfetti has become an important part of Winnipeg’s offense. As a junior there was always concern about how a player with his frame and subpar quickness would translate to the pros. His stick skills and especially his hockey sense/offensive poise are so good though that it helps overcome those issues. Perfetti has shown he can make plays and create like a top-six forward. He may not be able to drive a line by himself at the NHL level, but he works hard enough, will get a lot of points in his career and be a major part of an NHL power play.

30. Kevin Korchinski, D, Chicago

June 21, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 7 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 128

Analysis: Korchinski has looked excellent this season, as one of the top defensemen in the CHL and a leading player on a top club even if he didn’t get much of a role on Canada’s U20 team. Korchinski controls the game when he’s on the ice, mostly due to his plus skating ability. His quickness and edgework are high end, with a smooth, powerful stride that lets him get up into attacks and walk the blue line like an NHLer. Korchinski isn’t the most physical defender, but his skating lets him close on guys well enough and he’s great on retrievals. He has very good hands and can make tough passes at a high rate. He looks like a high-in-the-lineup defenseman who impacts transition play and can put up points.

31. Jack Quinn, RW, Buffalo

Sept. 19, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 8 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 39

Analysis: Quinn has looked very good as a rookie NHLer, with the line of himself, Cozens and JJ Peterka clicking in the first half of the season. He’s got excellent hands and his stick handling in tight spaces stands out. Quinn makes a lot of tough passes and is a shot threat as well. His only knock is his pure footspeed, as I think his overall effort on and away from the puck is good too. He is trending to become a legit top-line winger.

32. Kaapo Kakko, RW, New York Rangers

Feb. 13, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 206 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 2 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 48

Analysis: Kakko’s had a positive season with the Rangers. He’s scoring at a slightly higher clip than in previous years, but it’s how he’s generating offense that inspires some confidence. He’s creating a lot around the tough areas of the offensive zone that should translate to more scoring down the line. He’s always had the skill and size, but the physical impact he’d shown before the NHL didn’t translate as quickly as hoped.

33. Anton Lundell, C, Florida

Oct. 3, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 29

Analysis: Lundell has been asked to play a bigger role for Florida this season and has done so effectively. He’s not the flashiest forward from a speed or skill perspective, but Lundell is a highly intelligent and competitive player. He makes a lot of positive plays for his team at both ends of the ice while still providing a good amount of offense.

34. Jamie Drysdale, D, Anaheim

April 8, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 183 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 6 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 34

Analysis: Drysdale injured his shoulder in November which will cause him to miss most of the 2022-23 season. His report thus is mostly unchanged from a year ago, when I saw a guy trending positively with excellent skating ability and hockey sense.

35. Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit

Feb. 5, 2003 | 6-foot-6 | 209 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 6 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 32

Analysis: Edvinsson has looked very good this season, building off his success in the SHL to play a big role in the AHL as a 19-year-old. There aren’t many defensemen his size who can both skate and provide legit offense. He’s going to be a solid NHL defender due to his reach and feet but also because he works hard and doesn’t mind playing physically. His skill and IQ are good, not great, but enough to be a quality puck-mover. Edvinsson will be in the league soon.

36. Pavel Mintyukov, D, Anaheim

Nov. 25, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 192 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 10 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 152

Analysis: Mintyukov has been arguably the best player in the OHL this season. He’s a constant offensive threat. He’s full of skill, skates well, and can make so many difficult plays with pace. The way Mintyukov activates into attacks on the rush and off the blue line with high-end skill is very difficult to stop. At times he looks and plays like a forward with how aggressive he is, but it works! He’s a shot threat too from the point. He’ll need to clean up his defensive play, but the skating, size and compete are good enough that you think it will come as a pro with the right coaching.

Bubble top and middle-of-the-lineup player or quality starting goaltender
37. Dylan Guenther, RW, Arizona

April 10, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 175 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 9 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 25

Analysis: Guenther made the Coyotes this season and has looked like an NHL player as a teenager. He’s a big winger who can skate like an NHLer, while also having very good hands and offensive creativity. His shot is his main weapon and he will be able to beat NHL goalies from the dots. I wouldn’t call him an overly physical player, but his work ethic is good enough. His game isn’t sexy, but he will be a very good top-six wing for a while.

38. Kirby Dach, C, Montreal

Jan. 21, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 212 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 41

Analysis: Dach was traded from Chicago to Montreal over the summer. In his first season with the Habs, Dach has looked very good, although he’s been moved from the middle to the wing. He has a clear top-six toolkit given his speed, skill and frame and can make a lot of plays off the rush. Dach is a strong playmaker too. His lack of goal-scoring touch though has dogged him for a while, and overall, he can be quite inconsistent. I don’t see a premier NHL forward, but he could be a solid top-six forward, even if it’s unclear if that will be at center or not.

39. Kaiden Guhle, D, Montreal

Jan. 18, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 205 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 16 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 119

Analysis: Guhle has looked excellent as a rookie NHL player. His defensive game is highly impressive, especially for such a young player. He’s a strong skater with good reach and size, but it’s how hard he plays and how effectively he closes his gaps, often with force, that makes him so good. The question with Guhle has always been with the puck, not without, and he’s answered those questions. He’s shown he can provide secondary offense as a pro to go with all the stops he can make.

40. Simon Nemec, D, New Jersey

Feb. 15, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 190 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 2 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 26

Analysis: Nemec has played a lot of minutes in the AHL this season, especially for an 18-year-old defenseman. The offensive success hasn’t been immediate, but he’s young and the points will come. He’s so smart and skilled to go with solid mobility and work ethic that with time, Nemec is going to be an excellent pro in North America just like he was in Europe.

41. Philip Broberg, D, Edmonton

June 25, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 199 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 8 in 2019

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 76

Analysis: Broberg has had a few minor injuries this season that’s held him back, but when healthy I think he’s moving in a positive direction between his play in the AHL and NHL. He’s such a good skater for someone who is 6-foot-3 and has a good enough compete level that with time I think he will develop into an excellent defender. Whether his puck game and puck-moving will be anything special in the NHL is to be determined, and I think it will probably just be okay, but the athletic tools are so high-end that I find it hard to see a path where he doesn’t become a good NHL defenseman in some form.

42. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Los Angeles

June 26, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 210 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 33 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 33

Analysis: Kaliyev has settled into an important role with the Kings. He’s a very good at two important things: Scoring goals and setting up plays. He’s a super smart offensive player and from the right faceoff dot his shot is a legit threat. If you’re expecting a great carry-and-create type of forward, he’s not going to do that. But he’ll have a good career as a top-six forward helping a power play and scoring his fair share of goals.

43. Logan Stankoven, C, Dallas

Feb. 26, 2003 | 5-foot-7 | 170 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 47 in 2021

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 63

Analysis: Stankoven, like the previous season, has been a dominant junior player in 2022-23 and had a great world juniors. There’s so much to like about his game. He has high-end puck skills and shooting ability. He’s faster than I’ve given him credit for before, which when combined with a great motor makes him a handful to deal with. He’s constantly buzzing around the ice, winning battles, pushing the pace and creating offense. The only downside to his game is his size, but everything else is clear NHL quality.

44. William Eklund, LW, San Jose

Oct. 12, 2002 | 5-foot-11 | 181 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 7 in 2021

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 50

Analysis: Eklund’s previous season in Sweden was slightly concerning but he’s looked more like his old self in the AHL this season. His skating and playmaking jump out at you when you watch him. He’s got such good edgework and creativity at full speed. He combines that talent with a strong compete level and a willingness to get inside for a smaller player. If Eklund can learn to finish a few more of his chances he could trend in a really positive direction.

45. Dawson Mercer, RW, New Jersey

Oct. 27, 2001 | 6 feet | 180 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 18 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 46

Analysis: Mercer has become an important player for the Devils who is a regular on both special teams units. He isn’t the most dynamic player you will ever see, but he has skill, and more importantly, he uses that skill around the net. He creates a lot in the high-traffic areas and competes at a high level at both ends of the ice.

46. Spencer Knight, G, Florida

April 19, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 192 pounds | Catches left

Drafted: No. 13 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 40

Analysis: Knight has split starts this season in Florida and I would guess is on his way to becoming the true No. 1 guy. He’s looked very impressive at times especially as a 21-year-old goalie. Knight anticipates the play at a high level and has adjusted to the NHL pace. He shows the ability to make tough saves without his technique breaking down.

47. Jiri Kulich, C/LW, Buffalo

April 14, 2004 | 5-foot-11 | 172 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 28 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 89

Analysis: Kulich’s development has been on a sharp upward trajectory over the last 18 months. He’s been excellent versus men this season as an 18-year-old, and just followed up his MVP performance at last year’s U18 worlds by being one of the better forwards at the world juniors. There’s nothing about his game that’s high end, but a lot of what Kulich does looks like an NHL player. He’s a fast, competitive, direct, skilled winger. He can make tough plays with the puck and has a great shot. Kulich gives an honest effort every game and has the puck game to create offense in the NHL.

48. Mattias Samuelsson, D, Buffalo

March 14, 2000 | 6-foot-4 | 231 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 32 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

Analysis: Samuelsson has quickly become a major part of the Sabres’ lineup as part of their top defense pairing. Samuelsson is a true shutdown defenseman. He’s got great length, skates very well for a big man, and is highly physical. He punishes opposing forwards regularly with his physical play and breaks up a lot of rushes. His offense will never be a selling point, but his outlets and sense are good enough.

49. Cutter Gauthier, LW, Philadelphia

Jan. 19, 2004 | 6-foot-2 | 189 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 54

Analysis: Gauthier has been a productive freshman at Boston College this season and was a top player for USA at the world juniors. There’s a lot to love about his pro projection. He’s a big center who skates well, has very good hands, and a shot that will beat NHL goalies. He doesn’t overwhelm you with power, but Gauthier works hard on the ice and can make tough plays with pace.

50. Kirill Marchenko, RW, Columbus

July 21, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 197 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 49 in 2018

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 58

Analysis: Marchenko went down to the AHL out of Columbus camp, where he was quite impactful from the get-go, and eventually worked his way into the Blue Jackets’ lineup. He’s always had a unique toolkit as a big, fast, highly skilled goal-scorer, but it was a question of when or if it would click for Marchenko. This season it looks like it’s starting to. I see a lot of pro potential in his game.

51. Braden Schneider, D, New York Rangers

Sept. 20, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 208 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 19 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 79

Analysis: Schneider’s been mostly the same player as the previous season for the Rangers, which given his age and their deep right side of the blue line is more than enough. Schneider is a mobile and highly competitive defenseman. He plays hard and punishes forwards physically. His puck movement is fine. He’s smart enough to make a good first pass and skate pucks out of trouble but will never be a big points guy. He should evolve into a higher minutes guy with time.

52. John-Jason Peterka, LW, Buffalo

Jan. 14, 2002 | 6 feet | 189 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 34 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 68

Analysis: Peterka has been a part of that great kid line in Buffalo with Cozens and Quinn. Peterka has a lot of positive offensive elements. He’s a strong skater who plays fast. He has excellent puck skills and can make difficult plays at speed. He can both shoot the puck well and make plays. Peterka isn’t the biggest or most physical guy, but competes well enough to survive in the NHL. I don’t know if he’ll ever be ‘the guy’ on a scoring line, but he could be a very solid top six winger.

53. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis

June 1, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 186 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 23 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 147

Analysis: Snuggerud came out of the gates flying this season. He’s been one of the best forwards in the NCAA through the first half, and was very good at the world juniors too. Snuggerud’s skating has never been and still isn’t strong, but the rest of his game is quite impressive. He’s a skilled, and intelligent winger who can score goals. He has offense, but Snuggerud is also a tough player to play against who wins a lot of close battles and doesn’t mind throwing his body around.

54. Connor Zary, C, Calgary

Sept. 25, 2001 | 6 feet | 178 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 24 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 93

Analysis: Zary has had an excellent second pro season, being a top player on one of the best AHL teams. Zary has a lot of offensive touch, with great stick skills and the ability to beat defenders 1v1. He can create with his perimeter playmaking, but also doesn’t shy from going to the net. He has everything you want except for his skating with a slightly unorthodox stride that lacks NHL quickness. I think given his skill and compete he will overcome that and become a good player.

55. Lukas Reichel, LW, Chicago

May 17, 2002 | 6 feet | 170 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 17 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 28

Analysis: Reichel was a minor surprise to be cut from Chicago’s camp. Since then he’s been quite good in the AHL, drawing positive reviews from scouts, playing center regularly and was a recent call-up to the NHL. He’s a well-rounded forward. He skates well, has good hands and vision, can shoot the puck well, and works hard. He’s not an overly physical forward, but he plays hard and doesn’t shy from going to the high-percentage areas of the offensive zone.

56. Joel Farabee, LW, Philadelphia

Feb. 25, 2000 | 6 feet | 183 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 14 in 2018

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 37

Analysis: Farabee has settled into a regular top-six role for Philadelphia over the last two seasons and is a regular on both special teams. He’s a very smart player with the puck who gives an honest effort regularly. There may not be a whole lot of dynamic in his game in terms of speed or skill to ever become a big points scorer in the NHL, but his brain and work ethic will help him create enough to be a valuable part of a lineup.

57. Lian Bichsel, D, Dallas

May 18, 2004 | 6-foot-5 | 216 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 18 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 125

Analysis: Bichsel has been just OK in the SHL with limited minutes for Leksands, but his play at the world juniors reassured me of the player I’ve seen over the years. That player is a tall, mobile, highly physical defenseman with secondary puck-moving ability. Bichsel isn’t a natural puck-mover type who will have a ton of offense, but he has enough skill to go with his excellent defending that I think he will be a good NHL defenseman in time.

58. Philip Tomasino, RW, Nashville

July 28, 2001 | 6 feet | 179 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 24 in 2019

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 45

Analysis: Tomasino was a mild surprise to be sent down to the AHL out of Nashville camp after being a full-time member of the team last season. That being said he hasn’t exactly torn up the AHL to make the team quickly change course. I still believe a lot in this player. He has a tremendous combination of speed and creativity and a skill set that will translate into NHL offense. Tomasino needs to be more consistent but I think he will find that with time and become a good NHL forward.

59. Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto

Oct. 17, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 210 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 57 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 65

Analysis: Knies like in his freshman season has been a top player for a top NCAA team in Minnesota. He’s a big, skilled winger who competes hard. He can create a lot of offense around the net and has good playmaking ability too. Knies’ skating isn’t amazing, but he projects to score in the NHL due to how well he handles the game physically.


Shane Pinto is a big center whose compete is praised by evaluators. (Marc DesRosiers / USA Today)
60. Shane Pinto, C, Ottawa

Nov. 12, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 201 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 32 in 2019

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 66

Analysis: A now healthy Shane Pinto who had missed a fair amount of hockey the last few years, has become an important part of Ottawa’s team. He’s a big center who works hard. He has good skills and vision, and can shoot the puck, but it’s his details and compete that get evaluators excited about him. He just needs to stay healthy, and if he does Ottawa has a good player on their hands.

61. Cole Sillinger, C, Columbus

May 16, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 201 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 47

Analysis: One of the best prospect stories from last season was Sillinger’s quick ascent to the NHL. This season he’s hit a wall though. I still like the player a lot. He’s a skilled, highly competitive center with a bit of a mean streak. His footspeed isn’t the best though and his puck game isn’t off the charts. He honestly looks like a player who would have benefited from more time outside the league, but hindsight is 50/50 after how good he looked the previous season.

62. Yaroslav Askarov, G, Nashville

June 16, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 178 pounds | Catches right

Drafted: No. 11 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 149

Analysis: Askarov has been up and down in his first season in North America, but the ups have been notable and he’s looked often like his old self. Askarov is a super athletic goalie who can make a lot of difficult saves and has the ability to steal a game. You’d like to see him quiet his game at times and be more consistent, but he’s trending in a good direction. It’s also good to see him get consistent game action which he hasn’t gotten for several years.

63. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota

Nov. 14, 2002 | 6-foot-3 | 214 pounds | Catches left

Drafted: No. 20 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 52

Analysis: Wallstedt has looked good in the AHL, not as dominant as he was in Sweden, but still looks like a very strong pro prospect. Wallstedt is still a super smart and technically polished goalie who has shown he can play well versus men. The pace of the AHL has looked a little quick for him at times but I think he will adjust with time.

64. Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota

Sept. 23, 2001 | 5-foot-9 | 182 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 9 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 72

Analysis: Rossi had a great camp and made the Wild but was eventually sent back to the AHL. There’s a lot to love around Rossi’s game. He has a ton of skill and sees the ice at a high level. He’s not big, but he’s a worker, who doesn’t mind going to the hard areas and is responsible defensively. His skating is fine, but he lacks the pure footspeed for a smaller player you’d like to see. If you’re expecting a good NHL player, I think he’ll be that with time, but due to his skating, he probably is not going to fully translate his junior scoring to the pros.

65. Marco Kasper, C, Detroit

April 8, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 183 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 8 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 67

Analysis: Kasper has been a good SHL player this season, playing a regular center role for Rogle. Kasper’s speed and compete have been his major selling points, but he’s shown more flashes of skill and offensive touch this season. I’ve always thought he had offense in his game, but I’m open to the argument it could be significant even if I’m not all the way there yet.

66. Brandt Clarke, D, Los Angeles

Feb. 9, 2003 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 8 in 2021

Skating: Poor
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 87

Analysis: Clarke had an excellent camp with the Kings and looked like he belonged in a few of the NHL games he played. He’s a highly skilled defenseman with excellent hockey sense. He always wants to make a play and has an attacking mindset. Clarke is also a competitive defender who doesn’t shy from playing the body. The biggest issue with Clarke is his skating. He has a technically weird stride that limits him notably in getting around the ice and will make it hard to defend in the NHL. His size and compete are good enough though that with his offense he should be a very good NHL defenseman.

67. Matthew Coronato, RW, Calgary

Nov. 14, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 183 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 13 in 2021

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 107

Analysis: Coronato has shown progression as a sophomore, becoming a top player in his conference this season. Coronato doesn’t have a true standout attribute but does a lot well. He has good hands and can make and finish plays. He skates well and has NHL pace in his game. Coronato lacks size, but he plays with courage and gives an honest effort every game. He’s playing center this season in college, but in the NHL he’s probably a winger.

68. Shakir Mukhamadullin, D, New Jersey

Jan. 10, 2002 | 6-foot-4 | 178 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 20 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 105

Analysis: Mukhamadullin is a very talented defenseman with all the tools you look for in a top four defender who has looked very good in the KHL. He’s quite mobile, especially for such a large man. He has good stick skills and can make skilled plays with the puck on the move. He’s not an amazing puck-mover, but he can make some plays and has a hard point shot. Mukhamadullin is fine defensively because of his length and skating, but I wouldn’t call him a hard to play against defenseman.

69. Carter Mazur, RW, Detroit

March 28, 2002 | 6 feet | 170 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 70 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

Analysis: Mazur’s development has been on a sharp upward trend over the last few years. He’s been one of the best players in college hockey this season for Denver. His skating and compete level have always been positives in his game, but the level of offense he’s showing right now is quite significant from a few seasons ago. Mazur has very good puck skills and offensive sense to go with his speed and direct style of play.

70. Brock Faber, D, Minnesota

Aug. 22, 2002 | 6-foot-1 | 200 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 74

Analysis: Faber has continued to be what he’s been for years. He’s not a standout offensive player, but he’s an excellent skater and competitor who projects to play real minutes as a pro. His puck-moving/offensive IQ is good enough given his defensive pluses and he still has scored at a solid clip in college this season.

71. Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Washington

Feb. 4, 2004 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 20 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 86

Analysis: Miroshnichenko missed a full year of hockey after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was cleared to play again midway through this season. His ice time has been managed carefully, but as he’s gotten up to speed he’s looked a lot like the old Miroshnichenko. He’s shown the same speed, skill, power and goal-scoring touch that got scouts so excited about his pro potential. We’ll see how his development goes over the next few years, but from what I’ve watched this season he looks like a player who could be a good NHL winger presuming good health.

Middle-of-the-lineup player or starting goaltender
72. Alexander Holtz, RW, New Jersey

Jan. 23, 2002 | 6 feet | 195 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 7 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 56

73. Filip Bystedt, C, San Jose

Feb. 4, 2004 | 6-foot-2 | 187 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 27 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

74. Reid Schaefer, LW, Edmonton

Sept. 21, 2003 | 6-foot-3 | 215 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 32 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 118

75. Elmer Söderblom, LW, Detroit

July 5, 2001 | 6-foot-8 | 246 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 159 in 2019

Skating: Poor
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 96

76. Peyton Krebs, LW, Buffalo

Jan. 26, 2001 | 6 feet | 187 pounds | Shoots left

Acquired via trade

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 42

77. Calen Addison, D, Minnesota

April 11, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 173 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: High-end
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 60

78. Cam York, D, Philadelphia

Jan. 5, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 14 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 78

79. Justin Barron, D, Montreal

Nov. 15, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 201 pounds | Shoots right

Acquired via trade

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 131

80. Thomas Harley, D, Dallas

Aug. 19, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 205 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 18 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 55

81. Matthew Savoie, C/RW, Buffalo

Jan. 1, 2004 | 5-foot-9 | 179 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 9 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 64

82. Conor Geekie, C, Arizona

May 5, 2004 | 6-foot-3 | 193 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 11 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 124

83. Nathan Gaucher, C, Anaheim

Nov. 6, 2003 | 6-foot-3 | 208 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 22 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 82

84. Olen Zellweger, D, Anaheim

Sept. 10, 2003 | 5-foot-9 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 34 in 2021

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 51

85. Rutger McGroarty, LW, Winnipeg

March 30, 2004 | 6 feet | 200 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 14 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 132

86. William Dufour, RW, New York Islanders

Jan. 28, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 215 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 152 in 2020

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 77

87. Barrett Hayton, C, Arizona

June 9, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 207 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 5 in 2018

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 44

88. Denton Mateychuk, D, Columbus

July 12, 2004 | 5-foot-11 | 188 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 12 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 95

89. Thomas Bordeleau, C, San Jose

Jan. 3, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 175 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 38 in 2020

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 111

90. Janis Moser, D, Arizona

June 6, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 173 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 60 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 133

91. Jonatan Berggren, LW, Detroit

July 16, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 197 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 33 in 2018

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 151

92. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, New York Islanders

June 13, 2000 | 6-foot-2 | 204 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 11 in 2018

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average
Shot: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 85

93. Carson Lambos, D, Minnesota

Jan. 14, 2003 | 6-foot-1 | 197 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 26 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 138

94. Xavier Bourgault, RW, Edmonton

Oct. 22, 2002 | 6 feet | 172 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 22 in 2021

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 120

95. Jakob Pelletier, LW, Calgary

March 7, 2001 | 5-foot-9 | 160 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 26 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 81

96. Aatu Räty, C, New York Islanders

Nov. 14, 2002 | 6-foot-2 | 190 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 52 in 2021

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 126

97. Frank Nazar, C, Chicago

Jan. 14, 2004 | 5-foot-9 | 175 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 13 in 2022

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 94

98. William Wallinder, D, Detroit

July 28, 2002 | 6-foot-4 | 191 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 32 in 2020

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: Not Rated

99. Joakim Kemell, RW, Nashville

April 27, 2004 | 5-foot-11 | 182 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 17 in 2022

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 61

100. Alexander Romanov, D, New York Islanders

Jan. 6, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 215 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 38 in 2018

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 106

101. Liam Öhgren, LW, Minnesota

Jan. 28, 2004 | 6 feet | 187 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 19 in 2022

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Aug. 2022 Ranking: 146

102. Nils Höglander, RW, Vancouver

Dec. 20, 2000 | 5-foot-9 | 185 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 40 in 2019

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hoc

Why your NHL team should make a trade deadline blockbuster.

By Sean McIndoe

Will your team make a blockbuster between now and this year’s deadline? I don’t mean a minor addition or even a traditional pick-for-rental for move. I’m talking big and bold, the sort of move that makes fans around the league stop what they’re doing and stare at a screen with jaws dropping and eyes bulging. Creative, gutsy, confident. Will your team do something like that?

Of course not. Your team is run by an NHL GM, the timidest and most risk-averse creature in all of pro sports. Your team will tinker at best, or maybe just mumble about running out of time and not wanting to disrupt the room.

But should your team pull off a blockbuster? Yes! Or at least, you could make the case. In fact, that’s what we’re going to do today.

We’ve got 32 teams, and 32 reasons for their GMs to swing for the fences. We’ll have some overlap, some unique situations and some cases that are tougher than others. Let’s run through this one by one and see if we can convince anyone to get out of their comfort zone and make the big move.

Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are admittedly a bit of a tough place to start because they did so much dealing last year, leaving behind a stripped-down roster that is very bad. Still, you’ve got a bunch of veteran defensemen on expiring deals, highlighted by John Klingberg. I’m not sure if moving all of them counts as a blockbuster, but maybe there’s a way to combine that with laundering everyone else’s big-contract trades.

Arizona Coyotes
Look, you guys went for it in the Connor McDavid draft and the lottery screwed you. Then you lost your nerve when it came to a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a local boy in Auston Matthews. Now it’s Connor Bedard, and this may literally be the make-or-break moment for the franchise. Teams like Chicago might want Bedard, but you guys need him, and if that means the biggest and most blatant strip-mining of a roster the league has ever seen then that’s what you do.

Jakob Chychrun is the starting point, but Karel Vejmelka needs to go too before he ruins the whole plan. Package them together, mix in Shayne Gostisbehere, eat half the salary and take back some bad deals, and you’ve solved some contender’s back-end problems in one mega-deal. Then trade for every expiring bad contract in the league and ice a Timbits intermission roster for the rest of the season. This is your last shot at this, there are no half-measures.

Boston Bruins
Yes, the season is going great, and it would be easy to say “now’s not the time.” But it’s exactly the time, because this might be it for the Patrice Bergeron era. David Pastrnak too, if we’re thinking worst-case. You have a new coach whose message is still resonating, a goalie having a career year, a bunch of veterans playing great, and no prospects on the way. All the chips go into the middle right now.

Buffalo Sabres
The fans deserve it. Tage Thompson deserves it. And maybe most important of all: You guys are just weirdly good at midseason trades. They’re how you got Pat LaFontaine, Danny Briere and Rene Robert. You turned the Jack Eichel mess into a win. Even the Ryan Miller trade worked out OK. And if that’s not enough, we’re coming up on the 30-year anniversary of your 1993 trade for Grant Fuhr, and that trade directly preceded eight years of the greatest goaltending in franchise history. That last sentence is factually correct, don’t think too hard about it.

Calgary Flames
We know you have it in you, because you made the summer’s biggest blockbuster. That was part of an offseason that was meant to keep you contending. But right now you’re barely holding down a playoff spot, and that’s with a bunch of contracts that we know won’t age well. It’s time to shake things up. And as an added bonus: If you make a big move to secure a playoff spot, that could mean you’re taking it from Edmonton, which would make their entire fan base weep openly.

Carolina Hurricanes
The Metro still looks like it’s yours to lose, even as you’ve looked a little vulnerable this month. You certainly don’t need me to tell you to think outside of the box, but with a ton of UFAs, there’s both urgency and some potential cap flexibility. Suggestion: Start by doing that thing where you figure out which one of your goalies is secretly bad and trade him to some team that doesn’t know that yet.

Chicago Blackhawks
You know what to do. You’ve known it all along. Any shame or remorse is already baked in. Now it’s time to finish the job. That means Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Max Domi and anyone else who can tie their own skates. You’re fighting for last place, it’s one of the most top-heavy draft years ever, and Gary Bettman is already drawing Blackhawks logos on ping-pong balls that he can “accidentally” drop into the lottery bin. Finish this.

Colorado Avalanche
Lots of teams around the league are hoping their core is good enough to win. You know that yours is. But injuries and an uninspired first half have put the playoffs in legitimate danger, and missing would be an absolute disaster. Flags fly forever, and you’ll note that the “flags” is plural. You’ve got one more year of Nathan MacKinnon’s sweetheart deal offering up bonus cap space, and this roster wasn’t built to only win once. Every team in the league is terrified that the Avs will load up, so do it now and figure out how to pay the bill later.

Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s been a disappointing season after a surprisingly successful summer. But that doesn’t mean it’s OK to stand pat, because … OK, look, some of these are easier than others. Ideally, the Blue Jackets can’t do much besides pray to the lottery gods and probably trade Gustav Nyquist and Vladislav Gavrikov, who is this year’s annual “guy you’d barely heard of but will apparently now fetch a first-round pick” (i.e. The Ben Chiarot Trophy). Is that even close to a blockbuster? No, so Jack Roslovic has to go too. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Dallas Stars
The Stars have a good team, but it’s not an especially young one beyond a few key pieces. They’ve got Jason Robertson on a cheap deal, Joe Pavelski as the league’s best remaining OGWAC, Ryan Suter still chugging along at almost 38, and Jake Oettinger having the sort of season we know can’t be taken for granted. Most importantly, the Avs are on the ropes, so the division and maybe conference titles are right there for the taking. Even without a first-round pick, you should absolutely be in on any and all big names who shake free.

Detroit Red Wings
Look, I love Steve Yzerman, but this isn’t working. We’re into Year 4 of the most patient rebuild of the cap era and the progress has been minimal. Of the three biggest trade acquisitions Yzerman has made, two have been put on waivers this year. Dylan Larkin isn’t signed yet, and it’s increasingly seeming like he won’t be. Enough with the slow-and-steady approach that isn’t going anywhere. Trade Larkin for as much as you can get.

Edmonton Oilers
(Against a backdrop of Connor McDavid slicing through the entire league with a samurai sword while frantically yelling “HELP ME” at Ken Holland.) You know what, it’s probably fine, stay the course and play it safe.

Florida Panthers
You have a 120-point team that’s about to miss the playoffs, and you don’t even own your first-round pick so you can’t tank. Your long-suffering fan base had to wait 25 years for a championship-caliber team, only to watch them get sand kicked in their face by their big brother in Tampa … twice. Failure can’t be an option, so even if the chances are slim, it’s time to make it clear to the league that everything is on the table.

Los Angeles Kings
The rebuild has been nice but it’s time to win a round or two. We all love Jonathan Quick, but it’s OK to admit that he’s bad now, meaning you’d have to trust your playoff run to Pheonix Copley. Should you upgrade the goaltending, or focus on the blue line? Both. Check the Coyotes entry and thank me later.

Minnesota Wild
I’m still not sure how a team can be in buyout cap hell and have lots of cap space at the same time, and I’m not ruling out someone at CapFriendly forgetting to carry the two. All the more reason to strike now before somebody figures it out. Trade Matt Dumba to one of the many teams needing blue-line help, and you’ve suddenly got all the room in the world to go after pretty much any big name.

The West is wide open and it’s been 20 years since your one trip out of the second round. Playing it safe would be the most Minnesota Wild thing ever, but there’s no way Bill Guerin goes that way, right? It’s one thing to dream of big-name Cup-winning deadline rentals; he actually was one.

Montreal Canadiens
You’ve already put half the team in the LTIR, so we can all see what direction this is headed. There’s absolutely no reason not to be willing to move anyone on the roster who isn’t named Cole or Nick, and while you’d have to package a bunch of them together to reach blockbuster status, that’s an option too. Besides, I’ve heard that sometimes the picks you trade for can end up being worth more than you expected.

Nashville Predators
There are times to buy big and times to sell big, and right now in Nashville, it’s certainly one of those times. No, seriously, pick either one. Just do something, because right now the Predators look like the prototype of a mushy middle team, for now and into the future. It’s time for David Poile to either throw good money after bad, or tap out and regroup. Spending the next five years as the easy first-round matchup for real contenders is no way to live.

New Jersey Devils
The Devils are this year’s rebuilding team that makes the unexpected leap into at least quasi-contention. Inevitably, those teams figure they’re playing with house money, are happy to just get into the playoffs, and make an early exit. Forget that. You’ve won one playoff game in 10 years and the stars are aligning perfectly this season. Sure, nobody thinks Tom Fitzgerald has the cap room to make a major move, but that’s why these guys get paid the big bucks. Pull it off, and Devils fans promise to chant “Sorry Tommy” at the next home game.

New York Islanders
Lou Lamoriello built this roster to win now, and the eventual rebuild will be rough. All the more reason to push forward now, especially with Ilya Sorokin playing fantastic on a bargain deal that’s almost up. You’ve got Semyon Varlamov on an expiring contract, all your picks to work with, and a GM who’s 110 years old with 18 Cup rings and less than zero patience.

New York Rangers
Patrick Kane is the obvious target, assuming he wants to be moved. If not, the Rangers should be in on any other big name available. You’ve got two first-round picks right now; once the deadline passes, that number should be zero. Hell, trade Kaapo Kakko while he still has some value. As an old team from the mists of history once taught me, sometimes you can’t end a Cup drought without pulling off a monster trade.

Ottawa Senators
Hot Pierre Summer might turn into Unemployed GM Spring if new owners arrive to find a team running out of the string yet again. Even if you want to put the GM’s job security aside, you can’t let Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Thomas Chabot get to a combined 15 NHL seasons without ever playing so much as a meaningful game. You’ve been talking about trading for a top-pair defenseman for three years. Enough talk, do it.

Philadelphia Flyers
Listen to me carefully: Blockade whichever mush-brained Comcast big shot still thinks you don’t need to rebuild in the executive bathroom, then trade everyone with a pulse.

Pittsburgh Penguins
We can argue over whether the Penguins should have doubled down on the core to try to squeeze one more Cup run out of the Sidney Crosby era. But they did, and there’s no point getting cold feet now. The cap is tight, but there are expiring deals to dump and tanking teams willing to take them, so it can be done.

Put it this way: Back in 1996, the Penguins didn’t add any big-name help for what turned out to be Mario Lemieux’s best chance at one more championship, then fell one agonizing win short of the final. Then again, if they hadn’t held onto their high picks that year they would have missed out on Craig Hillier, Pavel Skrbek, Boyd Kane and Boris Protsenko, so …

San Jose Sharks
This next paragraph is only for Mike Grier, anyone else is legally forbidden to read it.

Mike, it’s Sean. We need to talk about the Erik Karlsson thing. You’re handling it great so far, making it sound like you want a massive haul for him. That’s exactly the right play because the anchoring effect is real and you never know if some team will panic and overpay. But between us, that probably won’t happen, so it’s time to start thinking about a more realistic scenario where you don’t get a ransom in return but do get out from under four more years of the biggest cap hit any defenseman has ever had. He’s delivering an unexpected renaissance season and lots of teams need blue-line help right now. Find one, pretend like you’re reluctantly lowering the price to let Karlsson chase a Cup, and then make the deal for whatever you can get. I suspect that’s already the plan, but figured I’d check in just in case.

Seattle Kraken
You’re not going to shoot 12 percent every year, and the Oilers and Flames won’t be shaky every year, and Dave Hakstol won’t be Scotty Bowman every year. But all of those things are happening this year, so scrap the patient long-term plan and let all these new fans learn how much fun a long playoff run can be. Your goaltending stinks and the defense is so-so, but you have a million draft picks to offer a tanking team. The Kings are already on the phone to Arizona but you’ve still got time to outbid them.

St. Louis Blues
This isn’t your year, and it’s time for a reset. That means pending UFAs Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly both have to go once they’re healthy, with whatever retained salary it takes to maximize the return. Doug Armstrong knows the drill, from both sides, so the Blues feel like one of the few teams that might not even need me to sell them on something big.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa, can we talk? I love outside-the-box thinking, but over the last few years, you guys have drifted a little too far into the “get a cheap third-liner at the deadline” gimmick. You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling. Your stars are pushing 30, you gave all your depth guys eight-year deals for some reason, and there’s no prospect help on the way, so the future looks bleak and there may not be many kicks left at the Stanley Cup can. Granted, you have no cap room, but it’s not like that’s ever stopped you before.

Toronto Maple Leafs
If you lose in the first round again then literally everyone at MLSE is getting fired except for that one part-time popcorn vendor, and he’s getting his hours cut. If Kyle Dubas doesn’t show up to the deadline with every pick and prospect the team has ever had like he’s Captain America at the end of “Avengers: Endgame” then I don’t know what to tell you.

Vancouver Canucks
Jim Rutherford has already said he’s trading Bo Horvat, and there’s been lots of talk of Brock Boeser. Here’s a name you don’t hear much: J.T. Miller. His extension hasn’t kicked in yet, he has no trade protection, and this may be your last chance to move on from an extension that was a mistake. Yes, it might look bad to trade a guy who just made a long-term commitment to your team. It also looks bad to publicly humiliate a beloved coach for months on end, but apparently Rutherford isn’t here to win congeniality points.

Vegas Golden Knights
It’s in the league bylaws somewhere that the Knights have to do something crazy every season. Who am I kidding, you’ve probably already traded for Artemi Panarin and just haven’t announced it yet.

Washington Capitals
In a year where lots of us were ready to write them off, the Caps are right in the mix. You weren’t sure if Nicklas Backstrom would even play again, but he’s back, and Alexander Ovechkin is still chugging along at 37. Is this the very last year they have a chance at competing for a Cup before an inevitable implosion? Maybe not, but some seller out there is probably willing to bet on your upcoming doom, so let’s dangle that 2024 first-rounder for blue-line help and see who bites.

Winnipeg Jets
I know that big gutsy trades aren’t exactly Kevin Cheveldayoff’s vibe, but everything is falling into place for the Jets this year. You have a Vezina-caliber goalie doing Vezina things, a veteran coach working magic, a 27-year-old defenseman making the leap to the Norris conversation that could be temporary, and one of your best forwards may or may not have “2023-24 Habs” tattooed on his chest. Oh, and the team that owns the division is having one of those once-a-decade wobbles that clears a path for someone else.

Your fan base has seen three playoff wins in 35 years. The door is cracked right now, and you owe it to the fans to do whatever it takes to finally kick it open.

Why your NHL team should make a trade deadline blockbuster.

By Sean McIndoe

Will your team make a blockbuster between now and this year’s deadline? I don’t mean a minor addition or even a traditional pick-for-rental for move. I’m talking big and bold, the sort of move that makes fans around the league stop what they’re doing and stare at a screen with jaws dropping and eyes bulging. Creative, gutsy, confident. Will your team do something like that?

Of course not. Your team is run by an NHL GM, the timidest and most risk-averse creature in all of pro sports. Your team will tinker at best, or maybe just mumble about running out of time and not wanting to disrupt the room.

But should your team pull off a blockbuster? Yes! Or at least, you could make the case. In fact, that’s what we’re going to do today.

We’ve got 32 teams, and 32 reasons for their GMs to swing for the fences. We’ll have some overlap, some unique situations and some cases that are tougher than others. Let’s run through this one by one and see if we can convince anyone to get out of their comfort zone and make the big move.

Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks are admittedly a bit of a tough place to start because they did so much dealing last year, leaving behind a stripped-down roster that is very bad. Still, you’ve got a bunch of veteran defensemen on expiring deals, highlighted by John Klingberg. I’m not sure if moving all of them counts as a blockbuster, but maybe there’s a way to combine that with laundering everyone else’s big-contract trades.

Arizona Coyotes
Look, you guys went for it in the Connor McDavid draft and the lottery screwed you. Then you lost your nerve when it came to a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a local boy in Auston Matthews. Now it’s Connor Bedard, and this may literally be the make-or-break moment for the franchise. Teams like Chicago might want Bedard, but you guys need him, and if that means the biggest and most blatant strip-mining of a roster the league has ever seen then that’s what you do.

Jakob Chychrun is the starting point, but Karel Vejmelka needs to go too before he ruins the whole plan. Package them together, mix in Shayne Gostisbehere, eat half the salary and take back some bad deals, and you’ve solved some contender’s back-end problems in one mega-deal. Then trade for every expiring bad contract in the league and ice a Timbits intermission roster for the rest of the season. This is your last shot at this, there are no half-measures.

Boston Bruins
Yes, the season is going great, and it would be easy to say “now’s not the time.” But it’s exactly the time, because this might be it for the Patrice Bergeron era. David Pastrnak too, if we’re thinking worst-case. You have a new coach whose message is still resonating, a goalie having a career year, a bunch of veterans playing great, and no prospects on the way. All the chips go into the middle right now.

Buffalo Sabres
The fans deserve it. Tage Thompson deserves it. And maybe most important of all: You guys are just weirdly good at midseason trades. They’re how you got Pat LaFontaine, Danny Briere and Rene Robert. You turned the Jack Eichel mess into a win. Even the Ryan Miller trade worked out OK. And if that’s not enough, we’re coming up on the 30-year anniversary of your 1993 trade for Grant Fuhr, and that trade directly preceded eight years of the greatest goaltending in franchise history. That last sentence is factually correct, don’t think too hard about it.

Calgary Flames
We know you have it in you, because you made the summer’s biggest blockbuster. That was part of an offseason that was meant to keep you contending. But right now you’re barely holding down a playoff spot, and that’s with a bunch of contracts that we know won’t age well. It’s time to shake things up. And as an added bonus: If you make a big move to secure a playoff spot, that could mean you’re taking it from Edmonton, which would make their entire fan base weep openly.

Carolina Hurricanes
The Metro still looks like it’s yours to lose, even as you’ve looked a little vulnerable this month. You certainly don’t need me to tell you to think outside of the box, but with a ton of UFAs, there’s both urgency and some potential cap flexibility. Suggestion: Start by doing that thing where you figure out which one of your goalies is secretly bad and trade him to some team that doesn’t know that yet.

Chicago Blackhawks
You know what to do. You’ve known it all along. Any shame or remorse is already baked in. Now it’s time to finish the job. That means Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Max Domi and anyone else who can tie their own skates. You’re fighting for last place, it’s one of the most top-heavy draft years ever, and Gary Bettman is already drawing Blackhawks logos on ping-pong balls that he can “accidentally” drop into the lottery bin. Finish this.

Colorado Avalanche
Lots of teams around the league are hoping their core is good enough to win. You know that yours is. But injuries and an uninspired first half have put the playoffs in legitimate danger, and missing would be an absolute disaster. Flags fly forever, and you’ll note that the “flags” is plural. You’ve got one more year of Nathan MacKinnon’s sweetheart deal offering up bonus cap space, and this roster wasn’t built to only win once. Every team in the league is terrified that the Avs will load up, so do it now and figure out how to pay the bill later.

Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s been a disappointing season after a surprisingly successful summer. But that doesn’t mean it’s OK to stand pat, because … OK, look, some of these are easier than others. Ideally, the Blue Jackets can’t do much besides pray to the lottery gods and probably trade Gustav Nyquist and Vladislav Gavrikov, who is this year’s annual “guy you’d barely heard of but will apparently now fetch a first-round pick” (i.e. The Ben Chiarot Trophy). Is that even close to a blockbuster? No, so Jack Roslovic has to go too. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Dallas Stars
The Stars have a good team, but it’s not an especially young one beyond a few key pieces. They’ve got Jason Robertson on a cheap deal, Joe Pavelski as the league’s best remaining OGWAC, Ryan Suter still chugging along at almost 38, and Jake Oettinger having the sort of season we know can’t be taken for granted. Most importantly, the Avs are on the ropes, so the division and maybe conference titles are right there for the taking. Even without a first-round pick, you should absolutely be in on any and all big names who shake free.

Detroit Red Wings
Look, I love Steve Yzerman, but this isn’t working. We’re into Year 4 of the most patient rebuild of the cap era and the progress has been minimal. Of the three biggest trade acquisitions Yzerman has made, two have been put on waivers this year. Dylan Larkin isn’t signed yet, and it’s increasingly seeming like he won’t be. Enough with the slow-and-steady approach that isn’t going anywhere. Trade Larkin for as much as you can get.

Edmonton Oilers
(Against a backdrop of Connor McDavid slicing through the entire league with a samurai sword while frantically yelling “HELP ME” at Ken Holland.) You know what, it’s probably fine, stay the course and play it safe.

Florida Panthers
You have a 120-point team that’s about to miss the playoffs, and you don’t even own your first-round pick so you can’t tank. Your long-suffering fan base had to wait 25 years for a championship-caliber team, only to watch them get sand kicked in their face by their big brother in Tampa … twice. Failure can’t be an option, so even if the chances are slim, it’s time to make it clear to the league that everything is on the table.

Los Angeles Kings
The rebuild has been nice but it’s time to win a round or two. We all love Jonathan Quick, but it’s OK to admit that he’s bad now, meaning you’d have to trust your playoff run to Pheonix Copley. Should you upgrade the goaltending, or focus on the blue line? Both. Check the Coyotes entry and thank me later.

Minnesota Wild
I’m still not sure how a team can be in buyout cap hell and have lots of cap space at the same time, and I’m not ruling out someone at CapFriendly forgetting to carry the two. All the more reason to strike now before somebody figures it out. Trade Matt Dumba to one of the many teams needing blue-line help, and you’ve suddenly got all the room in the world to go after pretty much any big name.

The West is wide open and it’s been 20 years since your one trip out of the second round. Playing it safe would be the most Minnesota Wild thing ever, but there’s no way Bill Guerin goes that way, right? It’s one thing to dream of big-name Cup-winning deadline rentals; he actually was one.

Montreal Canadiens
You’ve already put half the team in the LTIR, so we can all see what direction this is headed. There’s absolutely no reason not to be willing to move anyone on the roster who isn’t named Cole or Nick, and while you’d have to package a bunch of them together to reach blockbuster status, that’s an option too. Besides, I’ve heard that sometimes the picks you trade for can end up being worth more than you expected.

Nashville Predators
There are times to buy big and times to sell big, and right now in Nashville, it’s certainly one of those times. No, seriously, pick either one. Just do something, because right now the Predators look like the prototype of a mushy middle team, for now and into the future. It’s time for David Poile to either throw good money after bad, or tap out and regroup. Spending the next five years as the easy first-round matchup for real contenders is no way to live.

New Jersey Devils
The Devils are this year’s rebuilding team that makes the unexpected leap into at least quasi-contention. Inevitably, those teams figure they’re playing with house money, are happy to just get into the playoffs, and make an early exit. Forget that. You’ve won one playoff game in 10 years and the stars are aligning perfectly this season. Sure, nobody thinks Tom Fitzgerald has the cap room to make a major move, but that’s why these guys get paid the big bucks. Pull it off, and Devils fans promise to chant “Sorry Tommy” at the next home game.

New York Islanders
Lou Lamoriello built this roster to win now, and the eventual rebuild will be rough. All the more reason to push forward now, especially with Ilya Sorokin playing fantastic on a bargain deal that’s almost up. You’ve got Semyon Varlamov on an expiring contract, all your picks to work with, and a GM who’s 110 years old with 18 Cup rings and less than zero patience.

New York Rangers
Patrick Kane is the obvious target, assuming he wants to be moved. If not, the Rangers should be in on any other big name available. You’ve got two first-round picks right now; once the deadline passes, that number should be zero. Hell, trade Kaapo Kakko while he still has some value. As an old team from the mists of history once taught me, sometimes you can’t end a Cup drought without pulling off a monster trade.

Ottawa Senators
Hot Pierre Summer might turn into Unemployed GM Spring if new owners arrive to find a team running out of the string yet again. Even if you want to put the GM’s job security aside, you can’t let Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Thomas Chabot get to a combined 15 NHL seasons without ever playing so much as a meaningful game. You’ve been talking about trading for a top-pair defenseman for three years. Enough talk, do it.

Philadelphia Flyers
Listen to me carefully: Blockade whichever mush-brained Comcast big shot still thinks you don’t need to rebuild in the executive bathroom, then trade everyone with a pulse.

Pittsburgh Penguins
We can argue over whether the Penguins should have doubled down on the core to try to squeeze one more Cup run out of the Sidney Crosby era. But they did, and there’s no point getting cold feet now. The cap is tight, but there are expiring deals to dump and tanking teams willing to take them, so it can be done.

Put it this way: Back in 1996, the Penguins didn’t add any big-name help for what turned out to be Mario Lemieux’s best chance at one more championship, then fell one agonizing win short of the final. Then again, if they hadn’t held onto their high picks that year they would have missed out on Craig Hillier, Pavel Skrbek, Boyd Kane and Boris Protsenko, so …

San Jose Sharks
This next paragraph is only for Mike Grier, anyone else is legally forbidden to read it.

Mike, it’s Sean. We need to talk about the Erik Karlsson thing. You’re handling it great so far, making it sound like you want a massive haul for him. That’s exactly the right play because the anchoring effect is real and you never know if some team will panic and overpay. But between us, that probably won’t happen, so it’s time to start thinking about a more realistic scenario where you don’t get a ransom in return but do get out from under four more years of the biggest cap hit any defenseman has ever had. He’s delivering an unexpected renaissance season and lots of teams need blue-line help right now. Find one, pretend like you’re reluctantly lowering the price to let Karlsson chase a Cup, and then make the deal for whatever you can get. I suspect that’s already the plan, but figured I’d check in just in case.

Seattle Kraken
You’re not going to shoot 12 percent every year, and the Oilers and Flames won’t be shaky every year, and Dave Hakstol won’t be Scotty Bowman every year. But all of those things are happening this year, so scrap the patient long-term plan and let all these new fans learn how much fun a long playoff run can be. Your goaltending stinks and the defense is so-so, but you have a million draft picks to offer a tanking team. The Kings are already on the phone to Arizona but you’ve still got time to outbid them.

St. Louis Blues
This isn’t your year, and it’s time for a reset. That means pending UFAs Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly both have to go once they’re healthy, with whatever retained salary it takes to maximize the return. Doug Armstrong knows the drill, from both sides, so the Blues feel like one of the few teams that might not even need me to sell them on something big.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa, can we talk? I love outside-the-box thinking, but over the last few years, you guys have drifted a little too far into the “get a cheap third-liner at the deadline” gimmick. You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling. Your stars are pushing 30, you gave all your depth guys eight-year deals for some reason, and there’s no prospect help on the way, so the future looks bleak and there may not be many kicks left at the Stanley Cup can. Granted, you have no cap room, but it’s not like that’s ever stopped you before.

Toronto Maple Leafs
If you lose in the first round again then literally everyone at MLSE is getting fired except for that one part-time popcorn vendor, and he’s getting his hours cut. If Kyle Dubas doesn’t show up to the deadline with every pick and prospect the team has ever had like he’s Captain America at the end of “Avengers: Endgame” then I don’t know what to tell you.

Vancouver Canucks
Jim Rutherford has already said he’s trading Bo Horvat, and there’s been lots of talk of Brock Boeser. Here’s a name you don’t hear much: J.T. Miller. His extension hasn’t kicked in yet, he has no trade protection, and this may be your last chance to move on from an extension that was a mistake. Yes, it might look bad to trade a guy who just made a long-term commitment to your team. It also looks bad to publicly humiliate a beloved coach for months on end, but apparently Rutherford isn’t here to win congeniality points.

Vegas Golden Knights
It’s in the league bylaws somewhere that the Knights have to do something crazy every season. Who am I kidding, you’ve probably already traded for Artemi Panarin and just haven’t announced it yet.

Washington Capitals
In a year where lots of us were ready to write them off, the Caps are right in the mix. You weren’t sure if Nicklas Backstrom would even play again, but he’s back, and Alexander Ovechkin is still chugging along at 37. Is this the very last year they have a chance at competing for a Cup before an inevitable implosion? Maybe not, but some seller out there is probably willing to bet on your upcoming doom, so let’s dangle that 2024 first-rounder for blue-line help and see who bites.

Winnipeg Jets
I know that big gutsy trades aren’t exactly Kevin Cheveldayoff’s vibe, but everything is falling into place for the Jets this year. You have a Vezina-caliber goalie doing Vezina things, a veteran coach working magic, a 27-year-old defenseman making the leap to the Norris conversation that could be temporary, and one of your best forwards may or may not have “2023-24 Habs” tattooed on his chest. Oh, and the team that owns the division is having one of those once-a-decade wobbles that clears a path for someone else.

Your fan base has seen three playoff wins in 35 years. The door is cracked right now, and you owe it to the fans to do whatever it takes to finally kick it open.
- LeftCoaster

Thanks, Lefty!

Thanks, Lefty!
- Nucker101

I especially liked this line:

“ Put it this way: Back in 1996, the Penguins didn’t add any big-name help for what turned out to be Mario Lemieux’s best chance at one more championship, then fell one agonizing win short of the final. Then again, if they hadn’t held onto their high picks that year they would have missed out on Craig Hillier, Pavel Skrbek, Boyd Kane and Boris Protsenko, so…”