CarterHud

The Golden Knights came into the league as the people’s team, a group of misfits who were one of the league’s best squads. But in the four years since then, Vegas has become an easy team to despise. They have ditched loyalty to go for every star possible, and have been to salary cap hell and back. Even though they spoke a big game, they failed to make the playoffs in the weakest division in years. Injuries decimated the roster last season. Sadly for Vegas, the bug has already struck, before the year even starts.

Offseason additions: F Phil Kessel, G Adin Hill.

Offseason subtractions: F Max Pacioretty, F Evgenii Dadonov, D Dylan Coghlan, F Mattias Janmark.

Forwards

This team is not the same when Mark Stone isn’t on it. Their captain was limited to just 37 games last year, in which his 30 points were disappointing on its own. That isn’t to say that Stone didn’t produce when he played; his 3.43 goals for per 60 at even strength led the team. Even though Stone was out for the majority of the season, it didn’t stop Chandler Stephenson from having a career season. Stephenson’s 21 goals and 64 points were easily the most of his career. While he was a bottom-six player before coming to Vegas, he has always had a good shot, as Stephenson’s career shooting percentage is 15.9 percent. Stephenson was the team’s top center last year, but there is the enticing opportunity to move him to the wing, so he and Stone could play with Jack Eichel. After finally getting out of Buffalo and his desired neck surgery, Eichel returned to play 34 games for Vegas. While he did have 14 goals, Eichel had just 25 total points. Maybe he can return to his point-per-game pace in a fully healthy season.

The team leader for goals and points was Jonathan Marchessault, as he tied his career-high 30 goals, while adding 36 assists. Marchessault had a GA/60 that was better than any regular Golden Knight defender, as did center William Karlsson. The offensive production from Karlsson has predictably gone down since he scored 43 goals, as he scored just 12 goals with 35 points in 67 games last season. Karlsson still has a big role on the team, and has gotten Lady Byng votes in all five seasons as a Golden Knight. Amidst all of the salary cap problems the Golden Knights have dealt with, they were still able to extend Reilly Smith for three seasons. Smith struggled in 2020-21, but rebounded with 38 points in 56 games in 2021-22. His 3.08 xGF/60 was the best among top-six forwards on the team.

Another player who was extended by Vegas this offseason was Nicolas Roy, who will get $15 million over the next five seasons. Roy played all around the lineup and scored 15 goals with 39 points in 78 games. In 85 career games prior to last season, he had just 25 points. The Golden Knights didn’t have a ton of positive moves this offseason, but they were able to bring in Phil Kessel. He brings a ton of fun to the lineup, and can still contribute offensively. Kessel has historically been a sniper, but had just a 4.6 shooting percentage and eight goals for the Coyotes last season. He made up for it with 44 assists, for a total of 52 points on a terrible Arizona squad. Of course, defense will be an issue for Kessel. After failing to keep a spot with the Rangers, Brett Howden came over last offseason in a minor trade. Playing in 47 games, Howden had 20 points with a 57 GF%.

The Golden Knights made a very solid waiver claim midseason when they acquired Michael Amadio from the Maple Leafs. Amadio played in 53 games, scoring 11 goals with a team-leading 57.8 xGF%. He could have gotten a lot for recognition if not for an unlucky 97.4 PDO. After trading away Ryan Reaves, the team’s physicality came from Keegan Kolesar last year. His 246 hits led the team by nearly 90, and he chipped in 24 points. The team’s leader in xGF/60 last year was… William Carrier? He only had 20 points in 63 games, but a 3.24 xGF/60. It wasn’t just one-way, as Carrier has a GF% and an xGF% above fifty-seven. A third-round pick in 2017, Jonas Rondbjerg played in his first 30 NHL games last season, with six points. He broke out in the AHL, scoring 14 goals with 13 assists in 39 games. Another depth forward who got into a ton of games was Jake Leschyshyn, who had six points in 41 games. At the AHL level, he had 27 points in 34 games.

Defensemen

The underlying results from Alex Pietrangelo have not been good since he left St. Louis for Vegas. He did have 44 points in 80 games last year and somehow got a Norris vote, but Pietrangelo had the second-worst GF% and xGF% among returning Vegas defenders. The only guy worse than him was his most common defensive partner. Sure, he was playing without Alec Martinez for a majority of the season, but Pietrangelo shouldn’t have to rely on his partner to carry his numbers. He is twentieth all-time in blocked shots, which have been recorded since 2005-06, and another 100 this year would move him up at least five spots. Martinez only played in 26 games in 2021-22, and still managed to block 68 shots.

Shea Theodore’s offensive talent continues to improve, as he set new career-highs with 14 goals and 52 points last season. Theodore hits a surprisingly low amount for a guy averaging over 23 minutes a game, but he makes up for it with a 2.88 xGF/60. The physicality comes from his partner, Brayden McNabb, whose 18 points were his most in five seasons as a Golden Knight. McNabb played in 69 games, blocking 179 shots with 154 hits.

The Vegas defender who should have gotten more recognition last season was Zach Whitecloud, who excelled in a bottom-pairing role. Whitecloud had a 2.2 xGA/60 and a 55.9 xGF%, which were both the best on the team’s defensive core. The six-foot-six Nic Hague got to play with Pietrangelo last season when Martinez was out, but he should return back to the bottom-pair now. Hague had a 48.4 GF%, and the only other regular defender on the team below fifty was Dylan Coghlan, who was traded away. Vegas signed Ben Hutton to be extra insurance, but he ended up playing in 58 games, albeit in a small role. Hutton recorded 13 points, with 72 blocked shots.

Goaltending

The news that Robin Lehner would miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season came way too late in the offseason for Vegas to still have options. His backup from last year, Laurent Brossoit, is also dealing with an injury. The best option right now is Logan Thompson, who was solid in 19 starts last year, posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.68 GAA. The Golden Knights got another option in Adin Hill, who between the Coyotes and Sharks, has spent his entire career in the Pacific Division. Hill had a .906 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA in 25 games last season.

Projected Lines

Chandler Stephenson – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone

Reilly Smith – William Karlsson – Jonathan Marchessault

Brett Howden – Nicolas Roy – Phil Kessel

William Carrier – Keegan Kolesar – Michael Amadio

Scratched: Jonas Rondbjerg, Jake Leschyshyn

Alec Martinez – Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore

Nic Hague – Zach Whitecloud

Scratched: Ben Hutton

Logan Thompson

Adin Hill

The Canucks may not have made the playoffs in a weak Pacific Division, but last year did bring some promising positives. For one, they have a very solid core, one that was not separated despite rumors this offseason. Also, they had a great second half. After Bruce Boudreau took over as head coach, Vancouver went 32-15-10. That is a pace for 106 points over a full season! The team may not be that good, but they showed that they could be a contender. Execution over a full season is the only thing missing.

Offseason additions: F Ilya Mikheyev, F Andrei Kuzmenko, F Curtis Lazar, G Collin Delia, D Danny DeKeyser (PTO).

Offseason subtractions: F Alex Chiasson, G Jaroslav Halak, D Brad Hunt, F Matthew Highmore, F Juho Lammikko.

Forwards

Even though his first two seasons with the team were great, it didn’t feel like we knew that JT Miller was a superstar for sure until 2021-22. Not only was he first on the team in points, but it wasn’t close. Miller had 99 points, while no other player had 70. After over a year of vague trade rumblings, Miller secured a seven-year, $56 million extension this offseason. The other big contract signed by the team this summer showed a lot loss confidence, as Brock Boeser only got a three-year deal in restricted free agency. Boeser has been unable to reach the magic of his rookie season, and his 46 points in 71 games last season was the worst of his career. Boeser is normally touted for his shot, but had just a 6.65 on-ice shooting percentage at even strength, so there is reason to chalk it up to bad luck. With Miller playing a lot more center last season, the left wing depth certainly is weaker for the Canucks. Tanner Pearson is coming off a rebound season, but he only scored 14 goals in it. Pearson’s goals for percentage of fifty-nine was the second-highest on the team.

The face of the franchise is supposed to be Elias Pettersson, but he was lost for the first part of last season. Through his first 37 games, Pettersson scored just six goals with 11 assists. It was a mind-boggling cold streak for an elite player. Luckily, he looked more like himself after that scoring 26 goals with 51 points in the final 43 games of the year. While his 32 goals and 68 points were both career-highs, the Canucks should expect more out of Pettersson. While the beginning of the season had a ton of lows, the addition of Conor Garland was not one of them. Acquired from Arizona in the offseason, Garland scored 19 goals with 33 assists for 52 points in 77 games. Garland had a 53.96 xGF% and a 60.87 GF%, both of which led the team. While he may not be well known yet outside of Vancouver circles, then hope is that Andrei Kuzmenko can be an impact player for the top-six. An undrafted 26-year-old, Kuzmenko was signed from St. Petersburg SKA of the KHL. He scored 20 goals with 53 total points in 45 games for them last year, and added 14 in 16 postseason games.

Captain Bo Horvat’s potential role as the third line center is not a commentary on his play, rather on the strength of Vancouver’s center depth. Horvat scored 31 goals in 70 games last year while adding 21 assists. He plays on both special teams units, and received a Selke vote for the first time in his career last season. Horvat’s defensive work would go well with Ilya Mikheyev, who priced his way out of Toronto by scoring 21 goals in 53 games last season. While it was the first time that he had shown the ability to score that much, Mikheyev also rocked a 57.67 xGF%. Vancouver entered the season with Calder hype for Vasily Podkolzin. While he didn’t deliver on that, Podkolzin still had a fine rookie campaign. He scored 14 goals with 12 assists, and that is in a much smaller role than other rookies around the league. As long as he is playing in the top-nine, Podkolzin can expect to have a very good linemate, or two, which could increase his scoring.

The additions of Kuzmenko and Mikheyev will end up hurting Nils Hoglander the most. The talent is there with the 2019 second-round pick, but the production hasn’t been. Playing in 60 games, he scored ten goals with eight assists. His ice time was cut back from his solid rookie season, which is a bit of a concern. Still, Hoglander had the fourth-best xGF% among the team’s forwards. The Canucks tried to take advantage of the expansion draft last year and plucked Jason Dickinson from the Stars. However, Dickinson struggled in his first year with the team. He had just 11 points in 62 games, which is not the concern. The concern is his 2.65 xGA/60, the second-worst on the team, and his 43.6 xGF%, the worst. Dickinson’s poor play was enough for the team to have already signed a potential replacement in Curtis Lazar. An effective part of Boston’s bottom line last season, Lazar scored eight goals with 186 hits last season. Longtime AHL player Justin Dowling landed with the Canucks last year after being in the Stars system since 2012-13. Dowling had four points in 22 NHL games, and 14 in 15 AHL contests.

Defensemen

The defensive concerns with Quinn Hughes are real, as he had the worst xGA/60 on the Vancouver defensive core. But there is no denying his offensive skill. Hughes had 68 points in 76 games, finishing eighth among defenders in scoring. He was included on nine different Norris ballots. To try and curb Hughes’ defensive struggles, the Canucks put him with veteran Luke Schenn, who may have found a home in Vancouver. Schenn had 17 points in 66 games, along with 273 hits and a 57.8 goals for percentage.

The Canucks acquired a lost Oliver Ekman-Larsson from the Coyotes. In his first season with the team, the results were much, much better, although still not close to prime Ekman-Larsson. His production was still low, as Ekman-Larsson had just 29 points. He had a 50.55 xGF%, the second-best on the D-core. The always-polarizing Tyler Myers had 18 points last year, which was a career-low. But he is still using his body, and has stayed healthy since signing with Vancouver. Myers blocked 148 shots with 145 hits last season.

Vancouver made a savvy move at the deadline by sending a third-round pick to Toronto for Travis Dermott. While he isn’t physical and has always played in a sheltered role, Dermott has brought solid results. He had a 53.6 xGF% after the trade, which was much better than any other regular Vancouver defender. The Canucks still owe Tucker Poolman $7.5 million over the next three seasons after a giving him a confusing four-year deal in free agency last season. Poolman had been a depth defender for the Jets before, and continued to be one last year. Poolman played in 40 games last year, blocking 73 shots. While he only had five career NHL games entering last season, Kyle Burroughs ended up playing in 42 for the Canucks last year. He had five points with 39 penalty minutes and 122 hits. Veteran Danny DeKeyser is in Canucks camp on a PTO after ten seasons in Detroit. Once a strong second-pairing defender, DeKeyser has hit a tough aging curve. He had 11 points in 59 games for the Red Wings last year.

Goaltending

His standard numbers have never looked great, but Thatcher Demko is a star. He had a .915 save percentage with a 2.72 GAA last season, which is solid. Demko had a 7.3 goals saved above expected, and finished in the top-ten the season before. It is hard to think about where this team would have been last year without Demko. He is a workhorse who may have to work even harder without a veteran backup. Twenty-seven-year-old Spencer Martin made his first NHL start since 2016-17 last season, and had a .950 save percentage in six games. In 25 AHL contests, Martin had a 2.43 GAA with a .914 save percentage.

Projected Lines

Tanner Pearson – JT Miller – Brock Boeser

Andrei Kuzmenko – Elias Pettersson – Conor Garland

Ilya Mikheyev – Bo Horvat – Vasily Podkolzin

Nils Hoglander – Jason Dickinson – Curtis Lazar

Scratched: Justin Dowling

Quinn Hughes – Luke Schenn

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Tyler Myers

Travis Dermott – Tucker Poolman

Scratched: Danny DeKeyser, Kyle Burroughs

Thatcher Demko

Spencer Martin

How did it happen again. The Maple Leafs lost in the first round of the playoffs, but no one was really surprised. It felt like the confirmation of a curse existing. This past offseason was divisive in the Leafs’ community, but in the end it feels like GM Kyle Dubas built a team destined for playoff failure. He re-tooled the goaltending and had to adjust the bottom-six. Is it enough? Well, the last few Toronto teams should have delivered a lot more than they did.

Offseason additions: G Matt Murray, F Calle Jarnkrok, G Ilya Samsonov, F Nic Aube-Kubel, F Adam Gaudette, D Victor Mete, D Jordie Benn, F Zach Aston-Reese (PTO).

Offseason subtractions: G Jack Campbell, F Ilya Mikheyev, F Jason Spezza, F Ondrej Kase, D Ilya Lyubushkin, F Colin Blackwell, G Petr Mrazek.

Forwards

Sorry Alex Ovechkin, but there is a new goal scoring champion in town. For the second consecutive season, the Rocket Richard went to Auston Matthews. Scoring 60 goals with 106 points in 73 games, Matthews also took home his first Hart Trophy. Not only did he have a 4.57 goals for per 60 at even strength, but Matthews had a ridiculous 64.16 xGF%. The entire Toronto top line was above sixty, making up three of the eight forwards to do so (minimum 500 TOI). Mitch Marner crushed his career-high in goals by scoring 35. He also added 62 assists in 72 games for a total of 97 points. Marner finished fourth in Lady Byng voting, and sixteenth for the Selke. The only wingers ahead of him in the latter were Marcus Foligno and Brad Marchand. Twenty-six-year-old rookie Michael Bunting finished third in Calder voting, scoring 23 goals with 63 points after signing with the Leafs as an unrestricted free agent, and not because of a non-tender. Bunting was the perfect replacement for Zach Hyman, as an undersized winger who brings the tenacity next to Matthews and Marner.

Toronto has a few injuries that could cost a few weeks to start the season, with captain John Tavares being one of them. As of now, it doesn’t appear that he will miss significant time. While he is noticeably slower and hasn’t gotten any awards hype since his first season with the team, Tavares still produced last year. He scored 27 goals with 76 points in 79 games. The biggest thing to be concerned about is that Tavares’ goals per game in his last two seasons are the second-and-third-worst of his career, ahead of only his rookie season. In the games that Tavares does miss, Alex Kerfoot will likely move over to center. Kerfoot’s 51 points were a career-high, a refreshing sight to see after his Leafs tenure started with some disappointing scoring paces. The 2021-22 season felt like the one where Leafs fans finally shut up about William Nylander, at least in a negative way. It was easily Nylander’s best season, as he scored 34 goals with 80 points, both career-highs. He also performed in the playoffs again, with seven points in seven games.

Surviving the usual Leafs’ trade buzz is Pierre Engvall, who broke out offensively last season. He scored 15 goals with 35 points. Engvall’s 20 assists alone would have been a career-high. He also led the team with a goals against per 60 of just 1.69. A lot of that could be attributed to the impact brought by David Kampf, who received a Selke vote while scoring a career-high 11 goals. Kampf had a 2.09 xGA/60. Now famous for fumbling the Stanley Cup, Nic Aube-Kubel was a very solid waiver pickup for Colorado last season, scoring 11 goals with 11 assists in 67 games. While he didn’t have any points, Aube-Kubel played in 14 games during Colorado’s winning run.

With Jason Spezza retiring, the Leafs need a fourth line center. That could cause Calle Jarnkrok to drop down to the bottom line. He had 26 points in 49 games for the Kraken before struggling after a trade to Calgary. Jarnkrok has scored 97 goals over the last seven seasons, providing solid secondary scoring for Seattle and Nashville. Wayne Simmonds doesn’t provide offense anymore, but he has been a physical veteran for Toronto’s lineup over the past two seasons. While playing less than ten minutes a night, Simmonds had 148 hits and 16 points in 72 games in 2021-22. The Maple Leafs have a very solid option in training camp on a professional tryout in Zach Aston-Reese. He had 15 points with 231 hits for the Penguins and Ducks last year. Before that, he was a staple of a shutdown Pittsburgh fourth line. If they don’t Aston-Reese, then Kyle Clifford would be in line for a role. After being re-acquired from the Blues, Clifford had three points and 48 hits in 23 games. Adam Gaudette has bounced around from team to team over the past two seasons, with Toronto being his newest stop. Gaudette had 14 points in 58 games for the Blackhawks and Senators last season.

Defensemen

Some defensive concerns remain, but Morgan Rielly had another productive season in 2021-22. Rielly finished 11th in Norris voting while scoring ten goals with 58 assists. While injuries limited him to just 47 games, the numbers on Jake Muzzin were surprisingly rough last season. Muzzin had 14 points with 105 hits. However, his GF% was just 45.72 percent, with a 3.17 GA/60.

Rielly played a ton with TJ Brodie last year, but that could change with Brodie’s old Calgary captain, Mark Giordano, staying with the Leafs. Giordano signed a very team-friendly deal to stay with the Maple Leafs after they acquired him at the deadline. Giordano had 12 points in 20 regular season games after a trade from Seattle. Brodie himself is no scrub, with his 2.33 GA/60 being the best on Toronto’s defensive core last season.

The Leafs just signed restricted free agent Rasmus Sandin after he had encouraging numbers in 51 games last season. Sandin had a 59 percent expected goals for rate, while putting up 16 points in 51 games. The Leafs will be down Timothy Liljegren for about a month after he too had very impressive numbers last season. That opens the door for Justin Holl to play more. Holl had a career-high 23 points in 69 games last season, while adding 104 blocked shots and 129 hits. While he only has five goals in 236 career games, Victor Mete has given the Habs and Senators a power play option during his five-year career. Mete had seven assists in 37 games for Ottawa last season.

Goaltending

The Maple Leafs completely changed their goaltending tandem during the season. But will it work? Ilya Samsonov was supposed to be the guy of the future in Washington, but he was non-tendered after a rough season. Samsonov had a -11.15 goals saved above expected in 44 games, with a .896 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA. The other option is Matt Murray, who has been on the decline for a number of years now, but still had a positive GSAx last season. Starting only 20 games while dealing with injuries, Murray had a .906 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA for Ottawa.

Projected Lines

Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner

Alex Kerfoot – John Tavares – William Nylander

Pierre Engvall – David Kampf – Nic Aube-Kubel

Zach Aston-Reese – Calle Jarnkrok – Wayne Simmonds

Scratched: Kyle Clifford, Adam Gaudette

Morgan Rielly – Jake Muzzin

Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie

Rasmus Sandin – Justin Holl

Scratched: Victor Mete

Ilya Samsonov

Matt Murray

It didn’t happen until the Stanley Cup Finals, but a team finally eliminated the Lightning. The Avalanche were simply the better squad, but that doesn’t close the window for Tampa Bay’s third cup in four seasons. They have quickly rebuilt their bottom-six, which supplements an outstanding top-two lines. This offseason saw them extend a ton of young players long term, so a lot of guys aren’t going anywhere for a long time.

Offseason additions: D Ian Cole, F Vladislav Namestnikov, D Philippe Myers, D Haydn Fleury.

Offseason subtractions: D Ryan McDonagh, F Ondrej Palat, D Jan Rutta.

Forwards

The loss of Ondrej Palat really weakens the left side of the forward core. What doesn’t help is that center Anthony Cirelli could miss the first two months or so of the season with an injury. Cirelli’s injury will make the opening night lineup look scary, but as long as they are in the playoffs, the Lightning don’t really care about the regular season. A prime example of that is Nikita Kucherov, who did play in the regular season in 2021-22, but only for 47 games. He scored 25 goals with 69 points, which is a pace that would come close to his 128-point, Hart-winning 2018-19 season. At even strength, Kucherov was on the ice for a ridiculous 4.29 goals for per 60 minutes. While he led the team in goals in both Cup-winning runs, Brayden Point only played in nine playoff games, with just five points. Limited to just 66 contests in the regular season, Point scored 28 goals with 58 points. Tampa Bay could turn into a full one-line team if they keep Steven Stamkos on the top line. In his first full regular season since 2018-19, Stamkos scored 42 goals with 106 points, and was once again the best player on the team. He added 11 more goals in the postseason. He played more center this year, but Tampa likes him on the wing. With Cirelli out, he could move over.

In his tenth season with the Lightning, Alex Killorn’s 59 points was his highest. Twenty-five of them were goals. One potentially concerning thing about Killorn is that he was the only regular forward on the team with an expected goals for percentage under fifty. Cirelli’s injury means that Nick Paul will have to step into the top-six for the time being. After coming over at the deadline from Ottawa, he had 14 points in 21 games, then added nine more in the postseason. Paul is a big body with defensive talent like Cirelli, although he lacks the offensive upside. The other big move made at the trade deadline was for Brandon Hagel, who rode a shooting percentage over twenty to a 25-goal season. With only six points in the playoffs and 13 in 45 total games after the trade, Hagel showed that his true role with the Lightning is as a middle-six winger, not the scorer that he was in Chicago.

Four years after the Lightning traded him away for Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller, Vladislav Namestnikov has made his return to Tampa Bay, just after McDonagh was traded to Nashville. He has been on five teams since that 2018 trade, where his scoring has fallen off. Namestnikov did score 16 goals with 30 points for Detroit and Dallas in 2021-22. Ross Colton was the team’s Swiss Army knife last season, playing all over the lineup. That didn’t deter his scoring, as Colton potted 22 goals in his first full NHL season. After dominating in the AHL once again, Alex Barre-Boulet once again sees himself without a clear role. For now, he could get a chance on the third line. Barre-Boulet had six points in 16 games for the Lightning and Kraken last year. He played in 58 AHL games, finishing with 63 points.

When Tampa Bay lost their third line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman, and Barclay Goodrow in free agency last year, they replaced them by moving their younger players to the third line, and building a shutdown veteran fourth line. The center of that line was Pierre-Edouard Bellmare, the 37-year-old who tied his career-high in goals, with nine. Bellmare makes his living in his own end, or rather by not being in it too often. He was on the ice for just 1.18 goals against per 60 at even strength, leading the team. That was just ahead of lineman Patrick Maroon at 1.28. Easily the more physical player, Maroon scored 11 goals with 27 points, as well as 134 penalty minutes and 160 hits. The best thing for Tampa’s bottom-six was a rejuvenation season for Corey Perry. Sure, he didn’t score 50 goals like he did back in 2010-11, but Perry’s 19 goals were his most since 2016-17, and his 40 points were a lot more than anyone expected. Perry added 11 points in the playoffs, en route to his third consecutive Stanley Cup final loss. The forward depth options are thin, so the Lightning will have to reach deep into their AHL bag for potential contributors. The most likely name is Cole Koepke, a sixth-round pick back in 2018. While he has never played in the NHL, Koepke scored 20 goals in 69 AHL games this past season. Another option is Gemel Smith, who has four points in eight games for the Lightning over two seasons. He went to Detroit for a little bit before returning to the Syracuse Crunch and putting up eight points in 13 games.

Defensemen

While the analytics community didn’t love Victor Hedman in 2020-21, he still finished third in Norris voting. In 2021-22, every community was all over Hedman. Once again, he was third in Norris voting. Hedman scored 20 goals for the first time, and also set a new career-high in points, with 85. His 65 assists alone would have been the second most points of his career. Hedman’s normal partner, Jan Rutta, signed with Pittsburgh. Zach Bogosian will also be out until November at the earliest. That provides a fantastic opportunity for Cal Foote to step in and earn his stay in the NHL. Foote averaged just over 13 minutes a night in the 56 games he played in, recording nine points.

The pairing of Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev both signed eight-year extensions in the offseason, locking in a potential second pair for the next nine seasons. Cernak had 13 points in 55 games, with 165 hits. He added 84 more checks in 23 playoff games. Sergachev had 38 points, his most since 2017-18, when he was just 19. In each season since, he has taken on a bigger ice time share and a more physical role. Sergachev was the only Lightning player with triple digit hits and blocked shots in the regular season alone.

Filling in the void left by McDonagh’s departure will be Ian Cole, who had 104 blocks and 110 hits for Carolina last year. The Lightning are set to be the veteran’s seventh NHL team, and that doesn’t include when he was traded to Ottawa for a few days in the middle of the 2017-18 season. The return for McDonagh included Philippe Myers, a six-foot-five defender who was highly touted when coming up with Philadelphia, but was waived last season by the Predators. In 27 games, he had four points. Another highly touted player at one point was Haydn Fleury, the seventh-overall pick in the 2014 draft. Fleury was selected in the expansion draft last offseason, but only played in 36 games for the Kraken.

Goaltending

Andrei Vasilevskiy’s season was almost disappointing, as his fifth place Vezina voting finish was his worst since 2016-17, his first year as a starter. Leading the league in wins for the fifth year in a row, Vasilevskiy posted a .916 save percentage and a 2.49 GAA. He was fourth in goals saved above expected. Tampa Bay even got average results out of Brian Elliott, who looked lost in his last few seasons with the Flyers. Only playing in 19 games, Elliott had a .912 save percentage with a 2.43 GAA.

Projected Lines

Steven Stamkos – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov

Alex Killorn – Nick Paul – Brandon Hagel

Vladislav Namestnikov – Ross Colton – Alex Barre-Boulet

Patrick Maroon – Pierre-Edouard Bellmare – Corey Perry

Scratched: Cole Koepke, Gemel Smith

Victor Hedman – Cal Foote

Mikhail Sergachev – Erik Cernak

Ian Cole – Philippe Myers

Scratched: Haydn Fleury

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Brian Elliott

They were certainly no Avalanche, but the Blues had an incredible offensive team last year, one that did not get enough credit. They were fourth in the league in goals scored and had ten players with 47 or more points. St. Louis had incredible scoring depth and will have most of their key players return for the 2022-23 season.

Offseason additions: F Noel Acciari, G Thomas Greiss, F Josh Leivo, F Martin Frk, F Tyler Pitlick (PTO).

Offseason subtractions: F David Perron, G Ville Husso, F James Neal.

Forwards

The Blues failed to trade Vladimir Tarasenko before the season as they couldn’t find a taker for the sniper coming off of multiple shoulder surgeries. It became a prime example of the best trades being the ones you don’t make, as Tarasenko returned to his old self, scoring 34 goals with 82 points, both of which led the team. His defense was rough, but the team isn’t paying him to be a Selke candidate. It doesn’t hurt to play with one of the best passers in the game, as Robert Thomas had 57 assists in 72 games. He added 20 goals for 77 points, demolishing his previous career-high. Thomas signed an eight-year extension in the offseason. St. Louis found the perfect final piece to their top line by practically stealing Pavel Buchnevich from the Rangers. In his first season with the team, Buchnevich scored 30 goals with 76 total points. His 53.5 xGF% easily led the team. Even though the Blues were a playoff team, Thomas was the only other player above fifty percent.

While Ryan O’Reilly’s production last season was his worst in three seasons with the Blues, St. Louis doesn’t need him to be a 70-point player, especially with how well the rest of the top-six played. It isn’t like O’Reilly struggled, either. He scored 21 goals with 58 points, while finishing fourth in Selke voting. O’Reilly had just a 2.09 GA/60 at even strength. That was actually bested by Brandon Saad and David Perron, his two linemates. Perron left for Detroit in free agency, while Saad remains. His 24 goals and 49 points were his most since 2016-17, when he was still on Columbus. Jordan Kyrou was the fourth man on the first line last year, and at times was put on the third line simply because there was no room for him in the top-six. Perron’s departure opens up that spot. Kyrou broke out in his second full season, scoring 27 goals with 75 points in 74 games.

The team’s center depth in the top-nine has caused Brayden Schenn to be forgotten. While he was limited to 62 games in the regular season, Schenn still scored 24 goals with 58 points. In 343 games since coming to St. Louis, Schenn has 276 points, 30 more than he had over six seasons in Philadelphia. Of all the Blues to go on a crazy scoring pace, the most surprising was easily Ivan Barbashev. In the past, he had produced like a fourth-liner. But in 2021-22, he rode a shooting percentage over 23 to 26 goals and 60 points. The new scoring touch didn’t affect the physicality, as Barbashev set a career-high in hits, with 160. This could be the rookie season of Jake Neighbours, the 2020 first-round pick who got a taste of the NHL last season, with two points in nine games. He was then sent back to the WHL, where he put up 45 points in 30 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Three years after being “tripped” in a controversial non-call that helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup, Noel Acciari has joined St. Louis. While he did score a fluky 20 goals in 2019-20, Acciari has played in just 61 games in the two seasons since, with seven goals and 19 points. He got into just 20 games for the Panthers in this past season. While 2021-22 was the fifth season in which Nathan Walker played in multiple NHL games, it was really the first in which he got a real opportunity. Playing in 30 games, he scored eight goals, which is a 22-goal pace over 82 games. He also lit up the AHL, scoring 19 goals with 44 points in 47 games. After coming over from Ottawa in a preseason trade, 2016 first-rounder Logan Brown had 11 points in 39 games. He also had 17 points in 19 AHL games. While he may have been highly touted as a prospect, Brown’s six-foot-six stature could be beneficial for a fourth line role. Another top pick who hasn’t produced at the NHL level is Klim Kostin. At six-foot-three, he is no slouch himself. Kostin got his best look at the NHL last season, with nine points in 40 games. Journeyman Josh Leivo has always had solid scoring paces, but never plays enough to have good final numbers. He played in seven NHL games for the Hurricanes last year and had three points. Leivo also had 46 points in 54 AHL contests.

Defensemen

Justin Faulk’s long term contract with the Blues didn’t get off to a hot start, but that was repaired last year, as he was the team’s top defender. Faulk scored 16 goals with 47 points and was nominated for the Norris Trophy. However, it should be noted that he had a PDO over 105. Having one of 101 is high on its own. Sustaining 105 over 76 games is practically unheard of. It inflated Faulk’s even strength goals for percentage to 64.1. He’s good, but not at that level. The same could be said for his main partner, Torey Krug. Playing in 64 games, he had 43 points and is capable for much more. Krug also had an insane PDO, at an even 106. His GF% was 62.2 percent.

Colton Parayko’s new eight-year extension that carries a $6.5 million cap hit kicks in this season. It is a ton for a second-pairing defender, although the Blues deploy Faulk and Parayko evenly. The 29-year-old had 35 points in 80 games, tying a career-high. He also had a career-high 169 blocked shots. The Blues extended Nick Leddy after acquiring him from Detroit at the deadline. The offensive defenseman had eight points in 20 games after the trade, then added five more in nine playoff games. Leddy can struggle in his own end, which is why it is important to pair him with a stronger defender like Parayko.

With how much Faulk and Parayko play a night, the third right-defender doesn’t have a whole lot of ice time left for them. That role has mostly been filled by the physical Robert Bortuzzo, who is entering his ninth season with the Blues. His 73 games played last year was a career-high, although his 135 hits weren’t. The competition for his partner is between Scott Perunovich and Niko Mikkola. Perunovich comes in as the much more intriguing option. The oft-injured former second-rounder dominated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before turning pro. He had 22 points in 17 AHL games last year, and six in 19 NHL games. Perunovich got into seven playoff games, recording four assists. Mikkola has a lot more NHL experience, playing in 54 games last season. The big and lean lefty had 13 points with 81 blocks and 109 hits.

Goaltending

St. Louis had a goaltending controversy last year between Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso, which has been cleared up after Husso followed Perron to Detroit. Binnington definitely was not the better goalie in the regular season, as he had a .901 save percentage, a 3.13 GAA, and a -10.4 GSAx. He won the starting job back in six playoff games before getting injured, posting a .949 save percentage and a 1.72 GAA. His new backup, ironically, will be Detroit’s old backup. Thomas Greiss did not fare well after leaving the goalie-friendly Islanders for the Red Wings. He played in 31 games last year, posting a 3.66 GAA with a save percentage of .891. While he is 36 and that can be concerning, Greiss should have better numbers simply by being on a much better team.

Projected Lines

Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Vladimir Tarasenko

Brandon Saad – Ryan O’Reilly – Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours – Brayden Schenn – Ivan Barbashev

Nathan Walker – Logan Brown – Noel Acciari

Scratched: Josh Leivo, Klim Kostin

Torey Krug – Justin Faulk

Nick Leddy – Colton Parayko

Scott Perunovich – Robert Bortuzzo

Scratched: Niko Mikkola

Jordan Binnington

Thomas Greiss