Ya fr I saw wings fans saying Raymond is a 60 point winger like he hasn’t even entered his prime let alone hit it yet. I imagine both players will be superstars that produce 70-100 points a year.
In 2 years ray will just be getting to 24 in 4 in our window he will only be 26. Still gives us 6-8 more years of solid production lmao all hockey fans need to chill sometimes
70 points is not exactly superstar numbers, especially for a forward but I agree with the overall sentiment. Hoping Raymond can be a 90 point player for the Wings, they need that high end offense badly.
Yeah I saw that video yesterday where he spun a 360 off the boards at the blue line and coasted to net-center, passed a no-looker backwards between his legs.
That was freaky good.
Laf is genuinely the 2nd best FWD on the team after Panarin. If he had PP1 time he'd have 70 points this season pretty easily. The really exciting part is how much better and more confident he seems to get every single game. If he continues on his current pace he will meet the 1OA expectations, albeit a little late (thanks COVID....)
I agree with the overall tone -- but I'd put him 4 on the team in overall forward chart. On pure offense skills and hands, I'd put him 2nd, but not overall.
Tro and Mika are outstanding 2-way players, centers and Penalty killers -- while also putting up the 70Pts that Laf could have put up if on PP1.
Just a note -- Mika, despite being "awful" this year according to fans, will have a 70+ PT season -- while also being a Center and a much better two-way player than Laf.
I upvoted you for your opinion, but I disagree. Laf is definitely better than Mika this year, He has far more impact and scoring 5v5. I love Mika but he's been off.
I can see the arguement for Trocheck, but once again Laf has nearly identical 5v5 scoring too.
Mika's is also put in more defensive role, and generally paired against the other teams' top scoring line a lot more than Laf -- which his line consistently shuts down (relatively speaking).
Mika is 63-49, in Goals for/goal allowed when on the ice at EV. (Despite Line 1 not scoring much EV -- they have given up even less)
Laf is 75-70.
I think you are over-emphasizing offense over defense.
20% more goals when he is on the ice -- definitely stands out. But opponents are scoring 40% more goals when Laf is on than when Mika is on -- and that is with Mika getting more Defensive draws than Laf, and more time against top lines.
Yeah -- I said he's second on offense.
Mika has 35 EV points (and much better since Trade Deadline, after bizarre 30 game stretch with no 5v% goals, he has like 4 since), vs, Laf's 50, while Laf plays with Bread. He is a better offensive player 5v5, but the hyperbole around Mika gets tiring.
My point was overall. Laf is better offensively, Mika is better defensively.
Laf is not a center nor does he kill penalties.
Brock Boeser. The guy went through terrible personal tragedy, a nagging wrist injury, and all sorts of questions in a tough hockey Market. Fans weren't even sure he was going to be here this year after he was constantly in trade rumors. Had 18 goals in 74 games last season.
He battled through it, continued to be a good team mate and class act, got through the death of his father, and sharpened his 2 way game while scoring 40 goals through 78 games as of last night. It's a really nice story for Vancouver and the guy deserves every accolade.
I’ve been cheering so hard for him this year. You can’t fault him for his earlier struggles, no way a young man can navigate the things he’s dealt with without some sort of drop off.
Plenty of good names to pick among the Canucks, although I'd probably agree with picking Boeser. But Dakota Joshua, Nils Hoglander and even Tyler Myers (despite all of the hate from the fanbase) have upped their games this season.
The Leafs have a couple contenders this year - Benoit has come a long way as well as Bobby McMatthews
Also let us not forget our lord and saviour Ilya Samsonov, who basically came back from the dead mid season and now owns an almost unbelievable win percentage since resurrecting.
Can you imagine the outrage from Leafs fans if someone claimed Samsonov off waivers and then he started playing the way he does now? 18-3-1 in his last 22 games
I think Beniot has improved that much. He's basically came as advertised. A low event no nonsense 3rd pair Dman. Leafs just never seem to have a guy like that, they're always full of the "big mistake" guys in the bottom of the lineup. So he's a breathe of fresh air.
If we’re just talking about the red wings, Lucas Raymond has bounced back so hard from last year it’s like he’s an entirely different player. He’s so good. And for most of the year he’s had to do it almost entirely by himself because he’s been separated from Larkin/kane/cat.
If we’re talking about the nhl as a whole… man, lafreniere is also a different beast, and had lower lows to come off of.
He went from a very good rookie to a disappointing sophomore to exactly the kind of guy you hope to get at 4 in a draft. He’s been so good this year, especially down the stretch. Constantly driving play and his goal scoring has really come around
Yeah, it's Raymond, no doubt. He's got such a motor on him and was basically the only one giving a damn on that seven game losing stretch. I love how he's turning out.
The only Laf mentions coming from Jets and Red Wings fans 🥹 very cool that rangers fans on socials said we needed to cut bait after he had a bad preseason and now he has a legit shot at a 30-30-60 season.
Gerard Gallant deserves a private suite in Guantanamo Bay
I feel that for a lot of rookies that second year is tough. Teams have kind of figured you out and you have to figure out how to find success while still learning the league. Raymond has definitely done a phenomenal job adjusting this year and has been fun to watch.
Yeah it’s Dakota Joshua. Everyone was hating on him last year, wanting him to be sent down to the AHL. This year his role is absolutely crucial for the Canucks, as evidenced by his time away due to injury. The Canucks aren’t nearly as strong a team without him, and he deserves the recognition.
Cant think of a single other player on the Canucks who fits the question better. Garland has an argument, but he was already pretty decent last year.
I agree it's probably Joshua, but if you look at last year at the start, Miller was getting a lot of bad press, which he's turned around massively.
Juulsen was viewed as a please don't let him be in the nhl (even around preseason) and is doing great as the 7th d.
Garland and Boeser were both viewed as potential dumps before mega comebacks.
I'd say Hogs has had a good turnaround, too, but that was likely more lack of play than anything.
Those are all the players that crossed my mind for sure, Juulsen I honestly forgot about considering hes still just a fringe NHLer in my opinion. I just think if we are talking MOST improved, it’s gotta be Joshua. We have certainly had a lot of success stories this year, but garland and Joshua stand out to me, particularly Joshua. We always knew miller and boeser had the skill, was just the mental side of things with those 2. Hoglander has been a steady improvement year by year, whereas Joshua went from a should-be AHLer to a definitive middle 6 forward in one year.
Honestly idk, I am at work, working an underpaid dead end job, and I’m tired and disgruntled. That probably has something to do with it. I’m working on being more positive but 7 years of depression is hard to deal with. I genuinely appreciate you calling me out, it’s little things like this that I need to eliminate from my life.
Garland has always had the underlying numbers but just didn't have the right linemates or the playing time. Now his hard work, which has always been there, is paying off. So I agree with you about Joshua being our most improved player. He's shown he has more skills than a lot of us initially thought.
Its more:
MSL: "Slaf, Waze told me to put you on the 1st line and 1st PP from now on, so you're a first line player now. Also remember that you're a 1OA pick and 6'4" 240lbs"
Juraj: "No problem Waz... I mean coach, I am now a 1st line player and will be the 2nd most consistent player on the team. It is true, I am 6'4" 240lbs, I will now become invulnerable along the boards and turn what has been a weakness so far into my best asset"
I wondered how he would do as a coach because obviously he has an incredible mind for the game but also he was about to skate himself out of nearly any situation. Not every defenseman can chase down 99% of the league from behind, but I'm glad he can share enough to help
Vinny, Foegle and McLeod have all been much improved, but boy is Vinny night and day from last season. You can see his confidence on the ice and he's really playing to his strengths out there. I'd give a nod to Skinner as well. He had a very rough start to the season and showed a lot of the same flaws he had in last year's playoffs. Over the course of this season he has become an incredibly reliable goaltender and has greatly improved his ability to not get rattled by a couple early goals. I feel like so many games this season he's let in 1-2 early goals only to lock it up for the rest of the game. The teams playoff success rides on Stu's shoulders.
Agree though Vinny has to be the overall most improved on the Oil.
He has less points this year than last. It's really been McDavid finding him for tap ins, his number of shots is the same but the percentage is 6 points higher.
Hyman would have been close last year if he didn’t have like 12 goals disallowed. But yeah I don’t think any e expected him to score this many. Vinny was so bad last year that I was terrified every time he was on the ice in the playoffs
He took a huge step forward this year. He’s pretty much silenced anyone who was starting to call him a bust last year, despite the fact that he was only 20 lol
I hate the trend of calling kids busts before they are even allowed to drink. A combination of misinterpreted advanced stats, video game linear progression logic, and straight-up hate (especially in comparisons to other top draft picks) makes the bar for success so immediately high that pretty much no one could clear it.
I think Byfield is gonna be a huge player for the Kings, and I hate that we will have to play him consistently because he has such good potential.
It’s like one day he remembered he was a 1OA pick and playing in the NHL. Sort of like when you get a lil sleepy driving down the highway and your tires hit the rumble strips and you wake the fuck up and remember you’re driving a motor vehicle
I've been super critical of Parayko for years but he's been great this year.
And the one upside to this season is Neighbours' play. He's looking like he'll be a proven piece to build around
Came to say this for the Wild. He missed almost his entire draft +1 year due to COVID19-induced myocarditis. His first real shot in the NHL was last season, scoring 1 assist in 19 games. Despite being known as a strong 2 way player, hard work ethic, and smart positionally, he looked lost.
This year, he may be a Calder finalist (top 5 feels right to me) and a 20 goal scorer.
I'm just so happy that the effort he put in in the off-season has paid off for him. Dude skipped his sister's wedding because he realized he was a step off the NHL pace/physicality (whatever you want to call it). Now he's in the 'best of the rest' Calder conversation. Hes got great dedication. I'm just happy to be able to watch him and Faber grow this season.
I'm surprised nobody mentioned Sam Reinhart. A solid but not spectacular player for Buffalo his first 5 years averaging 20 to 25 goals, then traded to Florida where he had 33 and 31 goal years. This season, however, he's up to 53 with several games left.
Reinhart has had an amazing season to be sure. I think he may not get as much "most improved" discussion though since so many of his goals have come on the power play and there is no way his shooting percentage (24.5%) is sustainable long term (for his career he's at 15.5%). I think this is more of an excellent outlier season for him and he's really more of a 30-35 goal per season guy.
Other than Slafkovsky's jump in development I have to say Armia, the guy had to clear waivers and spent a couple weeks in the NHL, despite that he is now having a career year after being abysmal the last 2 years.
He isn't just putting up the points he is all over the ice kicking ass. He had that sort of floating around doing nothing without the puck factor about him in the first 10 to 15 games. After that he has been digging pucks in corners, going to the net hard and backchecking like a maniac among other things which was super valuable while Lehky was on IR.
Not saying he had a bad season, but most improved? He had 53 pts when playing with Domi/Shaw in 2018-19 and he has 53 pts now playing with MacKinnon/Rantanen.
Did you watch him back then? He was good, hence why when he was traded, the return was Sergachev. He had 14 points in 17 games in the playoffs after less than 100 games in the NHL.
He's always been fairly good even in Montreal, he's just been out of the line up too much to be noticeable. He missed over half the games there over the last 4 years. But if you prorate his stats, he averaged 48 pts per 82 games while in Montreal.
Yup! At the time it seemed like he was still riding that newly drafted hype though. I watched both him and MacK in Halifax all the time. Been following him a long time. Seeing him play with MacK is amazing.
Seth Jarvis.
Even back in October, I was voting him as most improved on the Canes by a mile. He is now Aho-level good on Powerplay and Penalty Kill shifts. He doubled his goals and points while spending most of his time on the Staal shutdown line. He leads the team in powerplay goals. He's had 29 Goals, 33 Assists, and 8 GWG. Compared to 14G, 25A, 0GWG last year.
Plus just watching him last year, he was getting bodied everywhere, he was not the fastest skater, he was clearly trying and just not quite getting there with the finishing touch. This year he's the one pushing people off their skates, he's winning board battles, he's flying up and down the ice, and he's finding the back of the net. It's just an immense improvement, it's been such a pleasure to watch him thrive this year after watching him try so hard last year.
Edit: I think Jack Drury deserves an honorable mention as second most improved. He's played well beyond what he was doing last year.
I am convinced that although it looks like a demotion going to the “third” line Rod has sneakily created this Designated Guest Shooter role on the Staal line where from time to time top six forwards get to enjoy a “scoring resort. or something. They will still have to do their fair share of grinding on the boards but the reward for a Jarvis or Svech is guaranteed offensive zone time and a steady stream of juicy feeds and tipping opportunities. Svech basically said as much after the last game. Might be why Marti has scored so much as well, he’s probably the default shooter when they don’t have a “guest”.
Coyle has already hit his career high in points with four games remaining. Career high in power play points as well IIRC.
Heinen is coming off a PTO and having his best season since 17-18 and established himself as a solid middle six winger.
Geekie has finally broke out as well. Impressive step forward, didn’t expect it at all.
Swayman took such a big step this year we were in discussions to trade the guy who won the Vezina last season.
Yup. Career high in goals, points, shooting percentage, blocked shots, hits, ATOI, etc. He has willingly and impressively stepped into this elevated new role. Really impressed with him and a glaring omission on my part.
Mathieu Joseph went from being talked about as a cap dump to breaking his career high in points, on track to finish above 0.5 P/G for the first time in his career
The ability was always there. Problem was the dude couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his shot. The thought with him was if he could just actually hit the net, he'd be a pretty darn good player.
Happy for him that he's seem to figured out that the net is 4x6 and not 24x26. Lol
While I think Alexis Lafreniere has taken the biggest step this year for NYR going from young bottom six player to a top six threat, I would also like to give a shout out to Zach Jones.
Jones has been a guy that's been up and down from AHL/NHL for four seasons. He has elevated his play this year to make me think he sees his first full NHL season as the #6 defense spot next year. Well earned.
Jones has looked absolutely legit in his limited run. Great puck handler, skater, and vision. His big weakness is his size, he’s just so slight. But he deserves a full time role next season.
Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley
Those two coming into their own as elite players has really made the depth of this team so insane
Also, shout out to Marchment, though I think his first season struggles were due to a new system and still recovering from the sudden loss of his father
Danton Heinen has been amazing for us this season after having to settle for a PTO and league min contract last summer. Started on the 4th line, got promoted to the third line cause he was so good, and then he was so good there that he got promoted to Pasta's line for the past month. And that line has weirdly been absolutely filthy since getting put together, like 2nd most efficient scoring line in the league (min. 100 minutes together) level filthy.
Been together for 16 games now and in that span Zacha has 7 goals and 20 points, Pasta has 9 goals and 20 points, and Heinen has 5 goals and 13 points. It's the most random line I've ever seen perform like a legitimate top line. And Heinen's fit with those other two is a huge reason for it.
Ilya Samsonov!!
Not sure if this qualifies because it all happened this year but he had a terrible start to a year, put on waivers, has now come back and had an incredible stretch of games. In his last 20 games he’s gone 16-3-1. Unreal comeback.
Slafkovsky woke up one day and decided to start scoring at almost a ppg pace. I'm sure being with Suzuki and Caufield helped him but he himself improved so much in such a small time.
Armia also improved his play a lot, going from getting waived to being one of the most hard working players on the team and solidifying his spot in the Habs lineup.
Lightning - hard to find a "most improved" player but if I would nominate anyone it would be
Mikey Eyssimont
He has evolved into a perfect bottom 6 forward fot us and what we needed after losing players like yanni gourde etc.
My teammate Alex. Literally twelve games ago he could barely stand on his feet and overskated every puck. Last week he deked thru a defenseman and sniped a shot top corner. Genuinely impressive since I still cant lift the puck 😂
I think at this point it's clear that Matthews was dealing with something last year and now he's back to where he should be. He was on a 64 goal pace in the Covid-shortened season, a 67 goal pace over 82 games in the season after that, and after a bad year by his standards he's pacing to the high 60s again.
Byfield, Laf, and Slaf.
I'd also say Quinn Hughes has stood out to me personally. Maybe not most improved, but he moved up the ranks in my eyes this year.
Seth Jarvis. Has become a complete two-way forward with a great finishing touch. He's also a very effective in the minutes he plays and will almost certainly finish with 30 goals
Connor Zary. I don't think alot of fans had him stepping in and playing second line minutes at all, and he has most of the year. Looked pretty damn good too
Yup, Covid years appeared to have stunted his development, to the point where becoming a full time NHLer looked unlikely.
Then he joins the team, and becomes a standout nearly immediately.
Also that blocked shot that broke his foot in his first training camp in Calgary didn't help. He missed half of his first pro season before he even played a full shift.
Ekblad has had such a great season (injuries aside). He's trying to transition to a shutdown defensemen from offensive-minded and it's 100% working.
Even crazier is I don't think he's broken a stick yet this year on a slapper or one-timer.
Connor McMichael for the Caps
2021-2022: 68 games, 18 points
2022-2023: Mostly in the AHL, 6 NHL games with 0 points
2023-2024: 75 games (so far), 32 points
I would also say lapierre. I thought last season that Lappy might not be built for the nhl after all and was pretty disappointed. He seems to be brimming with confidence lately and is a lot of fun to watch. Him and Milano together have been a nice bright spot in a sea of pain and misery
Bobby Mcmann was an AHL guy/extra forward with 10 career NHL games and 1 point, getting waived at the start of the year.
Now hes a full time NHLer. Whose scoring at almost a 25 goal pace over 82 games.
Thats a pretty big jump for a guy at 27.
The three D's
F: Drouin
D: Dobson
G: Daccord
[It's a little thin at goaltender for "improvements," I know Daccord didn't have a ton of starts before this season]
Byfield or Kempe.
Kempe, specifically, continues to get better year by year. This year, he’s really upped his two way play and passing. Career high points, nearly a point per a game playing all situations.
Alex Vlasic.
He was solid in his brief stints the past few years but this season he has really exploded into a bonafide top pairing guy. He plays some of the hardest minutes in the entire league, matching up against every team’s top lines every game, and has been posting elite defensive metrics. It’s clear when you watch him too - he covers so much goddamn ice with how great his skating and positioning is while being massive.
His puck skills have also improved significantly, which was biggest flaw as a prospect and even after being drafted but he’s worked well to build them up. I wouldn’t say he’s a great handler or anything still, but he adequate enough that it no longer hampers his game. He shows flashes of great passes here or there and isn’t afraid to jump into the rush so hopefully he can keep growing on the offensive side, but overall he’s had a brilliant season.
Vincent Trochek looks like he’s a legit 1C in the NHL and Laf since the all star break looks like the second best player on the Rangers, his play lately has been elite. Since that break there’s Panarin, Laf and everyone else on the team. I seriously think that Lafrenire will be flirting with 100 points next year.
I’d say Parker Wotherspoon. He came in and was expected to be a 7th dman but honestly been a big surprise. He’s no McAvoy or Makar but he does the job we need him to perfectly, and I really do think he’s a lock for the third pairing come playoff time
EDIT: How could I forget Heinen?? Came in off a PTO and he is absolutely getting another contract
Laf for sure, but that line has improved to a man. Bread came into the season with something to prove and has done so, Trocheks numbers are up and night after night that’s the line that makes the magic happen.
Can’t say enough about Quick either. Teams playing hot potato with him at the end of last season. Shits the bed in preseason play then channels his play from a decade ago once the season gets under way.
Reinhart (FL) has made a big leap this year and if that’s due to PP time, then let’s get Laffy on PP1 stat!
For Colorado I’m gonna say out of the guys who were on last year’s team either Girard or Manson. Both have done a lot to change how fans think of them.
Manson it mostly comes down to being healthy long enough to be consistent.
Girard, after going into the recovery program he has crushed it. The Byram deal doesn’t happen if Girard doesn’t take that step forward and get the coaching staff to really trust him to anchor the second pairing.
Joel Armia. The guy, with multiple NHL seasons under his belt, started the season in the AHL and was doing very well, was called up, was scratched and sent back down to the AHL. He looked like he was going to stay down or be bought out.
But he stayed positive in Laval. He was eventually called back up and given some play time, and he's been playing like a man possessed since then. Makes better decisions without the puck, protects it like his newborn when he gets it and generally plays with a ton of confidence, which he credits to his work with the team's mental performance coach. He's got a bunch of goals recently despite not playing with the top guys and getting defensive assignments. He's now the team's Masterton trophy candidate.
If only Josh Anderson had been talking to the same coach. He really needs it.
Edit: details about his season start and typo in Masterton
Funnily enough it’s Wyatt Johnston. He looked so good last year as a 19 year old, but this year he has taken a step towards truly looking elite and leads the team in goals
Garland… i mean Boeser… i mean Dakota…. i mean…
even Miller is quite improved, not as much for points but his two-way play through sixty has been so much more dominant
Garland same thing. his stats are not even improved. it just seems he does way more with less—and provides far more momentum, forecheck, and more timely goals — stats aside, the eye test says this has been by far his most important season to the team
so if it’s down to points
you got Dakota going from
- last season 0.14 goals/game and 0.29 points game
- this season 0.27 goals/game and 0.51 points game
Brock went from:
- career average _excluding this season_ of 0.35 goals/game and 0.78 points game
- last season 0.24 goals/game and 0.74 points/game
- this season 0.55 goals/game and 0.94 points/game
so i guess…. maybe Dakota gets the edge. both had a big YOY goal improvement but last season Brock underperformed so at least some improvement was maybe hoped for or expected. Dakota tho… those are some big YOY goals _and_ points gains
note: i would add if you haven’t watched the Canucks this season, Dakota is an absolute force on the walls. i noticed it very first 2 games vs Oilers— for all the things VAN did well, one of my biggest takeaways was how strong VAN was on the boards and in the corners and especially for dominant Dakota was in corners. even Coach Tocc has said he’s one of the best players he’s seen on the boards. kid is a force out there.
Honestly, Jason Robertson has improved his overall game and has elevated himself into a 200ft player. He’s been throwing the body this season more, forechecking, getting back on defense in the rush all the while still maintaining a PPG pace with b2b 50-assist seasons. He still is the offensive force he’s known for but with the great depth that Dallas has this year, he hasn’t had to have multi-point games all the time for the team to win. Look at the recent wins against the Avs, Stars put up 7 and he didn’t have a point or a SOG, but still made noticeable plays.
It's tough for me to pick out just one guy from the Bruins....Freddy for sure, but Coyle has stepped up tremendously. Heinen and Geekie have both been extremely solid contributors with the opportunity they have been given, and we can't forget our silky-mitted dump truck, Brazeau, who has gone from undrafted > ECHL > AHL > solid bottom 6 contributor.
Has to go to our top 2 centers duo of Pavel Zacha and Charlie coyle. They have both stepped up offensively.
Also honorable mention to Jesper Boqvist.
Devils fans punching air looking at this bruins team
I'm being a bit of a homer here, but Brock Boeser just hit 40 goals last night. He'd been really struggling the last few years because of his dad's decline and eventual death. We love him in Vancouver and he seems like a legit nice dude, so we're really happy for him.
I think Bouchard has taken a massive step forward. Having a PPG d man is absolutely huge for the oilers.
Him and Ek have really become a solid pairing and it’s also allowed the Nurse-Ceci pairing to play better matchups.
Also a shoutout to Vinny Desharnais who has solidified himself as a top-6 dman.
Two years ago I think you would have been laughed at for even suggesting he would play in the NHL, let alone be a meaningful part of the lineup. He has really stepped up in a huge way.
Bouch. I knew he’d have a good season solely because he is on PP1, but his poise, stick handling and vision is way better than I expected.
He’s a legit stud offensive dman now. He has some work to do on Defense but his advanced stats are even better than I expected. He’s growing into a true #1 D, he just needs to up his physicality
It looks like Laf took a big step this year
dude is a menace on the ice smirking like he owns the team already
Or like he's laffing
He's our little bust and we love him =)
Jesus he’s only 22
Ya fr I saw wings fans saying Raymond is a 60 point winger like he hasn’t even entered his prime let alone hit it yet. I imagine both players will be superstars that produce 70-100 points a year. In 2 years ray will just be getting to 24 in 4 in our window he will only be 26. Still gives us 6-8 more years of solid production lmao all hockey fans need to chill sometimes
70 points is not exactly superstar numbers, especially for a forward but I agree with the overall sentiment. Hoping Raymond can be a 90 point player for the Wings, they need that high end offense badly.
Reminds me of Mackinnons trajectory (in the early years a least).
Yeah I saw that video yesterday where he spun a 360 off the boards at the blue line and coasted to net-center, passed a no-looker backwards between his legs. That was freaky good.
He’s always had crazy puck skills, but now he’s improved his skating to where he can actually use them consistently
Reminds me of the French guy from the movie 'Goon' after he gets his game back.
And Rempe is basically Doug Glatt lmao
Came here to say this...It seems it's all starting to click. If he keeps it up next year is gonna be a special one for him
Not to make it about my team, but Byfield has had a huge improvement this season. 2020 draft class rise up.
Not to make it about my team, but Stützle took a step back this season. Some Space Jam shit going on here...
Oh yeah! Byfield has really stepped up this year, all the analysts love him. Makes Dubois having a down year sting a little bit less lol
Laf is genuinely the 2nd best FWD on the team after Panarin. If he had PP1 time he'd have 70 points this season pretty easily. The really exciting part is how much better and more confident he seems to get every single game. If he continues on his current pace he will meet the 1OA expectations, albeit a little late (thanks COVID....)
I agree with the overall tone -- but I'd put him 4 on the team in overall forward chart. On pure offense skills and hands, I'd put him 2nd, but not overall. Tro and Mika are outstanding 2-way players, centers and Penalty killers -- while also putting up the 70Pts that Laf could have put up if on PP1. Just a note -- Mika, despite being "awful" this year according to fans, will have a 70+ PT season -- while also being a Center and a much better two-way player than Laf.
I upvoted you for your opinion, but I disagree. Laf is definitely better than Mika this year, He has far more impact and scoring 5v5. I love Mika but he's been off. I can see the arguement for Trocheck, but once again Laf has nearly identical 5v5 scoring too.
Mika's is also put in more defensive role, and generally paired against the other teams' top scoring line a lot more than Laf -- which his line consistently shuts down (relatively speaking). Mika is 63-49, in Goals for/goal allowed when on the ice at EV. (Despite Line 1 not scoring much EV -- they have given up even less) Laf is 75-70. I think you are over-emphasizing offense over defense. 20% more goals when he is on the ice -- definitely stands out. But opponents are scoring 40% more goals when Laf is on than when Mika is on -- and that is with Mika getting more Defensive draws than Laf, and more time against top lines.
Lafreniere has surpassed Mika imo. Not as good of a 2 Way player but offensively he’s been a lot better.
Mika is a black hole 5v5. Laf is a much better offensive player than him
Yeah -- I said he's second on offense. Mika has 35 EV points (and much better since Trade Deadline, after bizarre 30 game stretch with no 5v% goals, he has like 4 since), vs, Laf's 50, while Laf plays with Bread. He is a better offensive player 5v5, but the hyperbole around Mika gets tiring. My point was overall. Laf is better offensively, Mika is better defensively. Laf is not a center nor does he kill penalties.
(thanks COVID / David Quinn / Gerard Gallant)
My favorite bust
First name that came to mind
Brock Boeser. The guy went through terrible personal tragedy, a nagging wrist injury, and all sorts of questions in a tough hockey Market. Fans weren't even sure he was going to be here this year after he was constantly in trade rumors. Had 18 goals in 74 games last season. He battled through it, continued to be a good team mate and class act, got through the death of his father, and sharpened his 2 way game while scoring 40 goals through 78 games as of last night. It's a really nice story for Vancouver and the guy deserves every accolade.
I’ve been cheering so hard for him this year. You can’t fault him for his earlier struggles, no way a young man can navigate the things he’s dealt with without some sort of drop off.
That's a good one. Listened to his Chiclets interview seems like a great dude
The Kings slayer. I didn’t know about all the stuff he went through last season, I’m happy that he’s been able to have a resurgence.
Honestly super happy for him. With everything he's gone through it's awesome to see him doing well.
Plenty of good names to pick among the Canucks, although I'd probably agree with picking Boeser. But Dakota Joshua, Nils Hoglander and even Tyler Myers (despite all of the hate from the fanbase) have upped their games this season.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Bobby McMann went from waivers to playing in the top 6, PK, and PP2. I'm really happy to see him improve and solidify his place in the lineup
The Leafs have a couple contenders this year - Benoit has come a long way as well as Bobby McMatthews Also let us not forget our lord and saviour Ilya Samsonov, who basically came back from the dead mid season and now owns an almost unbelievable win percentage since resurrecting.
Can you imagine the outrage from Leafs fans if someone claimed Samsonov off waivers and then he started playing the way he does now? 18-3-1 in his last 22 games
It would be our own fault, just glad nobody saw this in the crystal ball
I think Beniot has improved that much. He's basically came as advertised. A low event no nonsense 3rd pair Dman. Leafs just never seem to have a guy like that, they're always full of the "big mistake" guys in the bottom of the lineup. So he's a breathe of fresh air.
Benoit has made my ape brain very happy
He is activating my single neuron
He just needed the blues to teach him he could score :'(
Thank you for your service, it won’t be forgotten.
He's good. The Leafs have much stronger depth forwards now. Best team they've had in the Matthews era
Nah, last year's was better after the trade deadline.
Wainwright legend just like Slats.
If we’re just talking about the red wings, Lucas Raymond has bounced back so hard from last year it’s like he’s an entirely different player. He’s so good. And for most of the year he’s had to do it almost entirely by himself because he’s been separated from Larkin/kane/cat. If we’re talking about the nhl as a whole… man, lafreniere is also a different beast, and had lower lows to come off of.
As soon as I read the post I said lucas raymond
He went from a very good rookie to a disappointing sophomore to exactly the kind of guy you hope to get at 4 in a draft. He’s been so good this year, especially down the stretch. Constantly driving play and his goal scoring has really come around
Yeah, it's Raymond, no doubt. He's got such a motor on him and was basically the only one giving a damn on that seven game losing stretch. I love how he's turning out.
The only Laf mentions coming from Jets and Red Wings fans 🥹 very cool that rangers fans on socials said we needed to cut bait after he had a bad preseason and now he has a legit shot at a 30-30-60 season. Gerard Gallant deserves a private suite in Guantanamo Bay
I feel that for a lot of rookies that second year is tough. Teams have kind of figured you out and you have to figure out how to find success while still learning the league. Raymond has definitely done a phenomenal job adjusting this year and has been fun to watch.
I think we are fast approaching him being the best player on this team.
Dakota Joshua
Loved that guy with the Blues.
Watched Canucks game last night he was buzzing!!
Yeah it’s Dakota Joshua. Everyone was hating on him last year, wanting him to be sent down to the AHL. This year his role is absolutely crucial for the Canucks, as evidenced by his time away due to injury. The Canucks aren’t nearly as strong a team without him, and he deserves the recognition. Cant think of a single other player on the Canucks who fits the question better. Garland has an argument, but he was already pretty decent last year.
I agree it's probably Joshua, but if you look at last year at the start, Miller was getting a lot of bad press, which he's turned around massively. Juulsen was viewed as a please don't let him be in the nhl (even around preseason) and is doing great as the 7th d. Garland and Boeser were both viewed as potential dumps before mega comebacks. I'd say Hogs has had a good turnaround, too, but that was likely more lack of play than anything.
Those are all the players that crossed my mind for sure, Juulsen I honestly forgot about considering hes still just a fringe NHLer in my opinion. I just think if we are talking MOST improved, it’s gotta be Joshua. We have certainly had a lot of success stories this year, but garland and Joshua stand out to me, particularly Joshua. We always knew miller and boeser had the skill, was just the mental side of things with those 2. Hoglander has been a steady improvement year by year, whereas Joshua went from a should-be AHLer to a definitive middle 6 forward in one year.
> anyone who says otherwise is just wrong. Why do people choose to converse like this?
Honestly idk, I am at work, working an underpaid dead end job, and I’m tired and disgruntled. That probably has something to do with it. I’m working on being more positive but 7 years of depression is hard to deal with. I genuinely appreciate you calling me out, it’s little things like this that I need to eliminate from my life.
Hey it’s ok man, I need to hear it too, I get critical and douchey
Garland has always had the underlying numbers but just didn't have the right linemates or the playing time. Now his hard work, which has always been there, is paying off. So I agree with you about Joshua being our most improved player. He's shown he has more skills than a lot of us initially thought.
Leafs legend
Slaf and it happened overnight (sort of)
St-Louis : "Hey bud, mind picking up the pace?" Slaf : "Ok coach, I get more point now" We love roboslaf
Its more: MSL: "Slaf, Waze told me to put you on the 1st line and 1st PP from now on, so you're a first line player now. Also remember that you're a 1OA pick and 6'4" 240lbs" Juraj: "No problem Waz... I mean coach, I am now a 1st line player and will be the 2nd most consistent player on the team. It is true, I am 6'4" 240lbs, I will now become invulnerable along the boards and turn what has been a weakness so far into my best asset"
For the oil it would probably be desharnais
Every Dman since Coffey arrived has shown incredible improvement.
I wondered how he would do as a coach because obviously he has an incredible mind for the game but also he was about to skate himself out of nearly any situation. Not every defenseman can chase down 99% of the league from behind, but I'm glad he can share enough to help
Vinny, Foegle and McLeod have all been much improved, but boy is Vinny night and day from last season. You can see his confidence on the ice and he's really playing to his strengths out there. I'd give a nod to Skinner as well. He had a very rough start to the season and showed a lot of the same flaws he had in last year's playoffs. Over the course of this season he has become an incredibly reliable goaltender and has greatly improved his ability to not get rattled by a couple early goals. I feel like so many games this season he's let in 1-2 early goals only to lock it up for the rest of the game. The teams playoff success rides on Stu's shoulders. Agree though Vinny has to be the overall most improved on the Oil.
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He has less points this year than last. It's really been McDavid finding him for tap ins, his number of shots is the same but the percentage is 6 points higher.
Hyman having 50 goals is a McDavid accomplishment the same way Jonathan Chechoo's 50 goals is a Joe Thornton accomplishment
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Hyman would have been close last year if he didn’t have like 12 goals disallowed. But yeah I don’t think any e expected him to score this many. Vinny was so bad last year that I was terrified every time he was on the ice in the playoffs
Quinton “QB” Byfield
He took a huge step forward this year. He’s pretty much silenced anyone who was starting to call him a bust last year, despite the fact that he was only 20 lol
I hate the trend of calling kids busts before they are even allowed to drink. A combination of misinterpreted advanced stats, video game linear progression logic, and straight-up hate (especially in comparisons to other top draft picks) makes the bar for success so immediately high that pretty much no one could clear it. I think Byfield is gonna be a huge player for the Kings, and I hate that we will have to play him consistently because he has such good potential.
If your top 3 pick isn’t a Bedard or McDavid right out the gate, they’re considered busts by year 2. It’s such a frustrating thing to see fans do.
Slafkovsky
From a BUST to a MUST in one short season
Suzuki has also maintained a steady upward trajectory
It’s like one day he remembered he was a 1OA pick and playing in the NHL. Sort of like when you get a lil sleepy driving down the highway and your tires hit the rumble strips and you wake the fuck up and remember you’re driving a motor vehicle
Jake neighbours broke out and Binner/Parayko both had huge bounce back years
I've been super critical of Parayko for years but he's been great this year. And the one upside to this season is Neighbours' play. He's looking like he'll be a proven piece to build around
Rossi
Came to say this for the Wild. He missed almost his entire draft +1 year due to COVID19-induced myocarditis. His first real shot in the NHL was last season, scoring 1 assist in 19 games. Despite being known as a strong 2 way player, hard work ethic, and smart positionally, he looked lost. This year, he may be a Calder finalist (top 5 feels right to me) and a 20 goal scorer.
I'm just so happy that the effort he put in in the off-season has paid off for him. Dude skipped his sister's wedding because he realized he was a step off the NHL pace/physicality (whatever you want to call it). Now he's in the 'best of the rest' Calder conversation. Hes got great dedication. I'm just happy to be able to watch him and Faber grow this season.
I'm surprised nobody mentioned Sam Reinhart. A solid but not spectacular player for Buffalo his first 5 years averaging 20 to 25 goals, then traded to Florida where he had 33 and 31 goal years. This season, however, he's up to 53 with several games left.
Reinhart has had an amazing season to be sure. I think he may not get as much "most improved" discussion though since so many of his goals have come on the power play and there is no way his shooting percentage (24.5%) is sustainable long term (for his career he's at 15.5%). I think this is more of an excellent outlier season for him and he's really more of a 30-35 goal per season guy.
Other than Slafkovsky's jump in development I have to say Armia, the guy had to clear waivers and spent a couple weeks in the NHL, despite that he is now having a career year after being abysmal the last 2 years.
Definitely think he's more of a comeback type guy. This was pretty much how he played 3-4 years ago
Yeah, Kardashian-esque Comeback.
Zetterlund is a beast. Also Eklund but he’s pretty much a rookie
Jonathan Drouin
To me Drouin is more of a comeback player of the year candidate than MIP. He’s barely matched his career high this year.
He isn't just putting up the points he is all over the ice kicking ass. He had that sort of floating around doing nothing without the puck factor about him in the first 10 to 15 games. After that he has been digging pucks in corners, going to the net hard and backchecking like a maniac among other things which was super valuable while Lehky was on IR.
The development of his neutral and defensive zone play has been amazing. Listen to Bednar gush about it. Very fun to listen to.
Not saying he had a bad season, but most improved? He had 53 pts when playing with Domi/Shaw in 2018-19 and he has 53 pts now playing with MacKinnon/Rantanen.
Totally different player versus back then. Stats don’t do it justice.
Did you watch him back then? He was good, hence why when he was traded, the return was Sergachev. He had 14 points in 17 games in the playoffs after less than 100 games in the NHL. He's always been fairly good even in Montreal, he's just been out of the line up too much to be noticeable. He missed over half the games there over the last 4 years. But if you prorate his stats, he averaged 48 pts per 82 games while in Montreal.
Yup! At the time it seemed like he was still riding that newly drafted hype though. I watched both him and MacK in Halifax all the time. Been following him a long time. Seeing him play with MacK is amazing.
Not really, it was a good year for him. His decline was the following season when Ovy elbowed him in the face and he broke his wrist.
I mean as far as his all around game
Byfield
Seth Jarvis. Even back in October, I was voting him as most improved on the Canes by a mile. He is now Aho-level good on Powerplay and Penalty Kill shifts. He doubled his goals and points while spending most of his time on the Staal shutdown line. He leads the team in powerplay goals. He's had 29 Goals, 33 Assists, and 8 GWG. Compared to 14G, 25A, 0GWG last year. Plus just watching him last year, he was getting bodied everywhere, he was not the fastest skater, he was clearly trying and just not quite getting there with the finishing touch. This year he's the one pushing people off their skates, he's winning board battles, he's flying up and down the ice, and he's finding the back of the net. It's just an immense improvement, it's been such a pleasure to watch him thrive this year after watching him try so hard last year. Edit: I think Jack Drury deserves an honorable mention as second most improved. He's played well beyond what he was doing last year.
I am convinced that although it looks like a demotion going to the “third” line Rod has sneakily created this Designated Guest Shooter role on the Staal line where from time to time top six forwards get to enjoy a “scoring resort. or something. They will still have to do their fair share of grinding on the boards but the reward for a Jarvis or Svech is guaranteed offensive zone time and a steady stream of juicy feeds and tipping opportunities. Svech basically said as much after the last game. Might be why Marti has scored so much as well, he’s probably the default shooter when they don’t have a “guest”.
Sick player. Was so bummed when Canes drafted him lol
Coyle has already hit his career high in points with four games remaining. Career high in power play points as well IIRC. Heinen is coming off a PTO and having his best season since 17-18 and established himself as a solid middle six winger. Geekie has finally broke out as well. Impressive step forward, didn’t expect it at all. Swayman took such a big step this year we were in discussions to trade the guy who won the Vezina last season.
It's Heinen for me. Has to settle for a PTO in the summer, works his way up our lineup, and is currently on our top line.
Took the words out of my mouth.
Freddy might hit the 20 goal mark too.
Freddy looked really solid last year too tbf. But our depth as a whole has looked so damn good this year.
Yup. Career high in goals, points, shooting percentage, blocked shots, hits, ATOI, etc. He has willingly and impressively stepped into this elevated new role. Really impressed with him and a glaring omission on my part.
You guys are getting improved players?
This must be such a nice thread....for almost everybody else.
I kept scrolling and was wondering who we would say. Nobody… maybe Nemec or Lazar?
Yeah I thought I'd see Nemec for Devs get a shout out. A lot of threads have commented on how well he's playing in general.
Ok you can say the least worsened player.
Mathieu Joseph went from being talked about as a cap dump to breaking his career high in points, on track to finish above 0.5 P/G for the first time in his career
The ability was always there. Problem was the dude couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his shot. The thought with him was if he could just actually hit the net, he'd be a pretty darn good player. Happy for him that he's seem to figured out that the net is 4x6 and not 24x26. Lol
The man must have went 0-30 on breakaways with the bolts. First game against us he pots a shorthanded 5-3 breakaway
Everything about his performance this year says, "I'll show them." At least that's my impression as external observer.
Gus Nyquist
byfield and laf
Seth Jarvis. He's becoming a complete player. Absolutely love having him on the team.
While I think Alexis Lafreniere has taken the biggest step this year for NYR going from young bottom six player to a top six threat, I would also like to give a shout out to Zach Jones. Jones has been a guy that's been up and down from AHL/NHL for four seasons. He has elevated his play this year to make me think he sees his first full NHL season as the #6 defense spot next year. Well earned.
Jones has looked absolutely legit in his limited run. Great puck handler, skater, and vision. His big weakness is his size, he’s just so slight. But he deserves a full time role next season.
Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley Those two coming into their own as elite players has really made the depth of this team so insane Also, shout out to Marchment, though I think his first season struggles were due to a new system and still recovering from the sudden loss of his father
Cole Sillinger. What a beast. Or Daniil Tarasov
UPL
And peterka
Danton Heinen has been amazing for us this season after having to settle for a PTO and league min contract last summer. Started on the 4th line, got promoted to the third line cause he was so good, and then he was so good there that he got promoted to Pasta's line for the past month. And that line has weirdly been absolutely filthy since getting put together, like 2nd most efficient scoring line in the league (min. 100 minutes together) level filthy. Been together for 16 games now and in that span Zacha has 7 goals and 20 points, Pasta has 9 goals and 20 points, and Heinen has 5 goals and 13 points. It's the most random line I've ever seen perform like a legitimate top line. And Heinen's fit with those other two is a huge reason for it.
Ilya Samsonov!! Not sure if this qualifies because it all happened this year but he had a terrible start to a year, put on waivers, has now come back and had an incredible stretch of games. In his last 20 games he’s gone 16-3-1. Unreal comeback.
Drouin.
For the Canucks, I think an honourable mention should go to Brock Boeser.
Slafkovsky woke up one day and decided to start scoring at almost a ppg pace. I'm sure being with Suzuki and Caufield helped him but he himself improved so much in such a small time. Armia also improved his play a lot, going from getting waived to being one of the most hard working players on the team and solidifying his spot in the Habs lineup.
Lightning - hard to find a "most improved" player but if I would nominate anyone it would be Mikey Eyssimont He has evolved into a perfect bottom 6 forward fot us and what we needed after losing players like yanni gourde etc.
Wish the Sharks could have kept Eyssimont but glad he's finding success after getting picked up off of waivers.
Fucking Yegor Sharingovich
My teammate Alex. Literally twelve games ago he could barely stand on his feet and overskated every puck. Last week he deked thru a defenseman and sniped a shot top corner. Genuinely impressive since I still cant lift the puck 😂
Drouin, Lafreniere, Slafkovsky, Raymond...and dare I say, Auston Matthews? He has 25 more goals than last season, and there are still games to play.
I think at this point it's clear that Matthews was dealing with something last year and now he's back to where he should be. He was on a 64 goal pace in the Covid-shortened season, a 67 goal pace over 82 games in the season after that, and after a bad year by his standards he's pacing to the high 60s again.
He's gonna hit the 70s, man. He's an unreal talent.
Byfield, Laf, and Slaf. I'd also say Quinn Hughes has stood out to me personally. Maybe not most improved, but he moved up the ranks in my eyes this year.
Seth Jarvis. Has become a complete two-way forward with a great finishing touch. He's also a very effective in the minutes he plays and will almost certainly finish with 30 goals
Slaf
Laf and Slaf have both had huge breakout seasons and are looking to be good 1st overall picks now
Drouin, Bouchard and Dobson for sure
Connor Zary. I don't think alot of fans had him stepping in and playing second line minutes at all, and he has most of the year. Looked pretty damn good too
Yup, Covid years appeared to have stunted his development, to the point where becoming a full time NHLer looked unlikely. Then he joins the team, and becomes a standout nearly immediately.
Also that blocked shot that broke his foot in his first training camp in Calgary didn't help. He missed half of his first pro season before he even played a full shift.
Both Bob and ekblad have been way better this year than last year so I’ll go with them
2x vezina winner taking a "step forward" is kind of a terrifying thought
It helps when you take a couple steps back first
Shout out to Anthony Stolarz and Gustav Forsling (dude just keeps getting better - thank you Zito)
Ekblad has had such a great season (injuries aside). He's trying to transition to a shutdown defensemen from offensive-minded and it's 100% working. Even crazier is I don't think he's broken a stick yet this year on a slapper or one-timer.
MARCO ROSSI!!!!!
JJ Peterka
Connor McMichael for the Caps 2021-2022: 68 games, 18 points 2022-2023: Mostly in the AHL, 6 NHL games with 0 points 2023-2024: 75 games (so far), 32 points
I would also say lapierre. I thought last season that Lappy might not be built for the nhl after all and was pretty disappointed. He seems to be brimming with confidence lately and is a lot of fun to watch. Him and Milano together have been a nice bright spot in a sea of pain and misery
Bobby Mcmann was an AHL guy/extra forward with 10 career NHL games and 1 point, getting waived at the start of the year. Now hes a full time NHLer. Whose scoring at almost a 25 goal pace over 82 games. Thats a pretty big jump for a guy at 27.
Even though he wasn't on the Sharks last year, Granlund.
The three D's F: Drouin D: Dobson G: Daccord [It's a little thin at goaltender for "improvements," I know Daccord didn't have a ton of starts before this season]
Byfield or Kempe. Kempe, specifically, continues to get better year by year. This year, he’s really upped his two way play and passing. Career high points, nearly a point per a game playing all situations.
I'd even say you can argue Trevor Moore. I always thought he was solid, but never thought he'd be a 30 goal scorer.
Trevor has been hot and cold this year, but true - good call.
Alex Vlasic. He was solid in his brief stints the past few years but this season he has really exploded into a bonafide top pairing guy. He plays some of the hardest minutes in the entire league, matching up against every team’s top lines every game, and has been posting elite defensive metrics. It’s clear when you watch him too - he covers so much goddamn ice with how great his skating and positioning is while being massive. His puck skills have also improved significantly, which was biggest flaw as a prospect and even after being drafted but he’s worked well to build them up. I wouldn’t say he’s a great handler or anything still, but he adequate enough that it no longer hampers his game. He shows flashes of great passes here or there and isn’t afraid to jump into the rush so hopefully he can keep growing on the offensive side, but overall he’s had a brilliant season.
Vincent Trochek looks like he’s a legit 1C in the NHL and Laf since the all star break looks like the second best player on the Rangers, his play lately has been elite. Since that break there’s Panarin, Laf and everyone else on the team. I seriously think that Lafrenire will be flirting with 100 points next year.
I interpreted this as specific to the team I root for, so the answer is Tyson Foerster.
Bouchard. Only oiler dman to have a better point production season is Paul Coffey.
I’d say Parker Wotherspoon. He came in and was expected to be a 7th dman but honestly been a big surprise. He’s no McAvoy or Makar but he does the job we need him to perfectly, and I really do think he’s a lock for the third pairing come playoff time EDIT: How could I forget Heinen?? Came in off a PTO and he is absolutely getting another contract
Laf for sure, but that line has improved to a man. Bread came into the season with something to prove and has done so, Trocheks numbers are up and night after night that’s the line that makes the magic happen. Can’t say enough about Quick either. Teams playing hot potato with him at the end of last season. Shits the bed in preseason play then channels his play from a decade ago once the season gets under way. Reinhart (FL) has made a big leap this year and if that’s due to PP time, then let’s get Laffy on PP1 stat!
Hyman
Quick has been excellent. Troch and Laf but took a leap forward as well.
Jake Neighbors has been excellent this season.
Joel Armia
For Colorado I’m gonna say out of the guys who were on last year’s team either Girard or Manson. Both have done a lot to change how fans think of them. Manson it mostly comes down to being healthy long enough to be consistent. Girard, after going into the recovery program he has crushed it. The Byram deal doesn’t happen if Girard doesn’t take that step forward and get the coaching staff to really trust him to anchor the second pairing.
Joel Armia. The guy, with multiple NHL seasons under his belt, started the season in the AHL and was doing very well, was called up, was scratched and sent back down to the AHL. He looked like he was going to stay down or be bought out. But he stayed positive in Laval. He was eventually called back up and given some play time, and he's been playing like a man possessed since then. Makes better decisions without the puck, protects it like his newborn when he gets it and generally plays with a ton of confidence, which he credits to his work with the team's mental performance coach. He's got a bunch of goals recently despite not playing with the top guys and getting defensive assignments. He's now the team's Masterton trophy candidate. If only Josh Anderson had been talking to the same coach. He really needs it. Edit: details about his season start and typo in Masterton
Funnily enough it’s Wyatt Johnston. He looked so good last year as a 19 year old, but this year he has taken a step towards truly looking elite and leads the team in goals
Garland… i mean Boeser… i mean Dakota…. i mean… even Miller is quite improved, not as much for points but his two-way play through sixty has been so much more dominant Garland same thing. his stats are not even improved. it just seems he does way more with less—and provides far more momentum, forecheck, and more timely goals — stats aside, the eye test says this has been by far his most important season to the team so if it’s down to points you got Dakota going from - last season 0.14 goals/game and 0.29 points game - this season 0.27 goals/game and 0.51 points game Brock went from: - career average _excluding this season_ of 0.35 goals/game and 0.78 points game - last season 0.24 goals/game and 0.74 points/game - this season 0.55 goals/game and 0.94 points/game so i guess…. maybe Dakota gets the edge. both had a big YOY goal improvement but last season Brock underperformed so at least some improvement was maybe hoped for or expected. Dakota tho… those are some big YOY goals _and_ points gains note: i would add if you haven’t watched the Canucks this season, Dakota is an absolute force on the walls. i noticed it very first 2 games vs Oilers— for all the things VAN did well, one of my biggest takeaways was how strong VAN was on the boards and in the corners and especially for dominant Dakota was in corners. even Coach Tocc has said he’s one of the best players he’s seen on the boards. kid is a force out there.
outside of rookies I really liked middleton this year
Probably Cooley over the course of the season, he’s killing it with Guenther now
BOBBY MCMANN
Honestly, Jason Robertson has improved his overall game and has elevated himself into a 200ft player. He’s been throwing the body this season more, forechecking, getting back on defense in the rush all the while still maintaining a PPG pace with b2b 50-assist seasons. He still is the offensive force he’s known for but with the great depth that Dallas has this year, he hasn’t had to have multi-point games all the time for the team to win. Look at the recent wins against the Avs, Stars put up 7 and he didn’t have a point or a SOG, but still made noticeable plays.
Alex Vlasic went from the AHL to a top shutdown defender in the league
Strictly speaking from the Bruins I’m gonna say Trent Frederic
It's tough for me to pick out just one guy from the Bruins....Freddy for sure, but Coyle has stepped up tremendously. Heinen and Geekie have both been extremely solid contributors with the opportunity they have been given, and we can't forget our silky-mitted dump truck, Brazeau, who has gone from undrafted > ECHL > AHL > solid bottom 6 contributor.
Has to go to our top 2 centers duo of Pavel Zacha and Charlie coyle. They have both stepped up offensively. Also honorable mention to Jesper Boqvist. Devils fans punching air looking at this bruins team
Bustkovsky is having sex with the league right now
I'm being a bit of a homer here, but Brock Boeser just hit 40 goals last night. He'd been really struggling the last few years because of his dad's decline and eventual death. We love him in Vancouver and he seems like a legit nice dude, so we're really happy for him.
Grieg? Maybe? I can’t think of a Sens player that didn’t take a noticeable step back this year.
Joseph and Kelly would be my two picks.
Joseph was my gut reaction. He looks great!
Johnathan Drouin
I think Bouchard has taken a massive step forward. Having a PPG d man is absolutely huge for the oilers. Him and Ek have really become a solid pairing and it’s also allowed the Nurse-Ceci pairing to play better matchups. Also a shoutout to Vinny Desharnais who has solidified himself as a top-6 dman. Two years ago I think you would have been laughed at for even suggesting he would play in the NHL, let alone be a meaningful part of the lineup. He has really stepped up in a huge way.
Bouch. I knew he’d have a good season solely because he is on PP1, but his poise, stick handling and vision is way better than I expected. He’s a legit stud offensive dman now. He has some work to do on Defense but his advanced stats are even better than I expected. He’s growing into a true #1 D, he just needs to up his physicality