Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The first two months of this season have provided plenty of surprises, including individual player performances whether positively or negatively. NoVa Caps picks seven surprise player performance and seven disappointments from so far in the 2023-24 NHL season.
Surprises
RW Frank Vatrano, Anaheim Ducks — The 29-year-old’s 13 goals through 22 games are tied for sixth in the NHL while his 21 points are tied for 31st. He is just nine goals shy of his career-best, which was set in 81 games with the Florida Panthers during the 2018-19 season, and more than halfway to his career-high in points (41, set in 81 games last season).
LW Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild — The 36-year-old’s 17 assists in his first 20 games are tied for 15th and 22 points are tied for 27th. Zuccarello has averaged beyond a point-per-game just once previously in his 13-season NHL career (2021-22: 55 assists, 79 points in 70 games).
RW Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks — The 26-year-old’s 17 tallies in 23 outings lead the NHL and his 26 points are tied for 16th. Boeser is just one goal away from matching his output from last season in 51 fewer games.
C Mason McTavish, Anaheim — The 20-year-old’s 10 goals in 22 games are tied for 24th and 21 points are tied for 31st. During his first full season last year, McTavish notched 17 goals and 43 points in 80 games.
D Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers — The 27-year-old has seen a huge spike in his offensive production with 14 assists and 16 points through 23 games. His career-high is 35 points, which was set in 82 games during the 2018-19 campaign.
LW Trevor Moore, Los Angeles Kings — The 28-year-old leads his team with 11 goals and is just a point behind left-wing Kevin Fiala and right-wing Adrian Kempe, who co-lead Los Angeles in points. Moore already beat his goal total from last season and his career-best in points is 48, which he recorded over 81 games during the 2021-22 season.
G Charlie Lindgren, Washington Capitals — The 29-year-old’s .926 save percentage in six games ranks sixth and 2.51 goals-against average is good for 11th. Lindgren, who finished last season with an .899 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average in 31 games, has a 4.99 goals-saved above average at five-on-five and has pushed Darcy Kuemper for the starter’s job in Washington.
Disappointments
LW Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota — The 26-year-old has just six goals and 18 points through 20 games this season after scoring at least 40 goals and averaging more than a point-per-game in each of the previous two.
LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary Flames — The 30-year-old, who’s in the first season of a contract that counts $10.5 million against the NHL salary cap, has continued to struggle in Calgary with just nine assists and 13 points in 22 games. After finishing in a tie for the runner-up in scoring during the 2021-22 season with the Florida Panthers, Huberdeau, who has been benched at times this season, tallied just 40 assists and 55 points in 79 games during his first rodeo in Calgary.
C Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken — Last season’s Calder Trophy winner as the NHL’s top rookie has been going through the sophomore slump with just four goals and 12 points in 23 games. He recorded 24 goals and 57 points in 80 contests last season.
LW Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets — The 30-year-old has only three goals and 11 points in 23 games after tallying 63 goals and 189 points in 162 games over the previous two seasons. Gaudreau was also been benched once.
LW Jakub Vrana, St. Louis Blues — The 27-year-0ld has been held to just two goals and six points in 17 games and recently served as a healthy scratch. Despite getting held to limited time over the last two seasons due to injury and being in the NHLPA assistance program, Vrana thrived as he scored 24 goals and 35 points over 51 games.
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets — The Vezina Trophy finalist from last season has a .908 save percentage (though, .934 at five-on-five) in 16 games after posting a .920 save percentage in 64 games during the 2022-23 season.
G Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators — After finishing with at least a .914 save percentage and 2.70 goals-against average, respectively, in each of his first seven NHL seasons, the 28-year-old has posted a .900 save percentage, 2.99 goals-against average, and a 1.82 five-on-five goals-saved above average.
By Harrison Brown