NHL Barometer: Risers and Fallers

This week's article includes a hot Larkin, CC on fire for the Habs, UPL a stalwart in net for the Sabres, Chytil out for the year and PLD still scuffling.

First Liners (Risers)

Dylan Larkin, C, DET – Larkin doesn't seem to get much fantasy or card-hobby love. Despite producing a career-high 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) in 80 games last season, Larkin probably slid lower than he should have in your fantasy leagues. Larkin is proving that production was no fluke, as he extended his point streak to 11 contests — a run in which he has nine goals and 15 points — with a pair of tallies Saturday. The six games he lost to injury this season could cost Larkin the chance at a new career-best in points, but he should remain at close to a point-per-game the rest of the way as the Red Wings' No. 1 center.

Ivan Barbashev, LW, LV – Vegas won the Stanley Cup last year thanks to contributions throughout the lineup. One such contributor was Barbashev, who is on a hot streak right now helping the team make up for the absence of Jack Eichel. Barbashev extended his point streak to six games Saturday. In that span, he has four goals and seven assists, giving him 13 markers and 17 helpers in 50 games. His production is off from his career season two years ago but close to where he finished last year and if he remains hot, Barbashev could end the season between the two numbers.

Cole Caufield, RW, MTL – Caufield, somewhat quietly, extended his NHL career-long point streak to nine games (six goals, six assists) with a helper Saturday. In addition, he is four points from equaling his career-best mark (43) which he set in 67 games in 2021-22. Boding well for even greater success after the All-Star break is that Caufield's shooting percentage this season (9.6) is well below his career mark (12.7). Caufield was on pace for a monster season last year before he got injured. If he can stay healthy this year and regresses back to the norm for his shooting percentage, 35 goals could in the cards. 

Sam Reinhart, RW, FLA – Reinhart certainly picked the right season to have a career year as his current contract expires this summer. He has already set career highs with 36 goals on the season, including 19 power-play tallies, aided by a red-hot January. Reinhart recorded at least a point in 12 straight January contests and has failed to find the back of the net only twice in the last 16 games, piling up 18 goals and 22 points over that latter stretch. His next contract will start with at least a nine at the first digit and could go even higher, depending on if he re-signs in Florida where there is no state income tax. 

Victor Hedman, D, TB – Coming into the season, the view of some was that Hedman had been surpassed on the Tampa blueline by Mikhail Sergachev. Injuries coupled with some ineffective play have limited Sergachev to a pair of goals and 15 assists in 33 games, far off the 64 points he posted last season in 79 contests. Hedman has already surpassed the 49 points he tallied last season and heads into the All-Star break on a four-game, six-point scoring streak (one goal, five assists). His three points Saturday made him the 29th defender to achieve 700 career points in the NHL as he burnishes his future Hall of Fame resume. 

Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS – McAvoy will head into the All-Star break on a roll. His goal and assists Saturday mean that he has posted three goals and seven points over the last eight games. McAvoy has been fairly consistent again this season, collecting seven goals and 33 points over 41 contests. His current pace should allow McAvoy to approach or exceed the 50-point barrier for the third straight season, all of which would have occurred after he signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension with the Bruins in October of 2021. 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, BUF – The Sabres have been searching for a No. 1 netminder for a while. Heading into the season, Devon Levi was the favorite to fill that role. He has struggled this year, resulting in a pair of trips to the AHL. Stepping into the spot, especially lately, has been Luukkonen, who has been sharp since the December break, posting two shutouts and going 6-3-0 in nine starts while allowing more than three goals in just a pair of those outings. UPL has a stranglehold on the job for now. 

Stuart Skinner, G, EDM – Skinner is the hottest goalie in the NHL. The 25-year-old has won 12 straight starts, contributing mightily to Edmonton's 16-game winning streak, and has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 straight, posting a 1.41 goals-against average (GAA) and .950 save percentage over the course of the winning streak. The 11 consecutive victories give Skinner 23 on the year, putting him well on pace to exceed the career-high 29 he posted last year. He is the clear No. 1 goalie for the Oilers. 

Others include Logan Cooley, Brayden Point, Elias Pettersson, Dylan Cozens, Sidney Crosby, Brandon Hagel, Dylan Guenther, Martin Necas, Pius Suter, Mats Zuccarello, Troy Terry, Jonathan Marchessault, Cale Makar, Noah Dobson, Justin Schultz, Thomas Harley, Quinn Hughes, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Thatcher Demko, Alex Lyon, Ilya Samsonov and Sergei Bobrovsky. 

Buy Low 

Adam Henrique, C, ANA – Like Jake Allen below, Henrique may be a hold and wait candidate as he too is expected to be on the trading block with his future value depending on where he lands. Henrique's two assists Saturday was his fourth multi-point effort in his last seven games, a span in which he has five goals and five assists. Overall, Henrique's at 32 points, 91 shots, 26 PIM, 43 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 48 appearances while filling a top-line center role for the Ducks with Trevor Zegras sidelined. 

Training Room (Injuries)

Filip Chytil, C, NYR – Chytil looked to be progressing well in his potential return from his suspended concussion, returning to New York from Czechia last week. He practiced in a non-contact jersey last Thursday with no ill-effects but reportedly tripped over a stick while working on ice with just two other players and suffered a setback. Chytil has been shut down for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and the broader concern must be if this has now moved even closer to a career-threatening injury. 

Others include Patrik Laine (collarbone, out since Dec. 14, suffered a setback this past week and entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Sunday), Andrei Svechnikov (upper body, missed fourth straight game Saturday), Patrick Kane (lower body, has missed six straight games, could play Wednesday), Miro Heiskanen (lower body, missed 11 games, returned to action this past week) and Marc-Andre Fleury (upper-body injury, still sidelined Saturday). 

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, LA – Dubois' first year in LA has been an unmitigated disaster so far. Acquired this offseason from Winnipeg for three players and a pick, Dubois has just 10 goals and as many assists in 46 games and has been shunted down to the third line. That output and line placement is a far cry from what the Kings expected when they dealt those assets as part of the sign-and-trade with the Jets, where PLD inked an eight-year, $68 million contract extension last June. The barbarians are at the gate with Dubois, who will need a massive post-All-Star break run to regain some of the good feelings from the LA faithful. 

Evander Kane, LW, EDM – The Oilers, as noted above, are rolling. But one player whose production has been so-so during Edmonton's hot streak is Kane. Expectations were raised when he posted 39 points in 43 games in 2021-22 followed by a solid playoff run. A wrist injury impacted his output last year, but he has been healthy this season. Kane has just one goal in his last 11 games and posted 15 markers with 14 apples in 44 contests — good but far from elite numbers, which may be what we see from Kane in Edmonton.

Owen Power, D, BUF – The future is still bright for Power, but that future looks like it's not now. After posting 35 points last season even while being deployed heavily defensively, Power has been limited to a pair of goals and 16 assists in 49 games this year. His last goal came way back on December 21 and in this span, he has just five assists in 15 games. Power is still Buffalo's No. 2 blueline option behind Rasmus Dahlin, though that hasn't translated to him denting the scoresheet.

Others include Ryan Strome,  Blake Coleman, Lukas Reichel, Will Borgen, Ryan McDonagh, Igor Shesterkin and Samuel Ersson. 

Sell High

Jake Allen, G, MTL – This one is a wait and see unless you must make a move now. Allen has allowed at least three goals in five straight starts, losing four of those games. He is 5-9-3 with a 3.43 goals-against average (GAA) and .901 save percentage in 17 starts. Montreal is likely to move Allen. If he stays with the Habs, then his value remains low, but if he does go to a playoff contender and becomes a 1A or even 1B, then his value will rise. Your ability to wait will be dictated by your place in the standings and the timeframe you need to remediate your netminding.