On a day when all 32 teams play, here is the biggest surprise and the biggest disappointment on each NHL team
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The NHL’s best surprises and biggest disappointments in 2022-23
The Athletic NHL Staff
Apr 8, 2023
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The NHL’s regular season is entering its final week, and Filip Gustavsson looks like a potential Vezina finalist, Erik Karlsson is closing in on the first 100-point season for a defenseman since 1992 and the once-best-in-West Jets might miss the playoffs.
Didn’t see any of that coming.
Those are just a few of the unexpected developments we heard about this week when The Athletic asked its NHL staff for their best surprises and biggest disappointments in 2022-23.
Here’s one surprise and one disappointment for each team.
Anaheim Ducks
Best surprise: Lukáš Dostál
I was tempted to go with Mason McTavish here as the 20-year-old center already is showing maturity beyond his years, but he went into the season as a Calder Trophy candidate and is merely living up to that. Meanwhile, Dostál was likely ticketed to spend one more full season in the AHL before making the jump. The 22-year-old has had some bumpy moments playing behind Anaheim’s porous defense, but he’s had a .901 save percentage and has 11 quality starts out of the 15 he’s been given.
Biggest disappointment: John Klingberg
It isn’t all on Klingberg that the Ducks are headed for the worst season in franchise history. The defensive statistics and metrics are rotten across the board. But his ineffectiveness symbolized how porous they were. He had a minus-28 rating and possessed terrible underlying numbers in his 50 games played before being shipped off to Minnesota. He produced only 24 points as he lost his spot on the top power play. The Ducks were betting that the 30-year-old would rebound after a poor final season in Dallas and would become a trade piece that could land a first-round pick. Neither happened. — Eric Stephens
Arizona Coyotes
Best surprise: Matias Macelli
Among the nine rookies who have played for the Coyotes this year, Macelli has been by far the most productive. He’s third on the team in scoring with 46 points and is in the top three in the overall rookie scoring race. Macelli is primarily a playmaker – he has only 58 shots on goal in 61 games — but has the skillset to play in the top six on a team that remains in the early stages of its rebuild.
Biggest disappointment: Nathan Smith
After joining the Coyotes last spring following a successful year at Minnesota State-Mankato and an appearance on behalf of Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Smith showed promise, with four points in 10 games, including his first two NHL goals. Offseason ankle surgery set him back and he didn’t make the team out of training camp. He was held scoreless in the only four NHL games he got into this season and produced a modest 26 points in 59 AHL games for Tucson. — Eric Duhatschek
Boston Bruins
Best surprise: Linus Ullmark
I would not have been surprised had Jeremy Swayman developed into a Vezina contender this season. I did not foresee Ullmark making the progression. Nothing about his prior performance signaled an entry into the league’s elite. But everything has come together for Ullmark, from his technique to his confidence to his off-ice happiness.
Biggest disappointment: Craig Smith
The Bruins expected Smith to be their No. 3 right wing. But the 33-year-old tumbled off the cliff. Injuries didn’t help. But Smith, a high-volume shooter, never gained traction in Jim Montgomery’s system, which emphasizes chance quality over quantity. Smith scored only four goals before the Bruins sent him to Washington in the Dmitry Orlov-Garnet Hathaway trade. — Fluto Shinzawa
Buffalo Sabres
Best surprise: Casey Mittelstadt
Mittelstadt is closing in on 50 points while playing in a third-line role. Many had written off the 2018 top-10 pick after an injury-plagued 2021-22 season. He’s stayed healthy this year and has been a versatile contributor at both center and wing. In addition to being a strong locker-room presence, Mittelstadt has become a competitive player who can be used in a variety of situations.
Biggest disappointment: Goaltending
The Sabres have recently gotten a few strong games from Devon Levi in his first NHL season, which has dramatically improved the outlook of the team’s goaltending. But for much of the season, injuries and inconsistency plagued the team in net. Craig Anderson, Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen all had bright moments, but none could sustain it for an extended period of time due to age in Anderson’s case, injuries in Comrie’s and inexperience in Luukkonen’s. — Matthew Fairburn
Calgary Flames
Best surprise: Tyler Toffoli
Toffoli was told he’d have the inside track on a top-line spot in training camp, seized it and hasn’t let go. At age 30, he’s in the midst of a career season, with 34 goals and 72 points. “I just knew I wanted to take it in stride and do the best with the opportunity,” Toffoli told The Athletic. “Obviously, things have been going well. Even when I had a few tough games, I knew I still had the faith in me that I was going to have the opportunity and be able to play.”
Biggest disappointment: Jonathan Huberdeau
Huberdeau knows he has yet to make a big enough impact since joining the Flames this past offseason. His offensive production has declined sharply, with 54 points after last season posting a career-high 114. And he becomes a much more expensive commodity next season when his average annual value rises to $10.5 million, with a no-movement clause. — Julian McKenzie
Carolina Hurricanes
Best surprise: Jalen Chatfield
The 26-year-old undrafted defenseman won a Calder Cup last season with the AHL Chicago Wolves, just a season after being cast off by the defense-starved Canucks. Chatfield quickly established himself as the best of three defensemen battling for two spots on the Hurricanes’ bottom pairing. His speed has made him an asset defensively, and he has six goals in the past 42 games after scoring his first career goal on Dec. 22.
Biggest disappointment: Teuvo Teravainen
Teravainen has just 36 points in his first 63 games this season, his fewest since coming to Carolina other than the injury-filled 2020-21 season, in which he played just 21 games. He is a key piece for the Hurricanes, whether he’s alongside countryman Sebastian Aho on the top line or killing penalties for the NHL’s No. 2 PK unit, and with injuries impacting Carolina’s scoring punch, the Hurricanes need consistency from Teravainen to have success this postseason. — Cory Lavalette
Chicago Blackhawks
Best surprise: Alex Stalock
Before joining the Blackhawks this season, Stalock had played in just one NHL game since 2020 due to myocarditis. He hasn’t consistently played in 2022-23 due to injuries, but when he’s been in the net, he’s often been good. Whether the organization was hopeful he’d be that good is another question.
Biggest disappointment: Patrick Kane
Kane and others thought he’d be able to elevate the Blackhawks despite their offseason moves. It become evident early in the season that wasn’t going to happen. Kane had stretches, especially late with the Blackhawks, where he looked like his usual self, but he just couldn’t consistently produce at a high level for them. What the Blackhawks ended up getting for Kane in a trade was disappointing for the organization and fans, too. — Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus
Colorado Avalanche
Best surprise: Alexandar Georgiev
The Avalanche let Stanley cup-winning goalie Darcy Kuemper walk in free agency and made a big bet on Georgiev, acquiring him from the Rangers and signing him to a three-year contract that runs through the 2024-25 season. He’s been everything the front office could have hoped for, currently second in the league with 37 wins to go along with a .918 save percentage. The playoffs will be the big test for Georgiev, but so far the trade has been a massive success.
Biggest disappointment: Gabriel Landeskog’s health
Landeskog needed knee surgery to start the season and has yet to play a game since. It’s been a disappointing stretch for Landeskog, the team and fans alike. He’s been skating, so there’s still hope for a playoff return. That would benefit Colorado; his presence has been missed both on and off the ice. — Peter Baugh
Columbus Blue Jackets
Best surprise: Kirill Marchenko
The Blue Jackets had high expectations for Marchenko eventually, but he splashed on the scene in 2022-23 in a way nobody could have expected. Marchenko, recalled from AHL Cleveland in early December, has set a rookie franchise scoring record with 21 goals in only 54 games. He supplanted Patrik Laine on the No. 1 line opposite winger Johnny Gaudreau, and seems to only be getting better at finding soft spots on the ice from which to unleash his shot.
Biggest disappointment: Elvis Merzlikins
No question, the Blue Jackets are a difficult club to backstop. The defense was full of question marks even before it was gutted by injuries this season. But Merzlikins is miles away from being the goaltender the team expected when it signed him to a five-year, $27 million contract. He’s 7-18-2 with an .876 save percentage and a 4.23 goals-against average, ranking among the worst goaltenders in the league. — Aaron Portzline
Dallas Stars
Best surprise: Wyatt Johnston
You can take your pick here between Johnston and Jamie Benn. Both have been very pleasantly surprising. But I’ll give the edge to Johnston because there was no NHL pedigree to fall back on. The 19-year-old rookie has not only been good but has also somehow avoided the rookie wall and gotten better as the year has gone. The Stars have asked a lot from him and put more on his plate, recently putting him on the penalty kill, and he’s knocked it out of the park every time. He’s deserving of Calder votes.
Biggest disappointment: Denis Gurianov
Coach Pete DeBoer granted a fresh start to everybody on the roster and installed a more offensive system that fit Gurianov’s style of play. Gurianov got the opportunity in training camp to be a top-six forward and fumbled it away. With the Stars desperate for a second-line winger, Gurianov got multiple chances again during the season and failed each time before being traded away to Montreal at the deadline. — Saad Yousuf
Detroit Red Wings
Best surprise: Jake Walman
The Red Wings didn’t know what they were going to get from Walman when the season began, especially considering he was injured. But when he got back in the lineup, he quickly became their best story of the season, blossoming into a top-pair defenseman before their eyes and earning a midseason three-year contract extension. Thanks to his elite skating, Walman kills plays defensively and may still crack double-digits as a goal scorer before season’s end. He’s been quite the find and looks like a big part of their team moving forward.
Biggest disappointment: Ben Chiarot
Chiarot catches a lot of flack, often more than is deserved. He brings a physical element that few other Red Wings do and is a needed veteran presence in a young locker room. But it’s still fair to say that his first season in Detroit didn’t go exactly according to plan, and he’s on track to end the season with the team’s lowest plus-minus rating. It wasn’t the ideal way to begin a four-year contract. — Max Bultman
Edmonton Oilers
Best surprise: Stuart Skinner
The Oilers always thought highly of Skinner, but he had only 14 NHL appearances to his name before this season. The plan was to use him in roughly 30 games behind offseason-signee Jack Campbell. Well, Skinner’s been called upon 47 times so far in part because of Campbell’s struggles and in part because of his own stellar play. Skinner has saved 11.89 goals above expected in all situations, good for 11th in the NHL — per Natural Stat Trick. The Oilers might not be headed to the playoffs if it weren’t for Skinner, who made an appearance in the All-Star Game and should get plenty of consideration for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.
Biggest disappointment: Jack Campbell
If Skinner is the best surprise, Campbell has to be the biggest disappointment. Sure, he allowed just one goal against the NHL’s worst team over his past two starts. That represents massive progress for a beloved teammate. But recency bias alone can’t mask what’s been a dreadful season for the highly prized free-agent signing. His .888 save percentage is 11th worst in the league among goalies who’ve made at least 10 appearances. He simply hasn’t been anywhere close to good enough. Ever frank, he’d be the first person to say it, too. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman
Florida Panthers
Best surprise: Matthew Tkachuk
It’d be unfair to call Tkachuk the Panthers’ “biggest” surprise — but that wasn’t the question. We knew he was an outstanding player, but clearing the 100-point mark with ease (without Johnny Gaudreau as a linemate) and finishing behind only Connor McDavid in average GSVA? That’s next-level, Hart finalist-caliber stuff, and certainly worth the $76 million contract he signed last year.
Biggest disappointment: Aaron Ekblad
It was fair to wonder how Ekblad would look without MacKenzie Weegar running shotgun, and the answer hasn’t been pretty. Ekblad’s season has consisted of 14 even-strength points, the worst expected goals percentage among the team’s defensemen and getting harassed from a luxury box by Brooks Koepka. Rough stuff for a guy who, when healthy, had been on the periphery of the Norris coversation. — Sean Gentille
Los Angeles Kings
Best surprise: The power play
The Kings had not been successful on 20 percent of their chances on the man advantage since the 2017-18 season — and only four times in the salary cap era. Even the two championship teams weren’t particularly efficient on it until they had to be. But this season’s team has gotten it done at a 25.2 percent clip that ranks third in the NHL behind Edmonton and Tampa Bay. One key has been having multiple scoring threats. Among their 65 power-play goals, Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson have nine, while Arthur Kaliyev has eight and Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo each have seven. No, they don’t have Leon Draisaitl, who has scored nearly as many on the power play as several teams. But the committee approach and the addition of first-year assistant Jim Hiller running it has made a big difference.
Biggest disappointment: The former goaltenders
After backstopping the Kings to the playoffs last season, Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen were slated to battle for the net once again in 2022-23 — the venerable legend trying to fight off the heir apparent for the No. 1 job. Instead, Petersen had an .868 save percentage and was in the minors by the end of November while Quick lost the starting job to Pheonix Copley as his .875 save percentage left coach Todd McLellan uncomfortable with handing more starts to the 37-year-old with the hope that he would turn his season around. Quick was dealt and landed on the rival Golden Knights, and the Kings will go into the playoffs with Copley and Joonas Korpisalo. — Eric Stephens
Minnesota Wild
Best surprise: Filip Gustavsson
Nobody — not even the Wild brass — could have expected such a masterful season from the 24-year-old former Senators backup. Since Nov. 19, he is tied with Linus Ullmark for the highest save percentage in the NHL (.938) and has the league’s best goals-against average (1.81). It’s why there’s a belief the Wild are strongly considering starting him Game 1 of the playoffs.
Biggest disappointment: Jordan Greenway
Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman haven’t been as good as last year, especially through January, and Mats Zuccarello has been disappointing for much of the second half, even before sidekick Kirill Kaprizov’s injury, but there was no bigger disappointment in 2022-23 than Greenway before he was traded to Buffalo. After an injury-plagued offseason, Greenway scored two goals (one was empty-net) and five assists in 45 games and one assist in his last 23 games. — Michael Russo
Montreal Canadiens
Best surprise: Rafaël Harvey-Pinard
Even if Mike Matheson’s leap forward this season is worth mentioning here, the nod has to go to a player who’s rapidly gone from B prospect to impactful NHL player. Harvey-Pinard displays NHL hockey sense and positioning, a lack of fear and a good finishing touch. When it comes to “HP,” the heart and the brain will compensate for whatever skill he might not be the best at. A very exciting player for years to come.
Biggest disappointment: Joel Edmundson
Edmundson was out for most of the season because of a back injury, and as such, he personifies the disappointment of seeing the Canadiens unable to capitalize on the assets they were meant to have at the trade deadline. That day turned out to be a dud. And then, since he’s come back in the lineup, Edmundson has been tentative in his play. Is he just holding on and being prudent for next year? Hard to say, but he hasn’t shown his usual bite. — Marc Antoine Godin
Nashville Predators
Best surprise: Tommy Novak
Novak had 41 points in 46 games entering Thursday’s action — fourth on the team and just a shade behind star Filip Forsberg (42 points in 50 games), at a better pace. That’s completely out of nowhere for the 2015 third-round pick, who had seven points in 27 NHL games entering the season. With each passing week, he looks more like a key part of the future of this team and less like a guy on a random heater.
Biggest disappointment: Filip Forsberg
This isn’t meant to be a criticism of Forsberg, because it’s not his fault he took a nasty shot to the head in a Feb. 11 game at Philadelphia and hasn’t played since. But that almost certainly means Forsberg’s season is done, with 42 points and 50 games played, with lingering health worries for a guy who has had concussions in the past. After he just signed an eight-year, $68 million contract. That’s major disappointment. — Joe Rexrode
New Jersey Devils
Best surprise: Improvement across the board
The Devils showed signs of life last season at five-on-five, but goaltending obviously dragged them down. So it’s not a huge surprise that with better goaltending this season, they have been able to build on what they started. But the fact that they’ve improved to the degree of fighting for first in the Metro heading into the final week and look like a major threat in the East? That’s a pleasant surprise and comes thanks to another year of development across the board, plus offseason additions like John Marino, Ondrej Palat and Vitek Vanecek to address areas of need. And the assistant coaches changed to bring a new perspective at both ends of the ice.
Biggest disappointment: Mackenzie Blackwood
Blackwood lost the starter’s net to Vanecek after a tough start to the season. Despite the Devils’ efforts to shield him from too many shots or scoring chances, he couldn’t play up to the mere average level they needed. That shifted him to an outright backup role, before his injury. It’s been more of the same for someone New Jersey had high hopes for. While a team only needs so much from its backup, it would help to have some security behind Vanecek, who is playing the biggest workload of his career. — Shayna Goldman
New York Islanders
Best surprise: Hudson Fasching
Mostly a minor leaguer before the Islanders signed him to a two-way contract in August, Fasching has established himself as a hard-working, responsible NHL depth forward who can occasionally produce a little offense. No one would have envisioned him as an everyday player for the Islanders at the start of training camp, and now it seems likely the Islanders will try to re-sign the pending unrestricted free agent.
Biggest disappointment: The power play
Believe it or not, the Islanders had the league’s fourth-best power play after the All-Star break last season. It hasn’t picked up where it left off, sitting near the bottom of the league this season, and has been particularly bad since Mathew Barzal’s injury on Feb. 18. If the Islanders squeak into the playoffs, the power play is going to have to be much better for them to have any chance at pulling off a first-round upset. — Kevin Kurz
New York Rangers
Best surprise: K’Andre Miller
Anyone who’s watched Miller since he turned pro three years ago could have forecast big things for the big defenseman. But Miller producing a 41-point season in Year 3 may not have been so easy to predict, given how little power-play time he gets. His 37 even-strength points this season are 13th among NHL defensemen, only three behind Adam Fox and one ahead of Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar.
Biggest disappointment: Vitali Kravtsov
The Kravtsov soap opera came to a not-so-surprising end with his trade to Vancouver at the end of February, but the season began with promise: Kravtsov, after leaving the team twice in recent seasons, returned early in the summer to commit to the organization and seemingly earned a role out of camp. But that role disappeared the same way Kravtsov did some nights, after 28 games and six points. — Arthur Staple
Ottawa Senators
Best surprise: Tim Stützle
This is really a coin flip between Stützle and Jake Sanderson, but I’ll give the slight edge the Stützle because this was the season he pushed himself into the stratosphere of an elite player in the NHL. Heading into next season, there is every reason for Ottawa fans to dream about a scenario where he flirts with the 100-point plateau. Could he one day morph into a 50-goal scorer? I don’t think you can rule that out. And this is made all the more exciting by the fact that Ottawa locked him up to an eight-year extension worth $8.35 million per year before the start of this season. If the Sens hadn’t had the foresight to do that, fans would be freaking out about the value of Stützle’s next contract right now.
Biggest disappointment: Goaltending
The Senators headed into this season with the hope of having a more stable situation in their crease. They were tired of the roller coaster with Matt Murray and envisioned a solid and dependable 1-2 punch in the form of Anton Forsberg and Cam Talbot. Instead, they have used seven different starting goaltenders this season. Talbot has been shelved for extended periods of time with three separate injuries. Forsberg hasn’t played since suffering a pair of MCL injuries on a gruesome play in February. And to make matters worse, Filip Gustavsson is thriving (see: Minnesota Wild, best surprise). The Senators will once again head into the summer with significant question marks hanging around the goaltending position. — Ian Mendes
Philadelphia Flyers
Best surprise: Owen Tippett
It was fair to wonder if Tippett was the main piece of the trade that sent longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux out of Philly last March or was merely a throw-in, given how far the 2017 first-rounder had fallen down the organizational depth chart in Florida. He certainly doesn’t look like a throw-in now. He’s been one of the Flyers’ best players and established himself as a key piece as they finally embark upon a rebuild. Tippett has 23 goals thus far, and he’s gunning for 25 before the end of the season. The Flyers believe his ultimate ceiling could be much higher than that, and after his 2022-23 level-up, it’s easy to understand their optimism.
Biggest disappointment: Travis Sanheim
The Flyers’ other major disappointments this season come with legitimate excuses. Joel Farabee (36 points in 77 games) missed all of offseason training recovering from neck surgery. Ivan Provorov still doesn’t have an ideal partner on the top pair. Tony DeAngelo proved not to be that partner without Jaccob Slavin beside him. But Sanheim’s regression has been inexplicable. He appeared to take a major step forward in 2021-22, when he was one of the few 25-and-under Flyers who didn’t underwhelm. The season earned Sanheim a massive eight-year, $50 million extension just before Game 1 of 2022-23. But the player on the ice this season has little resembled the one the Flyers thought they were paying. The defensive mistakes of years past have returned, his offense has been minimal given his talent (22 points in 76 games) and for the first time in his career, his advanced metrics are in the gutter as well. With his new contract starting in 2023-24, the Flyers desperately need him to bounce back for the contract not to become a salary-cap albatross. — Charlie O’Connor
Pittsburgh Penguins
Best surprise: Marcus Pettersson
Though he’s been injured for the final weeks of the season, Pettersson showed prior that he is a legitimate top-four defenseman around whom the Penguins can build. He was the most consistent player on an often-depleted and underperforming blue line and didn’t look out of place when on a top pairing with Kris Letang. He challenged himself after last season to show better, and he did.
Biggest disappointment: The original third line
The third line general manager Ron Hextall originally built was a disaster before he disassembled it prior to the trade deadline. He ended up waiving wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Brock McGinn, and center Jeff Carter finished the season — playing his best hockey by the way — on the fourth line. The original third line was a Legion of Gloom and an anchor that damaged playoff hopes. — Rob Rossi
San Jose Sharks
Best surprise: Erik Karlsson
The past three years have been disappointing for Karlsson, mostly because of injuries and missed games but he also wasn’t one of the game’s dominant defensemen. That changed in 2022-23. In one of the great revival seasons in recent NHL history, Karlsson is having the best offensive seasons for a defenseman in three decades. He became the first defenseman to reach 97 points since 1992-93 on Thursday night.
Biggest disappointment: The goaltending
James Reimer has been one of the NHL’s most consistent goalies during his career, and Kaapo Kahkonen had a promising start to his Sharks career after arriving in a trade last season. They both had a save percentage better than .910 with San Jose in 2021-22. This year, they are both sub-.900 and the club is in the bottom four of the NHL standings despite Karlsson’s magical season and a better-than-50 percent expected goals percentage at even strength. — Corey Masisak
Seattle Kraken
Best surprise: The scoring balance
A year ago, few would have imagined the Kraken would be in this position in 2022-23, having already clinched a playoff spot heading into the final week of the season. Management had a strong offseason, addressing the biggest need of goaltending, and continued with savvy moves into the season with midseason pickups like Eeli Tolvanen. That helped create scoring balance, with depth up and down the lineup, which gives the defense goaltending the support they were missing last year. That’s a major reason this is a playoff team. Seattle has more unique scorers than the rest of the league and can count on every line to produce.
Biggest disappointment: The power play
Most of the Kraken’s top contributors have had the majority of their success at five-on-five. That’s a more sustainable approach for any team, to not rely on special teams, but it would help if Seattle had a power play it could count on, too. According to HockeyViz, the Kraken create just 6.59 expected goals for per 60 minutes of man advantage, which is 11 percent below league average. Their scoring rate is only slightly above that and ranks in the bottom third of the league. — Shayna Goldman
St. Louis Blues
Best surprise: There wasn’t one
Even the Blues’ most productive players were just OK. Their prospects were decent. If there was anyone or anything that remotely qualifies as the “best” surprise, it would be Calle Rosen’s eight goals or Sammy Blais’ offensive resurgence after returning to St. Louis. But if those are your best surprises, you don’t have a best surprise.
Biggest disappointment: The defense
It was a disaster. General manager Doug Armstrong has actually come out and said he wonders if his top four defensemen just happened to all have down years in the same season. That would be a best-case answer as to why Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy, Torey Krug and Justin Faulk (though Faulk was the best of the bunch) underachieved. There were many factors in a disappointing season, but this was No. 1. — Jeremy Rutherford
Tampa Bay Lightning
Best surprise: Nick Perbix
The rookie defenseman emerged as an unlikely candidate for the top pair at times this season. Perbix, a sixth-round pick, earned a spot over incumbents like Cal Foote and new additions Haydn Fleury and Philippe Myers. Perbix will be part of the blue line during the playoffs, which I don’t think many could have predicted before the season.
Biggest disappointment: The penalty kill
The team’s penalty kill has been a key part of its playoff runs. And it was a top-five unit just two years ago. This season, the Lightning are 15th in the league on the PK, and while they had a hot stretch, they’ve been a bit inconsistent. Losing Ryan McDonagh, Jan Rutta and others in the summer didn’t help. Coach Jon Cooper has said you can win in playoffs with a struggling power play, but if your penalty kill is off, you’re in trouble. — Joe Smith
Toronto Maple Leafs
Best surprise: Ilya Samsonov
The thinking when Samsonov signed a one-year deal after not being qualified by the Capitals was that if he could provide simply adequate goaltending in more of a backup role, the Leafs would be fine. Instead, Samsonov is putting together the best season of his NHL career, with a .916 save percentage is tied for ninth in the league. His athletic play has made him a vital part of the Leafs’ playoff hopes, and his likable personality an important part of the team’s dressing room. Not bad for a player who was not wanted by his last team.
Biggest disappointment: Matt Murray
Despite questions about his injury history, Murray felt like the de facto starter when he was acquired in the offseason. He said all the right things and looked to be in a good place when he arrived in Toronto. But those questions lingered all season. Murray missed time with three separate injuries: an October adductor injury that saw him moved to long-term injured reserve, a February ankle injury and an April head injury that he has yet to return from. He’s played just 26 games, one of the lowest totals of his career. — Joshua Kloke
Vancouver Canucks
Best surprise: Andrei Kuzmenko
It would have been a positive first season if the European free-agent signee scored 40 points and played a regular middle-six role. Instead, he’s chipped in nearly 40 goals and has been a top-line fixture.
Biggest disappointment: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Ekman-Larsson was a solid top-four contributor in his first season as a Canuck. This season, his play fell off a cliff (as did Tyler Myers’). That left the Canucks’ blueline in shambles outside of Quinn Hughes — Harman Dayal
Vegas Golden Knights
Best surprise: The goalies (all of them)
The Golden Knights’ biggest question entering this season was how they’d perform in net after Robin Lehner was ruled out for the entire season. Despite playing five different goalies, Vegas ranks seventh in the NHL in team save percentage. The strong defense in front of those goalies has certainly helped, but Logan Thompson, Adin Hill, Laurent Brossoit, Jonathan Quick and Jiri Patera have all elevated their games when needed. Brossoit has been excellent down the stretch and could be the playoff starter.
Biggest disappointment: Mark Stone’s health
Stone battled a back injury for more than two years. After undergoing surgery this offseason, he had hopes of returning to his top form. And he did, briefly, with 38 points in 43 games, but it was short-lived as he re-injured his back and needed another surgery in February. There’s optimism that he could potentially return for the postseason, but coming back from two back surgeries in less than nine months is a tall task. It’s tough to see Vegas as a true Cup contender without its captain. — Jesse Granger
Washington Capitals
Best surprise: Dylan Strome
Strome came to Caps training camp on a one-year “prove-it” contract, competing for a spot as a top-six center. As the season draws to a close, the 26-year-old is now a core component, skating between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson on the top line, and he has a five-year, $25 million extension in his back pocket. He also established career highs for assists (40) and points (60) along the way.
Biggest disappointment: Health
The Caps have lost the fourth-most man games in the league injury. Nicklas Backstrom, Wilson, John Carlson and Connor Brown each missed at least half of the season. Martin Fehervary, Nic Dowd and T.J. Oshie were also sidelined for large swaths, with Wilson going back on injured reserve with an ankle injury shortly after coming back from knee surgery. March 23 — Game 73 — marked the first time the 2018 Stanley Cup core of Ovechkin, Backstrom, Wilson, Carlson, Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov played together. NHLers are programmed to say injuries aren’t an excuse. But that doesn’t mean it’s the truth. — Tarik El-Bashir
Winnipeg Jets
Best surprise: Josh Morrissey
Josh Morrissey had already silenced critics, putting together a career year in 2021-22 with new highs in goals (12) and points (37) alongside improved defensive metrics. He blew those numbers out of the water this season with a performance so good — 15 goals, 56 assists, 71 points and counting — it will land him on plenty of people’s Norris Trophy ballots. We knew Morrissey was good, but this season he’s been an absolute game-breaker.
Biggest disappointment: Just about everything since January
Winnipeg has four games left in its season, starting Saturday against Nashville, and needs to win three of them to guarantee itself a playoff berth. Given that the Jets led the entire Western Conference as recently as January, the scale of their second-half slide must feel like a fever dream. — Murat Ates
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