Toward the end of a five-on-four power play Monday, Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo curled behind his own net, gathered the puck, and skated out of the zone unbothered. With no opposing players applying pressure, Pietrangelo gently left the puck for a trailing teammate, Alex Tuch.

Tuch galloped through the middle of the ice before dishing the puck to William Karlsson for a smooth zone entry, and Karlsson shielded the puck until he could safely pull off a nifty backhand pass to Reilly Smith.

At the hash marks, Smith turned to face the net. He then sent the puck cross-ice, through a defender's legs, to Alec Martinez, who unleashed a wrist shot. The puck hit the top corner, short side, capping off a gorgeous sequence:

That goal, Vegas' second in a 6-5 loss to the Wild, was one of those rare occasions where the Xs and Os relayed in a power-play meeting come to fruition - flawless entry, efficient puck movement, decisive shot.

It was also par for the course in today's NHL.

In this truncated regular season, power plays have been highly proficient. With 53 total games left, the league-wide power-play success rate is 20.11%.

The NHL began tracking PP% in 1963-64. Since then, only 18 seasons featured a league-average success rate of 20% or higher. The first 15 of those 18 seasons took place in the high-octane 1970s and '80s. The other three? This year, last year, and 2017-18. And power plays in 2018-19 and 2016-17 weren't far behind, clicking at 19.78% and 19.10%, respectively. (For reference, not a single season from 1993-94 to 2015-16 eclipsed 19%.)

The metric 5-on-4 goals for per 60 minutes measures power-play excellence more accurately than PP% by excluding five-on-threes and accounting for the duration of each power-play opportunity. Per Evolving Hockey, the past five seasons rank first (2017-18), second (2020-21), third (2019-20), fourth (2018-19), and tied for fifth (2016-17) in 5-on-4 GF/60 among the 14 seasons tracked.

So why has the modern power play produced such impressive numbers over the past five seasons?

The NHL was established more than a century ago, so virtually every power-play configuration and formation have been rolled out at some point in time. What's unique about the 2021 landscape is the near-universal adoption of one particular configuration - four forwards and one defenseman - and one particular formation: 1-3-1.

Coaches have taken the NHL's "copycat league" label to its logical extreme, as it's become increasingly rare to see multiple defensemen share the ice on the power play. In fact, according to the fantasy hockey website Daily Faceoff, the Coyotes and Sharks are the only clubs still using the three forward-two defenseman configuration with their first unit.

The same trend line applies to the ubiquitous 1-3-1 formation, where, inside the attacking zone, the defenseman quarterbacks the power play from the point. A "flank" on each side and a centrally located "bumper" guy occupy the middle level, and the unit's fifth member inhabits the messy netfront area.

"The D-men now are what impress me the most about today's power plays," Hockey Hall of Fame forward Dave Andreychuk, who bagged an NHL-record 274 power-play goals from 1982 to 2006, said in a recent interview.

"The D that has mobility at the top of the (penalty-killing) box, that can move around freely and handle the puck responsibly, I mean, that's a necessity now to have a good power play."

The NHL's love affair with the 4F-1D and 1-3-1 probably wouldn't have materialized - and league-wide power play rates probably wouldn't eclipse 20% - without the defenseman position undergoing a significant change in priorities and skill set over the past decade. The new-age blue-liner is incredibly agile and boasts a high tolerance for risk, traits that align perfectly with the favored power-play strategy.

Jeff Ulmer, a former longtime professional forward who worked in player development for the Coyotes from 2018-20, notes that teams like the Rangers and Avalanche essentially ice five-forward units. Young defensemen Adam Fox and Cale Makar can skate and handle the puck as well as any center or winger in the league, and their role in the 1-3-1 - that of a QB at the point - encourages creativity.

"Cale Makar walking the blue line is already dangerous," Ulmer said of Colorado's point-per-game playmaker. "Then you've got a guy on each flank taking shots. There's all these different variants now to defend against."

He added: "I don't think the point shot is going the way of the dinosaur, but I think teams are recognizing that the more shots you can get from closer to the net, the better. The flanks, the netfront guy, and even the bumper guy, who can move up and down, all offer that option."

Ulmer's observation is spot-on. The data indicates five-on-four shots are being taken closer to the net than in years past. HockeyViz.com's Micah Blake McCurdy shared a visualization of this development with theScore for this story, comparing the change between two five-year periods:

The purple blobs represent decreases in five-on-four shot volume between 2011-16 and 2016-21; the green blobs represent increases. At the blue line, point shots have started to move to the middle and the overall volume favors shots from below the top of the circles.

McCurdy applauds the modern power play's aspirations to not only enter the offensive zone with possession of the puck - usually through the contentious neutral-zone drop pass - but also to use its initial possession wisely.

"If you take forever to get going, you're only going to get one or two shots (over two minutes)," McCurdy said. "When you look at rates, teams that are not taking a long time to set up look better, even when the shots they take aren't super impressive. Because if it all goes wrong, they have a chance to regroup and go again, maybe two or three or four times during a power play."

The Capitals, who this year rank third in the NHL in PP% and have iced a lethal power play for the bulk of Alex Ovechkin's career, launch a ton of power-play shots from the point (John Carlson), left circle (Ovechkin), and netfront (TJ Oshie). Washington's 1-3-1 has worked so well because the gravitational pull of the "Ovi Spot" creates shooting lanes elsewhere.

Good spacing, multiple options, and chemistry can help drive long-term results. "When you talk about sustainability, you probably need the players to be there and be in place for an extended period of time," Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. He later added: "They know where they're going to be, and they know where the outs are, and they know where to make plays and who's open."

The Jets' power play has cooled of late but over the season it's scored on nearly one in four opportunities (24.2%). "It's all about the rate of puck movement to open up 6 inches of ice and then a play gets made," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said.

"Take what's there, take what's given," he continued, "and get it simplified."

Some peripheral factors contributing to strong power plays include: players' skill levels being higher than ever before; continued advancements in stick technology, which give players extra zip on shots and passes; and the majority of first units, which tend to feature teams' top offensive talents, being leaned on heavily, sometimes staying out for the entire two minutes.

Ovechkin and Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos are themselves peripheral factors. The veterans' prolific power-play goal scoring has influenced a generation of triggermen, from bombers like Leon Draisaitl and Denis Gurianov to deceptive shooters like Auston Matthews and Kyle Connor. The Kings drafted Arthur Kaliyev 33rd overall in 2019 in part because of his Ovechkin-esque clapper from the right circle.

"Back in the day, how many guys really had a good one-timer? Brett Hull, and then not many others," Andreychuk said. "Now, every team's got two or three guys that they can rely on, guys who have that (dangerous) one-timer."

Meanwhile, the bumper guy has taken on greater importance in recent years. In the 1-3-1, he's first and foremost a support system for the four other power-play skaters, the teammate always nearby and ready for a quick give-and-go.

"It can cause a lot of confusion, especially if that bumper player is intelligent and understands where the pressure's coming from," said Mike Mottau, a former NHL defenseman who scouted for the Blackhawks from 2014-20. "That one little pass into the interior of the penalty kill causes the (killers) to pay attention to the bumper guy. He's in a prime scoring area."

Joonas Donskoi is the unheralded bumper on Colorado's stacked first unit. With Gabriel Landeskog in front, Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon on the flanks, and Makar on the point, Donskoi retrieves loose pucks and relieves pressure to "get us to some open ice where we can get our heads up and use our skill to make plays," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said.

"He's very good at both of those aspects of the power play," Bednar added, "but one of the reasons I like him there is because he's a right shot and he pops into holes really well as a shooter. Teams tend to overcompensate or try to take MacKinnon away on his half-wall, and if Cale has to dump it back to Mikko, then he's got a shooter in there (with Donskoi)."

Here's some video evidence of bumper work by Donskoi (No. 72):

Notice how Donskoi plays give-and-go with Makar, hustles back to support Rantanen, and then provides a high screen on Makar's shot from the point? That's the utility of the bumper and a surefire way to confuse penalty killers.

Interestingly, even the netfront guy's role has changed over time. He's popping below the goal line or into the corner to handle pucks, whereas Andreychuk - who's listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds on HockeyDB - recalls being mainly stationary. And he absorbed plenty of abuse in the crease area.

"There was a time when you did need to support on the boards and go below the goal line, but you tried not to leave the front of the net," Andreychuk said. "If I could get position in front, it was going to be hard for the guy to move me. As soon as you did move to the goal line, it was a lot harder for me to get back to the front of the net, right? Now, they don't engage with that guy very often, compared to the past. You talk to goalies now, and that's his guy. That's the goalie's responsibility. It's not the defenseman's responsibility anymore."

All of this - the obsession with the 4F-1D and the 1-3-1 and the macro changes in and around the game - has altered a classic coaching metric. Years ago, you aspired to add up your team's power-play percentage (say, 20%) and penalty kill percentage (say, 80%) and hit that magical 100 mark.

"Now it's a little easier to hit 100," Ulmer said with a laugh.

Yes, heading into Thursday's slate of games, 15 teams were in the 100 club, with the Carolina Hurricanes sitting at a whopping 111.7 (26.6% plus 85.1%).

It's a different hockey world now, especially on the power play.

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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Late in the second period of Tuesday's Boston Bruins-Pittsburgh Penguins game, Charlie McAvoy corralled a short pass from goalie Tuukka Rask deep in Boston's end. He then transitioned from backward to forward skating, jetting north with a purposeful stride and aspirations of finding an open seam and teammate.

Near the red line, McAvoy shuffled a pass straight ahead to a streaking David Krejci, who subsequently took care of business in the Penguins' zone by dangling a defender and backhanding the puck past the goaltender:

Krejci's highlight-reel snipe opened the scoring in an eventual 3-1 win for Boston, and his magic with the puck was rightfully lauded on both the home and away broadcasts.

But the sequence also offered a snapshot of why McAvoy - who logged a game-high 27:52 of ice time Tuesday - is now unquestionably one of the NHL's premier defensemen at the age of 23.

McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk (with help from the Bruins' defensively responsible first forward line) limited Pittsburgh's top trio of Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Jake Guentzel to only eight five-on-five shot attempts - none of which qualified as "high danger" - in over 11 minutes of head-to-head action. The teams' expected goals marks in those minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick, were a decisive 1.6 to 0.2 for Boston.

Old rival and new teammate Taylor Hall wouldn't be surprised by those stats; the former MVP marveled Monday at McAvoy's versatility.

"In this league, it's one thing to be offensive, it's one thing to produce on the power play, but if you can shut down the other team's best players five-on-five and be physical and make the game hard on them, it's a whole other story," said Hall, whom the Bruins acquired before the trade deadline.

"That's what the best guys do year after year. I've seen it, I've had to play against those guys, and it's just not fun. Shift after shift, you kind of get worn down, and that's what Charlie can do to teams."

Hall, who's known for being a studious pro, also praised McAvoy's puck-moving abilities, wicked shot, and knack for cutting off shooting and passing lanes.

"The way he reads the game and the way he moves his feet is pretty elite," he said.

As for McAvoy's ceiling as an NHLer?

"Still pretty untapped."

McAvoy has been relishing the role of the alpha dog after the departures of top-four defenseman Torey Krug and ex-partner Zdeno Chara, who both left Boston as free agents last offseason. The increased responsibility and pressure created by their departures would have overwhelmed some, but they've had the opposite effect on McAvoy. Frankly, he deserves to be in the Norris Trophy discussion as awards talk intensifies.

A loaded 2020-21 Norris field means McAvoy has a slim chance of winning the award for the defenseman "who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position." Adam Fox, Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, and perhaps one or two others are jockeying for that honor. But voters should save one of the five spots on their ballots for Boston's No. 73. After all, he has the all-around part nailed down.

In terms of pure production, McAvoy is 26th among NHL defensemen with 26 points in 44 games. If he were on the Bruins' top power-play unit, rather than their second, he might have a handful more. Regardless, his attention to detail - whether Boston has the puck or not - has produced some startling data.

Advanced stats website Evolving-Hockey.com ranks the duo of McAvoy and Grzelcyk (who is no slouch himself) first in expected goals share (64.8%) and fifth in goals share (68.4%) among 91 NHL defense pairs that have played at least 200 minutes at five-on-five this season. The Bruins have also outscored opponents 13-6 at five-on-five when McAvoy and Grzelcyk are both on the ice.

Not only does the McAvoy-Grzelcyk pairing tilt the ice in Boston's favor by generating a ton of high-quality looks for the Bruins while suppressing such chances for the opposition, but it also positively impacts the final score.

"He's one of those guys that, when you get out there with him, you're like, 'OK, this is a shift,' you're like, 'Let's get going,'" Hall said. "So it's been a lot of fun and, like I said, I still think he's going to get better and better."

Just call him Mr. Consistency

David Perron is a man of many nicknames: DP, French Toast, Mr. Overtime.

I'd like to suggest a new one: Mr. Consistency.

Perron, the Blues' assassin-like winger, is in his 14th NHL season. After his rookie campaign, he recorded nine straight seasons with a points per game average between 0.51 and 0.74. In his four most recent seasons, he's moved closer to a point-a-game player. Perron's been, well, consistently productive.

So consistent, in fact, that he's quietly tied for 80th in points per game among 416 skaters who have played at least 500 games since his rookie year in 2007-08. Not bad for a guy who has shuffled around the league as a piece in three trades and was a pick in the 2017 expansion draft.

"It's about him and his will and hanging on to pucks in the offensive zone," Blues head coach Craig Berube said when asked what's kept Perron relevant and effective. "Keeping pucks alive and finding a way to make plays and get pucks to the net. It's all about how competitive he is more than anything."

Perron's competitiveness can linger between poor outings, Berube explained. He might take something personally but will eventually turn the page.

"He wants to win, he wants to do well, and he really thrives off that," Berube said. "I've had a number of conversations with him where he comes and just sees me. He's upset about something, and he gets it off his chest."

Perron has bagged 14 goals and 33 assists in 47 games during this truncated season. He's having a career year, producing exactly one point per game.

It's notable he's still competing at all after suffering multiple concussions over his career. Perron, who turns 33 on May 28, is on track to play his 1,000th NHL game (postseason included) during the first round of this year's playoffs.

Bravo.

Faceoff prowess comes later

The faceoff circle is historically one area of the ice where rookies struggle.

Seriously, it seems like virtually all incoming centers get absolutely crushed on draws. It makes perfect sense, though. The faceoff is a learned mind game that also requires high baseline strength; rookies haven't been exposed to opponents' tendencies and aren't always fully mature physically.

Patrice Bergeron, Luke Glendening, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Claude Giroux, and Ryan O'Reilly own the highest faceoff win percentages among players who have taken at least 250 draws this season. They're all hovering around 60%.

Let's juxtapose each pivot's current faceoff percentage with their respective rookie rates:

Those numbers make Josh Norris look like a faceoff savant. The Ottawa Senators rookie has won 333 of 631 draws (52.8%) this season, and though sample size shouldn't be forgotten when considering the 21-year-old's rate through 49 games, the early returns are a boon for Norris and the rebuilding Sens.

Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans (49.8% on 327 draws) is the only other rookie punching above 48%. Eetu Luostarinen of the Florida Panthers (48% on 398), Gabriel Vilardi of the Los Angeles Kings (45.6% on 539), and Pius Suter of the Chicago Blackhawks (43% on 561) round out the eligible first-year players. Man, it ain't easy in the circle.

Tkachuk bros vs. Hughes bros

Time for a hypothetical scenario.

You run an NHL team and can have either the Tkachuk brothers or the Hughes brothers on your team immediately and for a significant period of time (let's say five years). Do you pick Brady and Matthew Tkachuk or Jack and Quinn Hughes?

"I think I lean Tkachuk here," texted one member of an Eastern Conference team's front office (who, for the record, doesn't work for Ottawa or the New Jersey Devils).

"I don't know," he messaged again after mulling over the question for a minute. "It's a hard one to answer without knowing what team/core I have."

He continued: "Tkachuk brothers score OK. But they make an enormous impact analytically, and they make another huge impact that isn't measurable and is designed for (playoff) hockey.

"You have a lot more work to do if your hole is 1C/1D and have two elite wingers (like Brady and Matthew Tkachuk) ... If you can acquire an average core on top of those two, you're in great shape.

"If you have an average core in addition to the Hughes brothers, though, I'm not sure you're going on many (deep playoff) runs."

The insinuation is that while the Hughes brothers are supremely talented and fill premium roles - Jack a No. 1 center, Quinn a top-pair defenseman - the Tkachuk brothers' unique throwback style is more conducive to winning Stanley Cups. Still, there's no simple answer.

I also polled Twitter on this hypothetical. Of the 505 users who voted, 52.1% indicated they would take the Hughes combo, while 47.9% would take the Tkachuk duo. (I'm personally torn but would probably go with Team Hughes.)

Of course, this debate will be irrelevant in due time, with a third Hughes brother - Luke, an elite, draft-eligible blue-liner - entering the NHL soon.

3 parting thoughts

San Jose Sharks: It's another miserable year in Silicon Valley. The Sharks' overpaid veterans aren't living up to their contracts. Other players in the prime of their careers, like Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc, aren't popping as they should. The next wave of players doesn't have a particularly high collective ceiling, either. It might be time to bid farewell to GM Doug Wilson, who's been on the job a whopping 18 years. Something has to give, and firing another head coach won't be enough.

Calder Trophy: Props to Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars for a stellar season, but, in my opinion, Kirill Kaprizov remains the front-runner for rookie of the year. The Minnesota Wild phenom is basically neck-and-neck with Robertson in points per game despite skating with inferior linemates (Victor Rask and Mats Zuccarello versus Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz), and he's legitimately changed Minnesota's trajectory as a franchise. And enough with the "Kaprizov's old" nonsense. At 24, he qualifies for the award; end of story.

Jared McCann: It's nice to see McCann finally burying a bunch of goals with that lethal shot of his. He's up to 13 tallies in 37 games this season after campaigns of 19 in 78 and 14 in 66. Going back to his junior days, McCann's shot has always been his calling card. Sometimes it takes lining up with an elite playmaker (Crosby on the Penguins' power play, for example) to break through. I'm anxious to see if this momentum affects the 24-year-old's career arc.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's monthly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com)

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Scott Gomez has been a smart ass for as long as he can remember.

The former NHL center would constantly mess with teammates during his playing days - for instance, telling them his offseason home in Anchorage, Alaska, is as big as the Best Buy store they just drove past on the freeway. A mountain, lake, and river enclose the mansion, Gomez would say. Oh, and if you get lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the mountain lion out back.

The years-long bit came full circle when goalie Steve Valiquette flew in for a visit. It turns out Gomez's "mansion" is in fact a three-bedroom bungalow.

"Valy shows up, and he's like, 'What are we doing here? What are we doing at this drug dealer's house? Is this some kind of joke?'" Gomez said Thursday, chuckling over the phone at the memory.

"I say, 'It's my house … .' And Valy goes, 'Well, where's the lake and the river? Where's this mountain lion?!'"

Gomez is generally known for being the cerebral playmaker with a unique backstory as an Alaskan native raised by parents with Mexican and Colombian roots. The 41-year-old was drafted 27th overall in 1998, won the Calder Trophy for the 1999-00 season, and had his name etched on the Stanley Cup twice as a member of the Devils. "Every day was a Saturday," is how Gomez frames his 16-year NHL career, which also included stints with the Rangers, Canadiens, Sharks, Panthers, Blues, and Senators.

Mind you, Gomez's career was far from perfect. In the early 2010s, he infamously failed to score a single goal for a full calendar year while toiling on the Canadiens' fourth line midway through a seven-year, $51.5-million contract. The veteran was public enemy No. 1 in Montreal for a while, but Gomez says he had learned how to tune out the noise by that point in his journey.

Years earlier, Gomez had picked up a stat sheet, noticed an opponent was goalless in 100 games, and turned to Devils teammate Bobby Holik in disbelief.

"I remember saying to Bobby, 'How is that f------ possible? How can you not score in 100 games?'" Gomez said. "That dawned on me when I got up to a high number. It was like, 'Holy shit! Wow, now I know how it's possible … .'"

Even now, five years into retirement and almost a full decade removed from the 60-game drought, "I still can't believe that happened."

After his last game on April 2, 2016, Gomez worked as an analyst for NHL Network for one season and then spent two years behind the Islanders' bench as one of Doug Weight's assistant coaches. More recently, he's become an internet personality whose Instagram account posts daily content.

This past month alone, Gomez's feed has featured him dressing up as Bob Ross painting an Alaskan landscape, waxing poetic about a rare Brandon Dubinsky hockey card, sipping a cocktail in a fishing boat on the Kenai River, and reliving moments from the glory days while sitting fireside in a silk robe.

The Gomez on social media is a bit of an exaggerated version of himself. He doesn't take himself too seriously, which is refreshing in an era when most active and retired athletes choose careful curation over authenticity.

"At first, people were like, 'Is this guy losing his mind?'" Gomez said. "But the guys that I played with, and the people who truly know me, they're like, 'That's Gomer.' Ask my teammates, and they'll say, 'That's nothing new, that's not an act. He's always f------ around.'"

The flagship segment on Gomez's feed is "Storytime With Friends," which lately has featured off-beat skits with ex-pros Bryan Smolinski, Glen Metropolit, and Mike Commodore. The NHL has taken notice - Gomez, his producer T.J. Webb, and the league's in-house media team are working on a spin-off series.

Another project, a Webb-produced podcast called "Gomer Time," is set to launch April 28. Gomez and Webb spent the final three months of 2020 cruising around the western U.S. in a Dodge Sprinter van to hang out with podcast guests located in California, Utah, Michigan, and elsewhere.

Gomez and Webb grew up six miles from each other, but they didn't cross paths until last year. Webb contacted Gomez's father to pitch a documentary about Alaskan athletes and found Gomez - who already had an idea for a similar doc - was an easy sell. While the pandemic has shelved the project, the on-the-fly pivot to Gomez-related content has paid off.

"The best thing about being a fan, especially as a kid or a teenager, was the stories. What happened behind the scenes," Gomez said of the nature of the duo's content. "So we kind of just went with that, and it's done pretty well."

Gomez splits his time between New York City and Anchorage, where he lives in that same bungalow - the childhood home he bought off his parents early in his career. These days, he prefers to watch basketball, baseball, and football from his living room. He'll catch the Cup Final but little else, hockey-wise.

When asked if he's actively pursuing a return to coaching, Gomez said no. In the same breath, he added if the right opportunity presented itself, he would think long and hard about it. "I would never turn my back on the game," he said. "There's nothing to be bitter about because this game, she did everything for me."

Gomez is simply doing his best to keep busy. He has those media projects, a pile of books to read (he just finished a biography of John Lennon and Kevin Garnett's recent autobiography), regular golf tee times, and guitar riffs to master on his acoustic.

"Gomer" has considered recording a few songs so that he could put his tracks on a playlist and screw around with people at parties.

"I could walk around and just casually be like, 'Who is this? They're really good,'" Gomez said. "That's the smart ass in me."

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com)

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Leave it to the 78-year-old general manager with more than three decades of experience to set the tone ahead of the NHL's mid-pandemic trade deadline.

On Wednesday night, the legendary Lou Lamoriello pounced on a golden opportunity to upgrade his Stanley Cup contending New York Islanders by acquiring New Jersey Devils forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac.

Headed the other way: the Islanders' first-round pick in the upcoming NHL draft, a conditional fourth-rounder in 2022, and minor-league forwards A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst. (The condition: the '22 pick becomes a third in '22 or '23 if the Isles make it to this year's Stanley Cup Final.) For the money to work, the Devils will retain 50% of Palmieri and Zajac's remaining salary.

Translated, Lamoriello picked up a proven goal scorer (Palmieri) and a two-way depth center (Zajac) - the latter of whom he knows well as a player and person from his lengthy tenure as Devils GM - in exchange for one of the final selections in the opening round of a weak 2021 draft, a third or fourth down the road, and two "prospects" who probably don't have an NHL future.

Lamoriello deserves an "A" grade here. In Palmieri, he's replaced most, if not all, of the scoring punch the Isles lost when sniper Anders Lee sustained a season-ending knee injury last month. In Zajac, he's added insurance. And he's wrapped up business five days clear of the madness that is deadline day.

"We're pretty much content with what we have and who we have right now," Lamoriello told reporters on a post-trade call. "In fact, extremely comfortable."

Make no mistake, there will be a bidding war for 2018 MVP Taylor Hall, and an NHL team will have paid handsomely for his services by next Monday at 3 p.m. ET. Palmieri isn't Hall. He isn't a household name or quite as dynamic on the ice. Yet he checks off two key boxes for the Isles: He has a track record of lighting the lamp (24 goals or more in five straight seasons prior to this one) and is an honest, low-maintenance player. For the price, it's a fabulous get.

Palmieri is having a down year with only eight goals and nine assists in 34 games. However, keep in mind he was sidelined for two weeks in February due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Devils' organization; he was probably a little distracted by extension talks between his camp and New Jersey; and he may have run into a wall as the go-to finisher on a rebuilding team. None of this excuses Palmieri from the lackluster numbers; it's just context.

Palmieri's a right-handed winger with a wicked shot who has a knack for finding soft areas on the ice, so he should complement center Mathew Barzal's puck-possession style well (assuming he starts on the Isles' No. 1 line). The 30-year-old will get his reps on the man advantage, too, seeing as New York, ranking 22nd in the NHL in power-play percentage, could use a deadly shooting option like him.

The Isles - winners of three straight and 15 of their past 19 heading into a Thursday home game against the Philadelphia Flyers - are legit contenders. They are currently tied with the Washington Capitals for the most points and highest points percentage in the East Division, and their underlying numbers are off the charts. Coach Barry Trotz's brand of structured, disciplined, and counterattacking hockey has produced a year over year well-oiled machine.

The club's run to the Eastern Conference Final during the bubbled postseason converted a lot of non-believers. Really, the Isles have done nothing but trend in the right direction since longtime captain John Tavares left Long Island on July 1, 2018. Zajac, for one, is clearly sold on the vision. The lifelong Devil and pending free agent elected to waive his no-trade clause.

"At this point in my career and where I'm at, I wanted a chance to win, and I just believe this is a team that has all the aspects of a winning hockey team," Zajac, 35, told reporters. "And to be able to try and be a part of that and help them in any way, I think it was, for me, it was the right time."

Meanwhile, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald went out of his way to pump Palmieri and Zajac's tires Wednesday, lauding the duo's leadership abilities and lasting impact on a core featuring Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Ty Smith.

"The future's really bright here in New Jersey, and I truly believe that. I say that with all sincerity," Fitzgerald told reporters. "But you've got to be able to walk before you run. We're walking right now, and I think the experience that these kids are getting, thanks to the veterans that we have, is invaluable."

The question now is, does Fitzgerald sell off more veterans to acquire even more draft capital? Blue-liners Ryan Murray, Sami Vatanen, and Dmitry Kulikov are all UFAs at the end of the season, and the 13-18-6 Devils don't need to overextend themselves to eke out wins down the stretch.

Netting a first-rounder in a deal involving Palmieri was nice. That's a valuable commodity, and the Devils now own two opening-round picks this summer, as well as seven others. That said, the rest of the trade package from the Isles was blah, so it's difficult to heap too much praise on Fitzgerald at the moment.

Whether this is an isolated trade or the first step in an intricate master plan remains to be seen. Either way, the Devils have plenty of options moving forward.

"With that pick, it gives us flexibility, whether you can move back (in the draft) or use it," said Fitzgerald, who has been New Jersey's GM since January 2020. "I said it last year with the (Devils' three first-round picks): It just gives you flexibility to potentially add to a position of need or a player that comes across the board. Maybe it helps us with teams with expansion (draft) issues."

What's less ambiguous is the market for premier forwards at this year's deadline. If Palmieri essentially fetched a first, Hall most certainly will command a first and then some. The wily vet Lamoriello made the first major move, setting the framework for further fireworks. Who's willing to follow?

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com)

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid's elbow on Jesperi Kotkaniemi is top of mind right now - and rightfully so, he deserved a fine. But let's not get it twisted, hockey fans: What McDavid has accomplished this season, his sixth in the NHL, isn't diminished by one angry elbow.

McDavid has amassed 21 goals and 42 assists for 63 points in 37 games. He's nine points ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl, the only other player so far to reach the 50-point mark. No. 97 isn't dining out on secondary helpers, either. No, McDavid ranks first in primary assists, with 28, and his 21 goals are just three back of Maple Leafs super sniper and buddy Auston Matthews.

McDavid is on pace to replicate his 2016-17 awards haul, when he claimed the Art Ross, Hart, and Lindsay trophies. In fact, there isn't a logical Hart case to be made for anyone else. The 24-year-old has been the best and most valuable player - a man possessed. McDavid, the Oilers captain, skates for 22:19 a night, second among NHL forwards; he's collected a point on 52% of all Oiler goals; and Edmonton is primed to snag a North Division playoff spot.

McDavid's current points per game rate - 1.70 - is not only the highest of his career, but it's the highest of the entire salary-cap era, which began in 2005-06. Here's the list of cap-era players who have finished a season with 1.50 points per game or greater (minimum 37 games):

There are some McDavid-friendly variables at work. The 37-game sample size is relatively small, and the temporary North Division has been an offensive playground this season. We also can't ignore the impact of skating with another legitimate superstar like Draisaitl, who's been on the ice for 60% of McDavid's minutes.

Nevertheless, McDavid's producing at a rate that projects to 95 points over 56 games (which encompasses the rest of this season's schedule) or 139 points over a full 82 games. And it would be foolish to suggest McDavid won't challenge the 100-point mark this year - if he can stay healthy during the regular season's final six weeks.

The NHL trade deadline is approaching. You can bet Oilers general manager Ken Holland and his staff are debating the various scenarios with one consistent thought in the back of their minds: How do we maximize peak McDavid this season and for the five seasons remaining on his contract?

'Canes PP, Necas surging

The Carolina Hurricanes power play has been a juggernaut this campaign. In 107 power-play opportunities, the 'Canes have scored 32 times for a league-high 29.9% success rate. Last year, at 22.8%, they finished eighth in the NHL, which was still very good.

This year has brought next-level proficiency. Carolina is scoring 12.07 goals per 60 minutes on the power play, which is 2.24 goals better than second-ranked Tampa Bay.

"It's all personnel," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said earlier this week when asked about the driving forces behind the uptick. "I've been here for a long time, running the power play. I haven't really changed it from one year to the next too much. And yet, now, all of a sudden, it's, 'Oh, it's a good power play!'

"Well, we've been trying the same things for 10 years, you know? You get better players, and there's something to be said about guys that have been around each other now for a while, that chemistry, that kind of understanding of, OK, where are we going?"

Quarterback Dougie Hamilton has collected a cool 14 power-play assists, while Vincent Trocheck leads all 'Canes in PP goals with six. Jordan Staal has bagged five, Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas both have four, and seven others have at least one tally. Everybody's pitching in.

In general, Necas is enjoying a breakout season, picking up 28 points in 31 games. The sophomore winger has become an essential member of the top power-play unit and is one of those "better players" at the coach's disposal.

"He's just blossoming and maturing," Brind'Amour said of the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. "The talent's always been there, but then you gotta figure out how to play. You take the video and the stuff that you get taught, and you go, 'Oh yeah, this does work …' And then you apply it to all that talent, and I think you're starting to see all of that kind of come together."

Carolina is tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the NHL in standings points percentage. Frankly, the 'Canes are the Stanley Cup contender that media and fans aren't talking about nearly enough - especially since general manager Don Waddell has made it known he's looking for reinforcements ahead of the April 12 deadline.

Carrier's subtle impact

One of my favorite stats is penalty differential, which is a plus-minus rating for penalties drawn and taken. I find it provides a clearer picture of player discipline than raw penalty minutes. If a player is penalized a certain number of times but induces the opposition into committing infractions more often, that's a net-positive.

As of Thursday morning, Evolving Hockey's penalty differential leaderboard featured Nikolaj Ehlers alone at plus-15. McDavid, Brady Tkachuk, Conor Garland, and Johnny Gaudreau were next at plus-14. Jack Hughes is at plus-13; Kirill Kaprizov and William Carrier were at plus-11; and, to round out the top 10, Brayden Point and Elias Pettersson were at plus-10.

It's a list of nine offensive studs who frequently possess the puck … and Carrier, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound depth winger for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Carrier has taken five minor penalties and drawn 16 while averaging just 9:37 of ice time a night. What's more, two of those minors were assessed to him for delay-of-game infractions; he flipped the puck over the glass, and then he was picked to serve a team penalty after an unsuccessful coach's challenge.

So, really, Carrier has crossed the line just three times (high sticking, interference, hooking) and induced as many penalties as Gaudreau, Kaprizov, and Ehlers. Again, one of these players is not like the others.

Carrier has recorded two goals and three assists skating alongside Tomas Nosek and Ryan Reaves on Vegas' fourth line. It's a heavy, hard-forechecking line head coach Pete DeBoer lauds for their consistently disciplined play.

"Typically, when you've got intimidating players in the depth of your lineup, a lot of time the trade-off is, you know you're going to be taking minor penalties. And those guys don't," DeBoer said Wednesday of Reaves and Carrier. "Will, in particular, with his speed and his fearlessness with attacking holes on the ice, draws a lot of penalties 'cause his feet are always moving, and he's willing to go to those areas. The rest of our group can take a little bit of a page from that because I don't think we draw enough doing those things."

Player A vs. Player B

It never ceases to amaze me how seamlessly two wingers picked inside the top 10 of the 2014 NHL Draft have matched up over the past six-plus years.

Let's call them Player A and Player B for a moment.

Player A is listed at 6-foot and 191 pounds. Player B's the same height but 19 pounds lighter. Both are creative with the puck and possess dynamic skating abilities. Both broke into the league in 2015-16 and took a step back in 2018-19 but otherwise average roughly 60 points per 82 games. Both make a substantial amount of money - even relative to most of their peers - and are currently in the third year of long-term deals. That said, neither is the most talented or highest-earning player on their star-studded squads.

Player A's career average time on ice is 16:35. Player B's is 16:28. Player A has appeared in 343 games, 63 fewer than Player B's 406. That key discrepancy - games played - means the ideal way to compare their career production is to look at per-game stats. Let's see if they're in sync:

Like I said, amazing.

So who are they? Player A is the Leafs' William Nylander and Player B is the Jets' Ehlers.

Devils' two-headed saving grace

It isn't the sexiest storyline but props to the goalie tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood for keeping the New Jersey Devils afloat.

Corey Crawford's unexpected retirement put the Devils in a bind back in January. Blackwood, a 24-year-old still coming into his own as an NHLer, was supposed to share the starting load with Crawford, while the 28-year-old Wedgewood was slotted in as the No. 1 for AHL Binghamton. Both netminders were instantly elevated to more prominent and demanding roles.

This season, Blackwood has posted a .911 save percentage in all situations and .919 at even strength through 20 games. Behind him, Wedgewood owns a .914 in all situations and .924 at evens in 11 appearances. Those aren't gaudy numbers. Yet consider New Jersey's team defense, which isn't exactly a world-beater, ranking 27th in shots against per game. In that context, Blackwood and Wedgewood have been more than good enough for the 13-16-5 Devils.

By design, rebuilding teams lose a lot. However, losing doesn't always have to be detrimental to the culture of the club. Competent goaltending tends to keep a group's collective head up because blowouts are minimized and the losing doesn't extend to depressing lengths, like Buffalo's 18-game disaster.

Keep in mind, too, that the Devils were off for the first half of February due to a COVID-19 spread within the team. Returning to the crease after a long break from stopping pucks would be difficult for any goalie, and Blackwood had it particularly hard as one of the players who experienced COVID symptoms.

3 parting thoughts

Trade market: If I'm the GM of a playoff-bound team looking for scoring, Taylor Hall is Plan B, C, or D. The former MVP's production has dropped off a cliff since leaving New Jersey in December 2019. Instead, one of Hall's ex-teammates, Kyle Palmieri, would be my primary target. The longtime Devil isn’t having a banner year (eight goals in 33 games) but he has a long track record of recording 25-30 goals a season, carries a lower cap hit than Hall and would presumably command less in a trade, and also is on an expiring contract. The only question: Will GM Tom Fitzgerald re-sign him instead?

Nashville Predators: Don't get caught up in this mini-run, David Poile. The Preds GM should stick to the original plan of selling pieces ahead of the deadline. A Central Division playoff spot isn't guaranteed, and, even if one is secured, good luck in a first-round series versus Tampa Bay, Carolina, or Florida. Resetting the roster should be the top priority if Nashville wants to chase a Stanley Cup again in the medium term. The current group hasn't and won't get it done.

Carter Verhaeghe: The Florida Panthers have unearthed a gem in Verhaeghe, who is tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals with 15 in 36 games. He's under contract with Florida for only $1 million per year through next season. I can't help but think of the Golden Knights' debut campaign and the type of performances we saw from William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault (ironically, former Panthers). Some players just need a team to believe in them, and Verhaeghe found a believer in Florida GM Bill Zito.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's monthly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com)

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tim Ohashi is quick to admit he was a mediocre hockey player despite appearing in 10 games for Bates College in the late 2000s.

In fact, the plodding defenseman concluded early in his stay at the school he was actually most valuable as an unofficial assistant coach/team manager. So after recording one collegiate point - a goal - he transitioned from being in the thick of the action to being adjacent to it.

"It sounds more impressive when you learn it was a game-winning goal. It sounds less impressive when you learn it was the third goal in an 18-2 victory," Ohashi joked during a recent interview with theScore.

A decade removed from graduating from Bates with this modicum of hockey operations experience, Ohashi is now the head video analyst for the Seattle Kraken. The 32-year-old has been spearheading all of the expansion franchise's video-related efforts in the lead-up to its 2021-22 season debut while also liaising between various arms of GM Ron Francis' ever-growing hockey ops department.

Here's how Ohashi made his way to Seattle, what his jack-of-all-trades role with the Kraken entails, and what his rise reveals about the modern NHL.

Working in hockey, never mind the NHL, wasn't a part of Ohashi's original plan.

He studied mathematics and psychology at Bates, and then education at Brown University. Everything was on schedule until a serious back problem forced him to take a leave from school around 2013. While recovering from surgery at his parents' home in Bethesda, Maryland, Ohashi had plenty of time to ponder his future. He soon realized teaching middle schoolers math wasn't an ideal long-term fit, so he shifted his attention to mapping out a way to make a living out a lifelong passion - sports. He enrolled in a sports management program at Georgetown University and was instantly hooked.

Ohashi applied for internships in multiple departments with his favorite team, the Washington Capitals. Video coach Brett Leonhardt was looking for help, and Ohashi won him over. He then impressed head coach Barry Trotz enough during the internship to slide into a full-time video analyst job in 2015-16 and kept it for four additional seasons.

Those entry-level years with the Caps were formative for Ohashi, who, according to Trotz, "just kept growing and growing" alongside Leonhardt. "Tim's very, very bright, very organized, and he's a forward thinker," the coach said.

Trotz - who left Washington following its 2018 Stanley Cup run to coach the New York Islanders - singles out Ohashi's analytical brain. "He did a really good job thinking out of the box. Timmy, to me, was almost like Radar (O'Reilly) in M*A*S*H," Trotz said, referring to the exceptionally smart and intuitive character in the iconic TV show. "You'd have something in your mind or you'd start to talk about something and then you'd say, 'Timmy, can you pull up …' And he'd go, 'It's right here. I got it. It's right in front of ya.'"

Leonhardt himself called Ohashi "the smartest processor of information I know" back in 2016.

Video coaches/analysts are mostly invisible to fans, but they have a sizeable impact on the win-loss record for NHL teams. Among other duties, they help with coach's challenges, participate in or lead a variety of meetings, and generally collaborate with the coaching, managing, scouting, and analytics staff.

Ohashi's background in math, psychology, and education proved to be advantageous in the Caps' dressing room. He felt at ease running video sessions for large groups of players, even though not everyone's first language was English and not everyone's preferred learning style was visual.

"Being a video coach, outside of the analyzing hockey part, is teaching," Ohashi said. "At the end of the day, you're in a room, you're using a screen, a TV, a board, and you're teaching a group of people. That's your class.

"Nobody enjoyed a teacher that did the same lesson every time in the exact same way," he added later. "It just gets stale and old and maybe it works for some of the kids in the class but it doesn't work for everybody. I try to take the approach of, video's great, and I love video, but words are great, text (is great). Let's try and give the players information in as many ways as possible."

Ohashi has been described as the kind of person who never seems to have a bad day at the rink - which helps explain why he and Caps forward Tom Wilson became friends during his internship season and remain in touch.

"People that I've worked with would certainly say I like to keep things pretty loose and I like to joke around," Ohashi said. "But, when it comes to game time, there's nobody who likes to win more than I do, and it's all business then."

With no players, coaches, or games, life in Seattle has been a tad strange for Ohashi. The typical daily grind, where you feel every win and loss, is absent. He's instead adopted a "three-pronged" approach to begin his Kraken tenure.

For one, he's scouting teams across the NHL to build up Seattle's database of video footage. When the head coach arrives - presumably shortly after the 2020-21 season finishes - Ohashi wants him to be equipped with, say, the latest power-play clips of Seattle's Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks.

Ohashi is also working closely with the Kraken's five-person research and development team. He attends weekly meetings and contributes to big-picture data projects. Right now, the bulk of the R&D group's focus is on the immensely important expansion and amateur drafts scheduled for mid-July.

"Where Tim provides so much value, in addition to being able to support analysis with video, is that he knows the game so well. He knows the X's and O's," said Alexandra Mandrycky, the Kraken's director of hockey strategy and research. "When we say something like, 'Oh, we think this player is poor defensively,' he can go to the video and try to figure out, well, is it a team system thing? Is it a player style thing? What's actually happening in those micro events? Maybe there's a reason we have a player rated poorly, but maybe he's not actually as bad as we think?"

The third prong is less about hockey and more about business. Expansion teams are gifted a blank canvas with no fixed culture or best practices. In Ohashi's world, this means significantly reducing the amount of paper used in hockey ops by digitalizing all stats packs; identifying the most appropriate locations for video rooms and TV screens inside the club's practice facility and home rink; choosing the proper video software partners and services. Some of it is minutiae, Ohashi notes, while other decisions are critical.

The opportunity to help build a foundation was a huge selling point.

"Coming into an expansion team, you're not set in older ways," he said. "Nothing drives me crazier than being told, 'That's how it's always been done.' That's not really an answer on why something's done. If there's a better way to do things, let's do it that way. And we don't have those barriers."

Ohashi's responsibilities will switch from the macro to the micro soon enough. Next season he and a yet-to-be-hired second video person will be tethered to the coaching staff, producing game reviews and pre-scouts, running off-day and intermission meetings, and, if the head coach operates like Trotz, deciding whether to challenge offside and goalie interference calls.

"It will be up to that person to decide if they want to be the one who's ultimately deciding whether to challenge or not. I'll be helping queue up the replays, if nothing else," Ohashi explained, before joking, "if we get (the challenges) wrong, though, we can say I'm not involved."

As NHL teams have warmed up to advanced statistical analysis over the past decade or so, there has been a greater need for a conduit between the coaches and front office. Ohashi - whose depth of knowledge includes equal emphasis on the eye test and analytics - will be a buffer for Seattle in a manner similar to Lee Stempniak in Arizona. The former NHL winger was hired by the Coyotes in January as the team's hockey data strategist, or official "liaison."

There's a competitive advantage to be gained if all members of an NHL team's hockey ops department are on the same page - from the old-school scouts to the new-school analysts.

"It seems like there's some places where coaching and management and analytics are all on the same team but not really working together, and that's something we're trying to avoid here," Ohashi said. "We have these great resources, this great brain power. How do we leverage it to help ourselves? How can, ultimately, (the research and development arm) make our lives easier and vice versa? Because we both bring something valuable to the table, and it's even more so if we can find a way to intertwine and connect."

Ohashi has recently seen an uptick in unsolicited emails from people who aspire to work in the NHL. Some reach out because they've watched him climb the sport's ranks without high-level playing experience or connections to the establishment. Others ping him because they see representation.

Ohashi is biracial. His dad, who became a cult hero among Caps fans, was born and raised in Japan, while his mom, who's from the Boston area, is white. Growing up in the 1990s, Ohashi admired Paul Kariya, the electric Japanese-Canadian forward who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

"It helped normalize that, hey, I could belong in this circle or I could play this sport and it's not weird," Ohashi said of Kariya's heavy influence on his love for hockey. "Because I certainly heard that growing up. Sort of, 'Why do you play a white person's sport?' Or, 'You should be playing baseball.' Or, 'You should be doing math.' As ridiculous as those statements sound, they're real things that I heard on the playground and on the sports fields."

There's a lack of diversity in hockey and elsewhere in the sports world. Ohashi was encouraged by the Miami Marlins' decision to hire Kim Ng as their new GM last November. Then again, he isn't willing to take a victory lap yet.

"I followed in the footsteps of others and other people are now following in those footsteps and hopefully it continues to grow to a point where it's not a novelty, so to speak, and it's just normal," he said. "Certainly there's a lot of people of color and women who are qualified to work in roles - whether it's coaching, management, analytics, training, anything - there's no reason you couldn't and shouldn't have more diversity within the game. There's been some good steps forward and I think there's a lot of work left to be done."

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There's an old cliche in pro sports about how there are only two ways to sell your product: You sell winning, or you sell hope.

The Buffalo Sabres are currently incapable of offering either.

Sabres fans came into this truncated season having suffered through nine consecutive years of missing the playoffs. An NHL record-tying 10th straight miss is inevitable following a 6-18-4 showing through the first half of the schedule.

On Tuesday night, general manager Kevyn Adams fired head coach Ralph Krueger and one of Krueger's assistants, Steve Smith. Assistant Don Granato has been elevated to interim head coach as Adams searches for Krueger's full-time replacement.

The news surprised nobody. The club hasn't won in 12 games and owns a 31st-ranked offense, 29th-ranked defense, and terrible underlying numbers.

"We have to be better in every single area of this organization," Adams said during a press conference Wednesday. "It starts with me. I need to manage better, OK? I need to be better in every way. We need to coach better. We need to scout better. We need to develop players better. We need to practice better.

"I mean, you name it, we need to do it better. Period."

The good news here is that Adams isn't using the Sabres' string of bad luck as an excuse. Buffalo was sidelined for 14 days in February due to COVID-19 protocol and has been battling injuries to key players, namely captain Jack Eichel, former MVP Taylor Hall, and shutdown defenseman Jake McCabe.

The bad news is that the GM is absolutely correct in his assessment. Virtually all areas of the organization need upgrading. It's far from an overnight fix. Frankly, it's such a sad state of affairs that another full-fledged rebuild should be on the table for Adams.

First and foremost, though, owners Terry and Kim Pegula must give Adams - a rookie GM with no previous managerial experience in the NHL - a fair shake. The former NHL player needs more resources, plain and simple. Excluding coaches and player development staff, Adams' hockey operations department consists of a vice president of hockey administration, a director of scouting, a director of analytics (who is also assistant director of scouting), a director of hockey strategy, a head collegiate scout, and seven other scouts. That's it.

Essentially, there are 12 people in director, analytics, or scouting roles, as opposed to the 20-plus employed by most front offices.

Adams said he's in the process of filling an assistant GM role, which will help, but realistically, he probably needs two or three assistants to be on an even playing field with his peers. It shouldn't stop there, either - the Pegulas should also hire a president of hockey ops to oversee Adams and his group.

Longtime GMs Jim Rutherford and Mike Gillis both come to mind as potential hires as president. Normally, choosing from a few unemployed veterans is an ineffective way to pick the ideal executive. Yet the Sabres' dire situation begs for stability from somebody in the Rutherford/Gillis mold. Adams could well be the right person to turn around the Sabres. If he's never given an adequate support system, though, he won't have a fighting chance.

All of this front office talk links back to the losing culture that has infected the club for the past decade. Three years ago, former Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly said the squad had adopted a mindset of "being OK with losing," and Eichel has expressed his frustration more than once. Based on this season's output, particularly the past few weeks, the losing vibe appears to be alive and well.

Adams plans to address the players Thursday. He says his message will revolve around how pride must be "within the DNA of our team." "Stacking wins" throughout the organization will eventually lead to a meaningful culture shift, Adams asserted on his call with the media. "If we all stack wins in the things that we do every day, they start to add up," he said.

This slow-growth mentality sounds smart, but wouldn't it be better to start over? The Sabres aren't just bad; they're rotten to the core. And the vast majority of possible changes won't move the needle.

Eichel is not the problem. He is an elite center, a cornerstone piece. But he turns 25 a few weeks into next season. By the time the Sabres turn over a chunk of their roster - the necessity of which is not up for debate at this point - he'll be in his late 20s and inching toward the end of his prime.

As painful as it would be for the fan base to see one of the best players in franchise history leave, and for the team to enter another intense rebuild, it may be the most responsible course of action. (Eichel has a no-move clause in his contract starting in 2022-23, according to Cap Friendly.)

The case against trading Eichel, of course, is that Buffalo would need to find another Eichel in order to one day contend for a Stanley Cup. But considering he could fetch a hefty package right now and the Atlantic Division projects to be tough for the foreseeable future, the timing could be worse.

Buffalo faces a similar dilemma with Eichel sidekick Sam Reinhart, another valuable piece. Reinhart's an underrated producer, but is the 25-year-old pending restricted free agent part of the solution? Is 20-year-old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who's having a down season, part of it too?

Meanwhile, pending UFAs Hall and Eric Staal should garner plenty of outside interest leading to the April 12 trade deadline. Further down the lineup, winger Toby Rieder and blue-liner Brandon Montour - also UFAs - likely won't finish their seasons in Sabres uniforms. Offloading Jeff Skinner's albatross contract would lift a great weight, though it won't be an easy task in a flat-cap world.

"We're open to everything and anything," Adams said.

The Sabres are dealing with an existential crisis. From the NHL roster to player development to the head coach to the front office to the overall culture, there is very little for fans to latch onto - which means nothing should be sacred.

"I do believe every crisis is an opportunity for positive change," Adams said, "and this is a chance for us to move forward and to begin to get this thing pointed in the right direction."

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Every NHL season offers players a chance to make a splash.

Roughly halfway through the 2020-21 campaign, there's been no shortage of obscure players assuming key roles on their respective squads. On any given night, a relative nobody has been causing fans outside their market to react to a wild highlight or statistic with some variation of, "Who's that guy!?"

Here, we've identified three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie who have so far updated their NHL status from "nobody" to "somebody." To create structure, the player pool was limited to those who 1) were drafted after the second round, or not at all, and 2) entered the season with fewer than 500 regular-season minutes played.

(Tantalizing Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov technically qualifies within these parameters. However, we chose to exclude the well-hyped rookie since he was far from an unknown commodity coming into the year.)

Alright, let's get to the squad:

Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers, RW

Whether it was GM Bill Zito, his scouting staff, his analytics staff, or all three, Florida's brain trust deserves a round of applause for the Verhaeghe pickup.

The club brought in the 2013 third-round pick this past offseason on a two-year, $2-million deal after the Lightning opted not to extend a qualifying offer to the forward. Tampa Bay, fresh off winning the Stanley Cup, had exceptional depth at the position and Verhaeghe was the odd man out amid a cap crunch.

The 25-year-old from Toronto has been a stellar sidekick to Aleksander Barkov in south Florida. Verhaeghe has amassed nine goals and nine assists in 26 games on Barkov's right wing, skating for an average of 17:25 per night. As an NHL rookie last year, he pitched in 13 points in 52 games on 9:22 of ice time.

Verhaeghe, who played 36 games in the ECHL and 211 in the AHL before making the jump, is a speedy puck hound with an above-average shot. It takes a certain type of player to mesh with the sport's best - think Zach Hyman of the Maple Leafs and Bryan Rust of the Penguins - and while it's still early, Verhaeghe appears to be that guy for Barkov.

"I didn't think he'd be on our top line. I didn't think we'd be getting that type of production (from Verhaeghe), to be totally honest," Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters a month ago. "At the same time, we liked the ingredients that he did bring to our team with quickness and perseverance."

Philipp Kurashev, Blackhawks, RW

You knew things were going well for the 21-year-old Kurashev when the Blackhawks shared this joyous image on social media in early February.

You knew things were going really well when Kurashev absolutely schooled the Red Wings en route to a gorgeous game-winning goal a week later. And you knew things were going really, really well when Kurashev fired the puck top corner during a shootout against the Lightning a few weeks after that.

Kurashev is clearly enjoying an eventful rookie season, contributing 10 points in 27 games. At even strength, Chicago's fourth-round pick in 2018 has been mainly lining up with reliable veterans Mattias Janmark and Carl Soderberg on the third line. He's also been used on the second power-play unit.

The kid's a bargain, too. The Blackhawks burned the first year of his entry-level contract by playing him in Rockford of the AHL in 2019-20. But he's got one more year left at an annual cap hit of $842,500.

Kurashev had a head start on the season, dressing in 13 games in the Swiss League before NHL training camp started. More fun facts: he represents Switzerland internationally but also has Russian citizenship; he played three years of Canadian major junior in Quebec City; he's fluent or close to fluent in four languages (English, German, Russian, and French).

Pius Suter, Blackhawks, C

Suter is a combination of the two forwards listed above: He's riding shotgun to a superstar and being showcased by the resurgent 'Hawks.

Suter is currently second among NHL rookies in goals (eight), and his 13 points have him tied for fourth with first-year Stars forward Jason Robertson. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Suter is exchanging passes with Hart Trophy contender Patrick Kane and former 40-goal man Alex DeBrincat on Chicago's top line. He's averaging a healthy 16:26 of ice a night.

"Suter's just getting better and starting to familiarize himself with the NHL game," Kane told reporters last month. "He wins pucks back. He's driving the net really well and creating space for his linemates."

Suter went undrafted, was signed by the Blackhawks in July 2020, and didn't join the team until this January. The 5-foot-11 winger came over from Europe following five productive seasons in Switzerland's pro leagues and a strong showing at the 2018 Olympics, where he collected five points in four games.

It would be a stretch to declare Suter this year's Dominik Kubalik - considering the latter bagged 30 goals in 68 games alongside Kane as a rookie in 2019-20 - yet there's definitely an NHL future for the 24-year-old beyond his expiring entry-level deal. Suter's going to get paid.

Zach Whitecloud, Golden Knights, D

Whitecloud's stats - two goals and four assists - are modest. Below the surface, though, the 6-foot-2 right-hander is having a significant impact, especially on the defensive side. According to Evolving Hockey, his 1.55 goals against per 60 minutes of even-strength play is the 12th-best mark among 140 NHL defensemen who have played at least 300 minutes this season.

Whitecloud has actually appeared in three NHL seasons. The Brandon, Manitoba, native's first year featured just 17 minutes of action in one game, and last season he played only 229 minutes spread across 16 games.

The training wheels are officially off now. The undrafted 24-year-old from Minnesota's Bemidji State University has built off an impressive performance in the bubbled postseason, joining forces with fellow youngster Nic Hague on Vegas' second pairing.

Goal suppression is Whitecloud's bread and butter but he can also jump into the play. He showed flashes of his offensive skill set in two years of college and another two in the AHL, and at a $725,000 hit, he's exactly the kind of cheap labor a cap-strapped team like Vegas desperately needs.

Artem Zub, Senators, D

Beyond the fantastic name, Zub owns productive defensive metrics.

This table displays the leading defensemen in Evolving Hockey's GAR, or goals above replacement (a catch-all metric explained here):

The list is a weird mix of Norris Trophy-caliber blue-liners, second-pair guys, defensive stalwarts, and, randomly, Brendan Smith. Then there's Zub tied with Brett Pesce at 10th.

While GAR isn't a perfect stat, it does recognize the underlying effectiveness of certain players. Senators coach D.J. Smith is deploying Zub in a defense-oriented role alongside depth guy Mike Reilly, and the results are solid seeing as the North Division is filled with elite forwards.

Let's check out the HockeyViz.com heat maps that illustrate how Ottawa has fared defensively when Zub has been on the ice at even strength and shorthanded:

Blue/purple means low shot attempts against and red/orange means high shot attempts against. Put another way, the Senators are keeping the opposition away from the slot when Zub is patrolling the D zone.

Zub, who's 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, has a boatload of high-level experience despite going undrafted. The 25-year-old rookie appeared in parts of six KHL seasons and also won a gold medal in 2018 with the Olympic Athletes from Russia. For Ottawa, he's pitched in six points in 21 games while making $925,000 on a one-year entry-level contract. Not bad.

Kevin Lankinen, Blackhawks, G

Rounding out the All-Nobody team is another undrafted Blackhawks rookie.

Lankinen is arguably the breakout star of the entire season. At 25, he's seizing his first opportunity at claiming an NHL net, owning a 10-4-4 record out of the gate. He's compiled a respectful .919 save percentage in all situations, and a gaudy .939 at even strength. If not for dominant runs from Andrei Vasilevskiy and Marc-Andre Fleury, Lankinen would be firmly in the Vezina Trophy discussion.

Some additional info on Lankinen: the Finn ranks fourth among all NHL goalies in goals saved above average with 8.02, according to Hockey Reference. He's earned 12 quality starts (which are awarded when a goalie stops more than the league's median save percentage) through his first 18 games, and he's an $800,000 cap hit in the first season of a two-year deal.

It was tempting to select Minnesota's Kaapo Kahkonen to fill this goalie spot, but Lankinen's robust body of work is a cut above and too good to ignore.

We'll come to see if these six players can sustain their success over the rest of the season and beyond. And at the team level, with the sample size growing, we'll find out if Chicago really has struck gold with these rookies.

John Matisz is theScore's senior hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The global pandemic has wreaked havoc on the NHL's best-laid plans throughout the last year. And it's not about to stop.

The 2019-20 regular season was cut short, the Stanley Cup Playoffs were played exclusively inside two bubbles, and multiple teams' activities have been suspended for long periods during this truncated season.

Will the 2021 draft be next? Officials from the league and its players' association have reportedly discussed the possibility of pushing the July 23-24 event to late 2021, early 2022, or mid 2022 - and everyone has an opinion.

"In a perfect world, what should we do? We should move the draft," one NHL scout said. Consensus is difficult to find, though: "I haven't found one scout who wants it delayed," said another scout who spoke to theScore.

While the wind seems to be blowing towards maintaining the status quo and going ahead with a virtual draft in July, the NHL and NHLPA have been fairly quiet on the topic. (Requests for comment for this story from the league and PA went unfulfilled.)

To better understand both sides of the debate, we checked in with more than a dozen hockey people, most notably NHL managers and scouts, as well as NHLPA agents. Below is a summation of their unfiltered takes on the topic:

The case for delaying

The idea of delaying the draft has gained steam of late because - as expected - the 2020-21 scouting season has been a one-of-a-kind adventure.

Not only are most talent evaluators stuck scouting draft-eligible prospects through video because of travel and arena restrictions, there's virtually no new video from a few key North American leagues.

Among the continent's five most prominent junior loops, the USHL is the only one that cobbled together something resembling a normal schedule, with all 14 of its teams playing at least 32 games through Sunday. The top leagues in Ontario and B.C. haven't started their respective seasons and they may be forced to cancel them outright if teams don't return to action soon. The WHL recently started its season but 17 of 22 teams have yet to play. The QMJHL's been on and off for six months, with teams playing between 13 and 34 games.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is a proponent of rescheduling. He looks at the current scouting landscape and sees inequity. "I would hope they push it back and give us a chance to watch these kids and give these kids a chance to play and put their best foot forward," Yzerman said on Feb. 22.

The options for rescheduling include this coming December/January and next June. The first option would give teams the start of 2021-22 to further evaluate the class. The second would extend that window and avoid staging the event in the middle of a season. The NHL could instead hold what one assistant GM called a "summer 2022 hockey convention": Two drafts - one for the cohort of players born in late 2002 and early 2003, and another for those born in late 2003 and early 2004 - in the same city over a week or so (assuming large gatherings have resumed without restriction).

"Going ahead with the draft (this summer) isn't worth the downside of having limited viewings on these kids," the assistant GM said. Imagine the extra buzz back-to-back drafts would generate in the lead-up to free agency.

Added a prominent agent: "I think the players are pretty flexible. But for the teams, why would you want to make arguably the most important investment you make every year without having watched (some of) these guys play?"

The number of sidelined prospects has decreased over the course of the season. Many top prospects were loaned to teams in Europe, where pro and junior hockey has evaded pandemic-related shutdowns, for the most part.

Barrie Colts blue-liner and potential first overall pick Brandt Clarke has dressed for 23 games in Slovakia's top pro loop. Kitchener Rangers forward Francesco Pinelli has competed in 11 games for a Slovenian team in the Alps Hockey League. Usual junior rivals Mason McTavish (Peterborough) and Brennan Othmann (Flint) are currently Swiss B League teammates.

An overseas loan can often bring ice time, exposure, as well as valuable life experience. However, as another agent notes, the grass hasn't been greener for everybody. "Some of the opportunities people are heading over for aren't that great in terms of living conditions, quality of hockey, all of that," he said.

Another scout feels similarly and points to the conundrum created by unequal opportunities: "Tons of top kids haven't played at all or have been playing in non-traditional European leagues," he said. "Can't do a draft with (little to) no data from the WHL or OHL."

Speaking more generally, a third agent brings up how these unprecedented times have taken their toll on the mental health of so many draft-eligible players, particularly those unable to compete. They've dedicated their lives to chasing the NHL dream and right now there isn't a whole lot they can do to advance their cause.

"I hope that part of it is taken seriously," the agent said of teams assessing the current draft class. "(I hope) that these kids aren't maligned or marked off or crossed out from draft lists because they had mental health issues."

The case against delaying

The argument for keeping the draft in July begins with tough love: let's power through this mess and reset in the fall ahead of the 2021-22 season.

"At some point," a scout said, "you've just got to rip the Band-Aid off and get back to a normal calendar."

He adds the current scouting season is far from perfect but all 32 NHL teams (Seattle is scheduled to participate in the draft for the first time) are at the same disadvantage as far as evaluating through video and having incomplete reports on WHL and OHL prospects. "Are you going to delay the whole draft (to cater to) a player pool of somewhere between 30 and 40?" he asked.

Pushing the date would create another problem, since scouts would then be tasked with monitoring players from multiple classes simultaneously. The coverage overlap would adversely affect preparation for 2022.

And, sure, staging the 2021 draft sometime around the next world juniors or in tandem with another draft sounds intriguing. Shoehorning a marquee event into a different part of the calendar, though, would muddy the waters within individual clubs and across the league from a business perspective.

Another scout mentions that contracts for hockey operations employees usually expire on July 1. If a team wanted to part ways with a scout, how would that transpire given that the work is technically ongoing?

More crucially, how would a delay impact the pro timelines of draft-eligible players? For example, the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA includes specific language about service time. So if a player is drafted later than usual, he is placed on an alternative timeline from other players in the league. Players must wait seven years before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency. Does that number stay at seven or move to six?

Aside from avoiding a host of CBA-related issues, maintaining the status quo would also reward teams who have safety nets built into their scouting strategy. Some organizations monitor underage players more closely than others, so their book on, say, a WHLer with a handful of games played in 2020-21 won't be blank. They'll have a feel for his skill set and can project accordingly.

"These teams spend millions of dollars on scouting. But you can't just scout a player five or six times and have an opinion on him. That's not responsible management," said a former NHL coach. Scouts and managers, he argues, are paid to also keep a close eye on players from future draft classes.

To please the largest group of people, the coach suggests the NHL consider running the draft in July and tacking on an additional two or three rounds. That way, each team gets extra lottery tickets to use on overlooked players. (This is easier said than done since it would likely require NHLPA approval.)

Another idea being tossed around: While it's looking doubtful there will be a scouting combine between now and July, perhaps the league should try to arrange a one-off showcase tournament for sidelined players. It would provide scouts with supplementary material and, again, bridge the gap in the debate.

A second assistant GM is confident the sport's higher-ups will figure out this contentious issue one way or another. "There's a lot of really smart people at the league and within teams, with managers and scouts," he said. "They'll figure out a plan that suits the best for the times we're in."

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Among the handful of major NHL awards handed out each year by a voting body, the Vezina Trophy tends to be the most predictable and straightforward.

Historically, Vezina voters - the league's general managers - have valued three main things: a heavy workload, winning, and a strong save percentage. Every Vezina winner in the past 10 non-lockout seasons has started at least 53 games, won at least 31 games, and owned a save percentage of at least .922.

That said, the uniqueness of this season calls for some mental gymnastics.

Teams are playing just 56 regular-season games, and coaches are giving extra starts to the backup in many instances to better tackle the condensed schedule. What's more, the league-average save percentage has dipped under .910 for the first time in 12 seasons while goalies exclusively face shooters from their division.

Do the GMs simply prorate their usual criteria? Or, do voters, on aggregate, adopt a more nuanced approach to the "best goalie of the year" debate?

Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy, Vegas' Marc-Andre Fleury, Chicago's Kevin Lankinen, Florida's Chris Driedger, and the Islanders' Semyon Varlamov are all popping off the page this season.

Here's each netminder's baseline statistics and how they rank among the 29 goalies who have started at least 10 times through Thursday night's action:

Let's dig deeper to account for shot quality, seeing as no two team environments are exactly the same. (Case in point: The Blackhawks' loose defensive structure is in stark contrast to the Islanders' lock-it-down style.)

Here's a breakdown of the same five goalies in the key categories of goals saved above expected (GSAx) and goals saved above average (GSAA) from Evolving Hockey:

Vasilevskiy, the award's 2018-19 winner, appears to grade out the best based on what's presented above, though Fleury - who hasn't seen the crease quite as often as Vasilevskiy - carries great intrigue. He has gaudy stats and a tidy narrative. Fleury has never won a Vezina despite sitting fifth all time in goalie wins, so the affable 36-year-old is about as "due" as they come.

Meanwhile, Lankinen is building a convincing case for the Calder Trophy, Driedger is outduelling partner Sergei Bobrovsky in a big way, and Varlamov is playing arguably the best hockey of his career on a 10-6-3 Isles club.

Keep an eye on Colorado's Philipp Grubauer, Los Angeles' Cal Petersen, and New Jersey's Mackenzie Blackwood as the season chugs along. All have been fantastic so far, too, and could soon challenge the other five.

At any rate, good luck with this one, GMs. I don't envy you.

Fleury's resilient - again

Speaking of Fleury, he's managed to reclaim the Golden Knights' net following a bubbled postseason in which he appeared in only four of 20 games.

Remember, Fleury was also at the center of a firestorm set off by his own camp. (You may remember Fleury's agent tweeted an image depicting his client being impaled by a sword labeled "DeBoer," as in coach Pete DeBoer.) In the offseason, it felt like Fleury's name was constantly in the rumor mill.

The early-season bounce back is impressive, and it reminds me of a conversation with Pascal Vincent, Fleury's Quebec junior coach.

Back in early 2004, Vincent watched a young Fleury struggle with "more than a few weeks" of confidence issues. Fresh off an all-time gaffe at the world juniors, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned Fleury - the 2003 first overall pick - to Vincent's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles following 22 NHL games.

"He's wearing the Team Canada jersey and he wants to win the gold, and even though you win as a team and lose as a team, he felt responsible, and that crushed him," recalled Vincent, who's now the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets' AHL affiliate.

Fleury, then 19, was so down he told Vincent he didn't believe he was as talented as the lesser-known junior goalies. The coach countered with a pearl of wisdom: that one moment won't define your career - unless you allow it to.

"I just had to let him be and (let him) go through his feelings," Vincent said. "Let him know that, 'Hey, I'm here. We believe in you. We're just going to wait for you to believe in yourself again, the way you should, and things will be fine. Don't worry about it. It sucks, it's not great. You feel the way you feel because you care so much. But we're here. And we'll be here this year, next year, in 10 years.'"

That lost confidence and joy - which is so prevalent in Fleury's demeanor on and off the ice - was eventually rediscovered, and life reverted back to normal.

"Looking back today and (on) what he's accomplished, I think what happened at that time was probably a blessing in his life," Vincent said.

Fleury's a grown man now, and these are two different situations, but there's some symmetry between Fleury's current bounce back and his arc in 2004.

Cats, Huberdeau sneaky good

Years of mediocrity and a lackluster showing in the bubble made the Florida Panthers easy to dismiss in the lead up to the season. Yet, 19 games in, the Cats are atop the Central Division with 28 points and sit third overall in points percentage. It's true they've already played Detroit six times, winning four, but the Panthers are also a combined 4-2 in their six meetings with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars, who met in the Stanley Cup Final last year.

Captain Aleksander Barkov has been lauded over his career for his two-way wizardry and has been praised again during this hot streak - rightfully so. Conversely, Jonathan Huberdeau, Barkov's longtime running mate, hasn't been properly credited throughout his career. The 27-year-old has been overshadowed, not only by Barkov, but also by his peers in bigger markets.

Huberdeau currently ranks eighth in league scoring with seven goals and 16 assists. He's the main facilitator on a lethal power play and is producing at a point-per-game pace on the wing for a third consecutive season.

"The people who have played with him over the years definitely realize how good he is," former teammate Vincent Trocheck said ahead of 2020 All-Star Weekend. "It's crazy to think this is his first All-Star Game. He's been in the league for eight years, and he's an outstanding player. He's probably deserved it six out of those eight years."

Huberdeau's 0.83 points-per-game rate since his 2012-13 debut is tied with Brock Boeser, Jake Guentzel, and Joe Pavelski for 42nd (minimum 100 games). That group is one notch below Jonathan Toews and Vladimir Tarasenko and one notch ahead of Alexander Radulov, Patrik Laine, and Kyle Connor.

Pretty solid company for the oft-overlooked star.

Forward TOI rabbit hole

On Monday, Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner logged a career-high 26:41 of ice time in a 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames. On the winning squad, Elias Lindholm clocked in almost a minute higher at 27:32.

Even though forwards typically don't see more than 22 minutes a night, Marner and Lindholm's ice times didn't seem to register as a league-wide story. At first glance, it looks like two top players earning a few extra shifts. No big deal. On second thought, 26:41 and 27:32 is a ton of ice time during a game that ended in regulation, no matter the underlying circumstances.

Is this a new trend? An anomaly? Let's parse the data to find out.

In 2019-20, two forwards (Leon Draisaitl and Jack Eichel) averaged 22 or more minutes, while nine averaged between 21 and 22, and 13 more averaged between 20 and 21. So far in 2020-21, four forwards (Marner, Connor McDavid, Patrick Kane, and Draisaitl) are averaging 22 or more minutes a game, while six are averaging between 21 and 22, and 14 are averaging between 20 and 21. That's two additional forwards in the 22-plus tier.

Let's check in on individual-game ice time.

A forward eclipsed the 26-minute mark on 15 occasions this season, whereas the 26-minute mark was eclipsed 41 times in 2019-20. That's a 26-minute forward in 2.6% of all team games this campaign versus 1.9% last season.

Since there have been only 291 games in 2020-21, it's too early to label nights like Marner's and Lindholm's a legitimate trend. Still, there appears to be something about this weird year that's leading to high-TOI games for select forwards. Perhaps it's because every game carries more weight in a shortened campaign, or maybe coaches want to push stamina limits.

Karlsson's double whammy

Frans Nielsen passing through waivers and Jeff Skinner getting scratched three times refueled the classic cap-era debate about the NHL's worst contract.

There are plenty of exorbitant cap hits out there. There are plenty of overcommitments to term as well. But it's the pile of double whammies - drawn-out, expensive deals for players providing little value or hope of value to the organization - where you'll find the worst of the worst.

Skinner, at $9 million through 2026-27, is certainly in the running for the (dis)honor. Matt Duchene and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who make $8 million and $7 million, respectively, through 2025-26, are both cringeworthy. Bobrovsky, at $10 million through 2025-26, is perhaps worse than all three.

Yet, the worst contract might belong to Erik Karlsson, at $11.5 million through 2026-27. Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, was on the trajectory of a first-ballot Hall of Famer before inking a massive, $92-million ticket with the San Jose Sharks in June 2019. But his game has tanked, in large part due to major injuries. He's a shell of his former self.

To put Karlsson's albatross contract into perspective, it eats up more than 14% of San Jose's allotted room under the $81.5-million upper limit. Armed with a no-move clause, he's locked in for another six years.

At the opposite end of the spectrum lives Conor Garland, whose expiring two-year deal is arguably the best non-entry-level, non-star contract in the NHL.

Last year, the Arizona Coyotes winger - who makes $775,000 annually - finished first among forwards in Cap Friendly's cost-per-point analysis. This year, he paces all players (including those on ELCs), making an efficient $43,055 per point (18 points in 19 games) in a first-line role with Arizona.

3 parting thoughts

Kirill Kaprizov: The Minnesota Wild stud and rookie scoring leader has delivered on the hype. Kaprizov's a mesmerizing player whose intensity, smarts, puck skills, and edgework are all pluses on the scouting report.

Dress code: Between the informal looks in the bubble, the Canucks going casual, and the Bruins reliving the 1990s at Lake Tahoe, how long until it's game over for the game-day suit and tie? I understand the "look good, play good" sentiment, but I'm in favor of the sport continuing to let its hair down.

L.A. Kings: Surprise! The rebuilding 9-6-3 Kings are in a playoff position in the West Division. It's been a statement first 18 games for 31-year-old Drew Doughty, and you've gotta respect the Michael Jordan-level pettiness.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's monthly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.