Preparing for the NHL’s trade deadline on Feb. 25, we’ve already broken down the best goal scorers available to teams that want to add for the playoffs, not just in terms of who will score the most, but looking at how they score, whether they’re a sniper or if they clean up the garbage in front of the net.
With those players highlighted, it’s time to move on to the playmakers. For teams with high-volume shooters that go to the right areas, but somehow can’t score at expected rates, the problem is often a lack of puck movement before the shot. So with that in mind, which available players could fill that role?
Just as we didn’t only look at goal totals when analyzing the scorers, we’re not looking directly at assists here, but at the plays that tend to drive assists. These plays create better and more shooting opportunities for teammates both at 5-on-5 and on the power play. We’ll start with even strength play.
Some familiar names from the goal-scoring article come up here because players like Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene are multi-faceted attackers who are rarely available at the deadline. Panarin is the best of this bunch with more completed passes to the slot and East-West passes per 20 minutes than everyone else available. Plus, he generates the second-most passes off the rush, and the second-most scoring chances created for his teammates.
Duchene ranks second in passes to the slot and first in scoring chances created. He accomplishes this not only by creating plays with high-end passing skill, but with rebounds that can benefit players who drive the net, especially if they can keep up with him off the rush. Duchene doesn’t move the puck off the rush as much as other top playmakers, nor does he go East-West as often. He plays a very North-South game as a straight-line attacker, using his blistering speed to create opportunities more than long passes. Coaches who favour a North-South game would probably really like Duchene as an offensive force to build a line around.
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Mark Stone continues to be one of the most underrated players in the NHL; a brilliant defensive player who creates opportunities by stripping opponents of the puck and catching teams off-guard outside their defensive structure. He creates slightly fewer opportunities to score than Duchene overall, but the ones he does generate are of a higher quality on average. Stone uses more East-West puck movement to get goalies moving and reacting instead of letting them get set to take the shot.
Kevin Hayes is the player I’m watching with the most interest at this year’s trade deadline. He has the underlying numbers of a big-name player, but doesn’t have the reputation to go along with it — and yet he’s a centre who is having a career year. By all rights, the Rangers should pull in a massive return for him, but there’s a very real possibility he’ll be a bargain add. Hayes creates a ton of scoring chances and his breakdown in how he accomplishes it is similar to Stone. Hayes doesn’t have nearly the same defensive impact as Stone, and his shot isn’t as good, but any team that misses out on Stone would be wise to turn its attention to Hayes.
Gustav Nyquist just keeps showing up on these lists, and he’s already only three assists shy of his career high with 17 fewer games played. There’s a bit of a drop off after Hayes on this list, but Nyquist brings with him a versatile skill set where he can attack off the rush and off the cycle, move the puck well into and through the slot to make plays happen for his teammates, while also being a decent finisher on top of it.
Now to the power play…
Notice that passes off the rush are omitted here. The reason for that is there just isn’t much attacking off the rush on the power play. Compared to other stats, the pass-off-the-rush numbers pro-rated per 20 minutes are miniscule (less than one), which would make them tough to compare on a chart with larger values present.
I feel like a bit of a broken record, but once again we’re talking about Panarin at the top. He leads the group in all three categories, making him a legitimate force to be reckoned with on the power play. This, plus his impact on transition, is why I think he’s the perfect addition for the Nashville Predators.
A surprise out of nowhere here is Marcus Johansson, who doesn’t create the same volume as the elite players on this list, but makes up for it by completing a bonkers number of passes to the slot. If your power play needs a player to get the puck into the middle for a triggerman in the high or middle slot, Johansson could be a relatively cheap and impactful player to add to the lineup.
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Like at even strength, Stone is a brilliant power play playmaker. He creates nearly as many chances as Panarin, and both players force defenders to respect their shot enough to give them space. What I love about Stone is you could plug him in literally anywhere, in any situation, and he’s going to tilt the ice in your favour. He doesn’t necessarily have the flash Panarin does, but the overall impact is similar.
I was a bit surprised that Mats Zuccarello didn’t fare too well in the even strength playmaking metrics, but at 31 years old maybe he’s more of a power play specialist these days and a complementary 5-on-5 player. On the power play, his big thing is moving the puck East-West below the tops of the circles, constantly looking to set up one-timers. If a struggling power play has a right-handed trigger man on the left side, Zuccarello can set up some great goals. And as a bonus, he can play the left point to take shots and set up a left-handed one-timer on the right side.
Duchene is a shoot-first player who is also a skilled playmaker at even strength, but on the power play he likes to set players up a lot more. I believe this is because his primary shooting preference is off the rush, and since that style of play doesn’t really exist on power plays he relies more on his playmaking. That doesn’t mean he can’t score on the power play — he’s got five power play goals this year — but he can create chances for others far more effectively than his reputation would have you believe.
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