The dam is finally starting to burst for Cole Caufield.
Caufield has scored four times in his first three games, as the puck appears to be coming off his stick this season with a little more emphasis and authority. Given his ability to find the back of the net, it’s hard to believe Caufield has yet to have a 30-goal campaign, though it seems he could be destined for at least 40 this season.
You knew it was only a matter of time for Caufield. He amassed over 300 shots a season ago but finished with only 28 goals. The 8.9 shooting percentage was the lowest of his career and he was likely headed for some positive regression in 2024-25. If you shoot the puck as frequently as Caufield did last year, it’s eventually going to start going in with regularity.
The Montreal Canadiens’ top line featuring Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Caufield, is also back together for a second season. Suzuki just keeps getting better and better every year, while Slafkovsky should take another step forward. This trio is proving to be very productive, and Caufield looks more comfortable than he’s ever been in the NHL.
I’m not sure he gets there this year, but I could see Caufield being a 50-goal scorer someday. He has all the tools to be an elite scorer in this league. Whether it’s a lightning-quick release, pinpoint accuracy or the ability to get open in good scoring areas, there’s very little Caufield isn’t proficient at. Not to mention, he’s still just 23 years old.
The best is still yet to come for Caufield.
1. Samuel Montembeault had an incredible performance on opening night, posting a 48-save shutout against the Toronto Maple Leafs. I still think the Montreal Canadiens are unlikely to make the playoffs, and they didn’t do a great job of helping Montembeault on Wednesday night, which still makes him tough to roster. Use him as a streamer in favourable matchups if you need saves.
2. There’s a good opportunity in front of Marco Rossi to start the season. He’s currently slotted in as the top centre for the Minnesota Wild, giving him the coveted opportunity to play next to Kirill Kaprizov. Both Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman have filled the role before, so Rossi will have to raise his level to keep it. After 21 goals last year and a strong pre-season, expectations are high for Rossi. Could a breakout season be in the cards?
3. You never want to overreact to just a couple of games, but it’s tough not to be concerned about the Buffalo Sabres and, more specifically, Jack Quinn. The Sabres forward had no goals, no assists, no shots and no hits during the first two games in Europe, causing a few to drop him to the waiver wire already. I would probably give Quinn a few more games before moving on, though those kinds of performances really hurt you in fantasy. Buffalo desperately needs to make the playoffs this year, and right now, they don’t look any different from the team that fell well short of expectations a year ago.
4. Tough luck for Boone Jenner, as he’s suffered another significant injury that is going to cost him the majority of this season. Jenner checks just about every box in a multi-cat league. He can score, hit, pile up shots and has dual-position eligibility. He just can’t stay healthy. The Columbus Blue Jackets forward should be a fantasy favourite every year and in some people’s eyes he still is, but it’s simply hard to rely him at this point. I’m basically avoiding him entirely in drafts going forward because even in a best-case scenario, he’s probably going to still miss 20-25 games every year because of his style of play.
5. Darcy Kuemper has looked really good in his first two starts with the Los Angeles Kings. I was touting Kuemper all summer as a sleeper goalie because of how the Kings have been able to prop up other average netminders. Some were scared off when Los Angeles said they were abandoning their 1-3-1, but the Kings will likely still be very responsible defensively and remain one of the most goalie-friendly teams. Kuemper should have great value this year if he can stay healthy.
6. Logan Stankoven looks very comfortable on the Dallas Stars’ top line, notching three assists in his first game. With Wyatt Johnston on everyone’s radar in drafts this season, Stankoven was likely overlooked and is only 42 per cent rostered right now. He could be a difference-maker with that deployment.
7. I took the bait on Ville Husso after a strong pre-season. He looked great, and I needed a goalie to gamble on, thanks to my Zero G strategy and Washington’s schedule this week, where Logan Thompson didn’t get a start. It clearly backfired with a rough first outing, and even though it’s early to write Husso off, he’s dug himself a hole in the crease with Cam Talbot, who already has a shutout, and Alex Lyon looking for playing time.
8. Not only did Thompson not start this week, but Pyotr Kochetkov also hasn’t seen the ice yet because the Carolina Hurricanes’ second game of the week was postponed. That likely meant a fair bit of rostering juggling for some to hit their minimum goalie starts. The first week is always pretty wacky when it comes to scheduling, and it makes it difficult to really evaluate your team until you see everyone at least get a few games under their belt. Dropping someone hastily at this time of year is risky.
9. Jordan Kyrou looks like a different player this year. He scored a couple of beautiful goals against the Seattle Kraken and is really clicking with Pavel Buchnevich. I think he has a chance to get to 40 this season and push for 300 shots.
10. The San Jose Sharks have Joel Hofer’s number. After having a pair of dreadful outings against the Sharks during the fantasy playoffs last season, Hofer got another chance at San Jose this week and again gave up four. The Blues came back to salvage a win, but I don’t think the Sharks will be easy to stream goalies against moving forward. There’s a lot of offensive talent there all of a sudden.
11. Front and centre among that talent would be rookie Macklin Celebrini, who tallied a couple of points against the Blues and is now, unfortunately, going to miss some time with an injury. I’ve tempered my expectations for Celebrini in Year 1 because I don’t necessarily think he’s a generational talent, though there’s no doubt he’s going to be an incredible player someday. He’s probably a good bet in one-year leagues and someone to cling to tightly in keeper formats.
12. On the blue line, Jake Walman is already creeping into must-roster territory. He played nearly 25 minutes against the Blues, tallying an assist and seven blocks. It’s a bare blue line in San Jose, so Walman will be in line for a ton of power-play ice time and massive minutes overall. He should be a perfect depth defenceman for almost any league.
13. I’d be keeping a close eye on Justus Annunen on your waiver wire. Alexandar Georgiev is off to another tough start, picking up right where he left off last season. Jared Bednar’s patience has to be wearing thin, and the Colorado Avalanche aren’t deep enough right now to overcome bad goaltending. Annunen hasn’t really been helping his cause in relief so far, but there’s a chance he’ll get an opportunity for some additional starts if Georgiev can’t find his game.
14. Has there been a hotter line to start the season than Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev? The trio have combined for 17 points, and Eichel especially looks almost unstoppable right now. I find Eichel is always somewhat devalued in drafts because of his injury history, but he’s averaged more than a point per game over the past two seasons, and if he can ever play close to 80 games, he could have the value of a second-round pick.
They key thing for the production to continue on this line is obviously health. We all know Stone’s injury history and Eichel has fallen short of 70 games in each of the past two years. It seems like a long shot, but if Stone is able to avoid injury and the line sticks together, could Eichel be a dark horse Hart candidate?
15. It was an impressive debut in Vegas for Victor Olofsson. He has three 20-goal seasons to his credit and scored two in his first game with the Golden Knights, taking advantage of playing on PP1. At even strength he’s only on the third line, but Vegas is very thin on the wing so there’s a decent chance Olofsson will move up the lineup at some point. He’s a good bet if you need scoring help at only 13 per cent rostered.
16. Maxim Tsyplakov looks like he could be a player. A goal and six hits in his New York Islanders debut will make him a trendy waiver pickup, and he’s currently in a great spot next to Brock Nelson on the second line. Patrick Roy seems pretty confident with him as well, giving Tsyplakov nearly 21 minutes Thursday night.
17. The first two starts for the Isles between the pipes have gone to Semyon Varlamov. We probably shouldn’t read too much into that because Ilya Sorokin is coming off a back injury, but there’s no doubt Roy is very comfortable leaning on Varlamov. Don’t hit the panic button yet if you have Sorokin, though it might be a good idea to look for an insurance policy on waivers or try to get the tandem if you can.
18. A quick check at next week’s schedule sees a handful of teams playing four games, including the New Jersey Devils. I’d take a look at Paul Cotter if you need help down the middle, as he’s scored in three of four games this season and is great for hits. The offence probably won’t last, but he had well over 200 hits last season, so he could be worth a short-term look in multi-cat leagues.
The Florida Panthers also play four times, and with Aleksander Barkov set to miss the next few weeks, both Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell have been elevated in the lineup. Either is worth a shot, but I’d lean toward Bennett if your league counts hits.
19. The best ability in fantasy hockey is availability, and Joseph Woll can’t seem to stay available. Injury concerns were huge around Woll coming into the season, and I know he fell in drafts because of it. Now, he’s already sidelined before even making a single start. Anthony Stolarz is proving to be a shrewd pickup so far, as he could end up stumbling into the No. 1 job for the Toronto Maple Leafs if Woll can’t stay in the lineup. Stash Woll on injured reserve for now and hope his stay on the sidelines isn’t a long one.
20. Not ideal to see Dougie Hamilton with no points through the first four games despite getting massive minutes. Hamilton had 22 goals and 74 points in his last full healthy season, so expectations are certainly high for him in 2024-25. Let’s also keep in mind that with Luke Hughes out, there’s no one to challenge Hamilton for power-play time, so he has to take advantage of this opportunity. If Hamilton doesn’t start finding the scoresheet, his role as the quarterback of PP1 could be in jeopardy when Hughes returns.