My least favourite statement from an analyst is during a high-scoring NHL game when someone says, “The coaches won’t like it.”
The harsh truth is offence sells the game in the regular season. The majority of fans want to be entertained, and lead changes and overcoming two- and three-goal deficits is much more entertaining than teams playing a tight defensive 2-1 game. You can mix a few of those in, but playoffs are when teams can really lock it down, and fans don’t worry about entertainment as much, because the stakes are higher. They are emotionally invested simply because a series victory is on the line. Every shot has them on edge, which is awesome.
The first week of the NHL regular season saw a team score six-plus goals on 12 different occasions. That is the most through the first six days of a season in over 30 years. It was wild, it was unpredictable and it was entertaining.
- Seattle scored six goals twice all of last season. They’ve scored six goals in two of their first three games this year. Granted, both games were against Calgary, but they played the Flames three times last season and never scored six goals. Mackie Samoskevich and Bobby McMann each have two goals, and Samoskevich has only played two games. Neither was on their opening night roster. Add in young players like Berkly Catton, Kaapo Kakko and Shane Wright, and they are younger and quicker than last year.
- It is very early, and of course goals/game will go down, but Colorado (7.00), Edmonton (5.67), Pittsburgh (5.00), Vancouver (4.75) and Seattle (4.33) are averaging over 4.3 goals/game, and they are a combined 10-4-1.
- At the other end of the goal-scoring spectrum are Calgary and Detroit (1.00), Philadelphia (1.25), Nashville and New Jersey (1.50), and Chicago and Carolina (1.67), all averaging under two goals. If you can’t score in today’s game, it is really difficult to win. Those teams are a combined 3-13-3.
- I’m not sold that the trade market for Spencer Stastney is as high as some of the online rumours I’ve read. He’s a 6/7/8 defenceman. I understand the theory Edmonton is looking for a forward, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are two-to-three weeks away. They might even join the Oilers later this week on the road trip to skate. We’ll see. If you trade for a forward, I’d be surprised if it was a forward who would be a lock to remain in Edmonton once RNH, Hyman and Savoie return, so then you’d have to put that player on waivers possibly. Jason Dickinson skated the past two days with the team and was centring the second line, and it looks like he could return to the lineup tomorrow, so that reduces the need to acquire a forward right now.
- I heard Freddie Andersen went on the road trip, even though he isn’t skating, just to get to spend time with his teammates and get to know them better.
- Connor McDavid is off to the best start of his NHL career with nine points through three games. He had eight in 2020 and 2022. What’s wild about McDavid’s start is he only has one shot on goal on the power play. Once he starts shooting more, he and the power play will be even more dangerous.
- We are seeing lots of goals despite some teams being absolutely dreadful on the power play. Tampa Bay is 0-for-13, which is wild considering they’ve had the second-best PP over the past six seasons. I’m sure it will wake up, but that is a surprising start. I’m not surprised the Flyers continue to suck on the man advantage. They are 0-for-11, and they have the worst combined power play this decade at 15.6 per cent. They’ve been dead last in the NHL in four of the previous five seasons. An amazing feat when you think about it. The Flyers overall have been awful, as they’ve been outshot 158-77 in four games and outscored 17-5. Ouch.
- We are in an era where people feel they have to put out a post. This came out today when defencemen have played two or three games. What are they doing?
To make it worse, they exposed their writers by showing they vote off reputation. Here’s a look at the defencemen through the first week.
Bouchard (3GP) 4-4-8 and +6
Hughes (2GP) 1-2-3 and +2
Makar (2GP) 1-2-3 and +1
Hutson (2Gp) 0-3-3 and +1
Schaefer (2GP) 0-2-2 and +2
Werenski (2GP) 0-2-2 and +2
Dahlin (2GP) 1-0-1 and 0
Bouchard isn’t in the top four despite scoring more goals than any player has points, and he is three times ahead in +/-. Voting on reputation is not how a voter should vote. Vote on what happens in season. That’s my Ted Talk. Also, there should be no one discussing awards until mid-season. Anything else is premature.
- In the salary cap era, only six defencemen have scored 25-plus goals in a season. Mike Green (31 in 2009), Cale Makar (30 in 2025 and 28 in 2022), Brent Burns (29 in 2017 and 27 in 2016), Sheldon Souray (26 in 2007), Jacob Chychrun (26 in 2026) and Erik Karlsson (25 in 2023).
Evan Bouchard has four goals in three games. He needs 21 in his final 81 games. He scored 21 goals in 82 games last season. It is doable.
- I see some are concerned about Gavin McKenna not producing through three games, and (huge gasp) not participating in a few optional practices. I think many underestimate how difficult it is for forwards to produce in the NHL a few months after being drafted. Here are the players who did it between 2005 and 2026.
2005/06: Sidney Crosby scored 102 points in 81 games.
2007: Jordan Staal scored 29 goals and 42 points in 81 games, which was his career high in goals, and Phil Kessel had 11-18-29 in 70 games.
2008: Patrick Kane scored 21-51-72 in 82 games, Sam Gagner tallied 13-36-49 in 79 games, and David Perron had 13-14-27 in 62 games.
2009: Steven Stamkos scored 23-23-46 in 79 games, Mikkel Boedker had 11-17-28 in 78 games, Josh Bailey scored 7-18-25 in 68 games, and Viktor Tikhonov tallied 8-8-16 in 61 games.
2010: Matt Duchene had 24-31-55 in 81 games, John Tavares had 24-30-54 in 82 games, Evander Kane had 14-12-26 in 66 games, and Ryan O’Reilly scored 8-18-26 in 81 games.
2011: Jeff Skinner scored 31-32-63 in 82 games, Taylor Hall tallied 22-20-42 in 63 games, and Tyler Seguin produced 11-11-22 in 74 games.
2012: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored 18-34-52 in 62 games, Gabriel Landeskog had 22-30-52 in 82 games, and Sean Couturier tallied 13-14-27 in 77 games.
2013: Nail Yakupov scored 17-14-31 in 48 games, and Alex Galchenyuk produced 9-18-27 in 48 games (shortened season).
2014: Nathan MacKinnon scored 24-39-63 in 82 games, Sean Monahan had 22-12-34 in 75 games, Valeri Nichuskin scored 14-20-34 in 79 games, Aleksander Barkov produced 8-16-24 in 54 games, and Elias Lindholm scored 9-12-21 in 58 games.
2015: David Pastrnak tallied 10-17-27 in 46 games, and Leon Draisaitl scored 2-7-9 in 37 games before being sent back to the Western Hockey League.
2016: Jack Eichel produced 24-32-56 in 81 games, and Connor McDavid produced 16-32-48 in 45 games.
2017: Auston Matthews scored 40-29-69 in 82 games, Patrik Laine scored 36-38-64 in 73 games, and Matthew Tkachuk produced 13-35-48 in 76 games.
2018: Nico Hischier tallied 20-32-52 in 82 games, and Nolan Patrick tallied 13-17-30 in 73 games.
2019: Brady Tkachuk tallied 22-23-45 in 71 games, Andrei Svechnikov produced 20-17-37 in 82 games and Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 11-23-34 in 79 games.
2020: Kaapo Kakko tallied 10-13-23 in 66 games, Kirby Dach scored 8-15-23 in 64 games, and Jack Hughes scored 7-14-21 in 61 games.
2021: Tim Stützle scored 12-17-29 in 53 games, and Alexis Lafreniere had 12-9-21 in 56 games (shortened season).
2022: Cole Sillinger tallied 16-15-31 in 79 games.
2024: Connor Bedard scored 22-39-61 in 68 games, Zach Benson produced 11-19-30 in 71 games, Leo Carlsson scored 12-17-29 in 55 games, and Adam Fantilli had 12-15-27 in 49 games.
2025: Macklin Celebrini produced 25-38-63 in 70 games.
2026: Ben Kindel tallied 17-18-35 in 77 games, and Michael Misa scored 9-12-21 in 45 games.
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