At the start of every season, there are players exceeding and not meeting expectations. No team has played more than 18 games, so it is a small sample size. This means that any of these players can turn it around, but it is worth looking into. I did not include rookies, only players who have been in the league.
5 Players Failing Expectations
5: Jordan Kyrou (16 Games Played, 5 Goals, 4 Assists), St. Louis Blues
Over the years, Kyrou has proven himself as one of the Blues’ top players. He always seems to be around the 30-35 goal, 70–75-point mark. The Blues rely on his play driving, and his high-end skill. This season, things have not gone Kyrou’s way. Things are not going in the right direction for the 27-year-old either. In his past 5 games, he has just scored a single goal. Kyrou is not doing much to help the struggling Blues who have won 2 of their last 10 games.
4: Linus Ullmark (14 Games Played, .870 Save Percentage, 3.21 Goals Against Average), Ottawa Senators
Since joining the Bruins, Linus Ullmark has been one of the most consistent netminders in the NHL. Every season over the past six he has been around a .910-.920 save percentage, including his dominant 2022-23 campaign, where he won the Vezina and had a .938 save percentage. Ullmark had a very successful first season in Ottawa, seeing him win 25 games, and lead the Sens to the playoffs. However, this season, Ullmark’s play has dropped. The Sweden native is having one of his worse stretches in years. The Senators, who made the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, have managed to get off to a solid 8-5-3 start despite the goaltending struggles, but they will need Ullmark to turn it around if they want to keep winning games.
3: Matvei Michkov (15 Games Played, 3 Goals, 5 Assists), Philadelphia Flyers
Matvei Michkov has always had a lot of hype to his name, even years before he was drafted. Expectations for this season were sky high after his 63-point rookie season, and the Flyers acquiring Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks. Michkov has struggled so far this season. Things are starting to look up for the former 7th overall pick, as he has scored in his past two games, but his spot on this list is still very warranted from his rough start. The Flyers currently hold the last wild-card spot. If Michkov can start performing like we know he could, that could be enough to put the Flyers over the edge.
2: Brayden Point (15 Games Played, 3 Goals, 6 Assists)
Brayden Point has cemented himself as one of the top centers in the league. In each of the past three seasons, Point has scored 40+ goals and had a point per game average of 1.11. Points have been a big part of the Lightning’s teams over the past years. With the Lightning playing better, Point’s production has dropped. In his past 5 games, Point has just one goal.
1: JT Miller (17 Games Played, 3 Goals, 5 Assists)
JT Miller has been one of the top producers in the NHL since he joined the Canucks. Last season, the Rangers required Miller for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and their first-round pick. At the beginning of this season, they made him their 28th captain in franchise history. The Rangers and Miller have struggled under his reign as captain. The Rangers won their first home game of the season against the Nashville Predators on November 10th, nearly a month into the season. With Miller struggling this early into his tenure as Rangers captain, and him being under contract until after the 2029-30 season, things are starting to seem kind of dyer for the 32-year-old.
5 Players Exceeding Expectations
5: Elvis Merzlikins (7 Games Played, .908 Save Percentage, 3.14 Goals Against Average)
Ever since signing a big contract extension, Merzlikins has struggled to play at the same level. It is not completely his fault. The Blue Jackets have not had great defensive teams in front of him. It is just surprising to see Merzlikins playing at this level all these years later. So far this season he has been very solid. The Blue Jackets are currently hovering around the final wildcard spot, and the goaltending for Columbus has been a big reason why.
4: Cutter Gauthier (16 Games Played, 11 Goals, 9 Assists)
It was always obvious Gauthier had a lot of potential. However, seeing him play at this level in just his second full season in the 6HL is surprising. Gauthier is currently amongst the league leaders in goals. He has been a big part of the Anaheim Ducks’ success early this season.
3: Justin Brazeau (12 Games Played, 6 Goals, 6 Assists)
Justin Brazeau became an everyday regular last season for the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild. Now, not even a month into the season, he has scored more than half the points he scored last season. He has taken advantage of his elevated role in Pittsburg. It will be interesting to see if the Penguins and Brazeau can continue their success.
2: Dawson Mercer (16 Games Played, 8 Goals, 7 Assists)
Dawson Mercer burst onto the scene in the 2022-23 season, scoring 27 goals and 56 points in his sophomore campaign. Since then, Mercer has struggled to get back to that level. At times it seemed like his confidence was shot. For him out of nowhere to play up to these standards is a little surprising. He has a lot of talent as a skilled goal scorer, and he is completely capable of continuing this kind of play. He has been a big part of the Devils’ play so far this season.
1: Evgeni Malkin (17 Games Played, 3 Goals, 18 Assists)
Evgeni Malkin has been past his prime for a while now. Over the past few seasons, his production has dropped. It is being heavily speculated that this would be his last season in Pittsburg as the Pens are not expected to offer him an extension. Despite this, Malkin has started the season on fire as he is having one of the best stretches, he has had in years. He has been a huge part of the Penguins' success so far.