NHL Barometer: Opening Night Risers and Fallers

This week's article should be titled, "The Kids Are Alright, but The Old Guys Aren't So Bad, Either." The first Barometer of the 2017-18 season includes the top pick in this year's NHL draft, several others making their debuts and a sidelined superstar defenseman…

First Liners (Risers)

Nico Hischier, C, NJ – Hischier, the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, has secured a spot in the Devils' top-six. Travis Zajac's season-ending injury this offseason made it all but certain that Hischier would break camp with the parent club. Hischier made the most of that opportunity, scoring four goals while adding three assists in four games this preseason. We have seen rookies excel the past few seasons and there is no reason to think Hischier won't extend that streak.

Paul Stastny, C, STL – Stastny has failed to tally 50 points the last three years but he is being set up for success. St. Louis is playing Stastny next to Vladimir Tarasenko on the first line while also using him on the first power play unit. Stastny will be motivated, as he is in the final year of the four-year, $28 million deal he signed with the Blues in July 2014. Keep in mind, however, that Stastny has missed at least 16 games in each of the past two seasons, so he comes with a healthy amount of risk.

Jaromir Jagr, RW, CGY – Jagr tallied 16 goals and 30 assists last year for Florida but waited until last Monday to sign a contract. His production declined dramatically in the second half of the season, but he still can be effective, especially on the power play. Jagr has said that this may be his last season in the NHL, which is also his first time playing for a Canadian team. For an idea of how long Jagr has been in the league, consider that Matthew Tkachuk is one of his teammates and Jagr was drafted in the same season (1990) as Matthew's dad, Keith.

Evgeny Dadonov, RW, FLA – Dadonov signed a three-year, $12 million deal with Florida this offseason, returning to the Panthers and NHL after a five-year absence. He scored 30 goals and added 36 assists on 53 games last season in the KHL. Dadonov struggled in his first go-around in the NHL, but he will skate alongside Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, which should align him for success.

Thomas Vanek, LW, VAN – Vanek was brilliant early on last season with Detroit, tallying 38 points in 48 games. The wheels fell off after arriving in Florida, as he had just 10 points in 20 games. Vanek signed a one-year, $2-million deal with Vancouver this offseason. He will line up next to the Sedin twins, both at even strength and on the man advantage. Loui Eriksson failed in his audition in that role last season, but Vanek could be a nice, late-round sleeper in your league.

Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS – McAvoy, the 14th overall pick in the 2016 draft, may be the next great one in a long line of offensive blueliners in Boston. He got his feet wet in the playoffs last year, scoring three points in six games, and didn't look out of place at all. McAvoy will be counted on even more early on with Torey Krug (face) sidelined, but after starring for the U.S in the World Junior Championships, McAvoy should be up to the task.

Alex Goligoski, D, ARI – Goligoski won't wow you with his numbers, but he has posted at least 36 points, 100 hits and 100 blocked shots in each of the last three seasons. Arizona should be improved this year, and if some of the kids produce, Goligoksi could see a nice rise in his output. Target him late, especially in leagues that use hits and blocked shots.

Marc-Andre Fleury, G, LV – Fleury, the face of the Vegas franchise, earned another Stanley Cup last year with Pittsburgh before getting claimed by the Knights in the expansion draft. Despite the presence of Calvin Pickard and Malcolm Subban, Fleury should play 60-plus games for the first time in three seasons. In the past, he thrived with the additional work, and despite the lackluster around him, MAF should get 20-plus wins and rack up a pile of saves.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB - Entering the 2016-17 campaign, the view was that Ben Bishop was just keeping the crease warm for Vasilevskiy. That change occurred right before Christmas last season, and Vasilevskiy had a .926 save percentage after he took over as the undisputed starter. Lock him up fairly early in your drafts.

Others include Kyle Turris, Alex Killorn, Bo Horvat, Brayden Point, Auston Matthews, Filip Chytil, Mathew Barzal, Kevin Hayes, Teuvo Teravainen, Clayton Keller, Charlie Coyle, Patrik Laine, Anders Bjork, Alex DeBrincat, Owen Tippett, Kevin Fiala, Jake Guentzel, Conor Sheary, Mathieu Perreault, Gustav Nyquist, Marcus Johansson, Jaden Schwartz, Kailer Yamamoto, Zach Werenski, Oscar Klefbom, Julius Honka, Anthony DeAngelo, Colton Parayko, Mikhail Sergachev, Christian Djoos, Henrik Lundqvist, Antti Raanta, Scott Darling, Steve Mason, Anders Nilsson and Juuse Saros.

Training Room (Injuries)

Ryan Kesler, C, ANA – Kesler, who underwent June hip surgery to clear bone fragments, will miss at least 4-5 months. The original estimate was 12 weeks, but that date was revised shortly after the operation. The hope is that Kesler will be back before the new year.

Erik Karlsson, D, OTT – Karlsson, who underwent foot surgery on June 14 to repair damage he sustained late last season, likely will not open the season on the active roster. The damage to Karlsson's foot/ankle was fairly extensive, making a brilliant season look even more impressive. His absence isn't expected to last long, so don't hesitate to take him high in drafts per usual.

Others include Derick Brassard (shoulder, not yet cleared to return to action), Robby Fabbri (knee, out for season after reinjuring his surgically repaired knee), Ryan Getzlaf (lower body, could play Opening night), Patrice Bergeron (lower-body injury, DTD), Zach Parise (back, out at least the first two games), Alexander Steen (hand, out at least first week of season), James Neal (hand, placed on IR), Ryan Ellis (knee, out first half of the season), Sami Vatanen/Hampus Lindholm (torn labrum, out first month of the season), Jay Bouwmeester (ankle fracture, out at least 1-2 more weeks), Shayne Gostibehere (UBI, will play Wednesday), Jakob Chychrun (knee, placed on IR), and Torey Krug (face, IR, may miss just first 10 days of the season),

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Sam Reinhart, C, BUF – Reinhart's placement here depends on which line he plays on. Historically, Reinhart has been a right winger, but in camp, Buffalo has moved Reinhart to third-line center. If he remains there, Reinhart will be playing with somewhat inferior talent and will also see a decline in ice time.

Connor Brown, RW, TOR – Brown, one of the talented rookies in Toronto last season, is expected to start the season on the fourth line. The arrival of Patrick Marleau, who was given Brown's spot on the third line by coach Mike Babcock, moves the young winger down the depth chart. Brown's value takes a short-term impact, but his longer-term value hasn't changed much.

Nick Holden, D, NYR – Holden, acquired before the 2016 draft by the Rangers, notched 11 goals, 23 assists, 164 hits and a plus-13 rating last season. Much of his offensive production came in the first half of the year and he regressed mightily in the postseason. New York added Kevin Shattenkirk and Anthony DeAngelo in the offseason, along with several other young d-men for their prospect pipeline. Holden's days in New York are numbered.

Petr Mrazek, G, DET – Mrazek opened 2016-17 as the starter between the pipes for Detroit after signing a two-year, $8 million deal with the Red Wings. However, Mrazek fell off a cliff, posting a 3.04 GAA and .901 save percentage. That embarrassing performance opened the door for Jimmy Howard to slide back into the top role and Jared Coreau to become the future backup. It's possible the situation could change, but Mrazek did little to inspire confidence in the preseason.

Others include Lias Andersson, Markus Granlund, Alexander Nylander, Troy Brouwer, Matt Read, Kyle Connor, Shea Theodore, Morgan Rielly, Cam Ward and Kari Lehtonen.