Who is this year's Kucherov?

[RizzeeDizzee]

I wonder if Pastrnak has already had his break out?

He went from 0.51-0.59 PPG to 0.93 PPG in one season. Just about every thing stayed the same (PDO, IPP, Zone sarts, SH%) etc and he was getting like 60-67% of the power play time as they pushed for the playoffs. He also played next to one of the top scoring players in the league last year which always really helps your numbers too. I had him and was thinking of keeping him as a keeper (decided with contract issues to not keep him). I do not know if there is a Kucherov type jump left in his game. He played 18 minutes TOI a game with just about every power play minute the team had.

But keep in mind Pasta only played 27 games under Cassidy, and had 26 points in those games......

[joe jones]

Ehlers

[Fighting_Emu]

Forsberg and Willie...

[LuigiC173]

Ryan Getzlaf, all mocks so far I am getting him Round 4 no seventy plus point scorer should fall down that far goes to show goals always sexier than assists but alas each is but one category if weighted cats not involved.

[Justinsane87]

Guentzel !

[PenguinHunter]

I say no one!

Kucherov was drafted so late on average last year because he did not have a contract and there was threat of him going to Russia.

If this threat did not exist then he would have been drafted in top two rounds for sure.

But for players that could out perform there draft position:

I would say MacKinnon and Drouin,

[Pengwin7]

Kucherov is a good guy to really look at and thing about.
He had a 64pt and 66pt previous seasons.

In 2017-2018:
He added 1:10 toi/gp.
He added 37sog.
His SH% ballooned from 14% to 16% (some luck).
And his PPP totals went from 15-->25-->33.

The thing nobody can predict is the electric PP1 unit.
Shit, I mean, CBJ's PP1 unit was incredible last year... whoda thunk a unit of Sam Gagner (!!!), Atkinson, Foligno, Wennberg, and young Zach Werenski were going to do that.

PP1 production is very volatile - and you can't count on that.
So... as PH said, "no one" can be this year's Kucherov... unless they get a lucky-side PPP chemistry.
And, to go with Kucherov, was Victor Hedman - who had 33ppp on 29ppa!!!

So - if anybody really is trying to find a guy that will jump from the 60s to the 80s...
The first thing you need to do is find a 60s players that had a moderate PPP total that could jump another 10pts.
Then reason him another 10pts from increased minutes and shooting (volume and/or increased %).

One of my favourite teams to consider for break-out is Montreal.
MaxPac had 67pts last year, with only 13ppp. If he scores 26ppp... he's a 80pt player!
That PP1 should be even more dynamic with Jon Drouin.
The downside - is WHO is going to be the C1... and also... who is going to play opposite Shea Weber.
Markov feathered a lot of very perfect passes over to Weber - it's a position not so obviously filled.
Radulov was OK on that unit, but I think he CAN be improved upon with Drouin.
If Markov was still there, I'd be drafted MaxPac and Drouin as 70-72pt players... but I'm not completely sold the PP1 can click again.

Patrik Laine is another name - though word-is-out on him.
But he scored 64pts with only 14ppp... if that balloons to 25ppp+,he's right there with added TOI.

Want a crazy name... how bout Henrik Zetterberg?!
Can you believe he's still doing it... 68pts last year with just 13ppp... if that was 25ppp, he'd have had 80pts!!!

But the guy that defines this, for me, is Filip Forsberg.
He had just 58pts (which REALLY put him off many radars), but only 9 on the ppp.
He's just too good a player.

Like Kucherov, he had years of 63pts & 64pts on 19ppp and 23ppp.
His minutes actually decreased a bit last year... but NAS has Mike Fisher and James Neal moving on.
They'll be relying more on a "top six" - and mostly that very top top line.
Not only will they likely play together all season, but they'll also PP1 together all season.
And he dropped a bit in TOI to 18:31 last year, but I just can't see him that low with NAS starved for line2, line3 talent.

Forsberg, for those that owned him, was insanely good in February last year as the Preds vaulted up the standings.
NAS's top line is Arvidsson - RyJo - Forsberg.

After that, it was Neal-Jarnkrok-Wilson... yuck.
Fisher was the C2 there as well.
They've got a few young kids, but this team should go very heavy on that F1 line.

It really wouldn't surprise me to see all three of them in the 70s... with Forsberg in the 80s.

[Jouko-Pouko]

Not really a similar story as Kucherov but Giroux could bounce back and produce 1st round numbers while getting drafted somewhere in the 4th or 5th rounds (pick #60 on NHL.com mock draft). His problems seem to be more mental than anything else, so if he just starts enjoying the game more and not putting too much pressure on himself, he could push for 80 points once again. He's had injury troubles these past two years, so he must stay healthy to get there, though.

https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphi...ck/c-290919774

Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux said Thursday he believes he can be an 80-point player again.

In the past five full NHL seasons, Giroux's points have declined from 93 to 86 to 73 to 67 to 58. He had 14 goals in 82 games last season and was an NHL career-low minus-15.

"We can keep talking about the last two years, but it's not going to make me a better player," Giroux told Philly.com. "For sure it bothers me. It's not the player I want to be. But like I've said, I've put that behind me."

Asked if he believed he could approach a point per game again, the 29-year-old said, "Yeah, I do. I do think I am (an elite center). Obviously I have to prove it, and that's why I'm excited about this year."

[RizzeeDizzee]

In fairness to Kucherov's 66 point season in 2015-16, 64 of those points came in his last 66 games, so the writing was sort of on the wall going into 2016-17.

To me, the three possible drivers of being able to make a "Kucherov leap" (if we're going to call it that) are added Ice Time, room for more SOG, and/or becoming a PP1 focal point. If a guy has talent and room to grow in all those areas having already scored 60+ points, that's what could put him into true elite territory. No big surprise, Kucherov had room for all three, and voila, we saw the dividends. That's why I think the only possible candidate this year is Ehlers.

[stotan]

I (selfishly) think Forsberg will be that player this year, as I drafted him 1st round in my keeper league for a reason.

I'd also suggest that Barkov/Huberdeau could be in for great seasons - just too much talent there to be denied. Huberdeau needs to stay healthy though!!

[StuntMan12]

To me Barkov is the ultimate sleeper pick to start the season. He could have a monster year and score 70-80 pts but staying healthy is key to his break out season which he has had a lot of trouble doing.

[Mr. Guru]

What about Saad?
He just tied his career high in points with 53, shooting % was under his career average and tied his lowest PP point totals with only three PP points all year.

Burakovsky is about to blow up. I see a +15 from him.

One of Miller or Hayes should have another breakout type year.

Domi will be back on peoples radar.

Arvidsson and Forsberg are the two real candidates.

Coyle might surprise some people again.