When the puck is dropped on the 2018-19 NHL season on Oct. 3, the real games will begin and the points will start counting. The end-of-season points leaders will surely look much different than the pre-season rankings, but do any of these September performances tell us something about what’s to come in the season ahead?
Sometimes the pre-season can mean something. For instance, in 2017 Vancouver’s Brock Boeser scored four goals and seven points in five games and was a top-seven scorer before the games started to count. That said, we get an awful lot of mirages this early: the Colorado Avalanche were undefeated in the 2016 pre-season, then went on to a miserable 48-point season.
We’re here to try and help by pointing out some of the better, perhaps more surprising, pre-season totals to separate which are real, and which have expired.
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TY RATTIE, EDMONTON: 7G, 4A, 11PTS
Heading into 2018-19, Rattie has only 49 NHL games to his career, spread across five seasons, with nine goals and 19 points. So, no, he won’t score at a Connor McDavid pace, but the fact he’ll start the season playing with Edmonton’s No. 1 centre will help him off to a strong start, at least.
Rattie has a strong scoring past, with two 100-plus point WHL seasons, and the AHL’s rookie goal scoring leader in his rookie 2013-14 season (31). If Rattie can stick with McDavid, it’s a great spot to put up a respectable season. Fact.
MATHIEU JOSEPH, TAMPA BAY: 4G, 4A, 8PTS
A fourth-round draft pick from 2015, the 21-year-old Joseph had a shockingly great pre-season that earned him a spot on Tampa’s roster out of camp. There is a lot to like here. He scored 33 and 36 goals in his last two major junior seasons, then led the Syracuse Crunch in scoring as an AHL rookie with 53 points in 70 games.
The issue with Joseph’s 2018-19 outlook is opportunity. The Lightning are loaded up front and it’s not clear where the right winger fits in season-long. At some point, it may be better for him to see top minutes in the AHL than be a bottom-sixer in the NHL. Fiction.
PAVEL BUCHNEVICH, NEW YORK RANGERS: 3G, 4A, 7PTS
As the Rangers skew younger with a new coach in Dave Quinn coming from the NCAA ranks, the 23-year-old Buchnevich, who has been with the Rangers for two seasons, is a prime candidate to see an increase in minutes.
From his first to his second season, Buchnevich’s average time on ice per game rose by two minutes and his points per game came up with it. Heading into Year 3, you can expect Buchnevich to see even more ice, giving him an outside shot to lead the Rangers in scoring. He could at least be top three. Fact.
DILLON DUBE, CALGARY: 4G, 2A, 6PTS
Fresh off an 84-point season for WHL Kelowna, the WJC gold and silver medallist was impressive in the pre-season, but it’s hard to see him making it into Calgary’s top six after the Flames’ summer upgrades.
The other factor is someone like Andrew Mangiapane, whose numbers (three points) don’t jump off the page, but who has nearly 100 more games of pro experience. It looks like Dube will start the season with the big club and that will give him a valuable look, but taking a longer term look, he may be more likely to head back to the AHL for a season first. Fiction.
ANTHONY BEAUVILLIER, NEW YORK ISLANDERS: 3G, 3A, 6PTS
The Islanders may not challenge for the playoffs, but someone is going to have to score, and their top line has the potential to put up big numbers. Beauvillier, 21, is looking like he’ll start opposite Josh Bailey on centre Mathew Barzal’s left side, which is a spot where he could easily surpass last season’s 36 points.
He finished last season strong with 19 points in the final 30 games, and the 5-foot-11 speedster has 30-goal upside. Fact.
VALENTIN ZYKOV, CAROLINA: 3G, 3A, 6PTS
He had a .523 goals-per-game average in the AHL last season and showed promise with seven points in 10 NHL games down the stretch. Zykov is solid at 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, has great hands, and a nose for the net.
It’s well-documented that the Hurricanes have had goalie issues that have held them back, but they were also 23rd in goal scoring last season and traded away Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm. Best case for Zykov is to play a net-front role on Carolina’s power play and get on the top line with Sebastian Aho. If he can get there, he’ll be in a spot to contend for the Calder Trophy. Fact.
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