Left Winger Overall Increases Needed in NHL 24
Left Winger Overall Increases Needed in NHL 24
For my next installment of NHL players who require an overall increase, we have come to the left wing position. Honorable mentions to Zach Hyman, Trevor Moore, and Jonathan Drouin, who could get bumped up one overall.
We have a veteran in Calgary on pace to have his best statistical year, a couple of players having breakout seasons, and a gritty power forward in Dallas who is back to living up to his contract.
Blake Coleman, Calgary Flames - TWF
2023-24 season: 47gp, 20 goals, 39 points
Career highs: 22 goals in 2018-19 and 38 points in 2022-23
The Calgary Flames have had an up-and-down season as a team struggling with consistent play from game to game. One player who has been an exception for them is 32-year-old veteran Blake Coleman. Sitting first on his team in goals (20) and points (39), Coleman is only two goals away from tying his career high in goals and is on pace to smash his career highs. He was named the second star of the week for the second week of January.
His longest point drought this season was only four games, which happened very early in the year. In conjunction, his longest goalless drought was only five games. Talk about consistency. His four goals and six points on the penalty kill are second-best in the NHL, and Coleman is an impressive plus-24, fifth highest in the league.
83 overall is too low for a player who has been this consistent on what is currently a non-playoff team, and while he did play center during his team in New Jersey, playing on the left wing is his primary position.
Joel Farabee, Philadelphia Flyers - TWF
2023-24 season: 48gp, 17 goals, 40 points
Career highs: 20 goals in 2020-21 and 39 points in 2022-23
At this point, I should be starting a petition to up the overalls of all Philadelphia players in NHL 24. Farabee fit right into Philly as a rookie in 2019-20 and then impressed in the following season. He had a little bit of a drop-off in the next two years, and even though playing in all 82 games last year, his 15 goals and 39 points were disappointing.
Getting more looks and ice time on the powerplay would obviously help increase his production, but the majority of his points are still being collected at even strength. Farabee is on pace for 25+ goals and 60+ points and is proving to be an everyday top-six forward in the NHL. He's a great skater who can score or set up his teammates off the rush. There's also an agitating side to his play that endures him to the Philly fanbase.
Farabee is currently on a heater right now, riding a seven-game point streak and collecting 10 points in that time frame.
Dakota Joshua, Vancouver Canucks - PWF
2023-24 season: 46gp, 12 goals, 23 points
Career high: 11 goals, 23 points in 2022-23
Dakota Joshua is far from a household name. The Dearborn, Michigan native has taken the long road to the NHL after spending four seasons playing at the Ohio State University, but it now appears to be paying off. Joshua was a fifth-round pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2014. Canucks GM Patrik Allvin signed the big, gritty winger in the summer of 2022 after he split the season between the AHL and NHL in the St. Louis Blues organization.
Joshua plays a style that emulates what you need in the playoffs. He's physical and never backs down from a battle. He sits second in hits (141) and has surpassed his career high in goals, which he set last year, in just 43 games this season. Joshua sits eighth on the Canucks in average time on ice (13:52) and has earned the trust of his coach Rick Tocchet to rely on him in defensive situations.
A good comparable for him would be his teammate Sam Lafferty, who is an 81 in the game, while Joshua is a 78. Those two should be much closer in overalls.
Mason Marchment, Dallas Stars - PWF
2023-24 season: 46gp, 15 goals, 34 points
Career high: 18 goals, 47 points in 2021-22
Mason Marchment didn't get off to a great start in Dallas after he had a breakout season the year prior scoring 47 points in 54 games, which helped him earn his 4x4.5AAV million dollar contract. However, Marchment is rectifying the season he had last year and is now playing on one of the strongest second lines in the NHL alongside Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene.
Marchment is on pace to have a career season and is proving to the Stars organization that he is worth the contract they gave him in 2022. According to Naturalstattrick.com, he has the highest GF% (65.45) among Dallas forwards. After shooting at only 8.1% last season, his scoring touch has come back, and maybe with a bit of extra luck, as his shooting percentage is at 17.2%.
He is outperforming and outpacing players like Michael Bunting, Lawson Crouse, and Andrew Mangiapane, all of whom are 83 overall in the game. Marchment should be the same overall as them and is proving that with the comeback year, he is having in Texas.
Stay up to date with news, updates, and more fun NHL 24 content on the way here at TheHockeyNews Gaming Site.