Watch out for Macklin Celebrini and Evgeni Malkin. But look away from Andrei Svechnikov, Sam Bennett and Connor McDavid's starts as the NHL approaches Halloween.
We are in the height of the scary season, with Halloween on Friday, marking just over three weeks into the NHL season.
We’re starting to get a glimpse of how things are shaping up, and opinions are beginning to form. With that said, it’s also very early, and the sample size is still quite small.
Some players have had scary good starts, and others have just been scary to watch.
Let’s look at eight scary stats around the NHL.
Scary Good: Macklin Celebrini Ascending To Superstar Status
Last year’s rookie phenom for the Sharks looks even better this season after a slow first couple of games.
The 19-year-old’s been on fire as of late with some big overtime moments and a hat trick, showing that even if the Sharks struggle this year, Celebrini will be a force. His details are still impressive, but his skill and speed have improved this year.
As we approach Halloween, Celebrini is tied for fourth in league scoring despite playing on the league's second-worst team at this point. The Sharks will need to take some steps in the right direction, but at least they have the right player leading the charge.
Scary Bad: Connor McDavid's 'Slow Start'
Before his two-goal game on Tuesday, McDavid had just a single goal on the season, and his point totals trailed behind the standard that he’s set for himself.
Despite being around a point-per-game player, his bar is much higher than that. He’s the best player in the world, hands down.
McDavid’s start this year somewhat resembles the Edmonton Oilers’ start, which is part of their recent trend of poor Octobers before rebounding and making a run to the final.
If the Oilers' tendency to rebound and McDavid’s insane talent level have anything to say about it, the slow start (14 points in 11 games) from the Oilers’ 28-year-old captain is nothing to worry about.
Scary Good: Evgeni Malkin's Return To Dominance
In 2025, no one would have predicted that a 39-year-old Malkin would not only lead the Penguins in scoring but also be among the NHL's top 10 scorers. With 16 points in 11 games, he's tied for fourth in NHL scoring.
When you watch him play, he’s slowed down physically, and he certainly isn’t the power forward that he once was, but that doesn’t mean he’s washed. His production has been unreal to start the season.
What he’s lost physically, he’s gained mentally. He’s using his teammates effectively, playing with excellent timing and looking fully healthy, which hasn’t been the case over the last few years.
While his nearly 120-point pace is likely to fall off, seeing Malkin return to being an effective player has been quite enjoyable. It’s a big reason the Pens have started stronger than anyone predicted.
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Scary Bad: Andrei Svecknikov's Disappearing Act
Coming into the season, Svechnikov was a candidate to ascend from a great NHL player to an elite one.
He just scored his first point in his ninth game this year on Tuesday.
Simply put, The 25-year-old's been disappointing. Despite his brutal start, the Hurricanes have been very good to start the year, aside from two straight losses.
Svechnikov is an incredible talent, and a hot next three weeks could get him back on track, but ascending to the elite tier of NHL forwards seems to be out of the question. Svechnikov’s struggles have also helped mask the struggles of the Canes’ big off-season acquisition, Nikolaj Ehlers, who has just three points to this point as well.
Scary Good: Nick Schmaltz, Art Ross Candidate?
If someone told you Nathan MacKinnon was tied for second in the NHL in scoring, you would assume he'd be tied with either McDavid, Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov or another superstar.
Instead, as Halloween approaches, it’s Nick Schmaltz of the Utah Mammoth who sits tied with MacKinnon in second place, with 17 points in 11 games.
Schmaltz, 29, has always been a very solid player, reaching a career-high 63 points last season. This year, he’s on pace for 126 points, which would double that. His play has been wildly impressive, and even when it hasn’t been, he finds the scoresheet quietly.
He’ll likely fall off that pace, but he’s made great strides in surpassing the point-per-game mark for the first time in his career.
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Scary Bad: Sam Bennett's Two Points
Through 11 games, last post-season's Conn Smythe Trophy winner, who signed an eight-year contract with an $8-million cap hit, has just one goal and one assist.
With Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk out of the Florida Panthers' lineup long-term, Bennett has needed to step up and do more. He hasn’t done that yet.
His 51 points from last season, a career high, already feel like it will be tough to reach again. His physicality is always there, and that helps the team play the fearless, in-your-face brand of hockey that won them back-to-back Stanley Cups.
We all know the contract he got was for his playoff performances, but it would be nice to see him get on the board a bit more consistently in the regular season at his price tag.
Scary Good: Montreal's Division-Leading Start
When Montreal made the run at the end of last season to get into the playoffs, hockey fans were excited to see the young, talented and entertaining squad take the next step.
They had a young blueline led by Calder winner Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were electric, and the team added Ivan Demidov at the end of the year as they worked towards securing a playoff spot. It was a lot of fun, and it resulted in a first-round exit in six games against the Washington Capitals.
The team raised expectations coming into the year, and some thought they would struggle to meet them. Instead, they are tied for the most wins in the NHL, and they lead the Atlantic Division.
Demidov has been unreal at times. Caufield can’t stop scoring in overtime to win games. Suzuki remains one of the most underrated players in the NHL. Hutson is a true stud. This team hasn’t only started hot, but they might be legitimate contenders to win the division.
Scary Bad: Flames Fizzling Out
The Flames gave their fans some hope last season on the back of a very strong rookie season from goaltender Dustin Wolf. They were in the playoff race right until the end of the season. They were supposed to be in contention for first overall at the draft, and instead, they were challenging for the post-season.
Fast forward a year, and this Flames squad is really having a hard time. Being in last place is somewhat scary for them, but what's more frightening is they're struggling to average at least two goals-for per game.
Even when Wolf is having a strong game, they can’t score. The Flames' game against the Leafs was the epitome of their season thus far. Every time they seemed to find their footing, the Leafs took a lead.
Matt Coronato, 22, was a healthy scratch against the New York Rangers, and defenseman Zayne Parekh, 19, is only averaging 15:53 in ice time. If they're in last place but seeing their youngsters struggle to excel, that's a cause for concern.
The Flames are likely to be near the bottom of the standings all season, and they very well could be ending the year with the best odds for first overall.
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