Whether you've played 820 regular-season games or just two, nothing prepares an NHL player for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and over the next couple of days, players around the NHL will get their first taste of post-season action.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
The NHL playoffs are back, and this year feels like we’re seeing a bit of the changing of the guard. Playoff mainstays like the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets are on the outside looking in, while teams such as the Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, and Utah Mammoth are looking to prove that they belong.
With so much change, there are going to be plenty of fresh faces in the post-season. Players will be looking to add to their career accomplishments or to begin building their legacy. For some players, it’s been a long time coming, while others are playing into the playoffs as rookies.
Let’s take a look at some of the fresh faces that we will see on the national stage when the playoffs begin later today.
Rasmus Dahlin, D, and Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo Sabres
Dahlin and Thompson are the two players who stand as the pillars of the current iteration of the Sabres. They’ve done something no other Sabres franchise player has been able to do in 14 years: make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Dahlin was the club’s first overall pick all the way back in 2018, while Thompson was acquired in the deal that sent Ryan O’Reilly out of town. Both are elite players who deserve to play on the biggest stage in the sport, but this is so much more than just those two players.
The Sabres are finally back in the playoffs, giving one of the best fan bases in sports a chance to get their barn rocking once again. Sabres fans have waited far too long for this.
If you’re a millennial or older, you remember the days of the Sabres being one of the most exciting teams in hockey, going to back-to-back conference finals in 2006 and 2007. This is as much about seeing the Sabres back in the playoffs as it is about any of their players in particular. Welcome back to the post-season, Buffalo.
Rasmus Ristolainen, D, Philadelphia Flyers
820 games. 13 seasons. That’s how long Ristolainen has been in the NHL without once playing in a playoff game. Poetically, in the same year that the Sabres make the playoffs, Ristolainen gets his first taste of post-season action.
The Sabres’ eighth overall pick in 2013 was traded to Philadelphia before the 2021-22 season, and they haven’t made the playoffs since. Ristolainen has gone from a player maligned around the league to a valuable piece for the Flyers, adjusting his game and finding a level of play widely applauded. The longest tenured NHLer without a playoff game is finally getting his day.
Dylan Guenther, RW, Utah Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth are making their first playoff appearance since moving, and there are plenty of players who would be mentioned in this space, such as Logan Cooley or J.J. Peterka. Dylan Guenther gets the nod, though, because he’s grown into arguably their most dangerous offensive weapon after reaching the 40-goal plateau for the first time this year.
If the Mammoth are hoping to make any noise in the playoffs, they are going to need their best goal scorer to have a fantastic playoff. Guenther is one of the best young players in the game, and the playoffs are finally going to give him the platform to earn the national recognition he deserves.
Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim Ducks
After a crazy hot start to the season, Leo Carlsson ended up finishing with just under a point per game on the season and just shy of hitting 30 goals.
The top center on the young and upstart Ducks is going to be looking to bring his speed and power game to the playoffs. When Anaheim drafted Carlsson, this was the time of year they envisioned he’d be at his best. The 21-year-old is going to be heavily leaned on now that the games matter even more.
James Hagens, C, Boston Bruins
It almost seems unfair to add Hagens to the list here, but the Boston Bruins are going up against the suddenly incredible Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres shockingly hold most of the advantages over the Bruins heading into the series, so the Bruins will need to lean on their young, skilled rookie for some offensive help.
Hagens has been quite good in the two games he’s played so far, putting up an assist and consistently showing that his speed and work ethic will impact the game.
Yegor Chinakhov, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins
The revival of Yegor Chinakhov in Pittsburgh was a sight to behold this season. After never reaching the 30-point mark in a season during his time in Columbus, he put up 36 points in 43 games with the Pens after the trade earlier this season.
Chinakhov has looked like a more engaged and a more purposeful player in Pittsburgh. He’s showing off his skill and finding excellent chemistry in the Pens’ top six.
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