The Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski and Ottawa Senators' Tim Stutzle had excellent weeks to build on, but what's happened to John Tavares and Alex Ovechkin?
A pair of NHL stars who will be on Team Germany at the 2026 Olympics had another hot week.
Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle combined for 15 assists and 17 points in only four games.
Draisaitl and German counterpart, Detroit Red Wings D-man Moritz Seider, were already featured in The Hockey News' weekly look at who's hot and cold in the NHL earlier in December. Seider was on a hot streak one week and cold the following week.
There was never any question that Stutzle and Draisaitl would be cornerstone players for Team Germany. But both players are getting hot at the right time, and Seider even put up two goals and five points this past week. They could carry Germany to upset wins in Milan, Italy.
With that said, here are the NHL's hot and cold players for the week beginning Dec. 15.
Hot: Tim Stutzle, C, Ottawa Senators
Since he broke into the NHL in 2020, Stutzle has been a point machine. In the last three seasons, he's reached the 50-assist plateau. And this season, with 17 goals in 35 games, the 23-year-old is on pace for what would tie a career high of 39 goals.
In four games this past week, Stutzle had six assists and eight points. Just as notably, he was a plus-nine, which led the NHL in that span.
Stutzle will turn 24 in January, and although he has only eight games of international experience with the men's senior German team, he will have every opportunity to establish himself as a difference-maker at the Olympics.
Cold: Alex Ovechkin And Rasmus Sandin, Washington Capitals
In four games with the Capitals this week, Sandin produced just one assist while Ovechkin had no points. But the more telling statistic was they were both minus-6 – they were at least a minus-1 in three of those games.
The past week sank their season-long plus-minus rating to plus-5.
When we posted our projected Olympic roster for Team Sweden, Sandin was nowhere to be found. He's on pace to post just 19 assists and 24 points, a drop from his 26 assists and 30 points in 2024-25. And the 25-year-old's average ice time of 19:05 is down more than two full minutes from the 21:07 he averaged in 2023-24.
But Ovechkin hasn't scored since Dec. 3 or recorded a point since Dec. 13. Washington went 1-2-1 averaging two goals-for and 3.25 goals against during the week, so it's clear the team still needs him to play a leading role on offense. His 14 goals and 31 points in 36 games are very strong for a 40-year-old, but Ovechkin's career has been on a whole other standard than most of the league, and as long as he plays, he'll be held to that standard.
Hot: Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have once again struggled in the standings, as they were in dead-last place in the Eastern Conference with a 14-15-6 record. But you can't pin the blame on superstar defenseman Werenski, who is having another banner season.
In just three games this past week, the 28-year-old recorded five goals and seven points. That includes two straight games – against the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild – where he posted two goals. And he averaged a whopping 28:39 of ice time.
Werenski now has 14 goals and 40 points in 35 games. And in his three games this week, Werenski was a major minute-muncher, averaging a whopping 28:39 of ice time. Werenski is on pace for a 60-assist, 93-point season, which would crush his career-high 59 assists and 82 points from last season.
Like Draisaitl and Stutzle, USA's Werenski is a lock to be on his homeland's Olympic team. He's still in the early stages of his prime years, meaning the best for him could still be to come.
Cold: John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are careening into the holiday break, and Tavares was not only barely visible with just one point in four games, but he was also a minus-six in that span.
Tavares did have a strong start to the season, and he has 31 points in 35 games, but there's no question he's disappeared at a most inopportune time. He has three points in his last 10 games.
Tavares gets second-line center minutes, and he needs to produce consistently if Toronto is going to get back into the playoff race. But his results this past week have not been good enough, and he deserves to share the heat that comes the team's way.
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Hot: Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
Draisaitl's Oilers teammate Connor McDavid was named first star of the week, with five goals and 10 points in four games. But Draisaitl also had a hot week, leading all players with nine helpers in four games. And Draisaitl was a beast on the power play, with six assists.
Draisaitl has been dominant on the international stage, with 18 assists and 27 points in 33 games at the IIHF World Championship.
If the Germans are going to have any hope of upsetting more-likely medalists, they're going to need Draisaitl to contribute much of the offense. The same goes for the Oilers' Stanley Cup aspirations. But Draisaitl is as dependable as they come, so Edmonton and Germany have to feel good about their chances.
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