Who's Hot And Cold In The NHL: Sabres' Thompson Thrived, But Where Is Huberdeau?

Some star NHL players are heating up with roughly three weeks to go before the Olympics.

Two Americans and a Swiss defenseman were outstanding in the past week. And their teams are improving their spots in the standings as a result.

The Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and the Nashville Predators are just one point out of a playoff spot, thanks in part to their "hot" players.

The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, meanwhile, sold players as the past week ended and a new one began, trading Kiefer Sherwood and Rasmus Andersson, respectively. But players on each squad are on a pretty frigid streak right now.

Here are five NHL players who have been either hot or cold from Jan. 12 to Jan. 18.

Since he was named to Team USA for the Olympics on Jan. 2, Thompson has been on a tear, posting 13 points in eight games. And in four games this past week, Thompson generated six assists and a league-leading nine points, including a dominant game against the Montreal Canadiens that saw him put up a hat trick and a five-point game.

After Monday's matinee loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Thompson now has 25 goals and 50 points in 48 games this season, putting him on pace for 42 goals and 85 points. The 28-year-old is Buffalo's leading point-getter, and he has 10 more points than the next-most-productive Sabre.

The Sabres have to be thrilled that their highest-paid forward is delivering the results they're looking for. At a salary of $7.14 million, Thompson is a major bargain for Buffalo, and the Sabres are winning far more often than they're losing because Thompson is coming through in the clutch. They've made it into a wild-card spot, and now, they need to build a cushion in the standings.

The Canucks are at the bottom of the NHL standings because just about every one of their players has produced disappointing results, and that includes Garland.

The 29-year-old right winger was completely held off the scoresheet in four games this week, and he also posted a minus-four rating and just one shot on goal.

Garland has missed some time this season with injuries, but in 37 games, he has only seven goals and 22 points. That means he's on pace to post only 13 goals and 42 points. Those numbers would be his lowest totals since 2020-21, when he had 12 goals and 39 points in 49 games for the Arizona Coyotes.

After Vancouver traded Sherwood on Monday, the team is focused on rebuilding. But Garland signed a six-year contract extension on July 1, with a $6-million cap hit. So he's either stuck in Vancouver as it rebuilds, or he'll have to improve his play to build his trade value.

Eichel was also named to the American roster at the Olympics, but it speaks to his tremendous skill that Eichel got the nod for the Games when Team USA announced him as one of the team's first six players last summer.

Last week, Eichel went off for eight points in three games, including a four-point outing against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the game-winning marker in that Jan. 15 game.

Eichel was snubbed from the NHL's three stars of the week, which consisted of Thompson, Roman Josi and Karel Vejmelka. But at 2.67 points per game last week, nobody produced at a higher rate.

With 39 assists and 56 points in 40 games, Eichel is projected to put up 68 assists and 98 points this season, according to ESPN.

At a $10-million cap hit, Eichel is delivering as advertised for the Golden Knights this year. His contract extension kicks in next season at an annual salary of $13.5 million, but nobody in Las Vegas is complaining that Eichel is overpaid. He's on pace to beat his current career highs of 66 assists and 94 points, both of which were set last season. And at 29, Eichel is in his prime. 

As the Flames continue to sit in between a playoff spot and the best odds of winning the draft lottery, Huberdeau – their top-paid player at $10.5 million per season – has disappeared on offense.

This past week, Huberdeau had zero points and one shot on net in three games. And in 43 games this season, he has only eight goals and 21 points.

Huberdeau hasn't produced so much as a single point in seven games. He's now at risk of not even hitting the 40-point mark this season, which hasn't happened since 2016-17, when he had 26 points in 31 games. Huberdeau's already played 12 more games than that campaign, and he has five fewer points.

At 32, Huberdeau's best days may be behind him. But his contract runs for another five seasons after this one, and at this point, even if Calgary GM Craig Conroy retained some salary in a Huberdeau trade, he'd have a very difficult time finding a taker.

Huberdeau must play a leading role on the roster as the Flames retool. Boosting his scoring would help do that.

Josi's career will have another milestone when he represents Switzerland at the Olympics.

The Predators captain had a strong week, with seven points in three games. He had multiple points in all three games this week, and he scored twice against the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-3 Nashville win.

After a down season last year that saw him post only nine goals and 38 points in 53 games, Josi has eight goals and 28 points in 36 games this season.

At 35, Josi's likely past his prime, but he's still projected to get 34 assists and 48 points. That's not too shabby for a Predators squad that's 6-4-0 in their last 10 games and trying to get out of the mushy middle and into a playoff spot.

So long as he stays healthy this week, Josi will reach another career milestone on Jan. 23 against the Ottawa Senators, when he plays in his 1,000th career regular-season game. Playoff success has eluded Josi, but that's more about the team around him than it is about him as an individual.

Josi will be a cornerstone component of the Swiss team at the Olympics, and he's going to be regarded as one of the greatest Swiss players of all time – if not the greatest.

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