NHL's Five Best Surprise Players in 2022-23

In every NHL season, there are surprises, both positive and negative. THN.com will zero in on the negative surprises on Monday, but today, we’re looking at the five best surprise players of the 2022-23 campaign. In no particular order:

1. Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo

The 25-year-old Thompson entered the season as a young talent to keep an eye on, having posted a career-best 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games last year. But not only did he improve on his goal total – he has 44 goals in 72 games this year – Thompson also dramatically boosted his career-best assists, going from 30 last season to 45.

And when you consider his salary cap hit of $1.4 million, it’s clear Thompson has been the best value-for-the-money asset in the game this season. His contract extension kicks in next year, but at $7.1 million per year for each of the next seven years, he’s still giving the Sabres a big bang for their buck.

2. Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg

The Jets have dealt with some significant blows to their defense corps over the years, but the 28-year-old Morrissey has stepped up in a notable way, especially on offense. After posting a career-high 12 goals and 37 points in 79 games last season, Morrissey has nearly doubled his output on offense, generating 15 goals and 69 points in 73 games.

Morrissey is in Year 3 of an eight-year, $50-million contract, giving him an annual cap hit of $6.25 million. That’s a solid cap hit for a guy who averages a team-best 24:16 of ice time per game – more than two full minutes more than the next-most used Jets skater. Per CapFriendly, Morrissey’s contract has a no-move clause that took effect this season, but the way he’s playing, there’s no reason to even imagine moving him.

3. Vince Dunn, D, Seattle

The Kraken have been one of the most pleasant surprises as a team this season, and one of the biggest reasons why is the performance of Dunn. 

With 48 assists – 20 more than he had last season – and 61 points after passing his career-best 35 points last year, Dunn has been everything Seattle could’ve wanted and more. The 26-year-old plays on the Kraken’s top defense pairing (averaging 23:45 per game), and he has a whopping 30 more points than Seattle’s next-best scoring blueliner, Adam Larsson.

Dunn is in the final season of a two-year, $8-million contract, but he’s still going to be an RFA this coming summer. The Kraken can get him relatively cheap – at least, for the next couple of years. Seattle management would be well-advised to figure out a new contract that gives him longer term at a slightly less-than-market rate.

4. Filip Gustavsson, G, Minnesota

A lot of attention in Minnesota is paid to star goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, but the Wild would not be leading the Central Division without the contributions of youngster Gustavsson. 

In his first season with Minnesota after being acquired from Ottawa, the Swedish netminder has put up 20 wins, a 2.01 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 35 appearances. Last season, he won just five games and had a 3.55 GAA and .892 SP. And this year, he’s in the final season of a two-year deal that averages just $787,500 per season.

Gustavsson will be an RFA this summer, and the cap-strapped Wild need every dollar they can save, so locking up Gustavsson to a team-friendly new deal will be a priority for GM Bill Guerin.

5. Andrei Kuzmenko, RW, Vancouver

Although he impressed observers in his formative years in his native Russia, Kuzmenko was an unknown quantity when he began the current season. Needless to say, the first-year NHLer has blown away Canucks fans this year, putting up 37 goals and 69 points in 74 games.

The rebuilding Canucks quickly realized the gem they had in the 27-year-old, signing Kuzmenko to a two-year, $11-million contract extension at the end of January. He’s going to be hard-pressed to improve on this year’s totals on offense, but he’s also going to get more opportunities than he’s gotten at this point in his NHL career.