Sleepers: Jiri Kulich, C, Buffalo: Kulich played one game in 2023-24 but saw close to a full season of action last year. He showed flashes as to why he was the 28th overall pick in 2022, recording 15 goals and 24 points in 62 contests. Kulich may center Bufalo’s first line, flanked by Tage Thompson and Zach Benson. If that happens, Kulich should double his 2024-25 output. Sam Rinzel, D, Chicago: Let your league mates take Artyom Levshunov, who should be good in his own right. But those in the know will target Rinzel. He spent most of the 2024-25 campaign at the University of Minnesota, where he had 10 goals and 22 assists in 40 games, but did get nine games in the NHL after his collegiate season ended. Those contests allowed Rinzel to get use to the league’s style of play, enabling him to hit the ground running this season. In addition, he may quarterback Chicago’s power play. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Colorado: How healthy is Landeskog and how much did almost three years away atrophy his skills? If the answer to the first question is close to 100% and second is very little, Landeskog could approach the 50-point mark. Colorado and coach Jared Bednar will give Landeskog, who is one of the team’s leaders, every chance to show he can produce. Maxim Shabanov, RW, New York Islanders: Shabanov, a mighty mite at 5-for-8 and 165 pounds, certainly has his work cut out for him. He showed in the KHL that his size was not an impediment, notching 23 goals and 67 points in 65 regular-season appearances with Chelyabinsk in 2024-25. He added another 10 goals and 20 points across 21 playoff outings. Shabanov, who will need to adjust to the style of play in the NHL, was heavily pursued before signing a one-year deal with the Islanders. He should skate in the top-nine for a team that needs scoring. Yaroslav Askarov, G, San Jose: The ancillary numbers – goals-against average (GAA) and save percentage – may be ugly, but Askarov should get every chance to show he is the future in net for the Sharks. Acquired from Nashville, Askarov spent most of the 2024-25 in the minors, posting an 11-9-1 record, 2.45 GAA and .923 save percentage for AHL San Jose. He played 13 for the Sharks last season, a number that should be about one-quarter of the contests he sees in 2025-26. All stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com, moneypuck.com, hockeyviz.com, allthreezones.com, hockey-reference.com, eliteprospects.com unless otherwise noted.
