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I recently highlighted four of the most intriguing players in the Metro Division, covering Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, and New York (I) in the process.
Let’s get into the best of the rest.
Dorofeyev is an excellent finisher who has scored an average of seven goals more than expected per 82 games for his career.
Despite not being a guy who dominates the puck and controls the flow of an offense, he has also consistently posted very strong on-ice impacts.
What I’m interested to see is how he performs when serving as the guy on the wing, and how he does so with lesser surroundings.
He’s not skating with Mitch Marner on the second line or Tomas Hertl on the third.
He’ll be playing with 33-year-old Mika Zibanejad, who has thus far eluded Father Time, against top lines and pairings.
I still think 30+ goals is in the cards, but what will his on-ice results look like? If they’re middling, and he produces ~60 points, that won’t look too good for $11 million.
Vladar had a really strong debut season with the Flyers, one he cashed in on with a five-year, $27.5 million extension.
The deal doesn’t kick in until 2027-28, but it goes without saying, expectations are higher for Vladar moving forward than they were when he signed in Philadelphia.
I’m somewhat skeptical he will live up to them given his track record.
He has appeared in at least 20 NHL games five times, and last year was the first time he avoided the red in GSAx or dSV% (SV-xSV%).
Goalies are voodoo, etc., but I’d be a little bit concerned Vladar’s numbers could go south, and I certainly would have wanted to see another good year from him before committing long-term.
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