A+
Elias Pettersson
- What else can you say about this kid that hasn’t already been said? He’s a franchise-changing talent, the kind we’ve had to watch other teams fall into for years on end, and he’s ours. Just a special player that consistently makes his linemates better and will be the game breaker on this team for years to come.
A
Bo Horvat
- If EP is the brains of this team, Bo is the heart and soul. Bleeds team colours and is the obvious choice to succeed Hank as captain. He’s had to take on a massive amount of defensive responsibility with all the injuries, and he’s nearly put up a PPG to boot. Fantastic season so far.
A-
Alex Edler
- The longest-tenured member of the team. He still makes the occasional boneheaded drop pass, but Edler is the team’s clear best all-around defenceman. He’s picked up a bit of his old physical game this season as well. Should fetch a bundle at the deadline if traded, but I wager he’s here to stay for the rest of his career.
A-
Chris Tanev
- Another excellent season to this point for ol’ Gaptooth. He’s managed to stay relatively healthy for his standards and there’s an obvious void in the lineup when he’s not in it. Doesn’t put up a huge amount of points but that’s not his game.
B+
Brock Boeser
- Despite the injury troubles, he’s had a nice season to this point. Clearly not the A+ player we saw last season, however, as he has lost a step and is also playing with the best rookie in the NHL. Brock is still one of the best players on the team and should be a perennial 30-35 goal scorer for most of his career.
B+
Jacob Markstrom
- He has made up for his questionable first two months with a sparkling month of December. Looks like the clear-cut starter and should be for the next few seasons until Demko and DiPietro are ready to challenge. His main challenge will be to overcome the bad goals from obscure angles that he still finds ways to let by him.
B
Ben Hutton
- Coming off a terrible year where he was publicly criticized by Green, he’s rebounded well and has cemented himself as a top 4 defenceman. Moves the puck well and has an underrated physical game.
B
Troy Stecher
- One of the hardest working players in the organization. Never quits on corner battles against players twice his size. He’s been a great pickup for nothing more than cap space and we’re lucky to have him at a low cap hit.
B
Alex Biega
- Not a lot of skill, but like Stecher he is an absolute workhorse. Can throw his weight around and move the puck well. I don’t see him progressing much further as he’s already almost 30, but he’s done well for himself to get to this point.
B
Jake Virtanen
- Considering he was nearly labeled a bust after his horrendous 2016 season not long ago, Shotgun Jake has turned things around and is now a key member of the bottom six forwards. He still floats sometimes and doesn’t hit nearly as much as he should, but his offensive game has taken several steps forward. Has a shot at a 20 goal season, which would be a big accomplishment for him.
B-
Antoine Roussel
- This guy must be such a pain in the ass to play against. Always stirring the pot and is a pretty good fighter when called upon. He’s slightly overpaid, but he’s been a good addition so far. Needs to toe the line a bit more when the game is tight and time is running out.
B-
Tyler Motte
- He was thought of as a nothing player that came over in the Vanek trade and would basically fill a seat for a year or so, but he’s really carved himself a role as a penalty killer. Very hard working and has been able to chip in offensively as well. Will be interesting to see where he fits in long term.
C+
Nikolai Goldobin
- Offensively, he’s had some flashy moments that raise eyebrows. Defensively, he’s had some awful moments that...raise eyebrows. But he gets a bit of a pass for managing to establish himself as a regular in the lineup and put up some numbers. Needs to work on his overall game to be anything more than a 40 point tweener.
C+
Adam Gaudette
- You can see the talent and his celly game is off the charts, but he has work to do in the AHL before he’ll be back full-time. Played well enough in his first stint.
C+
Jay Beagle
- He’s overpaid and no spring chicken, but he’s also allowed Horvat to flourish offensively by taking a lot of the defensive load when he’s been in the lineup. Also has a surprising amount of grit to his game.
C
Markus Granlund
- Been a bit of a liability at times but does his job fairly well. He isn’t going to give you consistency on either end of the ice long term, but he’s a fairly reliable 4th liner.
C
Erik Gudbranson
- Considering he looked like complete trash last season, Guddy has turned things around somewhat. He’s still error prone and doesn’t do as much policing as he thinks he does, but he’s improved from his first two injury-plagued seasons. Team worst -13 is no bueno, though.
C-
Loui Eriksson
- The $6 Million Man is now halfway through his contract, and what you see is what you get. 7 goals at the midway point and a -8 isn’t worth a whole lot. But he’s at least a good influence on Pettersson and the rest of his teammates don’t seem to mind him.
C-
Anders Nilsson
- Started off fairly well but he’s fallen off a cliff lately. Just no confidence in his game right now, bad goals are coming aplenty and his rebound control is terrible. He’s a backup goalie at best and should not be splitting the starting role.
D
Michael Del Zotto
- Awful season for him. Takes boneheaded penalties, can’t score to save his life despite being set up with Grade A chances, slow-footed, poor decision-making...he’s not a full-time NHLer.
F
Tim Schaller
- 0 goals in 29 games. I have no idea what he’s doing here or how he managed to get that contract, but here we are.
F
Derrick Pouliot
- I could rant until the cows come home. One of the worst players in the entire NHL. Constantly out of position and turns the puck over at least three times a game. Coasted off his draft position for too long and he’s finally run out of rope. Not a full-time NHLer.
INC - Sven Baertschi, Brandon Sutter, Josh Leivo, Darren Archibald, Brendan Gaunce, Sam Gagner