It’s Halloween, which means it’s time to settle in and watch a scary movie. Have you considered highlight clips of your favorite player?
That probably wouldn’t work, at least if your player is someone like Cale Makar or Kirill Kaprizov or Nikita Kucherov. Those guys have been great through October, and other stars are at least living up to expectations. Not everyone is, though, and that means it’s time for our annual team full of scary starts, or at least disappointing. We’ll pick a full roster, with a max of one player per team and some honorable mentions to round out the field. (Is it silly to pretend every team has a player with a bad start worth singling out? Yes, of course, but you guys get mad when I don’t include your favorite teams, so here you go.)
A scary start doesn’t doom a season — last year’s list included names like Juraj Slafkovský, Matt Duchene and Stuart Skinner, and they all ended up having good years. There was even a passing mention of Connor Hellebuyck, and he won the Vezina. Then again, some players never really recovered from a slow first month. And we won’t know who’s who until much further down the road.
For now, let’s get in the Halloween spirit, building from the net out. (Side note: It’s also an annual tradition that at least a few of these guys have big games immediately after I write this piece, so feel free to send thank you notes if it happens for your team.)
Goalies
Alexandar Georgiev, Avalanche
Our starter isn’t an especially tough call, as Georgiev’s brutal start put the Avs in a hole they’re still digging out of. He finally played his first game since Oct. 18, gave up three goals in the first period to one of the worst teams in the league, and somehow lowered his GAA all the way down to a very mid-1980s mark of 4.62. Justus Annunen may have taken his job for now, but with Georgiev carrying a $3.4 million cap hit, Colorado is going to need him to at least look like an NHL-caliber player. So far, he hasn’t.
Jacob Markstrom, Devils
After finally coming over in a long-rumored trade, Markstrom has been … fine. Not awful, by any stretch, and he’s had a few standout games against teams like the Ducks and Senators. But he hasn’t been great, which was the expectation as the final piece on a Devils team that was ready to contend. The good news is the team has been mostly good enough to outscore its goaltending issues on the way to a respectable 6-4-2 mark. Now the question is whether Markstrom can settle in before the offense inevitably cools off.
Ivan Fedotov, Flyers
Rookie goalies are always exciting since history has taught us you never really know who could be the next great player to emerge from the sports world’s most unpredictable position. So sure, Flyers fans were probably intrigued to see what Fedotov could do in his first full season. But so far, the returns haven’t been great, with the 27-year-old looking overwhelmed in limited NHL action. Ah well, he’s a rookie, at least his contract is probably cheap.
Dishonorable mentions: High-scoring games are fun, especially in a new market, but some of those Utah fireworks have helped disguise a rough start from 2023-24 breakout Connor Ingram.
Defensemen
Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres
The former No. 1 pick is 24 and in the first year of an extension that puts him among the highest-paid defensemen in the league. In other words, it’s go time for a player who’s been projected as a future Norris winner since the day he entered the league. Instead, he has three primary points on the season. Even worse, he has just one point as the quarterback on a Sabres power play that’s been awful so far. He does seem to be heating up lately though, so let’s see where this goes.
Noah Hanifin, Golden Knights
One of last year’s big-name acquisitions by the front office that never sleeps, Hanifin’s first full season in Vegas has been a dud so far. He hasn’t had a primary point since the season opener, and his expect-goals percentage has been under 40 percent. Not great for a guy who got an eight-year extension that’s only just begun.
Kris Letang, Penguins
There’s no shortage of candidates in Pittsburgh, where we could also go with Tristan Jarry, Erik Karlsson or even Sidney Crosby if we were feeling especially feisty. We’re not, so let’s go with Letang, a decorated 37-year-old who really does seem like he’s hitting the wall at the end of a brilliant career.
Kris Letang is one of many Penguins off to a slow start this season. (Sergei Belski / Imagn Images)
Charlie McAvoy, Bruins
There are a few solid candidates in Boston, and I originally thought we might use their slot on Brad Marchand and his one goal. But the blue line has been an issue too, and that starts with the biggest star on the back end. McAvoy’s three points are concerning. His lousy underlying numbers might be more so. And seven minor penalties certainly aren’t helping.
Ben Chiarot, Red Wing
I know, the whole “Chiarot was a bad signing” thing has kind of been beaten into the ground. But it was a bad signing, and this year’s start hasn’t left much room for argument. Chiarot has just two assists on the year, his underlying numbers are awful (including just 33.5 percent expected goals at even strength) and he’s already taken five minors that have put the Wings short-handed. The deal still has another year to go, in case you were wondering.
Miro Heiskanen, Stars
A bad start is relative here, as Heiskanen certainly hasn’t hurt his team the way some other guys on this list have. He just hasn’t looked like the Norris front-runner some of us were expecting. Two years removed from averaging almost a point per game, he’s got just three assists to show for October, two of them secondary. Of course, all of that offensive production has come in the last week, so maybe he’s already past the cold streak. Meanwhile, his defensive numbers aren’t fantastic, but they’re good enough that you’re not worried. Look, I needed somebody from Dallas, OK?
Brent Burns, Hurricanes
Like Dallas, there aren’t a ton of options in Carolina, which is off to an impressive start. We’ll go with Burns, who hasn’t gone a full season with fewer than double-digit goals since way back in 2009-10 but doesn’t have any so far this year. That said, the underlying numbers are solid. And he’s the second-oldest skater in the league this year, so we can give him some extra time to warm up.
Dishonorable mentions: Everyone on the Panthers is either hot, hurt or at least meeting expectations, so we’ll use this space to mention that “meeting expectations” for Aaron Ekblad these days looks a lot more ordinary than it did even a couple of years ago. I’m not really sure who to pick from Tampa, where even Ryan McDonagh’s disappointing offensive output of just one primary point has been balanced with strong defensive metrics. And in Calgary, while it’s not really fair to label Kevin Bahl as the guy from the Markstrom trade, it is worth noting his first month in Calgary has yielded some tough numbers.
Forwards
Elias Pettersson, Canucks
Another player starting a massive extension, Pettersson has just one goal and has already seemed to make a full pass through the crisis-to-redemption narrative cycle. And unlike most of the guys on our list, this isn’t just one bad month in isolation, given how poorly last year ended for the Canucks’ most important forward.
Steven Stamkos, Predators
Monday’s emotional return to Tampa saw him triple his season points total, which sounds impressive until you realize it means he couldn’t have had many to start with. He’s up to a goal and two assists on the year, if you’re keeping track, which isn’t what the Predators were hoping for when they committed to him until he’s 38.
Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals
Yeah yeah, the Capitals have been an early-season surprise and might make everyone who put their playoff spot up for grabs look silly. But this is Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky’s record is in reach and we want goals. He scored twice Tuesday night, but that only brings him to four on the year, with one of those coming into an empty net. Team success is nice if you’re into that sort of thing, but we’ve got history to witness here, so let’s make the red light go brr.
Trevor Zegras, Ducks
Guys, I’m starting to think that dangling your one-time franchise player’s name in trade rumors for roughly 18 straight months might not be the best possible thing for a young player’s development. But hey, maybe the market will finally materialize after he finishes the 20-point season he’s currently on pace for.
Chandler Stephenson, Kraken
Last year’s assist explosion was nice, but he’s still got just one goal to start the year. While you could overlook a slow start like that when he was an undervalued middle-six player in Vegas, it doesn’t work as well in the first year of a $44 million UFA bonanza that everyone side-eyed the moment it was signed.
Mathew Barzal, Islanders
The top line of Barzal with Bo Horvat and the now-injured Anthony Duclair had been playing well but hadn’t been rewarded much in the offensive zone. As far as the long term, you’d probably prefer that to a hot streak that wasn’t justified by the underlying numbers. But for now, Barzal’s two goals (which came two weeks apart) is a disappointing total.
Will Smith, Sharks
It feels wrong to pick on a Shark, let alone a rookie one. But with no points through his first month in the big leagues and time already spent as a healthy scratch, Smith hasn’t come close to living up to expectations. He’s only 19, so nobody should be getting weird about his long-term potential. But those preseason headlines about being a “key contributor” aren’t holding up well.
Quinton Byfield, Kings
Byfield seemed poised to take another stride forward in Year 4, especially after last season’s breakout. Instead, he’s still looking for his first goal of the year, and one of his two primary points came on an empty-netter. He’s 22 and started slowly last year too, so you’re still going to be patient. But hopes that he’d be ready for another big step up the ranks of NHL centers are fading.
Adam Fantilli, Blue Jackets
Since we’ve apparently entered the always-dangerous “complaining about young kids who will inevitably make you look back” section of this piece, let’s round it out with Fantilli. The 2023 No. 3 pick has two goals and five points through eight games while centering the second line. That’s fine, but in a year that’s more about developing youth than wins and losses, fans are hoping to see signs of a sophomore breakthrough. Not yet, but there’s still plenty of time.
Taylor Hall, Blackhawks
In the bigger picture, the Lukas Reichel story is a larger problem for the rebuilding Hawks. But I’m giving this slot to the former MVP, partly because I’m tired of picking on young guys but mostly because I realized I had completely forgotten he was even in Chicago. As a pending UFA, you wondered if he could play his way up to becoming a prime deadline target for a contending team. Maybe he still can, but a three-point October isn’t a great start.
Viktor Arvidsson, Oilers
I’m with James on this one — I thought Arvidsson would light it up after being airlifted into the Oilers’ top six on a team-friendly deal. Instead, the former 30-goal scorer has barely produced anything despite time spent on Leon Draisaitl’s wing. Oh well, at least they’ve got two goals from Jeff Skinner.
Dishonorable mentions: The Rangers are off to a hot enough start that none of the big names could really be called disappointing, but Matt Rempe’s near-disappearance means we’ve certainly lost some fun factor. Likewise, the Jets have probably earned an exemption from this sort of exercise, but if you insist on including them I guess we go with Gabriel Vilardi‘s two goals so far. Leafs forward Nick Robertson reportedly wanted out over the summer, eventually re-signed, and seemed poised for a big prove-it year in camp, but he’s done virtually nothing once the games counted. The Canadiens’ “trade a first for a youngish forward” gambit worked OK for Kirby Dach, at least when he’s healthy, but it’s fair to say the results haven’t been as encouraging for Alex Newhook. The Shane Pinto contract year in Ottawa wasn’t off to a great start with just one goal, and now he’s hurt. We’d like to see a bit more from Dylan Holloway in St, Louis, if only to pressure GMs into signing more offer sheets. And finally, while there have barely been any disappointing starts in Minnesota, we should point out early power-play quarterback Filip Gustavsson hasn’t scored a goal in like two weeks. What a bum.
(Top photo of Steven Stamkos: Steve Roberts / Imagn Images)
