Carson Anderson
The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, and heroes will be forged in the coming weeks, starting with Saturday’s doubleheader when the New York Islanders face the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Boston Bruins. Big stars will have a chance to shine, but lesser-known names can often make a difference in the postseason.
In the Western Conference, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Eichel will get most of the spotlight, but they won’t be able to lift the Stanley Cup alone. They will need help from the rest of the lineup and we are going to highlight some of those players.
Young players like Wyatt Johnston of the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators rookie Luke Evangelista hope to break out in the postseason. Casey Mittelstadt and Elias Lindholm, who joined new teams mid-season, will try to be the missing piece of the puzzle for their respective teams. Other players, like Stuart Skinner and Pierre-Luc Dubois, are looking for redemption in one way or another.
Let’s dive in and check out some of the players to watch in the Western Conference like NHL the playoffs begin.
When the Stars fell to the Golden Knights in last season’s Western Conference Finals, Wyatt Johnston was a rookie, and at times it felt that way. This season, Johnston needs to make more of an impact if the Stars are to overcome the defending champions. If the 2023-24 regular season is any indication, Johnston is up to the task. The 20-year-old forward led Dallas with 32 goals, and his expected goals share of 58.9% at five-on-five was one of the team’s best marks, according to Natural Stat Trick. Don’t expect Vegas to keep Johnston off the scoreboard this time.
As the seconds ticked towards 2023 NHL trade deadline, the Golden Knights managed to pull off a surprise. Vegas acquired Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks, making an already formidable roster even more imposing. At the time, Hertl was recovering from an injury, but returned in time to play six games at the end of the regular season. During that period, Hertl recorded two goals and two assists while also taking on a key role on the power play. Hertl will add strength to the Golden Knights’ forward group, and that will be especially important with Mark Stone still recovering from a spleen injury.
The Jets may not have Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar on their roster, but they have a very underrated source of offensive punch in Nikolaj Ehlers. Now in his ninth season with the Jets, Ehlers is having perhaps the best season of his career. His 25 goals were tied for fourth on the team, and his 61 points were tied for third. Additionally, the Jets had a plus-29 goal differential with Ehlers on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. There has been some frustration with Ehlers’ lack of ice time this season, but Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness may not have much of a choice if his team falls behind.
Casey Mittelstadt will be something of an X-factor in this series. Last season, the Avalanche’s lack of depth cost them against the Seattle Kraken, and it’s something the Jets could exploit this year as well. Colorado tried to solve its second-line center problem last offseason by bringing in Ryan Johansen. That move didn’t pan out, so the Avs made a huge trade to bring in Mittelstadt at the trade deadline. Mittelstadt joined the team on March 8 and has since recorded four goals and six assists in 18 games. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but he was an upgrade over Johansen, and his playmaking ability gives the Avs more versatility on offense.
If there’s one area where the Canucks have a clear advantage over the Predators, it’s in the middle. Having Elias Lindholm as a third-line center is a luxury few teams can match, and Nashville isn’t one of them. The problem is, Lindholm wasn’t exactly a success in Vancouver. After being acquired by the Canucks in February, Lindholm got off to a bit of a slow start but has bounced back recently. Still, his five-on-five impacts were somewhat underwhelming overall. According to Natural Stat Trick, Lindholm’s 44.6% expected goals share is one of the worst numbers on the team. If Lindholm can elevate his game in the postseason, Vancouver could be a serious problem in the West.
The Predators’ revenue has been excellent all season, but if they want to make a run this spring, the rest of the lineup will have to contribute more often. The leading candidate for a postseason breakout is rookie guard Luke Evangelista. The former second-round pick showed flashes of greatness all season, finishing with 16 goals and 23 assists, but he really found his groove toward the end of the regular season. Evangelista’s connection with Tommy Novak gives Nashville a skilled second line, and these two boast an impressive 59.0% expected goals share at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. If these two can keep this up in the playoffs, when offense is harder to come by, the Predators suddenly look more threatening on offense.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will create some offense. That’s not a question. The big question in Edmonton is whether the goaltending will hold up well enough for a Stanley Cup run. Stuart Skinner has had an uneven season in 2023-24. He started off very poorly, but found his game midway through the season and helped the Oilers climb the Pacific Division standings. Of course, pressure mounts in the postseason, and Skinner hasn’t handled that pressure well in 2023. Last year, Skinner appeared in 12 playoff games and recorded an .883 save percentage in addition to 6.93 goals allowed over of the average. Skinner has to be better than that for Edmonton to survive a loaded Western Conference.
Few players will be under more scrutiny in these playoffs than Pierre-Luc Dubois. Last summer, the Kings acquired Dubois from the Jets and signed him to an eight-year, $68 million contract. Dubois’ production did not match that salary. He finished the regular season with 16 goals and 24 assists in 82 games. That’s not what Los Angeles thought it would get when it signed Dubois, but if there’s a silver lining it’s that the team controlled scoring chances with him in the game. Despite an underwhelming first season with the Kings, Dubois could change that narrative with a big playoff performance against the Oilers.
