Discovering out who the main scorers had been final season could be very simple and should not require any steering. However what about filling your different league classes? For that, you’ll be able to go to Frozen Instruments and within the Participant Stats class, choose Extra Stats, then discover the Multicategory button beneath Peripheral. There you’ll be able to kind beneath the assorted multicategories, in addition to discover a mixed quantity for hits/blocks, pictures/hits/blocks, and the final word bangers complete of penalty minutes/hits/blocks.
Let’s discover you some specialists for the standard multicategory league that counts pictures, hits, and blocks, in addition to some bangers who rack up the penalty minutes, hits, and blocks. I’ve omitted high 100 roto gamers equivalent to Brady Tkachuk, Moritz Seider, Mackenzie Weegar, and Vincent Trocheck from the listing, as they will already be drafted in most leagues. It is value mentioning that for all 4 of those gamers, their multicategory league worth exceeds their pure scoring league worth.
SHOTS/HITS/BLOCKS
Sherwood is not right here as a result of he had a very excessive shot or blocked shot complete. Nevertheless, he was the runaway chief in hits with 462 in 2024-25, setting a league document because the stat was first recorded. Divide that complete by the variety of video games he performed, and he averaged almost six hits per sport. Spectacular. That stat in itself was sufficient for Sherwood to be rostered in lots of leagues, however the truth that he set profession highs with 19 objectives and 40 factors shouldn’t be neglected.
Now what is going to Sherwood do for an encore? It must be troublesome to place your physique via that form of torture. An damage may diminish that hit complete considerably. Sherwood is already 30, however he has solely been a full-time NHL participant for 2 seasons. He has solely reached 200 hits one different time in his profession, which was the season earlier than in Nashville. He’s nonetheless value drafting within the later rounds in deeper leagues, though do not wager on him reaching his 2024-25 hit complete once more.
Cuylle profiled equally to Sherwood in the truth that his pictures/hits/blocks complete primarily consisted of hits, ending tied for third in that class with 301 hits. Cuylle additionally contributed the same offensive complete, ending with 20 objectives and 45 factors in his second full NHL season.
But not like Sherwood, Cuylle is barely 23 years outdated and will have considerably extra seasons forward together with a better ceiling. For that cause, Cuylle might be the higher possibility later in fantasy drafts, despite the fact that Sherwood ought to nonetheless have a better hit complete. Sherwood will possible spend most of his time within the Canucks’ backside 6, whereas Cuylle may find yourself within the Rangers’ high 6 with possible second-unit power-play time. Cuylle’s most frequent linemates through the fourth quarter had been Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, and he delivered with 12 factors in 20 video games.
Have been you planning on gaining sturdy peripherals out of your protection, however you missed out on Seider and don’t want Radko Gudas due to his lack of scoring? Nurse is likely to be the participant to focus on. His 484 mixed pictures, hits, and blocks was within the high 10 of the league, and so they’ve been sturdy for quite a lot of years. As nicely, Nurse has been constant offensively, reaching the 30-point mark for seven consecutive seasons.
The fear with Nurse is likely to be that he’s moved down the depth chart and will not have as a lot icetime to choose up these peripheral stats. Nevertheless, Nurse continues to be incomes a cap hit of $9.25 million for 5 extra seasons, so he’ll obtain the advantage of the doubt in terms of a distinguished position within the lineup. Do not forget that a powerful real-life defenseman will not at all times make for an efficient fantasy defenseman. The reverse can also be true, so analytics should not enormously affect your choice to roster Nurse.
PENALTY MINUTES/HITS/BLOCKS
Solely Sherwood had extra mixed penalty minutes, hits, and blocks than Olivier, who solely trailed by 5 (522). Olivier’s 139 penalty minutes was a lot increased than Sherwood’s, trailing solely Nikita Zadorov in that class in 2024-25. Amongst forwards, Olivier additionally completed within the high 10 with 80 blocked pictures, which was additionally considerably increased than Sherwood’s complete. Then there’s the 303 hits, which trailed solely Sherwood in that class, though by a large margin.
Previous to 2024-25, Olivier’s profession excessive was 15 factors, so he would not have obtained any substantial consideration in fantasy leagues. Nevertheless, he smashed that complete in 2024-25 with 18 objectives and 32 factors in a full 82-game season, which can also be a feat as a result of he had by no means performed 70 video games in a season previous to that. As a result of a a lot increased than regular capturing share of 16.4%, count on Olivier’s aim complete to drop in 2025-26. The truth that he receives no power-play time additionally makes it extraordinarily troublesome for Olivier to succeed in that aim complete once more. Add him for bangers classes solely, and think about any offense a bonus.
Multicategory fantasy leaguers have turn out to be fairly aware of Gudas over the previous few seasons, as he has persistently supplied over 200 hits in non-shortened seasons. Though his hits totals have dropped somewhat bit in his two seasons in Anaheim, Gudas nonetheless completed only one mixed PIM/HIT/BLK behind Olivier for third in that class. He additionally completed within the high 10 in blocked pictures in 2024-25, blocking 178 pictures – a profession excessive.
Gudas is now 35 years of age, so put on and tear may finally catch up. He’s additionally on the ultimate 12 months of his contract, so he’ll nonetheless have to show his is worthy of remaining in an NHL lineup. Offense has additionally confirmed to be a problem for Gudas all through his profession, as he has not reached 20 factors since 2018-19. Merely put, he shouldn’t be drafted in factors leagues – solely leagues that rely at the very least two of penalty minutes, hits, or blocked pictures.
Zadorov was simply talked about because the penalty minutes chief final season, amassing a complete of 145 PIM. He additionally reached triple digits in each hits (219) and blocks (107), ending fourth in mixed penalty minutes, hits, and blocked pictures (471). All of these numbers had been will increase over his 2023-24 totals in these classes. Icetime had one thing to do with that, as his 20:36 TOI was his highest single-season icetime common in his first season of a six-year, $30 million contract with the Bruins.
At 6-6 and 248 lbs., Zadorov is without doubt one of the hardest gamers in hockey, hardly ever taking the worst of a collision and unafraid to struggle anybody. Nevertheless, a potential discount in icetime may lead to slight decreases in all of the bangers classes. Fellow left-shot d-man Hampus Lindholm appeared in solely 17 video games in 2024-25, and he reportedly has a clear invoice of well being coming into coaching camp. Zadorov continues to be value focusing on for these bangers classes, however returning to a sub-20-minute common in icetime may cut back his general output.
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Comply with me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social
