The NHL season is still young, but a few former first-round picks are already forcing their way into the conversation. While the biggest names keep driving the headlines, Cole Perfetti, Alexis Lafreniere, Mason McTavish and Vasily Podkolzin are each making early cases that this could be the year they turn potential into something bigger.
Perfetti has been one of the clearest examples of a player finally getting the runway he needed in Winnipeg. Through six games, he has piled up five goals and three assists for eight points, a pace that already points to the best season of his NHL career by a wide margin.
The biggest shift is opportunity. He is skating alongside Mark Scheifele, has landed on the Jets’ first power-play unit and is logging a career-high 18:38 per game.
That extra trust is showing up in his game, too. The 24-year-old has always had the touch and vision, but now he is shooting more and looking like a more regular threat to finish plays himself.
Lafreniere is making a louder impact in New York. The 2020 first overall pick has already produced seven goals, including two on the power play, and 10 points in eight games while averaging 19:08 of ice time per game.
He already owns a career-high 57-point season, but this start is putting him on track for something even more explosive. The Rangers are 6-2, and Lafreniere has been right in the middle of it.
He is creating chances on his own, showing more confidence with the puck and attacking dangerous areas instead of waiting for someone else to set the table.
McTavish, meanwhile, looks like a player who found the right fit after moving on from Anaheim. In his first season with St.
Louis, he has opened with four goals and three assists for seven points in six games. He has been especially effective around the net, leaning on his size and physicality to win position and generate chances in traffic.
The Blues are also giving him power-play chances, which only adds to the damage he can do with his shot and his ability to finish in tight. His best showing so far came in St.
Louis’ 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, when he posted two goals and an assist. At 23, there is still plenty of room for growth, and the early returns suggest this setup could bring it out of him.
Then there is Podkolzin, who has grabbed his opportunity in Edmonton and run with it. The former Vancouver first-round pick has been outrageous out of the gate, posting seven goals and nine points in only six games.
Injuries to Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins opened the door for him to skate with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line, and he has also earned a spot on the Oilers’ first power-play unit. The chance matters, but Podkolzin has done the hard part by making the most of it.
He is playing with confidence, finding open ice and putting himself in scoring spots over and over. His physical game also fits cleanly with Edmonton’s stars.
He added two goals in the Oilers’ 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, and the bigger question now is what happens once Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins return. Podkolzin has never topped 37 points in a season, but if this kind of role lasts, that number may not stand for long.
In Other News...
Blues Rolled Ottawa But One Lingering Problem Still Looks Serious
The Blues lopsided win over Ottawa had plenty to like, from strong contributions across the lineup to a scoreboard that never really let the Senators back in. Pius Suter, Colton Parayko, Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Adam Jiricek were all part of a night that gave St. Louis some much-needed positive momentum and a reminder of how dangerous the group can look when its moving and finishing well.
Still, the game also left one familiar concern hanging in the background. St. Louis managed to convert on only one of its three power-play chances against Ottawa, and the early-season numbers remain uncomfortably low for a unit that is supposed to help separate tight games and extend leads when the even-strength scoring dries up. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Injuries Just Opened A Real Door For Otto Stenberg
The Blues forward depth took a hit with Alexei Toropchenko and Dillon Dube both sidelined, and the timing could hardly be better for Otto Stenberg. St. Louis has been looking for answers in its bottom six, and now theres a legitimate opening for a young player to push his way into the conversation as the team sorts through its options.
Stenberg is at least on the radar for future NHL duty, and the path hed be walking is clearer than it was a week ago. A call-up has not been announced, but with openings available and the lineup needing reinforcements, the Blues have a real chance to see whether he can handle a role that would put him in the mix with the clubs third-line group. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Finally Have The Offensive Support Their Top Line Needed
The early part of the season has already offered a different kind of look for St. Louis, one that has the Blues at 3-2-1 and showing a more balanced attack than they did at times a year ago. The top line still matters, of course, but the help behind it has been the real story so far, with newcomers Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael giving the roster the kind of secondary punch that can keep opponents from keying on the same handful of names every night.
For a team that has long needed more answers beyond its stars, that shift matters almost as much as the record itself. The coaching staff is leaning into depth scoring to tilt matchups in the Blues favor, and early results suggest the strategy is giving St. Louis a more sustainable way to generate offense while taking pressure off its primary scorers. [Read more 🡒]