NHL Barometer: Risers & Fallers

This week's article includes the Nuge and JT, a Calder candidate, hot goalies in Sunrise and Winnipeg, and Calgary's top player in a major slump.

First Liners (Risers)

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, EDM – Nuge was once one of the faces of the Edmonton franchise, but that ended following the drafting of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. After tallying at least 52 points in each of his first three full seasons, Nugent-Hopkins dropped to 43 points last year. But in that decline, he played all 82 games and upped his shots-per-game to almost 2.5 from less than two the year prior. He has carried that forward to this year, which has helped Edmonton's No. 3 center tally six goals and 11 points in 13 December games, which gives him 15 goals and 29 points through 39 contests. A career-best 15.8 shooting percentage has aided part of his rise, but Nuge should continue to benefit from playing against bottom defensive pairings because of McDavid and Draisaitl.

John Tavares, C, NYI – We are running out of superlatives for Tavares. JT saw his point-streak end at nine Sunday. During his point streak, Tavares had four goals and 14 assists, upping his season total to 21 and 28 in 39 games. With more than half the season to go, the Islanders' captain is on pace to far exceed the 86 points he posted in 2014-15 — not a bad way to potentially go into free agency.

Brock Boeser, RW, VAN – Another strong rookie class exists in the NHL this season. Possibly leading the pack in terms of rookies is Boeser, who continues to excel. Boeser scored for the third straight game and added three assists Thursday against the Blackhawks. Those three lamp-lighters give the 21-year old 21 tallies to go along with 17 assists for the season.

Reilly Smith, LW, LV – Las Vegas has several offensive options to chose from when looking for production. Smith's numbers don't explode off the page, but he has been consistently productive. In December, Smith has three goals and eight assists in 13 games, making his season-totals nine and 21, respectively, in 37 games. Smith tallied 25 goals and 25 assists in 2015-16. That output earned Smith a five-year deal worth $5 million per in July of 2016. He tailed off substantially last season and then was dealt to the Golden Knights as part of an expansion draft move, which has paid nice dividends for Las Vegas.

Alexander Radulov, RW, DAL – Radulov's production, unlike Smith's, hasn't been consistent, but he actually has outproduced his Vegas counterpart. His two goals Friday gave the Russian winger 14 on the year and his assist Sunday was his 18th of the season. The 15th overall pick in 2004 was a godsend for Montreal last year, resurrecting his NHL career and removing the narrative that he was immature and a polarizing figure. Montreal blew their shot at re-signing Radulov, resulting in the sniper landing in Big D, inking a five-year, $31.5 million contract with the Stars in July of 2017.

Mathew Dumba, D, MIN – Dumba set career-highs in goals (11), assists (23), rating (plus-15) and average ice time (20:20) last season year was left unprotected by Minnesota. The Wild and his fantasy owners have been patiently waiting for Dumba to take that next step forward. Las Vegas did select the seventh overall pick in 2012 draft, allowing Dumba to return back to Minnesota. He has taken advantage of that opportunity, posting seven goals and 14 assists already while also on pace to establish new career-bests in hits and blocked shots while playing two more minutes per game.

Morgan Rielly, D, TOR – Rielly has notched six assists his last four games, upping his season mark to 24 on the year. Thought to be relegated to a defensive shutdown role entering the season, Rielly is playing over two minutes a game on the man-advantage and has blossomed into an offensive weapon from the blueline. With 28 points in 40 games, Rielly is on pace to far exceed the career-best 36 points he notched two years ago.

Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG – Through 31 games, Hellebuyck has already won 20 times, putting on pace to far exceed the career-high 26 victories he posted a year ago. The Jets' No. 1 netminder has been sharp of late, posting a 4-0-1 record while maintaining a 1.97 GAA and .938 save percentage through his last five appearances (through Saturday's game) and shut out the Oilers on Sunday. Winnipeg leads the Western Conference largely due to the strong play between the pipes of Hellebuyck.

James Reimer, G, FLA – With Roberto Luongo sidelined, the goaltending burden in Sunrise has fallen to Reimer. After a slow start, he has substantially righted the ship, notching four consecutive victories. In that stretch, Reimer had posted a 1.50 GAA and .957 save percentage. Reimer built on those numbers, stopping 35 shots in notching the 19th shutout of his career Saturday against Montreal. Luongo skated in full gear Thursday but still has a ways to go, so ride Reimer between the pipes until Bobby Lu returns to action.

Others include Rickard Rakell, Ryan Spooner, Joe Pavelski, Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Little, Mathew Barzal. Evgeni Malkin, Henrik Zetterberg, Sean Couturier, Mikael Granlund, Nathan MacKinnon, Williams Karlsson, David Krejci, Jack Eichel, Sam Gagner, Danton Heinen, Jesse Puljujarvi, Thomas Vanek. Nikita Kucherov, Jakub Voracek, Ondrej Palat, Michael Ferland, Vladislav Namestnikov, Patrick Kane, Anders Lee, David Backes, Gabriel Landeskog, Blake Wheeler, Erik Karlsson, Shea Theodore, Drew Doughty, Shayne Gostisbehere, Torey Krug, P.K. Subban, John Carlson, Nikita Zadorov, Tuukka Rask, Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Cam Talbot, Henrik Lundqvist, David Rittich and Jeff Glass. Elias Pettersson, Casey Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin, Klim Kostin, Sam Steel, Alexander Nylander, Brady Tkachuk, Lias Andersson and Filip Chyil (WJC).

Training Room (Injuries)

Mark Scheifele, C, WPG – Winnipeg lost its top center Wednesday, when Scheifele crashed into the boards after taking a big hit after setting up a goal. The upper-body injury will sideline Scheifele for 6-to-8 weeks. The Canadian pivot was off to a point-per-game pace and sits just three power-play points shy of 16 for a new career high. Blake Wheeler has shifted from wing to center while secondary and tertiary players will need to step up and maximize the additional ice time received to make up for Scheifele's absence.

Others include Logan Couture (concussion, practiced Saturday, played Sunday), Nazem Kadri (upper body, missed second straight game Sunday), Alexander Wennberg (back, out 4-to-6 weeks), Artem Anisimov (upper body, placed on injured reserve Friday), Chris Kreider (blood clot in his right arm, out indefinitely), Filip Forsberg (undisclosed, placed on injured reserve Saturday), Cam Atkinson (foot injury, out 4-to-6 weeks), Nino Niederreiter (ankle, has missed four straight games), Zach Parise (back, practicing with team), Justin Schultz (lower body, out December 5, wore non-contact jersey at practice Saturday), Ryan Ellis (knee, scheduled to practice in full Monday, could play Tuesday), Dustin Byfuglien (lower body, targeting return to action in the new year), Calvin de Haan (shoulder, season-ending surgery), Johnny Boychuk (lower-body injury, placed on IR) and Corey Crawford (upper-body injury, placed on IR).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Tyson Jost, C, COL – The future is bright for Jost but that future is likely to be down the road. Jost played just 9:04 Friday and has seen his minutes drop lately. Overall, Jost has just two goals and three assists in 22 games, as he struggles making the adjustment going directly from one year of NCAA hockey to the NHL. While there is nothing like NHL experience, minor-league seasoning – especially in the case of Jost – is always welcome. If Jost has some success there, bring him back for the stretch run.

Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY – Gaudreau still has 43 points in 39 games but he has hit the skids lately. After going scoreless Friday, Gaudreau has seven points in his last 14 games and has just two multi-point games in his last 17 contests. That slump makes his overall production even more remarkable. It's only a matter of time before the switch flips and he takes off, which may have happened with his two assists Sunday, but for now. Gaudreau is still in a slump.

Francois Beauchemin, D, ANA – Anaheim brought back Beauchemin for a second stint with the team on one-year deal this past August, The hope was that he could recapture past glory and provide blueline depth with Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen sidelined due to shoulder surgeries. Beachemin is averaging just under 19 minutes a game, but his minutes have declined the past few games and he failed to register a point for the ninth consecutive game Sunday against Arizona. Look elsewhere for production from the back line.

Craig Anderson G, OTT – The feel-good story of the year last season due to his run to the Eastern Conference finals following his wife's battle with cancer, Anderson is having a rough 2016-17. He is just 9-12-4 with a 3.12 GAA and .896 save percentage through 27 appearances this season after compiling a 25-11-4 record in 40 appearances with a 2.28 GAA and superb .926 save percentage a year ago. At 35 and with Ottawa about to blow up its team, Anderson is not a viable fantasy option right now.
 
Others include Nolan Patrick, Leo Komarov, Jordan Weal, Andrew Cogliano, Kyle Okposo, Max Pacioretty, T.J. Brodie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Michael Stone, Brent Seabrook, Carey Price, Cam Ward and Jacob Markstrom.