David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
October is always the best time to start overreacting about your NHL team’s season outlook. The Nashville Predators are in a tailspin and the Winnipeg Jets look like world-beaters, and with that comes all the doomsayers and plan-the-parade types.
However, some things are panning out exactly as they’re supposed to. That’s the case with these five NHLers, who are off to the best starts of their careers. Here’s why you should believe in them:
Cole Caufield, RW, Montreal Canadiens
It’s been a slow and steady rise for the Canadiens’ undersized sniper, but he finally looks the part of an elite NHL goal-scorer with six goals and seven points in seven games.
Consistency is something that takes time for a goal scorer, and he looks to have a few more things figured out playing with improving linemates. Four of his goals have come against quality opponents in Toronto, Boston and the New York Islanders, so he’s not just picking on weak teams either.
His nearly 30 percent shooting rate is due to come down, but he’s shown an incredibly consistent shooting volume that could absolutely yield a 40-goal season. He would be Montreal’s first 40-goal man since Vincent Damphousse lit the lamp 40 times in 1993-94.
Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators
By last season, Sanderson was already the undisputed No. 1 D-man in Ottawa, clearly usurping Thomas Chabot as a 21-year-old. But with 38 points in 79 games, offensive contributions separated Sanderson from being an elite defender that could stack up to the league’s best.
However, with six power-play points through six games to start 2024-25, Sanderson has emerged as a very, very early Norris Trophy candidate. Especially if that translates into a more competitive Senators team.
While the Sens’ offense has finally started to flow through him, he does need to clean up in his own end to reach the top echelon of NHL defenders. According to moneypuck.com, he’s just barely breaking even in shot-attempt percentage and unblocked shot-attempt percentage.
Dylan Guenther, RW, Utah Hockey Club
The Utah Hockey Club has shot out of a cannon to kick off their inaugural season, and who better than Guenther to score the franchise’s first goal? Drafted ninth overall in 2021, he promises to be a core piece of Utah’s up-and-coming group. He parlayed that quick start into five goals in his first three games.
Guenther has slowed down with just one assist in his past five games, but he’s still a prime breakout candidate after tallying an impressive 35 points in 45 games last season. Guenther is the go-to shot on Utah’s first power-play unit, and watching him play alongside talented sophomore Logan Cooley will be fun to watch all year long.
Anton Lundell, C, Florida Panthers
After a career-high 44 points as a rookie in 2021-22, Lundell regressed to seasons of 33 and 35 points. However, since the beginning of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Lundell has produced 26 points in 33 games.
This season, an injury to franchise center Aleksander Barkov opened the door to a top-line role alongside 50-goal scorer Sam Reinhart. Lundell has seized the opportunity with five goals and nine points to start the season, proving he belongs at the top of an NHL lineup.
While Barkov is slated to return in short order, playing with Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk might not be a very large step down for Lundell’s production. Power-play time is the key to unlocking more offense, so he’ll likely have to unseat Sam Bennett for that right.
If not this year, Bennett’s contract expiring at the end of the season may be the break Lundell needs to cement himself as the Panthers’ No. 2 center behind Barkov.
Ross Colton, LW, Colorado Avalanche
Amidst the chaos of the Colorado Avalanche’s poor start and goaltending woes, Colton has been a surprise.
Colton was a critical depth piece for the Tampa Bay Lightning during their 2021 and 2022 Cup runs, but the Avalanche are attempting to make something more of the 2016 fourth-round pick, who reached a career-high 40 points in 80 games last season with the team.
Not everyone can keep up with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, but Colton has stood tall to the task, netting seven goals and eight points to start the year. Yes, the Avs are missing Jonathan Drouin, Artturi Lehkonen and Gabriel Landeskog, so it’s not guaranteed Colton will keep his top-line role all year, but it’s hard to argue with results. Colton’s 25 percent shooting rate is high but on the lower end compared to the other seven top goal-scorers in the NHL.
Outside of the Avs’ top line, which has posted 17 goals, the rest of the roster has only provided 12. Even if players return to the lineup, Colton has the opportunity to convince Colorado that they have no reason to shift him down.
