Johnson Signs, Top Frozen Tools Searches – Rossi, Peterka, Eklund, Ekblad (July 28) – DobberHockey

Marco Rossi

Rossi’s first full NHL season was a success, finishing with 21 goals and 40 points, good for fifth on the rookie scoring list. That may not seem like a great success, as perhaps greater things were expected of the ninth overall pick in 2020. However, a bout of myocarditis related to COVID set back his development, as it forced him to stop training of any kind for several months. Given that COVID contributed to the end of the careers of Jonathan Toews and Brandon Sutter, it’s great to see Rossi back on track.

Rossi was given a favorable even-strength lineup at times in 2023-24. The best spot for a Wild forward to be is on a line with Kirill Kaprizov, and that’s where Rossi has spent some of his time. However, he’s been unable to consistently find his way onto the top power play. The Wild haven’t made any major changes this offseason, with Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek all returning for the 2024-25 season, which could pose a further challenge for Rossi. An injury could open up a spot for Rossi, as he appears to be a prime candidate to be promoted in that scenario.

Rossi is entering an RFA contract season in 2024-25, so there’s even more reason for him to build on that. The same goes for Brock Faber, who finished second in rookie scoring as a defenseman. The good news for the Wild is that they’ve finally gotten over the bulk of the buyout penalties for both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, which immediately frees up nearly $15 million in cap space.

Even if Rossi doesn’t make that big breakthrough in 2024-25, he’s still a player worth investing in for the long term. At just 22, he’s a key part of the Wild’s core going forward.

JJ Peterka

Like Rossi, Peterka is entering a contract season. He offers the Sabres an impressive value of less than $900,000 per season, but will be eligible for a significant raise if he can at least match his 50-point output in 2023-24.

Peterka helps his cause on the scoring front by averaging nearly three shots per game. Only three Sabres (Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Jeff Skinner) have averaged more shots per game than Peterka (2.8 SOG/GP) in 2023-24. Peterka has more goals (28) than assists (22) in 2023-24, but the one stat that could use a regression is secondary assists, with 12 of his 22 assists coming from them. Some players shoot more than they pass, and Peterka may fall into that category.

Where Peterka’s production could increase is in the form of power play time. Two players who averaged more than 50 percent of the Sabres’ power play minutes (Casey Mittelstadt, Jeff Skinner) are no longer with the team. That could open up a spot for Peterka, who has only scored seven power play points while playing regularly on the second unit.

The Sabres boast an impressive roster of young forwards who may finally be ready to take the next step as a team in 2024-25. In an effort to finally get over that hump, the Sabres have rehired Lindy Ruff as head coach. If Ruff’s hire is successful, several Sabres could be in line for some statistical improvements. No one on the Sabres reached 60 points in 2023-24, including Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, who have had much better seasons. An increase in their production could signal an improvement for Peterka.

Willem Eklund

Amid an expectedly disastrous season for the Sharks, it seemed like Eklund’s 45-point performance in his first full season didn’t get much attention? Perhaps it was because Eklund wasn’t considered a rookie, having played in a combined 17 games in two previous seasons. On what had to be one of the NHL’s worst teams of all time (minus-150 goal differential), Eklund finished second to Mikael Granlund in overall team scoring.

The good news is that help appears to be on the way. Tyler Toffoli should provide immediate scoring help and veteran leadership for a young Sharks team. Also, first overall pick Macklin Celebrini appears primed to step into the NHL right away, while Will Smith has signed an NHL contract and could also be in the Sharks’ opening night lineup. Don’t expect big-time minutes from everyone, but Eklund has been a top power play starter in 2023-24 and should stay there. Ice time and effort shouldn’t be an issue, but how much San Jose’s inexperienced roster can produce will be Eklund’s biggest challenge as he builds up his points total.

Unfortunately, Eklund was the winner of the green jacket award, with a league-worst minus-45. No worries, though, as Connor Bedard tied for second place with a minus-44. Something to keep in mind if the plus/minus category carries as much weight as goals or assists in your league.

Aaron Ekblad

The 2023-24 season will always be one to remember for Ekblad due to the Panthers’ Stanley Cup victory. However, it may have been a forgettable season in terms of personal statistics. Due to an injury the previous season, Ekblad didn’t make his regular season debut until mid-November and then sat out for parts of March and April again. As a result, he finished with a career-low 18 points in 51 games. Even with the missed games, Ekblad’s 0.35 PTS/GP was his worst per-game output since 2016-17.

The question is what to make of his poor offensive season. Just two seasons ago, Ekblad finished with 57 points in just 61 games, which equated to a season with almost a point-per-game rating. However, another injury early in 2022-23 and the emergence of Brandon Montour caused Ekblad to lose his spot on the top power play, which he never regained in 2023-24. This past season, Ekblad’s shot total also dropped below 2.0 SOG/GP for the first time.

Now that Montour has signed with the Seattle Kraken, could Ekblad return to that position? There is a good chance, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul Maurice opted to play Gustav Forsling there. Forsling’s value as a top-tier defenseman has increased, and he has averaged nearly 40 points over the past three seasons. If Ekblad is back on the second power play, he may not be a good fit for the roster in many standard leagues. He doesn’t provide much peripheral equipment outside of shooting, and he has averaged 61 goals per game over the past three seasons.

One thing to watch out for with Ekblad is that he will be a UFA next summer if he is not re-signed. There are rumors that the Panthers are looking to trade Ekblad, perhaps so they can focus their efforts on re-signing Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett, both of whom are also expiring. If Ekblad produces a similar level of production this coming season compared to his injury-plagued 2023-24 season (29-point pace), his next contract will likely be less than $7.5 million per season.

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