Quadrelli: Who’s hot and who’s not; Draisatl’s tear and Pettersson’s struggles

David Quadrelli
David Quadrelli
Quadrelli: Who’s hot and who’s not; Draisatl’s tear and Pettersson’s struggles

Welcome to Quadrelli: Who’s hot and who’s not — a column in which David Quadrelli will break down who’s trending in the right direction around the league and who’s on the downswing.

Who’s Hot

Troy Terry

There are few players around the league right now as hot as Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry. 

In his last 13 games, Terry has 11 goals and eight assists. 

This includes five multi-point games, and three game-winning goals. To say Terry has been instrumental in the Ducks’ early season success is almost an understatement. 

Terry currently sits fourth in the league in the NHL points race and first among Ducks skaters.

Alex Ovechkin

What else can you say about Alex Ovechkin?

Over his last five games, the Capitals’ captain has three goals and six assists, and is red hot.

This past week, Ovechkin, who sits second league-wide in goals, passed Brett Hull for sole possession of fourth on the all-time goals list. 

Hockey fans everywhere would be delighted to see Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, and if he keeps this up, he just might do it.

Leon Draisatl

Currently sitting at the top of the league in both goals and points, Leon Draisatl has been on an absolute tear this season. In his last six games, Draisatl has nine goals and six assists, and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Draisatl has scored some timely goals as well, as he currently sits at five game-winning goals on the season, which puts him at the top of the league in that category.

Who’s Not

Elias Pettersson

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s going wrong for the Vancouver Canucks right now. 

Similarly, it’s hard to identify exactly why Elias Pettersson is continuing to struggle amidst the worst start of his young NHL career. 

The Canucks’ former rookie sensation looks like a shell of himself right now. He’s mishandling passes, missing the net, and looks like a player whose confidence is perhaps lower than its ever been. 

Through 15 games on the season, Pettersson has just nine points on the season, and has yet to score a goal at 5-on-5. 

That’s just not good enough, and Pettersson’s struggles are certainly contributing to why the Canucks currently sit at a record of 5-7-2 and are close to the bottom of the Pacific Division standings

Kaapo Kakko

If you thought Elias Pettersson was struggling, wait till you hear how this season has gone for New York Rangers forward and former second overall pick Kaapo Kakko.

Through 10 games this season, Kakko has zero points.

Not one goal, not one assist.

Additionally, in half the games he’s played this season, Kakko hasn’t registered a shot on goal. For a player whose offensive abilities are as highly touted as Kakko’s, his lack of results is certainly a bit alarming for Ranger fans.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Obviously, when the Carolina Hurricanes extended an offer sheet to Montreal Canadiens RFA Jesperi Kotkaniemi this offseason, they viewed it as a chance to acquire a young center who still has plenty of upside. 

The Canes gave up a third and first round pick as compensation to the Habs as a result, and the early returns on Kotkaniemi haven’t been great.

Through 13 games with Carolina, Kotkaniemi has just two goals and one assist, and in his last six games, he’s gone pointless. 

For a player making $6.1 million, the Canes are certainly hoping Kotkaniemi’s production picks up sooner, rather than later.

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