NHL: Marchand, Stamkos, and other players surprise at the start of the season

Surprises and Disappointments in the Start of the 2025-26 NHL Season

The first month of the 2025-26 NHL season has been full of surprises. From unexpected teams competing for the playoffs to those that have not met the high pre-season expectations. The same goes for NHL players, some of whom have started the season at a blistering pace, while others have had a statistically disappointing start. Here we take a look at ten surprisingly good performances at the start of the season and five surprisingly bad ones, hoping that the latter will not last for long.

Surprisingly Good Performances

Leo Carlsson
C, Anaheim Ducks Statistics 2025-26: 16 GP | 11 W | 15 D

This season has been the result of two years of preparation for Carlsson. After the Ducks selected him second overall in 2023, Anaheim applied workload management in his rookie season, where Carlsson played 55 games. His second season began to fulfill his potential with 20 goals and 25 assists in 76 games. But now we are seeing Carlsson unleashed: 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 16 games with the Ducks, propelling them to the top of the Pacific Division in the first month of the season.

What has changed? The coach, for starters. Joel Quenneville has helped turn the Ducks into a puck possession giant, and Carlsson’s offensive explosion is a result of it. So far this season, the Ducks are generating 58.7% of shot attempts and 59.6% of scoring chances with the great Leo on the ice. That’s much more than Carlsson’s average over the last two seasons in shot attempts (48.7%) and scoring chances (48%). He has also scored nine points on the Ducks’ power play, which has caught fire after being the worst in the league last season.

“Leo has really taken off,” said Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek this week. “I think with the younger guys, Joel preaches every day: puck possession, holding onto it, and if we lose it, we have to get it back quickly. I think that has resonated well and the guys have embraced it. They’ve been executing and are being rewarded for it.”

Pat Verbeek, General Manager of Anaheim

Josh Doan
RW, Buffalo Sabres

Statistics 2025-26: 16 GP | 4 W | 5 D Unfortunately for a franchise seeking its first playoff berth since “Fast Five” was in theaters, once again there haven’t been many bright spots for the Buffalo Sabres at the start of this season. Josh Doan is an obvious exception, with four goals and five assists in 16 games. The son of former NHL player Shane Doan was acquired from Utah in the JJ Peterka trade in June. Doan had seven goals and 12 assists in 51 games as a rookie for the Hockey Club last season in limited ice time (13:31 per game). He is receiving more ice time (15:28) with the Sabres and putting more shots on goal (9.6 per 60 minutes) than last season (7.3) at 5-on-5. He is also getting much more power play time than in Utah. Doan is a solid two-way player who is building his case for a more important role this season.Spencer Knight
G, Chicago Blackhawks Statistics 2025-26: 12 GP | 2.46 GAA | .923 SV% For years, Knight was the goalie of the future for the Florida Panthers. But inconsistency, health problems, and the stubborn refusal of playoff hero Sergei Bobrovsky to abdicate the throne saw the Panthers trade him to Chicago in the Seth Jones deal. It was a good season last year in 15 starts for Chicago, with a 5-8-1 record. He has been a revelation in 12 games so far this season for the improved Blackhawks, with a .923 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average. Entering Wednesday night, Knight led the NHL with 13.3 goals saved above expected. While new coach Jeff Blashill is trying to improve his young team with an aggressive system in the defensive zone, the results are still not entirely there. But Knight has been there whenever they’ve needed him, drastically decreasing the average number of high-danger goals the Blackhawks have conceded compared to last season.

Brad Marchand
LW, Florida Panthers

Statistics 2025-26: 15 GP | 11 W | 7 A When the Panthers needed a hero in the Stanley Cup Final, Brad Marchand responded with the best playoff series of his life with six goals in six games. When the Panthers needed a hero to start this season, with superstars Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk missing due to injury, Marchand responded with one of the best first months of his NHL career. The 37-year-old winger has 11 goals in 15 games with the Panthers, including a five-game goal streak that continued in a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. He has 18 points in that span with seven assists, having played with his usual linemates Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, as well as Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett.

“His hands are very fast,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice after the game against Vegas. “He’s a good player when you coached him for years, but you get on the ice in practice and you see those goals, it’s just exceptional.”

Paul Maurice, Florida Coach

With two key players out, Marchand’s efforts are keeping the Panthers afloat until at least Tkachuk can return in December or January. He has been their MVP. It’s no surprise that general manager Bill Zito signed Marchand through 2030-31.

Dawson Mercer
LW, New Jersey Devils

Statistics 2025-26: 17 PJ | 9 W | 7 D

Ah, the glory days of the 2022-23 season. The Devils eliminated the New York Rangers to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Jack Hughes played 78 games. And Dawson Mercer had a successful season with 56 points in 82 games, including 27 goals.

Mercer couldn’t build on that offensive explosion over the next two seasons, falling to 33 points in 2023-24 and then to 36 points last season with 19 goals. He was inconsistent and ineffective, unable to hold down a top-six role alongside center Nico Hischier. But he worked during the offseason and now it’s hard to imagine Mercer not playing in the top six after a stellar start. Skating most of the time with Hischier and Timo Meier, Mercer had nine goals and seven assists in his first 17 games, skating to a plus-9 rating, the best on the team. He has earned his minutes among the top six with strong efforts in all zones. Yes, Mercer worked during the offseason to improve his game. But as coach Sheldon Keefe has pointed out, it also helps that Mercer didn’t miss a portion of the camp like he did last season during restricted free agent contract talks.Matthew Schaefer
D, New York Islanders Statistics 2025-26: 16 GP | 5 W | 7 D Islanders fans knew they were going to get a cannon of charisma in Schaefer. The 18-year-old defenseman had shown infectious enthusiasm since being selected first overall in June, providing a vital change of atmosphere for a franchise desperately trying to find a personality after years of Lou Lamoriello’s homogeneity. What those fanatics might not have anticipated: that Schaefer could jump straight to the NHL and be one of its most effective defensemen during the first month of the season. Schaefer has 12 points in 16 games for the Islanders, skating 22:13 per game. Six of those points have come on the power play, which has gone from being the second worst in the NHL last season to 22nd overall. New York scores 57.8% of the goals when Schaefer is on the ice. Nothing has been protected for the Islanders, starting only 53% of their shifts in the offensive zone. With a touch of the stick to Bo Horvat’s incredible scoring start (12 goals in 16 games), Schaefer’s instant impact has been one of the most pleasant surprises for the Islanders and the NHL.Kiefer Sherwood
RW, Vancouver Canucks Statistics 2025-26: 18 GP | 11 W | 1 D

Will Kiefer Sherwood finish the season with 57 goals, based on his current scoring pace, despite previously reaching a career high of 19 goals last season? Will he continue shooting at 29.7% for the Canucks? Will he continue to compete against players like Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby for the Rocket Richard Trophy, as is his current status?

The answer to all of this is probably “no”, followed by a funny giggle, but that these questions can even be asked at this moment is the reason why Kiefer Sherwood’s season is so amazing. The Canucks winger has started the season with 11 goals in 18 games for a total of 12 points. Yes, that’s right: every point Kiefer Sherwood has scored this season has been a goal, except for an assist on a Brock Boeser goal on November 8th. And it was a primary assist, no less!

This video game startup failure for Sherwood has charmed Vancouver fans, building on his cult hero status. (Witness @DailyWoody, which combines on- and off-ice coverage with Kiefer Sherwood memes). It’s probably important to mention that Sherwood is in a contract year before unrestricted free agency. Cha-ching.

Shea Theodore
D, Vegas Golden Knights Statistics 2025-26: 15 GP | 0 W | 6 D

When Alex Pietrangelo announced he was retiring from the NHL due to rehabilitation from a prolonged hip injury, the Golden Knights knew they would need more from Shea Theodore. That he answered the call isn’t shocking, as Theodore has been the team’s second-best defenseman since Pietrangelo arrived in 2020. It’s how incredibly well he’s played in that expanded role.

Theodore, 30, has six points in his first 15 games, with his ice time jumping from 22 minutes per game last season to 24:16 on average this season. But his underlying numbers are incredible, despite taking on more difficult tasks: Vegas is averaging 0.89 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 with Theodore on the ice. Only two other defensemen in the league are averaging less than one goal per 60 minutes (minimum 200 minutes): Matt Roy of the Washington Capitals and Will Borgen of the New York Rangers. Theodore and his partner Brayden McNabb aren’t setting the world on fire offensively, but they’ve been as good as you can be as a shutdown pair.Scott Wedgewood
G, Colorado Avalanche Statistics 2025-26: 14 GP | 2.26 GAA | .913 SV% The Avalanche have started the season with 11-1-5 for 27 points, the best mark in the NHL. However, starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood has only played in two of these games, as he was still recovering from surgery in May to correct a lower body issue. When the starter falters, it’s up to the backup to step in and defend the fort. Wedgewood has gone far beyond that call of duty. The 33-year-old traveler, the Avs are his fifth NHL team since 2021, has a record of 10-1-2 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.26 goals-against average. Of course, when a team is scoring an average of four goals per game, a goalie can breathe a little easier. But Wedgewood has also saved 6.0 goals above expected this season for the Colorado defense. Blackwood returned to the Avs this week, which means Wedgewood could see his action decrease. But when Colorado thinks about the season with a points percentage of .794 that propelled them at the beginning, the work Wedgewood has done is a key reason for it. (A stick tap to defenseman Sam Malinski, another Avalanche surprise early in the season).Dan Vladar
G, Philadelphia Flyers Statistics 2025-26: 10 GP | 2.15 GAA | .919 SV% The Flyers’ search for stability in goal is a tale as old as time. After three goalies combined for a team save percentage of .872 last season, the worst in the NHL, general manager Daniel Briere signed one of the few decent free agent options on the market, Vladar, to a two-year contract. The 28-year-old goalie had spent four seasons in Calgary as a teammate of Jacob Markstrom and then with rookie Dustin Wolf. His stats weren’t always stellar: .895 save percentage in 100 games with the Flames, but he was a player. Now, he is possibly the Flyers’ MVP at the start of the season. Philadelphia has an 8-5-3 record in 16 games under Rick Tocchet, sitting in a wild-card spot entering Wednesday night. Vladar won six of those games against three losses, with a .919 save percentage and six goals saved above expected.

Surprisingly Bad Performances

Marco Kasper
F, Detroit Red Wings Statistics 2025-26: 16 GP | 3 W | 0 D

Kasper, the eighth overall pick in 2022, showed great potential as a rookie last season with 19 goals and 18 assists in 77 games with the Red Wings. Strong enough for Detroit to line him up with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane on their second scoring line. But that trio didn’t click, generating only 1.82 goals per 60 minutes together. Kasper’s lack of production was a major factor there, with only three goals and no assists in 16 games so far this season, skating to a minus-6.

Coach Todd McLellan recently relegated him to the third-line wing.

“His game has not matched what we expected of him,” said the coach, who said that Kasper has not shown the same level of battle as last season and is now in his own head. “It happens to many second or third year players. Marco is going through that right now.”

Todd McLellan, Coach

Sam Montembeault
G, Montreal Canadiens Statistics 2025-26: 9 GP | 3.52 GAA | .861 SV% To be clear, there are other contenders for the most disappointing goalie so far this season. Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues has received more attention for the puck he tried to steal than for the ones he has stopped. Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark is last in the NHL in goals saved above expected, with minus-7.9 in 14 games. The difference between those two and Montembeault, however, is that a good part of their pain is team-related. Ullmark’s save percentage is not far off that of his goaltending partner Leevi Merilainen. The same goes for Binnington with Joel Hofer, who has arguably had a worse season so far. But as good as rookie Jakub Dobes has been for Montreal (.920 save percentage in seven games), that’s how bad Montembeault has been for them. The 29-year-old goalie has a 4-4-1 record in nine games with a .861 save percentage. He is second after Ullmark in terms of worst goals saved above expected (minus-7.1). Analytically, he has been the worst 5-on-5 goalie in the league so far this season for goalies with his workload, and has the second-worst wins above replacement in the NHL.

(Note that the three goalies on Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off list (Binnington, Montembeault, and Vegas’ Adin Hill) are off to a terrible start this season as they try to defend their spots on the Olympic goalie roster as Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper, who have been outstanding to start the season. Curious, isn’t it?)

Brayden Point
C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Statistics 2025-26: 16 GP | 3 W | 6 D Point was named to Canada’s preliminary Olympic roster in June. His start has been so mediocre, by his standards, that at least one Canadian columnist lamented that Point has a spot on the roster that could otherwise be awarded to Connor Bedard or another player having a better season. That is, of course, absurd. Point is one of the NHL’s elite players, who has scored more goals in the last three seasons (139) than Nathan MacKinnon (125). That being said, it’s been a disappointing first 16 games for Point: three goals, six assists and skating to a minus-11 rating for a player who had a plus-17 last season.

One problem is the generation of their shots. Point’s shot attempts (8.5 per 60 minutes) have decreased from his two-season average (12.8) at 5-on-5, which has led to his shots on goal (5.6) also decreasing from that average (6.8).

Once again, it should be fine. Skating with Nikita Kucherov, those numbers will go up soon. But it hasn’t been the strongest start.Steven Stamkos
C, Nashville Predators Statistics 2025-26: 18 GP | 3 W | 1 D

For most of his career, goals were never really difficult to come by for Stamkos. That’s one of the reasons why the first 18 games of his season with the Predators have been a nightmare for the 35-year-old. He has three goals so far this season. That’s a pace of 14 goals in an 82-game season for a player who has scored 585 goals in his career.

He is trying to maintain his optimism.

“Something you learn as you get older or go through certain experiences is that negative things never help,” he said on Monday. “And we all do it, no matter what aspect of life when things aren’t going well. It’s negative self-criticism. It’s the ‘poor me’ card, but it never works. You sink deeper.”

Steven Stamkos, C, Nashville Predators

But this start for Stamkos (three goals, one assist in 18 games) has already sparked speculation that Nashville will approach him with the idea of trading him, assuming someone else believes that all Stamkos needs is a change of scenery.MacKenzie Weegar
D, Calgary Flames Statistics 2025-26: 18 GP | 0 W | 4 D Weegar has been a solid offensive contributor for the past five seasons, including 52 and 47 points for the Flames in the last two campaigns. Therefore, it’s a bit jarring to see him start with only four assists in 18 games for Calgary, two of them in regular play and two at 5-on-5. The Flames are averaging 1.32 goals per 60 minutes with Weegar on the ice in regular play so far this season.

While offense has been a primary issue for the Flames, as they rank last in the NHL in goals per game, it has been a total system collapse in Calgary. That’s clear from Weegar’s minus-17 this season, for a player who has only finished in the negative once during his 10-season NHL career. He has played at least 10 minutes with seven defensive partners this season as the Flames try to find a winning combination.

Whether players are struggling or emerging at the start, the key phrase here is “at the beginning”. There’s still a lot of season left to erase these bad vibes, or to experience a reversal of fortunes for the early-season stars.