This week we are hitting the second in our two-part series on multi-cat contributors. As a reminder the focus is on players who are contributing in hits and blocks, but also are putting up some level of shot production. We will not include PIM in this article.

In order to generate this list we needed a couple of criteria. Players were initially ranked by how many blocks and hits combined they contribute on average each game. They also had to maintain at least a shot per game average. The list below then is the top ten in this category in both the Western and Eastern Conferences…

From the Eastern Conference – Charlie McAvoy

McAvoy used to be talked about as the heir apparent to Krug, though the last several times Krug has been injured they have turned to Matt Gryzelcyk instead. That is bad news for McAvoy’s point production and unsurprisingly he is on pace for the lowest point output of his career (current at a 27 point pace). The change in role isn’t bad for peripheral production though as he has upped his contributions to peripheral categories instead. In 2018-19 he was putting up about 2.5 combined hits and blocks per game, but that has shot up in 2019-20. His total ice time has increased, as has the time he spends short-handed.

Connor Murphy

The second Blackhawk on this list, it is pretty clear that a team’s style of hockey can have an impact on how those players produce. Murphy, like the De Haan and McAvoy, has seen a bump in his ice time in 2019-20, adding almost two minutes from his 2018-19 numbers. He is on a bit of a run at the moment with three points in his last four games and a 40-point pace over the second quarter. Murphy has also increased his block and hit production from 2018-20, though in a less pronounced manner. He is up from 4.04 combined in 2018-19.

Wild West Weekly Streamers:

Jack Roslovic:

The Jets have a great schedule for the upcoming week, and Roslovic has been skating with Wheeler and Ehlers. This is a bit of a risky pick and we are really hoping for a couple of points, as he has not been shooting much so if it doesn’t click he isn’t giving you much else.

Last Week’s Streamers:

Calle Jarnkrok:

Jarnkrok saw over 18.5 minutes of ice over the last three games, but seemed to be bumped down a bit to play with Kyle Turris and Mikael Granlund. With over 18.5 minutes of ice time we would have expected more than the seven shots that he managed to put up over the week.

Kevin Labanc:

Labanc had a bit more of a successful week. He put up two points and seven shots in 14 minutes a night from the third line with Marcus Sorensen and Joe Thornton.

Drop or Not:

William Karlsson:

With no points in his last four games, and only eight points in his last 23, Karlsson owners have got to be a bit worried at the moment. First let’s get to the good news. His shooting percentage is a bit low based on his three year average (which means it could regress in a positive direction), his total time on ice has improved from 2018-19 and his shot pace has stayed pretty constant from 2018-19.

Unfortunately, he ended up with 56 points in 2018-19 so comparables to 2018-19 aren’t likely to make anyone hoping for a return to 2017-18 glory happy. There are a few other markers to consider as well. His power-play time and his share of the team’s power-play have both declined. Vegas adding Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Paul Stastny over the last two seasons likely have something to do with that. While his shooting percentage is down from his three year average, that time span also includes the 23% number from 2017-18, which is definitely the outlier. Without that season he averages much closer to a 10% shooter, which is where he is at the moment. That could mean he won’t be due for quite the uptick in scoring folks are hoping for. Most of the rest of his underlying numbers look decent, which tells us it is fairly likely he stays on this pace going forward.

The good news for any owners of Karlsson is that all of this shows that a 60 point pace is likely a reasonable expectation going forward. He has been struggling through some rough luck for the last quarter, but as long as the deployment stays reasonable the points should start coming once again. As we have said before, expecting a repeat of the 2017-18 season is unreasonable, but 60 points could be within reach for this season.

Thanks for reading.