With just one game in the NHL last night, there really isn't a whole lot to talk about, other than a bit of news. This is my first Ramblings of 2022 so I thought it would be a good chance to essentially build off my final Ramblings of 2021. That article covered some stats that covered calendar 2021, so this article will do the opposite and look ahead. I thought now would be a good time for some predictions.

Predictions are the name of the game in fantasy, whether it's a single day, a week, a season, or even longer. Some predictions may be bolder than others, but it's important to get these thoughts down on digital paper. It can help talk through some thought processes, and that can help catch mistakes before they happen. Otherwise, it keeps a record of mistakes so that we can try to avoid repeating them. We will, because we're human, but we try.

Anyway, here are some predictions for calendar 2022.

Devon Toews finishes top-10 in defence scoring

As a member of the Colorado Avalanche, Toews now has 52 points in 70 games played. A big part of that is him shooting over 14% so far this season, putting him on pace for a 25-goal season. That is too high, and he won't come anywhere close to that many goals (especially because of injury), so he should probably be closer to 45 points in 70 games. Regardless, it's clear he has a lot of scoring upside, even with Cale Makar eating a lot of top PP minutes. This team is only improving as guys like Alex Newhook and Tyson Jost find their footing, with a top-6 that is as good as any in hockey. Toews is truly a top-tier defenceman playing on a top-tier team, and he doesn't need PP1 minutes to be elite in fantasy, either.

Jack Hughes is a point-per-game player

Maybe this isn't as bold as some others, considering he has 16 points in 16 games so far this year, but judging from the reaction when he signed his extension, I feel this might still be a stretch for some. What is important for me is that he has kept up his shot rate over this season despite his ice time declining. He is making a conscious effort to shoot more, to turn into a true dual-threat offensive weapon. Whether he's that right now, we'll wait until he's not shooting near 20% to find out, but I do think his wealth of skill is starting to make itself obvious. He is great in transition, he's good around the net, and his shot is coming along. Once the rest of the young guys start to come around, I think Hughes is a 100-point player in five years' time. For now, I will settle for 80-or-so points, and he's capable of doing it.

Kyle Connor scores 50 goals

There are always players that we get wrong, but Kyle Connor is one of those guys that always feels like he's rubbing it in my face. I did not think much of him as a prospect, and here he is at the age of 25 with 150 career goals, including 42 markers in his last 82 contests. Yes, he has never officially had a 40-goal season, but he does have over 42 goals in the last full season's worth of games, so he's truly pushing himself into that David Pastrnak-tier of goal scorers just below Auston Matthews. What's more is that the blue line was completely re-made – with good players – in the offseason and that seems to be paying dividends though the lineup. His shot rate has jumped for four years, his team is improving, and he just can't stop scoring. I think this is the year Connor puts up 50.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scores 40 goals

I think we've seen Bjorkstrand turn into a great two-way winger over the last few years, and this is not the Tortorella Blue Jackets. Rather, this iteration of the team plays at a much higher pace and is actually looking to score goals. He has seen his ice time increase and the team is improving around him. I think this is the year we see Bjorkstrand assert himself as a top-end scorer in this league.

For even more good news about Bjorkstrand:

Oliver Bjorkstrand is back at #CBJ practice after coming out of COVID protocols

— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) January 3, 2022

Let's hope he doesn't have any lingering effects like we've seen around the league. He truly is a special player and watching him reach his ceiling is cool to see.

Tage Thompson scores 30 goals

The resurgence of Thompson's career started last season but really took hold in 2021-22, to the point where he's sitting with 22 points on the year, on pace for 55 this season. That would be a wonderful season for a guy who looked like he may have been on his way out of the NHL. By the end of this season, he'll be going into his age-25 season with over 200 games played and a comfort level playing centre. The Sabres still have more pieces they need to add, but Thompson's physical gifts and his shot rate will make him a scoring threat every time he steps on the ice from now on. While he may not be a great playmaker, we will settle with 30 goals and 250 shots in calendar 2022.

Shayne Gostisbehere tallies 40 assists

It has been really awesome to see Ghost really show off his talents in Arizona after Philadelphia dumped his salary. I was always a believer in his talent and sometimes a player just needs a fresh start. The problem for him with the Coyotes is the team isn't scoring much, or really at all, and his ceiling is really capped here. However, we're closer to the trade deadline than we are to the beginning of the season and if he maintains this play, he's absolutely going to draw attention in the trade market. Maybe he can put up 10-15 points between now and the deadline, and then gets shipped somewhere that could use his playmaking skills like Nashville or Calgary.

Mackenzie Weegar manages 50 points, again

This is a function of a couple things. First, I think Weegar, like Toews, is in the perfect position for this kind of prediction. Though he won't get top PP minutes, he plays on one of the top offensive rosters in the league and he plays heavy minutes; upwards of 24 minutes on the year. Here we have a good puck-mover whose shot rates have started to climb and is playing heavy minutes for an elite offensive team. There aren't a lot of defencemen that are threats for 50 points, and even fewer are blue liners without prime PP minutes. I think Weegar is more than capable of 50 points in a calendar year for the second year in a row.

Marco Rossi is Minnesota's 2C for the 2022 playoffs

This doesn't have a whole lot to do with fantasy, but I've started to see the Minnesota Wild plan a bit more clearly of late. They are well on their way to a playoff berth, and they're going to need help to get over the hump from playoff team to contender. I think we see Rossi and Matthew Boldy get called up towards the end of the year, and that will serve two functions: it will give them two players to add to the top-9, lengthening the lineup, and it'll give them a bit of coverage, cap-wise. Remember that they have over $40M in dead cap money over the next three seasons because of the Parise/Suter buyouts. Having Boldy and Rossi as impact players on entry-level deals will be vital to this team staying competitive through this stretch. I think we start to see that impact in the 2022 playoffs.

As if Dean Evason can read my thoughts, this came out yesterday afternoon, about two hours after I finished this section:

Evason alluded that Matt Boldy and/or Marco Rossi could be coming up tomorrow for NHL debut Thursday. If Boldy, that would come in Boston, where he played college #mnwild

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 3, 2022

I suspect this is a tryout-type situation like we just saw with JJ Peterka in Buffalo, at least for now. We will see what they decide to do, though.

Tim Stuetzle out-points Josh Norris

For the readers who've read my stuff since at least the summer, you know I am a big fan of the entire Ottawa top line, and they've shown so far this season why we should believe in all three players as top fantasy options. With that said, I have been very impressed with Stuetzle's performance so far this year when I've watched him. His playmaking skills have looked great, and that's backed up by things like above-average shot assists and elite zone-entry rates. He has also looked stellar in his own end, and that's something a coach will notice, appreciate, and reward. I do think Norris is a very good player, but I think we see Stuetzle take over the top centre role by the start of next season, and Jimmy Stu out-points Norris the entire time.

Jakub Vrana finishes top-10 in goal rate in the league

Hey, remember that guy? In all the (very justified!) excitement over Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, we could only be a month away from a return from a guy that had eight goals and 11 points in 11 games last year following the trade. He is averaging 30 goals per 82 games over the last two seasons, and now he walks into a very good Detroit roster. While his lineup slotting could be an issue, Vrana has shown the ability to score at an elite rate at any spot in the roster. I think he comes back with a vengeance this season on a good Detroit team, and looks even better in October as the team around him keeps improving.

*

Auston Matthews was held out of practice on Monday due to a positive COVID rapid test and the team went with a brand-new top-6 mix:

Kerfoot has moved to centre with Mikheyev and Nylander in Matthews' absence today, Tavares between Bunting and Marner.

— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) January 3, 2022

Just keep an eye on the news for more updates.