If you're like me, you're wondering if skaters on your fantasy teams who are currently exceeding expectations can continue to do so, or if what we're seeing from them thus far simply is not sustainable. Let's put 20 of the players who are performing better than envisioned under the microscope to determine, by your votes, which ones are most likely to continue to maintain, or even exceed, their current production level.

For each player I've listed in parentheses his scoring pace as of November 30th. Your task is simple – vote for the player if you think he will stay at or above this level; otherwise, don't vote for him. Thus, you could vote for any, some, or even all players; it depends solely on how many you think can end the season at or above their current scoring pace. Note that the player does not have to necessarily tally as many points as he's on pace for, only maintain that pace on a per game basis. So an injury wouldn't be a disqualifier.

If you don't see a player listed, it's because – to me – either his scoring pace is far enough above and beyond what could be considered sustainable that I couldn't realistically list him, or he isn't defying expectations more than those who did make the cut. Or to put it another way, I wanted to pick players where this would be a closer call while also more of a surprise. As usual, a link to cast your votes appears at the end of the column. 

Here's some food for thought – of the 20 players who were choices in the same poll that I ran at almost exactly the same time last year, there were a few near misses; but when the dust settled, a mere one player stayed at or above his scoring rate by the end of the season.

Ivan Barbashev (Current Scoring Pace = 89)

Not only is Barbashev's producing far above his prior best of 61, but that season thus was the only one of his seven full seasons where his rate was above 45. On top of those factors, his SH% is 26.7%; but Barbashev has not once but twice finished a season with a SH% above 20%, so if anyone can maintain that high of a rate it's him. Still, he's barely above his TOI from last season his PP TOI is somehow down, suggesting this is a hot streak versus anything close to a new normal. But he's kept this up for a while, so you never know….

Sam Bennett (Current Scoring Pace = 79)

A player who normally saves his best for the playoffs, Bennett is scoring at a rate that would easily be a career high…..right when he's about to be a UFA. Given him thus far holding onto the second line center spot and getting his usual ~2:00+ of PP time, and of course visions of dollar signs, Bennett might be able to keep this up. 

Jesper Bratt (Current Scoring Pace = 94)

It sure seems like Bratt is firing on all cylinders. But many might forget he started 2023-24 with 36 points in 28 games yet slowed quite a bit, to finish with 83 points in 82 games. Could this be when Bratt truly makes a leap, or will yet again it end up being a case of a fast start followed by eventual renormalizing? Let's see what your votes say.

Macklin Celebrini (Current Scoring Pace = 77)

Considered somewhat of an afterthought first overall pick following Connor Bedard, and due to going to the Sharks, Celebrini is pacing now for a better rookie campaign than Bedard. Mac is over three SOG per game, on PP1, and he didn't struggle to find his rhythm after coming back from an injury that cost him a chunk of time. But will he hit the ever-looming rookie wall?

Anthony Cirelli (Current Scoring Pace = 82)

Always thought to have more talent than was reflected on the score sheet, Cirelli and linemate Brandon Hagel (spoiler alert – he isn't on the list because I see his pace as far too unsustainable) are clicking superbly. Cirelli is even over two SOG per game for the first time in his career. But if we look to his 20.5% SH% and 20.8% OZ%, not to mention a 5×5 team SH% of 14.0% at ES, it's difficult to envision his keeping this up.

Will Cuylle (Current Scoring Pace = 71)

After making far more noise as an agitator last season, for 2024-25 Cuylle is still hitting at a huge rate but lo and behold he's also scoring as part of a thriving Rangers third line. His TOI is still low and his SH% high, but he just keeps producing. We saw with Tanner Jeannot a few seasons ago that players like him can score. Perhaps Cuylle, who was a second round pick, might be on his way – unlike Jeannot seemingly – to becoming Tom Wilson 2.0? 

Nikolaj Ehlers (Current Scoring Pace = 85)

Yet again Ehlers is skating below 16:00 per game; but after never – not once – taking the ice for 50% of his team's PP minutes, he's been a PP1 fixture. Lo and behold it took him just 19 games to tally as many PPPts as he did in 82 last season. With this improved deployment, and motivation in playing for a UFA deal, Ehlers could continue to produce at the level we've seen thus far, that is if his current injury doesn't derail him.

Conor Garland (Current Scoring Pace = 75)

It seems like a lot longer ago than 2020-21 that Garland scored at a 65 point pace in Arizona, as since coming to Vancouver his scoring pace started at 55 points then was stuck at 49 in each of the last two seasons. But for 2024-25, he's getting heaps more TOI overall and on the PP. His SH% is high, but seemingly the huge TOI gains would seem to trump that.

Mikael Granlund (Current Scoring Pace = 92)

Eyebrows were raised when last season Granlund matched his career best scoring rate from 2017-18 despite being on the wrong side of 30 and playing for the Sharks. But guess what – he's doing even better now. I've said many times that "bad" teams can have productive scorers, in part because they aren't expected to win and thus can play a more wide-open style. With Granlund a UFA this summer, I'd not expect him to ease off the gas pedal.

Dylan Guenther (Current Scoring Pace = 72)

Last season Guenther proved he was NHL ready. For 2024-25 though, he looks like he's out to show he's a star in the making. He's seeing more PP TOI, where he thrived last season and is doing even better now. His overall TOI is a bit low overall though, and his SH% a bit high; but he's seemingly oozing with enough talent to have a real shot at keeping up this pace.

Travis Konecny (Current Scoring Pace = 98)

Many saw Konecny's point per game 2022-23 campaign as a stepping stone to greatness. But he followed it up with good but far from great 73-point pace last season. For 2024-25, Konecny has come out of the game scorching. Yes, his SH% is up a good bit, but his SOG per game is down, so he might be more selectively shooting. He's also seeing his highest ever overall and PP TOI per game, making his scoring jump more realistic to envision continuing. Of course he does play for a John Tortorella coached team, so that might cut into his production.

Anze Kopitar (Current Scoring Pace = 95)

Just when it appeared Kopitar might finally be slowing, he seems to have reinvented himself. In his current iteration, he's hardly shooting at all but with laser-like accuracy, plus he looks to have adopted a pass-first mentality ala Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin. Kopitar also still has great deployment, and he's even shed some PK time. Still, his OZ% is under 45%, his SH% is at 25.0% and his team 5×5 SH% and PDO would far eclipse his career bests, so this might just be a stretch of hot play that cannot be sustained.

Kirill Marchenko (Current Scoring Pace = 85)

Looking at his numbers, nothing really stands out as unsustainable. Also, his IPPs are rock solid and his TOI has crept up nicely without it negatively affecting his OZ%. This might indeed pass the sniff test in terms of sustainability.

Mason Marchment (Current Scoring Pace = 90)

Although Marchment has only gained 40 seconds of TOI versus last season, all of it – and then some – has been on the PP. Still, his SOG rate has stayed essentially unchanged and he did have a 22-game stretch of point-per-game hockey last season. With his TOI being as low as it is, I have a hard time envisioning him keeping up this pace.

Connor McMichael (Current Scoring Pace = 82)

Somewhat lost amid the resurgence of Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome is the fact McMichael has thrived. He's shooting a ton, and getting consistent top six deployment for the first time ever. Still, not playing alongside either of those two, except in some cases on the PP, plus his lack of track record, makes it more difficult to see this continuing. Then again, he's just below his breakout threshold, so this might just be…..a breakout we're witnessing.

Stefan Noesen (Current Scoring Pace = 67)

The nearly 32-year-old journeyman proved he was capable of being an NHL regular while he was with the Hurricanes, even earning time on PP1. Still, he didn't even have a point per every other game season to show for it. With the Devils, he's a PP1 fixture again and scoring consistently. But his overall TOI is barely above 15 minutes and his SH% at 25%, so this might be a case of a prolonged streak of hot play.

Mark Scheifele (Current Scoring Pace = 89)

If we look at Scheifele's scoring rates in his last eight seasons, it was 92 once (back in 2020-21), 69 once, but the other six times it was between 80 and 85. The issue is it was 69 last season, and that makes this big of a rebound more difficult to believe. Is he capable of sustaining this pace given his track record and age? Or did the red hot start from the Jets create a rising tide that lifted his boat? Tough to say.

Tim Stutzle (Current Scoring Pace = 103)

Healthy again, Stutzle looks even better than the player who had 90 points in 2022-23. The issue is we expected improvement from his 9.4% SH% last season, but he's now more than double that rate, suggesting it might not be sustainable. But he's shooting less, such that he might be sacrificing volume for accuracy. Also, his IPP on the PP is well below his normal rate, yet 13 of his 19 assists have been secondary. It's mixed signals, which may suggest that Stutzle is producing close to what he should be.

Jake Walman (Current Scoring Pace = 71)

Showing flashes of talent both in St. Louis and Detroit, Walman never really got a chance to strut his stuff, so to speak. But the San Jose blueline needed all the help it could get, including on the PP, and Walman seems to have stepped up. But to reach this level he's tallied 17 points in his last 13 games. Still, "thanks" to his cold start he doesn't have to maintain that rate to stay at his scoring level.

Zach Werenski (Current Scoring Pace = 89)

Some might figure this torrid scoring pace from Werenski is coming from out of nowhere; but if we compare his first 20 games this season to his last from 2023-24, they're remarkably similar, with Werenski having one added point but also more TOI both at ES and on the PP, and more SOG per game. It seems like Weresnki has arrived among the elite NHL d-men; yet the risk with him always is whether he can stay healthy, since that could negatively affect his scoring after he returns from injury.

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First off, if you have many of these players on your teams, a stick tap to you for what has likely been a very nice ride so far. But will it continue? Again, it's for your votes to deicide. You should vote for however many players you believe will finish the season with a scoring rate that is at or above the rate they're at now. Click here to cast your vote(s).

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Questions for Mailbag Column

My monthly mailbag runs next week and I definitely need more questions. To get yours to me, you can either private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.