The Carolina Hurricanes captured their second Stanley Cup in franchise history and first since 2006 with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6. After trailing 3-0 midway through Game 3 of the Final, Carolina responded by winning four of the next five games to secure the championship. The Hurricanes finished the postseason with an impressive 16-3 record, with Frederik Andersen notching 13 of those wins before being pulled in Game 3. That opened the door for Brandon Bussi, who quickly emerged as one of the biggest stories of the playoffs. The rookie netminder delivered three consecutive victories to close out the series, including a 22-save shutout performance in the Cup-clinching game.

Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading Carolina’s championship run. At 37 years old, he became the oldest player ever to win the award. He finished the Finals with six goals against Vegas and was arguably the backbone of the Hurricanes throughout the postseason.  In a great moment after lifting the Cup, he proceeded to hand the Cup off to Fredrik Andersen who then also passed it on to Taylor Hall.

Along with Jordan Staal’s dominant playoff performance, Carolina’s second line of Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Logan Stankoven played a massive role in the team’s championship run. The trio was once again at the center of the offense in Game 6, with Hall opening the scoring, Blake adding a goal and an assist, and Stankoven contributing a helper. That line consistently drove play at even strength and created scoring chances throughout the series. Their ability to generate offense gave Carolina a dangerous secondary attack and prevented opponents from focusing solely on slowing down the first line. As the playoffs progressed, Hall, Blake, and Stankoven established themselves as one of the most effective lines in the league and were a major reason behind Carolina’s postseason success.

Despite being shutout, Vegas generated enough quality chances to make the game far more competitive than the score suggests. The Golden Knights finished with just 22 shots on goal, but there was no shortage of chances for Vegas. Jack Eichel came inches away from cutting into the lead when he blasted a one-timer off a Mark Stone feed on a 2-on-0 rush, only to ring the shot off the crossbar with much of the upper half of the net open. Late in the third period, Tomas Hertl appeared destined to score after collecting a rebound from a Shea Theodore point shot with Brandon Bussi down and scrambling, but the Hurricanes netminder made one of the biggest saves of the night to preserve the shutout.

Mitch Marner cooled off at the worst possible time, going pointless over the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final and finishing Game 6 at minus-three. Even with that late dip in production, he still wrapped up the playoffs as the league's leading scorer with 29 points, narrowly edging out Jack Eichel, who finished second with 22.

There's a real conversation to be had about how that closing stretch may have impacted his shot at the Conn Smythe Trophy. For most of the run, Marner looked like the clear front-runner given his play-driving, power-play impact, and consistent point production, but a quiet finish in a Cup-clinching series tends to stick out. Had Marner posted a few points in the last two games, it may have kept the door open for him to secure the award. In the end, Carolina controlled the spotlight when it mattered most, and that usually tilts individual hardware toward players on the winning side who close strong.

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Continuing from last week's article tracking power-play usage, there are a few more players worth digging into, so let's get right into it.

Jake DeBrusk

Jake DeBrusk posted some of the best power play numbers of his career despite playing on a Vancouver team that saw significant regression from several key players. DeBrusk’s powerplay production profile is backed by legitimate offensive involvement.  He historically averaged between 2.3 and 2.8 shots per game while maintaining a S% generally between 13% and 18%. His fantasy value has always been tied to goal scoring, and that remained true this season in Vancouver, where his role was supported by strong shot generation and finishing ability – two areas that have remained remarkably consistent throughout his career.

What makes next season particularly interesting is obviously the removal of Quinn Hughes. Hughes was not just Vancouver’s best defenseman, he was the team’s best player. When a team loses a defenseman capable of producing 70-plus assists while controlling over half the puck touches on a power play, there are ripple effects throughout the entire lineup. So, before I go on, I want to stress that Quinn Hughes' departure is a big deal but the question is whether the environment around DeBrusk can continue supporting the production he saw this past season. Interestingly enough, DeBrusk’s specific role may be less affected than many of his teammates. Here me out here. DeBrusk is not the player responsible for creating offense. He is the player responsible for finishing it. Historically, net-front and bumper players tend to be less dependent on who quarterbacks the power play because their production comes from high-danger opportunities around the crease. Yes, the situation may be different now that Quinn Hughes is not there however, I also expect to see a bounce-back season from Elias Pettersson after being limited to just 51 points, which should help elevate the overall effectiveness of the Canucks’ power play and create more opportunities for everyone involved. What I would question is whether the overall environment can support another career-best power play season by Jake Debrusk. Without Quinn Hughes driving the attack, expecting significant growth beyond his recent production may be optimistic however, DeBrusk’s power play value appears to be role-driven rather than quarterback-driven. However, without Hughes elevating the entire unit, expecting another career-best power play season may be optimistic. The production looks largely sustainable, but the team context likely caps his upside more than his individual talent does.

Luke Hughes

Powerplay production was nearly even between the Luke Hughes and Douge Hamilton last season, with Hamilton averaging 2:04 of power play TOI per game and Hughes averaging 2:02. Hamilton recorded 14 power play points in 77 games and Hughes finishing with 13 in 68 games. The case for Hamilton retaining the role begins with his offensive profile. Even at 33 years old, he remains one of the league’s more active shooting defensemen, finishing with 200 shots and 2.6 shots per game compared to Hughes’ 149 shots and 2.2 shots per game. That shooting ability remains a valuable weapon on the power play as it forces penalty killers to respect the point shot, creating additional space for players like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier to operate. Hamilton’s offensive game remains built around direct scoring threats, while Hughes functions more as a puck transporter and facilitator.

At the same time, the long-term trend points increasingly toward Hughes. While Hamilton’s raw production remains solid, Hughes’ underlying involvement on the power play continues to climb. His 72.2% PPIPP was significantly higher than Hamilton’s 56%. Hamilton’s injury history also creates another layer of uncertainty. While he played 77 games last season, he appeared in just 20 games during 2023-24 and 64 games in 2024-25. The injuries have not completely derailed his effectiveness, but they are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as he moves further into his thirties. New Jersey has every reason to gradually increase Hughes’ responsibilities rather than waiting for Hamilton’s play to decline.

Looking ahead, we may see a scenario where Hamilton enters the season as the favorite to begin on the top unit simply because he has not played poorly enough to lose the job. Let's also not forget that new GM Sunny Mehta may have a different outlook on how things look on the backend. For now, however, if Hughes continues developing and maintains his current level of offensive involvement, there is a very realistic path for him to become New Jersey’s primary power play quarterback by the end of the season. The real question is not whether Hughes eventually surpasses Hamilton on the depth chart. Based on the current trends, it feels less like a matter of if and more like a matter of when.

Sam Reinhart

When looking at Reinhart’s production, it’s important to remember just how much adversity Florida dealt with throughout the season. Aleksander Barkov missed the entire year, Matthew Tkachuk appeared in just 31 games, Brad Marchand played only 52 games, Seth Jones was limited to 52 games, and Reinhart himself missed 18 games. Despite all of that, Reinhart still produced 61 points in 64 games, a 78-point pace, while recording 11 power play goals and 25 power play points. On a per-game basis, his 0.39 PPP/GP was nearly identical to the 0.38 PPP/GP he posted the previous season and only slightly below the 0.41 PPP/GP from his 94-point campaign in 2023-24. This season’s 4:10 PPTOI per game was the highest mark of his career and his PPIPP came in at 65.8%, which was slightly below the 68.0% he posted during his 57-goal season but remains well above league average. His shot generation also remained extremely strong at 7.3 SOG/60, continuing a four-year stretch where he has consistently operated between 7.3 and 8.4 SOG/60. Players producing power play goals at Reinhart’s level typically need strong shot generation, and his numbers show no meaningful decline.

Reinhart converted on 24.5% of his shots during his 57-goal campaign and his S% has dropped year-over-year since then. While nobody should expect another 24.5% season, the current number is much closer to his career norm. More importantly, his shot volume remained intact. He still generated 165 shots in just 64 games, which translates to a 211-shot pace over a full season. The opportunities remain there. Reinhart’s best power play linemate this year was actually Brad Marchand, who was involved in 20 of his 25 power play points despite playing only 52 games. A fully healthy group featuring anyone of Matthew Tkachuk, Brand Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, and Seth Jones along with Sam Reinhart would provide more than enough offensive support than he had this season.

Reinhart's deployment is still elite, the shot volume continues to be there, and his involvement in Florida’s man-advantage offense remains at an elite level. Assuming the Panthers stay healthy, there’s a strong chance Reinhart pushes back above the 30 power-play point mark and finishes among the NHL’s top fantasy producers with the extra man.

Mika Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad‘s 35 power-play points were the second-highest total of his career and a reminder that he remains one of the Rangers’ primary weapons with the man advantage. He averaged over three minutes of power-play ice time per game, consistently saw 70-75% of the team’s available power-play opportunities, and continued to operate as the top shooting threat on PP1. His PPIPP remained strong, his shot generation held steady, and, as has been the case throughout his career, most of his value came from goal scoring rather than playmaking.

The concern is not the role. The concern is the environment around it. Artemi Panarin‘s departure removes one of the league’s premier power-play facilitators and the player who helped create a significant portion of Zibanejad’s opportunities. While the Rangers will continue to funnel chances through Zibanejad as their primary finisher, expecting another 35-point season without that level of playmaking support may be unrealistic. During most of his prime, Zibanejad has typically landed in the 20-30 PPP range, only pushing beyond that when the Rangers’ power play operated at an elite level.

There is still plenty of talent on the top unit. Alexis Lafreniere should take on a larger offensive role, Adam Fox remains one of the NHL’s elite power-play quarterbacks, Vincent Trocheck continues to provide a net-front presence, J.T. Miller is a strong bounce-back candidate after a disappointing 53-point season, and Gabe Perreault could eventually add another layer of skill. The Rangers should still ice a quality first unit, but replacing Panarin’s ability to drive possession and create offense will not be easy. The role remains highly sustainable buy the elite production is less certain. A regression from last season’s 35 power-play points is the most likely outcome, with a return to the 25-30 PPP range appears far more realistic. Zibanejad should still provide above-average power-play value, but the margin for error is considerably smaller without Panarin driving the attack.

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!