Combining his own perspective with what he’s heard from people in and around the sport, Senior NHL Writer John Matisz breaks down the hot topics sweeping across the hockey landscape.
The Hart Trophy belongs to MacKinnon – for now
On the surface, the first Hart Trophy debate isn’t much of a debate.
Nathan MacKinnon, the best player on the best team in the NHL, leads the league in goals (19) and points (41). The ultra-assertive and capable center runs the Avalanche offense, constantly funneling pucks into the slot for his teammates or making his way to the net himself. No slouch defensively, he owns a plus-25 goal differential at five-on-five in just 23 games.
MacKinnon, the 2023-24 Hart winner, is the obvious choice for MVP – at least, for now.
There’s no crystal ball for this sort of thing, but MacKinnon’s challengers could come up with more compelling storylines by the end of the season.
Teenager Macklin Celebrini is downright dominant. His 36 points in 25 games are only part of his nightly impact. If the Sharks stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff race, Celebrini’s overall value will be undeniable.
20-year-old Connor Bedard is also on a team that isn’t expected to make the playoffs, but could be dragged into it. Surprisingly, he is behind MacKinnon in primary points, having compiled 14 goals and 15 first assists for the Blackhawks.
Jack Eichel’s case revolves around his five-on-five on/off splits. With Eichel on the ice, the Golden Knights outscored the opposition 24-14. Without him: they are down 30-22.
Dylan Larkin is relied on for heavy defensive minutes, but he leads the Red Wings in points and ranks first in the NHL in expected individual goals.
Connor McDavid recently entered the conversation thanks to a 20-point November. He had just seven fewer points than MacKinnon while playing for the Oilers.
Geekie is the Kraken’s loss, the Bruins’ gain
Morgan Geekie leads all NHL scorers in 2025: 43 marksmen in 69 games.
This amusing anecdote represents a gigantic achievement for the Bruins, who signed Geekie in 2023 as a 24-year-old unrestricted free agent.
Geekie had earned UFA status at such a young age because his former team, the Kraken, did not make him a qualifying offer after extension negotiations cooled. Players who don’t receive OQs tend to be disposable – which Geekie decidedly wasn’t, even though he hadn’t really broken through at the NHL level yet.
It was a strange decision by then-general manager Ron Francis, and it looks much worse in hindsight. Seattle, whose 2.57 goals per game ranks 30th out of 32 teams, desperately needs a sharpshooter like Geekie. (Francis and Geekie have a long history. The executive acquired him in the 2017 entry draft as general manager of the Hurricanes and again in the 2021 Kraken expansion draft.)
Geekie received interest from seven teams in free agency in 2023, ultimately choosing the Bruins and a two-year, $4 million deal for the on-ice fit and Original Six environment. Boston has become my home. The winger from the small town of Strathclair, Manitoba, signed a six-year extension worth $33 million in June.
Geekie and superstar David Pastrnak (41 goals since January 1) are a deadly double up front. “He has everything to score 50 (goals) in this championship,” Pastrnak told reporters in October. “I keep telling him, reminding him that he’s got a hell of a shot and he’s got the instinct to score. So, he’ll get it one day. The shot he has, it’s unbelievable. He’s the best on our team.”
Geekie recorded the most powerful shot of the NHL season: 103.3 mph on November 11.
The path from no QO to high impact player is rarely traveled. Lately, Geekie, Dylan Strome (Chicago to Washington) and Carter Verhaeghe (Tampa Bay to Florida) have taken it.
Can the Islanders become Stars 2.0?
In September, Mat Barzal was asked about the Islanders entering a new era with general manager Mathieu Darche, hired in May, making three first-round picks.
“With the draft we just did and some of the other kids we’ll bring in over the next two or three years, I see us having a good team this year, and I see us having a Dallas mix,” Barzal said during the NHL/NHLPA player media tour.
My eyebrows rose. The stars? Barzal thinks the Islanders can imitate the Stars?!
“They have (Matt) Duchene, (Tyler) Seguin and (Jamie) Benn, who are still the engine of this team,” the center continued. “And then you have (Miro) Heiskanen, (Jason) Robertson, (Roope) Hintz and (Wyatt) Johnston coming in later. With myself, (Bo) Horvat and some of the older guys, (we have that veteran core), and hopefully those young guys can come in and be like the young players in Dallas This team could have easily won a Cup the last two years, right?
Let’s be clear: 13-9-3 New York is certainly not a Cup contender like Dallas.
Still, the Barzal comparison makes a lot more sense now that we’ve seen the incredible Matthew Schaefer in action. Perhaps if Darche plays his cards right over the next few years, the Islands can evolve into a version of the Stars.
Blue Jackets State 11-9-5
Blue Jackets fans let me know that Columbus was the only relevant team I didn’t write about in an article. Thanksgiving Recording History published Thursday.
Fair enough. Here are some thoughts on the team coached by Dean Evason.
Kirill Marchenko reigns: The Russian winger has that rock-star vibe – quick feet, silky hands, shooting a ball, 6-foot-3, long hair, tucked-in jersey. Marchenko is second in the NHL in running-generated scoring chances per game because he carries the puck well and executes high-end plays. Although he is currently dealing with an upper-body injury on a daily basis, Marchenko is trending toward a career-high in points after recording eight goals and 14 assists in 22 games.
Yegor Chinakhov is stuck: It is well documented that the attacker and Evason do not get along. Chinakhov, who requested a trade this offseason, saw his nightly usage drop from 15:43 per game last season to 10:21. The stalemate hurts the player more than the team. Columbus is getting by without a big contribution from Chinakhov, and their rivals aren’t willing to give up much for a 24-year-old who failed to finish his first match on penalties.
Jet Greaves might be the guy: Elvis Merzlikins was too inconsistent during his career. Daniil Tarasov was constantly dealing with injuries before leaving for free agency. Can Greaves solve the Blue Jackets’ goaltending woes? He has a .915 save percentage in 37 career games, which is well above the league average. There are no major flaws in his game. Greaves, 24 and undrafted due to size issues, is obviously a tireless worker and beloved teammate.
Matheson deal guarantees strong top 4
The Canadians sign Mike Matheson signed a five-year, $30 million contract extension Friday. He will be 32 when the deal kicks in next season.
There’s a small chance that Montreal ends up not liking the $6 million cap hit over the past two years. That said, this is generally a low-risk, high-upside trade. Matheson, a smooth-skating two-way defenseman, has aged gracefully thus far.
Matheson, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle will together earn $29.85 million per year, or 29% of the projected $104 million salary cap for 2026-27. Matheson and Guhle are signed through 2030-31, while Dobson and Hutson are on duty after 2032-33 and 2033-34, respectively.
It’s money well spent considering the talent level and versatility.
Second line centers are all the rage
For years, right-handed defensemen have been the hot commodity everyone was talking about as the trade deadline approached. There never seemed to be enough good ones to properly fill out the league’s blue lines.
The second-line centers are the new RHDs. A large portion of teams experience a steep decline after the frontline center. Even the Hurricanes, Canadiens, Wild and Flyers – all of whom are currently in the top 10 in points percentage – would all benefit greatly from an upgrade to 2C.
It’ll be fascinating to see what kind of packages the veteran top-six centers (think Ryan O’Reilly and Nazem Kadri) order before the March 6 deadline.
A bigger and better prospective event in November
The NHL prospect landscape changed forever last fall when the NCAA lifted its ban on Canadian Hockey League players. Hundreds of players, including several top prospects, have changed leagues over the past year, and leagues have been forced to reposition themselves on the recruiting circuit.
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge took place this week in Alberta. The two-game scouting showcase will pit draft-eligible prospects from all three CHL leagues (OHL, QMJHL, WHL) against members of the U.S. National Team Development Program.
An NHLPA agent shared a better idea via text message: Why not expand the scope of the event and hold a five-team prospects tournament every November? The OHL, QMJHL and WHL could each field a team, with the USNTDP as the fourth group, and the fifth could be a mix of players from the closely related USHL and NCAA.
This supercharged version of the prospect challenge would accomplish three things: create legitimate early-season buzz for the draft, celebrate what each league has to offer, and give NHL scouts more valuable opportunities to observe players.
Should the NHL follow the PWHL’s lead?
Reader BrokenEars recently asked about the NHL points system:
Are there plans for the NHL to adopt the highly successful 3-2-1-0 scoring system from the Professional Women’s Hockey League because it incentivizes teams to win in regulation?
The league does not intend to award three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, and one point for an overtime loss – as the PWHL does – even though that is probably the most sensible way to distribute points in the standings.
The NHL loves its current 2-0-1 system (two points for a win of any kind, zero for a regulation loss, one for an overtime loss) because the loser’s point allows a group of teams to stay in the playoff race. This season has seen an unusually high number of overtime games and the standings are a mess.
Parity, even if artificially created, gives hope. Hope is selling tickets. The NHL’s financial results are more dependent on gate revenue than other major professional leagues.
What do you want to know, hockey fans?
There are three ways to submit a question for future editions of the NHL Inbox.
