The 2026-27 NHL season is more than a month old, and several players have either taken a major leap forward or bounced back from disappointing recent seasons. Their improved play has lifted their teams and made for an exciting start to the campaign.
The analysis looks beyond raw production to focus on how players control the game, affect play in a more meaningful way, earn larger roles in the lineup and thrive. Scoring is part of the picture, but becoming a more impactful player is likely to be more sustainable than benefiting from an elevated shooting percentage.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews looks like his dominant self again after two seasons of declining production and game control. He has scored nine goals through 14 games, pacing for 54 goals and 120 points. NHL Edge data shows his skating has improved markedly, and his off-puck work on the forecheck is driving turnovers and scoring chances. Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson has also shown signs of revival under a new coaching staff. He is drawing penalties at an elite rate, has already matched his power-play goal total from last season, and ranks among the NHL's top five in blocked shots by forwards.
For Vancouver, Pettersson's resurgence gives the rebuilding club a legitimate top-six option, particularly if first-round pick Caleb Malhotra develops into a top-line center. Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark rounds out the list of players whose early-season form is reshaping their teams' outlooks.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing