2 weeks Ago By Adam Gretz
Goal scorers tend to get the most attention in the NHL, but there is also a lot to be said for the players who help set them up. Today, we are going to focus on the playmakers and take a team-by-team look to try and project which player is going to end the 2024-25 NHL season leading their team in assists. Some of them should be pretty obvious, because they are some of the best playmakers in the NHL and have consistently led their team in recent years.
Some might not be as obvious and could be on the verge of a breakout season. Here are the players we like for each team this season when it comes to setting up their teammates for goals. Zegras entered play on Saturday with just one assist in his first six games this season, and his 2023-24 season was a massive disappointment.
But that season was also a perfect storm of problems all meeting at that same place as a holdout, injuries and bad luck all combined to result in a major step backward for his development. Maybe this is just a hunch, but Zegras should be primed for a bounce-back year, especially if some of the Ducks' other young players can also take steps forward and step up their game from a finishing perspective. Zegras led the Ducks in assists during the 2022-23 season and is one of the most talented and gifted playmakers on the team.
He might have his flaws and areas to improve defensively, but the offensive talent is there. I am betting on it showing itself more this season. Pastrnak is not just the Bruins' best goal-scorer.
He is also their best playmaker, and by extension of that, the best overall player on the team. He is also one of the best overall offensive players in the entire NHL whether he is shooting the puck or setting up his teammates. He has led the Bruins in assists two years in a row, a stretch that has seen him record 31 more helpers than any other player on the Bruins' roster.
Outside of Brad Marchand (the No. 2 player on that list), nobody else on the roster is within 35 helpers of him. His 115 total assists are also 16th in the NHL during that stretch.
Barring injury, he should lead the Bruins in every major offensive category once again. It is never easy to get a good return back when you trade a superstar talent, but for all of the issues the Buffalo Sabres have had over the past decade-and-a-half in rebuilding their roster, they did do fairly well for themselves in the Jack Eichel trade. The key piece of that return was Alex Tuch, a player who is not only a bona fide top-line scorer but also seemed to be legitimately excited to be a part of the Sabres' rebuild.
Over the previous three seasons, his 1.67 assists per 60 minutes were the second-most among any Sabres player, with the only player ahead of him being center Casey Mittelstadt, who no longer plays on the team after being traded to Colorado at last year's trade deadline. Tuch has averaged 45 assists per 82 games since joining the Sabres, and the only other player who might be a contender to top such a number is defenseman Rasmus Dahlin if he really puts together a big season.
He is off to a slow start with only two helpers in eight games, however. After a somewhat disappointing debut season with the Flames in 2022-23, Kadri bounced back in 2023-24 with a huge year offensively that saw him record 46 assists and 75 total points in 82 games to make him one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing team. He might be in his age-34 season, but he can still produce and is arguably the best offensive player on this roster.
The Flames probably imagined that Jonathan Huberdeau would be their top playmaker when they acquired him a couple of years ago, but his offensive game has completely disappeared upon arriving in Calgary. Kadri is the player driving the offense here. Aho is the Hurricanes' best overall offensive player and is coming off a 2023-24 season that saw him match his career high with 53 helpers.
He is also one of the Hurricanes' most efficient playmakers, averaging 1.71 assists per 60 minutes and 1.15 primary assists.
He is a fantastic player and has consistently led the Hurricanes in assists throughout his career. On the rare occasion that he has not, he has usually only been a couple off the pace. Carolina's offense runs through him, and he is at a point in his career where he should be right in the middle of his peak years offensively.
Do not be surprised if he sets a new career high this season and again leads the Hurricanes. The question is not whether or not Bedard is going to lead the Blackhawks in assists, but how long it will be before he starts challenging the top of the NHL leaderboard. He led Chicago in assists during the 2023-24 season despite being an 18-year-old rookie, and missing 14 games due to injury.
Now he has a full year in the NHL under his belt, some better talent around him, and he already has six assists in his first eight games entering play on Saturday. He is well on his way to becoming a superstar, and the numbers should be jump off the page starting this season. Defenseman Cale Makar would have been a good choice here given his talent level and the insane start he is off to, but how do you bet against MacKinnon here? Especially as his assist numbers have gradually increased in each of the past four seasons, reaching a career high of 89 during the 2023-24 season.
If the Avalanche eventually get Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin back he might be able to have enough offensive talent around him to make a run at 100 assists this season. He has 214 over the past three seasons, a number that trails only Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov. The big issue for Werenski in his career has been the fact he has missed a lot of games due to injury.
But when he is on the ice, he is an outstanding playmaker from the blue line, and given the lack of playmakers and how thin the Blue Jackets roster is he should get plenty of opportunities to play big minutes and rack up points. A lot of their offense is going to run through him, and when he had a chance to actually play a full season during the 2023-24 season, he recorded 46 assists. He's a good player who is going to be relied upon for a lot and put into positions where he can provide offense.
Robertson is a bona fide star at the top of the Dallas lineup and has become one of the most exciting and entertaining players in the NHL. His combination of speed, vision, creativity and playmaking makes him a must-see player every time he steps on the ice, and all of that comes together for one of the most productive forwards in the NHL. He has led the Stars in assists two years in a row and even though he had just two through his first eight games it would be a mild upset and surprise if he did not end up at the top of the Stars' leaderboard again this season.
The Detroit Red Wings rebuild is taking longer than most people would like to see, and there are still some very real concerns here as it relates to their ability to prevent goals. They do still have a few really good young players to build around, and Raymond has become one of them. His play was one of the few bright spots for the team during the 2023-24 season, and he looks like he should be well on his way toward being one of their cornerstone building blocks.
He set career highs across the board in 2023-24 and could do so again in 2024-25. Especially if the team around him gets better. There are some of these that you do not really need to overthink.
This is one of them. As long as Connor McDavid is healthy enough to play something close to a full season he is going to lead the Oilers in assists, points and be one of the top players in the NHL in both categories. McDavid has 40 more assists than any player in the NHL since the start of the 2021-22 season.
The most dominant offensive player in the world. Do not overthink it. Tkachuk is known for his goal-scoring, physical play and role as a pest, but he is also a sensational playmaker.
He is the total package as a top-line forward in the NHL. When it comes to his playmaking he has topped the 60-assist mark in each of the past three seasons, and has led the Panthers in assists in his first two full seasons with the team. He should make it three in a row this season while also scoring 30 goals, driving possession and getting under the skin of every opponent he plays.
Truly one of the best overall players in the entire league. Taking a little bit of a leap of faith with this one. The Kings have some outstanding proven players on their roster and some excellent playmakers.
Anze Kopitar is a future Hall of Famer. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala have turned into bona fide top-line scorers. But I am going to do a little bit of projection here and go with Byfield as the Kings' leading assister when this season is completed.
He took a huge step forward in 2023-24 with 35 helpers, and I just think he is ready to take an even bigger step forward this season. He has the talent, he is getting better and he has a good supporting cast around him. Do not be discouraged by his slow start.
He is the real deal. Kaprizov is, at worst, the second-best offensive player the Wild have ever had, and it is getting close to being a coin flip between him and Marian Gaborik (prime Gaborik was incredible, in case you have forgotten). At the moment, he is without question the best player on the Wild roster and one of the best players in the entire league.
He scores goals, he sets up goals, and he is the engine that completely drives their offense. He is also off to a sensational start with 11 assists in the Wild's first eight games through play on Saturday. He has topped 50 assists in two of the past three seasons and is on pace to easily top that number this season.
Nobody on the Wild is going to match him. The Canadiens do not have a lot going for them at the moment, but they do have the makings of a sensational top line with Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. The Suzuki-Caufield connection is already clicking this season, with Caufield leading the team with seven goals through Saturday and Suzuki leading the team with seven assists.
It is a good foundation to build around, and with both players starting to hit their peak years in the NHL they should be able to team up for quite a few goals this season. Caufield is the finisher. Suzuki is the playmaker.
It is going to make some magic, even if the rest of the team does not. Suzuki had 44 assists a year ago (second on the team only to defenseman Mike Matheson) but with the talent around him on the top line 50 or 60 is not out of the question this season. Josi is one of the best offensive defensemen of his era and is currently in the middle of a stretch that has seen him lead the Predators in assists five years in a row.
There are only a handful of defenders in the league who can move the puck and drive an entire offense the way he can, and he really has not shown many signs of slowing down. The Predators got off to a slow start this season, but there is too much talent on this roster for that to continue. They have already started to pick it up with three consecutive wins entering the week.
Josi is an elite player with fantastic playmaking skills, and now his roster has a couple of proven 40-goal scorers (Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault) added to it. Assuming he plays enough games, 50 or 60 assists should be the expectation for him this season and another year at the top of the Predators' team leaderboard. The big issue with Hughes in his career has simply been staying healthy enough to play a full season.
Injuries have robbed him of significant portions of his career to this point, but when he is on the ice there is no denying his talent and upside. He is one of the best offensive players in the league. Over the previous three seasons, he has averaged 2.
06 assists per 60 minutes (all situations), a rate that not only leads all Devils players but is also 18th in the entire NHL out of 852 players who logged at least 500 minutes of ice time. If he could ever play a full season his overall counting numbers would be among the best in the league. The Devils just have to make sure he stays on the ice.
The Islanders have not had a lot going for themselves offensively in recent years, consistently rating as one of the worst-scoring teams in the NHL (even when they make the playoffs). They do have a couple of bright spots, however. Mathew Barzal is a great playmaker at forward.
Brock Nelson has been a top-line goal-scorer. And Noah Dobson has blossomed into one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL despite not having a great offensive system or a lot of finishers around him. Dobson's production has consistently improved every year he has been in the league, continuing with a breakout season in 2023-24 that saw him record 60 assists and 70 total points.
A lot of their offense is going to run through him at both even-strength and on the power play, and while 60 assists might be a high bar for him to reach again, he should be able to pace the Islanders' offense. Panarin has been one of the best free-agent success stories in the salary-cap era and has been worth every penny the New York Rangers have paid to him from the moment he arrived. He has put together some of the best offensive seasons in Rangers history, is an MVP-caliber player and scorer, and is the best non-goaltender on the roster.
He has recorded at least 63 assists in each of the past three seasons, including two years with more than 70 assists. He already has nine in his first eight games this season through Saturday and given the way he produces in all situations, and especially as a part of the Rangers' power play, 60 assists should be the expectation again. It would not be a surprise if he topped 70 again.
Nobody else on this team is going to come close to that production. The Senators rebuild has been a bit rocky at times, but the Erik Karlsson trade worked out better than anybody could have possibly hoped. It not only brought them a top-six forward in Josh Norris (when he is healthy), it also landed them the first-round draft pick that became a No.
3 selection where they picked Tim Stutzle. Stutzle has rapidly blossomed into one of the league's best young players and a top-tier playmaker. He has topped the 50-assist mark in each of the past two seasons and is now entering the point in his career (his age-24 season) where he should really start reaching his peak levels of offense.
The Senators have some good players around him at the top of the lineup, and 60 assists should be a reasonable expectation given what he has already done in the NHL. Why not a rookie? Especially when the rookie is already this good. Michkov has only played a handful of games for the Flyers, but he is already justifying the hype and not only looks like a Calder Trophy front-runner, but he looks like he might already be one of the best players on the Flyers roster.
They still have to build around him, but he looks like he has a chance to completely change the short-term and long-term trajectory of the Flyers organization. He has that sort of talent and potential. Something looks very off with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby so far this season.
They are not just losing games, they are getting embarrassed, and the Crosby line has been especially off as they try to find wingers that can keep up with him. Still, you do not want to bet against Crosby over a full season. The team might not be good anymore, he might not have Jake Guentzel on his wing anymore, and he might be getting closer to the end of his career than he is to his prime.
But he can still play at a high level, and at some point, things are going to click for him and he is going to start scoring again. He had 52 assists and 94 points a year ago. He did not just suddenly forget how to create offense.
The Sharks are in for another long year during this ongoing rebuild, and they are 0-7-2 through Saturday's games. But they did try to make an effort to add some legitimate NHL talent this offseason, and Toffoli was the best of those additions (excluding No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini).
Toffoli has not always posted huge assists numbers in his career, but somebody has to get the points and create offense here and Toffoli is probably the best, most-proven player on this roster right now. He could have a big year just because he is going to play a lot of minutes, get a lot of power play time and play in the most offensive situations. Mikael Granlund is having a better start, but I would not anticipate that continuing, and Toffoli is more likely to finish the season in San Jose without getting traded.
Joining the Seattle Kraken has been the best thing for McCann on an individual level, as he has reached his full potential and become a top-line producer. His shot is his best offensive skill and has resulted in him scoring a lot of goals with the Kraken, but he is also a good enough playmaker to make a push for 40 assists. Seattle is not a great offensive team and does not have a ton of top-line talent, and they are still waiting for their top young players to take a big step forward, but McCann should be able to put up some big numbers as both a goal scorer and puck distributor.
Defenseman Vince Dunn was going to be the initial pick here, but his injury situation is going to put him a little behind and might make it difficult for him to catch up. The word "underrated" gets thrown around way too easily in the NHL, but Thomas might be a player who is legitimately in the "underrated" category. The consistent mediocrity of the Blues in recent years, combined with the lack of a high-scoring offense as a team, has kind of hidden just how productive Thomas is, especially as a playmaker.
Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, Thomas has been one of the league's best and most efficient playmakers in hockey. His 2.19 assists per 60 minutes are 13th in the NHL during that span, while his 1.
35 primary assists per 60 minutes are also 13th in the league. That is out of nearly 900 players with at least 500 minutes of ice time. He seems to be a lock for at least 50 assists and could probably be capable of 60 or more with some better finishing talent around him.
Like McDavid in Edmonton this is one you do not need to overthink. Kucherov has topped the 80-assist mark three times in the past six years, including each of the past two seasons. He hit triple-digits during the 2023-24 season with 100 of them and is one of the great offensive players of his era.
Expecting 100 assists for a second year in a row is setting an unrealistic bar. But 60 or 70 seems well within reach, and perhaps even 80 again. Whatever number he ends up reaching it is hard to imagine somebody else on Tampa Bay topping it this season.
He is that good. There might not be a player in the NHL under more pressure this season than Mitch Marner. He is playing for a new contract, he has the pressure that everybody in Toronto has when it comes to winning in the playoffs, and everything that goes wrong in the biggest games for the Maple Leafs always seems to be thrown back on him.
Maybe Toronto's core needs a shakeup. Maybe the Maple Leafs do not have "it" when it comes to winning a Stanley Cup. Maybe Marner needs to go somewhere else with less pressure.
Maybe all of that is true. But do you know what else is also true? Marner is still a good player, and a productive player, and he is going to set up a lot of goals. He already has with nine assists in the Maple Leafs' first nine games.
He will do what he always does and finish with 60-70 assists in the regular season, and then face the pressure that is the playoffs. That is all anybody will care about. Utah has cooled off a little after that fast start, and injuries to the defense have not helped.
There is still a lot of intriguing talent here, and Cooley is at the top of that list. He really started to come on strong in the second half of the 2023-24 season, and is off to a very strong start this season with six assists in his first nine games through Saturday's actions. Aside from the numbers, Cooley just seems to pass the eye test every time you watch him play.
He has the confidence, the vision and the skill to be a true top-line player in the NHL, and he is still only 20 years old. Between Cooley and Dyaln Guenther Utah has two potential cornerstone forwards to build around long-term. With all due respect to Cale Makar, Adam Fox and Roman Josi, Hughes has become the best playmaking defenseman in the NHL.
He has gone from 60, to 69, to 75 assists over the past three seasons, and during that time he is the only defensemen in the NHL that has averaged at least two assists per 60 minutes. He has great talent around him, he plays in a fun system that is geared toward offense, and he could absolutely see another jump forward this season and potentially reach the 80-assist mark. He is the reigning Norris Trophy winner, is still only 25 years old, and might have another Norris Trophy in his future.
Eichel has pretty much been a point-per-game player since arriving in Vegas and helped produce a Stanley Cup. His overall numbers have not always been on a superstar level, but he has missed a lot of games and dealt with a lot of injuries in his career. Even so, he produces and he is a top-line center for a contender.
He is also off to a great start with 12 assists in his first nine games and is on an early pace to shatter his previous career high. Mark Stone would be a good candidate for Vegas to lead them in assists, especially given his start, but you have to assume at some point he is going to miss 20-30 games because that is just what happens here. With that in mind, Eichel is our pick.
The Capitals snuck into the playoffs a year ago with a lot of smoke and mirrors and unsustainable luck, but they really re-tooled their roster this offseason and so far look like a significantly better and improved team. Their core players are starting to get a little older, but some of them can still play. Carlson is one of them.
He had 42 assists from the blue line a year ago in 82 games, and given the improved talent on the roster and what should be a better power play I like his chances to have at least one more big year. The Jets are off to an incredible start and already exceeding expectations in the Western Conference. The roster still has some flaws, especially on defense, but their top-line players can match up with almost any team in the league.
That will always give them a chance to compete in most games. Morrissey is becoming one of those players on defense, especially as it relates to his offensive game and point production. He has led Winnipeg in assists two years in a row, and is off to another fast start this season with seven assists in the first eight games of the season through Saturday.
Whether or not Winnipeg sustains this play for an entire season remains to be seen, but Morrissey has more than proven he can produce at this level on a consistent basis..
