With the countdown to NHL training camps continuing this week we continued to break down numbers and trends in preparation for next season. One area of focus that we decided to concentrate on this week is the powerplay, with a closer look at the players that have performed best with their team on the man-advantage. Based on skill sets and numbers collected from the past three years, we assembled an elite group of players that represent the best possible powerplay unit we could put on the ice if we could choose from any NHL roster. Here is a look at the best possible powerplay unit in the NHL right now.
C: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
It only makes sense that this list begins with the player that led the NHL with 35 powerplay points last season. Backstrom leads the league with an average of 7.34 points per 60 minutes of powerplay time and ranks third among all NHL forwards with an individual points percentage of 79.4-percent. The talented 29-year-old has been the catalyst for the league’s most dangerous powerplay and is the perfect option at the center position. In terms of NHL fantasy, this is what makes Backstrom one of the top picks in drafts.
LW: Nick Foligno, Columbus Blue Jackets
While this pick might surprise some, the numbers don’t lie when it comes to Foligno’s powerplay production. Columbus has averaged 9.27 goals per 60 minutes when Foligno has been on the ice on the powerplay compared to an average of 5.44 when he hasn’t been on the ice. Foligno has dominated as a net front presence on the man-advantage and the numbers illustrate that. Foligno’s average of 6.36 points per 60 minutes on the powerplay is the second-best mark in the NHL behind only Backstrom.
In terms of NHL fantasy, Foligno was a big surprise in this realm. Through the first six seasons of his career, he really didn’t appear much on the stat sheet in terms of power play points. However, last year he produced 21 points after posting 13 the year before and 26 in 2015. Expect him to at least be in the double digits once again in the 2017-18 season.
RW: Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
Voracek has also been at his best on the powerplay where he registered 23 of his 61 points. The Flyers have sent a lot more shots on goal when Voracek has been on the ice on the man-advantage. Philadelphia has averaged 125.6 shot attempts per 60 minutes with Voracek on the ice, which ranks fourth among forwards. In comparison, the Flyers have averaged only 31.6 shots on goal per 60 minutes when Voracek hasn’t been on the ice on the powerplay. Voracek has consistently been one of the better forwards in the NHL when it comes to powerplay production and there is no reason to expect that will stop.
LD: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Ovechkin has made the top of the faceoff circle his home on the powerplay and done a lot of his damage with the man advantage. Ovechkin tied for the league-lead with 17 powerplay goals last season, with a total of 26 points on the man-advantage. He led all NHL forwards with an average of 46.2 shots per 60 minutes and with 3.82 goals per 60 minutes of powerplay time. While his overall production has slowed, Ovechkin is still one of the most lethal scorers in the NHL on the powerplay – even if he does appear to be past his prime.
RD: Kevin Shattenkirk, New York Rangers
It’s pretty incredible that the Capitals deployed three of the five players on this list last season. While Backstrom and Ovechkin remain in Washington, Shattenkirk struggled with establishing a high level of chemistry with them after he was traded to the Capitals late in the season. He still finished with an average of 6.84 points per 60 minutes, which is 1.60 points per 60 minutes better than the second-highest defenseman on that list in Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Shattenkirk has the potential to be even better in New York this season with plenty of time to settle in with his new teammates and prepare for what should be another productive season.
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