Welcome to this week’s NHL Player Usage Trends. The Carolina Hurricanes remained unbeaten, sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers. By this time next week, the Conference Finals will be underway, and we’ll be down to four teams.
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NHL Usage Trends: NHL Playoffs
Frederick Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
Andersen is the epitome of a band-aid player. Every year, he misses significant time. In most playoffs, he has either entered injured or become injured. But alas, when we were all ready to give up on Freddy and turn the page, he delivers two of the best playoff rounds of his career.
Andersen will turn 37 at the start of the 2026–27 NHL season, and given his injury history, many are wondering if he could retire at the end of this year. Undefeated through two rounds, Anderson is 8-0, with a 1.12 Goals Against Average (GAA), and a .950 Save Percentage (SV%). Midway through the playoffs, he’s the clear frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The question now is, where will he play next year? He’s playing some of the best hockey of his career. This playoff is going to parlay into a contract on a team with playoff expectations.
The band-aid will loom over his head no matter where he lands. For owners who draft using the zero-goalie strategy, this works in your favour. Andersen will not be drafted early. Depending on where he lands, you will find him on many late-round steals or sleeper lists next season.
Alex Newhook, Montreal Canadiens
Newhook has stepped up his game in the playoffs. After missing half the season with an injury (the second time in three years he’s missed significant time due to injury), he’s been an integral part of the Canadiens playoff run, to date.
From the regular season to the playoffs, he’s seeing a little over a minute more of ice time per game, and he’s bumped his shot totals from 1.4 to 2.0.
He’s become a very reliable offensive third liner when healthy. He hasn’t been able to give himself a significant runway for fantasy owners to truly know what his upside is. Is he just a very good third liner with good enough offensive chops to give Montreal a strong option on the second power play unit? Or is there another level here, where he can become a reliable 60-point second-line winger?
I tend to think he’s the latter. There’s more here. He’s under contract for another year at $2.9 million. The Habs have another season to try to figure out what they actually have.
Sergei Murashov, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are eliminated from the playoffs. However, their AHL farm team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, is in the Divisional Finals.
With Stuart Skinner an unrestricted free agent, all eyes are on the Baby Pens.
Murashov has played all five playoff games for the Penguins and has been dominant with a 4-1 record, .947 SV%, and 1.99 GAA. Joel Blomqvist, who, two years ago, was expected to be the heir apparent, hasn’t played a minute.
The expectation is for Murashov to take over backup duties behind Arturs Silovs next year. I’ve already scooped Murashov wherever I could in my five pools. Expect Murashov to push Silovs for starts right out of the gate. The season should start as a 1A-1B platoon situation. Don’t expect it to end that way.
Artur Akhtyamov, Toronto Maple Leafs
With the playoff series entering a fifth and final game against the Laval Rocket, Head Coach John Gruden (not the NHL Gruden) turned some heads and started Akhtyamov over Dennis Hildeby. The move paid off; the Marlies won 3-2 and moved on to the Divisional Finals.
He’s played six of the Marlies eight playoff games and holds a 4-2 record with a 2.12 GAA, and a respectable .917 SV%.
For the casual observer, this isn’t a big deal. When you look inside the Leafs’ depth chart, this is where it gets interesting.
There’s been continuous talk about the Leafs trading Anthony Stolarz this offseason. In large part, because of how well Dennis Hildeby played last year whenever Stolarz or Joseph Woll were injured. His play was one of the few bright spots in a rather disappointing season for the Leafs.
The play was strong enough that pundits feel Stolarz is now expendable and Hildeby can slide in as Woll’s backup next year. It should be noted that Akhtyamov was not impressive during his brief audition.
Here we are, though, in the AHL playoffs, and Akhtyamov is playing deciding games while Hildeby is playing backup.
My take, trading Stolarz this summer is too soon. Neither has played better than a healthy Stolarz over a prolonged period with the Leafs.
Woll is the surest thing in net for the Leafs going into next year. What comes after him is completely up in the air right now.
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