Every NHL player has a lot to prove in the playoffs, but a handful of experienced post-season players have even more at stake this time around.
Some players either missed the mark in past playoffs or have yet to win the Stanley Cup and are running out of opportunities.
In alphabetical order, here are five notable NHLers with something to prove in the playoffs.
Claude Giroux, C, Ottawa Senators
Giroux has always been a reliable regular-season producer of 50 points or more. He has 34 assists and 49 points in 78 games with the Senators this year.
However, Giroux is 37 years old and hasn’t won the Stanley Cup yet. This is his first playoff appearance in nearly three years since he joined the Senators, and he will want to make this opportunity count with an improved post-season performance.
In Giroux’s most recent playoff appearance, he had three goals and eight points in 10 games with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. Before that, in three post-seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Giroux had only two goals and 12 points in 28 games.
Giroux may not have many more playoff games in store for him, and the Senators need him to step up and be a secondary scoring force behind Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle.
Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
Hellebuyck is the clear favorite to win this year’s Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top netminder. His 44-12-3 record, .924 save percentage and 2.02 goals-against average prove it.
His post-season stats are a different story altogether. He posted a 1-4 mark, a .870 SP and a 5.23 GAA for the Jets last spring. In 2022-23, he also went 1-4 and had a 3.44 GAA and .886 SP. He was better in the 2021 post-season, but those numbers are about as Jekyll-and-Hyde as it gets for an NHL goalie.
Needless to say, the 31-year-old Hellebuyck must be significantly better in the upcoming playoffs. The Jets have pressure on them overall, but for Hellebuyck in particular, nothing short of a long playoff run will be satisfactory.
Hellebuyck has to demonstrate he can shake off his past demons, and that means being the backbone of a Winnipeg team that can’t afford to get rolled again in the first round.
Patrik Laine, RW, Montreal Canadiens
The 26-year-old Laine has 20 goals in 48 games for the Canadiens this season, the seventh time in his nine-year NHL career that he’s gotten to the 20-goal plateau. It’s not as if Laine has been terrible in the playoffs, either, as he has eight goals and 16 points in 24 games.
That said, Laine has played only seven playoff games – all for the Jets – since 2017-18. In that span, he has three goals and four points.
He needs to prove he can be a key component of a winning team. Although the Canadiens will be playing with house money when they almost certainly square off as a wild-card team in the Eastern Conference, it still will be a letdown if Laine doesn’t produce a solid amount of offense and push Montreal to at least scare its first-round opponent.
Jacob Markstrom, G, New Jersey Devils
The Devils needed a veteran starting goaltender this summer, and they got one when they acquired Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.
The 35-year-old Swede didn’t have the greatest regular season, posting an .899 SP and a 2.53 GAA in 48 appearances. But now, with the Carolina Hurricanes as New Jersey’s first-round opponent, Markstrom will be asked to play significantly better.
Markstrom hasn’t been all that bad in his limited playoff action, putting up a 13-13 record, a .911 SP and a 2.90 GAA in 26 games. However, he’s only had two post-season runs to his credit, and this will be his first playoffs since 2022.
Markstrom will benefit from playing behind a strong Devils lineup, but he must prove he’s worth the investment so that this team doesn’t have to wonder whether it needs another starting goalie this summer.
Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
No NHL star has higher stakes to deal with than pending UFA Marner.
If he performs to expectations and the Maple Leafs go on a post-season tear, Marner’s asking price will hit the $13-million mark and above it. Even if Toronto once again gets flushed out early, there will be other teams fully prepared to pay Marner a king’s ransom on a lengthy contract.
Marner’s post-season numbers – including 39 assists and 50 points in 57 career playoff games – are nothing to sneer at. However, it’s all about the team concept for the 27-year-old, as Marner must do his part to power the Leafs to at least the Eastern Conference final to be considered successful this season.
If Toronto fails to get that far, people will blame Marner, fairly or otherwise. If he’s quiet when the team faces elimination, like he was in Game 7 last year, Game 6 against the Panthers two years ago and against the Canadiens in 2021, then there will be criticism.
The Buds will look different next fall if they don’t win at least two rounds. If that happens, Marner may be the biggest name departing for other pastures. It’s that straightforward of a predicament.
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