These are the players forgotten about at opponents\u2019 peril.<\/p>\n
Whether they\u2019ve been hurt by bad finishing, bad health or bad luck, there is a group of talented forwards filling NHL nets right now who are trying to rebound from uncharacteristically poor seasons.<\/p>\n
In some cases, they\u2019re surefire Hall of Fame candidates, such as Evgeni Malkin, whose two-decade Penguins career has included three Stanley Cup championships and one Conn Smythe Trophy. In others, they\u2019re talented veterans getting unique opportunities, such as Vladimir Tarasenko making hay on the top power-play unit in Minnesota or Chris Kreider finding new life and big minutes in Anaheim.<\/p>\n
In all cases, this group of early season bounce-back candidates are off to hot starts.<\/p>\n
How much of it is real?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a deeper look into some of the most surprising NHL points leaders and the likelihood that their early surges mean they\u2019ll be at their best all season long.<\/p>\n
1. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n
2024-25 stats: 16 goals, 34 assists, 50 points in 68 games<\/p>\n
2025-26 stats: 2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points in 6 games<\/p>\n
Evgeni Malkin has the most storied and impressive career of any player on this list. He also has the best \u201cdown\u201d season \u2014 50 points in 68 games last year \u2014 and thus the most work to do to be considered a bounce-back player.<\/p>\n
Malkin has been on fire through six games and it\u2019s not just a case of unsustainable shooting percentages.<\/p>\n
Most points through their team\u2019s first five games by a player 39 or older in NHL history:<\/p>\n
Gordie Howe \u2013 8 (1968-69, 40)
Joe Sakic \u2013 8 (2008-09, 39)
Jean Belliveau \u2013 8 (1970-71, 39)
Evgeni Malkin \u2013 7 (2025-26, 39)<\/p>\n
Geno is aging like a fine wine \ud83c\udf77<\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/pn8iDUq6VP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) October 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Malkin has found chemistry with Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha on a line that\u2019s generating more quality scoring chances than at any time in Malkin\u2019s recent history. The trio is producing a higher rate of expected goals than any line Malkin played on last season, including time spent dominating the flow of play with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.<\/p>\n There are some \u201cextra\u201d points \u2014 an empty-netter here, a fortunate second assist there \u2014 but Brazeau and Mantha are opening up space, and Malkin is helping exploit it. It also looks like he\u2019s having fun,\u00a0enjoying what could be his final season with Pittsburgh. For an example, look at the pass he banked in off of a falling Sidney Crosby at four-on-three against the Islanders. That\u2019s a creative moment, orchestrated by two all-time greats who are still willing to play.<\/p>\n Father time is no match for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin! \ud83d\ude24 #NHLFaceOff<\/a> @jasondemers5<\/a> and @Rupper17<\/a> break down a vintage goal between the two. pic.twitter.com\/xDtt25wSta<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Media (@NHLMedia) October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Verdict: Malkin is known for hot starts<\/a> \u2014 and his current point pace is a bit too otherworldly to last \u2014 but he\u2019s going to stay productive as long as his line gets so many chances from in and around the blue paint. Enjoy the show.<\/p>\n 2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C\/LW, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n 2024-25 stats: 20 goals, 29 assists, 49 points in 78 games<\/p>\n 2025-26 stats: 4 goals, 2 assists, 6 points in 6 games<\/p>\n Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was never expected to reproduce the 104 points he scored as part of Edmonton\u2019s record-breaking power play three seasons ago. He hadn\u2019t been a point-per-game player in any of his 11 seasons before that; it was never going to be his new normal. Still, two straight steps backward led him to score less than half that amount in 78 games last season\u2014 -his worst per-game rate since 2016-17.<\/p>\n Nugent-Hopkins did produce 20 points in 22 playoff games, continuing a career-long trend in which he\u2019s scored more often in the playoffs than during the regular season. Now, his hot start to 2025-26 has made him a point-per-game player all over again \u2014 partly due to a highlight reel of Nugent-Hopkins\u2019 precision shooting.<\/p>\n Nuge wrist rocket \ud83d\ude80 #LetsGoOilers<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/nJD1dJu7Ms<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Nugent-Hopkins\u2019 four goals include a pair of tap-ins on all-world passes by all-world players, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and he\u2019s scored on 28 percent of his shots as a result. There is interplay between scoring like that and confidence, but his shooting percentage should regress closer to his career average of 12.1 percent.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth paying attention to Nugent-Hopkins\u2019 assist rate as the season continues. Noted as a \u201cpower-play witch\u201d by former The Athletic\u00a0contributor Tyler Dellow, Nugent-Hopkins was third on the Oilers in primary assists with the man advantage last season \u2014 and 17th in secondary assists, which are known to vary more from year to year. Nugent-Hopkins may have been more involved in Edmonton\u2019s power-play success than his point totals give him credit for; he may be due for positive regression in terms of those paltry secondary assist totals.<\/p>\n Verdict:\u00a0It\u2019s tough to bank on a point-per-game season, but Nugent-Hopkins is giving himself a shot at a bounce-back year.<\/p>\n 3. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Minnesota Wild<\/p>\n 2024-25 stats: 11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points in 80 games<\/p>\n 2025-26 stats: 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points in 7 games<\/p>\n Vladimir Tarasenko is a great example of a player making the most of unique opportunity in Minnesota, where Mats Zuccarello\u2019s injury created an opening on the Wild\u2019s top power-play unit. Four of Tarasenko\u2019s five points have been scored with the man advantage, and he added this even-strength snipe:<\/p>\n VLAD \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f<\/p>\n Vladimir Tarasenko has his first goal with the @mnwild<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/nOx12VMXBk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Tarasenko\u2019s reliance on power-play production is a red flag, given the likelihood that Zuccarello will take back his old job. So is the fact that three of his four power-play points are secondary assists \u2014 points for putting the puck in teammates\u2019 hands, then watching Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy go to work. This isn\u2019t meant to take away from Tarasenko\u2019s legitimate offensive ability \u2014 see the aforementioned snipe \u2014 but to point out a bit of inflation in his point totals.<\/p>\n To be fair, Tarasenko is only two seasons removed from scoring 41 points in 57 games for Ottawa and then winning the Stanley Cup with Florida. He turns 34 this December and, while he\u2019s on the downswing of his career, he is not ancient. For now, he\u2019s not driving play at five-on-five, nor is he likely to keep his PP1 job all season.<\/p>\n Verdict:\u00a0Tarasenko\u2019s power-play success reflects smart usage by the Wild and good fortune for Tarasenko. It does not reflect early season dominance on his part.<\/p>\n 4. Chris Kreider, LW, Anaheim Ducks<\/p>\n 2024-25 stats: 22 goals, 8 assists, 30 points in 68 games<\/p>\n 2025-26 stats: 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points in 5 games<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare for a 34-year-old veteran to see a sudden spike in ice time, but Chris Kreider is enjoying an extra 50 seconds per game in Anaheim compared to his final season in New York. He\u2019s made a career of scoring goals from tight spaces \u2014 he\u2019s one of the best deflection artists in the NHL \u2014 and already has scored four goals in five games for the Ducks.<\/p>\n His first is a classic display of Kreider\u2019s netfront presence:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 Kreider \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n His first goal as a Duck pulls us to within one!!#FlyTogether<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/vpxXbdQm0Y<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n For most players, a four-goal, one-assist stat line is a sign of overinflated shooting percentage. Kreider is no different, having finished 28 percent of his shots thus far, but part of that is a reflection of how he takes those shots: Kreider has made a career of \u201cCy Young\u201d stat lines, with so many more goals than assists. It\u2019s true that he\u2019s due for shooting regression but his career finishing rate of 15 percent is higher than the NHL average.<\/p>\n All five of Kreider\u2019s points come from Anaheim\u2019s two wins \u2014 a 7-6 overtime game in San Jose and a 4-3 win at home to Pittsburgh. It makes sense that a rebuilding team (and a player who makes his living in front of the net) would be streaky, offensively. There may yet be major highs or lows for Kreider in Anaheim but, for now, he looks like the real deal.<\/p>\n Verdict: Unlike Tarasenko, Kreider is likely to keep his first-unit power-play role in Anaheim. He\u2019s also likely to keep playing on one of Anaheim\u2019s top two lines.<\/p>\n 5. Pavel Zacha, C\/LW, Boston Bruins<\/p>\n 2024-25 stats: 14 goals, 33 assists, 47 points in 82 games<\/p>\n 2025-26 stats: 1 goals, 5 assists, 6 points in 7 games<\/p>\n Pavel Zacha is the first of two consecutive Bruins on this list \u2014 a positive good sign for a team looking to claw its way back into the playoffs after finishing 15th in the East last season. He\u2019s playing primarily at left wing, trusted by coach Marco Sturm in all situations, and is scoring at the highest rate of his career so far.<\/p>\n A PASTA PPG \ud83c\udf5d pic.twitter.com\/5yVrBcmgMW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n All of the usual caveats apply. Zacha\u2019s shot volume is nothing to write home about \u2014 he scored his one goal on just five shots through seven games. His line, with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson, isn\u2019t controlling the flow of play and is being outshot and outchanced at even strength despite holding its own in goals.<\/p>\n But Zacha has a lot of things going for him. He\u2019s playing huge power-play minutes \u2014 3:53 per game, which is over a minute more than what he got last year. The power-play minutes connect him to David Pastrnak on a unit that has (almost) nowhere to go but up after finishing 29th last season.<\/p>\n Verdict: Zacha may not be the straw that stirs the drink, but a bounce-back toward his 57- and 59-point seasons of the past seems to be within his reach.<\/p>\n 6. Elias Lindhom, C, Boston Bruins<\/p>\n 2024-25 stats: 17 goals, 30 assists, 47 points in 82 games<\/p>\n 2025-26 stats: 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points in 7 games<\/p>\n Elias Lindholm hurt his back at the start of training camp last season, then never caught up. Fluto Shinzawa noted that Lindholm looks like a brand new player<\/a> now that he\u2019s moving better, and his chemistry with Pastrnak has led to plenty of early offense for the Bruins.<\/p>\n Pastrnak and Lindholm showing off some great chemistry \ud83e\udd29 #NHLFaceOff<\/a> <\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: @NHL_On_TNT<\/a> & @StreamOnMax<\/a> \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/4TuyIATPTr<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PXjvwMuQKt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Pastrnak has been a factor on four of Lindholm\u2019s five points this season, which makes sense: Over 90 percent of Lindholm\u2019s even-strength minutes have come at Pastrnak\u2019s side, along with almost 100 percent of his time on the power play. Lindholm played less than one-third of his even-strength time with Pastrnak last season, implying that part of what\u2019s happening here is a good player benefiting from playing with a great one.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the case of Lindholm getting two of his five points by assisting on empty-net goals.<\/p>\n Verdict: Good health, great opportunity, and good empty-net luck inflate Lindholm\u2019s point totals. The first two of those three items are sustainable, so even if Lindholm never returns to his Calgary-era point-per-game scoring rates, there\u2019s a good chance his sophomore Bruins season will eclipse the first.<\/p>\n 7. Nino Niederreiter, LW, Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n 2024-25 stats: 17 goals, 20 assists, 37 points in 82 games<\/p>\n 2025-26 stats: 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points in 6 games<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long time since Nino Niederreiter scored like a top-six player \u2014 four seasons since he hit 44 points for Carolina and nearly a decade since his 57-point performance in Minnesota. He\u2019s long been a streaky scorer, oscillating between burying so many plays in the blue paint so as to look like a top winger, and lengthy cold streaks \u2014 including two goalless streaks of well over 10 games last season.<\/p>\n He\u2019s launched his 2025-26 like a rocket.<\/p>\n JAWS ARE ON THE FLOOR \ud83d\ude31 pic.twitter.com\/xc8FnEnNjy<\/a><\/p>\n