Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
This is the latest edition of THN.com’s Three Stars of the Week. In this regular file, we identify the NHL’s three best competitors of the past seven days. Let’s get straight to it:
3. Mason McTavish, Anaheim
McTavish has been one of the few bright spots in a season that’s been an utter disaster for the Ducks. The 19-year-old NHL rookie had an excellent week, with three goals and six points in three games for Anaheim. Goals didn’t come easy for him for a bit – something virtually every NHLer goes through – but McTavish has five goals and seven points in his past seven games. If he keeps that pace up, he’ll smash through the 20-goal plateau (he currently has nine goals on the year) and the 50-point level (he has 26 points so far).
He’s one of the foundational pieces for the rebuilding Ducks. Although he probably won’t get to experience playoff hockey for a couple of seasons, McTavish is living up to the promise that made him the third-overall selection in the 2021 NHL draft. He’s still acclimating to the best hockey league in the world, but once he hits his stride, he will be one of the more dangerous snipers in the game.
2. Jack Hughes, New Jersey
This is Hughes’ second THN Three Stars honor, after he earned the third star of the week in late November. His Devils team has cooled off significantly after starting the regular season as a steamroller, but New Jersey would be significantly worse were it not for Hughes’ dominance on offense. In four games this week, the 21-year-old center had six goals and eight points, and he is on a five-game scoring streak that’s given him 26 goals and 49 points in 40 games.
That production puts Hughes on track to generate 53 goals and 100 points this year, which would demolish his career-high 56 points in 49 games last season. He is one of the most dynamic forces in the sport, and he’s a genuine bargain at his $8-million cap hit. The Devils knew they were getting a soon-to-be-superstar when they took him first overall in the 2019 draft, and he’s demonstrating his ceiling as an NHL talent is still ahead of him. He’s the straw that stirs the drink in New Jersey, and he looks comfortable in the role of the difference-maker for the Devils.
1. Tim Stutzle, Ottawa
The Senators are in the process of turning their season around. One of the key reasons they’ve been able to win four of their past six games is the contributions of 20-year-old Stutzle, who led all NHLers in points this week with eight (including six goals) in just three games. He is now Ottawa’s top goal-scorer this year, with 18 goals and 39 points in 35 games. He’s on pace to amass 38 goals and 82 points – numbers that would easily eclipse his current career highs of 22 goals and 58 points from last season.
No Sens forward gets more ice time than Stutzle, who averages 20:24 per game. He’s also a power-play force (six goals and 17 points with the man advantage). The German native is one of the best-value players in the league this season at a $925,000 salary cap hit. When his contract extension kicks in next season and he begins to earn $8.35 million for each of the next eight years, he will still be a relative bargain. Stutzle is the purest hockey talent on the Senators roster, and the sky is the limit for him.
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