Surprising NHL players having career years

 

Tons of players are having great years, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov and of course Connor McDavid. We always suspect those type of names to be somewhere near the top of the league stat wise. Let's look at some players that are putting up points and not getting the praise.  

Michael Carcone - Arizona Coyotes

Canadian-born Michael Carcone, a free agent when he started his professional career after going undrafted and having played for various NHL teams on contracts. He played for the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators, among other NHL affiliates, in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Carcone joined the Coyotes organization in 2021 after his contract with the Nashville Predators ended, and he made his NHL debut in late 2021. He split his time between the AHL and NHL, and in the 2022–2023 season, he led the AHL in scoring.

With Sixty games played Carcone already has career high 19 goals, and 27 total points. This is insanely impressive considering he manages just over eleven minutes a game on a uncompetitive Arizona team.

 

Alex Nylander - Columbus Blue Jackets

Younger brother to Toronto Superstar William Nylander, Alex has spent the last seven season getting passed around by teams and not really being able to find his game. It seems Columbus has unlocked his potential. After being traded by Pittsburgh for Emil Bemström. Nylander now has 11 points in just 12 games since the trade.

William Nylander- "I'm a super proud brother," William said. "He's been battling his entire career and been given a really good chance to play and showing what he can do. I mean, super proud brother."

Michael McCarron - Nashville Predators

Known more for is physicality rather his point production, the 6'6 McCarron is quietly having a great year. Sitting at 18 points with a career high in goals (9) and on pace for 22.

The 6-foot-6, 232-pound center is also averaging a career-high 12:07 of ice time and sits third among Predators forwards in blocked shots (34), fourth in faceoff percentage (49.1 percent), and sixth in hits (100). He has also recorded two multi-point games in 2023-24, including the third two-goal performance of his NHL career on Nov. 28 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Indeed, it’s been quite a year for the man they call “Big Sexy.”