NHL: The engines that drive their teams

There are players who are the heartbeat of the team. Every shift they make their presence known and they are every opposing coaches’ nightmare.

The NHL is rapidly progressing towards speed and skill, rather than huge checks and fisticuffs. Every team has a certain player that is the engine to their offence.

Here are five players who drive their team the most offensively.

Brayden Point – Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have a star-studded roster. Superstar names like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, often leaves Point in the background. This season, he has made his presence known with his stellar performance.

He leads the team in goals (18) by 8 and is third in the league in that department. In 26 games played, he has already recorded 33 points, half of his career high (66) which he got in 82 games last season. Head coach Jon Cooper plays a hard matchup game, in which Point usually faces the toughest opponents.

Mikko Rantanen – Colorado Avalanche

Mikko Rantanen has driven the Colorado Avalanche into second in the Central Division. His chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog have made them arguably the best line in hockey.

He leads the league in points (43) and assists (32) and he has only played 25 games. Rantanen drives that potent Avalanche line and has seen his ice-time spike up two minutes from last season, going from 19 minutes a night into 21.

Rantanen is a part of Colorado’s league-best powerplay which has a success rate of 31.7 percent, recording 13 points on that lethal PP. He leads the league in points per game (1.7) He is such a key part of the Avalanche’s offence and is the engine that drives this team.

Mitch Marner – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a star-studded roster, but it all runs on Mitch Marner. For the past two seasons, he has lead the team in scoring and this season, he’s leading the team by 6 points. Currently, he has 6 goals and 30 assists in 26 games, including seven multi-point games. 26 of his 30 assists have been primary assists, making him the league-leader in that department.

He leads all the Leafs’ forwards in ice time (19:24) and is the most important part of their powerplay. His speed, creativity, and vision on the ice allows him to make plays that no one else expects.

Jeff Skinner – Buffalo Sabres

When the Buffalo Sabres traded for Jeff Skinner, they knew that they were getting a goal scorer, but they didn’t realize how good he would be. On a line with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, they have destroyed worlds. As of right now, Skinner is second in the NHL in goals (20) and is second on his team in points with 28.

His speed, along with his strong drive to the net gives him the chance to knock in the rebound, as well as snipe the puck exactly where he wants it. He is a big reason for the Sabres’ resurgence and if he continues his play, he will be expecting a big, fat check.

David Pastrnak – Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak accounts for 28 percent of the Boston Bruins‘ goals, leading the team by 9 (he has 19). With Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, they have been one of the most dominant lines in hockey. In this calendar year, he has recorded four hattricks, with two in the 2018-19 season. In 25 games played, he has 29 points, and with Bergeron out for a month with an injury, he has taken up the responsibility of continuing the offence.

He is the key piece to the Bruins’ offence, and the influence of the 4-time Selke winner has encouraged him to be responsible defensively as well. At 22 years old, he has developed himself into one of the game’s best.

If you take a look at all these players, you will notice that they are all young. Marner is 21, Point, Rantanen, and Pastrnak are 22, and Skinner is the oldest at 26 years old. According to statistics, hockey players don’t hit their prime until 24-25 years old so I can only imagine how much better these players will get as they continue their development.

Welcome to the new NHL.