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There have been a ton of phenomenal performances from the first month of the National Hockey League season — as documented by ClutchPoints earlier in the week — but with the excellent also comes the downright bad. There are a few particular players who have been absolutely awful in comparison to expectations in the early going.
Not only has the slow start for each of these skaters directly affected the team's performance, but it has probably also been accompanied by a few long looks in the mirror. In no particular order, here are six players who are thrilled that the calendar has flipped to November, and their lack of production in October can be placed firmly in the rearview.
Honorable mentions: Juraj Slafkovsky, Blake Wheeler, Anthony Duclair, Brayden Schenn, Dawson Mercer, Matt Dumba, Gustav Forsling, Jacob Markstrom, Jonathan Drouin
Trevor Zegras
The Anaheim Ducks got off to an extremely slow start in 2023-24, but they've racked up five wins in a row en route to the sixth best record in the Western Conference. And that is no thanks to the team's best player in Trevor Zegras, who finally signed a new contract early in October and has not been living up to it early on.
After two straight fantastic seasons, to the tune of 61 points in 75 games in his rookie season, and 65 points in 81 games last year, Zegras shockingly has just one goal and two points over his first 10 contests. That's maybe the most surprising thing about the new NHL season. Zegras is getting top line minutes, playing on the top powerplay with Troy Terry, and still not finding ways to contribute offensively.
It's a good thing the line of Frank Vatrano-Mason McTavish-Ryan Strome has been so good, but it's still extremely concerning. Trevor Zegras was the league's most disappointing player in October.
Jordan Kyrou
A former No. 35 overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2016 NHL Draft, Jordan Kyrou emerged into the team's top scoring threat over two phenomenal seasons in Missouri. He announced himself with 75 points in 74 games in 2020-21, and followed it up with another 73 last season, despite the team's struggles.
But, despite his top line and first powerplay usage, Kyrou has just a goal and three points in eight games. Maybe some of that is due to Pavel Buchnevich's injury, but that first line needs to get things going if St. Louis wants to have any chance of qualifying for the postseason next April.
Matty Beniers
The sophomore slump is hitting Matty Beniers hard after he won the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie in 2022-23. The 20-year-old was electric in his first NHL season, scoring 24 goals and 57 points in 80 games. He was also a factor in the postseason when the Seattle Kraken upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games, before losing a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Dallas Stars in Round 2.
Still, the expectations were high for Beniers entering the season, and he has responded without a goal through 11 games. Beniers has just three assists to his name, and although the Kraken are turning things around after a slow start, they remain 4-5-2. As the team's first-line center, this club needs a lot more from this player.
Jonathan Huberdeau
Article Continues Below![[Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Olympic](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/USATSI_25467640.jpg)
![[Imagn Images direct customers only] United States forward Jake Guentzel (59) during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against Canada at TD Garden](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Team-USA-and-Team-Canada-Hockey.jpg)
What has happened to Jonathan Huberdeau in Calgary? This is a player who is just two seasons removed from an absolutely ridiculous 30-goal, 115-point campaign in 2021-22. Things all went downhill when Huberdeau was traded from South Beach to Alberta in the deal that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida.
The warning signs were there for Huberdeau last year after he posted just 55 points in 79 NHL games. But fans hoping for the bounce back have been quite disappointed in the early going; Huberdeau has accounted for just five points, scoring at a 41-point pace. It might be time to admit that he's a shell of his former self, especially as the losses continue to pile up for the Flames this season.
Rasmus Sandin
Rasmus Sandin was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Washington Capitals late last year and looked like a completely different player. After scoring 20 points in 52 games in Canada in 2022-23, he exploded for 15 over the last 19 games of the Capitals' season. He looked poised to play big minutes and make strides both offensively and defensively, even with John Carlson healthy, but that has not been the case.
Sandin doesn't have a single point this season, and Washington is 4-4-1, good enough for second last place in the Metropolitan Division. He's still playing upwards of 20 minutes per night, but without the top unit powerplay exposure, the points just aren't coming. Many were expecting a breakout for the 23-year-old this season, and it was quite the opposite in October.
Filip Gustavsson
Filip Gustavsson was a rock for the Minnesota Wild last year, and emerged into the team's most important player down the stretch. He recorded a sparkling 2.10 goals against average and .931 save percentage in 2022-23, and emerged as a top goaltender in the league. And it looks like he was going to take another step this year after recording a 41-save shutout to beat the Florida Panthers on opening night.
But he's shockingly given up 27 goals in five starts since then — four of them losses — and the Wild are 3-5-2 so far. This team is reeling, and Marc-Andre Fleury can no longer be counted on to carry the load. This is Gustavsson's team, and if he continues to falter, it'll be a rare NHL playoff miss in the State of Hockey.
