This article is part of our NHL Barometer series.
This week's article includes the Stammer's return, this year's possible Calder Trophy winner, a blueliner blossoming in the Desert, a hot goalie in the City of Brotherly Love, Chicago's Hall of Famer center out indefinitely and ADA in the doghouse.
First Liners (Risers)
Steven Stamkos, C, TB – Stamkos missed 13 regular-season games last season and all but three minutes of one game in the Stanley Cup Finals. But he made his brief appearance in the playoffs count, scoring a key goal that helped catapult Tampa Bay to its second title. Early this season, he is more than helping the Lightning thrive without Nikita Kucherov (hip surgery), tallying a pair of goals and three assists his first two games of the year.
Kirill Kaprizov, RW, MIN – Kaprizov, a fifth-round pick in 2015, kept Minnesota fans salivating for his arrival for several years. His debut showed that he was more than worth the wait, as after notching a pair of assists in regulation, he potted the game-winning goal in overtime. Kaprizov put up 33 goals and 62 points in 57 appearances with CSKA Moscow of the KHL last year and is now physically ready to play at the NHL level. He has been widely touted as one of the favorites to win the Calder Trophy, a notion he did little to dispel in his debut contest or next game, when he set up the game-winner in overtime.
Brady Tkachuk, RW, OTT – Tkachuk's first and
