Projecting Every NHL Team’s Assist Leader for the 2024-25 Season

Zegras entered play on Saturday with just one assist in his first six games this season, and his 2023-24 season was a massive disappointment. But that season was also a perfect storm of problems all meeting at that same place as a holdout, injuries and bad luck all combined to result in a major step backward for his development.

Maybe this is just a hunch, but Zegras should be primed for a bounce-back year, especially if some of the Ducks’ other young players can also take steps forward and step up their game from a finishing perspective.

Zegras led the Ducks in assists during the 2022-23 season and is one of the most talented and gifted playmakers on the team.

He might have his flaws and areas to improve defensively, but the offensive talent is there.

I am betting on it showing itself more this season.

Pastrnak is not just the Bruins’ best goal-scorer. He is also their best playmaker, and by extension of that, the best overall player on the team.

He is also one of the best overall offensive players in the entire NHL whether he is shooting the puck or setting up his teammates.

He has led the Bruins in assists two years in a row, a stretch that has seen him record 31 more helpers than any other player on the Bruins’ roster. Outside of Brad Marchand (the No. 2 player on that list), nobody else on the roster is within 35 helpers of him.

His 115 total assists are also 16th in the NHL during that stretch.

Barring injury, he should lead the Bruins in every major offensive category once again.

It is never easy to get a good return back when you trade a superstar talent, but for all of the issues the Buffalo Sabres have had over the past decade-and-a-half in rebuilding their roster, they did do fairly well for themselves in the Jack Eichel trade.

The key piece of that return was Alex Tuch, a player who is not only a bona fide top-line scorer but also seemed to be legitimately excited to be a part of the Sabres’ rebuild.

Over the previous three seasons, his 1.67 assists per 60 minutes were the second-most among any Sabres player, with the only player ahead of him being center Casey Mittelstadt, who no longer plays on the team after being traded to Colorado at last year’s trade deadline.

Tuch has averaged 45 assists per 82 games since joining the Sabres, and the only other player who might be a contender to top such a number is defenseman Rasmus Dahlin if he really puts together a big season. He is off to a slow start with only two helpers in eight games, however.

After a somewhat disappointing debut season with the Flames in 2022-23, Kadri bounced back in 2023-24 with a huge year offensively that saw him record 46 assists and 75 total points in 82 games to make him one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing team. He might be in his age-34 season, but he can still produce and is arguably the best offensive player on this roster.

The Flames probably imagined that Jonathan Huberdeau would be their top playmaker when they acquired him a couple of years ago, but his offensive game has completely disappeared upon arriving in Calgary.

Kadri is the player driving the offense here.

Aho is the Hurricanes’ best overall offensive player and is coming off a 2023-24 season that saw him match his career high with 53 helpers. He is also one of the Hurricanes’ most efficient playmakers, averaging 1.71 assists per 60 minutes and 1.15 primary assists.

He is a fantastic player and has consistently led the Hurricanes in assists throughout his career. On the rare occasion that he has not, he has usually only been a couple off the pace.

Carolina’s offense runs through him, and he is at a point in his career where he should be right in the middle of his peak years offensively. Do not be surprised if he sets a new career high this season and again leads the Hurricanes.

The question is not whether or not Bedard is going to lead the Blackhawks in assists, but how long it will be before he starts challenging the top of the NHL leaderboard.

He led Chicago in assists during the 2023-24 season despite being an 18-year-old rookie, and missing 14 games due to injury.

Now he has a full year in the NHL under his belt, some better talent around him, and he already has six assists in his first eight games entering play on Saturday.

He is well on his way to becoming a superstar, and the numbers should be jump off the page starting this season.

Defenseman Cale Makar would have been a good choice here given his talent level and the insane start he is off to, but how do you bet against MacKinnon here? Especially as his assist numbers have gradually increased in each of the past four seasons, reaching a career high of 89 during the 2023-24 season.

If the Avalanche eventually get Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin back he might be able to have enough offensive talent around him to make a run at 100 assists this season.

He has 214 over the past three seasons, a number that trails only Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov.

The big issue for Werenski in his career has been the fact he has missed a lot of games due to injury. But when he is on the ice, he is an outstanding playmaker from the blue line, and given the lack of playmakers and how thin the Blue Jackets roster is he should get plenty of opportunities to play big minutes and rack up points. A lot of their offense is going to run through him, and when he had a chance to actually play a full season during the 2023-24 season, he recorded 46 assists.

He’s a good player who is going to be relied upon for a lot and put into positions where he can provide offense.