1. Ondrej Palat
Ondrej Palat’s struggles are well-known, and he’s received a lot of flak from the fanbase. After an injury-plagued 2022-23 and a below-average 2023-24, this was supposed to be the year he showed he was worth his big contract. The opposite has happened so far.
Palat has not contributed much to the scoresheet, with just three points in 14 games played. His shooting percentage is 6.3%, a sharp decrease from previous years. Palat has a -7 +/-. His poor point production, lack of speed, and trouble winning board battles are hurting the team.
This season, Palat is averaging just 12:42 in ice time per game, which is his lowest average ice time since his first season in the NHL. He averaged about 15 and a half minutes the past two seasons which was already down from his usual with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sheldon Keefe has put Palat through the line blender, trying to find the right combination to get him going. Oddly enough, it seems like he’s finally found a good spot on the top line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Palat needs to figure it out and get in a groove soon.