He’s clearly too good for that league (over a point per game last season, and three goals with an assist in three games this season), so let’s see what he can do in an extended look. Chinakhov had a decent rookie effort in 2021-22, and while he was scoring at a better pace last season, injuries limited him to 30 games. The team’s 2020 first round pick (21st overall) has proven to be an asset on the power play in the past, so keep an eye on how he’s deployed. There’s major potential here.

What intrigues us now is that it seems Cotter is moving up the Golden Knight depth chart and seeing top six type PT (over 13 minutes in each of the last two, including a season-high 15 on Thursday). He clearly has value in deep formats for the hits; but there could very well be offensive upside, so consider him a sleeper — especially if he continues to get that much TOI.

Talk about a triumphant return from last season’s shoulder surgery for Bean! For Werenski, who also had a season-ending shoulder injury in ’22-23… not so much… he’s expected to miss around two weeks with a quad injury. With five assists through the first 14 games, Bean seemed headed for a career-best before getting hurt last season, but he’s already matched his goal total and is sure to see much more PT this season, especially early on. It’s just one game, but he looks vastly improved, and is poised for a bigger role.

Still, his AHL numbers (.920 save percentage over 26 games) were promising. If you’re seeking a relative unknown goalie as a sleeper pick with some upside potential, consider big-bodied (6’4″, 206) Johansson. He could pay dividends over the first few weeks of the campaign, and certainly looked ready for the part on Friday, putting up a 42-save shutout.