The big news in hockey this last week was the firing of Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock. The timing may have seemed unusual to some, but it’s possible Toronto heard whispers of other teams considering a change and were worried that a team might snatch up their preferred replacement, Sheldon Keefe. Whether this move spurs some other coaching changes remains to be seen, but some Leafs may have a new lease on life now (especially with some of the negative stories circulating about Babcock).

As for teams running on all cylinders, let’s look at the list of squads with seven or more wins in their last 10 games:

Nine – Dallas

Eight – NY Islanders and San Jose

Seven – Ottawa and Winnipeg

Teams with three or fewer wins include Buffalo, Detroit, Nashville, Vancouver, Vegas, Calgary, and Anaheim. Boston is leading the goal differential race with +23, while Detroit is last with an abysmal -39. Other teams to note that are +16 or better include Washington, the NY Islanders, and Pittsburgh. The only other teams that are -16 or lower are the Devils and Kings.

Center

Morgan Frost (PHI): 12%
Frost is another talented first-round pick breaking into the league this year. He has started strong, scoring a goal in each of his first two games and currently has three points in three games. He was a prolific scorer in the OHL with 109 points last year (in 58 games) and 310 points in his 257 career games in junior hockey. He’s currently listed as the center on the number one line and is averaging a healthy 14:46 of ice time.

Nick Schmaltz (ARI): 44%
Arizona is a surprising second-place team in the Pacific Division and Schmaltz is a big part of that story. While the Coyotes are only the 16th-highest scoring team, Schmaltz is kicking in as the top producer with 19 points in 25 games. He’s the clear number one center and is between two dynamic forwards in Phil Kessel and Clayton Keller.

Left Wing

Jared McCann (PIT): 32%
McCann is a versatile forward and has recently moved from wing to second-line center (with Sidney Crosby’s injury). Pittsburgh just seems to keep grinding and producing points, which is in large part because of guys like McCann stepping up. He’s posted a solid 14 points in 21 games and his eight goals are second on the team.

Kasperi Kapanen (TOR): 21%
It’s tough to predict who will benefit most from a coaching change, but Kapanen is a worthy candidate. He had a bit of a breakout season last year with 20 goals and 44 points, and while he hasn’t been terrible this year (13 points in 25 games), he hasn’t really increased his pace of production either. If he can secure a spot with Matthews or Tavares as his pivot, Kapanen has the talent to be an every-week starter for your team.

Right Wing

Jake DeBrusk (BOS): 23%
Boston may be the most top-heavy team in the league with their first line chipping in well over half the team’s goals to date. DeBrusk is struggling so far this year with eight points in 18 games, but hit 27 goals in 68 games last year and is averaging over 15 minutes of ice time per night. He is also on the second power-play unit and can get streaky hot at any time.

Alex Tuch (VGK): 10%
Tuch has missed a lot of time this year with an upper-body injury, so that needs to be monitored, but Vegas is invested in this guy (for seven years) and expects him to become a premier power forward. He hit 20 goals and 52 points in 74 games last year, is only 23 years of age, and is currently on the third line in a stacked group of forwards for the Golden Knights.

Defense

Nate Schmidt (VGK): 13%
Schmidt is an underrated minute muncher for Vegas, skating for 20:42 per night with Brayden McNabb on the top pairing. He’s off to a solid start with eight points in his first 13 games and runs the first power-play unit as well. He can be a bit injury prone, but he is the clear number one defenseman on a talented offensive team.

Jakob Chychrun (ARI): 13%
Chychrun is apparently the player most asked about by other NHL GMs, but the Coyotes are excited about his potential as an all-around defenseman. Still only 21 years of age, Chychrun is actually starting his fourth NHL season, so the sky’s the limit. He’s just starting to develop his offensive instincts with nine points (including five goals) in 25 games and he blocks shots and hits. He’s probably a depth guy at this point, but he’s someone you can plug in with confidence when needed.

Goal

Ilya Samsonov (WSH): 14%
Samsonov is thought by many to be the best young goalie in the league, so Washington may have a tough decision soon. Braden Holtby has been their franchise workhorse for years, but Samsonov may prove to be too good to keep on the bench. If either goalie is traded, Samsonov could be a young star sooner than later. If not, he’s already started seven games and won five of them.

Sleeper

Robert Thomas (STL): 2%
Thomas is on one of the deepest and most talented teams in the league, which means he can grow at his own pace, but that pace will most likely be slow. With eight points in 19 games, he is holding his own as the third line center, but he is arguably the Blues’ most complete and valued youngster. Most sleepers are stash plays, but if Thomas moves up to a top-six role, he could blossom this season.

Sheldon Curtis is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive and follow him @sheldon_curtis.