Danton Heinen

Heinen recorded nine goals and 29 points across 79 appearances between Vancouver and Pittsburgh in 2024-25, which makes it the sixth time in seven seasons that he’s fallen in the 22-34 point range. Glancing at those numbers, it’d be fair to write him off as a bottom-six forward, but that label doesn’t always fit. Although he averaged a modest 13:27 of ice time last year, Heinen moved around the lineup, occasionally seeing time with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser in Vancouver, as well as a notable amount with Evgeni Malkin after being dealt to the Penguins. It consequently shouldn’t shock anyone if Heinen ends up getting top-six shifts again this campaign, though history suggests that won’t lead to him putting up great offensive numbers, and his returns in PIM and hits -- 31 and 81, respectively, in 2024-25 -- are unlikely to be strong enough to compensate.