Mathew Barzal had one of those outstanding introductory seasons in 2017-18 for the New York Islanders. The young center put up 22 goals and an incredible 63 assists for 85 points in his first year in the NHL.
He was head and shoulders above his fellow rookies in the NHL. But now that he’s going into year two, will Barzal face the dreaded sophomore slump?
Looking at what Barzal did in his first NHL season and the few players that have had a comparable introductory year, the answer is simply no. Barzal is gonna be just fine.