🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Linus Karlsson

VAN · Age 26.7 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · 6′1″, 178 lb · Draft 2018, 87th overall (S.J)
VANteam
RWposition
177position rank
519skater rank
-22overall
-28offense
6peripherals

Value over replacement, based on 82 games played.
Ideal for H2H 12-team banger category leagues, 16 roster spots.

Per 82 GP2026-27projection2025-2679 GPH241 GPH138 GPPrev 323 GP · 1y
TOI12.2312.5113.8010.3910.93
PP TOI1.181.361.371.340.86
G1316102211
A1621241711
PTS2936343922
PPP74447
SOG118120122119100
PIM3044365221
Hits79865811796
Blocks3223291629

Sample: 79 GP · 851 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingRight wing · league-wide (of 273)
offenseperipheralsvalue over replacement

Counts = projected deployment × projected /60 rate, per 82 GP. Rates regress off the process metric (ixG, shot-driving), not last year's finishing %. PP points = projected PP rate (anchored on the 2nd-half PP1 role, finishing regressed) × projected PP TOI.

Metrics worth highlighting

The charts that move this projection — where he broke from his own 3-year rate, where the season split in half, and where we’re taking the number next year
Above his 3-year rate
PP TOI
1.1822-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

PP TOI ran 57% above his 3-year rate last season (1.36 against 0.86).

Second-half fade
G
1322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Goals ran at a 10 pace in the second half after 22 in the first, per 82 games.

Second-half fade
Hits/60
3-yr 7.082.70Q1Q2Q3Q4

Hits/60 finished the year 63% below where it started (9.40 in the first half, 3.46 in the second). The projection leans on how the season ended, so the second half counts for more.

Above his 3-year rate
iSH%
14.2022-2323-2424-2525-26

iSH% ran 65% above his 3-year rate last season (14.20 against 8.62).

Picked automatically from every chart on this card, ranked by how far each number moved. Each claim is measured off the chart drawn beside it.

Similar & complementary players

Similar makeup Forward
Closest across all seven categories — match % is the whole-profile fit
Complementary Forward
Same position, opposite profile — strong where Linus Karlsson is weak or average, light where he’s strong
  • Jack HughesC,LW · New Jersey Devilscovers 3
    fills: SOG, PPP, A
  • Jack EichelC · Vegas Golden Knightscovers 3
    fills: SOG, A, PPP
  • Artemi PanarinLW · Los Angeles Kingscovers 3
    fills: A, PPP, SOG
  • Patrick KaneRW · Chicago Blackhawkscovers 3
    fills: PPP, A, SOG
Profile shape — per-82 category values vs the league p99 for the position (same scale as the hero bars)
This player
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
the profile below
vs Similar
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
similar players hug the shape
vs Complementary
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
complements fill the gaps

Deployment

Deployment projection — next-year TOI & PP TOI vs the last two years (the role that drives every count)
Coaching
2026-27 · Manny Malhotra (VAN) new voice
Last year: Adam Foote full season — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI12.2312.5110.93+14%
5v5 TOI11.4510.789.94+8%
PP TOI1.181.360.86+57%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 19 · 22 · 19
TOI*
3-yr 10.9314.89Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
3-yr 9.9414.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
3-yr 0.860.80Q1Q2Q3Q4
*Total TOI by quarter reconstructs 5v5+PP quarterly totals plus a held-flat season PK/GP — NST has no all-strength quarterly export. Level is accurate; quarter-to-quarter movement comes from 5v5+PP.
By season — year over year
TOI
12.2322-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
11.4522-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
1.1822-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

Shooting — volume & conversion

How much and how well he shoots — volume (SOG), finishing (% vs chance quality), and the individual shot-quality funnel (iCF ⊇ iSCF ⊇ iHDCF).

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
SOG/606.396.486.03+7%
G/600.700.920.52+77%
iSH%10.9614.208.62+65%
ixG/601.081.17-8%
iCF/6012.0512.86-6%
iSCF/608.108.92-9%
iHDCF/604.936.03-18%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 19 · 22 · 19
SOG/60
3-yr 6.035.61Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
3-yr 8.6211.94Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
3-yr 1.170.82Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
3-yr 12.8610.33Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
3-yr 8.926.96Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
3-yr 6.033.82Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
6.4822-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
14.2022-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
1.0822-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
12.0522-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
8.1022-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
4.9322-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
1322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
11822-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
RiskGoals projected DOWN: iSH% ran hot at 14.2% vs a 8.6% 3-yr mark while 5v5 ixG/60 1.08 (97th pct league-wide) was flat — finishing, not process. Regressing iSH% toward 11.0% pulls the goal rate ~24% down.
ContextTrajectory: 5v5 ixG/60 fell from 1.34 (1st half) to 0.91 (2nd).

Assists — playmaking & on-ice offense

Primary vs secondary helpers, plus the on-ice offense and luck signals underneath them.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
on-ice SH%10.7010.2411.35-10%
IPP57.0778.1640.08+95%
1A/600.540.560.52+8%
2A/600.200.560.00
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 19 · 22 · 19
1A/60
3-yr 0.520.45Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
3-yr 0.000.22Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.5622-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.5622-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
1622-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
2922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
RiskIPP spiked to 78.2% vs 40.1% 3-yr — point participation this far above baseline rarely holds; assist share likely gives a little back.

Power play

PP opportunity and finishing — modelled separately from 5v5.

Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PP TOI1.181.360.86+57%
PP iSH%17.609.0820.00-55%
PP SOG/6011.8812.3315.15-19%
PP ixG/602.664.62-42%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 19 · 22 · 19
PP TOI/GP
3-yr 0.860.80Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
3-yr 15.153.93Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
3-yr 4.621.02Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
1.3622-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
12.3322-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
2.6622-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PPP
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPG
322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPA
422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. PPG and PPA are the 2 halves of the PPP above them, split by the projection's own goal/assist mix. PP-only, so the halves are exact.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
RiskPP role projected down: 1.4→1.2 PP TOI/gp (role tapered late (Q4 0.8 vs 1.4 full-year) — projected toward the softer finish) — the biggest PPP lever.

Physical — PIM · hits · blocks

Peripheral counting categories. Noisier and scorer-biased — read as role over the years, not pure talent.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PIMs/602.062.391.57+52%
Hits/605.085.857.08-17%
Blks/601.681.412.10-33%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  19 · 19 · 22 · 19
PIMs/60
3-yr 1.573.14Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3-yr 7.082.70Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
3-yr 2.101.80Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
2.3922-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
5.8522-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
1.4122-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
3022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
7922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
3222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
RiskHits tailing off: Q4 2.70/60 and 2nd-half 3.46 below the 5.85 season rate — projected DOWN to 5.08/60, weighting the recent decline over the 7.08 3-yr mark.
TailwindBlocks surging late: Q4 1.80/60 and 2nd-half 1.52 vs a 1.41 season rate (2.10 3-yr) (14th pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 1.68/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.