🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Sam Lafferty

FLA · Age 31.4 · 🇺🇸 USA · 6′1″, 195 lb · Draft 2014, 113th overall (PIT)
FLAteam
C,RWposition
232position rank
799skater rank
-59overall
-55offense
-4peripherals

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

Per 82 GP2026-27projection2025-2629 GPH212 GPH117 GPPrev 3209 GP · 3y
TOI10.089.178.179.5912.22
PP TOI0.010.010.000.040.38
G730511
A730511
PTS14601023
PPP00000
SOG5825252990
PIM314006838
Hits124999896159
Blocks231416531

Sample: 29 GP · 254 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingCentre · league-wide (of 271)
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
Below his 3-year rate
SOG/60
2.1222-2323-2424-2525-26

SOG/60 ran 61% below his 3-year rate last season (2.12 against 5.46).

Second-half fade
iSCF/60
3-yr 5.720.75Q1Q2Q3Q4

iSCF/60 finished the year 85% below where it started (4.85 in the first half, 0.75 in the second). The projection leans on how the season ended, so the second half counts for more.

We project it up
HITS
12422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting hits 25% above last season, 99 to 124.

Bottom of the league
PP TOI
0.0122-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

PP TOI sits in the 4th percentile league-wide (0.01).

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 Sam Lafferty is weak or average, light where he’s strong
  • Jack HughesC,LW · New Jersey Devilscovers 4
    fills: SOG, PPP, A, G
  • Artemi PanarinLW · Los Angeles Kingscovers 4
    fills: A, PPP, SOG, G
  • Jack EichelC · Vegas Golden Knightscovers 4
    fills: SOG, A, PPP, G
  • William NylanderRW · Toronto Maple Leafscovers 4
    fills: PPP, SOG, G, A
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 · Paul Maurice (FLA)
Last year (CHI, traded): Jeff Blashill full season (1st yr) — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI10.089.1712.22-25%
5v5 TOI9.268.7710.73-18%
PP TOI0.010.010.38-97%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  8 · 9 · 2 · 10
TOI*
3-yr 12.228.17Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
3-yr 10.737.96Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
3-yr 0.380.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
*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
10.0822-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
9.2622-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
0.0122-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

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/602.122.125.46-61%
G/600.250.240.64-63%
iSH%11.5811.3211.77-4%
ixG/600.310.60-48%
iCF/604.729.74-52%
iSCF/603.305.72-42%
iHDCF/602.363.00-21%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  8 · 9 · 2 · 10
SOG/60
3-yr 5.462.26Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
3-yr 11.770.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
3-yr 0.600.11Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
3-yr 9.743.77Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
3-yr 5.720.75Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
3-yr 3.000.75Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
2.1222-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
11.3222-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
0.3122-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
4.7222-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
3.3022-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
2.3622-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
5822-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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)
ContextFinishing looks earned: iSH% 11.3% sits near the 11.8% 3-yr mark with 5v5 ixG/60 0.31 (32nd pct league-wide) — goals held close to last year.
RiskShot volume down 61% (5v5 SOG/60 2.12 vs 5.46) — volume is the repeatable half, so this caps the goal ceiling.
ContextTrajectory: 5v5 ixG/60 fell from 0.42 (1st half) to 0.11 (2nd) even though shot volume held — a chance-quality dip, not a volume one.

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%8.098.967.51+19%
IPP45.2428.4872.58-61%
1A/600.090.000.32-100%
2A/600.280.240.38-36%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  8 · 9 · 2 · 10
1A/60
3-yr 0.320.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
3-yr 0.380.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.2422-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
1422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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)
RiskOn-ice SH% hot at 9.0% vs a 7.5% 3-yr mark — teammate finishing regresses (~8% is league-normal), so some assists come off.

Power play

PP opportunity and finishing — modelled separately from 5v5.

Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PP TOI0.010.010.38-97%
PP iSH%n/a0.00
PP SOG/601.140.004.56-100%
PP ixG/600.000.84-100%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  8 · 9 · 2 · 10
PP TOI/GP
3-yr 0.380.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
3-yr 4.560.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
3-yr 0.840.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
0.0122-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PPP
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPG
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPA
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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)
TailwindPP role projected up: 0.0→0.0 PP TOI/gp (role tapered late (Q4 0.0 vs 0.0 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/602.223.302.12+56%
Hits/609.318.2610.32-20%
Blks/601.501.181.79-34%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  8 · 9 · 2 · 10
PIMs/60
3-yr 2.120.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3-yr 10.329.05Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
3-yr 1.791.51Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
3.3022-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
8.2622-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
1.1822-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
3122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
12422-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
2322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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)
ContextHits role-stable at 8.26/60 (80th pct league-wide) → 9.31 projected.
TailwindBlocks surging late: Q4 1.51/60 and 2nd-half 1.51 vs a 1.18 season rate (1.79 3-yr) (7th pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 1.50/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.
TailwindStrong PIM rate (3.30/60 (85th pct league-wide)) — a banger-league asset.