Week 3 of the 2026 NHL season just wrapped up. Players like Dylan Garand and Connor McDavid are dominating at their positions, while Jakub Dobes has struggled in goal, and Peter Laviolette’s Kings are off to the worst start in franchise history. Here is this week’s NHL stock watch.
MORE: NHL power rankings: All 32 teams ranked worst to first
Stock Up: Dylan Garand, New York Rangers
With Igor Shesterkin sidelined for the rest of the season, the Rangers needed their young goaltender Dylan Garand to step up. It is important to note that Garand doesn’t have much NHL experience, but his play so far has looked very strong. He isn’t trying to fill the shoes of Shesterkin and is playing really well in the blue paint.
Stock Down: Peter Laviolette, Los Angeles Kings
Peter Laviolette is off to a rough start in Los Angeles as his team is still winless. His squad has some good pieces, including Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe, and Brandt Clarke. But the team doesn’t seem to be fitting in with Laviolette’s philosophy. It is still early, but something to monitor. This is the worst start in franchise history. How will they be able to scramble out of this?
Stock Up: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Is Connor McDavid somehow getting even better? McDavid is currently on pace for 241 points! The Oilers are looking good under Mike Babcock, but it is incredibly impressive that McDavid has elevated his game to an even higher level. Can McDavid continue this insane run that he is on? We haven’t seen any player be on a pace like this since Wayne Gretzky. With the NHL moving to 84 games, do two extra games help McDavid get to the range of 160-180 points?
Stock Down: Jakub Dobes
If the Canadiens want to be a top team in the league, their number one goalie must start stringing together some better play. Jakub Dobes is off to a rocky start, as he is allowing 4.63 GAA and has an .842 SV%. Jacob Fowler was called up to replace an injured Sam Montembeault, but if Dobes can’t produce, don’t be surprised if Head Coach Martin St. Louis starts to rely on Jacob Fowler to get more reps.
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