24 year old Lightning defenseman, Mikhail Sergachev has gotten off to a great start to the 2022-23 season and is on pace for the best season of his career.
Sergachev was expected to step into a larger role this year following the departure of Ryan McDonagh. And coming off an offseason in which he signed an eight year extension (going into affect next season), he is proving to be worth every penny to start this year.
Sergachev has been playing well over 20 minutes a night with regularity and has even found himself taking Victor Hedman’s spot quarterbacking the Lightning’s top power play unit. He has even collected two goals and four assists on the power play already this season.
Through the first 16 games of the season, Sergachev has 15 points and leads all Lightning defenseman in goals, assists and points by a considerable margin.
This past Sunday night was perhaps the best game of Sergachev’s still young career. In the first period alone, he scored two goals to go along with four assists, tying an NHL record for points in a period by a defenseman. The mark also tied the Lightning franchise record for points in a period held by Martin St. Louis.
Have an absolute night, Mikhail Sergachev (@sergachev31). ⚡️
— NHL (@NHL) November 14, 2022
Sergachev now has two goals in the first period... is that... good?
📺: @ESPN ➡️ https://t.co/4uNKFwgNBK pic.twitter.com/89aFAiR2Jk
Sergachev is currently on pace for a 76 point season, lapping his current career high of 40, set back in his rookie season. The high end production will surely come back down to earth at some point but there is every reason to expect for him to set a new career high in the scoring department.
We have known about the high end offensive output that Sergachev has been capable of, but he continues to become an even more complete defender. He has been playing in all situations, especially eating big minutes on the penalty kill. His presence on the penalty kill even has led to him leading the Lightning in blocked shots with 41 on the year.
Mikhail Sergachev gets in the way of the Alex Ovechkin one-timer and is immediately hobbled by the block#ALLCAPS #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/DWhx3iFrHm
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 12, 2022
For being nearly a point per game defenseman and becoming a complete defender, Sergachev’s cap hit of $4.8 million this season is one of the best values in the NHL.
Next year, his cap hit will increase to $8.5 million. With the hot start he is off to this year, the Lightning look pretty good for being able to have locked him up to that deal for another eight seasons considering he likely would be looking at even more money had he gone to the open market.