Player: Yanni Gourde

'Saucer-eyed': Caps, others count on rookies in NHL playoffs

The 50 rookie skaters in these playoffs are the most since teams used 54 in 2005-06. That could be a reflection of teams having greater trust in young players arriving from junior hockey or college, or the need to stock rosters with cheap talent as a greater percentage of the salary cap is devoted to the elite.

My Top 5 | Rookie Goal-scorers

These young guns have taken their best shot, literally, in 2017-18. While they might be short on NHL experience, this handful (plus one) of rookies is seriously big on talent.