Only two forwards played at least 55 games while tallying zero goals during the 2018-19 season. They were Tobias Rieder of the Edmonton Oilers and Valeri Nichushkin of the Dallas Stars.
And regardless of what their role is on the team or how often they play in each game, the common expectation of all NHL forwards is that they will find the back of the net at least a handful of times during a given season. Nichushkin couldn’t do that for the Stars, and that’s a significant reason as to why he was waived by the team.