Here’s what I think each NHL team should have as their New Year’s
resolution.
The 2018-19 NHL season has been an exciting one. As the
ending of the 2018 portion of the season approaches, many teams still find themselves
in the postseason hunt. This shows the amount of parity around the league, and
also that hockey is a weird, unpredictable sport.
Every New Year, people like to make resolutions to try to
better themselves. Now, teams are no different. What does each NHL team want to
accomplish in 2019? Here’s a look at what each team’s New Year’s resolution
ought to be.
PITTSBURGH
PENGUINS: GET READY FOR SOME TOUGH DECISIONS
The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have some tough
decisions to make. On one hand, they really want to win another Stanley Cup
while Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are in their prime. After all, once those
two guys are gone, there could be some dark days for the Penguins.
But on the other hand, can they afford to make the kinds of
moves they need to make to get to the Stanley Cup? Sure, Crosby, Malkin, and
Kessel have been outstanding. So has Kris Letang, which is especially
encouraging. But the Penguins have numerous holes and they don’t have many
assets to give up fixing them.
Derick Brassard was brought in last season to be the
third-line center. It seemed like a perfect role for him. But the Brassard
experiment has been a huge failure. He hasn’t been a good fit on the Penguins,
as he has just nine points through 27 games.
Matt Murray was supposed to be the Penguins franchise
goalie. Winning two Stanley Cups in two years sure seemed to cement him on this
role. However, since the start of the 2017-18 season, his numbers have been
alarming. Murray’s struggles have been complicated by injuries. Casey DeSmith
has been solid in relief for him, but can he be a full-time starter?
The Penguins Stanley Cup window is still open. But it’s
currently closing. Can general manager Jim Rutherford make the right decisions
to pry it back open? Or could this be the beginning of the end of the Penguins’
dominance?
ANAHEIM DUCKS:
GIVE JOHN GIBSON SOME HELP
It’s become an annual tradition in Anaheim. The Anaheim Ducks are
struggling to score, but are somehow still winning games. This is largely due
to the outstanding play of their goaltenders. John Gibson should be topping
everyone’s Vezina Trophy list and Ryan Miller has magically revived his career
as a backup goalie.
Anaheim will enter 2019 holding a spot in the postseason.
but it won’t be because they deserve one as a team. It will be because Gibson
has bailed out the Ducks far too often. In 31 games, he has had to make at
least 30 saves 17 times.
Additionally, Gibson has made at least 35 saves in 10 games
and at least 40 in five games. Entering Christmas, despite having a 2.52 goals
against average and stopping 92.6 percent of the shots he sees, he has a record
of 15-11-4, which is barely above .500.
In 38 games, the Ducks have scored merely 95 goals, which
places them in the bottom five in scoring. Getting Daniel Sprong has certainly
helped, but Anaheim needs to give their star goaltender a lot more help than
they’ve been giving him. If they don’t, they’ll waste what might be their last
chance to be Stanley Cup contenders with this core.
ARIZONA COYOTES:
FIND A WAY TO KEEP ANTTI RAANTA HEALTHY
The Arizona
Coyotes came into this season needing goaltender Antti
Raanta to be amazing. This wasn’t the most ridiculous request to ask for, as he
was excellent for them in 2017-18. That is, when he was healthy.
Raanta entered this season needing to prove himself as a
starting goalie. A combination of injuries and being stuck behind really good
goalies like Corey Crawford and Henrik Lundqvist kept him from becoming a
starter. In Arizona, Raanta has finally gotten the chance to prove himself as a
number one goalie.
Unfortunately, injuries have gotten in his way. It’s quite
likely Coyotes fans have seen the last of Raanta this season. He must have
really pissed off the hockey gods or something because that’s about the only
way to explain his injuries.
The Coyotes asked for a franchise goalie, and they got one. But
they weren’t specific enough. This time around, the Coyotes are going to be
smart. They’re not just going to ask for a healthy Raanta, oh no. The Coyotes
are going to ask for an invincible clone of him. Let’s see the hockey gods pick
on Raanta if they can’t injure him!
With an eternally healthy and talented goalie, the Coyotes
would be a consistent playoff contender. That’s something the state of Arizona
has been begging for and deserves.
BOSTON BRUINS:
LIVE LIFE AS CONTENDERS TO THE FULLEST
The Boston Bruins have
the best of both worlds. On one hand, they’re built to win right now. And,
given the age of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Brad
Marchand, their best chance to win is likely right now. But on the other hand,
the Bruins have a number of exciting young players, led by Charlie McAvoy and
David Pastrnak.
Still, you can’t take anything for granted in the NHL or it
will bite you in the butt. The Bruins shouldn’t assume they’re going to be
great even after Chara decides to stop playing hockey and start his
true calling as a bird feeder. Boston owes it to their gentle
giant to try to win him one more Stanley Cup so he can go out the way he
deserves to go out – as a champion.
In order to do that, the Bruins are going to have to get
some scoring help. They’ve got an incredible top line, which is capable of
single-handedly winning those games. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Last year, the Bruins got Rick Nash at the trade deadline.
This year, they’ll have to aim a little bit higher if they want Chara to go out
on top.
BUFFALO SABRES –
KEEP THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
The Buffalo Sabres have been arguably the
most pleasant surprise in the NHL this season. After drafting Rasmus Dahlin,
they traded for disgruntled Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, giving up
a very modest price for the skilled forward. He’s been arguably the best
offseason acquisition in the league other than John Tavares.
Entering Christmas, only Alex Ovechkin has more goals this
season than his 26, which are already two more than he had for the Hurricanes
last season. Skinner has made Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart better players. It’s
clear he has benefitted from playing alongside them as well.
However, Skinner will be a free agent after this season.
He’s likely going to command a huge pay raise, especially since he’s having
such an outstanding season during a contract year. The Sabres have got to find
a way to keep him or replace him. Otherwise, their dark days might be coming
back. If the Sabres must do the latter, at least they are armed with four
first-round picks in the next two drafts.
CALGARY FLAMES:
FIGURE OUT THEIR GOALTENDING
The Calgary Flames have quite the impressive roster. They’ve
gone from a team who struggled mightily to score last season to scoring a ton
of goals this season. Head coach Bill Peters warrants serious Jack Adams Trophy
consideration for how well he has coached his talented roster thus far.
However, the Flames have a very obvious flaw – their
goaltending. Mike Smith, to put it nicely, has been bad. Very bad. In 21
appearances, he has only stopped 88.8 percent of the shots he has seen. That’s
simply not good enough.
David “Big Save Dave” Rittich has bailed them out. He came
into this season as the clear backup goalie, but now he’s probably the best
goalie on their roster. While Rittich has stopped 92.3 percent of the shots he
has seen in 20 games (17 starts), goaltending is volatile, and so he could
regress.
Maybe Rittich can be the number one guy. But can the Flames
afford to take that gamble? Calgary should look into acquiring Jimmy Howard to
shore up their goaltending. At the very least, it would give them a far more
formidable goaltending tandem.
CAROLINA
HURRICANES: GET MORE SCORERS (AND DON’T TRADE ANY FOR PEANUTS)
The Carolina Hurricanes have a huge problem. It’s one you
can probably guess because it’s been a problem for a very long time – they
can’t score goals. Granted, Andrei Svechnikov has finally gotten more playing
time after we implored them to let the dynamic wing play more.
And man, Sebastian Aho is something else. Michel Ferland has been a nice
surprise with 11 goals.
Other than those two, though, the Hurricanes don’t really
have any goal scorers. Maybe trading one of their best goal scorers for peanuts
wasn’t a good idea? It won’t be easy for the Hurricanes to acquire a goal
scorer. Luckily, Carolina has a universal currency in talented defensemen.
It’s going to be a tough trade, but the Hurricanes have to
sacrifice someone on their blueline to give them an edge in scoring. Carolina
hasn’t been able to get one yet, though it certainly hasn’t been from a lack of
trying.
A consistent goaltender would be nice. But, as their owner
Thomas Dundon said, “at least if we lose 5-4, I’ll be entertained”. Deep down,
he’s right.
CHICAGO
BLACKHAWKS: KEEP THE CHANGES COMING
It appears the Chicago Blackhawks have finally decided to
embrace the tank. Their dynasty is over. Heck, it died back in the 2016 Stanley
Cup Playoffs. Just a year after they finished winning their third Stanley Cup
of the 21st century.
The Blackhawks are finally starting to turn over their
roster. Now it’s time for them to fully commit to it. Let guys like Alex
DeBrincat shine. Find the right coach for the team. Jeremy Colliton might not
be it, but he deserves an extended look despite his extremely rough start.
How should they move forward? Move on from guys like Corey
Crawford. As painful as it might be, there’s no sense in rushing him back from
yet another concussion. Especially not in a season when winning probably
doesn’t serve them well, with the 2019 NHL Draft having some strong options to
build around.
The Blackhawks should be in contact with all their players
with no-trade and no-movement clauses, trying to see if they want to be a part
of a rebuild. If they don’t, ship them out. It’s not too late to get a huge
return for Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith.
General Manager Stan Bowman put off rebuilding for too long,
so it won’t be a quick fix for the Blackhawks. But they can make their future a
lot better with the right moves.
COLORADO
AVALANCHE: FOCUS ON THE FUTURE
The Colorado Avalanche have the best of both worlds. On one
hand, they are one of the best teams in the NHL. But on the other hand, their
prospect pool is pretty darn impressive, especially on the blueline.
It will be interesting to see what they do at the trade
deadline. Will the Avalanche try to get someone who can transform their second
line into a much better one? Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers would make a
ton of sense.
But, at the same time, the Avalanche shouldn’t be willing to
move their big guns – Cale Makar and Samuel Girard. Those are the two guys
every team will want. Now, Connor Timmins is interesting. He’s rehabbing from
an injury, so his value isn’t too great in the present. But he has the
potential to be a solid NHL defenseman.
If the Avalanche want to upgrade, they should be offering
Shane Bowers and Timmins before offering either of Makar or Girard. They’re in
a very enviable position right now, with only Mikko Rantanen’s inevitable huge
extension in the near future to worry about. The Avalanche might be tempted to
go for it this year. But, in my most humble opinion, they should wait another
year.
COLUMBUS BLUE
JACKETS: ACT QUICKLY
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been on the verge of
greatness for the past three seasons. But each time, they’ve fallen short and
were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs after just one round. At some
point, the status quo has to change.
This makes the Blue Jackets a fascinating team to watch in
2019. Why? Because they have the two biggest difference makers in the 2019 free
agency class – goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin. What are
the Blue Jackets going to do with those two guys?
They have a January meeting scheduled with Panarin and his
agent, so this should give them a bit more clarification. But Bobrovsky is far
more interesting. Apparently, he has already let the Blue Jackets know about
his plans. Should Columbus go all in? Or should they try to get a monumental
package for either Bobrovsky or Panarin (or maybe even both)?
Whatever the Blue Jackets do, they’re running out of time to
do it. So they must act swiftly and wisely.
DALLAS STARS: GO
OUT ON THE ROAD
The Dallas Stars have one of the oddest splits in the NHL.
At home, they are an amazing team. The Stars look like a bonafide Stanley Cup
contender when they’re playing at American Airlines Center. However, on the
road, they are one of the worst teams in the league.
Whatever the reason is for their road struggles, fixing them
should be the Stars top priority. In order to get anywhere in the Stanley Cup
Playoffs, you need to be able to win on the road. It’s not likely you’re going
to win all four games at home in a seven-game series (and you might not even
get those four home games).
The Stars will have some home cooking heading into the New
Year, which is a good thing. But unless they can find the antidote to their
road illness, it might not matter too much. Even if the Stars do make the
postseason, it likely won’t be for that long.
DETROIT RED WINGS:
LET THE YOUNG KIDS PLAY
The Detroit Red Wings are a rebuilding team with a bit too
many older players on their roster. Head coach Jeff Blashill deserves credit
for balancing everything out. This season, though, he’s been giving young
players more playing time. It should come as no surprise the Red Wings are
seeing some positive results.
While winning the draft lottery would be nice, as it would
let them draft Jack Hughes, Detroit needs to re-install a winning culture into
their organization. A great way to do that is to build a young core that will
win together. This young core isn’t quite there yet, but there are definitely
reasons to be excited.
Dylan Larkin has continued to impress. Andreas Athanasiou
has finally become the player everyone thought he could be. Defenseman Dennis
Cholowski is steadily earning more playing time and could be getting over 20
minutes a game by the end of the season. Tyler Bertuzzi is proving to be his
father’s son while also proving he’s a future building block.
The Red Wings, with a bit of lottery luck and with finding a
team willing to pay a lot to get Jimmy Howard, could be in a great position
after the 2019 NHL Draft. Especially if they are able to bring Steve Yzerman
home to once again save the Red Wings. He’s already did it on the ice. Why not
give him a shot to do it off the ice?
EDMONTON OILERS:
TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR
In the words of the incomparable Michael Jackson, the
Edmonton Oilers need to “look at the man in the mirror” and “ask him to change
his ways”. They’re seeing improvement under new head coach Ken Hitchcock.
However, there’s no reason at all for a team with the best player in the world
to be out of a playoff spot.
General Manager Peter Chiarelli is the primary one who
should be looking at the mirror. After all, the shallow roster is his fault.
Chiarelli has had three seasons with McDavid, with this being his fourth. Right
now, he’s batting .333 for making the postseason. If Chiarelli’s batting .250
at the end of the season, it’s time for the Oilers to make some change.
Even if McDavid is able to carry Edmonton into the playoffs,
aside from having the best darn player on Earth, the Oilers aren’t really in a
much better place than they were when Chiarelli took over. He has lost far too
many “skill for grit” trades.
Sometimes, those trades are necessary. They weren’t for the
Oilers. Edmonton needs skill and it’s hard not to look at the Taylor Hall for
Adam Larsson trade and the Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome trade as significant
reasons for their lack of skilled depth.
FLORIDA PANTHERS:
FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING
The Florida Panthers are a team I can’t figure out. On
paper, they have a very talented forward group and a decent defensive group.
But if you look at the Eastern Conference standings, they’re seven points out
of a postseason spot.
If the Panthers can’t make the playoffs with a roster that
includes Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, Evgeni Dadonov,
and Vincent Trocheck, it’s time for them to make some changes. Perhaps they
should start at the top.
General Manager Dale Tallon hasn’t been able to build a
consistent winner in Florida like he was able to do in Chicago. Perhaps his
most condemning move was literally handing the Vegas Golden Knights two members
of their top line (Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault) for a fourth-round
pick.
The Panthers need some changes if they want to be a
consistent contender. They’ve tried just about everything other than taking
Tallon out of the front office. Logic dictates that should be their next step.
LOS ANGELES KINGS:
EMBRACE THE TANK
Much like a gallon of milk, the Los Angeles Kings came into
this season with one of those “best if used by” dates. The date was a bit
faded, but it looked good, so everyone assumed that date wouldn’t be for a
while. Turns out the date has already come and now the taste is sour.
The Kings still have a talented team, but their days of
hoping to win the Stanley Cup are over. There’s only one logical choice for a
team in the Kings’ position – embrace the tank. Trust the same process the
Philadelphia 76ers have been trusting.
This means they need to make some tough moves. Trading Tyler
Toffoli and Jeff Carter should just be the start. And even that might not
be possible. If teams are interested in Jake Muzzin (and there’s no reason for
contenders not to be at least curious about obtaining him), listen to offers.
Make someone overpay and suddenly, the future looks a lot brighter.
And dear goodness, if someone’s willing to give the Kings
anything of value for Jonathan Quick with no salary retained, do it. His deal’s
already bad and it’s a major injury away from being REALLY bad. The sooner the
Kings start to rebuild and infuse their roster with young talent, the better.
MINNESOTA WILD:
CLEAN UP THE MESS
The Minnesota Wild are a talented team. But there’s a reason
they fired general manager Chuck Fletcher. He simply wasn’t doing a good job.
Fletcher left the team with a number of bad contracts. New general manager Paul
Fenton has been a bit handcuffed because of those cap concerns. The Wild
haven’t been the same team since Black Friday. Since then, they’ve arguably
been one of the worst teams in the NHL.
If things don’t change quickly, the Wild need to start
cleaning up Fletcher’s mess. This means dealing some of the bad deals. Charlie
Coyle is an obvious candidate, as he has found himself in trade rumors annually
for quite some time now. If Nino Niederreiter doesn’t improve his numbers, he
could be an option as well. Marcus Foligno would be an obvious candidate, but
honestly, the Wild are going to have a hard team moving his deal.
Fenton needs to make his mark on the team. He’s been unable
to do it, but how much longer will it take until his patience wears thin? Even
another postseason appearance wouldn’t mean much unless the Wild can improve
and at least go to the second round. At the very least, head coach Bruce
Boudreau should keep his resume updated because he was a Fletcher hire.
MONTREAL
CANADIENS: FIGURE OUT WHAT’S AILING CAREY PRICE
The Montreal Canadiens are further along in their rebuild
then people thought. They’ll likely enter 2019 as a playoff team. Even if the
Canadiens don’t, they’ll be darn close to it. Normally, this would mean
goaltender Carey Price has been carrying the team. Except that hasn’t been the
case.
In fact, it’s been the opposite. Among the 40 goaltenders
with at least 15 games played, Price has the 16th worst save percentage at .904.
Moreover, his .909 save percentage at even strength is the 13th worst among
those 40 goalies.
The Canadiens need a lot more out of Price. And this isn’t a
new trend. Price has been trending in the wrong direction over the past three
seasons. He was good in 2016-17, terrible in 2017-18, and he’s been bad in
2018-19. Price has a huge contract as the NHL’s highest paid goaltender. He has
seven years left on his massive deal.
Montreal isn’t going anywhere if Price isn’t on his game.
They don’t need him to be the elite goaltender he used to be, but they need him
to be at least good. Right now, Price has been quite far from good. If you’re
looking for optimism, he has a .916 save percentage in December. Maybe Price
has turned things around. The Canadiens better hope that’s the case.
NASHVILLE
PREDATORS: GET HEALTHY
The Nashville Predators came into this season with very high
hopes. They had the greatest regular season in franchise history last season,
picking up their first President’s Trophy. However, the Predators couldn’t
follow up their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016-17 with an encore. They
fell to the Winnipeg Jets in the second round in a hard fought seven-game
series.
So far, the Predators have been one of the best teams in the
NHL. However, they’ve been struggling a bit as of late. It’s fairly obvious to
see why – the Predators aren’t healthy. They’re currently without Victor
Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, and P.K. Subban. Those are three players the
Predators rely quite heavily on.
The Preds need to get healthy in the worst kind of way.
First place in the Central Division is well within reach, as the Predators have
been able to keep with striking distance of the Winnipeg Jets. But the Colorado
Avalanche aren’t too far behind them despite having some struggles themselves.
Health can cost a team a magical season. The Predators
deserve credit for treading water without their stars. But if the Preds can’t
get their stars healthy (and keep them healthy), they aren’t going to go too
far in the postseason.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS:
GIVE MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD MORE PLAYING TIME
It’s odd to see the New Jersey Devils have such bad
goaltending. We’re talking the same franchise who Martin Brodeur, one of the
best goalies of all-time, played for. But Keith Kinkaid and (especially) Cory
Schneider haven’t gotten the job done. They’ve dug the Devils into a hole that
they probably won’t be able to climb out of this season.
If anything good has come from this season, at least the
Devils know neither Schneider, nor Kinkaid, are to be trusted. With the former
on the injured reserve list, New Jersey called up top goaltending prospect
MacKenzie Blackwood. So far, he’s been impressive.
Now, let’s not get all worked up over a three game sample
size. But in those three games (one start), Blackwood has stopped 93 percent of
the shots he has seen. Compare that to Kinkaid’s .901 save percentage and
Schneider’s .852 mark.
The Devils really need to figure out if Blackwood is ready
for a full-time promotion to the NHL. Kinkaid will be a free agent after this
season and Schneider is a serious buy out candidate. If the Devils know they
can count on Blackwood, that will obviously affect what they do. Conversely, if
he’s not ready, that’s going to affect their strategy.
Regardless of if Blackwood is ready or not, the Devils would
be very wise to give him more playing time to evaluate him.
NEW YORK
ISLANDERS: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Last summer, the New York Islanders made some long overdue
changes. They hadn’t had an ounce of consistency, stability, or accountability
in over 20 years. Even when the Islanders have been a playoff team, they’ve
been a very flawed one. Hiring Lou Lamoriello to lead the front office and
Barry Trotz to lead the bench gave them instant credibility.
They’ve been a very pleasant surprise. Trotz has them
playing very good defensively. The difference between the 2017-18 Islanders and
the 2018-19 incarnation is astounding. If you saw both teams, you’d think
there’s no way they’re effectively the same team.
Even though the Islanders are a contender, they need to be
patient. The Isles are more than one or two players away from being serious
Stanley Cup contenders. They need to look no further than the Devils for
evidence of what can happen if you aren’t patient. New Jersey effectively gave up
multiple draft picks and nice prospects so they could get Michael Grabner and
Patrick Maroon. Guess where that got them? One playoff win.
Lamoriello is a smart man. Islanders fans should trust him
to make the correct decisions. They’re on the verge of building something
special, even without John Tavares. The last thing the Islanders need is to
overreact. Let things play out. The future is bright.
NEW YORK RANGERS:
STAY THE COURSE
The New York Rangers started their rebuild not even 12
months ago. Their future is a lot brighter than it was. They were able to
improve their future by winning the 2018 trade deadline among sellers. The
Rangers took advantage of the perfect storm, trading Rick Nash, Michael
Grabner, Nick Holden, J.T. Miller, and Ryan McDonagh for a monster haul.
It appears the Rangers will be in a similar, albeit less
optimal, situation at the trade deadline in 2019. They’ll have guys like Kevin
Hayes and Mats Zuccarello to trade as rentals. Moreover, Chris Kreider could be
a guy they look to move for a package similar to the one they got for McDonagh
and Miller.
It’s important the Rangers stay the course regarding their
rebuild. Keep getting younger and better. Head coach David Quinn has proven to
be a good head coach. He has his guys competing most nights and has them
playing an exciting brand of hockey. The future is bright on Broadway. However,
the Rangers still need to nail this trade deadline. If they do, don’t be
surprised if they’re ready to be a postseason team in 2019-20.
OTTAWA SENATORS:
FIND OUT WHERE THEY’RE GOING AND HOW TO GET THERE
Perhaps no NHL team has a less certain future than the
Ottawa Senators. Two of their best players, Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, are
scheduled to become free agents after this season. They’re already one of the
worst teams in the NHL, even with those two guys. Imagine how bad the Senators
could be without them. Oh, and they don’t even have their 2019 first-round
pick.
A lot of the Senators’ uncertainty revolves around their
ownership situation. Eugene Melnyk has become public enemy number one in Ottawa
after trading Erik Karlsson, who’s the best player in franchise history. He has
a bad history of treating legends such as Daniel Alfredsson. Simply put, Melnyk
needs to either sell the team or provide them with a direction.
Thomas Chabot, Colin White, and Brady Tkachuk give the
Senators hope for the future. But Ottawa’s going to need a lot more than those
three guys to build a contender. It’s sad to see the Senators so close to the
bottom of the standings and the bottom of the league in attendance. But at the
same time, it’s not hard to see why fans are getting frustrated. The Senators
need to find a direction and figure out how to get there soon. If they don’t,
it’s hard to see Ottawa being competitive anytime soon.
PHILADELPHIA
FLYERS: FIND SOME STABILITY
The Philadelphia Flyers have been one of the most
disappointing teams in the NHL this season. They came into this season hoping
to build off of last season and get some better goaltending. Neither of those
two things have happened. This has led to general manager Ron Hextall and head
coach Dave Hakstol being relieved of their respective duties.
In 2019, the Flyers should seek to gain some stability
across their organization. Chuck Fletcher should give that to them in the front
office. However, Hextall did the same thing. Can Fletcher do a better job of
that and make the aggressive moves needed to become a contender?
On the bench, Scott Gordon has done a fine job. He really
deserves a better chance of coaching because his last two teams have been
cursed with awful goaltending. The Flyers should make Joel Quenneville their
number one target. They have the money to pull it off and he would
unquestionably make them better.
The Flyers also need stability in net. Carter Hart has been
called up and has gone 2-1-0 in his first three starts. Not a bad start for
someone in his first full professional season. Hart is definitely the answer in
the future. That’s not up for debate. But is Hart the answer right now? Is he best
suited in the NHL? Or should the Flyers practice patience and send Hart back to
the AHL? Those questions are going to determine the Flyers’ future.
SAN JOSE SHARKS:
PUSH IN ALL THE CHIPS
Unless the San Jose Sharks can find a way to sign star
defenseman Erik Karlsson long-term, they’re not going to have a better chance
of bringing home the elusive Stanley Cup than right now. Joe Thornton’s end is
coming, as the legendary center has two bad knees and is showing his age. Who
knows how long Joe Pavelski will continue to laugh in Father Time’s face? And
how much longer will Brent Burns be the dynamic offensive force that he is?
General Manager Doug Wilson is going to have to push in all
of his chips come the trade deadline. Don’t be surprised to hear the Sharks
interested in any number of players. Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers would
be a perfect fit for San Jose, given his consistent five-on-five production and
his versatility. But how will they be able to afford him?
The Sharks will also have to take a look at their
goaltending situation. Martin Jones and Aaron Dell aren’t blowing anyone away.
The Sharks pulled off a trade for James Reimer in 2016 that helped them give
Jones some rest, which carried them to the Stanley Cup Final. Might we see a
similar situation this year?
It’s time for the Sharks to push in all their chips.
ST. LOUIS BLUES:
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO JUST BURN IT DOWN
Who could have imagined the St. Louis Blues as one of the
worst teams in the NHL this season? Especially after having such an outstanding
offseason? To say the Blues have been a massive disappointment would be a
massive understatement.
After acquiring Ryan O’Reilly and signing Pat Maroon, David
Perron, and Tyler Bozak, the Blues were supposed to bounce back from their
disappointing end to the 2017-18 season. As 2018 draws to a close, they are far
closer to the bottom of the standings than the top of them. They’ve already
fired head coach Mike Yeo. And general manager Doug Armstrong could be next.
Usually, patience is a virtue. But maybe it’s not with the
Blues. They desperately need a culture change, which means St. Louis will have
to make some difficult moves. Anytime your team disappoints two years in a row,
whether it’s fair or not, the captain gets most of the heat. Alex Pietrangelo
has a year left on his deal and could net the Blues a nice haul at the trade
deadline.
If the Blues trade their captain, that’s admitting this
roster isn’t good enough to win. In that case, they should be willing to trade
everyone and anyone as long as it’s for the right price. Even Vladimir
Tarasenko has been reported as being available.
TAMPA BAY
LIGHTNING – GET RESTED FOR A LONG POSTSEASON
Everybody knows the story of the tortoise and the hare. A
rabbit and a turtle decide to have a race. The former gets out to a huge lead
in the race but gets overly confident. Eventually, the turtle winds up winning
to prove that slow and steady wins the race.
Well, the Tampa Bay Lightning, much like that rabbit, are off to a borderline historically great start.
They’ve earned the right to start taking it easy a little bit. Maybe give
Andrei Vasilevskiy some extra games off because the Bolts have already proven
they can win without him.
That said, the Lightning have to find that happy balance.
They can’t just take the foot off the pedal. Turn it on cruise control? Maybe
(but keep an eye on the Toronto Maple Leafs). But stop completely? Nope.
The Lightning could be an extremely special team. However,
they’ve got to focus on what’s going to help them win the Stanley Cup.
Considering the Lightning have had some very long seasons thanks to their
consistent greatness, perhaps rest is all they need.
TORONTO MAPLE
LEAFS – IMPROVE THE DEFENSE
Everyone knows the Toronto Maple Leafs strength is in their
offense. Teams are having a very hard time containing all their talent. Even
with William Nylander struggling to produce after a lengthy holdout, the Leafs
offense has been amazing over the past month. Good luck stopping all three of
Nazem Kadri, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares. Oh, and there’s Mitch Marner to
worry about too.
However, everyone also knows what the Maple Leafs
desperately need – some blueline help. Specifically, they need to get a
right-handed defenseman. With Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, and Travis Dermott
on the left side, that’s good enough to win games. The issue is their
right-handed defensemen often rely on the left-handed guys to carry the load.
Frederik Andersen has done a great job masking the Leafs’
defensive flaws. Hopefully, they’re smart enough to see them. The Leafs will
have a variety of options available. Alex Pietrangelo is the biggest name
available, but is he fully healthy? Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes is
another option. But how costly will he be?
The Leafs are on the edge of glory. They haven’t brought
home the Stanley Cup since 1967. This year’s team is good enough to do it on
offense. But first, the Leafs must fix their defense.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
– TRUST THE KIDS
The Vancouver Canucks are in an interesting position. On
paper, they’re just a point out of a playoff spot! But upon further review,
that’s because they’ve played 39 games and have 38 points. Only the Vegas
Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks have played as many games as them in
the Western Conference.
So, in reality, the Canucks aren’t true postseason
contenders. However, this doesn’t mean they’re not heading in the right
direction. Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser have been huge leaders in their
first and second years, respectively. Bo Horvat has transformed his game,
emerging as a very good two-way center who can put up points.
Yes, the Canucks still have a god-awful blue line that needs
to be overhauled. But Vancouver has a lot of reasons to be excited about their
future. Top prospect Quinn Hughes could be joining the Canucks as
soon as this season. They also need a goaltender, but Thatcher
Demko is doing a great job in the AHL.
Head coach Travis Green needs to trust his kids even more
than he already does. They’re going to be the ones who take the Canucks to the
next level.
VEGAS GOLDEN
KNIGHTS – GET SOME HELP FOR FLEURY
The Vegas Golden Knights have overcome a slow start to move
into a playoff spot as 2018 draws to a close. Few, if any, players have been
more important to the Knights in 2018 than franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
He helped carry them to the Stanley Cup Final and has been solid thus far this
season.
However, the Knights need to get Fleury some help.
Specifically, he needs rest. Fleury has played an eye-popping 34 of the Golden
Knights 39 games this season. He’s on pace to play well over 70 games, which is
way too many for any goaltender, let alone one as old as Fleury.
Vegas should turn to backup goaltender Malcolm Subban and
see if he can help out. He was great last season, but hasn’t been very good
this season. It is, however, worth noting Subban’s latest start was a very good
one.
If Subban isn’t the answer, the Golden Knights must trade
for a backup. Maybe Jimmy Howard could make some sense? The market for
goaltenders is always hard to predict, but the Golden Knights need to find a
way to rest Fleury so he’s ready for the postseason. They might have to dive
into the trade market for the solution.
WASHINGTON
CAPITALS – FIND THE RIGHT THIRD LINE
The Washington Capitals are well on their way to winning
back to back Stanley Cups. They had massive expectations going into this
season, and so far, they’ve matched them. The Capitals will leave 2018 the same
way they ended the 2017-18 season – on top of the Metropolitan Division.
Alex Ovechkin is turning back the clock yet again. He leads
the league in goals with 29. People thought he might be a bit slow to start
this season, but Ovechkin has once again found a way to take his game to the
next level. Nicklas Backstrom is quietly having a heck of a season. Evgeny Kuznetsov
has scored in all but five games. Braden Holtby has been extremely solid in net
and even backup goalie Pheonix Copley has been impressive.
However, if the Capitals want to repeat, they’ll need more
out of their third line. Granted, getting Brett Connolly back on it should help
things. He did a wonderful job filling in for T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson during
their respective absences.
What they really need is for Andre Burakovsky to find his
game. He’s been tossed around in trade rumors, but if he can find his game, the
Capitals would be a mighty dangerous team.
WINNIPEG JETS –
THE TIME IS NOW
It’s hard to find a flaw with the Winnipeg Jets. They rank
fifth in goals scored and have allowed the fifth-fewest goals against. Even
with Connor Hellebuyck having a bit of a down year, he has still been above
average. Certainly good enough for the Jets to win the Stanley Cup with, at the
very least.
There are some deadline upgrades Winnipeg could make. Kevin Hayes would make a ton of sense and could turn a
great offense into a downright unfair one. They might want to
upgrade their blueline a bit. And frankly, they should be willing to upgrade.
Because this is the Jets best possible chance to win a Stanley Cup.
Who knows how different the Jets could look next season.
Patrik Laine will require a long-term extension and it’s going to be an
expensive one too. Kyle Conner is going to need one as well. As will Andrew
Copp. Jacob Trouba might well be the guy who gets traded to make room for them
and others.
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