Some teams still have a shot. Some … don’t. We look at one reason every
team could still win it all.
Heading into February, the NHL standings have solidified
enough that we can see which teams are roughly good and which teams are bad.
Tampa Bay, again, are the league’s best. A few teams are already rummaging for
ping-pong balls in the Jack Hughes lottery.
But this is hockey, and there is still hope for everyone.
Any number of playoff outcomes are possible, especially in the tight Atlantic
Division, where the Sabres and Canadiens have thrown a wrench into proceedings.
The Metro is wild and low-quality.
To reaffirm the hope, and to discuss the chances of the
actual contenders, here’s one reason every team could still win the Stanley
Cup, even for those whose odds are basically zero.
PITTSBURGH
PENGUINS: THE SUPERSTARS
With top-tier players across the lineup, the Penguins are
always in contention. Sidney Crosby has looked as fantastic as ever leading a dominant
first line alongside team-leading scorer Jake Guentzel. Evgeni Malkin is
teetering on the verge of going on a tear, which he often does around this time
of the season. Phil Kessel is back on the second line with Malkin after
spending much of the season trying to jumpstart Derick Brassard’s third line.
The underperforming Brassard will likely be traded, as will
one of their extra defensemen once Justin Schultz returns from a broken leg.
Adding another scoring forward (ideally, a third line center) could help push
this team over the top. Then again, everyone said that last year when they
traded for Brassard.
OTTAWA SENATORS:
MARK STONE AND MATT DUCHENE
Stone and Duchene are still playing well for the sad, sad
Senators, who have basically no one else playing well. Stone is a Selke Trophy
candidate and Duchene leads the Sens in points-per-game. Everyone below the two
stars is tanking hard. Stone and Duchene are virtually working by themselves.
PHILADELPHIA
FLYERS: CLAUDE GIROUX
Giroux is 25th in the league with 48 points in 45 games, one
of the few remaining bright spots for a Flyers team languishing at the bottom
of the Metropolitan Division. Philly could trade longtime forward Wayne
Simmonds to a contender at some point.
The Flyers’ goaltending is holding them back. They’ve tried
seven (7!) goalies this season and none have been even close to capable. Calvin
Pickard has played 11 games has a save percentage of .863, an absolutely
dreadful number.
There four goalies in the NHL this season who have played seven
more and games and have a save percentage of .880 or below. Three play for the
Flyers.
NEW YORK RANGERS:
ASSORTED NHL-LEVEL PLAYERS
Some bad teams have a couple of good players (like Ottawa)
and a bunch more terrible players. Others have a bunch of actual players who
are capable of sticking around in the NHL, but few actual stars. The Rangers
are an example of the latter.
Given that New York are more than 10 points out of a playoff
spot and have avowed themselves to rebuilding, they can be expected to sell at
the deadline. Any playoff team looking for middle or bottom six depth can throw
trade offers at the Rangers for Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast or
even Mika Zibanejad.
Some players won’t be fetching trade offers; Cody Mcleod is
taking an absurd amount of penalties and isn’t exactly the most desirable
forward on the market. But New York has real, live NHL players, which can’t be
said for everybody.
ANAHEIM DUCKS:
JOHN GIBSON
Anaheim fell on their collective face in December and
January, losing 10-plus straight and at one point flopping 7-4 at home against
the Penguins, blowing a 3-0 lead in the process. Randy Carlisle’s seat is hot.
Their Vezina-contending goaltender John Gibson is the only
thing holding this team together. Gibson’s save percentage of .920 is high
despite his facing a disproportionate number of quality shots. The days of
Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf leading the Ducks to consistent success appear to
be over. At least their goaltending future is bright.
TAMPA BAY
LIGHTNING: THEY’RE THE BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE!
Tampa are far ahead of every team in the league. They hold a
convincing lead atop the Atlantic Division, which has an argument for being the
toughest in the NHL, and they’re scoring goals at a blistering rate.
Nikita Kucherov is a contender for the Hart Trophy again,
Steven Stamkos is doing everything that Steven Stamkos usually does, and Victor
Hedman is sticking around the Norris Trophy race. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy
returned from injury a few weeks ago and has maintained his pace.
COLUMBUS BLUE
JACKETS: PANARIN AND BOBROVSKY DESPERATION
In case you hadn’t noticed by now, the Blue Jackets are in a
bit of a predicament: Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky are UFAs after the
season, and their leaving would not bode well for the future of the franchise.
But right now, they’re both still there and Columbus are
jostling with the Capitals (and Islanders?) for the top of the Metropolitan
Division.
NEW YORK
ISLANDERS: DEFENSE
The surprising Islanders are the league’s best defensive
team. With a tight Barry Trotz defensive system and an offense-averse bottom
six (Leo Komarov! Scott Mayfield!), they give up just 2.47 goals per game, the
lowest average in the NHL. They’re sticking around at the top of the Metro.
Whether the Isles can maintain this surprising success in
the postseason is yet to be seen. Given the presence of the volatile (and
aggressive) Penguins, their playing in the playoffs is far from a guarantee.
But New York has shown enough to at least get to this spot.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS:
TAYLOR HALL
With the Devils lagging far behind the playoff pace in the
Metro, this has not been the follow-up they had hoped to last season’s
surprising playoff appearance.
An injury to Hall, last year’s Hart winner, hurt. But the
superstar is averaging more than a point per game. Without depth scoring and
goaltending (they most certainly have not had goaltending), the Devils will go
as far as Hall and a couple other top players can carry them.
LA KINGS: THE OLD
STARS REBOUND
This ain’t gonna happen for the Kings. They’re last place in
the Pacific and have seen pretty much everything go wrong.
But Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty and Jonathan
Quick have been good before (and might still be good!). They’d have to all go
on a tear. And management would have to hold back on a Carter trade.
CHICAGO
BLACKHAWKS: TOEWS AND KANE
You guessed it! Chicago won’t make much noise for the rest
of the season outside of their inexplicably frequent appearances on NBC Sports
Network.
Toews and Kane are still there. We at least know that duo
won’t be traded.
DALLAS STARS: BENN
AND SEGUIN WITH CHIPS ON THEIR SHOULDERS
Dallas’s president, Jim Lites, lit up Jamie Benn and Tyler
Seguin in unprecedented candid interviews earlier in January. He was not
pleased with his two stars’ production, to say the least.
For Dallas to keep clawing away in the Central Division and
slip into a Western Conference playoff spot, they’ll need Benn and Seguin to
get hot. And they’ll need some production from the other players — many of
which, on account of poor management, are not very good.
DETROIT RED WINGS:
DYLAN LARKIN
Detroit were always a playoff longshot, but there’s least
something of a young core there. They’ve surprised enough this year that hope
for the future exists, though they’ll have to commit more to youth.
Larkin is a good, fun young player heading that core. At 22,
he has loads of potential.
BUFFALO SABRES:
YOUNG TALENT
Buffalo have surprised this season, with loads of talented
young players and a chance at having top-tier star talent for the future. Jack
Eichel has proven himself as a first-line center and last year’s top draft pick
Rasmus Dahlin is a contender for the Calder Trophy.
It isn’t always smooth sailing, but other developing players
like Casey Mittelstadt, Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhardt have displayed
potential. Other NHL talents like Jeff Skinner and Conor Sheary could put the
young players over the edge.
BOSTON BRUINS: THE
TOP LINE
Injuries have hampered them at times, but the top line of
Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand is one of the most dominant
groups in the league.
Center depth is less secure (hello, Derick Brassard or Jeff
Carter?), but Boston thrive on having arguably the best line in the league.
Bergeron is synonymous with the Selke Trophy and Pastrnak is likely the best
scorer on the team.
TORONTO MAPLE
LEAFS: THE TOP-SIX
It’s not difficult to guess the main reasons for why the
Leafs could win the Cup. John Tavares and Auston Matthews anchor lines with
talented forwards on either side of them. Mitch Marner, especially, has been
fantastic.
Adding to the dominant top six (also featuring Kasperi
Kapanen and William Nylander) is defenseman Morgan Rielly, one of the top
scoring d-men in the league. The Leafs look scary.
WASHINGTON
CAPITALS: ALEX OVECHKIN
Ovechkin has the inside track to the Rocket Richard Trophy
again. He’s scoring a ton of goals again for a Caps team that hasn’t missed a
beat — Ovie is shooting 17.7 percent, a ridiculous rate for such a high-volume
shooter.
There shouldn’t be much doubt at this point that Ovechkin is
the greatest pure scorer in NHL history. He’s playing as well as he has in his
entire career. Washington are biding their time until the postseason.
MINNESOTA WILD:
VETERAN KNOW-HOW
The Wild have long been the epitome of an average team.
They’ve consistently had enough to make the playoffs with the Zach Parise-Eric
Staal-Ryan Suter core, but not quite enough to win multiple rounds.
Despite the difficult Central Division and the severe
struggles of goaltender Devan Dubnyk (who needs to figure it out for the Wild
to slip into the top eight again), their veteran big three and others like
Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon could send Minnesota back to the postseason.
Their curious trade of Nino Niederreiter to the Hurricanes for Victor Rask
likely won’t help, though.
NASHVILLE
PREDATORS: THE DEFENSEMAN
The Preds are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NHL,
as expected. Their first line of Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan
Johansen is dominant when healthy. They have the forward depth and goaltending
to win games against elite teams, though injuries remain an issue — the likes
of Kyle Turris and PK Subban, in addition to members of that first line, have
missed significant time.
The defenseman still their best asset. Two of their top
three scorers are d-men (Mattias Ekholm and Roman Josi), and while that would
sound pretty sad for a lot of teams, it’s only an indication of Nashville’s
top-tier defensive six.
SAN JOSE SHARKS:
BRENT BURNS AND ERIK KARLSSON
Rumors of Karlsson’s demise are greatly exaggerated. Though
the Norris Trophy race seems restricted to Mark Giordano and Kris Letang at
this point in the season, Karlsson has lived up to expectations in San Jose.
His 40 assists are second only to Burns’ 43 among NHL d-men.
Burns, for his part, leads NHL defenseman with 52 points.
The Sharks have worked to do to catch up to the surprising Flames in the
Pacific Division, but Burns and Karlsson can take them far.
VEGAS GOLDEN
KNIGHTS: MARC-ANDRE FLEURY’S VEZINA SEASON
Somewhat quietly, the Golden Knights are still winning games
in their sophomore campaign. They’ve hit the 60 point benchmark and will almost
certainly make the playoffs again. They’re scoring by committee and even
getting points from Ryan Reaves.
Fleury, in an overall down year for top-tier NHL
goaltenders, leads the NHL in wins and could challenge John Gibson, Andrei
Vasilevskiy and Carey Price for the Vezina Trophy. The Knights can safely rely
on the veteran former Penguin as they look to repeat last year’s magical run.
ARIZONA COYOTES:
CLAYTON KELLER
With goaltender Antti Raanta out for the season, Arizona
most likely aren’t looking at a playoff run this season. (What else is new?)
They could consider trading some pieces, though aside from Jordan Weal (whom
they already dealt to Philly); they don’t have many pending UFA contracts.
Richard Panik could be the most likely option.
Keller, at just 20, leads the team in scoring. He’s a smart
player and looks like the Coyotes’ centerpiece.
CALGARY FLAMES:
MARK GIORDANO
Giordano, long a solid d-man, is having a fantastic season,
putting up more points than ever and locking down difficult minutes. He and
Kris Letang are the two primary competitors for the Norris Trophy.
For a surprising Flames team, Johnny Gaudreau is second in
the league in scoring. Calgary is behind only Tampa Bay in offensive
production, coaxing quality scoring out of Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and
Matthew Tkachuk. This success comes despite the utter disappointment of James
Neal, who has been mostly invisible in his first season as a Flame.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS:
BROCK BOESER, BO HORVAT AND ELIAS PETTERSSON
The Canucks, of all teams, managed to stumble into one of
the best young cores in the game. Horvat, Boeser and Pettersson have done
plenty to tamper disappointment over the retirements of the Sedin brothers in
Vancouver, though the Canucks have a long way to go to climb back into
sustainable playoff contention.
Vancouver, in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season,
has stuck around admirably in the Pacific Division. (The collapses of the
Coyotes, Oilers and Kings have certainly helped in this regard.) Pettersson is
the favorite for the Calder Trophy.
WINNIPEG JETS:
DEPTH AND GOALSCORING
Predictably, the Jets lead the Central Division and have
secured a spot among the NHL’s elite. They are one of the deeper teams in the
league, despite the injury to defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.
Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele both score well over a
point per game. Wheeler racks up the assists to Scheifele, Patrik Laine and
Kyle Connor, high-volume scorers rivalling any other group in the league.
FLORIDA PANTHERS:
SOLID TOP SIX SCORING
It hasn’t been an ideal season for the Panthers, who sit
well outside the playoff picture. The story is always the same: Good players at
the top end of the lineup, but a lack of depth and inconsistent goaltending
setting them back.
An injury to Vincent Trocheck hurt, but Jonathan Huberdeau,
Mike Hoffman, Evgenii Dadonov and Aleksander Barkov can hold down the fort. Everyone
below them, plus the regression of aging goaltender Roberto Luongo, stopped
Florida from another run at a playoff spot.
MONTREAL
CANADIENS: CAREY PRICE
Montreal, against all odds, might make the Eastern
Conference playoffs. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them, but
Price has stopped that from happening: His save percentage of .914 is one of
the best in the league, and he’s made up for a young, star-less core trying to
find its way.
Scoring from Max Domi, Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin has
helped this surprising season from the Canadiens. But an elite goaltender can
go a long way towards putting you in contention.
EDMONTON OILERS:
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS
Just kidding, it’s Connor McDavid. I don’t have much more
insight for this section, beyond poor Oilers. Peter Chiarelli is nuking this
team and I don’t think it’s going to go well.
CAROLINA
HURRICANES: REGRESSION TO THE MEAN
The Canes put up good shot numbers. They should score more
based on the quality attempts they generate. If at some point they regress to
the mean, they could see some better results.
That will only somewhat mitigate concerns over the quality
of this roster, though. It looks like a trade of winger Micheal Ferland to a
contender could happen before the trade deadline.
COLORADO
AVALANCHE: THE FIRST LINE
Both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are among the
league leaders in scoring, with Gabriel Landeskog rounding out one of the best
lines in hockey.
The Avs are in a tight battle in the Central Division and
the Western Conference for a playoff spot, sitting on 52 points. They’ll need
production from elsewhere in the roster to get this group to the postseason.
Once there, it will be a huge showcase for the MacKinnon and Rantanen duo.
ST. LOUIS BLUES:
RYAN O’REILLY
I don’t think there’s a good chance of this happening!
St. Louis has been one of the worst teams in the league, and
could look at trading any of their underperforming pieces. Only O’Reilly has
lived up to expectations for a team that was supposed to be one of the most improved
teams in the NHL this season.
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