Mariah Carey is seemingly playing nonstop on every radio station, even the heavy metal stations, so it's the Christmas season. Like all of us, NHL teams have Christmas wishes but aren't saying it out loud. Fortunately, I'm here to tell you.
Anaheim Ducks Can it be October again?
In my Surprises and Disappointments article last month, I had the Anaheim Ducks as the biggest surprise after they handed Vegas their first regulation loss. Through November 5th, the Ducks were 9th in the NHL with 14 points. Since? No team has lost more than the 10 times the Ducks have. It's okay because Pat Verbeek's team is in a rebuild, and they needed to be reminded of that.
Arizona Coyotes Time to speed up to April
Another one of my Surprises (4th) was the Yotes. I also attended a Coyotes game at Mullett where they stunned the LA Kings in the 1st period, but they're young and learning. Currently, the Yotes have a Wild Card spot, and it could be the first time they make the playoffs in a standard season since going to the Conference Finals in 2012. Note: the Coyotes made the playoffs after winning a play-in round in 2020.
Boston Bruins A goalie decision
Last season, the Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark had an incredible season, leading the NHL in Wins, GAA and Save % en route to the Vezina trophy. All the while, "backup" Jeremy Swayman was also putting up excellent numbers. This season, the net has been dominated by Swayman, and the Bruins will likely stick to the A / B goalie plan. That's how the Bruins did it last year, but in the playoffs, you have to decide. Last season, the Bruins rode Ullmark for the first 6 games of the series vs Florida. In Game 7, they turned to Swayman, a BIG risk benching the Vezina Trophy winner, and this year, they should decide to turn to him sooner. I know it's "old school thinking", but Getting your number one goalie in a rhythm is paramount.
Buffalo Sabres A do-over for the Season
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres were the 4th highest scoring team in the NHL. The problem was that they were a minus 4 in Goal Differential, so Don Granato focused on improving the defensive play. Then, their offense dried up. This season, the Sabres are 22nd in Goals (71) and 26th in Goals allowed (85). The Sabres could be fine if they were still 4th in scoring. As a result, the Sabres cannot get going this year. Maybe if they had it all to do over again, they'd put less pressure on their young goalies or maybe have a shot find the net that didn't initially. They're not progressing. They're regressing.
Calgary Flames A direction for this team
Two years ago, Calgary was a Stanley Cup contender. Last season, those hopes came crashing down as their additions of Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri did not go well, to say the least. Not sure who the Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk for, but it wasn't 100-point scorer Jonathan Huberdeau. The Flames have not utilized him well or tailored their system to his abilities, and Kadri looks like the player Toronto couldn't wait to trade away. Calgary is getting nothing in the net with Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar looking awful, keeping top prospect Dustin Wolf from the net. All that said, they're 4 points out of a playoff spot. The Flames are in the middle of a five-game homestand (1-2 in three games so far) before going on the road vs Colorado and Vegas. They need to know what they are as a team sooner than later, with Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev's UFA status hanging over this team.
Carolina Hurricanes A goalie decision
Goalies are creatures of habit. They like their net and like to stay in their net. Tandems are more in fashion now than ten years ago. In Carolina, they use THREE goalies; Freddy Andersen, Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov. None of the goalies have over a save percentage .894 and a GAA lower than 2.83. None of those instill fear in opponents. The thing is that Carolina did that last year, too, with better numbers. The results are games like when they took on Tampa, and Raanta recorded the lowest save percentage for a starting goalie who played the full game (8 goals on 14 shots for a .429 save %). Last season, no other team played three goalies 23 games. Carolina needs to get a goalie (likely Andersen) in the net and leave him there for a while. It would make Rod Brind'Amour's life a whole lot better.
Chicago Blackhawks Controversy-free for the rest of the season
The Chicago Blackhawks are in the honeymoon phase of the Connor Bedard Era, but of course, they're the Blackhawks and can't help but screw it up. Recently, Corey Perry had plenty of rumors swirling around, and the veteran brought in for character was released for the exact same reason. Hopefully, TMZ isn't going to break any more news on the Hawks for the rest of the season.
Colorado Avalanche Relief for Georgiev
The Colorado Avalanche brought in Alexander Georgiev from the New York Rangers and started the Belarussian goaltender a career-high 62 times last year. Georgiev posted career highs in Wins, Save Percentage and Goal Against Average after all were trending in the wrong direction the last few years. Clearly, he THRIVES by getting more action. His numbers were similar in the First Round playoff loss, but if he can get a few more days off, perhaps "Georgie" can be a little fresher in the playoffs. They could ask for depth as well, but depth in net could more helpful.
Columbus Blue Jackets A major change
Columbus is in the middle of their seemingly endless rebuild, but as discussed on the Big Apple Hockey podcast, there's a culture problem in Columbus. As much as I'm a fan of John Davidson and Jarmo Kekäläinen, they have ONE playoff series win in their DECADE in Columbus. Flash forward to this season where the Mike Babcock hiring was disastrous and Pascal Vincent is scratching / benching stars Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau will make free agents wonder why they should ever sign there. Even worse, you have to wonder what's going on with Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson as the Jackets have yo-yo'd their development. Realistically, when do YOU see Columbus competing for a playoff spot? They need a change from the top down.
Dallas Stars Noah Hanifin under the Tree
The Dallas Stars are a Stanley Cup favorite with 9 players in double-digit points, but their defense could use help. The offense and goaltender Jake Oettinger have covered up the blueline issues for Peter DeBoer's team. Ryan Suter was already aging out and it was obvious in the playoffs last year, but Esa Lindell and Nils Lundkvist have been okay. This has led to inconsistency from game-to-game (like beating the Rangers and then losing to Calgary) or even period-to-period like their 6-3 loss to Colorado after leading 3-0 in the third period. This team could use a defenseman like Noah Hanifin, who won't be available by Christmas, but they could always wish for him.
Detroit Red Wings Patrick Kane to gel
The Yzerplan is now in full swing, and adding Patrick Kane to the roster makes them a legitimate playoff team. The Red Wings are 2nd in the Atlantic and are 2nd in the NHL in scoring. Their +20 Goal Differential proves they're not going anywhere - even with Ville Husso not looking like the franchise goalie they want him to be. Alex Lyon and James Reimer have been better. If Kane can be 80% of what he was pre-surgery, then the Red Wings could be trouble for the league. If he's the Kane that was on Broadway last season, that's not going to help the Wings. Still...he is Patrick Kane...gotta help in some way.
Edmonton Oilers Can October not count?
There are bad starts that contenders do not want to get off to...and then there's how the Oilers started. The Jay Woodcroft-led Oilers went off to a horrible 3-9-1 start before he was shown the door in favor of New York Rangers AHL coach Kris Knoblauch. Under McDavid's former junior coach, the Oilers are 6-3 but are still 8 points out of a playoff spot. Yes, they're 2nd in the league with 28 Goals since November 13th and tied for 10th in Goals Against, but they dug themselves a HUGE hole and better rattle off that winning streak that every pundit thinks they can do.
Florida Panthers A Video of the 2009 Penguins
It's been 14 years (about to be 15) since a team that lost in the Stanley Cup Finals returned and won the Cup the next year. That was the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers are looking to go from a nice Cinderella story to a Stanley Cup Champion. The Panthers ruined the Bruins historic season when Carter Verhaeghe scored in overtime of Game 7, but then the Panthers showed they're actually a good team. They started this season without their two top defensemen (Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour), and it didn't matter. They're 14-8-2 and are only going to get better. This team is for real and wants to be the first team to win the Cup after losing the Finals since the 2009 Sidney Crosby-led Penguins.
Los Angeles Kings Every game to be on the road
Amazingly, the Kings are still unbeaten on the road two months into the season (10-0). However, their 5-4-3 home record needs improvement. The Kings are poised to take over the Pacific Division if they can improve their home record, as they have 4 games in hand on Vegas and 4 points back. In the meantime, their 51 goals against are by far the stingiest team in the league. That's very very good.
Minnesota Wild Can the Cap penalties go away
It was quite a ballsy move of GM Bill Guerin to buy out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter at the same time, but the cap penalties have prevented this team from truly competing with the top teams in their division. Currently, the Wild are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, which cost Dean Evason his job as coach. If there could be a magic wand to make those cap penalties disappear, the Wild wouldn't be paying $14m dollars less under the cap than everyone else.
Montreal Canadiens Stay the course
Montreal is in a rebuild. They are assembling a good core with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but there is no need to rush 2023 top overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky and let him grow. They re-signed Sam Montembeault, identifying him as their goalie of the future and his numbers indicate he could be. Marty St Louis has proven he can coach as his Habs are three points out of a playoff spot, but there is no need to speed up this rebuild. Even if Montreal is still in the playoff chase, they shouldn't upgrade their team to forsake their future. Keep accruing assets and keep the rebuild going.
Nashville Predators A Clearer Vision of the Barry Trotz Plan
Last year, the Predators' front office keys were turned over to Barry Trotz, and the former defensive coach wanted to upgrade the team and make them more explosive. He hired OFFENSIVE coach Andrew Brunette (who scored the first goal in Preds' history), then they started 6-10, and everyone dismissed them. However, just before Thanksgiving, the Predators began an NHL BEST 7-2 stretch that got them back to an even goal differential and 1 point out of a playoff spot. Is this the team Trotz envisioned, or is it just a hot streak all teams go on at some point? Predators' fans would love to know the answer.
New Jersey Devils Last year's yearbook
The New Jersey Devils announced themselves to the NHL as a power last season and dispatched the New York Rangers in the First Round of the playoffs, making everyone believe that they're ready to compete for a Cup. They looked the part in the preseason, but injuries and bad defense showed up once the games began to count. The Devils are 11th in Goals For, but 24th in Goals Against. With a Goal Differential of -3 for a team that 8th in Goals Against last season, that can kill Cup dreams.
New York Islanders No More 3rd Periods
The New York Islanders are the second-worst team in the NHL in the 3rd period. Though they are 9-1-4 when taking a lead into the third period, the way they're winning produces the phrase, "Well... at least they won." That's not who the Islanders have been since 2019, and if they continue third-period play like this, there won't be a playoff spot for them in April. *Added note: After losing to the San Jose Sharks in OT after having a 3-goal lead in the third period, one must wonder how Lane Lambert is still employed, and if Lou doesn't replace him, should they both go?
New York Rangers Right Wing Depth
The New York Rangers are first in the Eastern Conference, and Peter Laviolette has them playing well enough to have fans dream of 1994. However, they need Right Wing help. BADLY. Aside from Alexis Lafreniére playing on the Right Wing, the Rangers have gotten 9 points out of Blake Wheeler and Kaapo Kakko. While Jonny Brodzinski has 4 points on the Right Wing in his 4-game call-up, the Rangers need an RW to drive play 5-on-5 and help the Kreider-Zibanejad combo.
Ottawa Senators A New Coach
The Sword of Damocles has been hanging over DJ Smith since GM Pierre Dorion got fired last month. Why he's still employed is a little bewildering. In his fifth season, he's 20 games under .500, and this season is no different. The Senators were supposed to shed the "rebuilding" label and make a push to the playoffs. Instead, they're in last place in the Atlantic AGAIN. The Senators have played the fewest games of any team in the NHL (20) and could still turn their season around, but they're 5-5 in their last 10, and if a move at coach is delayed, there might not be a turnaround.
Philadelphia Flyers People to stop asking if they're in a rebuild
It seems like the Flyers have been in limbo for so long. After being the top ranked team in the "Bubble Playoffs" in 2020, the Flyers have fallen on hard times. They replaced Alain Vigneault with John Tortorella and appeared to be going into a rebuild as they targeted Johnny Gaudreau. Then Cliff Fletcher made questionable roster decisions and they were apparently going into a rebuild. To borrow a quote from the BAH podcast, "You don't hire John Tortorella for a rebuild." Despite a lackluster roster, Torts did a good job last season. THIS season, the Flyers are in playoff position (3rd in the Metro) and are playing better than Cup-wannabes New Jersey and Pittsburgh. It's easy to think they will likely drop out of the playoff picture by the Trade Deadline, but what if they don't? They're more of a retool under the new regime of Keith Jones and Daniel Briere.
Pittsburgh Penguins Wheelchairs
The Pittsburgh Penguins started the season with a sub-.500 October. After their West Coast trip, they got over the .500 mark and are pretty underwhelming as a Cup contender. They're closer to an old rock band playing their old hits, as their new tracks aren't catching on. Yes, Sidney Crosby is STILL playing at a high level, but they're 3-4-3 in their last 10 games. The usually great offensive Pens aren't scoring goals. In that span, Erik Karlsson and Jeff Carter are tied in goals with Tristan Jarry, and Evgeni Malkin has one more than his goaltender. THAT'S NOT GOOD. They're too old and need to get younger and faster to compete with the better teams.
San Jose Sharks Continue competitive play but lose
Unlike the Flyers, the Sharks are trying to tank. At least, the team has started playing better in their last 10 games (5-4-1) with wins over New Jersey and New York Islanders. That said, they'd prefer to be in the lottery and will sell off as many pieces as they can at the trade deadline. GM Mike Grier was saddled with a horrendous cap situation and is clearing as much space as possible. With 9 UFAs on his roster (7 active and 2 on IR), they'll send many players elsewhere in March. However, you don't want to be the team that surrendered 10 goals in back-to-back games earlier in the season. Play well in losses...I know that isn't very clear, but San Jose never had the top pick and would like it for this rebuild.
Seattle Kraken Defense
The same problems that plagued the Kraken last year are still there. Philipp Grubauer hasn't been the goalie they've needed him to be since he arrived in Seattle (except for the 1st Round vs Colorado). They're 5th worst in Goals Allowed and a -22 in Goal Differential. As good of a job, as Dave Hakstol did last year, he doesn't have the answers this season. The Kraken's run to the second round was fun, but this is a reminder that they're still an expansion team. That's not bad if you think of them in a 5-year plan.
St. Louis Blues "Identity" on BluRay
In the 2003 movie Identity, ten strangers are at a rainy hotel and find out they all have the same birthday before each one is murdered. This may be a bad summation, but without spoiling anything, it's about figuring out their Identity. So maybe the St Louis Blues should watch it and figure out who they are. This is a team that loses 5-1 to struggling-the-entire-season San Jose two nights after shutting out the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even though the Blues are in a playoff spot, I still don't know what they do or who they are. Are they a defensive team? Are they offensive? Are they better than just a "mid" team? We'll see.
Tampa Bay Lightning A proper ending to Steven Stamkos' tenure
Steven Stamkos has been a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2008 and their captain since 2014. He's their All-Time leading goals and points scorer and will surely head to the Hockey Hall of Fame when his career ends. However, he's also their 2nd oldest forward, making $8.5m in the final year of his deal. In September, the Lightning Captain expressed frustration with the contract process by saying, "I can't write my own contract." With contract extensions for Erik Cernak, Anthony Cirelli, and Mikhail Sergechev starting THIS season and Brandon Hagel's new deal beginning NEXT season, the cap-strapped Lightning could look to move their captain if they fall out of contention and a deal isn't close. Stamkos has a full no-move clause and can dictate when he lands IF (and that's a BIG IF) he wants to leave Tampa for the first time in his career. It's hard to see how GM Julien Brisebois will fit him in, but he's worked miracles before.
Toronto Maple Leafs Wins in Regulation
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a playoff spot, but oddly, they have five wins in regulation out of their 12 this season. That's tied for worst in the NHL and less than San Jose and Columbus. If the Leafs are going to be taken seriously, they'll actually need to win games in the first 60 minutes. How can you be a Cup contender if you can't win in regulation? Yeah, a "win is a win," but that's a tightrope that a team shouldn't walk.
Vancouver Canucks Can it Be October Again?
This isn't quite the same wish as Anaheim's, but Vancouver is coming back down to Earth. After a 6-2 October, where they dominated many games, the Canucks are 4-6 in their last 10. The Canucks have a -3 Goal Differential since 11/16, even though their stars are still producing. J.T. Miller is second in the league in scoring, but the best days were earlier this season.
Vegas Golden Knights Hangover Vitamins
It took almost two months, but the Stanley Cup hangover set in. The Golden Knights are 4-2-4 after the BEST start for a defending champ. Things aren't bleak by any means for the Golden Knights, but they are even in Goal Differential in their last 10 games. They're still getting great goaltending from Adin Hill, who looks like he can be a number 1, and All-Star Logan Thompson too. Jack Eichel is still over a point-per-game and Mark Stone has played in every game. Just get out of this funk and watch LA closely (4 pts back with four games in hand). *LA has now gone ahead of Vancouver in the standings.
Washington Capitals Goals
It feels weird even to type this sentence out; the Washington Capitals need goals. That's right, the normally offensive team is dead last in the NHL in goal scoring. Alex Ovechkin has five more goals than I do, and I'm not in the NHL. Under Spencer Carberry, this team is playing good enough defense to keep themselves relevant, but imagine if they have middle-of-the-pack goal production when they're only 2 points out of a playoff spot.
Winnipeg Jets To be taken seriously
If you'd poll NHL fans on who will win the Central Division - even with them LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS - a small percentage would say, "Winnipeg," but the Jets are within 4 points of the Central Division lead. At the beginning of the season, the Jets sent former captain Blake Wheeler packing. They traded malcontent Pierre-Luc Dubois to LA for a considerable package. They were looking to be heading into a rebuild until GM Kevin Cheveldayoff extended stars Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele. The Jets are a solid 14-8-2 and 7-3 in their last 10 with wins over Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and New Jersey. Coach Rick Bowness has his team playing well, and no one notices.
Those are my Christmas wishes for each team. What are yours? Comment below!
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