Edmonton Journal ePaper

SOME NHL TEAMS IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY

Panthers, Flames among those that have to work harder to make playoffs

MICHAEL TRAIKOS mtraikos@postmedia.com

There are six teams that were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season — Florida, Washington and the New York Rangers in the East, and Calgary, Minnesota and Nashville in the West — who wouldn't be in the playoffs if the season had ended Sunday.

Luckily for them, the season doesn't end after the first two months. But it does raise a couple of questions: Which teams currently on the outside looking in will be in the dance when the season ends? And more importantly, who will they unseat?

I can't see the Panthers, who are two points back of the final wild card spot, missing out. Not after finishing with the best record in the NHL last year. The same goes for the Rangers, who are one point out of the playoffs after reaching the East final a year ago.

In the West, the Wild just need some consistent goaltending to get back in the playoff picture. Meanwhile, the Flames should be a playoff team once Jonathan Huberdeau finds chemistry with his new team.

As for who they replace, well this is where it gets tough.

For me, the most vulnerable are Detroit and Pittsburgh in the East, and Winnipeg, Seattle and St. Louis in the West. Two — maybe three — of those teams are going to fall out of contention.

That being said, don't be surprised if after three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning run out of gas and take a step back this year.

BEWARE THE ISLANDERS

Having won 18 of their past 20 games, the New Jersey Devils are not just the hottest team in hockey. They are also one of the most fun teams to watch in the NHL. The Devils beat you with speed and skill and an offence that runs four lines deep. They have the third-best offence in the league, with three players ranked among the top 20 in points and eight having already scored five or more goals.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Islanders.

Unlike the Devils, the Islanders don't beat you with skill.

Rather, they beat you by … um, beating you into submission. One of their players just set the NHL record for all-time bodychecks. Another is ranked in the top five. As a team, they lead the NHL in that somewhat outdated category.

“We're a physical team,” head coach Lane Lambert said after a 51-hit win against the Maple Leafs last week. “In order for us to have success, we have to play a certain way. Playing physical is one of those ingredients.”

Another ingredient is game-saving goaltending, with Ilya Sorokin emerging as an early candidate for the Vezina Trophy.

Add it up and the Devils might win the Metropolitan Division. But the Islanders, who went to the conference final in 2020 and 2021 before missing the playoffs last year, are the team that no one wants to face when the season is in on the line.

SENS EARLY WINNERS OF THE 2020 DRAFT

Is two-and-a-half seasons enough time to declare Alexis Lafreniere a bust?

With just three goals and 10 points in 22 games this season, the New York Rangers winger is certainly looking like one of the worst No. 1 picks in recent memory.

As for the biggest steal, that title so far goes to the Ottawa Senators.

Not only did they get Tim Stutzle with the No. 3 pick, who has eight goals and 22 points in 21 games this season, but two spots later they grabbed defenceman Jake Sanderson, who already has 11 points in 21 games as a rookie this year. Consider it a do-over for selecting Alexandre Daigle over Chris Pronger in 1993.

Stutzle ranks first among his draft class in goals (42), assists (67) and points (109). Lafreniere is second in goals (34) and is ranked third behind Detroit's Lucas Raymond in points (71). The only category where Lafreniere is currently leading is in games played (157), which makes his lack of production even more suspect.

Meanwhile, Kaapo Kakko, who was the Rangers' No. 2 overall pick in 2019, is also struggling with just four goals and eight points in 22 games. It could point to an even bigger failure among the organization, which hasn't drafted and developed its own star player since 2014's Igor Shesterkin.

CHYCHRUN COULD BE BUFFALO BOUND

Jakob Chychrun, 24, who missed the first seven weeks of the season after undergoing wrist surgery, returned to the lineup last week. And with one goal and three points in four games, trade rumours have circulated around the talented Arizona Coyotes defenceman.

It is believed that Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa are among the many teams interested in Chychrun's services.

But according to Sportsnet's Jeff Marek, the Buffalo Sabres could be a “dark horse.”

I'd go one step further and suggest they are the favourite.

After all, a deal with the Sabres makes sense for a number of reasons. They have the cap space to get a deal done, with only the Coyotes having more financial flexibility. And they have the prospects to get a deal done, with Buffalo having made five firstround picks in the past two years.

More importantly, with the Sabres near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they might have the biggest need.

SPORTS

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2022-11-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

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