The Biggest NHL Storylines to Watch in Week 8 of the 2014-15 Season
There's nothing unfamiliar about seeing Sidney Crosby's name atop the NHL's list of scoring leaders as we head into the eighth week of the season.
With 33 points in 23 games so far in 2014-15, it looks like Crosby's on his way to a second straight Art Ross Trophy. He also challenged in 2012-13 before being derailed by a jaw injury late in the season.
As December kicks off, familiar faces and stories like Crosby's provide a nice air of continuity to the NHL world. Meanwhile, the upstarts and game changers add some excitement and shake things up.
Drawing from both sides of that equation, here's a look at the big storylines to follow in the hockey world through the week of December 1.
All stats courtesy of NHL.com.
Playoff Picture Coming into Focus
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We're barely one quarter of the way through the NHL schedule, yet past statistics are suggesting that we already have a pretty good idea how the 2015 playoffs could shape up next spring.
According to Evan Sporer of NHL.com, 14 of the 16 teams that were in playoff position at Thanksgiving last season went on to grab postseason berths. The two that didn't, the Washington Capitals and the Arizona Coyotes, were both in the last place in their respective conferences at the end of November.
Will the pattern hold?
If it does, we could see lots of new blood duking it out next spring. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs have stolen playoff spots from the reeling Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets, while the West sees four new teams among its qualifying group, including the Conference-leading Nashville Predators.
The Vancouver Canucks, the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets are also in the picture through Sunday's games, instead of the Minnesota Wild, the San Jose Sharks, the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.
There's a long way to go, but the trends would suggest that most of these upstarts will, in fact, be in the mix when the playoffs roll around next April.
Traffic Jam at the Top of the Standings
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Though we're starting to get an idea of who will make the playoffs next spring, the 2014-15 Presidents' Trophy race is wide open.
After the games on November 30, six out of 30 teams are tied for the top spot in the NHL with 34 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the nominal leader thanks to a lower number of games played (23) and a solid number of regulation and overtime wins (14 of 16).
Not only is 20 percent of the league tied at the top in terms of points, three more teams are one point back at 33 and one more has 32. So, a third of the franchises in the NHL are currently within one game of the top of the standings.
This year's Presidents' Trophy race is made especially interesting thanks to the mix of old and new blood. Last year's winners, the Boston Bruins, are sitting down in 12th place. Some other high achievers from 2013-14, like the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks, are currently out of the mix.
In their place, the Nashville Predators, the New York Islanders, the Vancouver Canucks, the Calgary Flames—even the Detroit Red Wings—are serving early notice that they'll need to be treated as contenders this season.
A regular-season championship doesn't do much to foreshadow playoff success. Since the beginning of the new millennium, only the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks and the 2001-02 and the 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings have won the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year.
It will be interesting to see which team is able to separate itself from the rest of the pack as the season winds toward its conclusion next spring.
Injuries Fuel Trade Winds
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Just over a week ago, the Anaheim Ducks felt they were sufficiently stocked on defense so they traded stay-at-home rearguard Bryan Allen to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for enigmatic forward Rene Bourque. But hold that thought. It seems the mumps virus isn't finished with the Ducks just yet.
Clayton Stoner became the latest confirmed victim when he was placed on injured reserve on November 28. Meanwhile, big-minute defenseman Francois Beauchemin had returned to the lineup for just three games after his own bout with the illness before suffering a broken finger against the Calgary Flames on November 25.
As Anaheim put both Stoner and Beauchemin on the injured reserve list on Friday, the team also made a quick move to shore up its blue line, acquiring Eric Brewer from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a third-round draft choice. By bringing in the fifth overall draft pick from 1997, they've essentially replaced Allen, who was chosen fourth in 1998.
The Brewer deal brings the total number of trades so far in the NHL season to seven, according to TSN. Though the action has picked up in the last couple of weeks, the deals have all been minor so far, leading TSN's Dave Hodge to lament the loss of the bold general manager who wasn't afraid to shake up his team.
Will we see the Pittsburgh Penguins add a forward to replace Pascal Dupuis, who's out long term? Will the Vancouver Canucks address the absence of Olympian Dan Hamhuis on their blue line for the foreseeable future? Will the Edmonton Oilers move one of their franchise forwards for help on defense?
Big trades are hard to make in today's salary-cap world. Effective execution can yield big rewards.
.png?w=256 "Playoff Winners and Losers")
Which Coach Falls 1st?
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On November 29, the Jose Sharks built a 5-1 lead by the 6:09 mark of the second period over one of the league's powerhouses, the Anaheim Ducks.
Just over four minutes into the third, that lead had been cut to a single goal thanks to an outburst from All-Stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, leading to this tweet from Sharks beat writer Kevin Kurz of Comcast Sportsnet:
"There’s 15:12 left in the third period, #SJSharks leading 5-4. Is it a stretch to say McLellan’s job could be on the line over that span?
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzCSN) November 30, 2014"
Coach Todd McLellan dodged that bullet as his team hung on and scored a last-minute goal to win 6-4, but the tension is thick in the Bay Area.
The success of a 111-point regular season in 2013-14 was erased by a first-round playoff collapse to the Los Angeles Kings, and the rudderless Sharks find themselves drifting in the middle of the pack this season. Their 11-10-4 record through 25 games leaves them with 26 points, in 10th place in the Western Conference and two points out of the last wild-card spot.
San Jose is in need of a big change. Since star veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are unwilling to waive their no-trade clauses, McLellan might become the first coaching victim this year.
Other candidates who are also rumored to be on the hot seat include Dallas Eakins in Edmonton, Craig Berube in Philadelphia, Mike Yeo in Minnesota and possibly Randy Carlyle in Toronto, according to Damien Cox of the Toronto Star. New Jersey Devils bench boss Peter DeBoer has also had his name tossed around by Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports as his team has slumped into a 1-4-2 record in its last seven games.
Coaching changes are one of the quickest ways to change a team's complexion. Midseason adjustments can be tricky, but one need look no further back for a successful transition than when Darryl Sutter took the reins of the Los Angeles Kings on December 20, 2011 and promptly led the team to a Stanley Cup.
One or more of the coaches on the hot seat will almost certainly be out of work before this year's Christmas roster freeze.
All Star Voting
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Remember the All-Star Game?
It's been awhile since we've had one. In 2013-14, there was no game due to the break in the schedule for the Sochi Olympics, while the 2012-13 edition was scrubbed as a result of the early-season lockout.
That lockout game had originally been awarded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, so they'll finally get their chance to host at Nationwide Arena on January 25, 2015.
Fan voting will determine the game's starting lineup: three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. The rest of the rosters will be filled out by the league.
Through November 30, here are the top vote-getters at each position so far:
| Forward |
| Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks |
| Jonathan Toews - Chicago Blackhawks |
| Defense |
| P.K. Subban - Montreal Canadiens |
| Duncan Keith - Chicago Blackhawks |
| Goal |
| Carey Price - Montreal Canadiens |
There's no word yet on the game format that the league will use this year. In 2011 and 2012, the NHL adopted a schoolyard-pick system that allowed two captains to draft their teams. Past formats have also included "North America vs. the World" and "East vs. West."
World Junior Rosters Taking Shape
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For the first time in three years, the IIHF World Junior Championship returns to Canada this Christmas. The 2015 edition will be held from December 26-January 5 in the media-friendly hockey hotbeds of Toronto and Montreal.
With a chance to end a six-year gold medal drought on home soil, Hockey Canada will announce its selection camp roster on December 1, per Craig Button of TSN. Final decisions, such as the inclusion of NHL players like Jonathan Drouin of the Tampa Bay Lightning or Curtis Lazar of the Ottawa Senators, can wait until later in the month.
Canadians are waiting to see whether top draft prospect Connor McDavid will be ready to participate after breaking a bone in his hand during a fight on November 11. His recovery time has been estimated at five to six weeks, according to Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star.
Final rosters are due on the eve of the tournament on December 25. "I don’t think it’ll be an issue, I predict he’ll be there," Erie Otters GM Sherry Bassin told the media of McDavid, per Zwolinski, on November 12.
Expect to hear a lot more about the rosters from all participating teams over the coming days and weeks, as the countdown begins to one of the year's biggest events on the international hockey schedule.
.png?w=480 "Playoff Winners and Losers")
