The 8 Biggest Disappointments of the NHL Season Early On
It's been nearly two weeks since the NHL's 2023-24 season began. There have already been a number of pleasant surprises that B/R's Sara Civian will be listing later this week. However, there have also been some early disappointments.
Every player and team begins the season with optimism. Sometimes, though, a poor start can threaten to derail even the best-laid plans.
Some clubs that were hoping to build on last season's success, such as the Seattle Kraken, have lurched from the gate as they struggle to find the formula that worked so well in 2022-23. Meanwhile, projected Stanley Cup contenders like the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs are encountering some early difficulties playing up to expectations.
Here are our picks for the eight biggest disappointments thus far in this young NHL campaign. If you feel we've missed a club or disagree with those on our list let us know about it in the comments below.
The Inconsistent Buffalo Sabres
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Having come within a point of ending their 12-year playoff drought last season, the Buffalo Sabres began the 2023-24 campaign poised to finally become a postseason club. Led by rising stars such as Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens, the Sabres could finally end their long rebuilding period.
So far, however, the results have been underwhelming. With a record of 2-3-0, they find themselves once again at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Poor defensive play and inconsistent goaltending were the Sabres' downfall last season as their 3.62 goals-against per game was among the league's highest. They've made some improvement in that category through their first five games with a goals against of 3.00. However, they sit among the top 15 clubs in giveaways with 40.
Rookie goaltender Devon Levi appeared in their first four games before being sidelined with a lower-body injury, sporting a 3.26 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. He was among the top 10 in shots against (120) during that period.
The most surprising factor is their offensive struggles. In 2022-23, the Sabres were third overall in goals per game (3.57) with a power-play percentage of 23.4. This season, their 2.40 goals per game and 6.4 power-play percentage are among the league's lowest.
It's likely only a matter of time until the Sabres get their offense going again. Whether they can significantly improve their defense and avoid another disappointing finish remains to be seen.
Edmonton Oilers' Woeful Start
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Entering this season among the Stanley Cup favorites, the Edmonton Oilers have looked nothing like potential champions. They stumbled from the gate with a 1-3-1 record in their first five games. That included getting thumped 8-1 in their season opener by the retooling Vancouver Canucks and a 4-1 loss to the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers.
Despite a lineup featuring scoring stars such as Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane and Zach Hyman, the Oilers managed just seven goals in their four losses. The only time the offense looked like its normal self was their 6-1 rout of the Nashville Predators on Oct. 17.
Then on Saturday, McDavid suffered an upper-body injury and will be out for one to two weeks.
Defensively and in goal, meanwhile, it's been a nightmare. Their goals-against per game (4.00) and their penalty-killing percentage (71.4) were among the league's worst.
Apart from Jack Campbell's 44-save performance in the win over the Predators, he and Stuart Skinner have been shaky between the pipes. Meanwhile, defensive breakdowns have proved costly as the Oilers had difficulty containing opposing scorers.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft expressed his displeasure following the loss to the Flyers. "I thought our game lacked urgency," he told reporters. "I don't see second and third efforts in all areas of our game, up and down our lineup."
The Oilers have plenty of time to reverse their fortunes and get things back on track. Nevertheless, this was not the start they or their followers envisioned in early October.
Ottawa Senators' Contract Talks with Shane Pinto
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By the time you read this, the Ottawa Senators could finally have restricted free agent Shane Pinto under contract. Then again, their negotiations could remain at a standstill with no indication of when the 22-year-old center will get signed.
Pinto enjoyed a 20-goal rookie performance last season in what was the final year of his entry-level contract. On Oct. 9, the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch reported the Senators offered up a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2 million, while the Pinto camp sought two years at $2.5 million annually.
With the two sides that close it should've been easy to resolve the situation. However, the Senators are pressed against the $83.5 million cap.
On Oct. 12, TSN's Darren Dreger reported general manager Pierre Dorion was looking into moving winger Mathieu Joseph ($2.9 million cap hit) or defenseman Erik Brannstrom ($2 million) to free up space to sign Pinto.
Whatever the outcome, it has to be disappointing for Pinto and for Senators fans that he wasn't signed before the start of the season. It's left the roster short-handed at the center position while leaving a good young player who could help them cool his heels in his hometown of Franklin Square, New York.
None of this would've been necessary had the Senators managed their cap better. Instead, they complicated matters by prioritizing other players over Pinto.
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Seattle Kraken's Popgun Offense
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Having reached the Stanley Cup playoffs last season in just their second NHL campaign, the Seattle Kraken began 2023-24 attempting to build on that success. Any momentum they had from that playoff run, however, was nowhere to be seen as they managed just three points (1-4-1) in their first six games.
Blame an offense that went stone cold through all but their 7-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 19. The Kraken managed just four goals through their other five games with an anemic 1.83 goals-per-game average. That's quite a drop-off from finishing last season when their 3.52 average was fourth in the league.
Scoring goals with the man advantage was an issue in 2022-23 for the Kraken, finishing 21st with a power-play percentage of 19.8. Through their first six games of this season, they were operating at 16.7 percent.
The Kraken's goal-scoring leaders last season were Jared McCann (40), Matty Beniers (24), Jaden Schwartz and Daniel Sprong (21 each), as well as Jordan Eberle and Oliver Bjorkstrand with 20 apiece. After six games, McCann and Schwartz each had two goals, Bjorkstrand had one while Beniers and Eberle had yet to score. Sprong now skates for the Detroit Red Wings.
There is plenty of time for the Kraken's scorers to rediscover their touch. Nevertheless, their popgun offense through the early going is an early letdown coming off last season's promising output.
The Struggling Tampa Bay Lightning
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The Tampa Bay Lightning started this season with All-Star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy sidelined for eight to 10 weeks due to back surgery. Meanwhile, goal-scoring captain Steven Stamkos missed two games due to a lower-body injury. Those factors contributed to their 2-2-2 record during their first six games of the season.
Adjusting to the absence of two major core players would be difficult for any club. However, those aren't the main reasons behind the Lightning's pedestrian record. On Oct. 16, the Tampa Bay Times' Eduardo A. Encina pointed out that they gave up a league-leading 111 shots through their first three games, allowing 37 per game.
Encina also noted that they allowed 28 more shots on goal than they produced (83), meaning they spent more time in their own zone than in their opponent's. That would in part account for why their 3.33 goals-per-game average is considerably lower than their 4.00 goals-against per game through their first six games.
Meanwhile, the Lightning are trying to make do with inexperienced goaltenders Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins. Vasilevskiy's absence highlights how much of the Lightning's defensive failings he covered up as their roster was steadily depleted in recent years due to salary-cap constraints.
The Lightning still possess plenty of core talent with forwards Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov and defensemen Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev. Stamkos recently returned to action, and Vasilevskiy is expected to return in December. It would be foolish to write them off because of a sputtering early-season performance.
Nevertheless, those players have logged a lot of ice time since 2020 when they won two straight Stanley Cups and reached the 2022 Cup Final. The lineup isn't as deep as it was during their glory years. While a slow start is no reason to panic, it's a disappointing reminder that this club's best years could be behind it.
Toronto Maple Leafs' Porous Defense
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The Toronto Maple Leafs went 3-2-0 in their first five games of this season. Led by Big Four scoring forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander, they sat 10th in the league with a 3.60 goals-per-game average while their power-play percentage (29.4) ranked sixth.
That high-octane offense, however, overshadowed a porous defense that saw them narrowly defeat the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens 6-5 and overwhelm the Minnesota Wild 7-4. That issue became more prominent when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks and overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3.
After five games, the Leafs had 18 goals for but 19 goals against. Their 3.80 goals-against per game during that period was among the league's highest.
The Toronto Star's Damien Cox suggested a high offseason turnover among their checking lines and second and third defense pairings as well as some new assistant coaches could be responsible for their poor defensive game. Forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi and defenseman John Klingberg have needed time to adjust to their new club.
It could also be that most of the Leafs defensemen seem to be struggling to find an extra gear. Beyond Morgan Rielly, blueliners such as Klingberg, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano and Jake McCabe seem to have difficulty shutting down fleet-footed opponents.
Whatever the reason, the Leafs' sloppy defense through the opening days has to be disheartening for their long-suffering fans. Giving up more goals than you're scoring is no recipe for success, especially for a team with a Stanley Cup drought of 56 years and counting.
The Sputtering Washington Capitals
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Having missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2013-14, the Washington Capitals entered the 2023-24 campaign seeking a bounce-back effort. So far, however, they find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with just one win (1-2-1) in their first four games.
Led by superstar Alex Ovechkin, scoring has long been the Capitals' hallmark. It hasn't been on display thus far, as their 1.25 goals per game made them the league's lowest-scoring club during that period. Ovechkin has been held goalless along with scoring forwards T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson.
After their first two games, the Hockey News' Sammi Silber indicated that first-year head coach Spencer Carbery tried shaking up his offensive lines as well as his defense hoping to find a spark. The moves failed to ignite their scoring in their following two games as they fell 6-1 to the Ottawa Senators and 3-2 to the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens.
The defense also bears its share of the blame for the Capitals' woes through those four games. Their 3.75 goals-against per game, their penalty-killing percentage (73.7) and their 33.0 shots-against-per-game percentage sit among the league's bottom third. Goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren have struggled under the onslaught.
Age, however, could be the main contributor to the Capitals' disappointing performance. They began this season with the league's second-oldest roster. Shaking up the lines might not be enough to turn this team into a contender again.
The Winnipeg Jets' Woes
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The Winnipeg Jets made some offseason changes after stumbling through the final weeks of the 2022-23 regular season and a first-round playoff elimination. Center Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, while former captain Blake Wheeler was bought out of the final season of his contract.
Instead of rebuilding, however, the Jets signaled they remain in "win-now" mode by signing goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and center Mark Scheifele to identical seven-year, $59.5 million contracts. Through the early going of this season, however, the wins have been hard to come by, as they struggled to a 2-3-0 record in their first five games.
The Jets' goaltending was not up to the expected standard over that stretch. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, the 30-year-old Hellebuyck has two wins in four games with a bloated 3.72 goals-against average and a save percentage of .878. Backup Laurent Brossoit wasn't much better with a 4.04 GAA and a save percentage of .846
Giveaways were also an issue during that stretch as the Jets sat among the top 10 in that category with 49. Their penalty-killing percentage (71.4) was another factor as they sat among the bottom third.
The Jets were middle-of-the-pack offensively with a 3.20 goals-per-game average and a power-play percentage of 19.1. Scheifele led them with four goals, while Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo have three each. However, the offense suffered an early blow with winger Gabriel Vilardi sidelined with a sprained MCL in his right knee.
With their attendance in decline, the Jets' disappointing start isn't likely to entice those fans to return. This club has the talent to quickly get back into the win column, but they'll need a better, more consistent effort throughout this season to woo back those departed supporters.
Stats (accurate as of Saturday) via NHL.com.
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