NHL Players Facing Drastically Raised Expectations in 2014-15

At the start of each new NHL season, superstars such as Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Alex Ovechkin, Anze Kopitar and assorted others face big expectations.

Heightened expectations come with the territory of being a superstar, but heading into the 2014-15 season, there are some NHL players, such as Tyler Seguin, facing drastically raised expectations. Some players went into 2013-14 under the radar, but now the bar has been set regardless of whether or not the new expectation is fair.

Heading into this season there are fans, teams and even fantasy hockey leagues that have big things in mind for the players to follow. Not all of them are warranted, and it seems these players could start the season with some extra weight on their shoulders.

With the season days away, here are the NHL players facing the most drastic of new expectations. If you feel there is a really good player not mentioned, feel free to drop a line in the comments below.

Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins

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Pre-2013 Reputation: Talented and versatile 20-goal scorer.

What Changed Last Year: He was traded to Pittsburgh Penguins at NHL draft

What's Expected in 2014-15: This season Patric Hornqvist is going to be expected to be a 30- to 35-goal scorer. The rationale is that he was a 20-goal guy with no major center of note with the Nashville Predators, so with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin there is no reason why he can't score 30 or 35.

Hornqvist is a talented offensive player who hasn't always been able to garner attention, and a lot of pressure will be put on him to perform in the limelight with his new teammates.

Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks

Pre-2013 Reputation: Talented center/winger who was above-average secondary-scorer.

What Changed Last Year: Joe Pavelski was a beneficiary of Logan Couture getting injured in 2013-14. With Couture out of the lineup, Pavelski moved up and picked up additional ice time that led to him scoring 41 goals and tallying 79 points 

What's Expected in 2014-15: Pavelski is going to be expected to be a first-line talent, but that isn't going to happen. Prior to last season, Pavelski's high was 31 goals and 66 points. He may not have as much ice time with Couture back in the lineup, and that could stunt his offense.

Pavelski will be a 25-goal scorer at the very least, but not the 41-goal scorer he was last season.

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

Pre-2013 Reputation: Talented No. 1 overall pick from Sidney Crosby's hometown.

What Changed Last Year: Nathan MacKinnon entered the league last season and played the full 82-game schedule. He showed that he was for real, tallying 24 goals and 39 assists for 63 points.

It was an amazing season for the youngster, and his dominance in the Colorado Avalanche's only playoff round played a role in setting the bar for 2014-15.

What's Expected in 2014-15: It is expected that MacKinnon will avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, and he will continue his upward trend toward becoming the NHL's next elite player. He will be looked upon to help lead the Avalanche back to playoffs and carry a scoring average of (or close to) a point per game.

This is because MacKinnon got better as his season went on, and he showed that his speed and playmaking was better at age 18 than some of the NHL's more veteran players.

Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning

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Pre-2013 Reputation: Big goaltender with potential, who couldn't stick with a team.

What Changed Last Year: Last season big Ben Bishop entered the start of the season with 36 games of NHL experience. He hadn't been given a full shake with the Ottawa Senators or St. Louis Blues, and he ended up with the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Cory Conacher trade.

In 72 games Bishop posted a 37-14-7 record with a .924 save percentage and a 2.23 goals-against average. He was also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.

What's Expected in 2014-15: He's expected to do it all again. Despite the fact that Bishop was pretty much a nobody prior to 2013-14, he is expected to be the NHL's top goalie. 

There's a chance Bishop could have a similar season in 2014-15 that Jim Carey— a goaltender for the Washington Capitals, and not the actor that played Fletcher Reede, The Cable Guy or Lloyd Christmas—had in 1996-97. Carey had a down year after winning the Vezina, and that may happen to Bishop.

No one is saying Bishop is a bad goalie, but one season is too small a sample size to anoint him as the real deal.

Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars

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Pre-2013 Reputation: Talented former lottery-pick talent with a lively off-ice lifestyle.

What Changed Last Year: Seguin went to the Dallas Stars with a new lease on life. He was given a fresh start to prove that he was a talented young center. He was paired with Jamie Benn, and the duo exploded. 

In 80 games Seguin scored 37 goals and tallied 47 assists for 84 points. He finished sixth in the Hart Trophy voting for league MVP and also maintained a 12.6 shooting percentage.

What's Expected in 2014-15: As a 22-year-old, Seguin will be expected to take another step forward, and he will be expected to challenge for the Art Ross Trophy. He will be paired with Benn again, and a member of a super power-play unit that also includes Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. 

That unit could yield a lot of points, and that means Seguin will need to be a healthy contributor to that unit.

Anaheim Ducks Goaltending Duo of Frederik Andersen and John Gibson

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21-year-old John Gibson.

Pre-2013 Reputation: Talented goaltenders with significant upside.

What Changed Last Year: John Gibson had a solid NHL debut that included a shutout in both his first regular season and playoff games. He showed poise, great rebound control and athleticism, and lived up to previous hype.

Frederik Andersen went 20-5 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. He was a member of a tandem that included Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth from time to time.

What's Expected in 2014-15: Both are expected to be reliable NHL goaltenders this season. Their success was a reason why Jonas Hiller was allowed to sign with the Calgary Flames, and it also helped that the duo of Andersen and Gibson make less than Hiller combined.

They are talented young netminders, but they may not be ready for the expectations set before them.

Matt Niskanen, Washington Capitals

Pre-2013 Reputation: Slightly above-average defender.

What Changed Last Year: Kris Letang had a stroke, and a spot on the top defense pairing and power-play unit opened up. Matt Niskanen stepped up and tallied 46 points in 81 games. That landed him an enormous and albeit ludicrous contract in free agency.

What's Expected in 2014-15: Niskanen is going to be expected to be a first-pairing defender in Washington who replicates his production in Pittsburgh. Spoiler alert: it isn't going to happen! The numbers compiled by Washington Capitals blog Russian Machine Never Breaks proved last year was an outlier year, and Niskanen is going to fall back to Earth:

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When playing with dynamos like Crosby, he’s great. When he’s not, he’s mediocre. This isn’t a very sophisticated analysis, but these numbers suggest Niskanen is not actually driving possession and is just a passenger on an unbalanced team.

It’d be a mistake to sign Niskanen. If whoever ends up signing him expects Niskanen to perform just as he did backing up Sidney Crosby, they will be sorely disappointed. Considering how massive his payday is likely to be, it might end in a buyout.

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Niskanen is going to be expected to live up his fat contract, but unfortunately there is little to no chance of that happening.

Ryan Johansen, Columbus Blue Jackets

Pre-2013 Reputation: Talented first-rounder on the verge of becoming a bust. 

Ryan Johansen was a talented player with the Portland Winterhawks, but it didn't translate to the NHL. He has 33 points in 107 games before last season.

What Changed Last Year: Johansen caught lightning in a bottle and played in 82 games, scoring 33 goals and adding 30 assists for 63 points. He showed that he could be a dual goal scorer and playmaker and was the Columbus Blue Jackets' best player

What's Expected in 2014-15: Not only is Johansen expecting to get paid big money, but there are a lot of people who expect him to pick up where he left off in 2013-14. Prior to his holdout, many fantasy hockey sites pegged Johansen as a player who could hit the 70-point mark. 

There are tons of algorithms that go on in the background of some of these sites, but it is unrealistic to think that after one good season Johansen is ready to be that type of player.