Every NHL Team's Biggest Overachiever in the 2014-15 Season
There is so much negativity on the Internet. Everyone wants to yell at people, tell athletes they are bad, tell coaches they should be fired. Your computer is a cesspool of sadness and misery.
That won't be the case today. Not here, anyway.
Today, we will celebrate NHL players having great seasons that almost no one expected. Did you think this player was done? Did you think this player was only average? Did you think this player was a name someone made up? Well, it's time to give those players their day in the sun.
Each team has one player overachieving this season; some teams, like the Buffalo Sabres, are really bad and it's a little harder to find that player, but he exists. This slideshow gives you the one player on each team worthy of your congratulations, so go find him on Twitter and say, "Great work."
Anaheim Ducks: Matt Beleskey
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With 22 goals in 63 games, Matt Beleskey has more goals this season than his previous three seasons combined. He has been relegated to a healthy scratch at times and had his share of scoring droughts, but even with all of that, he's still been a pleasant surprise for the Ducks. The 26-year-old fourth-round pick had never scored more than 11 goals in a season.
Arizona Coyotes: Tobias Rieder
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Tobias Rieder has been one of the few bright spots for the Arizona Coyotes. The 22-year-old rookie has 13 goals in 67 games, which is tied for seventh among first-year players. The fourth-round pick has earned more ice time as the season has progressed and is second among team forwards with 174 shots, four fewer than Shane Doan, who has played eight more games than Rieder.
Boston Bruins: Ryan Spooner
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Ryan Spooner played five games for the Bruins in October and, after five games without a point, was sent to the AHL. He returned to the NHL in February and has been one of the major reasons the Bruins are surviving a slew of injuries down the stretch. Spooner has seven goals and 17 points in 24 games, but all of that production has come in his past 19 games. That's not bad for a 23-year-old who had zero goals in his first 28 NHL games.
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Buffalo Sabres: Anders Lindback
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This is the Buffalo Sabres, so there aren't too many overachievers. But Anders Lindback has been just that since arriving in a trade-deadline deal from the Dallas Stars. He is 2-5-2 with the Sabres, which is like going 9-0-0 on other teams, with a .926 save percentage. That's quite the jump for a goaltender with a career .904 save percentage.
Calgary Flames: Josh Jooris
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Josh Jooris was signed as an undrafted free agent after three seasons with Union College. After delivering 11 goals and 27 points in 73 games with Abbotsford of the AHL last season, he has 12 goals and 22 points in 56 games for the Flames this season. Four of the goals have been game-winners, and he has done it all while playing just 14:39 per game, 12th-most on the team.
Carolina Hurricanes: Andrej Nestrasil
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Andrej Nestrasil was a third-round pick in 2009 who didn't make his NHL debut until this season. After 13 games and two points with the Detroit Red Wings, he was claimed off waivers by the Hurricanes. Nestrasil has seven goals and 18 points in 34 games for the Hurricanes, who have to feel pretty good about what amounts to found money in an old coat pocket.
Chicago Blackhawks: Scott Darling
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The 26-year-old Scott Darling was a sixth-round pick in 2007 and spent his entire career in the minors before this season. In 2012-13, he had a .907 save percentage for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. After starting this season in the minors, Darling has usurped Antti Raanta as Chicago's backup goaltender and is pushing for more playing time. In 12 games, Darling is 8-3-0 with a 1.77/.941 split.
Colorado Avalanche: Alex Tanguay
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At the age of 35, Alex Tanguay looked like a player in steep decline. But with 22 goals and 52 points in 74 games, he's having his best season since 2010-11. With one more goal, Tanguay will have his best goal-scoring season since 2005-06, when he scored 29 in his first go-round with Colorado. He has proven that he still has a lot left in the tank.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Nick Foligno
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Nick Foligno has always been a nice top-nine/six forward in the NHL, but he never had more than 20 goals in a season. At the age of 27, and in a contract year, Foligno has 27 goals and 66 points, all career highs by a wide margin, while playing mostly on a top line with Ryan Johansen. It makes the six-year, $33 million contract he signed suspect if he doesn't repeat this year.
Dallas Stars: John Klingberg
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John Klingberg was a fifth-round pick in 2010 and spent his time playing in Sweden before making his Stars debut this season. He didn't make his debut until November, but he has been playing like a potential Calder Trophy finalist with 11 goals and 38 points in 60 games while playing about 22 minutes per night. He won't win Rookie of the Year, but he's a big reason why there's hope in Dallas for next season.
Detroit Red Wings: Justin Abdelkader
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It's taken a while, but Justin Abdelkader is finally realizing his potential. A second-round pick in 2005, Abdelkader broke out this season with personal bests in goals (23) and points (44) for the playoff-bound Red Wings. Abdelkader's 23 goals are five fewer than he scored in his previous 199 games across three seasons. Maybe this is the start of something consistently good for the Red Wings.
Edmonton OIlers: Derek Roy
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This is another case where a bad team doesn't have a whole lot of achievers, which is why it is a bad team. But Derek Roy has been terrific as the team's No. 2 center since arriving in a trade from Nashville during the season. Roy has 11 goals and 21 points in 40 games with the Oilers after he had one goal and 10 points in 26 games for the Predators.
Florida Panthers: Aaron Ekblad
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When you're a No. 1 overall pick, the expectations are never low. Aaron Ekblad, however, is doing things few 18-year-old defensemen have ever done in the NHL. He is averaging about 22 minutes per night on the Panthers' top pairing and has 11 goals and 35 points in 76 games. His 35 points are 14th all-time among 18-year-old defensemen and second-most since 2005-06. Ekblad is a big reason why the Panthers still have playoff hopes.
Los Angeles Kings: Trevor Lewis
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Trevor Lewis has always been a solid depth player for the Los Angeles Kings, but he's shown some offensive skill that has never been seen before in the NHL. The 28-year-old has nine goals, 15 assists, 24 points and 133 shots, all career-bests. Lewis had 18 goals in 276 career games entering this season.
Minnesota Wild: Devan Dubnyk
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This one is easy. Devan Dubnyk arrived in Minnesota as the Wild's desperate attempt to solidify a shaky goaltending situation and became a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate. He is 26-6-1 with a 1.70/.939 split in 34 starts and has the Wild charging up the standings. The Oilers cast off Dubnyk, as did the Predators and Coyotes, and now the Wild are Stanley Cup threats.
Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price
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Carey Price was considered by some before this season to be the best goaltender in the world, but the fact that he's having one of the best goaltending seasons in NHL history gets him on this list. Price's .936 save percentage is six points better than second-place Devan Dubnyk, who has made 12 fewer starts, and 16 points above his career save percentage. Price will likely be the first goaltender to win a Hart Trophy since 2002.
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
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Roman Josi shares the ice and spotlight with defense partner Shea Weber, but Josi has been Nashville's best defenseman this season. He has 15 goals and 55 points, both career highs and third-most on the Predators. Josi is third among all defensemen in scoring and fourth in minutes, averaging 26:25 per game. He has always been very good, but he may warrant a Norris Trophy with his 2014-15 campaign.
New Jersey Devils: Scott Gomez
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Scott Gomez arrived at Devils training camp on a tryout basis and failed to make the team. He hung around, though, and was eventually added to the roster. The 35-year-old is fourth on the Devils on scoring with 31 points in 53 games, his best production since he had 38 points in 80 games with the Canadiens in 2010-11. This unexpected offense hasn't done much for the Devils, but maybe it gets Gomez a guaranteed contract before 2015-16.
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
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Anders Lee, a sixth-round pick in 2009, acquitted himself well at the end of last season, scoring nine goals in 22 games. He has backed up that showing this season with 23 goals, second-most on the Islanders, in 71 games. Lee has spent time on the team's top line with John Tavares and has five power-play goals. That's not too bad for a player who has come a long way since leaving Notre Dame in 2013.
New York Rangers: Cam Talbot
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Cam Talbot had a .941 save percentage as a rookie backup last season, but he compiled most of his statistics against the types of bad teams that a backup gets to face. With Henrik Lundqvist out for nearly two months this season, the Rangers couldn't be as selective with Talbot's matchups, but it has not mattered. He has saved the Rangers' season, going 20-9-4 with a .926 save percentage. He may have earned himself a starting job on another NHL team next season.
Ottawa Senators: Mike Hoffman
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Everyone is probably wondering why this doesn't go to Andrew Hammond, but his ridiculous month doesn't compare to what Mike Hoffman has done all season. The 25-year-old fifth-round pick has 26 goals in 73 games, this after having three goals in 29 games over parts of three seasons. He had 30 goals in 51 AHL games in 2013-14, so it's not as though this came out of nowhere...but this came out of nowhere.
Philadelphia Flyers: Michael Raffl
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The Flyers have gotten some unexpected contributions from Michael Del Zotto, a possible Art Ross season from Jakub Voracek and a .927 save percentage out of Steve Mason. But 20 goals from Michael Raffl far exceeds any thing his teammates have done. The undrafted Austrian leads the team in even-strength goals with 18, which is seven more than Voracek and eight more than Claude Giroux.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Blake Comeau
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Blake Comeau has 16 goals in 55 games and would've challenged his career-best of 24 goals if he had remained healthy. But his 15 even-strength goals are third on the club and one more than Sidney Crosby. Comeau has played a lot with Evgeni Malkin as his center, which helps his goal totals, but this type of season could not have been expected.
San Jose Sharks: Melker Karlsson
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Melker Karlsson earned a regular spot on the Sharks' top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski and has delivered 13 goals and 22 points in 47 games. That's not too bad for an undrafted rookie who didn't play his first game until December. Karlsson never scored more than 13 goals during four seasons in Sweden, so for him to match those totals in the NHL is impressive.
St. Louis Blues: Martin Brodeur
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Martin Brodeur went 3-3-0 with a 2.87/.899 split in six games with the St. Louis Blues before retiring. How is this overachieving? Just the fact that Brodeur landed an NHL job this season after posting back-to-back .901 save percentages in his final two years with New Jersey is exceptional. Besides, the Blues don't have a guy who jumps out as "huge overachiever," so why not post one more photo of Brodeur in a Blues jersey?
Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov
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With 28 goals and 61 points, Nikita Kucherov is the Lightning's third-leading scorer behind Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson. The 21-year-old had nine goals and 18 points in 52 games as a rookie last season, making this an unimaginably impressive second season. Kucherov is a second-round pick who had 24 points in 17 AHL games last season, but he's been a force and steady at both ends of the ice.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Leo Komarov
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There aren't too many Maple Leafs exceeding expectations—this would probably go to Mike Santorelli if he were still with the team—so "Uncle" Leo Komarov gets the nod here. After one year away from the NHL, Komarov returned from the KHL to deliver eight goals and 25 points in 58 games. He had four in 42 games with the Leafs in 2013, so this has been an improvement. You take what you can get these days in Toronto.
Vancouver Canucks: Eddie Lack
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When the Canucks, for some reason, signed Ryan Miller to a three-year contract in the summer, it was supposed to end any hope Eddie Lack had of being a starter. It did, in a way, but an injury to Miller has opened the door for Lack to shine. He has a .919 save percentage in 37 games in one season after having a .912 in 41 games as a rookie. He's helped the Canucks to a likely playoff spot despite the extended absence of the veteran starter.
Washington Capitals: Mike Green
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With the addition of Matt Niskanen and the presence of John Carlson, it looked like Mike Green was going to become expendable for the Capitals before the season. The team held on to Green, who has seen his role reduced, but not his production. He has 42 points in 67 games, two more points than he had last season despite playing about four fewer minutes per game this season. He has also been solid at both ends of the ice and will likely find a big payday waiting for him in free agency this summer.
Winnipeg Jets: Ondrej Pavelec
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A .916 save percentage in 42 starts is hardly Vezina-worthy, but for a goaltender with a .907 career mark, it's a reason why the Winnipeg Jets are pushing for a playoff spot. Ondrej Pavelec has been more consistent in a reduced role, but this is the type of goaltending the Jets have needed for years that Pavelec has not given them. This 10-point improvement could be what gets Winnipeg its first postseason game in nearly 20 years.
All statistics via NHL.com.
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