NHL Rankings: 20 Biggest NHL Disappointments of 2010
It is early in the NHL season but there are already things that haven't gone as predicted. Before January 1st, we will see who is disappointing and who has a chance of turning their seasons around.
There is still plenty of hockey to be played so there is a good chance these players and teams turn their seasons around and make a second half push.
Or they’ll falter and flop like a fish out of water.
Some of these problems have fixed themselves and others seem to be getting worse. At some point during this season, all of the following have disappointed me.
Enjoy the holidays and enjoy the slideshow!
Pittsburgh Taking Penalties
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The early season struggles of staying out of the penalty box have carried throughout the Penguins season.
Pittsburgh leads the league in every penalty category and really need to cut back to prevent long term exhaustion for the team. Playing shorthanded all the time will add unnecessary strain over time.
The Penguins lead the league with 178 minors, 38 majors, 598 PIM, and they are averaging almost 17 PIM per game.
That’s too much!
Shea Weber and The Nashville Predators
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Nashville was one of my surprise picks in the West, and as usual, they have made me look foolish. Shea Weber is one of my favorite players but I feel terrible that he is trapped in Nashville.
Weber has 15 points through 34 games and is a minus four. He leads the team with 111 shots but only has five goals.
The offense in Nashville is putrid. They are 27th in goals scored, 28th in powerplay effectiveness (17 ppg), and defensively they are 28th in blocked shots.
Dion Phaneuf, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
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You can't blame all that has gone wrong in Toronto on Dion Phaneuf but he certainly hasn’t met the expectations laid before him.
Phaneuf started the season slow and was out for the whole month of November (minus one game). Since his return, he is playing better defense but he is not a force offensively like they need.
This year, he has only registered six points and is a minus six overall.
That’s not very captain like.
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James Van Riemsdyk, F, Philadelphia Flyers
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This was supposed to be a breakout year for the young star. It hasn’t gone as planned.
In the 13 games before being benched, JVR only had four points and looked lost on a lot of the plays. He didn’t seem to be working hard for anything on the ice.
He seems to be coming around lately, scoring 11 points in the 15 games since the benching but his play is still very inconsistent.
Chigaco Blackhawk's Penalty Kill
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Chicago’s PK was a big part of why they won the Cup last year and it hasn’t been good this year.
Last year, the Blackhawks penalty killing unit had the fourth best percentage killed. This year, the ‘hawks are fourth worst with only 78.4% penalties killed.
One positive from last year is the number of times shorthanded has remained low. Chicago has the third fewest times shorthanded this year and last, putting their penalty killing unit in the best position to succeed.
Washington Capitals Recent Play
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The Washington Capitals struggled mightily recently and they didn’t seem like the caliber of team that could make a deep playoff run.
There is still plenty of time to turn things around and maybe the adversity will bring the best out in Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the team.
In the 12 games the Capitals played in December so far, the team was 3-6-3 including eight loses in a row.
That's not good.
The Anaheim Ducks
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The problem isn’t the offense. Even though they are aging and it will be retirement time soon for half the forwards on the team.
The problem is the defense.
The forwards aren’t playing two way hockey and the defense is getting beat on a regular basis. The goaltending has been inconsistent this season and it has made the rest of the team suffer.
The young trio of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan will keep the Ducks in contention but the defense will keep them out of the playoffs.
John Tavares, F, New York Islanders
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John Tavares came into the league full of potential but it has to be seen if his exposure to terrible play in New York will eventually stunt his growth.
Tavares has played well offensively considering the lack of surrounding talent around him. He has 19 points through the first 29 games with seven of those points being on the powerplay.
The team has been terrible and it is reflected in Tavares’ +/-, he is a -16.
If the Islanders want him to be successful in the future, they need to surround Tavares with talent and help him to learn the game.
Philadelphia’s Powerplay
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They started the season 2-27 on the powerplay and the inconsistency has carried throughout the season.
The Philadelphia Flyers are succeeding on 16.7% of their powerplays and have really struggled to put a quality unit together for any length of time.
The Flyers are in the bottom third of the league in every powerplay category and really need to find a rhythm to make it deep in the playoffs again.
The Edmonton Oilers
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Let me preface the disappointment with saying I know the team is super young.
They Stink!
Edmonton’s powerplay is one of the worst in the league and their penalty kill IS the worst.
They are allowing the most goals per game and are one of the most penalized teams in the league.
Hopefully experience makes them grow into better two way forwards because they all need it.
The St. Louis Blues and Their Injuries
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The defense has been solid and the goaltending move of getting Jaroslav Halak has played out well.
What hasn’t played out well is the ridiculous amount of injuries that the Blues have faced. There were high expectations on the team and it’s a shame that injuries have slowed down a good young team.
D Erik Johnson • Injured surgically repaired right knee
D Alex Pietrangelo • has missed two games with upper-body injury.
C Andy McDonald • Suffered concussion Dec. 4
LW T.J. Oshie • Broke ankle Nov. 10
LW David Perron • Suffered concussion Nov. 4
D Roman Polak • Out since Oct. 28 with severed tendon in wrist.
Antti Niemi, G, San Jose Sharks
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The defending Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi came to the Sharks with intentions of taking them to the promised land.
Not only has backup Antero Niittymaki out played him, he is starting to take his job.
Niemi is 7-8-2 with a goals against average of 3.02 and a save percentage of .900. The Sharks had to expect more when they signed him to replace Evgeni Nabokov as their goaltender.
The Calgary Flames
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Another year of high expectations straight out the window, again.
The Calgary Flames are 15-18-3 and are 14th in the West. Their play has been subpar in every category, including being in the bottom third for penalty kill, powerplay, and goals scored.
Miikka Kiprusoff has been the bright spot on the team and it’s a shame his stellar play is being wasted in Calgary.
Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres
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The defending Vezina Trophy winner has really played poorly this season.
Miller is 12-11-3 with a goals against average of 2.55 and a save percentage of .913. The Sabres haven’t been playing well in front of him but you tend to expect a lot more out of a goalie of Miller’s class
Buffalo is 12th in the east and they just lost their top forward Derek Roy for the rest of the season.
Marian Gaborik, F, New York Rangers
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My biggest concern, as well as everyone in New York who cares about the Rangers, was whether or not the injuries woes that plagued Gaborik in Minnesota would follow him to the Rangers.
Gaborik played almost a full season last year and was over a point per game last season. He has missed eight games this season for two separate injuries and it is starting to feel like another bad injury season.
He has scored 19 points in the 22 games he has played and is a game changer when he is on the ice. The problem lies in his reliability and in turn, his “fragility”.
The Toronto Maple Leafs
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It’s not good for the NHL when the Maple Leafs struggle and they’re struggling again.
Toronto is 13th in the East and have a -27 point differential. Their offense has been abysmal and their defense has been inconsistent.
The Maple Leafs have scored the third fewest goal this season with 73 and their penalty kill has been one of the worst in the league.
The Leafs need to turn it around fast if they have any hope of climbing in the Eastern Conference.
Jason Spezza and the Ottawa Senators
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Jason Spezza was supposed to be the saving grace in Ottawa and the heir to the Daniel Alfredsson throne.
Through 31 games, he has 18 points and only five of those are on the powerplay. Spezza has looked lifeless at times on the ice and his play has reflected in the overall play of the Senators this season.
The Senators have only scored 83 goals this season and are -24 overall. They have really not been meeting the standards set for Ottawa in recent years.
Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils
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Brodeur and the Devils are having a bad year to say the least.
Old Marty is 5-16-1 with a .887 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.04. These are not Brodeur type numbers and it has to make you wonder about how nice the ending might be. “Favre of the Ice”?
One problem is that Marty has no help.
The Devils are the worst team in the league and have scored a league low 60 goals on the season. New Jersey is a league worst -48 in goal differential and they have looked like an AHL team for most of this season.
Marty Turco, G, Chicago Blackhawks
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After last year’s Cup win, the Blackhawks let netminder Antti Niemi walk and instead rolled the dice on aging goaltender Marty Turco.
As a Flyers fan, I was glad he didn’t come to Philadelphia.
Turco hasn’t been great. He is 8-8-2 with a .886 ave percentage and a goals against aveage of 3.06.
I don’t know how deep the Blackhawks can go in the playoffs with Turco in net but they need to figure out what needs to happen in net soon.
Ilya Kovalchuk, F, New Jersey Devils
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Wow! This season he is the king of disappointment. After a wild offseason, the insanity has spilled onto the ice.
Kovalchuk was signed to a 15 year, $100 million contract this offseason. You would expect big numbers, right? Nope.
Ilya has 18 points in 31 games this season and has a +/- of -25. He was been as poor defensively as he has been offensively.
Kovalchuk has gotten comfortable, and some may even say lazy, since the contract signing and his play has suffered.
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