Even though the 2013-14 NHL regular season has barely begun, and while there’s still a long road ahead, there has been some fantastic stories emerging early. While the usual names dot the top of the scoring race (Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos) and the standings (San Jose, Pittsburgh), there has been some pleasant surprises so far.
First and foremost is the 19-year-old wunderkind: Sharks winger Tomas Hertl, who has already accumulated six goals though four games of his young career. His seven points sit tied for the league lead as of Friday night with fellow 19-year-old Alex Galchenyuk for the Montreal Canadiens.
They’re not the only youngsters getting it done early though. Calgary’s 2013 first round pick Sean Monahan is leading the team in scoring with five points through four games. The first overall pick from that same draft, Nathan MacKinnon, has yet to score a goal but is also tied for the team lead on the Avalanche with four points through four games. And finally, defenseman Seth Jones of the Predators may not be putting huge numbers on the board (he has just one assist) but is already a huge part of Nashville’s defense with a whopping 23:58 average ice time. The next generation of NHL stars is certainly making it’s mark already.
While the new wave has been stepping up, quite a few veterans have struggled to start the season. Jones’ D partner in Nashville, the Norris-nominated Shea Weber, has gotten off to a very poor start with no points and a minus four through four games, while Norris winner Duncan Keith has nearly the same statline for the Blackhawks (1 assist, -4). Meanwhile, Philadelphia forward Claude Giroux, considered by many to be a top five talent in the NHL, has likewise produced absolutely nothing through four games for the Flyers. Finally, Detroit’s newest Red Wing Daniel Alfredsson has but one assist through four games with his new club. While these players are all-stars and should turn it around, the fact that those four guys have a combined zero goals, two assists and a -13 is rather shocking.
There are, however, a number of offseason acquisitions that have been performing very well for their new teams. While star winger Bobby Ryan has only been average for the Ottawa Senators, the man he was traded for, Jakob Silfverberg, has been outstanding with Anaheim, potting four goals already. Vancouver’s Mike Santorelli, thought by many to be a spare part when he came to the Canucks this summer, is leading the team in goals with four, two of which were overtime winners. Winger Damian Brunner, recently of the Detroit Red Wings, is leading the New Jersey Devils in scoring and helping to replace the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk to Russia this summer.
But all of those players pale in comparison to the performance put on by goaltender Jonathan Bernier so far this year. The 25-year-old who came over from Los Angeles in the summer has been nothing short of brilliant, with the best goals against average (0.85) and save percentage (.974) of any goalie who has played more than one game. In fact, he’s allowed just three goals against this season, while facing 116 shots over four games. Fantasy owners of Bernier (myself included) are thanking their lucky stars that he already seems to have stolen the number one job in Toronto away from James Reimer.
Which naturally brings us to the next big surprise: the play of the Leafs. Don’t look now, but Toronto is sitting first in the East with a 4-1 record, thanks in large part to Bernier and offensive contributions from Joffery Lupul and Phil Kessel, who have six points apiece. They are also a beneficiary of a new addition to the roster, Mason Raymond, who joined the team on a PTO and now has four points in those five games. I had the Leafs missing the playoffs (barely) in my preview article, but this hot start might go a long way to a second consecutive post-season appearance.
On the flip side, I had a feeling the New York Rangers would struggle a bit at the start of the season, with adjusting to new coach Alain Vigneault and a nine game road trip to open the year, but I don’t think anyone thought it would be this bad. The team has scored only six goals through four games (three off the stick of Brad Richards) but that’s not the real concern. The defense has been a complete disaster under Vigneault, allowing a elephantine 20 goals in those four games, including 15 goals in the last two. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been simply awful, with a 4.31 goals against and a .879 save percentage. The Rangers can still turn it around, but they might have a huge hole to dig themselves out of by the time they finally get back home to MSG.
Out west, the biggest surprise team has undoubtedly been the Avalanche. While adding a new coach didn’t do much for the veteran team in New York, Patrick Roy seems to be a perfect fit for the younger and emerging Colorado roster. The team is 4-0 already thanks in large part to depth scoring (only three players have yet to register a point) and the goaltending of Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere, who have allowed only three goals in those four games. It might yet be a long season with some growing pains for the Avs, but the new system seems to be working and the team looks to be finally taking the next step.
One team that isn’t yet taking that step is the Edmonton Oilers. I suppose sitting last place in the West should be no surprise, it’s a familiar spot for them, but I honestly thought the team would be performing better than this. Most worrying is the play of their young core, as forwards Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and defenseman Justin Schultz have just two goals combined through four games. Additionally goaltender Devan Dubnyk, in a make-or-break season for his career, is winless while sporting a 5.27 goals against and .847 save percentage. I expect those trends won’t last forever, and that the team could still challenge for a playoff position, but it’s going to take some work from new head coach Dallas Eakins.
As you can see, it’s already been a fantastic start to a new NHL season, with storylines all over the place that make every night of hockey worth watching. Those are some of my biggest surprises, what are yours? Drop me a line on Twitter or in the comments section, I’d love to hear them!
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