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Flames, Predators two of four NHL teams bound to be better this season |
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As we move into mid-July and August – the relative dead zone of the NHL’s calendar, when roster change is rarer and relatively inconsequential – it’s easier to analyze the potential of rejigged teams heading into next season. Last week, we covered off the franchises that seemed to spend for spending’s sake during the start of the unrestricted free agency period, but we haven’t identified the teams that appear to be better than they were last year.
So that’s what we’re doing. Here are four teams that, on paper, are likely to improve on their standings finish in the 2015-16 campaign:
1. New Jersey. The Devils were forced to part ways with young blueliner Adam Larsson to consummate one of the off-season’s biggest trades, but the return on the deal – 25-year-old winger Taylor Hall – gives the franchise its most dynamic youngster in years. And while New Jersey GM Ray Shero didn’t replace what Larsson brings to the table in signing unrestricted free agent D-man Ben Lovejoy to a three-year contract, he did add some veteran stability to a defense corps that still regularly relies on star goalie Cory Schneider to bail it out.
No team in the league had fewer goals-for than the Devils (184) last season, and the acquisition of Hall (who had 26 goals for the Oilers in ’15-16) will help to change that. They’re still not a Stanley Cup frontrunner, but New Jersey might be back in the playoffs for the first time in five years thanks to these moves.
2. Calgary. The Flames finished last year with 10 fewer wins than they posted in 2014-15 and were 10 points out of a playoff spot. That clearly didn’t sit well with GM Brad Treliving, who fired head coach Bob Hartley (replacing him with former Dallas bench boss Glen Gulutzan), and made extensive alterations to his lineup: goalies Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo were allowed to move on, and veterans Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson were brought in via trade and free agency, respectively. Former Caps and Blues winger Troy Brouwer also joined the team on a free agent pact, and the addition of elite prospect winger Matthew Tkachuk at the 2016 entry draft to a group that already includes burgeoning stars Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett makes Calgary’s core that much more dangerous.
The Flames were hurt in a big way in 2015-16 by an abysmal road record (14-24-3) – only Arizona (13-24-4) and Edmonton (12-23-6) won fewer games away from home – but Treliving’s maneuvering should result in Calgary challenging for a wildcard playoff berth.
3. Florida. Despite winning a franchise-record 47 games and winning their division for only the second time in the team's 22-year history, the Panthers have been one of the NHL’s most active groups on and off the ice this summer. First, they promoted associate GM Tom Rowe to take over for GM Dale Tallon and radically restructured management positions throughout the organizational chart. And the changes Rowe & Co. made to the roster were just as dramatic: Florida’s blueline experienced all sorts of turnover, sending out veterans Erik Gudbranson, Brian Campbell and Dmitri Kulikov, and replacing them with former Star Jason Demers, former Ranger Keith Yandle and former Sabre Mark Pysyk. If that weren’t enough, the Panthers also added experienced netminder James Reimer via free agency, and the affable, capable Reimer will help take the load off No. 1 goalie Roberto Luongo in the short and long term.
Okay, so it’s going to be difficult for them to improve on their place in the division in ’16-17, but after compiling a 103-point season, Florida could beat that total and challenge for top spot in the Eastern Conference if everything goes right for them.
4. Nashville. The Predators shocked the NHL when they dealt captain and team cornerstone Shea Weber to Montreal last week for star Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, and although they didn’t do much in terms of free agency or additional trades, that blockbuster move in and of itself is enough to make them a better squad this coming year. Subban’s presence immediately infuses Nashville with more creativity and speed, and the Norris-Trophy-winner’s confidence will rub off on his new teammates. And let’s not forget, the Preds will also have their first full season with 23-year-old center Ryan Johansen.
The Predators claimed the first wildcard slot in the Western Conference last year on a 96-point effort, but with both the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks taking significant salary-cap-related hits to the roster this summer, Nashville could leapfrog one or two of them in ’16-17 and enjoy an even deeper post-season run.
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