Nothing has been more disappointing this NHL season than the reality that COVID-19 has undermined the competition over the first one-third of the season.
It has been difficult for teams to find their rhythm when they have multiple players on the COVID list.
COVID is at the heart of many team problems. But some teams and individuals have struggled beyond the team's COVID status. Here a list of the most disappointing performances thus far this season:
1. New York Islanders: We can blame the 13-game road trip, injuries and COVID-19, but this team was supposed to be a prime Stanley Cup contender. Instead, we see a team that doesn’t score enough, isn’t playing Barry Trotz-style defense and doesn’t seem like it's on the same page.
2. Former Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneault: He just wasn’t the right fit for the Flyers. For a veteran coach, he didn’t seem to have many answers for their problems. He didn't get the most out of his team.
3. Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer: He was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season for the Colorado Avalanche and he has looked below-par to ordinary for the Seattle Kraken this season. He owns an .882 save percentage. The Kraken are not a quality hockey team. Still, more was expected m this season from Grubauer.
4. Chicago Blackhawks: With the addition of Marc-Andre Fleury, Tyler Johnson, Seth Jones and others, plus the return of Jonathan Toews, I thought this team would at least be competitive for a wild card spot. Wrong. The Blackhawks are playing .433 hockey.
5. Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri: He was a proven scorer for the New Jersey Devils (almost 26 goals per season over five seasons) and has netted one goal this season for Islanders. He has three goals in 42 games since being acquired by the Islanders.
6. Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov is 1-5 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .900 save percentage this season after posting a 2.04 GAA with a .929 save percentage last season. He started the season hurt and hasn’t truly bounced back.
7. Arizona Coyotes: When you factor in their .241 winning percentage and the embarrassing revelation of not paying their rent or tax bills, they deserve a place on this list. Nothing wrong with rebuilding. But the way they went about it seemed wrong.
8. Capitals’ power play: They rank 28th in the NHL on the power play at 15.6%. With Alex Ovechkin firing away, we expect the Capitals to always be in the top five on the power play. They should be better.
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