Happy Holidays Hockey World!
I will be putting out three blogs today as I count down the ten most desperate teams based on their HBDQ “Hockeybuzz Desperation Quotient… which takes in several factors that are leading indicators in whether or not a team will be looking to make a BIG move over the next few months here…. For this first blog we will be counting down #10, #9, and #8
#10 The Calgary Flames HBDQ: 40.56
The Flames could have been a lot higher on this list were it not for their fantastic start and first year coach in Sutter…They are as good as it gets currently, but they still make this list because they have only won one playoff series over the last three seasons, and one of their top players, Johnny Gaudreau, is still a few months from walking away in Free Agency.
#9 The Pittsburgh Penguins HBDQ: 42.32
The Panguins are staring at a closing window and looking at Malkin and Letang as potential UFAs. They are also the third OLDEST team in the NHL with the averages age of their players currently 28.8 years. This is proud team, with a proud core, but they have only won 1 playoff series in the last three years.
#8 The Vegas Golden Knights. HBDQ: 44.92
The Knights have had a ton of success already and should be too young to be in this desperate of a situation….however they have an aging owner who has shown a propensity to be aggressive and never sit still. The decision to move Fleury out, along with the fear that this fan base is spoiled and won’t accept anything less than a Cup Contender weighs heavy…
#7 The Colorado Avalanche HBDQ: 48.03
The Avalanche entered the season as the Cup favorite on most boards and injuries combined with some disappointment has derailed them so far…but the reality of the situation is they are going to get healthy and they have shown that when they are healthy, even in the playoffs, they are deadly. There is pressure, but the other crazy scary thing about Colorado is the have won playoff rounds and yet they are the youngest team per average age on our list. That fact, combined with Sakic’s tendency towards patience is keeping them from being closer the top of this list.
#6 The Philadelphia Flyers HBDQ: 48:57
The Flyers have been better than some expected given their current roster, however the bold moves made this summer were made for NOW, and when combined with the final season of Claude Giroux’s contract, the fact this team is the fourth oldest team in the NHL currently, and only 1 round of playoff victories over the past three seasons has amped up the heat in Philly
#5. The Edmonton Oilers HBDQ: 51:37
The Oilers would be higher on this list had they started off slowly…that is is keeping them at 5. However the Oilers lack of playoff series wins, combined with HUGE expectations, and a coach who has been there a long time now should keep the Oilers in trade rumors right up to the deadline. At the end of the day, the Oilers post-season losses haven’t just been losses…they have been EPIC fails. It feels like Marc Andre Fleury is on a collision course with these Oilers…
Coming in the 6pm hour…we continue the countdown…Who’s next?