In the politest terms, 2021 was a bummer for the NHL. The Commissioner’s office. The owners, general managers, players, coaches and fans hope for a better 2022.
But if the first seven days are any indication, we are in for another up-and-down year: Plus: The Pittsburgh Penguins have won 10 in a row. Maybe they aren’t hot. Maybe this is who they are. It’s never a bad thing to have the Penguins in contention. They are always entertaining. And they will be stronger when Evgeni Malkin returns. Minus: Kirill Kaprizov was hurt on a rugged hit by Boston’s Trent Frederic last night. The Wild are not providing a timetable for his return. All they are saying is he won’t play tomorrow against Washington. But he seemed to be favoring his shoulder. The Wild are the NHL’s third highest scoring team and Kaprizov has 40 points in 32 games. This could be bad. Very bad. Plus: The CDC has reduced the recommended quarantine time for people who test positive for COVID-19. Minus: Players are still testing positive for COVID-19. Elias Pettersson has it now. So does Igor Shesterkin. Games are still be canceled. How many games do we have to make-up? We aren’t even close to being done with COVID. Plus: The Colorado Avalanche are coming hard along the rail. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and their points percentage is now .700. When they aren’t undermined by COVID, the Avalanche are the team we thought they were. Minus: The Oilers are still a mess: 2-6-2 in their last 10. They are in a free fall. Should they fire the coach? Should they keep him? How do they improve their goaltending? We thought this nonsense was over when they hired Ken Holland. But it isn’t. They have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and management still can’t figure out how to make them a contender. Plus: Vancouver assistant equipment manager Red Hamilton met and thanked the Seattle fan who spotted a cancerous mole on his neck. Minus: Canadian teams had to postpone games because they are not allowed to bring fans into their arenas. They can’t afford to go through another season of reduced revenue. The Winnipeg Jets even considered playing some games in Saskatchewan. They scrapped the idea. Plus: Cale Makar is making us remember why we love the NHL. Did you see that goal he scored? He’s a defenseman and already has 14 goals.
Minus: The Montreal Canadiens, one of the most storied franchises in professional sports, is 7-23-4. That’s a .265 winning percentage. They have given up 50 more goals than they scored in 34 games. They are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games. Six months ago they were in the Stanley Cup Final. This year is not going to be better for them.