We here at Hockeybuzz are thrilled to welcome back our old friend and Hockey writer extraordinaire..Kevin Allen. Kevin will be writing regularly and also appearing on the podcast with me. He was the longtime president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, as well as the main writer for the USA today covering Hockey for many years. Kevin is in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a writer and is also currently a professor of journalism at Eastern Michigan. Please welcome back Kevin Allen!
Overreaction or Spot On?
At the start of every NHL season, fans look at early success and failure and assess their team’s potential, or a player’s promise, as if the outcome is already determined.
This team has no chance to make the playoffs. These guys are this year’s sleeper team. I think that guy will score 40 goals this season. Our first round pick will never make it.
We make declarative statements based on a handful of games, as if the opening games of any season have a predictive quality to them.
But this year let’s be different and try to determine which perceptions are an overreaction and what projections may be rooted in some sound logic.
Let’s play Overreaction or Spot On. Here we go:
Statement: The Sky is falling on the Nashville Predators.
Spot on
At 5-7-4, the Predators may be worse than their record indicates. Here are the alarming facts: They rank 30th in scoring (2.44 goals per game) and 26th in goals-against (3.38). It’s like they are starting every game down 1-0. More importantly, when you watch this team there doesn’t seem to be any fires burning. When you start to ponder what GM Barry Trotz can do, you realize quickly that there isn’t much he can do. Firing the coach (Andrew Brunette) isn’t going to make this group more competitive. Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault were poor signings, and now they are untradeable. It’s time to take bids on the remodeling project.
Statement: The Bruins might be better than we think
Overreaction
Not ready to go there yet. They have played impressively of late, putting together a five-game winning streak. But statistically, they look like the team they were at the end of last season. They are a middle-of-the-pack offensive team and 24th in the NHL when it comes to keeping the puck out of their net. Even though they sit third in the Atlantic Division, it seems like a stretch to believe they can stay there. The Lightning are coming hard, and we haven’t yet seen the best out of the Maple Leafs and Panthers. We are still analyzing a small sample size.
Statement: Canada should put Macklin Celabrini on its Olympic team.
Spot on
Never mind that he’s only 19. Just from last season to this season, he has improved significantly. He shows 21 points in 14 games, and that’s not a player on a hot streak. That’s who he is. He’s a dazzling performer. But this is why the Canadians should name him to the team: He boasts elite level skill and competes and battles like he’s a third-line role player. Take a look at the video of him locking horns with Moritz Seider when San Jose played Detroit recently. When a young player comes in and makes an impact, even veterans can feed off his energy. We’ve seen that happen many times in this sport.
Statement: The Maple Leafs aren’t going to be able to overcome the loss of Mitch Marner.
Overreaction
While the Maple Leafs were sluggish early, this is still a formidable group even without Marner. He is a quality player to be sure, but this team hasn’t been able to find success in the postseason even with him. Maybe come playoff time, the remaining Maple Leafs will do a deeper dive to figure out why this team can’t push deeper in the playoffs. It certainly wasn’t all Marner’s fault. Sometimes change prompts the kind of soul-searching that yields results.
Statement: The Panthers could miss the playoffs because of injuries
Spot on
Don’t think it will happen, but you cannot rule it out. There are still plenty of talented players left to push for a third consecutive Stanley Cup title. But losing Matthew Tkachuk and Sasha Barkov represents a catastrophic change in the Panthers identity. They are both impact players. Those two set the tone for how hard the Panthers play. You’d think the Panthers have learned enough in their runs to figure out a way to earn the 90-some points necessary to get into the postseason pool. But several teams in the East have improved. We will know more when Tkachuk is back in the lineup after Christmas.
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