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Counting Down The Top 10 Most Desperate Teams. The #1 MOST Desperate….

November 27, 2021, 2:12 PM ET [13 Comments]
Eklund
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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….

#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…

#4
The Toronto Maple Leafs
HBDQ: 52:37


Like the Oilers, the Leafs are going to be judged by how they do in the playoffs. This GM and Coach combo have to be held accountable if another post season quick exit occurs. Expectations could not be bigger and with the current best goalie in the NHL in Campbell everything is getting ramped up even more. As long as they maintain a strong record there probably won’t be too many changes, but the playoffs are where this will all be judged.

#3.
The Dallas Stars
HBDQ: 53:35


The Stars have not nearly gotten back to the point they were in the bubble, and they are icing the OLDEST team in the NHL. Issues with their head coach are emerging and they are staring down some big potential UFAs this summer. It is very much now or never for the Stars. Many felt they would be a force, but so far they are anything but that.

#2.
The Vancouver Canucks.
HBDQ 54:87


No one was more aggressive with their off-season moves than the Canucks. Trades for Garland and Ekman-Larsson couple with the signings of Hughes and Pettersson had expectations sky-high..and so far the on-ice product has been very underwhelming. The team appears to have it all, but right now they can’t get out of their own way…

And now for the #1 team…

#1.
The NY Islanders…
HBDQ: 58.43


This one should be relatively obvious…and yet not all the Islanders fault. Starting with the epic roadtrip has amp’d up the pressure. Combine this with the expectations being super high, the age of the team continues to increase as Lamoriello tries to fine tune. If that doesn’t work, it will be a problem…for sure…



Coming up…Who are the most trade-able players in the NHL and where could they be heading?
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