Breaking down the 10 biggest surprises from the NHL's first half
With the NHL All-Star Game this month in Nashville officially launching the second half of the 2015-16 season, here is our list of the 10 biggest surprises of the first half:
1. Blackhawks remain team to beat
The Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup championship last spring was written up as if it might be their last hurrah.
It was understood that Chicago was looking at major changes in the summer. Faced with challenging salary cap issues aggravated by significant raises going to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks were forced to trade away veteran Patrick Sharp and rising youngster Brandon Saad. They didn’t have salary cap room to re-sign key defenseman Johnny Oduya.
The Blackhawks were expected to take a small step backward. Instead, Trevor van Riemsdyk has become a more important player on defense and rookie Artemi Panarin and others have picked up the offensive slack. The Blackhawks, riding an 11-game winning streak, unquestionably have a shot to win their fourth championship since 2010.
2. Crosby 30th in scoring race
Everyone has a theory for why the Pittsburgh Penguins star’s numbers were well below average through the first 44 games of the season. But based on how Crosby’s numbers have increased since Mike Sullivan took over at coach, we can conclude that former head coach Mike Johnston’s defensive-minded system had some impact.
Crosby, 28, has eight goals and 17 points in the 16 games since Sullivan went behind the bench.
3. Stamkos still unsigned
Since the salary cap era launched in 2005, most NHL teams have re-signed their stars. But Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos, 25, can become an unrestricted free agent in less than six months.
It’s presumed that Stamkos wants $10 million per season because he undoubtedly could find that in the free agent market. He scored 43 goals last season and is on pace for 36 this season.
4. Changes at the top
The Florida Panthers have become one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and the Dallas Stars have been one of the better teams in the West.
Both were expected to be improved this season, but their progress is more advanced than anticipated. Keep in mind, the Panthers have made the playoffs twice in the past 17 seasons and the Stars have missed the playoffs six of the past seven seasons.
5. Ducks fly south
This was supposed to be the Anaheim Ducks’ time, a season in which they lived up to their potential and returned to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2007.
Today, we aren’t sure if this team will make the playoffs. The Ducks have had many issues, but biggest among them is they rank last with 86 goals. Ryan Getzlaf has three goals this season.
6. Fountain of youth discovered
Jaromir Jagr will be 44 next month, and he’s the most important offensive player on the Panthers' roster. Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan, 39, is having his best goal-scoring season since 2008-09. Zdeno Chara, 38, is playing effectively for 24-plus minutes per game on a Boston Bruins team that has performed better than expected.
7. A blockbuster trade
Center Ryan Johansen was viewed as the centerpiece of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ future and Seth Jones was seen as one of the NHL’s best young defensemen.
No one would have guessed the Nashville Predators would trade Jones to land Johansen in a deal that is more reminiscent of the moves made in the 1970s or 1980s than today. We will be evaluating who got the better of this deal for years to come.
8. Youth fuels Coyotes
Led by young forwards Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Tobias Reader, plus goalie Louis Domingue, the Coyotes are in second place in the weak Pacific Division.
Preseason projections had the Coyotes as a primary contender in the Auston Matthews sweepstakes at the June draft. Nobody was guessing the Coyotes would be the NHL’s eighth-best goal-scoring team.
9. John Scott temporarily an All-Star?
Scott was a tough guy for the Coyotes when fans voted him to be the captain of the Pacific Division All-Star team. He dressed in 11 games this season and played five to seven minutes when he was in the lineup.
Because he was elected through an NHL-sanctioned voting system, Scott decided to play in the event.
Not so fast. The Coyotes traded him to the Montreal Canadiens, who immediately shipping him to the minors. As of Monday night, the NHL hadn’t ruled on Scott’s All-Star status. It seems clear they would prefer that he pull out of the event.
10. Gloomy projections for Canada’s dollar
With oil prices continuing to drop, CBC News quoted David Doyle of Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. as saying the value of the Canadian dollar could be worth 59 cents U.S. at some point in 2016. It’s currently at 69 cents.
That could play havoc with the league’s salary cap. Commissioner Gary Bettman said last month that next season’s salary cap is projected to grow by $3 million.
But Bettman cautioned that was a tentative projection. The NHL has seven Canadian-based teams taking in Canadian dollars, and they have a television contract with Rogers Communications paid in Canadian dollars. The latest fall by the Canadian dollar will have an impact. There’s concern that the cap might rise very little, if at all, next season.