With NHL training camps opening for business this week, there’s not long until the anticipated 2014-15 season gets underway, with the Los Angeles Kings defending their Stanley Cup championship.
Last season was down year for some of the sport’s biggest names, and here are five of the NHL’s best who I think will bounce back to stamp their authority on rinks across North America:
Brad Richards: Well, the Rangers cast aside the guy they signed from Dallas with so much fanfare – and money – a few seasons back via a buy-out, but it didn’t take long for the savvy veteran to be picked up by Chicago, who really need a savvy presence on their team. He’ll likely see time as the Blackhawks’ second-line centre, and with the talent around him, you’d expect his numbers to rise above his 51 points from last year in Manhattan. Richards is still a guy who can make a contribution, and might be exactly the piece of the puzzle the ‘Hawks need to get them back to the Stanley Cup Final.
Dany Heatley: After being traded from San Jose in one of their – many, and apparently yearly – attempts to reshape the franchise after playoff disappointment, Heatley endured a few down years in Minnesota, but has been thrown a lifeline by the Anaheim Ducks in the shape of a one-year contract.
With what amounts to a bargain deal comes the hope that a change of environment will help the 33-year-old regain the sort of form that had him amongst the upper echelon of NHL players not all that long ago. If nothing else, you’d figure he can improve on a dismal 2013-14, where he scored just 28 points in 76 games played, and was demoted to the third and then fourth line in Minnesota.
Rick Nash: Another guy signed to the Rangers team with great fanfare attached, Nash had a pretty crappy year in 2013-14, going missing offensively for most of it, ending up with only 39 points from 65 games. Based on the money they’ve thrown at him in New York, this is a crucial season for a guy who’s long been considered one of the superstars of the NHL.
Interestingly, though, Nash has had five consecutive seasons where he hasn’t scored more than 67 points, so the pressure is on to show that his advancing age – he’s 30 – hasn’t robbed him of his offensive abilities. Particularly when he’s being paid $7.8 million per year on Broadway. That’s a lot of money.
This is a personal one for me, being a fan of both the Rangers and of Nash as a player, but I can’t help but wonder what’ll happen if he doesn’t turn things around this year, after, frankly, being ineffective for most of last season. I can’t imagine that he’ll survive, not with compliance buyouts now a very real thing. If the Rangers are happy to get rid of Brad Richards, you figure they’d be happy to get rid of Rick Nash, too.
Steven Stamkos: The best and most recognisable player on the Tampa Bay Lightning squad was hobbled by injury in 2013-14, playing only 37 games – less than half a season. Encouragingly for his team, Stamkos scored 40 points in those 37 games, which is an impressive output given extenuating factors, like injury.
Give him some space, and more likely than not, Stamkos is gonna bury the puck in the net. That’s simply what he does. Mark my words, if he remains healthy for the majority of the season, the Tampa sniper will go close to the one hundred point mark, and also go close to winning the NHL’s scoring title.
Pekka Rinne: One of my favourites, and another guy cruelled by injury of late, Rinne is now apparently over the hip condition that seriously limited his output for Nashville last season. Not surprisingly, the Predators endured a lean year without their star net-minder, which just goes to show how important he is to his team.
At best, Rinne is one of the most talented goalies in the league. Unfortunately, amidst an injury-riddled year, his goals allowed average of 2.77, didn’t show off that talent. Back to full health, expect the Predators best (and, by far their most important) player to return to robbing opponents left and right, night after night.
Ryan Miller: A strange year for the long-timer Buffalo net-minder who was traded to St Louis at the deadline, and expected to wander in and win the Blues a Stanley Cup. That didn’t happen. Instead, St Louis crashed out in the first round of the playoffs, and Miller wasn’t offered a new contract.
Enter Vancouver, where Miller will seek to provide some stability between the pipes for a franchise that’s more known for goaltending dysfunction than stability. The veteran of two Olympic campaigns for Team USA is still a good goalie – though a weak defensive corps in Buffalo didn’t give him much chance, and St Louis had their own blue line issues, too – and will likely be the perfect complement to rising youngster Eddie Lack in Vancouver.
The big question, though, is whether Miller can handle the pressure that comes with being a Canuck goalie. They’re tough on their starting net-minders out there, but I get the sense Miller is more than up to the challenge. Should back-stop a Vancouver run to the playoffs.
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