Things in the NHL don’t always go as expected
From the rise of Florida to John Scott as an all-star, there’ve been some surprises
With 14 days left in the NHL regular season, it’s time to take stock of what we’ve witnessed since October. Here are the biggest surprises of the season: 1. Seth Jones-for-Ryan Johansen trade: Because of the salary cap, general managers often say it is far more difficult to make trades. This swap was reminiscent of old-time hockey. A potential top pairing defenceman being swapped for a premium young No. 1 centre.
The Predators have received the instant reward because Johansen (26 points in 35 games) has made Nashville’s offence more dynamic. He will be a major help for them in this season’s playoffs. But Jones is a big, strong all-around defenceman with the potential to be among the league’s best. 2. Jaromir Jagr’s fountain of youth: Ponce de Leon was looking for it in Florida, wasn’t he?
At 44, Jagr became the oldest NHL player to score 25 or more goals in a season. Even the incomparable Gordie Howe had his last 25-goal season in the NHL before his 42nd birthday, although Howe did score more than 25 in the World Hockey Association.
Jagr’s ability to be the Panthers’ scoring leader at such an advanced age is remarkable. 3. Panthers’ rise: The Panthers have the NHL’s eighth-best record heading into action Tuesday and you are flat-out lying if you say you saw that coming.
The Panthers have made the playoffs twice in the 21st century. They have missed the playoffs 15 times in 17 seasons. The Panthers were viewed as a team on the rise, but they have surprised us by taking a giant leap this season. 4. Holtby chasing Brodeur’s record: With 45 wins, Washington goaltender Braden Holtby needs four wins in the Capitals’ last eight games to break Martin Brodeur’s NHL record of 48 wins in a season.
Brodeur set the mark in 2006-07, but it seemed like the record would stand for a very long time. At 26, Holtby is entering the prime of his career. 5. Capitals surge: Everyone expected them to be a contender, but this roster might offer the franchise its best chance to win a Stanley Cup.
The Capitals have the proper blend of offensive flair, grit, defensive might and quality goaltending. They have been the best team in the Eastern Conference by a significant margin and they have shown that their roster can compete with the top teams in the West. 6. Panarin was already polished: Did Patrick Kane help Artemi Panarin or did Panarin help Kane? That question wasn’t always easy to answer this season.
USA Today Sports projected the Chicago Blackhawks’ Panarin would be among the league’s top rookies, but no one projected him with 25 goals and 64 points. He’s 14 points better than any other rookie heading into action on Tuesday.
Having already found stardom in the KHL, Panarin was comfortable playing on a line with Kane and Artem Anisimov. Panarin is a smaller forward like Kane and they play a similar flashy, offensive style. 7. John Scott becomes a star: What started out as a joke to get an unlikely player selected to the AllStar Game through fan balloting turned out to be the biggest break of the tough guy’s career.
After the controversy burned out, Scott played so well in the new three-on-three format that he was named the game’s MVP. He received a vehicle for that honour and also picked up a share of the $1-million (U.S.) prize money for the winning team. 8. Dustin Byfuglien re-signed in Winnipeg: It can no longer be said that the Jets can’t keep players because no one wants to play in Winnipeg.
Byfuglien took his game to a new level. USA Hockey even made him one of the early selections for the U.S. World Cup team. He would have been one of the NHL’s hottest free agents this summer had he tested the market.