NHL Season Preview: 7 Players With Something to Prove in 2016-17
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Season Preview: 7 Players That Should Have A Chip on Their Shoulder/Something to Prove in 2016-17
Moving forward with our NHL season preview, we turn our attention to players who have something to prove in 2016-17. These guys should have a chip on their shoulder heading into the new season, which in some cases can spark a great performance.
Rewind to 2014-15, goaltender Jonas Hiller was forced out by Frederik Andersen leading to an eventual trade. He made 44 starts for Calgary going 26-19-4 with a 2.36GAA and .918 save percentage helping propel the Flames to a surprise postseason appearance. Of course it all fell apart between the pipes for Calgary in 2015-16, but it seems that trade immediately lit a fire under Hiller.
Below are seven players who could be walking into 2016-17 with a chip on their shoulder, or should at least be feeling as though they have something to prove.
NHL Season Preview: 7 Players Who Should Have a Chip on Their Shoulder
Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils
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One might argue that trading Taylor Hall was necessary to acquire that missing piece on the back end, and perhaps that’s true – but it doesn’t change the fact that Hall should be left with a sour taste in his mouth. After all, the 2010 1st overall pick had proven himself to be Edmonton’s most potent scorer with 328 points in 381 career games.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Taylor Hall likely envisioned himself as being part of the solution after six long seasons with the Oilers.
Instead of seeing through what he started, Hall is now forced to start a new chapter in his hockey career. If the Devils blue line comes together in 2016-17, they could be the Florida Panthers of last year.
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P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators
It’s not a good sign when a player makes one of the biggest charitable donations in history (to Montreal Children’s Hospital) and teammates vote Max Pacioretty as King Clancy Award nominee.
Without knowing the details, we can assume there is a personality quirk that led to Subban’s departure. We can speculate all we want, but fact is, P.K. Subban should feel beyond disrespected.
The best thing he can do is to help Music City capture their first Stanley Cup Championship – and then of course bring the Cup to the Montreal Children’s hospital. The Habs might be the winning-est franchise in history, but 23 years is a long time.
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Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars
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A somewhat different scenario here; Lehtonen is the only one not to join a new franchise this summer. He is coming off a sub-par season capped off with a nasty exclamation point.
The Dallas Stars tandem of Antti Niemi/Kari Lehtonen ranked 11th worst with 228 goals allowed in 2015-16. Lindy Ruff turned to Lehtonen in the playoffs, who helped defeat Minnesota in the opening round.
The Stars managed to take St.Louis to game seven in the second round (without star forward Tyler Seguin), but goaltending was an issue. STL scored three weak goals in the first period (including one disallowed goal) and opened the scoring early in the second to go up 4-0 23:50 into the game. They went on to defeat Dallas 6-1.
With rumors suggesting Dallas could make a deal with Tampa Bay or Pittsburgh to acquire one of Ben Bishop/or Marc-Andre Fleury, Lehtonen’s window of opportunity to extend his career is quickly closing. He has continually shown an inability to stay healthy or consistent, and will need to do both in the upcoming season if he hopes to play out the remainder of his contract.
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Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers
Finnish general manager Jarmo Kekalainen (Columbus Blue Jackets) opted not to select his fellow countrymen who scouts had pegged as a top three lock. Instead, Jarmo chose to draft for position opposed to using BAP (best available player) strategy.
After dominating the international circuit in 2015-16, Puljujarvi should have a chip on his shoulder about falling out of the top three. It’s scary to imagine the result if Jesse Puljujarvi eventually develops chemistry with Connor McDavid.
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Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
After Sens owner Eugene Melnyk made a public rant with roughly 10 games to go in the season, it appeared changes were on the horizon in the Canadian Capital. Pierre Dorion replaced Bryan Murray as General Manager, and Guy Boucher was hired behind the bench.
Oddly enough though, the only move we’ve seen to date is a single trade sending Swedish center Mika Zibanejad to New York for Derick Brassard (draft picks also involved).
All of a sudden, Ottawa has proclaimed themselves ready to win. In other words, the Senators are saying that Brassard is the upgrade that helps get them over the hump.
Sad thing is, Zibanejad is arguably a more well-rounded player with a higher production ceiling in the future; does Ottawa honestly need to give the young Swede extra reasons for motivation?
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Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
It’s not like we didn’t know that John Gibson was intended to be the eventual starter for Anaheim, but now that the time has come, Frederik Andersen can use the trade to Toronto as motivation for immediate success.
If you think about it, the Ducks have basically sent the message that Andersen is a suitable stop-gap option, but not capable to carry the load long-term. Goaltenders are deeply psychological athletes, so it doesn’t take a whole lot to light a fire under these guys.
Erik Gudbranson, Vancouver Canucks
Originally selected 3rd overall by Florida back in 2010, Gudbranson was the first of numerous changes by the Panthers this offseason. He was traded to Vancouver for Jared McCann (draft picks involved) after spending his first five seasons in the Sunshine State.
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Those close to Erik would tell you that he was caught off guard with the news. He was naturally upset after helping Florida post a franchise best record in 2015-16, and obviously envisioned helping build a Cup winner.
It should leave a sour taste in his mouth initially, but this is the perfect fit for Gudbranson. Joining Chris Tanev as 1-2 right-handed defenders in Vancouver, Erik should quickly become a fan favorite in this passionate Canadian market.