April 4, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Dwight King (74) and center Jeff Carter (77) celebrate the goal scored by defenseman Alec Martinez (27) against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Storylines – Top 10 Headlines from Week One
No shortage of NHL storylines to open the 2015-16 regular season. It’s only been seven nights of play, but there’s more than enough headlines taking center stage.
While the first week of hockey doesn’t necessarily mean anything with teams only having played two to four games. It can often paint an picture for the early warning of things that can become glaring issues if they were to persist.
10. Injury-Bug Strikes Early
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
The Bruins did get good news when Zdeno Chara made his season debut on Monday vs. Tampa Bay. Although, the day before they received news that agitator Brad Marchand would be out indefinitely after suffering his second concussion. We’ve got an article with more details that can be found here for those interested in further information.
James Wisniewski, Carolina Hurricanes
Both Eddie Lack and James Wisniewski were major acquisitions for the Carolina Hurricanes this past offseason. Both had expectations to play key-roles in this teams success moving forward. Wisniewski went down awkwardly in the very first game of the season and did not return. It was later discovered that James Wisniewski suffered a torn ACL and would miss the next six months.
Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres
Sep 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner (40) in second period against Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
The Sabres gave up a 2015 first round pick to acquire Robin Lehner from Ottawa this past offseason. Unfortunately, he suffered a high ankle sprain that is expected to keep him sidelined for the next six to ten weeks. Right now, the Buffalo Sabres are rolling with Chad Johnson and Nathan Lieuwen between the pipes. There is a chance that GM Tim Murray could be on the market for a goaltender. We’ve put out a couple pieces on the options for Murray, as well as a Bleacher Report article found here referencing the link between Tim Murray and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson.
Dwight King, Los Angeles Kings
Premier bottom-six forward and former Cup winner Dwight King broke a bone in his foot and is expected to miss eight to ten weeks. The news is devastating for a team that has had its struggles early-on to begin the season. King is coming off a 26-point campaign last season and has played an integral role to the Los Angeles Kings success over the past half decade.
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders
Jaroslav Halak has yet to play a game this season due to what is being deemed an upper-body injury. In his absence, the Islanders have featured both Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube, who was claimed off waivers from the Kings at the end of preseason. The New York Islanders have the skill and ability to fight for a top spot in the Eastern Conference, and they’ll need their goalie who broke several Islanders records last year to do that.
Robby Fabbri, St.Louis Blues
Prior to the start of the season, Robby Fabbri was in the conversation for Calder Trophy candidates. The good news is that is sounds as though the injury shouldn’t keep him sidelined for too long. The bad news is that we’re dealing with a concussion. The St.Louis Blues are off to a bit of a slow start, so having the scoring depth that Fabbri offers even as a rookie plays an important role in the Blues success this season.
Next: Goaltending Performances