NHL Hockey: Teams That Could Surprise and Catalyst Players in 2016-17 (Group Roundtable)
Every year there is that one team that performs well above our expectations. Last season, we witnessed the Buffalo Sabres improve by nearly thirty points above their previous season.
NHL hockey is nothing like the other big leagues in North America. A rebuilding era is more than just a season of shrewd moves and a strong draft. A new coach can instill confidence in a team that has lost it, and every player needs to be in sync for the team to find any success on the ice.
On a weekly basis here at Puck Prose, we turn to our contributors and experts to get their opinion on various league-wide NHL topics. In our previous edition, we asked which World Cup of Hockey teams/players would surprise, you can check it out here.
This week, we asked our team two questions tying into one another. The first was which team they thought would surpass expectations in 2016-17. The other was which player on that team would be a catalyst for their success.
There was a diverse range of thoughts expressed. Every reasoning is different, but one thing is for sure, we have an exciting NHL hockey season on our hands if these teams perform well.