One New Year’s resolution for each NHL team

2018 is coming to a close. Here’s what each NHL team should have as their New Year’s resolution.

The 2018-19 NHL season has been an exciting one. As the ending of the 2018 portion of the season approaches, many teams still find themselves in the postseason hunt. This shows the amount of parity around the league, and also that hockey is a weird, unpredictable sport.

Every New Year, people like to make resolutions to try to better themselves. Now, teams are no different. What does each NHL team want to accomplish in 2019? Here’s a look at what each team’s New Year’s resolution ought to be.

Anaheim Ducks: Give John Gibson Some Help

It’s become an annual tradition in Anaheim. The Anaheim Ducks are struggling to score, but are somehow still winning games. This is largely due to the outstanding play of their goaltenders. John Gibson should be topping everyone’s Vezina Trophy list and Ryan Miller has magically revived his career as a backup goalie.

Anaheim will enter 2019 holding a spot in the postseason. but it won’t be because they deserve one as a team. It will be because Gibson has bailed out the Ducks far too often. In 31 games, he has had to make at least 30 saves 17 times.

Additionally, Gibson has made at least 35 saves in 10 games and at least 40 in five games. Entering Christmas, despite having a 2.52 goals against average and stopping 92.6 percent of the shots he sees, he has a record of 15-11-4, which is barely above .500.

In 38 games, the Ducks have scored merely 95 goals, which places them in the bottom five in scoring. Getting Daniel Sprong has certainly helped, but Anaheim needs to give their star goaltender a lot more help than they’ve been giving him. If they don’t, they’ll waste what might be their last chance to be Stanley Cup contenders with this core.

Arizona Coyotes: Find A Way To Keep Antti Raanta Healthy

The Arizona Coyotes came into this season needing goaltender Antti Raanta to be amazing. This wasn’t the most ridiculous request to ask for, as he was excellent for them in 2017-18. That is, when he was healthy.

Raanta entered this season needing to prove himself as a starting goalie. A combination of injuries and being stuck behind really good goalies like Corey Crawford and Henrik Lundqvist kept him from becoming a starter. In Arizona, Raanta has finally gotten the chance to prove himself as a number one goalie.

Unfortunately, injuries have gotten in his way. It’s quite likely Coyotes fans have seen the last of Raanta this season. He must have really pissed off the hockey gods or something because that’s about the only way to explain his injuries.

The Coyotes asked for a franchise goalie, and they got one. But they weren’t specific enough. This time around, the Coyotes are going to be smart. They’re not just going to ask for a healthy Raanta, oh no. The Coyotes are going to ask for an invincible clone of him. Let’s see the hockey gods pick on Raanta if they can’t injure him!

With an eternally healthy and talented goalie, the Coyotes would be a consistent playoff contender. That’s something the state of Arizona has been begging for and deserves.

Boston Bruins: Live Life As Contenders To The Fullest

The Boston Bruins have the best of both worlds. On one hand, they’re built to win right now. And, given the age of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand, their best chance to win is likely right now. But on the other hand, the Bruins have a number of exciting young players, led by Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak.

Still, you can’t take anything for granted in the NHL or it will bite you in the butt. The Bruins shouldn’t assume they’re going to be great even after Chara decides to stop playing hockey and start his true calling as a bird feeder. Boston owes it to their gentle giant to try to win him one more Stanley Cup so he can go out the way he deserves to go out – as a champion.

In order to do that, the Bruins are going to have to get some scoring help. They’ve got an incredible top line, which is capable of single-handedly winning them games. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last year, the Bruins got Rick Nash at the trade deadline. This year, they’ll have to aim a little bit higher if they want Chara to go out on top.

Buffalo Sabres – Keep The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The Buffalo Sabres have been arguably the most pleasant surprise in the NHL this season. After drafting Rasmus Dahlin, they traded for disgruntled Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, giving up a very modest price for the skilled forward. He’s been arguably the best offseason acquisition in the league other than John Tavares.

Entering Christmas, only Alex Ovechkin has more goals this season than his 26, which are already two more than he had for the Hurricanes last season. Skinner has made Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart better players. It’s clear he has benefitted from playing alongside them as well.

However, Skinner will be a free agent after this season. He’s likely going to command a huge pay raise, especially since he’s having such an outstanding season during a contract year. The Sabres have got to find a way to keep him or replace him. Otherwise, their dark days might be coming back. If the Sabres must do the latter, at least they are armed with four first-round picks in the next two drafts.

Calgary Flames: Figure Out Their Goaltending

The Calgary Flames have quite the impressive roster. They’ve gone from a team who struggled mightily to score last season to scoring a ton of goals this season. Head coach Bill Peters warrants serious Jack Adams Trophy consideration for how well he has coached his talented roster thus far.

However, the Flames have a very obvious flaw – their goaltending. Mike Smith, to put it nicely, has been bad. Very bad. In 21 appearances, he has only stopped 88.8 percent of the shots he has seen. That’s simply not good enough.

David “Big Save Dave” Rittich has bailed them out. He came into this season as the clear backup goalie, but now he’s probably the best goalie on their roster. While Rittich has stopped 92.3 percent of the shots he has seen in 20 games (17 starts), goaltending is volatile, so he could regress.

Maybe Rittich can be the number one guy. But can the Flames afford to take that gamble? Calgary should look into acquiring Jimmy Howard to shore up their goaltending. At the very least, it would give them a far more formidable goaltending tandem.

Carolina Hurricanes: Get More Scorers (And Don’t Trade Any For Peanuts)

The Carolina Hurricanes have a huge problem. It’s one you can probably guess because it’s been a problem for a very long time – they can’t score goals. Granted, Andrei Svechnikov has finally gotten more playing time after we implored them to let the dynamic wing play more. And man, Sebastian Aho is something else. Michel Ferland has been a nice surprise with 11 goals.

Other than those two, though, the Hurricanes don’t really have any goal scorers. Maybe trading one of their best goal scorers for peanuts wasn’t a good idea? It won’t be easy for the Hurricanes to acquire a goal scorer. Luckily, Carolina has a universal currency in talented defensemen.

It’s going to be a tough trade, but the Hurricanes have to sacrifice someone on their blueline to give them an edge in scoring. Carolina hasn’t been able to get one yet, though it certainly hasn’t been from a lack of trying.

A consistent goaltender would be nice. But, as their owner Thomas Dundon said, “at least if we lose 5-4, I’ll be entertained”. Deep down, he’s right.

Chicago Blackhawks: Keep The Changes Coming

It appears the Chicago Blackhawks have finally decided to embrace the tank. Their dynasty is over. Heck, it died back in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just a year after they finished winning their third Stanley Cup of the 21st century.

The Blackhawks are finally starting to turn over their roster. Now it’s time for them to fully commit to it. Let guys like Alex DeBrincat shine. Find the right coach for the team. Jeremy Colliton might not be it, but he deserves an extended look despite his extremely rough start.

How should they move forward? Move on from guys like Corey Crawford. As painful as it might be, there’s no sense in rushing him back from yet another concussion. Especially not in a season when winning probably doesn’t serve them well, with the 2019 NHL Draft having some strong options to build around.

The Blackhawks should be in contact with all their players with no-trade and no-movement clauses, trying to see if they want to be a part of a rebuild. If they don’t, ship them out. It’s not too late to get a huge return for Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith.

General Manager Stan Bowman put off rebuilding for too long, so it won’t be a quick fix for the Blackhawks. But they can make their future a lot better with the right moves.

Colorado Avalanche: Focus On The Future

The Colorado Avalanche have the best of both worlds. On one hand, they are one of the best teams in the NHL. But on the other hand, their prospect pool is pretty darn impressive, especially on the blueline.

It will be interesting to see what they do at the trade deadline. Will the Avalanche try to get someone who can transform their second line into a much better one? Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers would make a ton of sense.

But, at the same time, the Avalanche shouldn’t be willing to move their big guns – Cale Makar and Samuel Girard. Those are the two guys every team will want. Now, Connor Timmins is interesting. He’s rehabbing from an injury, so his value isn’t too great in the present. But he has the potential to be a solid NHL defenseman.

If the Avalanche want to upgrade, they should be offering Shane Bowers and Timmins before offering either of Makar or Girard. They’re in a very enviable position right now, with only Mikko Rantanen’s inevitable huge extension in the near future to worry about. The Avalanche might be tempted to go for it this year. But, in my most humble opinion, they should wait another year.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Act Quickly

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been on the verge of greatness for the past three seasons. But each time, they’ve fallen short and were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs after just one round. At some point, the status quo has to change.

This makes the Blue Jackets a fascinating team to watch in 2019. Why? Because they have the two biggest difference makers in the 2019 free agency class – goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin. What are the Blue Jackets going to do with those two guys?

They have a January meeting scheduled with Panarin and his agent, so this should give them a bit more clarification. But Bobrovsky is far more interesting. Apparently, he has already let the Blue Jackets know about his plans. Should Columbus go all in? Or should they try to get a monumental package for either Bobrovsky or Panarin (or maybe even both)?

Whatever the Blue Jackets do, they’re running out of time to do it. So they must act swiftly and wisely.

Dallas Stars: Go Out On The Road

The Dallas Stars have one of the oddest splits in the NHL. At home, they are an amazing team. The Stars look like a bonafide Stanley Cup contender when they’re playing at American Airlines Center. However, on the road, they are one of the worst teams in the league.

Whatever the reason is for their road struggles, fixing them should be the Stars top priority. In order to get anywhere in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you need to be able to win on the road. It’s not likely you’re going to win all four games at home in a seven-game series (and you might not even get those four home games).

The Stars will have some home cooking heading into the New Year, which is a good thing. But unless they can find the antidote to their road illness, it might not matter too much. Even if the Stars do make the postseason, it likely won’t be for that long.

Detroit Red Wings: Let The Young Kids Play

The Detroit Red Wings are a rebuilding team with a bit too many older players on their roster. Head coach Jeff Blashill deserves credit for balancing everything out. This season, though, he’s been giving young players more playing time. It should come as no surprise the Red Wings are seeing some positive results.

While winning the draft lottery would be nice, as it would let them draft Jack Hughes, Detroit needs to re-install a winning culture into their organization. A great way to do that is to build a young core that will win together. This young core isn’t quite there yet, but there are definitely reasons to be excited.

Dylan Larkin has continued to impress. Andreas Athanasiou has finally become the player everyone thought he could be. Defenseman Dennis Cholowski is steadily earning more playing time and could be getting over 20 minutes a game by the end of the season. Tyler Bertuzzi is proving to be his father’s son while also proving he’s a future building block.

The Red Wings, with a bit of lottery luck and with finding a team willing to pay a lot to get Jimmy Howard, could be in a great position after the 2019 NHL Draft. Especially if they are able to bring Steve Yzerman home to once again save the Red Wings. He’s already did it on the ice. Why not give him a shot to do it off the ice?

Edmonton Oilers: Take A Look In The Mirror

In the words of the incomparable Michael Jackson, the Edmonton Oilers need to “look at the man in the mirror” and “ask him to change his ways”. They’re seeing improvement under new head coach Ken Hitchcock. However, there’s no reason at all for a team with the best player in the world to be out of a playoff spot.

General Manager Peter Chiarelli is the primary one who should be looking at the mirror. After all, the shallow roster is his fault. Chiarelli has had three seasons with McDavid, with this being his fourth. Right now, he’s batting .333 for making the postseason. If Chiarelli’s batting .250 at the end of the season, it’s time for the Oilers to make some change.

Even if McDavid is able to carry Edmonton into the playoffs, aside from having the best darn player on Earth, the Oilers aren’t really in a much better place than they were when Chiarelli took over. He has lost far too many “skill for grit” trades.

Sometimes, those trades are necessary. They weren’t for the Oilers. Edmonton needs skill and it’s hard not to look at the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson trade and the Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome trade as significant reasons for their lack of skilled depth.

Florida Panthers: Figure Out What You’re Doing

The Florida Panthers are a team I can’t figure out. On paper, they have a very talented forward group and a decent defensive group. But if you look at the Eastern Conference standings, they’re seven points out of a postseason spot.

If the Panthers can’t make the playoffs with a roster that includes Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, Evgeni Dadonov, and Vincent Trocheck, it’s time for them to make some changes. Perhaps they should start at the top.

General Manager Dale Tallon hasn’t been able to build a consistent winner in Florida like he was able to do in Chicago. Perhaps his most condemning move was literally handing the Vegas Golden Knights two members of their top line (Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault) for a fourth-round pick.

The Panthers need some changes if they want to be a consistent contender. They’ve tried just about everything other than taking Tallon out of the front office. Logic dictates that should be their next step.

Los Angeles Kings: Embrace The Tank

Much like a gallon of milk, the Los Angeles Kings came into this season with one of those “best if used by” dates. The date was a bit faded, but it looked good, so everyone assumed that date wouldn’t be for a while. Turns out the date has already come and now the taste is sour.

The Kings still have a talented team, but their days of hoping to win the Stanley Cup are over. There’s only one logical choice for a team in the Kings’ position – embrace the tank. Trust the same process the Philadelphia 76ers have been trusting.

This means they need to make some tough moves. Trading Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter should just be the start. And even that might not be possible. If teams are interested in Jake Muzzin (and there’s no reason for contenders not to be at least curious about obtaining him), listen to offers. Make someone overpay and suddenly, the future looks a lot brighter.

And dear goodness, if someone’s willing to give the Kings anything of value for Jonathan Quick with no salary retained, do it. His deal’s already bad and it’s a major injury away from being REALLY bad. The sooner the Kings start to rebuild and infuse their roster with young talent, the better.

Minnesota Wild: Clean Up The Mess

The Minnesota Wild are a talented team. But there’s a reason they fired general manager Chuck Fletcher. He simply wasn’t doing a good job. Fletcher left the team with a number of bad contracts. New general manager Paul Fenton has been a bit handcuffed because of those cap concerns. The Wild haven’t been the same team since Black Friday. Since then, they’ve arguably been one of the worst teams in the NHL.

If things don’t change quickly, the Wild need to start cleaning up Fletcher’s mess. This means dealing some of the bad deals. Charlie Coyle is an obvious candidate, as he has found himself in trade rumors annually for quite some time now. If Nino Niederreiter doesn’t improve his numbers, he could be an option as well. Marcus Foligno would be an obvious candidate, but honestly, the Wild are going to have a hard team moving his deal.

Fenton needs to make his mark on the team. He’s been unable to do it, but how much longer will it take until his patience wears thin? Even another postseason appearance wouldn’t mean much unless the Wild can improve and at least go to the second round. At the very least, head coach Bruce Boudreau should keep his resume updated because he was a Fletcher hire.

Montreal Canadiens: Figure Out What’s Ailing Carey Price

The Montreal Canadiens are further along in their rebuild then people thought. They’ll likely enter 2019 as a playoff team. Even if the Canadiens don’t, they’ll be darn close to it. Normally, this would mean goaltender Carey Price has been carrying the team. Except that hasn’t been the case.

In fact, it’s been the opposite. Among the 40 goaltenders with at least 15 games played, Price has the 16th worst save percentage at .904. Moreover, his .909 save percentage at even strength is the 13th worst among those 40 goalies.

The Canadiens need a lot more out of Price. And this isn’t a new trend. Price has been trending in the wrong direction over the past three seasons. He was good in 2016-17, terrible in 2017-18, and he’s been bad in 2018-19. Price has a huge contract as the NHL’s highest paid goaltender. He has seven years left on his massive deal.

Montreal isn’t going anywhere if Price isn’t on his game. They don’t need him to be the elite goaltender he used to be, but they need him to be at least good. Right now, Price has been quite far from good. If you’re looking for optimism, he has a .916 save percentage in December. Maybe Price has turned things around. The Canadiens better hope that’s the case.

Nashville Predators: Get Healthy

The Nashville Predators came into this season with very high hopes. They had the greatest regular season in franchise history last season, picking up their first President’s Trophy. However, the Predators couldn’t follow up their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016-17 with an encore. They fell to the Winnipeg Jets in the second round in a hard fought seven-game series.

So far, the Predators have been one of the best teams in the NHL. However, they’ve been struggling a bit as of late. It’s fairly obvious to see why – the Predators aren’t healthy. They’re currently without Victor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, and P.K. Subban. Those are three players the Predators rely quite heavily on.

The Preds need to get healthy in the worst kind of way. First place in the Central Division is well within reach, as the Predators have been able to keep with striking distance of the Winnipeg Jets. But the Colorado Avalanche aren’t too far behind them despite having some struggles themselves.

Health can cost a team a magical season. The Predators deserve credit for treading water without their stars. But if the Preds can’t get their stars healthy (and keep them healthy), they aren’t going to go too far in the postseason.

New Jersey Devils: Give MacKenzie Blackwood More Playing Time

It’s odd to see the New Jersey Devils have such bad goaltending. We’re talking the same franchise who Martin Brodeur, one of the best goalies of all-time, played for. But Keith Kinkaid and (especially) Cory Schneider haven’t gotten the job done. They’ve dug the Devils into a hole that they probably won’t be able to climb out of this season.

If anything good has come from this season, at least the Devils know neither Schneider, nor Kinkaid, are to be trusted. With the former on the injured reserve list, New Jersey called up top goaltending prospect MacKenzie Blackwood. So far, he’s been impressive.

Now, let’s not get all worked up over a three game sample size. But in those three games (one start), Blackwood has stopped 93 percent of the shots he has seen. Compare that to Kinkaid’s .901 save percentage and Schneider’s .852 mark.

The Devils really need to figure out if Blackwood is ready for a full-time promotion to the NHL. Kinkaid will be a free agent after this season and Schneider is a serious buy out candidate. If the Devils know they can count on Blackwood, that will obviously affect what they do. Conversely, if he’s not ready, that’s going to affect their strategy.

Regardless of if Blackwood is ready or not, the Devils would be very wise to give him more playing time to evaluate him.

New York Islanders: Patience Is A Virtue

Last summer, the New York Islanders made some long overdue changes. They hadn’t had an ounce of consistency, stability, or accountability in over 20 years. Even when the Islanders have been a playoff team, they’ve been a very flawed one. Hiring Lou Lamoriello to lead the front office and Barry Trotz to lead the bench gave them instant credibility.

They’ve been a very pleasant surprise. Trotz has them playing very good defensively. The difference between the 2017-18 Islanders and the 2018-19 incarnation is astounding. If you saw both teams, you’d think there’s no way they’re effectively the same team.

Even though the Islanders are a contender, they need to be patient. The Isles are more than one or two players away from being serious Stanley Cup contenders. They need to look no further than the Devils for evidence of what can happen if you aren’t patient. New Jersey effectively gave up multiple draft picks and nice prospects so they could get Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon. Guess where that got them? One playoff win.

Lamoriello is a smart man. Islanders fans should trust him to make the correct decisions. They’re on the verge of building something special, even without John Tavares. The last thing the Islanders need is to overreact. Let things play out. The future is bright.

New York Rangers: Stay The Course

The New York Rangers started their rebuild not even 12 months ago. Their future is a lot brighter than it was. They were able to improve their future by winning the 2018 trade deadline among sellers. The Rangers took advantage of the perfect storm, trading Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, Nick Holden, J.T. Miller, and Ryan McDonagh for a monster haul.

It appears the Rangers will be in a similar, albeit less optimal, situation at the trade deadline in 2019. They’ll have guys like Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello to trade as rentals. Moreover, Chris Kreider could be a guy they look to move for a package similar to the one they got for McDonagh and Miller.

It’s important the Rangers stay the course regarding their rebuild. Keep getting younger and better. Head coach David Quinn has proven to be a good head coach. He has his guys competing most nights and has them playing an exciting brand of hockey. The future is bright on Broadway. However, the Rangers still need to nail this trade deadline. If they do, don’t be surprised if they’re ready to be a postseason team in 2019-20.

Ottawa Senators: Find Out Where They’re Going And How To Get There

Perhaps no NHL team has a less certain future than the Ottawa Senators. Two of their best players, Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, are scheduled to become free agents after this season. They’re already one of the worst teams in the NHL, even with those two guys. Imagine how bad the Senators could be without them. Oh, and they don’t even have their 2019 first-round pick.

A lot of the Senators’ uncertainty revolves around their ownership situation. Eugene Melnyk has become public enemy number one in Ottawa after trading Erik Karlsson, who’s the best player in franchise history. He has a bad history of treating legends such as Daniel Alfredsson. Simply put, Melnyk needs to either sell the team or provide them with a direction.

Thomas Chabot, Colin White, and Brady Tkachuk give the Senators hope for the future. But Ottawa’s going to need a lot more than those three guys to build a contender. It’s sad to see the Senators so close to the bottom of the standings and the bottom of the league in attendance. But at the same time, it’s not hard to see why fans are getting frustrated. The Senators need to find a direction and figure out how to get there soon. If they don’t, it’s hard to see Ottawa being competitive anytime soon.

Philadelphia Flyers: Find Some Stability

The Philadelphia Flyers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL this season. They came into this season hoping to build off of last season and get some better goaltending. Neither of those two things have happened. This has led to general manager Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol being relieved of their respective duties.

In 2019, the Flyers should seek to gain some stability across their organization. Chuck Fletcher should give that to them in the front office. However, Hextall did the same thing. Can Fletcher do a better job of that and make the aggressive moves needed to become a contender?

On the bench, Scott Gordon has done a fine job. He really deserves a better chance of coaching because his last two teams have been cursed with awful goaltending. The Flyers should make Joel Quenneville their number one target. They have the money to pull it off and he would unquestionably make them better.

The Flyers also need stability in net. Carter Hart has been called up and has gone 2-1-0 in his first three starts. Not a bad start for someone in his first full professional season. Hart is definitely the answer in the future. That’s not up for debate. But is Hart the answer right now? Is he best suited in the NHL? Or should the Flyers practice patience and send Hart back to the AHL? Those questions are going to determine the Flyers’ future.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Get Ready For Some Tough Decisions

The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have some tough decisions to make. On one hand, they really want to win another Stanley Cup while Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are in their prime. After all, once those two guys are gone, there could be some dark days for the Penguins.

But on the other hand, can they afford to make the kinds of moves they need to make to get to the Stanley Cup? Sure, Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel have been outstanding. So has Kris Letang, which is especially encouraging. But the Penguins have numerous holes and they don’t have many assets to give up to fix them.

Derick Brassard was brought in last season to be the third-line center. It seemed like a perfect role for him. But the Brassard experiment has been a huge failure. He hasn’t been a good fit on the Penguins, as he has just nine points through 27 games.

Matt Murray was supposed to be the Penguins franchise goalie. Winning two Stanley Cups in two years sure seemed to cement him on this role. However, since the start of the 2017-18 season, his numbers have been alarming. Murray’s struggles have been complicated by injuries. Casey DeSmith has been solid in relief for him, but can he be a full-time starter?

The Penguins Stanley Cup window is still open. But it’s currently closing. Can general manager Jim Rutherford make the right decisions to pry it back open? Or could this be the beginning of the end of the Penguins’ dominance?

San Jose Sharks: Push In All The Chips

Unless the San Jose Sharks can find a way to sign star defenseman Erik Karlsson long-term, they’re not going to have a better chance of bringing home the elusive Stanley Cup than right now. Joe Thornton’s end is coming, as the legendary center has two bad knees and is showing his age. Who knows how long Joe Pavelski will continue to laugh in Father Time’s face? And how much longer will Brent Burns be the dynamic offensive force that he is?

General Manager Doug Wilson is going to have to push in all of his chips come the trade deadline. Don’t be surprised to hear the Sharks interested in any number of players. Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers would be a perfect fit for San Jose, given his consistent five-on-five production and his versatility. But how will they be able to afford him?

The Sharks will also have to take a look at their goaltending situation. Martin Jones and Aaron Dell aren’t blowing anyone away. The Sharks pulled off a trade for James Reimer in 2016 that helped them give Jones some rest, which carried them to the Stanley Cup Final. Might we see a similar situation this year?

It’s time for the Sharks to push in all their chips.

St. Louis Blues: Sometimes You Have To  Just Burn It Down

Who could have imagined the St. Louis Blues as one of the worst teams in the NHL this season? Especially after having such an outstanding offseason? To say the Blues have been a massive disappointment would be a massive understatement.

After acquiring Ryan O’Reilly and signing Pat Maroon, David Perron, and Tyler Bozak, the Blues were supposed to bounce back from their disappointing end to the 2017-18 season. As 2018 draws to a close, they are far closer to the bottom of the standings than the top of them. They’ve already fired head coach Mike Yeo. And general manager Doug Armstrong could be next.

Usually, patience is a virtue. But maybe it’s not with the Blues. They desperately need a culture change, which means St. Louis will have to make some difficult moves. Anytime your team disappoints two years in a row, whether it’s fair or not, the captain gets most of the heat. Alex Pietrangelo has a year left on his deal and could net the Blues a nice haul at the trade deadline.

If the Blues trade their captain, that’s admitting this roster isn’t good enough to win. In that case, they should be willing to trade everyone and anyone as long as it’s for the right price. Even Vladimir Tarasenko has been reported as being available.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Get Rested For A Long Postseason

Everybody knows the story of the tortoise and the hare. A rabbit and a turtle decide to have a race. The former gets out to a huge lead in the race but gets overly confident. Eventually, the turtle winds up winning to prove that slow and steady wins the race.

Well, the Tampa Bay Lightning, much like that rabbit, are off to a borderline historically great start. They’ve earned the right to start taking it easy a little bit. Maybe give Andrei Vasilevskiy some extra games off because the Bolts have already proven they can win without him.

That said, the Lightning have to find that happy balance. They can’t just take the foot off the pedal. Turn it on cruise control? Maybe (but keep an eye on the Toronto Maple Leafs). But stop completely? Nope.

The Lightning could be an extremely special team. However, they’ve got to focus on what’s going to help them win the Stanley Cup. Considering the Lightning have had some very long seasons thanks to their consistent greatness, perhaps rest is all they need.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Improve The Defense

Everyone knows the Toronto Maple Leafs strength is in their offense. Teams are having a very hard time containing all their talent. Even with William Nylander struggling to produce after a lengthy holdout, the Leafs offense has been amazing over the past month. Good luck stopping all three of Nazem Kadri, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares. Oh, and there’s Mitch Marner to worry about too.

However, everyone also knows what the Maple Leafs desperately need – some blueline help. Specifically, they need to get a right-handed defenseman. With Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, and Travis Dermott on the left side, that’s good enough to win games. The issue is their right-handed defensemen often rely on the left-handed guys to carry the load.

Frederik Andersen has done a great job masking the Leafs’ defensive flaws. Hopefully, they’re smart enough to see them. The Leafs will have a variety of options available. Alex Pietrangelo is the biggest name available, but is he fully healthy? Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes is another option. But how costly will he be?

The Leafs are on the edge of glory. They haven’t brought home the Stanley Cup since 1967. This year’s team is good enough to do it on offense. But first, the Leafs must fix their defense.

Vancouver Canucks – Trust The Kids

The Vancouver Canucks are in an interesting position. On paper, they’re just a point out of a playoff spot! But upon further review, that’s because they’ve played 39 games and have 38 points. Only the Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks have played as many games as them in the Western Conference.

So, in reality, the Canucks aren’t true postseason contenders. However, this doesn’t mean they’re not heading in the right direction. Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser have been huge leaders in their first and second years, respectively. Bo Horvat has transformed his game, emerging as a very good two-way center who can put up points.

Yes, the Canucks still have a god-awful blue line that needs to be overhauled. But Vancouver has a lot of reasons to be excited about their future. Top prospect Quinn Hughes could be joining the Canucks as soon as this season. They also need a goaltender, but Thatcher Demko is doing a great job in the AHL.

Head coach Travis Green needs to trust his kids even more than he already does. They’re going to be the ones who take the Canucks to the next level.

Vegas Golden Knights – Get Some Help For Fleury

The Vegas Golden Knights have overcome a slow start to move into a playoff sopt as 2018 draws to a close. Few, if any, players have been more important to the Knights in 2018 than franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He helped carry them to the Stanley Cup Final and has been solid thus far this season.

However, the Knights need to get Fleury some help. Specifically, he needs rest. Fleury has played an eye-popping 34 of the Golden Knights 39 games this season. He’s on pace to play well over 70 games, which is way too many for any goaltender, let alone one as old as Fleury.

Vegas should turn to backup goaltender Malcolm Subban and see if he can help out. He was great last season, but hasn’t been very good this season. It is, however, worth noting Subban’s latest start was a very good one.

If Subban isn’t the answer, the Golden Knights must trade for a backup. Maybe Jimmy Howard could make some sense? The market for goaltenders is always hard to predict, but the Golden Knights need to find a way to rest Fleury so he’s ready for the postseason. They might have to dive into the trade market for the solution.

Washington Capitals – Find The Right Third Line

The Washington Capitals are well on their way to winning back to back Stanley Cups. They had massive expectations going into this season, and so far, they’ve matched them. The Capitals will leave 2018 the same way they ended the 2017-18 season – on top of the Metropolitan Division.

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Alex Ovechkin is turning back the clock yet again. He leads the league in goals with 29. People thought he might be a bit slow to start this season, but Ovechkin has once again found a way to take his game to the next level. Nicklas Backstrom is quietly having a heck of a season. Evgeny Kuznetsov has scored in all but five games. Braden Holtby has been extremely solid in net and even backup goalie Pheonix Copley has been impressive.

However, if the Capitals want to repeat, they’ll need more out of their third line. Granted, getting Brett Connolly back on it should help things. He did a wonderful job filling in for T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson during their respective absences.

What they really need is for Andre Burakovsky to find his game. He’s been tossed around in trade rumors, but if he can find his game, the Capitals would be a mighty dangerous team.