NHL: Top 10 scapegoats heading into the 2019-20 season

Whether it’s fair or not, each team seems to have at least one scapegoat. Here are the biggest scapegoats in the NHL entering the 2019-20 season.

The offseason is a perfect time for the front office staff to come together and discuss what went right and what went wrong in the previous season. For teams not named the St. Louis Blues, much of the four-month layoff is spent trying to crack the improbable code of what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Re-signing players, trading assets, acquiring draft picks. Whatever it takes.

The single greatest challenge, however, is to rid your team of a particular stench that many outsiders would believe to be a significant deficit to the team. Sometimes, if that player is believed to be such a detriment then they will either be bought out or traded away while retaining the majority of their salary for several seasons to come.

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But that’s the worst-case scenario and it only happens when the you-know-what really hits the fan to the point where the franchise is met with no other option. In most cases, the team will be stuck with that player and allow them to ride out the remainder of their contract.

It’s at this point where their own fans tend to turn on them and hold them accountable for the negativity they’ve brought to the team. Though most of the time, they were never directly involved with losing the game, the failing season will rest heavily on their shoulders.

For example, in the minds of the fans, a defenseman’s hefty contract would hold more weight than the goaltender’s inability to stop pucks. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a number of people in the sports world would refer to as The Scapegoat.

Though management would never publicly admit to their knowledge of the fans disapproval towards these players, they are normally dealt away pretty swiftly when the season ends. Sometimes, the General Manager will trade away their scapegoat in return for another team’s baggage.

Interestingly enough, this offseason involved a couple of these examples: a six-player trade involving Nikita Zaitsev and Cody Ceci and of course Calgary trading away James Neal for Milan Lucic.

So, without further adieu, here are the top 10 scapegoats in the NHL heading into the 2019-20 season.

Note: The people on this list have been with the team the previous season and will remain so this year as well.

10. Jonathan Drouin

Age: 24

Contract duration: Six years, $33 Million (becomes UFA in 2023-24)

2018-19 stats: 81 games, 53 points

Many of the players on this list have become the fans’ scapegoat because they have hindered the franchise in some way. Be it their age or their burdening contract, but Jonathan Drouin’s case is different.

Not only is he young with plenty of room to grow, the 24-year-old’s contract at $5.5 Million a year, per Spotrac, is actually great value for the Montreal Canadians. It’s Drouin’s inability to hit that next level, however, that has caused fans to become agitated with the former third overall draft pick.

After a four-point night versus the Maple Leafs on February 7th, Drouin’s productive season came to a screeching halt. Out of the 26 remaining games, he was held off the scoresheet for 23 of them.

Though there’s plenty of time for the young centreman to grow, his disappearance down the stretch will be what Habs’ fans remember from last season.

9. David Backes

Age: 35

Contract duration: Five years, $30 Million (becomes UFA in 2021-22)

2018-19 stats: 70 games, 20 points

In David Backes’ 13-year career, he has become a fan favorite for his relentless style of play. The physicality that he brings to the game along with 100% effort every night has earned him a serious amount of respect on the ice as well.

However, when Backes signed a five-year $30 million deal with the Boston Bruins in 2016, it was apparent that his career was on the decline. The now 35-year old has 2 years left on his contract and when it comes to the emerging young talent that the Bruins roster is filled with, Backes sticks out like a sore thumb.

En route to an epic 7-game series in the Stanley Cup Final against his former team, Backes spent much of that time on the bench and in the press box. Though at one point, sitting Backes out in such a game would be unheard of, it’s evident that the Bruins don’t exercise a lot of confidence in him at this point of his career. And for the Bruins’ fans, his contract only serves as a detriment.

8. Justin Abdelkader

Age: 32

Contract duration: Seven years, $29.75 Million (becomes UFA in 2023-24)

2018-19 stats: 71 games, 19 points

The Detroit Red Wings second-longest tenured player has seen the highs and lows of this team in the past decade. After winning a cup with the club in 2008, Justin Abdelkader has watched this once dominant team lose nearly everything it once stood for.

Lidstrom rode off into the sunset, Datsyuk fled to Russia, Hank hung up the skates early, the 25-year playoff streak came to an end, and Joe Louis Arena got demolished. Even former general manager Ken Holland, who had been with the organization for 30 years, didn’t make it to this point.

Even though Abdelkader established himself a household name in the Motor City, he has still come under fire from the Red Wing faithful over the last few years. Since signing a $4.25 Million contract in 2016, Abdelkader has failed to hit the 40 point mark and keep his +/- above -10.

For a team that once reigned supreme during the postseason, their patience to get back to that is running thin.

7. Marc Staal

Age: 32

Contract duration: Six years, $32.4 Million (becomes UFA in 2021-22)

2018-19 stats: 79 games, 13 points

It’s been two years since the New York Rangers have been in the playoffs and that can largely be attributed to their slew of terrible contracts.

Though the team’s record of the past couple of years indicate that they should be entering a re-build phase, it’s a difficult thing to accomplish when you’re burdened by multiple veterans locked to long-term deals.

If not for the signing of Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panarin this offseason, the Rangers second most expensive contract would have belonged to 32-year-old Marc Staal. The 12th overall pick from 2005 has seen his numbers drop dramatically and fans are eagerly awaiting for 2021 when he becomes a UFA.

6. Martin Jones

Age: 29

Contract duration: Six years, $34.5 Million (becomes UFA in 2024-25)

2018-19 stats: 62 games, .896 Save %

This year will be a decisive year for the formally undrafted goaltender as Martin Jones will try and re-establish himself as a top goaltender in the league.

In the first year of his lucrative $34.5 million contract, Jones failed to establish any kind of trust with San Jose Sharks fans after posting a career-worst 2.94 GAA.

His reputation with the fans only got worse in the playoffs when he allowed 58 goals in 20 games. Had the Sharks had a stronger goaltender down the stretch, their chances of making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals would have been a lot stronger.

5. Paul Maurice

Age: 52

2018-19 Season: 47-30-5

Paul Maurice is no doubt in the hot-seat heading into this season after the Winnipeg Jets failure to make it out of the first-round against the St. Louis Blues. The upset was a shock to the system for the Jets’ fans expecting a deep run in the postseason following a visit to the semi-finals the year before.

Now, the head coach must lead a team that has already lost significant pieces to the roster: Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba and Kevin Hayes (whose tenure only lasted from the trade deadline through the playoffs). And not only has the 52-year-old coach lost a handful of key assets, but many are also suggesting that he has lost the room as well.

If the challenge wasn’t already difficult enough, they are at risk of losing two more crucial players in Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine who remain RFAs. With the amount of cap space that the Jets have opened up this year, it is perplexing that neither of them has signed yet.

With the disappointments this team has faced in the past couple of years, no doubt fingers will inevitably point towards the coaches for reasons as to why their two future superstars remain on the fence.

4. T.J. Brodie

Age: 29

Contract duration: Five years, $23.25 Million (becomes UFA next season)

2018-19 stats: 79 games, 34 points

In some situations, a player will become a team’s scapegoat for the sole reason that they’ve been with the same club for so many years.

T.J. Brodie, who was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2008, has become the fans honorary whipping boy over the past few years. Whether it’s giveaways or a lack of success with his trademark end-to-end rushes, Brodie’s name seems to always get called when fans are looking for someone to blame.

On paper, it appeared that Brodie made significant improvements to his game and his 2018-19 campaign proved that. His nine regular-season goals were the second-highest of his career, his +/- improved from -16 to +29 and his defensive partner Mark Giordano won the James Norris Trophy, as the league’s best defenseman. Something that couldn’t have really happened if Brodie sucked as much as people thought he does.

When the Flames fell to the Colorado Avalanche in 5 games, it was T.J. Brodie’s head that the fans were after. When the offseason had begun, and the team was in need of clearing space, fans were very quick to announce who they thought should be shipped out of town.

3. Cory Schneider

Age: 33

Contract duration: Seven years, $42 Million (becomes UFA in 2022-23)

2018-19 stats: 26 games, .903 Save %

The inability to remove Cory Schneider from the situation he’s found himself in is almost as dumbfounding as the 7-year $6 Million contract he signed that takes him through to the 2021-22 season.

At one point this year, Schneider had been 50 weeks removed from a regular-season NHL win. Dating from Dec. 29, 2017 to Dec. 9, 2018, Cory Schneider had gone 0-15-3.

The good news for New Jersey Devils fans is that Schneider’s contract allows him to be sent down, making space in the roster. The bad news is, they’d have a player making $6 Million on their AHL team.

2. Brent Seabrook

Age: 34

Contract duration: 8 years, $55 Million (becomes UFA in 2024-25)

2018-19 stats: 78 games, 28 points

It’s widely considered to be the worst contract in the league. Ask any fan, pundit or NHL staff member, who they think the most unattractive and undesired contract belongs to and the majority of them will tell you it’s Brent Seabrook.

For the 34-year old, there’s nothing wrong with making $6.875 Million a year. But for a franchise that has been starving to get back to its once winning ways, it can only be seen as a detriment.

While the Chicago Blackhawks have been slowly plotting their way back into contention through quality draft-picks and successful player development, their handful of long-term franchise deals makes it hard for them to build off any success.

In order to afford the contracts of Seabrook, Keith, Kane and Toews, the Blackhawks have missed several opportunities to re-sign potential franchise players. Having these four guys locked up at least to the 2023-24 season, it doesn’t look like the Blackhawks will find their way out of this hole anytime soon.

Even though Seabrook is just one out of four players who have long-term deals, his is the longest and extends all the way to the 2024-25 season. It’s for reasons like that and his reported refusal to waive his no-movement clause that have caused a distaste amongst fans.