NHL: League parity will make this season even more interesting
By Jim Lynch
The NHL, in my opinion, is the best league in North America. The NFL has the Patriots and the NBA has Lebron James, but with the NHL you never know who is going to win year after year.
Did anyone expect to see the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, and Tampa Bay Lightning out of a playoff spot at this stage of the season? Or how about the Edmonton Oilers and Arizona Coyotes being tied for the top spot in the Pacific Division? The NHL is certainly becoming a crazy spectacular place in large part due to league parity.
League parity has been something the NHL has striven for since the creation of the salary cap. Forcing teams to spend similar amounts of money on players helps make the league that much more effective and creates a fun aspect for fans to watch as they see teams spend their money differently. With parity comes varying positions in the standings year after year.
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The Lightning went on an electric run last season and coasted to a Presidents Trophy with a record of 62-16-4. But this season they find themselves with a record of 14-11-3. What a fun world we live in! It is not to say the Lightning got worse, rather, the other teams in the league improved and they leveled out a little.
I used to think the NHL was moving towards “super teams” like the NBA or the NFL. When Toronto acquired John Tavares I thought they were destined to win the Cup that spring, and they failed to get out of the first round again. Same thing when the San Jose Sharks traded for Erik Karlsson. They suddenly had the premier defensive group in the NHL with players like Karlsson and Brent Burns their to lead the blue line.
Yet they did not win the Cup that spring. I am happy that the NHL does not have any real super teams, yes you can create a great “core” group of stars to lead your team but they can’t guarantee you success every night.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a great core during their 2010-2015 terror of Championships around the league, but even that success came with a price, as they now have Brent Seabrook under contract with $6.8 million a year till 2024.
One team that continues to defy the odds is the Washington Capitals. The Capitals currently sit on top of the Metropolitan Division and have been there for the last four seasons. They are one of the best teams of the league and continue to succeed on the big stage. We also ranked them at number one in our Power Rankings this past week.
The NHL is a fun spectacular place and league parity offers some fans hope for the future. The Coyotes, Oilers, and Florida Panthers all missed the playoffs last season. Yet they now find themselves in a playoff spot. Teams no longer need to drastically change their teams when they miss the playoffs because all they need is one or two bounces to change the game their way.
League parity affects teams in ways beyond the final standings position. It also affects teams every night. Now you can not take a home game against the Ottawa Senators or Columbus Blue Jackets for granted. When Columbus scores first on the road, they have gone 4-2-1 according to Hockey Reference. Columbus might not have Artemi Panarin anymore, but don’t take them for granted on any given night.
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Everyone remembers the crazy upset series by the wild card teams last season. Now more than ever we truly do not know who will win the Stanley Cup, you can’t cross off any teams yet. When you sit on the couch and watch your favorite team tonight try and remember despite their location in the standings right now or last year, you might be playing the new Stanley Cup Champions.