NHL: Top 3 teams who could be the next St. Louis Blues

There will likely never be another team quite like the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues, who went from worst to first. But which NHL teams could complete a similar turnaround in 2020?

The 2018-19 St. Louis Blues did something no other NHL team has done before. On January 1, 2019, they were in dead last place. A little over five months later, the Blues defeated the Boston Bruins to become the Stanley Cup champions. They made a complete turnaround and it’s likely we’ll never see one that dramatic ever again.

That said, there are some teams who could have a similar ending to their 2019-20 season. Their turnaround wouldn’t be quite as dramatic, but if they wound up winning the Stanley Cup, it wouldn’t be too surprising.

Let’s lay some ground rules. I’m looking for teams who were, at some point during the 2019-20 season, bad. And no, I’m not talking “we’ve lost three games in a row” bad. I’m talking “the ship is sinking” bad. A year ago, many saw the Blues as a team who was up the creek without a paddle. I want a similar team.

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Secondly, I’m looking for teams who were expected to at least be good. Maybe not Stanley Cup contender good, but at least “compete for the playoffs” good. The Blues were seen as a Stanley Cup contender before the 2018-19 season started.

Thirdly, I’m looking for good stories. I’m a writer, so I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking for a feel-good narrative. Also, I’m looking for a team I can honestly believe in. Without further ado, which team could be the 2019-20 version of the Blues?

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild were expected to at least contend for a postseason spot. Much like the Blues, they had a very rough start to their season. In fact, the Wild ended the month of October with a .308% point percentage, tied for the worst mark in the NHL.

However, since the start of November, the Wild have been a surprisingly good team. Let’s take a look at their point percentage by month since their horrible, terrible, no good, very bad start.

November: .692% (8th)
December: .567% (16th)

They’re playing playoff-caliber hockey, even if it hasn’t been quite at the level of the Blues. Also, if we’re looking for an unlikely champion, how about a Minnesota men’s sports team?

The big reason they won’t be the 2019-20 version of the Blues is simple. Their roster isn’t good enough. The Blues had talent throughout their roster. Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, and Colton Parayko, just to name a few. Other than Eric Staal and Jared Spurgeon (who is criminally underrated), I don’t see it with the Wild.

Nashville Predators

Honestly, the Nashville Predators right now remind me a lot of the 2018-19 Blues. And not in a good way. Much like the Blues, the Predators had high hopes. But unlike them, the Preds actually delivered on them at first, finishing October among the best teams in the NHL.

Since then, it’s been ugly. The Predators started the season off with the eighth-best point percentage in October and their underlying stats suggest they deserved it. But since the start of November, the Predators have been maddeningly inconsistent. Since starting the season 8-3-2, Nashville has gone 11-12-5. Even the Ottawa Senators have a better point percentage than them since the start of November.

Now, the Predators aren’t in quite the same hole as the Blues were last year, but it’s pretty darn similar. They’re in second to last place in the Central Division. Only the Chicago Blackhawks have a worse record. That said, the Predators are only five points out from a wild card spot, though it’s a lot harder to make up points in today’s NHL thanks to the loser point.

The Blues needed to fire their head coach to go from worst to first. I’m thinking the Predators need to do that as well. The Predators have a talented roster that’s massively underachieving under the tutelage of a head coach who looks lost. In November of 2018, I said virtually the same thing about the Blues.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The 2019-20 Toronto Maple Leafs and 2018-19 Blues share quite a few similarities. Both teams entered their respective seasons with high hopes. Each proceeded to flounder into November, requiring a questionable head coach to be fired. Both teams have rallied behind their new (and better) head coach.

Much like Craig Berube, new Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is helping his team be the team they were supposed to be. The Leafs looked lethargic and unmotivated under Mike Babcock. They look energetic, relentless, and tough under Keefe.

Since hiring him on Nov. 20, the Maple Leafs have the best point percentage in the NHL at .775%. It’s only a 20 game sample size, but for what it’s worth, the Blues had a .722% point percentage from January 1, 2019 to the end of the 2018-19 season.

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The Maple Leafs got their act together much sooner than the Blues did, but still, the similarities are certainly there. And considering how bad they were on Nov. 20, their turnaround has been quite unexpected. They’ve gone from the most disappointing team in the NHL to one of the best.

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