Unfortunately, the NHL is at a standstill thanks to the novel coronavirus. However, the break could be a blessing in disguise for these five teams.
On March 12, the NHL made the wise decision to pause their season thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, fans will be without hockey for the foreseeable future. They’ll be without almost every sport as well, with leagues around the world shutting down.
However, to quote Brian from Monty Python: The Life Of Brian, you’ve got to look on the bright side of life. The break is a horrible thing, as it is keeping teams off the ice during what is usually an extremely exciting part of the season.
It’s still not known when the puck will drop next, but depending on when it does, these three teams have to be at least a little bit happy that there’s a break.
5. Columbus Blue Jackets
If the regular season is over, the Columbus Blue Jackets would be the first team on the outside looking into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While they rank eighth in the Eastern Conference in point percentage, the Toronto Maple Leafs would get in over them because the Leafs are the third-best team in the Atlantic Division.
But if there are any regular-season games left to be played, the Blue Jackets could get the chance to come back fully healthy (or at least mostly healthy). Right now, they’ve got Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, Nathan Gerbe, and Alexandre Texier on their injured reserve list. Anderson and Texier probably wouldn’t be able to return immediately, but they might be able to return later in the postseason.
Those other players would likely be able to return in April or early May. Of course, the Blue Jackets would need a fairly quick return to the regular season, since they’d be on the outside looking in if the Stanley Cup Playoffs began today. But if things go their way, the break could be a blessing for the Blue Jackets.