While the NHL season is on pause, we were still able to get a big sample size to evaluate all 31 teams. Here are the five biggest disappointments of the season.
Sample sizes are a big deal when evaluating team and player performances. Luckily, we were able to get through almost 75% of the NHL season before it went on pause.
This gives us a good enough idea of what all 31 teams are and now we can see who the five biggest disappointments of the 2019-20 season are.
5. Nashville Predators
David Poile was notorious for refusing to give out big contracts to star players but decided to break his rule to re-sign Ryan Johansen and sign big free agent Matt Duchene. Unfortunately for him, those two players haven’t had the game-changing impact that was expected of them. From a general manager’s perspective, the Predators had a very confusing season.
For years, the biggest knock on the team was the lack of offensive firepower both at even-strength and on the power play. Poile addressed those problems and the Predators took huge steps in the production category. However, on the flip side, the defensive core that was highly sought after and the goaltending that was never an issue became their biggest problems.
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A season ago, they had the league’s fourth best save percentage at .914. Now, they are at a .901 sv% which is worse than the league average of .905%. If the team can regain their strength defensively while also having their star players get back on track, the Predators have the pieces to become a powerhouse once again.
4. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils had a huge summer, trading for P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev, signing Wayne Simmonds, and drafting the #1 overall pick, Jack Hughes. It seemed like the Devils were going to be a major contender in the East and then the season actually started.
In their first 11 games, they managed to win just two of them and the rest of the season was no better. They eventually threw in the towel and traded away Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes as a sign of surrender. Then head coach John Hynes was fired and the Devils’ season came to an end.
None of the big moves Ray Shero made panned out which eventually lead to his firing. The hype surrounding this team before the season compared to the implosion the team experienced once the puck dropped was one of the biggest disappointments of the 2019-20 season.
3. San Jose Sharks
Martin Jones has had two disappointing seasons in a row and this time around, the San Jose Sharks’ offence wasn’t there to bail him out. The team has just two players with 20+ goals and all the none of the big names that the Sharks brought in were much help.
Erik Karlsson has not lived up to expectations, the team’s core is rapidly ageing and their window is quickly closing. After four straight seasons of playoff appearances, the Sharks were on pace to miss the postseason for just the seventh time in their 28-year history. To follow up a Conference Final berth with last place in the Western Conference is a huge disappointment.
2. Florida Panthers
For years, the biggest strength of the Florida Panthers has been their offence and their biggest weakness was their poor goaltending. When they signed Sergei Bobrovsky to a max contract, it seemed like they finally found their solution and were ready to compete.
Bobrovsky has been nothing short of a disappointment this season, following up three fantastic seasons with one of the worst of his career. He has not lived up to expectations or his contract and the Panthers continue to have a question mark on their biggest problem.
During the season, they were in a heated fight with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the third spot in the Atlantic Division. However, when the Leafs went through tough stretches, Florida was unable to win enough games to make a difference. Unless the NHL expands the playoff format, they are on pace to miss out yet again.
Signing a two-time Vezina winner should have been a no-brainer solution but unfortunately for Dale Tallon and the Panthers, this was not the case. It’s been an overwhelmingly disappointing season for Florida.
1. Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes had such a promising roster before the start of the 2019-20 season. Trading for Phil Kessel added some much-needed firepower to the team and it seemed like they were finally complete. Darcy Kuemper‘s Vezina-worthy performance at the beginning propelled the team forward and it looked like the Coyotes’ playoff drought was going to come to an end.
Then, they caught the league by surprise when they traded for former Hart-winner Taylor Hall in the middle of December. Unfortunately, very quickly, the wheels came off and the Coyotes did a freefall down the standings. Kuemper got hurt and both Kessel and Hall did not live up to expectations.
Kessel’s 0.54 points per game was the lowest he’s had in over 10 years and Hall’s numbers took a step back as well. The team continued to have strong goaltending as Antti Raanta took up the torch, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Arizona’s 2.7 goals per game was ranked 23rd in the league and none of the blockbuster moves that John Chayka made worked out.
This team brought in huge names to try and fix their goalscoring woes and it didn’t work out despite phenomenal goaltending. Everything was put in place for the Coyotes to succeed and they were unable to get the job done. That is why they are the most disappointing team of the 2019-20 season.