NHL: Seven observations from first seven Training Camps

Here’s seven observations from the first seven NHL Training Camps.

We are edging ever closer to the start of the 2020-21 NHL season on Jan. 13, 2021, with Training Camps opening across the league.

It was an early start for the seven teams that were not invited to the two Bubble cities for the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs, who opened their Training Camps on New Year’s Eve.

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Camps are opening for the 24 other NHL teams today, although most won’t actually hit the ice until Monday.

So, with that in mind, let’s run through some quick observations we’ve had from the first seven Training Camps of the 2020-21 NHL season with those teams now having been at it for a few days.

Let’s delve right in.

7. Beefing up – New Jersey Devils

We covered it here but there will be added pressure on New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes heading into the 2020-21 season.

After an up-and-down rookie season in which he recorded 21 points (7 G, 14 A) and a plus / minus rating of -26 in 61 regular season games, Hughes will need a bounce back season and the Devils will need a fast start from their No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft given that No. 1 center Nico Hischier is a doubt for the start of the season with a lower-body injury.

Well, so far so good.

Addressing the media at the start of Training Camp, Hughes revealed that he added around14 pounds of muscle during the offseason and, looking at the Devils’ coverage over the last few days, he looks a different player so far.

Hughes looks bigger, stronger and he’s had a strong start to Training Camp, which only bodes well for the season ahead with a true explosive breakout year a real possibility.

And that will be just what the New Jersey Devils and Jack Hughes need.

6. Notable Absentee – Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks have been hard at it but it is possible that one player not at Training Camp is the one sparking the most discussion and interest.

We are of course talking about Trevor Zegras.

The No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Ducks is currently lighting it up at the 2021 World Junior Championship, where he leads the entire tournament in points with 15 points (6 G, 9 A) in five games.

Zegras has easily been the biggest offensive spark for Team USA and one of the best players of the entire tournament, raising questions over whether or not he will be on the Ducks’ Opening Night roster.

Given that Anaheim is currently still in rebuild mode, they would have nothing to lose by putting Zegras on their Opening Night roster and seeing what he can do at the NHL level.

He boasts elite ability and an incredibly high ceiling and could be the spark the Anaheim Ducks need in the 2020-21 season.

5. Shot at redemption – LA Kings

One interesting name to watch during Training Camp for the LA Kings has been Swedish center Lias Andersson, who was acquired in a trade from the New York Rangers during the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Andersson was a bust with the Rangers and his time in New York was mired by a string of controversies.

However, he has been presented with a fresh start in Los Angeles and it has been an impressive start to Training Camp for Andersson, who has developed strong chemistry on a line with fellow Swedes Carl Grundstrom and Samuel Fagemo.

Andersson scored on the first two days of Camp while adding some toughness and grit to that line, which forced a number of turnovers throughout the scrimmages. That trio could be a wildcard line heading into the 2020-21 season for the Kings, while Andersson may be a dark horse candidate for a breakout campaign.

And, if Lias Andersson can resurrect his career with the LA Kings, then that would add another high-end weapon to what is a loaded prospect pool that could lead to a return to the glory days for the Kings.

4. Defense is key – Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings were the worst team in the NHL in 2019-20. And it wasn’t even close.

Finishing the shortened regular season with just 17 wins and 39 points – the second-worst team the Ottawa Senators had 62 points for some perspective – the Red Wings were god awful and it didn’t help they allowed 3.73 Goals Against Per Game, the worst mark in the NHL.

Therefore, some improvement was needed on the backend during the offseason and General Manager Steve Yzerman made that his biggest priority, making a boatload of moves to significantly bolster that backend.

In came veterans Jon Merrill and Marc Staal along with former Vancouver Canucks blueliner Troy Stecher, and those new additions look a huge upgrade for the Red Wings already. Just a few days into Training Camp the Red Wings look solid in their own zone, with Staal in particular really standing out.

The 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds veteran has been paired with Patrik Nemeth, another hulking giant, and the two could form a crucial shutdown tandem for the Red Wings who will hope to be a lot more competitive in 2020-21.

Staal will also be a huge addition in that young locker room and he could be a vital glue guy for what is a team still navigating a lengthy rebuild, while his experience and leadership should help to improve what was the worst defense in the entire league last year.

3. Life Without Joe – San Jose Sharks

It is the start of a new era for the San Jose Sharks who opened Training Camp without franchise icon Joe Thornton for the first time in 15 years after the center signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the offseason.

So, while Thornton is currently preparing to start a new challenge with the Maple Leafs on Monday, the Sharks opened Training Camp in Arizona on New Year’s Eve with a rather different feeling in the air.

It will take some getting used to for San Jose given how important Thornton was to this franchise and to hockey in the California area in general.

Also, Thornton’s departure will leave a massive void when it comes to leadership and experience both in the room and on the ice, two intangibles the Sharks really need right now.

Granted, Patrick Marleau did return during the offseason so he will pick up some of that slack, but the Sharks will still need someone to step up and fill a center role for the 2020-21 season.

Dylan Gambrell, who put up 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in 50 games in 2019-20, has impressed in Training Camp by all accounts and could be in contention to slot in on that third-line, while Noah Gregor is also a potential candidate.

But, in what will be a weird season anyway, the San Jose Sharks will have to hope that certain players step up both on and off the ice to help ensure that Joe Thornton isn’t missed that much, or it could be a long year.

2. Options, Options, Options – Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are in the midst of a mass teardown but they turned a significant corner during the offseason after stocking up on depth by making a plethora of trades and deals to make this roster as it is currently constituted a lot more competitive.

General Manager Pierre Dorion sent a 2021 Second-Round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for veteran center Derek Stepan, before shipping the injured pair of Marian Gaborik and Anders Nilsson to the Tampa Bay Lightning for more depth in bottom-six center Cedric Paquette and veteran defenseman Braydon Coburn.

Those moves will make this Senators team a lot more competitive in 2020-21, while adding some much-needed leadership and veteran to that young locker room.

Plus, Head Coach D.J. Smith has already confirmed that No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Tim Stuetzle, will start the season on the left wing and he would be an ideal fit on Stepan’s line.

Veterans in the ilk of Stepan could prove invaluable to this Ottawa Senators team and rookies like Stuetzle, while there should be enough depth on this roster to ensure that they are competitive in an All-Canadian Division.