Unsung Heroes From the First Month of the 2020-21 NHL Season
We are going to take a look at some unsung heroes in the NHL right now.
We are a month into the 2020-21 NHL season, and there is no shortage of headlines around the league. A lot of those top stories include familiar teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, and familiar players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. While all of the attention given to those teams and players is warranted, there are other players that deserve more attention than they’re getting for their impressive starts to this campaign.
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By this point in this shortened NHL season, we are beginning to learn the identity of teams, and we are also beginning to identify the driving forces behind them. Of course, it takes an entire group of players to propel teams to elite status and deep Playoff runs, but even at this stage of the season players are showing out for their clubs.
With a month gone in the 2020-21 NHL season, teams and players are establishing their positions around the league. Some players, though, don’t necessarily get the credit that they deserve early in the year.
Players like Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Petry of the Montreal Canadiens have surprised some people so far, but their success has been well documented. Between the pipes, goalies like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Marc-Andre Fleury, and others have been praised for their hot starts as well.
So, which players are not being acknowledged the way that they should be? Who are the individuals that are somehow flying under the radar while managing to lead their teams through the season’s opening month? Let’s take a look…
Five unsung heroes from the first month of the 2020-21 NHL season.
Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser belong in the “unsung” category for a different reason: the Canucks are struggling. Vancouver finds itself in 21st in the NHL standings, despite having played more games than any other team in the league. The Canucks’ 7-11-0 record puts the team at sixth in the seven-team North division, leading only the lowly Ottawa Senators.
Even thought their team is off to a slow start, though, Hughes and Boeser are not. With 18 points, Hughes is tied for fifth in the league in scoring, and he leads all defensemen in that category. Of those 18 points, 16 of them are assists, which is the league’s third best total. One point behind him for Vancouver is Boeser, who leads the Canucks with 10 goals, one behind Matthews for the NHL’s top mark in that category.
I don’t think that anyone would consider 6-11 with a -15 goal differential to be treading water, but if it wasn’t for Hughes and Boeser, we might be talking about this team in the same breath as the Senators. Instead, these players provide Vancouver fans with a reason to be optimistic. If Hughes and Boeser continue to play at a high level, and either their teammates pick up the slack or a North rival drops off, it doesn’t feel like a Canucks resurgence is totally out of the picture just yet.
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Another player whose team has struggled at times this season is Patrick Kane. Like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, Kane no longer dominates the league as young superstars draw a great deal of interest, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still steal the show when he wants to. Chicago is certainly not the team it used to be, and I think the fact that we were so used to a perennial contender in the Windy City is the reason that Kane isn’t talked about as much at this point.
That doesn’t seem to work for him, though. Kane is third in the NHL with 22 points, including 15 points in his last eight contests. The Blackhawks are 5-2-1 in that span and had recorded points in the standings in five straight games before losing in regulation to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Patrick Kane probably fits the “unsung hero” title better than anyone else on this list because, not only is he Chicago’s best player, but with players like Jonathan Toews, Corey Crawford, and Brandon Saad all missing from this year’s lineup for one reason or another, he is also the team’s leader. The Blackhawks don’t strike me as a Playoff team, especially if the Florida Panthers continue to find success, but if this team gets there somehow, Kane might find himself in MVP conversations.
James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers
Four points behind Patrick Kane is James van Riemsdyk. JVR currently leads his Flyers squad in goals (7), assists (11), and points (18). In a year where, at least through Philadelphia’s first 13 games, the big names in the Flyers’ lineup are not producing at the rate we are used to, van Riemsdyk has picked up the slack in a big way.
The Flyers hold a record of 8-3-2 entering Saturday, which is good for second in the East division behind only the Boston Bruins. Personally, I was unsure of what I would see from Philadelphia this season. The Flyers always seem to have the talent to be a postseason team, yet finds a way to fall short. So far, it seems that this team is playing to its potential, as its 18 points in the standings are tied for seventh in the NHL.
JVR is most likely not going to find himself leading Philly in all offensive categories by the end of the season, but if he can manage to stay above a point per game for the first time in his career, and other Flyers stars can pick up the scoring pace as the season progresses, it should certainly mean a Playoff birth. For now, van Riemsdyk is doing his part and more to keep his club in a favorable position.
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
There has been so much quality goaltending this year, that it would be wrong to not include a goalie here. It does seem that strong performances between the pipes have been credited, so which netminder is enjoying a sneaky good start in 2021? John Gibson.
Gibson, like Hughes, Boeser, and Kane, plays on a team that is below average. With that said, the Ducks are 6-6-3, which is probably better than most expected. Gibson is responsible for most of those wins, as his personal record is 5-4-3. In his 12 games played, he has posted a 2.26 Goals Against Average and a .923 Save Percentage. Both of those numbers are better than his career averages.
The headlines in the West Division typically revolve around the elite teams at the top, but that fourth Playoff spot feels like it’s up for grabs. If Gibson can be the backbone of his team throughout the season, there could be an opportunity for Anaheim to be competitive with the other average/below average teams in the middle/bottom of the West Division.
Next. Casey Cizikas hotting up for Islanders. dark
Each week there are new headlines in the NHL, and with the condensed season each game is of greater importance than usual. With that in mind, these strong performances from players who don’t create as many headlines are just as impactful as those from the players and teams that we love to discuss.