The NHL season is well underway, and as always, there's been a lot of surprises. Here are a few teams that I think have will eventually collapse, even with their good record throughout the first 20 games.
1. New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have been the same team for the last couple of decades. They get a somewhat solid group of skaters around a generational talent at goaltender, and expect that talent to carry them. Which it does, until they collapse in the physical environment of the playoffs and do the same thing next year. Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin are goalies that every team wishes they had, especially in a row. Unfortunately, the rest of the team is just really not that good. The Rangers started hot, but their issues have shown up time and time again against better teams such as the Edmonton Oilers. The Rangers got embarrassed in Edmonton on Saturday, losing 6-2. The Rangers second and third lines have been doing all the heavy lifting on the ice, while Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are about as useful as traffic cones on the first line.
Not only that, but the Rangers defenseman have been playing some bad hockey as of late. The team's captain, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and K'Andre Miller have been playing the worst hockey on the team, and it is seriously affecting them. The Rangers will continue to prove that they aren't as good as the rest of the league thinks unless some big changes are made. If not, the Rangers will continue to get exposed until the castle comes falling down.
2. Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are an interesting team. I wasn't sure how competitive they would be this season, but the emergence of goaltender Dustin Wolf has led Calgary to a solid start. Here's why I don't think it will last. The Flames are led in scoring by two defenseman. Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. Andersson has 13 points in 21 games, while Weegar has 12. Center Nazem Kadri has the most points out of the forward group with 11 in 21 games. That won't cut it. The team is 12-6, but they need more production from their top wingers and centers, and I just don't see it happening. They won't be able to ride the back of Wolf the whole season. Another reason why they're at the top could be because of other teams struggling. The Oilers and Canucks have had difficult starts to the season, but Connor McDavid has turned his game up, and I expect the Oilers to leapfrog Calgary soon. In the case of Vancouver, the Canucks are just the better team, even with the loss of J.T Miller to a personal leave. I believe they will get better as the season continues.
Wolf holds a record of 8-2-1 in 11 starts, with a 2.33 goals against average and a save percentage of .926. Those stats are pretty good, but Wolf won't be able to carry forever. There will come a time where a team will expose the Flames in five-on-five, and Wolf won't be able to make as big a difference as he has. Time will tell, but I would be surprised if the Flames find themselves near the top of the Pacific at the end of the year.