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PHT Power Rankings: Bounce-back candidates for 2019-20 NHL season

By Adam GretzAug 12, 2019, 12:44 PM EDT
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After looking at the top breakout and regression candidates in our previous offseason PHT Power Rankings, we shift our focus this week to more established players that should be better (and maybe significantly better) than they were a year ago.

Who are among our top-10 bounce-back candidates for the 2019-20 NHL season?

To the rankings!

1. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets. For the majority of NHL players scoring 30 goals in a season would be a huge accomplishment. For Patrik Laine in 2018-19 it was probably a hugee disappointment. He was supposed to challenge Alex Ovechkin for the goal-scoring crown but never really came close to doing so. His season was made by one 12-game hot streak in November where he scored 18 goals, then managed just 12 goals in the other 70 games thanks mostly to an uncharacteristically low 6 percent shooting percentage in those games. That is a fluke and will not last. He is too good, too talented, and has too good of shot for it continue.

2. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs. He missed the first quarter of the season due to an extended contract negotiation and never really had a chance to get rolling once he returned. Despite the poor production, there were a lot of positive signs that indicate he can (and will) bounce back. HIs possession numbers were outstanding and he still generated a fair number of shots, he was just crushed by a 5.6 shooting percentage. A fresh start and a full season will do him well.

3. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings. There is really no way to sugarcoat Doughty’s 2018-19 season — it was bad. Maybe it was the result of playing on a terrible Kings team that had nothing going for it. Maybe it was the fact he is inching closer to his 30th birthday and reaching a point where he will inevitably start to slow down. Maybe it was just a down year. It was probably a combination of all three. Whatever the case, he had a miserable year as the Kings were absolutely steamrolled when he was on the ice. He is too good and has too much of a track record for that to happen two years in a row.

4. James Neal, Edmonton Oilers. His days as a 35-or 40-goal scorer are probably done but did his career really fall of a cliff that quickly? Scoring 20-25 goals shouldn’t be an unrealistic expectation, and if he manages to do that it will be a nice bounce back season and really help a painfully thin Oilers roster.

[Related: Can James Neal bounce-back after tough year in Calgary?]

5. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins. The raw numbers point to a strong season offensively, but there weree a lot of flaws to his game in a lot of areas (5-on-5 and defensively, to be specific). He wasn’t *bad* but he can definitely be a lot better and will no doubt be motivated to show he is still one of the elite players in the league. It is a big year for him in Pittsburgh.

6. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings. Quick has always been a polarizing player because he’s never been as good as his loudest supporters think he is or as bad as his loudest critics think he is. He’s a perfectly fine starting goalie that’s had two amazing playoff runs. That’s it. He’s not an all-time great and he’s not bad. He’s just … good. For some reason that is difficult for people to accept. No matter what side of the Quick argument you fall on you should probably be willing to acknowledge he is not going to repeat the .888 save percentage he finished last season with. He is WAY better than that.

7. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders. There were a lot of shocking things about the Islanders’ turnaround a year ago. One of the more overlooked storylines is that they were able to make the playoffs despite their best and most important returning player — Barzal — regressing almost entirely across the board. After one of the finest rookie seasons we have seen in years, expectations were through the roof for Barzal in year two. He was good, but probably fell short of what was expected of him.

8. Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars. Benn’s slower than expected start drew the ire of team CEO Jim Lites even though he was still one of the four or five players on the team that actually produced. Still, it wasn’t the typical Jamie Benn season in Dallas. His 0.68 point per game average was the second lowest of his career (only his rookie season was worse) and a sharp decline from what we are used to seeing from him. The fact that is considered a “down” year is a testament to how good he has been. He is not finished as an elite scorer just yet.

9. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks. During the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons Rakell was one of the best and most overlooked goal-scorers in the league, scoring at a 37-goal pace per 82 games. He was one of the go-to players for the Ducks offensively and looked to be ready for another huge year this past season. But his down year was one of the many things to go wrong in Anaheim as his offensive production plummeted. A lot of the decline was shooting percentage driven and he should be able to recover from that this season.

10. Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes. Like Barzal in New York, Keller went through a bit of a sophomore slump for the Coyotes. The good news is he didn’t regress all that much, is still only 21 years old, and has already demonstrated an ability to be a top-line player in the league. If he gets back to the level he was at during his rookie season (or even takes a step forward) it will go a long way toward ending the Coyotes’ playoff drought.

MORE:
• ProHockeyTalk’s 2019 NHL free agency tracker
• Your 2019-20 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Ducks expect return to playoff form after disappointing year

Associated PressApr 6, 2019, 9:32 PM EDT
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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Cam Fowler are the only Ducks left from the last early summer in Anaheim.

The Ducks’ six-year streak of Stanley Cup playoff appearances has ended, but their veterans are determined to make sure this disappointment leads Anaheim right back to the postseason.

”It’s the worst thing to have to go out every night and know you’re not competing for a playoff spot,” Getzlaf said after the Ducks finished their worst regular season since 2012 with a 5-2 win over rival Los Angeles. ”We’ve got to build off of that.”

Before it all fell apart during a profound winter slump, the Ducks had won five Pacific Division titles and reached two Western Conference finals in a six-year span of consistent excellence. Anaheim clearly had more talent than its 35-37-10 record suggested, yet none of it mattered during a 5-21-4 midseason stretch that proved too large to overcome.

”This whole year has just been a roller coaster of emotions and new experiences,” said forward Jakob Silfverberg, who led the Ducks and hit a new career high with 24 goals.

The Ducks got off to another solid start to their season: After they beat Pittsburgh on Dec. 17, they sat comfortably in second place in the Pacific, just three points off the Western Conference lead.

Anaheim also finished strongly, racking up an NHL-best 23 points from its final 17 games (11-5-1).

In between was some of the worst hockey played by this franchise in the past 15 years.

Anaheim’s misery included a 12-game skid, a separate seven-game losing streak, seven shutout losses and individual defeats by scores of 6-2, 6-1, 9-3 and 7-4.

Coach Randy Carlyle was fired during that drought, and general manager Bob Murray moved behind the bench to examine his franchise up-close. With a few tweaks of their system and a fresh start, the Ducks returned to playing postseason-worthy hockey under Murray, including a 7-2-1 finish with the playoffs out of reach.

”The wins and losses down the stretch don’t mean a whole lot at this point,” Getzlaf said. ”But getting back to the way we wanted to play … in training camp next year, the guys in this room that are back will have a good idea of what we need.”

Barring major trades – which Murray has been historically reluctant to make – the Ducks could return with most of this season’s core, including stellar goalie John Gibson and a solid group of players near their prime including Silfverberg, Rickard Rakell, Adam Henrique, Ondrej Kase, Fowler and Hampus Lindholm.

The Ducks’ productive farm system also has another burgeoning crop of young talent, much of which got a chance to play late in this lost season. Forwards Troy Terry, Sam Steel and Max Jones all appear NHL-ready, along with defenseman Jacob Larsson and young trade acquisition Daniel Sprong.

Getzlaf and Perry are under contract for three more high-priced seasons apiece, and both contributed decently through injuries this season. But the Ducks must figure out what to do with Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves, two well-paid veteran forwards who have five months of rest and rehabilitation coming up after their careers were ground to a halt by health woes.

Murray also must replace himself as the Ducks’ coach. Dallas Eakins, the former Edmonton coach currently finishing his fourth year in charge of the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego, is thought to be the favorite.

The Ducks’ 5-1-1 finish to the season culminated with a comfortable win over their biggest rivals in a sold-out Honda Center. The players and their fans all expect to have much more to celebrate next spring.

”We’ve been playing pretty good lately, and we’ve been feeling pretty good in this room,” Silfverberg said. ”So I wouldn’t say it’s a shame, but it’s tough that it ends here. … We’ve had a good team all year. We had a team to compete against all the teams in this league, and if we play to our level, we can beat anyone. We have a bright future here, and we’re going to set our standards high for next year. We’re going to be a team that’s pushing hard for the playoffs.”

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

The Buzzer: Blue Jackets’ top line dominates; Hurricanes bring back Storm Surge

AP
By Adam GretzMar 31, 2019, 1:27 AM EDT
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Three Stars

1. Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets. They get to share the No. 1 star on Saturday for absolutely dominating the Nashville Predators. Panarin recorded four assists in the Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win, including three in the first period alone, while Atkinson scored two goals to give him 41 on the season. Atkinson is now just the second Blue Jackets player to ever score 40 goals in a season, joining Rick Nash. His 41st goal of the season also tied him for the franchise single season lead. We also should not forget big trade deadline acquisition Matt Duchene in this one as he also recorded a pair of assists in the win.

2. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. He just keeps making history. His two goals on Saturday night in the Capitals’ 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning give him 51 on the season, the eighth 50-goal season of his career. That is second most in league history behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. Among the other accomplishments for him on Saturday: He is just the fourth player in league history to score 50 goals after celebrating his 33rd birthday (read all about that here), while his power play goal was the 247th of his career, moving him into a tie for fourth-place on the NHL’s all-time list with Luc Robitaille. Overall, he finished the night with 13 total shot attempts, eight shots on goal, four hits, two goals, and a plus-three rating. Overall it was a pretty dominant night for him.

3. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks. No, Saturday’s game between the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers did not really mean anything in the playoff race, and the Ducks’ win does not really help them in the standings or do anything for them except maybe hurt their draft lottery odds. But when you score three goals in one period the way Rickard Rakell did that is worthy of some attention. He is just the second Ducks player to ever record a natural hat trick in a one period, joining only Andrew Cogliano. He is now two goals away from his fourth consecutive 20-goal season in the NHL.

Highlights of the Night

The Montreal Canadiens’ power play has been a mess all season but it came through early on Saturday night to help set the tone in a huge win over the Winnipeg Jets thanks to this tic-tac-toe passing play.

Look at this incredible individual effort from St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas as part of their 3-2 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils. With the win, the Blues are now just two points behind the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division.

One more time for Alex Ovechkin as he scores his 50th goal of the season.

The Chicago Blackhawks dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, but Alex DeBrincat continued his remarkable sophomore season with his 41st goal of the season, keeping him among the NHL’s league leaders.

They said the Storm Surge was finished, but the Carolina Hurricanes went back to the one that started it all on Saturday following their big win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Factoids

  • The New York Islanders completely dominated the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night to officially clinch a playoff spot. [New York Islanders]
  • Brent Burns‘ overtime goal snapped the San Jose Sharks’ seven-game losing streak and secured home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Burns’ goal is his 14th career regular season overtime goal, moving him into first place on the NHL’s all-time list for defenders, passing Scott Niedermayer. [NHL PR]
  • Patrick Marleau played in his 1,653rd career game on Saturday night, passing Mark Recchi for sole possession of fifth place in the NHL’s all-time games played list. As for the game itself, the Maple Leafs were on the wrong end of a 4-2 decision against the Ottawa Senators. [Leafs PR]
  • The Washington Capitals have seven 20-goal scorers this season for the seventh-time in franchise history and the first time since the 2009-10 season. The other instances came in 1982-83, 1983-84, and 1991-92. The latter three were when goal-scoring across the NHL was significantly higher. [Capitals PR]
  • Nicklas Backstrom became just the second active player to record at least four consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals and 50 assists. San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton is the only other active player to do it. [NHL PR]
  • Only one team in the NHL has more wins than the Carolina Hurricanes’ 27 since January 1. The Tampa Bay Lightning, with 28 wins, are the only team in the NHL with more wins since then. Their win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday officially eliminated the Flyers from playoff contention this season. [NHL PR]

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

The Buzzer: Silfverberg plays OT hero; Donato helps Wild

AP Images
By Sean LeahyMar 23, 2019, 12:53 AM EDT
3 Comments

Three Stars

1. Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks

Silfverberg was involved in three of Anaheim’s four goals during their 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. After helping set up the Ducks’ first two goals, Silfverberg put the game to bed 38 seconds into overtime to clinch the victory for Anaheim.

2. Ryan Donato, Minnesota Wild

One-third of Minnesota’s “Kid Line” set up both Wild goals during a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The two points earned helped move Minnesota back into Western Conference wild card spot with seven games to go. Donato now has 13 points in 14 games since being dealt to the Wild.

3. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks

Rakell tallied twice and assisted on the OT winner, helping the Ducks to go two-for-three on the power play. The goals were Rakell’s first in seven games. He now has 13 on the season.

Highlights of the Night

• Silfverberg has five multi-point games this season and four in his last 18 games:

• Jordan Greenway powered his way to the net for his 12th of the season and finished off with some nice stick handling:

Factoids of the Night

• Donato’s assist on Greenway’s goal was the 10,000th point in Wild franchise history.

Scores
Wild 2, Capitals 1
Ducks 4, Sharks 3 (OT)

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

WATCH LIVE: Jets visit Ducks on Wednesday Night Hockey

Getty Images
By Sean LeahyMar 20, 2019, 10:15 PM EDT
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NBCSN’s coverage of the 2018-19 NHL season continues with the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and Anaheim Ducks. Coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

With 10 games left to play in their season, Winnipeg leads Nashville in the Central and is in line for just the second division title in franchise history. The only time the franchise won their division was when they were the Atlanta Thrashers and won the Southeast Division in 2006-07.

Despite leading the division, Winnipeg has been a mediocre 12-11-2 over the last 25 games, with a minus-3 goal differential during that span.

More recently, however, the Jets have won three straight games, all by one goal, and look more like the team that reached the Western Conference Final last season. After defeating playoff contenders Boston and Calgary, Winnipeg snuck by Los Angeles on Monday 3-2. Kevin Hayes and Kyle Connor both scored, but the Jets blew their two-goal lead before Tyler Myers scored the eventual game-winner late in the second period.

Anaheim is in 14th place in the West and is all but assured to miss the playoffs, which will snap a streak of six straight seasons. That was tied for the second longest active streak in the league with Minnesota, who is still very much alive in the playoff hunt.

Despite their place in the standings, the Ducks have won back-to-back games and six of their last nine games overall. Five of those six wins have come against teams in the playoff hunt.

The Ducks are 9-9-0 since firing Randy Carlyle and replacing him with GM Bob Murray.

[WATCH LIVE – COVERAGE BEGINS AT 10 P.M. ET – NBCSN]

WHAT: Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks
WHERE: Honda Center
WHEN: Wednesday, March 20, 10 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
LIVE STREAMING: You can watch the Jets-Ducks stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

JETS
Patrik Laine – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor – Kevin Hayes – Nikolaj Ehlers
Brandon Tanev – Adam Lowry – Bryan Little
Mathieu Perreault – Andrew Copp – Jack Roslovic

Joe Morrow – Jacob Trouba
Dmitry Kulikov – Tyler Myers
Ben Chiarot – Sami Niku

Starting goalie: Connor Hellebuyck

DUCKS
Nick Ritchie – Ryan Getzlaf – Daniel Sprong
Corey Perry – Adam Henrique – Troy Terry
Rickard Rakell – Devin Shore – Jakob Silfverberg
Max Jones – Derek Grant – Carter Rowney

Hampus Lindholm – Josh Manson
Jacob Larsson – Cam Fowler
Jaycob Megna – Korbinian Holzer

Starting goalie: John Gibson

Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.