NHL 2021 debate: Which team is in danger of going from first to worst?
The NHL season is not even a week old and each team (except the Dallas Stars, who have not started their season) has played a handful of games. Despite a 56-game campaign, it is still too early to overreact and draw conclusions, though that time will come quicker this year.
With teams only battling others within their respective realigned divisions — some have seemingly become more difficult, others easier — the hierarchy of the NHL could change, at least somewhat.
Thus, now is the time to rewind to last year and wonder: Which teams could be at risk of going from first to worst now? Or, rephrased: Which once-elite team is most vulnerable this season?
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USA TODAY Sports' NHL experts break it all down with their picks.
Pittsburgh Penguins: They could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006. We saw their decline in the past two postseasons (first-round sweep, qualifying-round loss) and they must deal with the arrival of the Boston Bruins in the division and improved play by the New Jersey Devils. Their biggest issue has been goaltending. They moved on from two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray because of the promise of Tristan Jarry, and he had a .727 save percentage over two games. Casey DeSmith is at .871. They have trailed after the first period in each game. They managed to rally in the past two games, but having to play catch-up will hurt them.
-- Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Stars: The Dallas Stars were such a great story last season, advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. But there’s already been significant disruption this season with a delayed start (Jan. 22) because of team personnel testing positive for COVID-19, and that leaves the Stars vulnerable to struggling. On the flip side, the Vancouver Canucks have started slow but there’s too much talent there not to rise.
-- Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
New York Islanders: This might be cheating because the Islanders finished with 80 points, seventh in the Eastern Conference, last season. But they did reach the conference finals, building even bigger expectations for this year. While they have started the season 2-1-0, they seem destined to again be forced to win (close) games more so because of their defense. They finished bottom-third in the league in scoring, and did nothing to infuse offense during the offseason; they traded away offensive-minded blueliner Devon Toews for cap reasons. Add in a difficult division and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Islanders miss the playoffs.
-- Jimmy Hascup, USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Stars: The 2020 Stanley Cup was said by many to be among the hardest to win, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Dallas Stars, the West finalists, deal with a hangover of sorts after such a mentally taxing season.
Then this season started, and the Stars were waylaid by a COVID-19 outbreak within their team in training camp that saw as many as 17 players test positive and led to the postponement of their first five games. They're supposed to return to the ice Friday, but will the players all be back to their old selves? Even if the players are fine physically, it seems they will be out of sync against teams that have already spent over a week in competitive settings developing chemistry and building their game. Add in that Tyler Seguin, who struggled in the bubble but was still the team's leading scorer in the regular season, is expected to miss significant time ... and there's reasons for concern.
-- Jace Evans, USA TODAY Sports
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL 2021 debate: Which once-top team will tumble this year?
