Highlights and Lowlights
The 2014-15 campaign will come to an end this weekend and then we are off to the playoffs. Before that happens, let's take another look back and go over some lowlights and highlights.
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HIGHLIGHTS
New Blood
The rise of players like Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Johnson into bona fide fantasy studs has been great to watch. Both of them have enjoyed remarkable starts to their NHL careers and their offensive numbers took off in 2014-15. Taransenko was chosen on average in the 14th round and Johnson was an afterthought in the majority of leagues, but that won't happen again.
Tarasenko registered 36 goals and 71 points in 76 games before he sustained a lower-body injury. He would've had a shot at 40 goals had he remained healthy. Only three players (Alex Ovechkin, Steve Stamkos and Rick Nash) have surpassed the 40-goal plateau this season. He has teamed mostly with Jaden Schwartz, who was an average pick at No. 164.8. Schwartz has 28 goals and 62 points in 73 games to improve on his 56-point performance in 2013-14.
Johnson has provided the Lightning with tremendous scoring depth, while playing between Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. He followed up a great rookie season with an even better sophomore campaign. Even though he's more of a passer than a shooter, Johnson potted 27 goals after he scored 24 a year ago. The majority of his points (78.3%) were scored at even strength, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he has a plus-33 rating, which ranks him third in the league. Kucherov is second with a plus-37 rating and his sophomore year has been remarkable as well, with 61 points, including 28 goals, in 80 contests.
Feel-Good Stories in the Crease
Devan Dubnyk was a member of three teams organizations in 2013-14, which included Edmonton, Nashville and Montreal. He struggled with the Oilers and Predators before ending up on the Canadiens' AHL team in Hamilton. Dubnyk agreed to terms with Arizona in the summer and he was traded to Minnesota in January. He has been the Wild's savior since his arrival. Dubnyk owns a 27-8-2 record to go with a .938 save percentage, a 1.73 GAA and five shutouts. He has started 38 straight games for Minnesota even though the team still has healthy goalies Darcy Kuemper and Niklas Backstrom on the roster. That streak will end Thursday night, as Kuemper will play.
Andrew Hammond has been stellar for Ottawa down the stretch. He has one loss in regulation in 21 starts. He has guided the Senators to an 18-1-2 record since he was called up from the minors because of injuries to Craig Anderson (hand) and Robin Lehner (concussion). The 27-year-old rookie tied a 76-year-old NHL record by allowing two goals or less in his first 12 appearances, while earning an 11-0-1 record. His superb play made Ottawa's playoff hopes a realistic possibility and it will go down to the wire to see if they get into the postseason.
Calgary Flames
A breakout year by Jiri Hudler helped spark the Flames. His leadership and consistent scoring has been invaluable during Calgary's quest to end a five-year playoff drought. Hudler had a respectable 17 goals and 54 points in 2013-14, which made him an average pick in the 14th round going into the year. He has exploded for 29 goals and 44 assists for 73 points in 77 matches, which all represent personal bests. Hudler has been a tremendous fit alongside Sean Monahan and standout rookie Johnny Gaudreau. Both of his linemates have topped 60 points. The Flames also received great contributions from a talented group on the back end. Dennis Wideman (54 points), Mark Giordano (48 points) and T.J. Brodie (41 points) follow the top line in scoring and all three of them have hit double digits in goals.
Nashville Predators
Going into the 2014-15 campaign, I noticed that the Predators were being criminally underestimated, but not even I foresaw the team battling for top spot in the Central Division. The return of Pekka Rinne and the coaching style of Peter Laviolette have been significant factors in Nashville's turnaround. The Predators also got a jolt offensively from new arrivals Filip Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro and James Neal. The defense pairing of Roman Josi and Shea Weber has been excellent at both ends of the ice. The duo has combined for 30 goals and 100 points to go with a plus-31 rating.
Star Sightings
Prior to the season, I received plenty of questions regarding Rick Nash and Sedin twins. Nash was coming off a year in which he had 26 goals and 39 points in 65 games. He also contributed just three markers and 10 points in 25 playoff outings. He faced plenty of criticism during the off-season and there were question marks about his value. Nash was an average pick in the fifth round as a result, which isn't that steep of a decline, even though it was surprising to witness. I was in some drafts where he fell to the sixth and seventh rounds. In any case, snagging Nash at those points proved to be beneficial for fantasy General Managers. He has amassed 42 goals on a whopping 304 shots, while posting a plus-29 rating and 69 points in 79 games. He has tallied four shorthanded markers and eight game winners as well.
The Sedin twins also dropped further down draft boards than they normally go after disappointing showings in 2013-14. Henrik Sedin hit the 50-point mark on the last game of the year, while Daniel Sedin had 47 points in 73 matches. Daniel's 18 goals in 80 games this year probably didn't satisfy some fantasy owners, but his 72 points in 80 appearances provided great value for a player whose average draft spot was around pick number 64. Henrik has amassed 51 helpers and 69 points in 80 contests and he went on average in the seventh round.
Another great bounce-back showing came in Washington, as Braden Holtby had a wonderful season between the pipes. He hit the 40-win mark for the first time in his career, while earning a .923 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average. Holtby also had nine shutouts. Getting Barry Trotz behind the bench was another factor in helping him to overcome the struggles he experienced in the previous season.
LOWLIGHTS
Tank Watch
The subject of tanking has been a side story all season long, mostly because of super prospects Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. The NHL Draft Lottery will be revamped next year, but this at the end of 2014-15 campaign the team that finishes last overall has a 100 percent chance to land a generational talent.
Buffalo has had the dubious distinction of being a favorite for the top pick since they finished 30th in 2013-14. The Sabres lost the lottery that season to the Florida Panthers. The Cats chose Aaron Ekblad and Buffalo got Sam Reinhart. Oddly enough, Buffalo has been a bit better this season with 23 wins compared to 21 and 1.89 goals for per game as opposed to 1.83. In a season where practically nothing has gone right for the Sabres it's a bit unfair to single out one player, but the play of Cody Hodgson has been particularly disappointing. He led the team in scoring with 44 points in 2013-14 and he posted 20 goals, but this year he has produced only six markers and 13 points in 76 matches.
Arizona is just two points in front of Buffalo with two games left to play and Edmonton is in an all too familiar situation near the bottom of the league's standings. Toronto's uncontrollable downward spiral started in January and the team's descent has been going on ever since, but they won't finish lower than 27th.
Not living up to Expectations
Nathan MacKinnon displayed the elements of a star player a year ago and he claimed the Calder Trophy, but he experienced the dreaded sophomore jinx in 2014-15. He generated 14 goals and 38 points in 64 games before a fractured foot ended his season. Fantasy owners shouldn't ignore him next year, though. He'll turn 20 on September 1st and still has a bright future ahead of him.
Taylor Hall was another high draft pick (selected on average in the second round), who failed to live up to expectations. In 51 appearances, he has registered 13 goals and 36 points. The 23-year-old speedster has a history of injuries and he just returned from a 20-game absence on March 21st. If Hall can stay healthy then returning to 80-point mark shouldn't be difficult for him.
Phil Kessel has gone down with the Toronto ship. He has recorded one goal and eight assists in his past 20 games and he has 18 points in 42 matches since January 2015. It's possible he could be traded in the off-season, but whether that happens or not, Kessel should be expected to bounce back next year. He finished sixth in the NHL scoring race twice and eighth once in his previous three campaigns.
Other good bounce-back candidates could include: Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Patrick Sharp, Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, Evander Kane, David Krejci, Aleksander Barkov, Victor Hedman, Mikkel Boedker, Semyon Varlamov and Steve Mason.
Key players go Down
You know that injuries are bound to strike at some point and they can pile up in a hurry sometimes for your squad, but this year they seemed to befall star players at terrible times. Tyler Seguin and Patrick Kane were top contenders for the Art Ross Trophy before they were injured. Seguin missed 10 games with a sprained knee and Kane hasn't played since February 24th because of a broken clavicle. Mark Giordano and Kevin Shattenkirk were in the hunt for the Norris Trophy before the injury bug hit them. Giordano has been absent since February 25th due to a torn biceps tendon and Shattenkirk just returned on March 28th from an abdominal injury.
Dallas Stars
Dallas was a popular pick to be in the playoffs this year, but they won't be playing next week. The Stars squandered great seasons by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, who will both finish in the top 10 in scoring. Benn is tied for first in the league with 83 points in 81 games. Jason Spezza did his part with 62 points in 81 games and rookie blueliner John Klingberg was dynamic from the blueline, but the Stars didn't get the scoring depth they were hoping for. Kari Lehtonen's inconsistent play saw him post a lackluster .903 save percentage and a 2.94 GAA. Dallas also has struggled at home with a 16-16-8 record and one game left to play.
