There has been plenty of negative chatter surrounding the NHL[1] in recent days thanks to the John Scott All-Star travesty[2]. We prefer to look at some positives.
It's unfortunate that so much has gone wrong with what the league intended to be a fun and interactive way to improve the All-Star format—which was completely botched when the fans played a cruel joke by voting the former Arizona Coyotes enforcer in as the Pacific Division captain. It all came to a head with the three-way trade that put Scott in the minors and unsure of his future[3].
So enough about what looks like a feel-good story gone wrong. Instead, let's take a look at some of the positive storylines from the first half of the NHL season.
There have been some great performances from veterans and rookies alike, some major milestones and some inspiring stories of injuries overcome.
Here's a look at the top feel-good storylines so far in the 2015-16 NHL season.
Stats via NHL.com[4]. Contract information courtesy of GeneralFanager.com[5].
Under head coach Mike Babcock, suddenly winger Leo Komarov is an NHL All-Star.
The 28-year-old, who has bounced between the KHL, AHL and NHL the past few years, is a bona fide top winger at the moment, with 16 goals and 30 points through 43 games.
It's hard to say how long the success will last for the feisty and determined lefty, but we should all enjoy the ride while it is happening because it's not often a veteran player of advanced age can make this kind of jump in production in just a few years in the NHL.
When hard work is rewarded, it's a spectacular thing to behold.
Detroit isn't exactly a proving ground for teenage players. Historically, young members of the Red Wings organization get long looks in the AHL before graduating. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar are among those who have had to pay their dues in the minors over the past few years.
But Dylan Larkin would not be denied this season. He pushed his way onto the roster in training camp to become the first teenager to crack the opening night roster in Detroit since Jiri Fischer back in 1999. And he's more Steve Yzerman than he is Fischer. Larkin has 14 goals and 30 points in 44 games so far—third in scoring among rookies.
He is also among the NHL's top performers in plus/minus regardless of experience, with a plus-22 rating that puts him in a tie for third.
It's great to see a youngster get an early chance in Detroit.
There was a time not too long ago when Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere wondered if he'd have a future in the NHL.
It's been a little more than a year since he had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee—something that delayed the 22-year-old's full-time entry into the pro ranks. His family had previously gone through a tragically shortened athletic career when Gostisbehere's sister[6]'s Olympic skating hopes died because of hip surgery, so seeing Shayne overcome his own injury so quickly and have success in the NHL is a great story for the family, but also for the casual hockey fan.
Gostisbehere started the year in the AHL but was called up in mid-November. He hasn't looked back. In fact, he's having a heck of a season and has established himself as one of the league's most potent offensive defensemen. The 5'11" rearguard has seven goals and 16 points in 25 games.
Over a full season, those impressive numbers project to more than 20 goals and 52 points.
Johnny Gaudreau: Super Sophomore.
The Calgary Flames' best offensive player knows nothing about the supposed second-year slump. After tying for the league lead in rookie scoring last season with 64 points, the 22-year-old has put together a point-per-game campaign so far in 2015-16. With 19 goals and 43 points in 43 games, Gaudreau is on pace for 36 goals and 82 points.
The part of this story that is of the warm, fuzzy variety is Gaudreau's size. He is generously listed as a 5'9", 157-pound winger. In reality, the height probably includes his skates, and the weight probably includes a soaking-wet towel wrapped around him.
It's great to see a player who has had to deal with questions about his size and his ability to withstand the punishment of the NHL succeed to such a high degree so quickly in his career. He's not the first player of small stature to play this well—the league's points leader, Patrick Kane, is only 5'11" and 177 pounds—but none are as diminutive as the Flames star, who fell to the fourth round of the 2011 draft because of his physical attributes.
The Edmonton Oilers appeared to give up on Leon Draisaitl last season. He was forced by a lack of depth into NHL action early in his career after being the third overall pick in the 2014 draft but lasted just 37 games—scoring nine points in that span—before being demoted to the AHL.
He didn't make it back up to the NHL to start this season, either. He didn't get a sniff this time around, with the organization wanting to see him make a bigger impact in the minors before giving him another shot.
Then came the injury to star rookie Connor McDavid.
Draisaitl has made the most of his opportunity, slotting in with Taylor Hall and putting up nearly a point per game since joining the Oilers on Oct. 29. He's looked like a different player than the one who struggled to keep up with the NHL pace a year ago. His 10 goals and 35 points in 37 games look proof positive of that.
The NHL has seen a few significant milestones this season, including Jarome Iginla's 600th NHL marker[7] and Jaromir Jagr's 732nd goal to move into fourth place[8] on the all-time NHL leader list.
But maybe most impressive is Alexander Ovechkin's 500th goal[9]. The Washington Capitals captain became the fifth-fastest in NHL history to reach that mark, behind Wayne Gretzky (575 games), Mario Lemieux (605), Mike Bossy (647) and Brett Hull (693). Those four are the only players to do it in fewer than 800 games. Phil Esposito scored his 500th in game No. 803. Ovechkin did it in 801.
We love goals and Ovechkin celebrations. Seeing him hit a milestone like that in a year when the team seems ready to make major waves in the playoffs is especially entertaining.
The Florida Panthers sit atop the Atlantic Division standings. They are second in the Eastern Conference and are ahead of teams like the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.
The biggest reason for such an unexpected rise of a franchise that finished seven points shy of the playoffs last season and has qualified for the postseason just once in the past 14 seasons goes beyond strong drafting in recent years of the rebuild. Veterans Jaromir Jagr and Roberto Luongo have been co-MVPs for the Panthers while leading the young group into uncharted waters.
Seas have been a bit rough the past week with the team dropping four straight after an inspiring 12-game victory streak, but the 43-year-old Jagr and 36-year-old Luongo have been stabilizing forces for the Panthers all year long. The team success is supplemented by their own individual fortunes this year. Jagr is on pace for 28 goals and 59 points—which would be the most goals and second-highest point total he's posted in the five years he's been back from the KHL.
Luongo is among the league's best goaltenders this year and currently boasts a .927 save percentage that is just a fraction off the best he's reached in his career (.928).
Seeing these two old men who genuinely love the game of hockey succeed on a personal level and as a team is a bonus at this stage of their careers.
Bobby Ryan has taken a lot of heat over the past year since signing a lucrative seven-year extension[10] worth more than $7 million[11] per season. The former Anaheim Ducks sniper had struggled in two years with the Ottawa Senators, finishing with 48- and 54-point seasons after cracking 70 points with the Ducks previously.
Since he no longer had linemates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, things got tougher during the transition. But when you sign a contract for those kinds of dollars and terms, huge expectations come with it.
Well, this season, Ryan has grown into the kind of player the Senators anticipated when inking him to the new deal. The 28-year-old has 15 goals and 39 points through 45 games, putting him on pace for 27 goals and 71 points. His assist projection of 44 would shatter his career high of 37 from back in 2011.
As a bonus for the feel-good vibe, Ryan and wife Danielle are expecting their first child[12] this spring.
Vincent Lecavalier was all but dead and buried in Philadelphia. The Flyers had no use for the 35-year-old veteran and made no secret about it. He was spending most nights in the press box, having played just seven games with the Flyers this season.
So when he was traded[13] to the Los Angeles Kings in early January, anyone who chose to fondly remember Lecavalier as the Maurice Richard Trophy winner from 2007 or the guy who netted 20 or more goals in 13 straight non-lockout seasons probably did his version of a slow clap for the ex-Tampa Bay Lightning superstar, who hit troubled times on the ice since signing a five-year-deal with the Flyers in 2013.
Not only does Lecavalier get another crack at winning another Stanley Cup[14] with the Kings, who have had a great season in the Western Conference, he's also been a key contributor in his five games on the West Coast—just two fewer than he'd played in Philly all season.
Lecavalier has a pair of goals and three points in his new sweater and is looking like a very shrewd acquisition for the Kings and general manager Dean Lombardi.
This time, the feel-good goalie story stays in Arizona.
Last season, the Coyotes shipped Devan Dubnyk off to Minnesota, and the Wild reaped the rewards of the former backup goaltender's hot play.This year, the Coyotes have had to turn to an unproven commodity in Louis Domingue because of injury to Mike Smith, and the results have been incredible[15].
The 23-year-old Quebec product has put together an 8-3-3 record with a .928 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average—both of which would rate among the league's top tenders if he had enough starts to qualify.
Watching a young player make the most of his limited opportunity is pretty inspiring, especially considering the position Domingue plays.
References
- ^ NHL (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ All-Star travesty (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ unsure of his future (www.cbc.ca)
- ^ NHL.com (www.nhl.com)
- ^ GeneralFanager.com (www.generalfanager.com)
- ^ Gostisbehere's sister (articles.philly.com)
- ^ 600th NHL marker (globalnews.ca)
- ^ fourth place (www.nhl.com)
- ^ 500th goal (www.nhl.com)
- ^ seven-year extension (www.nhl.com)
- ^ $7 million (www.generalfanager.com)
- ^ first child (ottawacitizen.com)
- ^ traded (www.sportsnet.ca)
- ^ another Stanley Cup (www.sp ortsnet.ca)
- ^ been incredible (www.sportsnet.ca)
