With the calendar flipping over to 2022, we're highlighting five NHL teams hockey fans should keep a close eye on. Remember, this is for the next 12 months, not just the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. And it can be for a variety of reasons, too: on-ice excitement, off-ice drama, and more. Let's dive in.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild are in prime position to make a major splash at the trade deadline. Not only are they one of the most complete teams in the league, but there's financial motivation for them to go all-in this season.
The Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts combine for $4.7 million in dead cap this season. Next year, however, that increases to $12.7 million and rises again to $14.7 million in 2023-24 and 2024-25, before coming off the books entirely.
It's evident that this season presents a window of opportunity.
The Wild have one major hole to fill: center. That will be highly difficult to address over the next three seasons, but it could be done this year with a rental. Tomas Hertl and Claude Giroux would be ideal fits if they're available.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Evgeni Malkin has yet to play this season, Sidney Crosby has missed 12 games, and Bryan Rust has missed 18. And yet, the Penguins find themselves rather comfortably in a playoff spot with a .650 points percentage.
The Pens will be fascinating to watch in 2022 for several reasons. Firstly, how will Malkin look in his return from offseason knee surgery? He's optimistic because the last season he played coming off knee surgery, he won the Hart Trophy. He's 35 years old now, though.
Pittsburgh is also in a prime position to buy at the deadline. While the club may not have a ton of cap space, this team is clearly in go-for-it mode considering Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang, and Co. are in the twilight of their careers. Tristan Jarry's play in goal gives the front office even more reason to push all of their chips forward.
Speaking of Letang, he and Malkin are both pending unrestricted free agents. It feels incredibly unlikely that either of them leaves Pittsburgh, but crazier things have happened. In a perfect world, Malkin and Letang re-sign cheaply, giving the Pens more flexibility to make moves that can extend their Cup window before the core is too old.
Toronto Maple Leafs
For the second consecutive season, the Maple Leafs have one of the best records in the NHL. Everyone in Toronto knows it doesn't mean anything if the team crumbles come playoff time again, though.
If the Leafs do lose in the opening round of the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, you can bet there will be wholesale changes. It would likely result in the team firing head coach Sheldon Keefe, who's been at the helm for the last two choke jobs. Whether fair or not, Toronto would probably get rid of general manager Kyle Dubas as well. Heck, even president Brendan Shanahan might be on thin ice.
And, regardless of who's making the decisions in the front office, another postseason failure could spell the end of the team's "core four," with Mitch Marner as the most logical candidate to be traded.
On the flip side, if Toronto does win its first playoff series since 2004, getting that gigantic weight off the team's shoulders may cause a breakthrough, leading the Leafs to go on a deep playoff run. None of it will be easy, though. Unless Toronto wins the Atlantic Division, it'll likely have to face either the Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers in Round 1.
Regardless of how the Leafs' season ends, it's going to be fascinating for the neutral observer to watch.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks dug themselves what looked like an insurmountable hole early in the season. After 25 games, they were 8-15-2 and owned the fourth-worst points percentage in the NHL. Then Bruce Boudreau was hired as the new head coach.
Boudreau led the Canucks to seven straight wins to begin his tenure before finally losing his first game Thursday. The winning steak has miraculously vaulted Vancouver back into playoff contention. It's still going to be an uphill battle, but Boudreau has given them a chance, and if they can somehow squeak into the playoffs, he'll be a favorite for the Jack Adams Award.
The other wrinkle that makes Vancouver interesting to follow this year is new president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who's also doubling as interim GM. Who will he hire as his protege? And how soon will he start making moves?
Rutherford has long been known as an aggressive executive unafraid to pull the trigger on big trades. With significant holes on defense, will the 72-year-old make any in-season upgrades? Or will he wait until the offseason to start leaving his mark? One thing we do know is everything is on the table with Rutherford.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights will be must-see TV down the stretch for one primary reason: Jack Eichel.
Not only will the hockey world be glued to see how the superstar center performs with his new team, but an immediately successful return could be groundbreaking for the medical field as well.
If Eichel returns with no hiccups, his artificial disc replacement surgery will almost certainly become much more common among athletes. Concern over the relatively new surgery was a driving factor that led to his trade from the Buffalo Sabres. Eichel was the first NHLer to have the procedure, and even though he's yet to return, it's already caused a ripple effect, as Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson had ADR surgery as well in December.
But back to the on-ice ramifications, all eyes will be on Eichel to see how he gels with his new teammates. It's widely expected that he'll center the club's top line between wingers Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty, the latter of whom is also injured right now. However, Chandler Stephenson is doing his best to hold down that spot by playing at a point-per-game pace.
How short will Eichel's leash be between Stone and Pacioretty? If it doesn't work, would Vegas break up the "Misfit Line" to accommodate Eichel? It will be interesting to see how the team is lined up come playoff time. The safe bet is Eichel on the first line and Stephenson on the third.
(Cap source: CapFriendly)
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