After a hot start to the 2015-16 season in which the Montreal Canadiens won 18 of their first 24 games, the wheels soon fell off, as the team finished with a mark of 38-38-6 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2012.
Critics pointed to the loss of star goalie Carey Price, who missed all but 12 games with a knee injury, but a similar pattern has once again emerged this season, even with Price on the ice.
Season
First 15 GP (Pt %)
Next 40 GP (Pt %)
2015-16
12-2-1 (.833)
15-22-3 (.413)
2016-17
13-1-1 (.900)
17-16-7 (.513)
After kicking off the 2016-17 campaign with a 13-1-1 record - also going undefeated in regulation over the first 10 games - the Canadiens are just a single game above .500 over their past 40 games. In NHL math, the Canadiens failed to win 23 of those 40 contests.
To be fair, Montreal hasn't gone without its share of key injuries. Top center Alex Galchenyuk missed 18 games with a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. He returned to the lineup Jan. 14 but missed another three games at the end of the month with a similar ailment.
Meanwhile, winger Brendan Gallagher remains sidelined with a broken finger. He's since resumed skating but has now missed 16 games and counting.
Still, all teams experience injuries, and the Canadiens' inability to find ways to win and stop such a long run of poor play has seemingly become the norm.
Between the pipes, Price has drawn criticism of his own, losing his last five road games in a stretch that has seen his goals-against average climb to 3.45 and his save percentage plummet to .874.
On Tuesday, the Canadiens dropped an embarrassing 4-0 decision to the Colorado Avalanche, who sit last in the NHL with just 32 points - less than half as many as Montreal's current total of 68.
With three games remaining before the team's bye week - dates against the Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Boston Bruins - a return to Montreal's winning ways will be key to recovering what is quickly becoming another lost season.
The history books of hockey show a host of young players who excelled at the junior ranks only to struggle to find that same scoring touch in the pros. Often times, a move to a new team can help trigger that production.
With that in mind, here are three players who could benefit from new surroundings:
Ryan Strome
A former fifth overall pick, the New York Islanders forward has struggled to find his way in the early goings of his career.
Ryan Strome made his NHL debut in 2013-14 and put up a respectable 18 points in 37 games. The 23-year-old seemed to be on the right track, building on that performance in the following season when he posted 17 goals and 33 assists in 81 games.
But Strome failed to live up to that play last season, when he finished with just eight goals and 20 assists through 71 games. Still, the team saw enough to sign him to a two-year, $5-million extension, but his challenges have continued through the 2016-17 campaign. This season, Strome has twice been a healthy scratch and has been limited to 14 points in 44 games.
Curtis Lazar
The accolades were there, so you can't blame the Ottawa Senators when they chose Curtis Lazar with the 17th pick in 2013.
After winning the Memorial Cup with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014, and following that up a year later with a gold medal as part of Team Canada at the world juniors, Lazar hasn't seen as much success in the pro ranks.
Lazar made his debut with the Senators in the 2014-15 season, posting 15 points through 76 games, and made a slight uptick a year later, when he tallied 20 in 76 games. But a poor training camp this fall saw Lazar begin the year in the AHL, where the forward finished with four points in 13 games. Since his recall to the NHL, he has just a single point in 27 games.
Tomas Jurco
The Detroit Red Wings know how to develop prospects, especially outside of the first round.
That's why it's so surprising to see less-than stellar numbers from Red Wings winger Tomas Jurco, who has been unable to translate his success from the AHL ranks to the NHL level.
After wrapping the 2013-14 campaign with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings' minor-league affiliate, in which Jurco recorded 32 points in as many games, he followed that up with 15 points in first 36 games with Detroit. But in the ensuing 120 matches, the Slovak-born winger has tallied only 24 points. A change out of the Winged Wheel uniform could possibly help him find his scoring touch.
The Ottawa Senators are about to make their mark in the Atlantic Division.
Sitting seven points back of the Canadiens, the Senators have a chance to reshape the division that Montreal has comfortably crowned all season, having three games in hand on the Habs and holding a prime opportunity to disrupt that position.
Carrying a 26-15-6 mark coming out of the All-Star break, the Senators have built on an impressive campaign, one that saw the team drop just one contest in its last nine outings, grabbing 14 of a possible 18 points.
In the absence of starter Craig Anderson, who left the team to be with his ill wife, Ottawa has called on backup Mike Condon to carry the load, who has been nothing short of impressive. With the No. 1 away, Condon has started all 15 of the Senators' games dating back to Dec. 20, posting an 8-4-3 mark.
Still, Anderson remains Ottawa's No. 1 netminder, and with one-year remaining on his contract, the future of the team, with Condon a pending unrestricted free agent.
Through 19 appearances this season, Anderson owns a 12-6-1 record and a .924 save percentage. Among goaltenders with as much ice time, Anderson's save rate ranks sixth league-wide and the best in the Atlantic.
In what has no doubt been an emotional campaign for Anderson, he and the Senators will soon have a chance to build on their success this season. Thanks to some impressive play, grabbing the Atlantic's top spot is now a realistic possibility on Ottawa's radar.
Nobody saw this coming. Except for the man running it all.
When Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning insisted throughout the offseason that he had a team bound for the postseason, pundits scoffed at the proclamation.
Most saw the Canucks in line to hold a ticket for Nolan Patrick draft lottery, rather than primed for a playoff run.
A year ago, Vancouver tumbled down the standings, the second season under Benning, as the Canucks dropped to 75 points - 26 fewer than the prior campaign. Only two teams finished worse than Vancouver.
This season, the odds of postseason play in British Columbia seemed unlikely, given an aging club seemingly past its best days featuring young talent not yet ready for prime time.
But as Benning and Canucks president Trevor Linden attested, a formal teardown simply wasn't in the cards with the Sedins still in town. As long as Daniel and Henrik remained, Vancouver's focus would be on winning. In the interim, the Canucks needed some talent to hold down the fort while their young talent readied for their NHL future.
That left Benning to make the necessary deals to push his team into relevancy. Those moves proved unpopular at the time, but now appear to be savvy acquisitions, given the Canucks spot in the standings.
At the 49-game mark, the Canucks hold down the West's final playoff spot.
That makeover began in March 2015, when Benning shipped a second-round pick to the Calgary Flames for little-used forward Sven Baertschi, a one-time first-round pick who hadn't caught on with the Flames.
The Flames and Canucks reconnected a year later, with Vancouver this time shipping former first-round pick Hunter Shinkaruk to the Flames for Markus Granlund, another player who had made little impact in the NHL up to that point.
Both have emerged as key cogs this season with the Canucks, as has forward Brandon Sutter, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in July 2015 for a package including center Nick Bonino. Only Canucks center Bo Horvat has found the back of the net more often this season than Baertschi, Granlund, or Sutter.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Canucks have some exciting prospects in the pipeline, including defenseman Olli Juolevi, goaltender Thatcher Demko, and 2015 top pick Brock Boeser, who is currently playing at the University of North Dakota.
The future is certainly bright in Vancouver, but the present has also proven to be something to behold.
The "For Sale" sign is up once again in the desert, with the Coyotes poised to miss the postseason for the fifth straight season. That means changes, and likely a new address for right-winger Radim Vrbata.
A pending unrestricted free agent, the 35-year-old Vrbata is in his third tour of duty with Arizona after he rejoined the Coyotes in the offseason.
Through 46 games, the Czech-born winger is the club's leading scorer, with 33 points, capped by Saturday's four-point outing against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's been a hot month for Vrbata, who has nine points through nine games in January.
That makes an attractive asset for the Coyotes, and a nice addition on the wing for teams looking to bulk up for the playoffs. With that, here are three teams that should think about adding Vrbata's scoring touch:
Boston Bruins
The Bruins are at risk of missing the postseason for the third straight season. That sort of failure hasn't happened in Beantown since 1967, when the Bruins missed the playoffs eight years in a row.
There is desperation in Boston amid rumors of the future of coach Claude Julien, with the Bruins being just a single point above the final wild-card spot, and the team struggling to produce offense up front. With 122 goals on the season, Boston ranks 21st league-wide, seemingly reeling from the loss of scoring winger Loui Eriksson, who left in free agency.
A closer looks shows the Bruins have struggled up the middle, with centers Patrice Bergeron and David Backes having among the worst seasons of their careers. Could their performances turn around with Vrbata on the wing? We'll know for sure after the March 1 trade deadline.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina could use some help on the right side. Only two Hurricanes currently outpace Vrbata - Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask - who make up two-thirds of Carolina's top line. There's an opening on the right side, and Vrbata could be a better fit than the likes of Elias Lindholm and Lee Stempniak. The three could push Carolina to its first playoff berth since 2009.
A short stint in North Carolina would mark a reunion for Vrbata, who spent parts of three seasons in Raleigh. He was traded from Colorado to Carolina at the 2003 deadline, then shipped to Chicago in December 2005.
If budget issues are a concern for the Hurricanes, Carolina is in luck, as Vrbata carries a cap-friendly bonus-laden contract. The deal has a $1-million base salary, plus various other payouts. Vrbata has already reached the games played benchmarks, and is on pace to soon cash in on another $500,000 when he nets either his 20th goal or 40th point. If the Hurricanes win it all with Vrbata in tow, he'd max out at $3.25 million.
Condition
Payment
Base salary
$1 million
10 games played
$250 000
30 games played
$250 000
20 goals or 40 points
$500 000
If make playoffs
$250 000
Playoff round win
$250 000 per round
Ottawa Senators
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion hasn't been shy about his desire to add some more scoring to his club, and Vrbata could be just what the doctor ordered.
The Senators hold down the second spot in the Atlantic Division, but with just 116 goals on the season, Ottawa owns a minuscule plus-three goal differential, while the club has only outscored seven teams league-wide.
The Senators could use a boost at right wing. At 33 points, Vrbata has nearly doubled the production Ottawa's top right triggerman, Bobby Ryan, who has 18 on the year. Fellow right-winger Mark Stone and defenseman Erik Karlsson are the only Ottawa skaters to outscore Vrbata this season.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ James van Riemsdyk
Save some ink for Van Riemsdyk. While the focus this season in Toronto has been on Auston Matthews and his fellow young stars, a familiar face is now sharing the spotlight.
The Maple Leafs winger has caught fire in recent days, and is currently running an eight-game point streak, a stretch which includes three goals and nine assists. Van Riemsdyk's best performance of the stretch came Jan. 7, collecting three points as he contributed on each of the Maple Leafs' goals against the Montreal Canadiens.
Signed through next season at an affordable $4.25-million salary cap hit, Van Riemsdyk has been a frequent target of trade talk, with speculation that he could be moved if the Maple Leafs desire an upgrade on their blue line. It will be worth following Van Riemsdyk down the stretch as the March 1 trade deadline approaches.
▼ Mike Cammalleri
It's been a rough go in New Jersey for veteran forward Cammalleri. With just 23 points on the year, he's on pace for his worst full-season finish since breaking into the league with the Los Angeles Kings in 2002.
Decline is expected from an aging player, but the 34-year-old winger has hit the skids in recent weeks, with just one point in his last three games and two in his last seven matches. Take that one step further and Cammalleri has just six points in his past 22 performances.
This isn't what the Devils expected from the former triggerman, who, despite being limited to 42 games a year ago, still finished at a near point-per-game pace, as he wrapped the 2015-16 campaign with 38 points. Signed through the next two seasons, the Devils may choose to expose Cammalleri to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.
▲ Ryan Getzlaf
The Anaheim Ducks captain wasted little time in making his way onto the scoresheet after missing a four-game swing with a lower-body concern in early January.
Since returning, Getzlaf has put up four points in as many games. As always, the heavy center has been a key contributor in Orange County, as the Ducks have very quietly gone about their business and now stand first in the Pacific Division with 59 points. Since the calendar turned to 2017, the Ducks have lost just once in 60 minutes, posting a 7-1-1 record, which includes three victories in extra time.
On pace for a 64-point campaign, consistency has been the name of the game for Getzlaf, after he finished the past two seasons with 63 and 70 points, respectively.
▼ Sam Gagner
The early goings of Gagner in Columbus showed signs of career rejuvenation.
The former sixth overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers was nearing NHL extinction after short, failed stints with the Arizona Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers, before landing in Columbus. With the Blue Jackets, Gagner appeared to have found his game, and at a bargain to the team too, as he signed for just $650,000.
Through the first 33 games of the season, Gagner had 28 points, on pace for a career-best 70-point season. But with just one point in his last five outings and only three in his last nine, that number has taken a tumble. Fortunately for Gagner, the Blue Jackets remain the league's best with 64 points, so the opportunity is there for the veteran forward to get his rebound season back on track.
The longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes has been part of the franchise since the original Winnipeg club drafted him seventh overall in 1995. A year later, when the Jets took off for Phoenix, so did Doan, who's remained a key cog for the team ever since.
But with the 40-year-old pending free agent's career winding down and retirement looking like a real possibility, there remains a chance that Captain Coyote could end his career elsewhere in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.
With Arizona once again mired at the bottom of the standings, the NHL playoffs won't see any home games in the desert this spring. It's a tricky situation for Doan, who recently reached the 1,500-game mark and is only the sixth player in NHL history to do so with a single team.
The veteran leader carries a complex contract complete with bonus money and deferred payments, but it's nothing that couldn't be resolved by Coyotes general manager John Chayka, particularly if he's willing to retain money in a potential deal that facilitates Doan moving to a team he's approved.
Doan's longtime friend and junior teammate Jarome Iginla has experienced that difficulty too. In 2013, he gave up his spot with the only team he'd ever known in the Calgary Flames to go Cup chasing. Four years later, Iginla is still searching for that victory, with a career that somehow seems a little less special given his short stints in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Colorado in pursuit of Lord Stanley.
Still, that may not stop Doan from trying. Here are three teams that could make Doan's Cup dream a reality:
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings play a hard-nosed game under the guidance of coach Darryl Sutter, the perfect mould for Doan - while 40, he still plays a physical brand of hockey, particularly when the playoffs roll around.
In Doan's last postseason appearance, a run in which the Coyotes faced off against the Kings in the conference finals, he scored five goals and four assists while accumulating 41 penalty minutes.
There seems to be a fit for Doan in Hollywood. This season, the Kings have rotated through an underwhelming host of talent on the right side, led by former captain Dustin Brown, plus the trio of Trevor Lewis, Devin Setoguchi, and Jordan Nolan. Only two Kings have reached double-digit goals this season, and while Doan has just four markers himself, he's only a single year removed from a 28-goal campaign.
Sitting in the West's second wild-card slot, Los Angeles has experienced its share of struggles this season. Starter Jonathan Quick has missed all but one period after suffering a groin injury, and while minor-leaguer Peter Budaj has held his own in the meantime, there is no denying Quick's winning pedigree in the postseason.
With Quick set to return in March and a weak year for the field in the West, there is an opportunity for a hot team to take a trip to the Finals. Just ask the Kings, who rode an eighth-place finish in 2012 to the franchise's first Cup.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are built for speed, with a bevy of fleet-footed forwards, but the club has long needed to add bulk on the wings. Enter Doan.
Montreal lacks size on the right side: Its top three right-shot wingers are Alexander Radulov, Andrew Shaw, and Brendan Gallagher, once the latter returns from injured reserve. Not to mention Doan's veteran experience and added scoring touch are always helpful in the playoffs.
The Canadiens have cycled depth players through their bottom six this season, including Brian Flynn, Sven Andrighetto, and now Jacob de la Rose. Do any of these players improve Montreal's odds of being the first Canadian franchise to lift the Cup since the Habs did so themselves in 1993?
A move to Montreal would also mark a family reunion of sorts for Doan, who is a second cousin to Canadiens netminder Carey Price.
San Jose Sharks
If not Los Angeles, how about another California club?
In Silicon Valley, Doan would join a group of wily veterans all in pursuit of their first skate with the silver mug, particularly 37-year-old Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, whom Doan has long admired as a Pacific Division opponent.
Finishing his career with the Sharks would reunite Doan with Mikkel Boedker after they skated together for eight seasons in the desert, and bringing Doan to San Jose would also accomplish a longtime goal for Sharks GM Doug Wilson.
After making the Finals a year ago, only to fall to Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in a hard-fought six-game series, the Sharks could be poised for a repeat trip this spring.
Defenseman Brent Burns has found another gear this season, scoring at a better than point-per-game pace, while the Sharks' frontline threats still include the likes of Logan Couture, who missed 30 games last season, and captain Joe Pavelski. Doan could be the final piece needed to ultimately bring the Cup to the Bay Area.
Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."
With the season at its halfway mark, let's take a moment to reflect on the seven Canadian franchises and their highs and lows of an exciting 2016-17 campaign.
Calgary Flames
The Take: The Flames entered the season with Canada's expectations on their shoulders, anticipated to be the nation's lone playoff entry in the West.
After 46 games, the Flames are clinging to a postseason berth with 49 points. Calgary's had its share of surprises this season, beginning in goal. After the Flames made a draft-day deal that sent two picks to the St. Louis Blues to bring goaltender Brian Elliott to Alberta, he was expected to run with the starter's role. Through 21 games, though, Elliott's come up with just eight wins, paving the way for free-agent addition Chad Johnson to take over. He's done just that, owning a 15-10-1 record on the season.
Most troubling has been the Flames' ability to be average. The club sits 18th in goals for, goals against, and on the penalty kill, while its play on the man advantage sees a bit of an uptick as the league's 12th-best. In the forward ranks, after scoring 64 points a year ago, winger Johnny Gaudreau hasn't been as offensively productive this season, with 28 points on the year and on pace to finish with a lower total than in 2015-16. Fellow forward Sean Monahan has also experienced a disappointing slide; he's on pace for 44 points after finishing with 63 last season. That could lead to a short tenure for coach Glen Gulutzan, who signed on to a one-year deal.
The Grade: C
Edmonton Oilers
The Take: At this point in the season, Oilers fans are usually accustomed to poring over draft rankings and calculating their best lottery odds. Not this year.
Things are finally on the up and up in Edmonton, where phenom forward Connor McDavid has been the piece needed to finally turn around the franchise. The Oilers are in playoff contention, holding down the second seed in the Pacific Division with a 24-15-7 record. Beyond McDavid, the Oilers have gotten key performances from a handful of players - most notably Cam Talbot, who's solidified things in goal, appearing in all but five games and collecting 23 victories.
Credit goes to Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli, who made the wrong kind of headlines with the summer deal where he shipped former top pick Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for young blue-liner Adam Larsson. Larsson has been a critical cog in stabilizing Edmonton's defense alongside the likes of Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom, and Kris Russell, and the Oilers appear poised to advance to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.
The Grade: B
Montreal Canadiens
The Take: The Canadiens were roasted all offseason following a deal that sent blue-liner P.K. Subban to Nashville. While the trade landed stalwart Shea Weber in Montreal, the Canadians took heat for getting rid of a new-age blue-liner in his prime to bring in an aging defenseman.
But all Weber has done since arriving in Montreal is stabilize the team's back end and act as a key leader for a team that's once again in Stanley Cup contention. Another former Predator, forward Alexander Radulov, has been a revelation through his first season in Montreal, putting up 32 points through 43 games. Sitting atop the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens have seemingly coasted through the regular season, with their closest divisional foe trailing by nine points.
The Canadiens have battled through their share of injuries - forwards David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher are currently shelved. The club also maintained its strong play despite the long-term loss of Alex Galchenyuk. Through that stretch, the Canadiens posted a 9-5-4 mark while missing their top center. As always, Carey Price remains a rock in goal, owning a 21-8-4 record and .922 save percentage on the season.
The Grade: A
Ottawa Senators
The Take: The Senators had a relatively quiet offseason, but their biggest move may have been the installation of coach Guy Boucher behind the bench.
Thanks to Boucher's efforts, the Senators are a tough team to play against, allowing just 107 goals through the team's first 41 games - the fifth-lowest mark league-wide. That's despite losing starter Craig Anderson, who's taken a leave of absence to be with his ill wife. Waiver claim turned No. 1 netminder Mike Condon has held down the fort in his stead. Since arriving in Ottawa in mid-October, Condon has grabbed the starter's role and posted a 10-7-3 record, with Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs marking his 18th straight start.
While things have been tight defensively, the Senators simply need more scoring. Blue-liner Erik Karlsson is once again the team's top producer, tallying 35 points, while winger Mark Stone leads the forward corps with 0.8 points per game. The Senators' 105 goals rank ahead of only four clubs, so you can understand why GM Pierre Dorion is on the lookout to add offense.
The Grade: B
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Take: After finishing dead last a year ago and earning the right to select Scottsdale-born Auston Matthews first overall, the belief was that the Maple Leafs faced a slow climb up the standings. How wrong we were.
With Matthews as the biggest piece of the team's future, the Maple Leafs are led by an exciting host of young talent - Matthews and fellow forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander grab highlight-reel goals in seemingly every game. All three could be in the mix for rookie of the year honors, with the No. 1 pick likely having the best odds. Through 41 games, he's collected 21 goals and 16 assists in the type of performance that could make Matthews the first Toronto player to capture the Calder Trophy since Brit Selby did so in 1966.
Beyond the rookies, forward Nazem Kadri is also worthy of mention. He's taken on a key checking role under coach Mike Babcock while also impressively scoring 18 goals on the season, just two back of his NHL best. With 48 points in 41 in games, the Maple Leafs hold down the third seed in the Atlantic, and if they keep it up, the team will return to the postseason for just the second time since 2004.
The Grade: B
Vancouver Canucks
The Take: Darts were aimed at Canucks GM Jim Benning for his club's seeming lack of direction. Pundits and many a fan screamed for a teardown rebuild, while Canucks management insisted the postseason is the goal, at least while the Sedin twins are still around.
Through 45 games, the Canucks sit within striking distance of the playoffs, only two points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the West's second wild-card slot. It's been a streaky season in Vancouver, to say the least. After starting the campaign 4-0, the Canucks went winless through their next nine matches. More recently, the Canucks rattled off a six-game win streak before the Flames ended that run Jan. 7. The club has just one regulation loss since returning from the Christmas break, going 6-1-3 over that stretch.
Benning's reported plan from here is to stand pat and retain his team's draft picks, seeing no reason to send up-and-coming talent out the door in order to aid a playoff push. As for the Sedins, both are closing in on the 1,000-point plateau, combining for 53 points on the season.
The Grade: C
Winnipeg Jets
The Take: The Jets have been one of the league's most exciting teams to keep an eye on, led by a crop of young talent and headlined by a Finnish scoring sensation. Those seem to roll through Winnipeg every few decades.
When the club chose Patrik Laine second overall in last year's NHL entry draft, he wasn't expected to make an immediate impact, but Laine has lived up to the challenge. Despite concussion concerns that have kept him out of the lineup for the past five games, Laine continues to lead the Jets in goals, already with 21 on the season. That's tied with Matthews for the most by a freshman, while only two players - the Kings' Jeff Carter and superstar Sidney Crosby - have found the back of the net more often than Laine.
While the Jets have seen plenty of action at one end of the rink, things haven't been as rosy in their own zone. The young goaltending duo of Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson has struggled. After banishing veteran keeper Ondrej Pavelec to the minors during training camp, the club recalled Pavelec earlier Tuesday in an effort to clean up the crease.
It's Maroon's second season in Alberta since arriving on a quiet deal from the Anaheim Ducks at last year's trade deadline. At the time, eyes were focused elsewhere. Mikkel Boedker was dealt to Denver, Lee Stempniak was off to his ninth team in Boston, and the Dallas Stars sent three pieces to Calgary for hard-nosed blue-liner Kris Russell.
In Edmonton, there was once again disappointment, as the Oilers extended their playoff drought to 10 seasons, matching an NHL all-time record of postseason futility. In the midst of it all, the Oilers shipped AHL defenseman Martin Gernat and a fourth-round pick to the Ducks to bring Maroon to Edmonton.
The deal barely garnered a headline, as Maroon seemed like a project for the Oilers. He had a lowly 13 points on the season, after averaging 32 points over the previous two campaigns.
Season
Team
GP
G-A-Pts
Pts/GP
G/GP
12-13
ANA
13
2-1-3
0.23
0.15
13-14
ANA
62
11-18-29
0.47
0.18
14-15
ANA
71
9-25-34
0.48
0.13
*15-16
ANA
56
4-9-13
0.23
0.07
*15-16
EDM
16
8-6-14
0.88
0.50
16-17
EDM
45
18-7-25
0.56
0.40
That all changed once he arrived in Edmonton, where he played out the remaining 16 games of 2015-16, and where this year he has lined up alongside alongside phenom Connor McDavid.
Fans of the Philadelphia Flyers will recall when fellow left-winger John LeClair came to town following a deal with the Montreal Canadiens. In Philadelphia, LeClair teamed up with dominant center Eric Lindros and Swedish winger Mikael Renberg to form hockey's Legion of Doom line.
The trio made instant magic. During the 1995-96 season, Renberg, Lindros, and LeClair combined for 257 points - a preview of what was to come when the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final a year later.
Season
Team
GP
G-A-Pts
Pts/GP
92-93
MTL
72
19-25-44
0.61
93-94
MTL
74
19-24-43
0.58
*94-95
MTL
9
1-4-5
0.55
*94-95
PHI
37
25-24-49
1.32
95-96
PHI
82
51-46-97
1.18
96-97
PHI
82
50-47-97
1.18
*LeClair was traded to the Flyers midway through the 1994-95 season.
LeClair virtually doubled his production following his trade to Philadelphia. Through his final 155 games in Montreal, he recorded 92 points, or 0.59 points per game. That number grew to 1.21 in his first 201 games with his new club.
Maroon has seen a similar uptick. After posting 0.39 points per game through his time in Anaheim, that number has climbed to 0.64 through his early goings with the Oilers.
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will reconnect Saturday for the 232nd rendition of their historic rivalry. With both clubs holding down a playoff spot through mid-January, it's sure to bring some added fuel to what's already a special game.
"(It's) probably the biggest game in the Battle of Alberta this far into a season in about 10 years," Oilers forward Milan Lucic told Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal. "There will be a buzz. We have to be ready."
Edmonton leads the season series 2-0 so far, winning a pair of early season games. Forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had three-point outings in the most recent meeting, a 5-3 Oilers win.
Given the NHL's return to the postseason divisional format, there remains the possibility that Edmonton and Calgary could match up this spring. The teams have met five previous times in the playoffs, most recently in 1991. The Oilers have taken four of those series.
The Flames last qualified for the postseason in 2015, their first berth since 2009, while the Oilers have not made the playoffs since 2006. That 10-year playoff drought is tied for the NHL's all-time longest mark with the Florida Panthers.
The Flames hold the upper hand in the Battle of Alberta with a 117-91-23 all-time record.
