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While the NHL’s had a handful of pleasant surprises at the quarter mark, there have also been its fair share of disappointments.
NHL teams are at or near the quarter point of the 2024-25 NHL season, so we’re focusing on the players and teams that have been surprises so far this year. On Wednesday, we looked at the biggest positive surprises of the season, and today, we’re looking at the biggest letdowns at the first quarter mark. In no particular order:
1. (Tie) Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings And Ottawa Senators
This trio of teams are expected to battle for a playoff spot in the highly competitive Atlantic Division – and they’ve each been underwhelming overall so far.
In our pre-season predictions, we had the Senators fourth in the Atlantic – but ahead of Thursday night, the Sens are sixth in the division, one point ahead of the last-place Montreal Canadiens. That’s not acceptable, and it’s had former Senators player suggest Ottawa could be making a notable move to shake up their chemistry if the inconsistency continues.
Buffalo’s 9-9-1 record and Detroit’s 7-9-2 mark underscore how thoroughly subpar they’ve been this year. Wings coach Derek Lalonde could be the next coach fired, while Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is also on the hot seat.
The log jam of teams at the bottom of the Atlantic means there’s still a window for Ottawa, Buffalo and Detroit to go on a hot streak and earn a playoff berth, but it’s likely that two of those three teams will miss out on the post-season yet again. And if any of these teams do miss out on the playoffs, there’ll be consequences.
Related: The Fallout From The Boston Bruins’ Coaching Change
2. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks weren’t expected to dominate opponents this season, as they’re still in the early stages of a full rebuild.
However, after investing big money in off-season additions – including Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev, TJ Brodie, Alec Martinez and goalie Laurent Brossoit – Chicago has been worse than imagined with a 6-12-1 record – the NHL’s worst mark.
Chicago’s offense is brutal – they’re 31st in the NHL in goals-for average (2.32), and their power play is 16th at 19.6 percent. Their mediocre defense can’t bail them out, either, allowing the sixth-most shots against (30.6).
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson wanted his team to play meaningful games all season, but that’s not likely to be the case.
Chicago could add another cornerstone piece if it continues struggling and wins the draft lottery. But anyone who thought this organization would improve notably is instead watching a Blackhawks squad that almost assuredly won’t see anything close to playoff action for another season.
3. Zach Hyman, LW, Edmonton Oilers
Hyman was a powerhouse for the Oilers last season, posting a career-best 57 goals. But this season is different, as the 32-year-old has generated only three goals and eight points in 20 games.
Hyman is currently out of action, but when he returns, the pressure to produce more goals will intensify.
Meanwhile, the Oilers as a whole also make this list because despite their impressive roster – and because they came within one win of a Stanley Cup championship last season – they aren’t where they should be. They’re fourth in the Pacific Division with a 10-8-2 record – and although they’re two points behind first-place Vegas, the Oilers should not have had to climb out of a hole for the second year in a row.
It’s hard to fathom that a stacked squad like Edmonton is merely a ho-hum team on offense, but it’s true. The Oilers are 20th overall at 2.75 goals-for per game ahead of Thursday night.
Injuries are a problem for the Oilers, but their depth was built to address that issue. It hasn’t happened, and until it does, Edmonton will be a middle-of-the-pack group until their roster gets fully healthy.
Related: McDavid’s 1,000 NHL Points Is Phase 1. Phase 2 Has Just Begun
4. Nashville Predators
Many people – this writer included – picked the newly constructed Predators to be a threat to win the Central Division this season.
But Nashville has been the biggest letdown in the NHL thus far this year. They’re seventh in the Central with a 6-11-3 record, and they’ve got the weakest offense in the league, averaging 2.30 goals-for per game. Actually, to say they’re a letdown is an extreme understatement.
Nashville has no players generating offense at a point-per-game level or better. That’s a huge problem. Goalie Juuse Saros has been solid with a 2.52 goals-against average and .916 save percentage, but he hasn’t had the run support to be in the win column more often than not.
Nashville GM Barry Trotz has hinted at big changes if things don’t improve for the Predators, but through one-quarter of the season, he hasn’t delivered any new assets. That could still happen, but getting back in the playoff hunt will be exceedingly difficult for the Preds.
Related: Three NHL Teams That Should Consider Hiring Jim Montgomery
5. Kris Letang, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins – currently seventh in the Metropolitan Division – are abysmal this season, with a win percentage (.429) that’s worse than the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets (.444).
For a team with icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, that’s an outrageously bad performance.
“I just trust the personnel we have.”#LetsGoPens defenseman Kris Letang was back practicing Wednesday with the team, and he believes they can right the ship.
This and other notes from today’s practice, which was missing a lot of faces:@TheHockeyNewshttps://t.co/P45pXkrBFj
— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) November 20, 2024
No single player is causing Pittsburgh’s problems – although goalie Tristan Jarry has been especially rough – but defenseman Letang has struggled mightily, posting four assists and six points in 18 games. And that looks even worse when you realize Letang is averaging 23:11 of ice time – the most minutes of any Pens skater.
Letang is signed for three seasons after this one, but Pens GM Kyle Dubas may start radically changing Pittsburgh’s’ lineup, and a fresh start for Letang could jump-start his competitive engine. Regardless, the Pens need something to shake up their group because the playoffs probably won’t include them this season.
Related: Star Defenseman Karlsson Has Been A Major Disappointment For Struggling Penguins
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