It is entirely too early in the season to worry about an NHL team’s position in the standings, but a few teams came into this season with very high expectations and are currently winless. Should your team worry? I break it down for you in a few easy steps.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Worry Level: Low
Perhaps the team with the lowest expectations on the list, the Blue Jackets have had a troubling start to the year. After losing twice to the respectable New York Rangers, they then lost to the Buffalo Sabres, a team that is improved but is still not a great team by any stretch of the imagination.
So, what is ailing them?
Mostly just a string of bad luck. They are doing well in the possession battle thus far but have had a couple of putrid outings by Sergei Bobrovsky. They will luckily get the chance to right their wrongs this week against the Senators and Leafs. Both are ostensibly winnable games but if they don’t improve shortlym their coach, Todd Richards, could be in trouble.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Worry Level: Low
After an offseason that landed big name players such as Phil Kessel and some lesser names like Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen, the expectations were sky high for a team with a lack of perceived depth. They have lost to two respectable teams in the Canadiens and Stars, but oddly enough lost to the Arizona Coyotes, a team expected to be at the bottom of the league. Their scoring totals have been low through the first three games, which is very unexpected for a team with a couple of the best goal scorers of the past decade.
The defense was seen as a weak point but thus far has only been middling at best. Letang has provided points but they still employ players like Lovejoy and Scuderi who have proven to not be the best in activating their offense. The pressure is on Johnston to perform and his leash is short. The team’s time to succeed is now.
Los Angeles Kings
Worry Level: Medium
As recent Stanley Cup champions the thought was that the Kings had an uncommon down year and would bounce back this year. They have plenty of time to do so but the start to this year is anything but encouraging. They can’t score a goal to save their lives and the normally solid goaltending has evaded them. They can’t do anything but watch as some of the key pieces fail to live up to the expectations that have been set for them. Pieces like Ehrhoff and Lucic were meant to bolster an already strong team, but they look out of place.
Sutter won’t lose his job anytime soon but it definitely brings up an interesting question to the masses – What exactly does this team have to do to get back on track? Losses to the Coyotes and Canucks aren’t a good place to start. They’ll get the opportunity to kick start their season against the Wild and Avalanche, a couple of quick teams that could cause trouble for the Kings.