From the Press Box: Three Surprising Contenders

FROM THE PRESS BOX
Paul Bruno, RotoWire.com

A look at the standings reveals some big surprises, as teams which were not in the playoff hunt last year find themselves near the top of each conference. We look at the components of the Islanders, Predators and Flames.

NY Islanders

At this time, the Islanders have a record of 12-6, good for second place, and a mere three points behind the Metropolitan Division leading Pittsburgh Penguins. How are they doing so well? The answer lies in the large number of components that have provided a surprising boost to their fortunes.

Of course, everyone knows that John Tavares is a highly productive scorer, annually among the league's top point producers, on a per game basis in the last four years. He is back on top of the Islanders scoring chart with 18 points in 18 games. The difference from prior years is that he is tied with his linemate, Kyle Okposo, another former first round pick (2006). Okposo finally reached the potential expected of him by putting up a career-high 69 points in 71 games last year. He did that while playing alongside Tavares last year and is on pace to break those totals playing with the Isles captain again this season.

The bigger surprise up front, in that yet another recent first round draft pick, Brock Nelson (2010) is anchoring another forward line and he also has 18 points, with a club-leading nine goals. A fourth former first rounder, Ryan Strome, has joined Nelson and added 12 points so far, to create the basis of a second scoring line.

This early success highlights that the best way to build a strong team and that is through the draft. The Isles are fortunate to have a third line composed of veteran forwards Frans Neilsen, Mikael Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin who have all been proficient depth scorers in the careers.

That deep offense is supported by a defense that got a real shot in the arm before opening day, when the Isles pried veteran blueliners Johnny Boychuk (12 pts., +5) and Nick Leddy (8 pts., +8) from the salary cap-strapped Bruins and Hawks respectively. They have been a steadying influence on highly regarded youngsters Calvin de Haan and Travis Hamonic. Veteran power play quarterback Lubomir Visnovsky is also back providing his vast offensive skills here.

In goal, Jaroslav Halak (2.54 g.a.a., .914 sv. pct.) is proving to be a stabilizing influence and an upgrade over recent seasons here. His backup Chad Johnson is 4-2-2, as well.

So there are a lot of positives here and the Isles could very well stay in the hunt with all these parts meshing so well so far.

Nashville

Under their only coach (Barry Trotz) in a 16-year team history, the Predators have been known as a defense-first operation. While they enjoyed modest success with that approach, they never really reached notable successes. This offseason changes were made to the coaching staff and roster, all aimed at changing their look.

Peter Laviolette, a long-time NHL coach, has come on board to bring his spin to this roster, one that emphasizes a bit more of an offensive mindset.

The offensive centerpieces in place here were acquired through trades. The Washington Capitals originally drafted Filip Forsberg in 2012. He never even played a game for the Caps. Over the last two seasons, he made brief cameo appearances, totaling 6 points in 18 games. This season he looks like a more mature player who was worthy of that high draft selection. He has exploded offensively, pacing the Preds attack with 22 points and a league-leading +20 rating.

The other top gun is James Neal, who has enjoyed 6-20+ goal seasons with prior stops in Dallas and Pittsburgh, where he was never a primary scoring option. He has not missed a beat in Nashville, producing nine goals and 14 points so far.

Mike Ribeiro, an underrated point producer and excellent playmaker, joins these big shooters as their center. He is motivated by a one-year contract and a need to erase the poor showing he had in Phoenix, where some off-ice issues impacted a poor on-ice showing. He has 16 points to date and hopes to cement his status as the number one pivot here.

The success of these front-liners has allowed a veteran group, including Derek Roy, Paul Gaustad, Craig Smith and others to continue to play that anonymous two way style that still concerns itself with a defensive responsibility. That combination is more effective with the afore-mentioned scoring prowess in this mix.

We also noted that the defense was the biggest asset of this roster depth.

Shea Weber is once again among the league's most complete blueliners, with five goals, 11 points and a +11 rating. His new regular playing partner, Roman Josi, possesses many similar skills (nine pts., +10) and they form one of the most imposing defense pairings in the NHL.

Former first round pick Seth Jones (fourth overall in 2013) is paired with the physical Anton Volchenkov on a second imposing pairing, while Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm join forces on another pairing that has solid offensive skills.

Pekka Rinne, who battled injuries through much of last season, is back playing to the level that had him regarded as a top goalie in the NHL (1.92 GAA, .930 sv.pct.) and has appeared in 16 games to show that he is again capable of a heavy workload.

These Predators are a bit more flashy than usual and that only makes them more difficult opponents than before. As a result, they could be in it for the long haul this year.

Calgary Flames

The Flames are another non-playoff team that has climbed toward the top of their Division (Pacific) with a 12-6-2 mark through the first quarter of this campaign.

They are led by Marc Giordano, one of the more experienced captains in the NHL, a defenseman who is annually among the top scorers and most active (minutes per game) players. This season is no exception, as he actually leads all blueliners with 21 points (six goals and +9) while playing over 24 minutes per game. He is joined by Dennis Wideman (team-leading seven goals) as the core of a defense that is the basis for much of this team's early offense. T.J. Brodie (16 pts., +11, 25 mpg) is a third teammate who dominates from this rearguard, giving the Flames a tactical advantage over most opponents.

Up front, Calgary has assembled a nice mix of young and experienced talent to form a diverse attack unit.

Jiri Hudler has settled into a prominent role ever since he was signed as a free agent after being a depth player in Detroit. He is a key to this power play unit and continues to be a steady scorer, with 15 points in 19 games. He is partnered with sophomore Michael Granlund (nine points) and flashy rookie, Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau (13 points) on one of the scoring lines that has propped up the Flames this season. The other top unit features an opposite mix where 20-year old Sean Monahan (seven goals, 12 pts., +4) is already proving that his impressive rookie campaign (22 goals) was no fluke. He is bolstered by the presence of experienced and productive wingers, Curtis Glencross and Devin Setoguchi.

They thought they got fortunate with the emergence of a late bloomer in goalie Kari Ramo last season, but really capitalized on another team's cap situation and goalie depth (Anaheim), when they signed Jonas Hiller, a proven workhorse. He has really responded to this chance, posting a 9-4 record, backed by a solid 2.33 g.a.a. and a .920 save pct.

So there we have it. Three teams who have reversed their fortunes from a year ago. It is interesting to note that one used the draft, one used trades/free agency and the third used a blend to improve their lot.

It will be interesting to see which of these three (or if they all) can keep it up. At this point, I like all of their chances.