As this new season approaches, there are several players that are under an enormous amount of pressure to perform. Whether it's rebounding from a down year last year or trying to live up to a big contract signed in the offseason, these players are under pressure to perform. I'll go through every team and list the player that is under the most pressure to perform and whether or not I think that they will live up to the expectations.
Anaheim Ducks
- Jonas Hiller, G - Hiller is by far under the most pressure for the Ducks because he is the backbone of that team. When he's on, Hiller is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. However, Hiller experienced a fairly unknown neurological problem last year called vertigo which messes with the balance of a person. Hiller didn't play again after March 24th, when he gave up 3 goals on 10 shots to the Predators and his reactions were extremely slow. The Ducks are counting on Hiller bouncing back big time, having only Dan Ellis and Jeff Deslauries behind him. If Hiller can't bounce back, then the Ducks playoff chances are in serious trouble.
Verdict - I think Hiller will struggle again as vertigo symptoms continue to plague him. I think the Ducks are in serious trouble and should be in the market for a goaltender.
Boston Bruins
- Brad Marchand, F - During the playoffs, every came to learn of this spunky rookie that played for the Bruins. He was an agitator, but he could score goals, make pretty plays, and always played hard. He was a thorn in the side of every team he played against, with nothing exemplifying this more than him punching Daniel Sedin in the face 5 or 6 times and having nothing done back to him. However, what Boston needs is for Marchand to dodge the "Sophomore Slump" that plagues a lot of solid 2nd year players. With Michael Ryder's goal scoring gone, Marchand is going to be given a bigger role and he has to deliver.
Verdict - I think Marchand steps up big and gives Boston the pest play and the goal scoring that he provided throughout the playoffs.
Buffalo Sabres
- Ville Leino, F - When the Sabres chose to forgo a run at Brad Richards and instead settled on giving a big contract (6 years $27 million, $4.5 million cap hit), the pressure was put on. With such a big contract being bestowed upon a player that has never scored 20 goals or broken 60 points, Leino must certainly be feeling the pressure to live up to his contract. He will be required to provide a huge boost in goal scoring for the Sabres as well as being responsible in the Sabres defensive minded system. These are things he learned in both the Red Wings and Flyers' systems but he will be the star for the first time in his career. Can he handle the pressure and live up to the expectation?
Verdict - Leino falls short of expectations, producing less than 25 goals and less than 65 points.
Calgary Flames
- Alex Tanguay, F - Tanguay has been under pressure the last few years since his production has dropped from his Colorado days. With the Flames bestowing a 5 year $17.5 million contract on him as well as moving big time defenseman Robyn Regehr just to have the cap space to sign him, Tanguay better deliver. Tanguay had a rebound year last year, posting better than 20 goals and better than 60 points for the first time since 06-07. The question is whether or not he can keep it up to warrant that contract he received.
Verdict - Tanguay falls short of expectations, posting less than 20 goals and less than 60 points.
Carolina Hurricanes
- Tomas Kaberle, D - Once upon a time, Kaberle was thought of a big prize that Toronto would not let go until they finally did, shipping him off to the Bruins. However, Kaberle struggled big time with the Stanley Cup Champions, failing to live up to his billing. He was allowed to walk away and the Hurricanes swooped up and signed him. It is imperative that Kaberle return to form if the Hurricanes are going to make it back to the playoffs. They need Kaberle to post between 40-50 points at the very least and be a rock for them on the defensive end.
Verdict - Kaberle will meet this expectation and help the Hurricanes back to the playoffs.
Chicago Blackhawks
- Corey Crawford, G - The Blackhawks have decided to hand off the reins to the sophomore goaltender and boy he better produce. Chicago is Cup Crazy since their victory in 2010 and will not settle for the inconsistent play that they received from Turco this past season. Crawford must provide solid play throughout the season as he will be relied upon heavily. Crawford will soon realize the pressure that all goalies are under in Cup Crazy cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia.
Verdict - Crawford steers this team back into contention
Colorado Avalanche
- Paul Stastny, F - There is an argument that J.S. Giguere or Semyon Varlamov should be in this spot, but I went with Stastny because the Avs need him to return to his 80 point form. In 2009-2010 Stastny went for 79 points, but in 2010-2011 Stastny dropped down to 57 points and the Avs scoring dropped to 18th in the NHL. Stastny must return to form for the Avs to avoid the cellar in the Western Conference
Verdict - Stastny will return to form with a 70 point season to lead the Avs back towards respectability
Columbus Blue Jackets
- James Wisniewski, D - Wisniewski earned a big fat 6 year $33 million contract from the Columbus Blue Jackets and boy does he need to live up to it. The Blue Jackets are currently fielding the most talent that the organization has ever had and the expectations are higher than ever. Fans are expecting a trip to the playoffs and it is important that Wisniewski delivers. He will be counted on to improve a PP unit that was 29th in the NHL at 14.0%. If Wisniewski can bring that number up to 17% or 18% then Columbus will pump in more goals and have a better shot of making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference
Verdict - Wisniewski delivers and Columbus earns their 2nd ever playoff berth. Unfortunately they'll have to face either Vancouver, Detroit, or LA/SJ in the first round, making it another nightmare.
Dallas Stars
- Sheldon Souray, D - This isn't so much about expectations as Souray being able to resurrect his career. This past season he was a player that absolutely nobody wanted, even at half of his contract when he was demoted to the AHL. The Stars took pity on him and offered him a contract to play and this is the opportunity that Souray needs to resurrect his career. He gets to take over as a PP QB for the Stars and play about 20 minutes a night. This is his chance and he doesn't want to blow it.
Verdict - Souray will resurrect his career to a certain degree but will not regain his All-Star status. However, it will be enough to help Dallas back to the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings
- Jimmy Howard, G - For years and years the Red Wings have always gone cheap on goaltending, and have instead thrown their money at their forwards and defensemen. The strategy has obviously paid off with the Wings winning 4 Cups since 1997 and making 20 consecutive playoff appearances. However, the past two seasons, the Wings have come up short ever since Jimmy Howard took over the reins of the Wings net. It is time for Howard to step up and play consistent enough for the Wings forwards and defensemen to do their job. Time after time, Howard gave up soft goals only to rebound with miraculous saves. It's time that Howard cuts out the backbreaking goals and just plays solid hockey. He does not have to be spectacular to win with the Wings, just good enough.
Verdict - Howard's numbers improve from this past season, but not enough to carry the Wings to a Stanley Cup. I think the Wings fall short in the Finals.
Edmonton Oilers
- Taylor Hall, F - Leading up to last year's draft, the entire world was on Taylor Hall. Outrageous comparisons were made and stories of skills were told all across the hockey world. Well it is now year 2 of his career and its time for him to make that big jump. Not all players jump into the NHL the way Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin did (Henrik Zetterberg posted 44 points in his rookie season, close to the 42 that Hall posted this season), but Hall has to take that next step in his development for Edmonton to have hopes of leaving the Western Conference cellar. Edmonton will need him to post more than 30 goals and more than 70 points for Edmonton to have hopes. He has talented teammates around him, it's now time to go to work.
Verdict - I think Hall does it as the Oilers surprise many experts. Ryan Smyth's return will provide a great veteran presence for the young guys like Hall, Eberle, and Nugent-Hopkins so I expect Hall to make that developmental jump.
Florida Panthers
- Sean Bergenheim, F - After a monster postseason where Bergenheim recorded 9 goals in 16 games for the Lightning, the Panthers decided to throw $11 million over 4 years at him. Now Bergenheim is a player that has never scored more than 15 goals or 29 points in any NHL season, so he has a long way to go to earn that contract. The Panthers will expect him to provide some much needed goal scoring which means Florida is looking for 25-30 goals from Bergenheim. Can a player that has never scored more than 15 goals double his production for an offensively challenged team?
Verdict - I don't think Bergenheim comes close to the 30 goal mark, settling somewhere between 18-22. I think a large part of his success came from who he was playing with and the style that the team was playing. Florida doesn't have the same kind of talent as Tampa Bay and thus Bergenheim will struggle.
Los Angeles Kings
- Mike Richards, F - The trade the Kings made for Mike Richards was not so much about bringing in a big time point producer as it was about bringing in some much needed leadership for this young team. However, Richards will be expected to produce and provide some big time scoring to compliment Anze Kopitar. The past two years have been all Anze Kopitar and Richards will be required to not only be a leader on this young team, but to provide some secondary scoring behind Kopitar. After a down year last year where he fell from 31 goals in '09-10 to just 23 this past season, Richards will need to get back up to the 25-30 goal mark.
Verdict - I think Richards brings some much needed leadership to this team in the same way that Ryan Smyth will for Edmonton. I think the Kings make huge strides this season, winning their division, and making it to the Western Conference Finals.
Minnesota Wild
- Dany Heatley, F - The maligned forward saw his goal production drop again this year down to 26. Since the lockout, Heatley's goal scoring numbers having been trending downwards from its peak of 50 in 05-06 and 06-07 to 41in 07-08 to 39 in 08-09 and 09-10 to finally 26 in 10-11. This has to come as a major shock to most people as he's been playing with arguably the best passer in the NHL in Joe Thornton. Now, Heatley moves on to Minnesota where they have been looking for a big-time goal scorer since Marian Gaborik left for New York. Minnesota will be looking for 30-35 goals at least from Heatley and he will be playing with a talented center in Mikko Koivu.
Verdict - I don't think Heatley picks up his production and his sulking attitude gets in the way of him building chemistry with his teammates
Montreal Canadiens
- Erik Cole, F - The Montreal Canadiens stayed relatively quiet during the free agency period while a majority of the contenders in the Eastern Conference made significant moves. Erik Cole was the one significant signing for the Canadiens and he will be expected to provide some much needed goal scoring depth behind Mike Cammalleri. When healthy, Cole has always been able to deliver about 20-30 goals and 50-60 points and the Canadiens will need every bit of that. With division rival Buffalo making big time moves, the Canadiens will need some big time goal scoring from Cole to maintain their spot in the playoff race.
Verdict - The pressure is always on in Montreal and I think Cole can deliver 20-22 goals and 50-55 points playing alongside Mike Cammalleri but I don't think it's enough to get Montreal into the playoffs.
Nashville Predators
- Mike Fisher, F - With longtime Predator Steve Sullivan and playoff hero Joel Ward gone, Mike Fisher will be counted on to provide goal scoring to the goal-starved Predators. For years the Predators have relied on their stingy defense and goaltending to support their middle of the pack offense. However, this may be the weakest offensive unit the Predators have fielded in years and Mike Fisher will be counted on produce around 25 goals and around 50-60 points. For his career, Fisher has been a consistent 20 goal scorer, but the Preds will need more than that and then some if they want to compete in the now heavily contested Central Division. With division rivals Columbus and St. Louis adding some serious weapons this offseason and the mainstays in Detroit and Chicago being strong again, Nashville will need goals to keep up with the other teams.
Verdict - I dont think Fisher lives up to what the Predators need and he scores around 20 goals and 45 points, which is less than what the Predators need.
New Jersey Devils
- Ilya Kovalchuk, F - New Jersey's $100 million man will be under a lot of pressure this season after failing to crack the 40 goal mark for the first time in his NHL career, posting a career low of just 60 points, and posting an abominable +/- rating of -26. Not exactly $100 million material. With New Jersey missing the playoffs for the first time since 1995-1996 and the team posting a losing record for the first time since 1990-91, a lot of the blame fell on Kovalchuk. New Jersey needs Kovalchuk to get back to his scoring ways and post more than 45 goals and 85 points in New Jersey expects to contend in the highly competitive Atlantic Division. If Kovalchuk doesn't deliver again, New Jersey may be stuck with a player that is rapidly losing confidence and is tied down for another 13 years.
Verdict - Kovalchuk teams up with Parise and fires in 46 goals to keep up his hot streak from the end of last season where he scored 18 goals and 34 points in the final 35 games of the regular season to push the Devils out the cellar and in to the playoff race.
New York Islanders
- Michael Grabner, F - For a guy that had 5 career goals in 20 games in his career heading into the 2010-2011 season, he sure did well. Grabner posted a team high 34 goals as he shocked a majority of the NHL with his goal-scoring prowess. To avoid being another Jonathan Cheechoo, Grabner will have to find a way to repeat his success or risk losing confidence early in his career. The Islanders young talent continues to get better and better and as long as Grabner continues to play on a line with either Matt Moulson or John Tavares, he will have the talent around him to score 30 again. The Islanders will need Grabner to repeat his success if they expect to compete in the Atlantic and avoid being cellar dwellers.
Verdict - I expect Grabner to regress back towards the 25 goal plateau which is not bad, but not enough for the Islanders to avoid being cellar dwellers.
New York Rangers
- Brad Richards, F - This one wasn't all too difficult to determine. Being the top free agent in a weak market certainly had its monetary benefits as Richards landed a nice $60 million contract this summer. However, his play needs to back up this contract as the Rangers and their fan base have been looking for "the answer" for a very long time. With Marian Gaborik finding himself injury prone again, Richards will need to step up as the star on this team and put the team on his back in order to get NYR back to the playoffs. Richards will need to put up MVP like numbers, with more than 85 points being expected of him. With Richards having posted only 2 seasons in his career above 90 points, the doubts have crept in as to whether or not he is enough to make the Rangers a contender.
Verdict - If Marian Gaborik can stay healthy, Richards will have an MVP-like season with Gaborik and Callahan as his wingers. However, if Gaborik sustains an injury as expected, Richards will post another 25+ goal 75 point season, which is good, but not good enough for the Rangers to be considered contenders.
Ottawa Senators
- Erik Karlsson, D - After being selected as an All-Star in 2011, Karlsson will be expected to bring it every night for the Senators. He is their prized possession at the moment and one of the few bright spots on the team. However, he must significantly improve on the back end and not get caught trying to create too much offense for this team as he has done in the past, as evidenced by his -30 this past season. If Karlsson can turn into a rock on the back end the way Chara is for Boston, Lidstrom is for Detroit, and Weber is for Nashville, then the Senators will finally have the building block for the future as well as a player that others want to come play with. However, Karlsson must meet these expectations for Ottawa to grow as a team, otherwise expect Ottawa to reside in the basement of the Eastern Conference.
Verdict - Karlsson progresses in his 2nd full year in the NHL, but does not meet the lofty expectations set forth for him here and thus the Senators are resigned to the basement of the Eastern Conference
Philadelphia Flyers
- Ilya Bryzgalov, G - Probably the player that has the most pressure entering this season is the new goaltender on Broad Street. The Flyers for years have adopted the same approach as the Red Wings, choosing to stack their teams with skilled forwards and defensemen but settling for average in net. However, the Flyers have not had the same results as the Red Wings over the years and thus they decided to gut their stable of forwards to add a top-notch goaltender. Bryzgalov will be expected to stabilize the rotation of goaltenders that Philadelphia once used to employ as well as providing the goods to push the Flyers deep in to the playoffs. After Philly dealt its former captain and a former 40 goal scorer to other teams just to sign Bryzgalov, the pressure cooker got turned up to the maximum setting. Can he deliver?
Verdict - Bryzgalov delivers in the regular season, but I think he fails to deliver in the postseason as he has done in Phoenix the past couple of seasons. Even though he's playing behind a better backend in Philly, Bryzgalov has been known to give up bad goals in the playoffs and shrink under pressure as he has done the past two postseasons against Detroit.
Phoenix Coyotes
- Mike Smith, G - After back to back trips to the postseason on the back of Ilya Bryzgalov, the Phoenix Coyotes have built up a tiny bit of expectations amongst its fans. However, if Phoenix fails to meet its expectations, the situation is much more dire than if this was any other team. If Phoenix fails to meet expectations, there is a high likelihood that a significant number of fans will tune out and that Phoenix will get relocated. The job now falls on Mike Smith to provide excellent goaltending in the absence of Ilya Bryzgalov and to allow Phoenix to play its defensive minded system that has steered them to the playoffs the past two seasons. However, Smith has some big shoes to fill and it is imperative that he fills them completely if Phoenix expects to build upon its back to back postseason trips.
Verdict - Mike Smith does not come close to filling Bryzgalov's shoes and the Coyotes finish in the bottom 3 in the Western Conference.
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Kris Letang, D - When the Penguins allowed Sergei Gonchar to leave after the 2009-2010 season, a lot of people felt that the Penguins were giving up their sole source of offense on the back end. However, with the emergence of Kris Letang last season as a Norris Trophy candidate, the Penguins were able to continue their winning ways despite injuries all over the place. This season, Letang will have to keep up his Norris-level of play if the Penguins expect to win their division this year with Philly, NJ, and NYR being healthy, revamped, and ready to roll. If Letang regresses back to being just a middle of the pack defensemen, then the Penguins are in serious trouble on their back end.
Verdict - Letang maintains his standard that he set so long as Crosby is healthy. In the 41 games that Letang played with Crosby, he put up 6 goals and 36 points. In the 41 games without Crosby, Letang put up 2 goals and 14 points.
San Jose Sharks
- Brent Burns, D - With San Jose disposing a lot of its offense and prospects to acquire Burns, the pressure is on for him to fill his role as the "missing piece". For years, experts have been saying that San Jose was not strong enough on the back end to go the distance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Enter Brent Burns. Burns is a big defensemen that skates well, makes good outlet passes, and has the ability to form a lethal 1-2 punch with Dan Boyle. However, was he worth dealing some of the solid secondary scoring in Devin Setoguchi, a player that has scored more than 20 goals each of the past 3 seasons and contributed 12 goals between the past two postseason runs for San Jose? We'll see if it's enough to put SJ over the hump.
Verdict - Burns steps in and plays a big role in SJ but he's not the missing piece as SJ misses too much offense come postseason time as Patrick Marleau pulls his regular disappearing act, leaving just Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Martin Havlat to carry the goal-scoring load.
St. Louis Blues
- Alex Pietrangelo, D - In his first full season in the NHL, Pietrangelo proved to be a pleasant surprise, posting 11 goals and 43 points and becoming the offensive leader on the back end for the Blues. In fact his development allowed the Blues to move their captain Erik Johnson to allow for more playing time for Pietrangelo. With the Blues making big moves this offseason to bring in some much needed veteran leadership for their forwards, and with the continual growth of their young forwards, it is a necessity that Pietrangelo keeps up. If Pietrangelo regresses, the Blues will be left without a real offensive leader unless Kevin Shattenkirk picks up the slack which seems unlikely as he is also a young player.
Verdict - Pietrangelo continues to grow, posting a 45 point season as the Blues surprise the entire Western Conference by staying in the playoff hunt until the very end.
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Dwyane Roloson, G - Probably the biggest reason behind the Tampa Bay Lightning's success was the acquisition of Dwyane Roloson on December 22nd. After acquiring him, the Lightning went 27-16-7 to close out the season and then rode him all the way to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Had Roloson not showed up, who knows where the Lightning would have ended up. His performance so good that management decided not to pursue any goaltending this offseason and thus the burden falls on Roloson to repeat his performance. The major pieces are still in place and that means the 41 year old goaltender needs to be on his game as the starting goaltender throughout the season for the Lightning to replicate their success from last year.
Verdict - I think Roloson suffers an injury and a dropoff in his performance and GM Steve Yzerman is forced to make a move for goaltending as only Mathieu Garon is behind Roloson at this point.
Toronto Maple Leafs
- James Reimer, G - One of the pleasant surprises for the Leafs last year was the play of James Reimer down the stretch. With Jonas "Monster" Gustavsson hurt and J.S. Giguere proving ineffective, the play of Reimer was a bright spot as the Leafs played fairly well at the end of the year. That strong play turned in to a 3 year $5.4 million contract and the exit of J.S. Giguere. As the Maple Leafs focused on offense this offseason, it will be up to Reimer to hold down the fort on the back end in order for the Leafs new acquisitions to make the biggest impact possible. Reimer has the potential to become another strong goalie that leads Toronto into the postseason, following in the footsteps of Turk Broda, Johnny Bower, Felix Potvin, Curtis Joseph, Ed Belfour, and others. This is the season where Reimer can take the next step and lead the Leafs back towards the postseason.
Verdict - I think Reimer is the next big thing for the Leafs and I think he has a strong season, but it's not enough to propel the Leafs to the playoffs as Tim Connolly can't overcome his annual injury bug and Toronto doesn't score enough goals to win.
Vancouver Canucks
- Roberto Luongo, G- Without a doubt, the pressure is on Luongo. Following one of the best regular seasons of his career, Luongo was able to propel (or hinder) the Vancouver Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals before he completely fell apart. The pressure is on because a lot of fans are starting to call for Cory Schneider after his strong play in relief of Luongo. With Schneider being a RFA after this season, the Canucks will have to make their decision as to whether or not they will stick with Luongo for the remainder of his contract, or try to keep both Schneider and Luongo. Essentially for Luongo, it's Stanley Cup or bust after reaching game 7 and the pressure really couldn't be any higher for him.
Verdict - Luongo fails to meet expectations simply because the Canucks don't win the Cup. He will post another strong season with 35-40 wins and solid GAA and SV% numbers, but again, its Cup or bust.
Washington Capitals
- Nicklas Backstrom, F - After a 101 point season in 2009-2010, the expectations were through the roof for the Capitals young Swedish center. Many thought, he, Ovechkin, and Semin formed the best line in hockey and everybody was eagerly anticipating how well they would perform in 2011. Well, Backstrom nearly halved his point total, dropping from 101 to 65, his goals dropping from 33 to 18, and his confidence absolutely plummeted. In the playoffs, he was nearly nonexistent, posting just 2 assists in the Capitals 9 games. With Washington going out and signing another guy that can put the puck in the net in Joel Ward and already having the best goal scorer in the NHL as his linemate, Backstrom will be expected to return to at least 90 point form if the Capitals hope to contend for the Stanley Cup again. The pressure is on once again in Washington as several people have already tabbed the Caps to win the Cup this year (The Hockey News being the big one so far), so Backstrom will need to bring his game back.
Verdict - I think Backstrom has a bit of a bounce-back year, posting around 85 points this season, but I feel that the Capitals will come up short in their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup and thus make the season an overall failure.
Winnipeg Jets
- Zach Bogosian, D - The Zach Bogosian Show has so far failed in Atlanta, now Winnipeg, and that needs to change if Bogosian expects to remain with the club much longer. When he was drafted, people were talking about his wide array of skills, his skating ability, and his puck moving for a man his size, but none of that has been evident in his three years in the NHL. His numbers have gotten worse every year, with Bogosian posting just 5 goals, 17 points, and a horrendous +/- of -27 in 71 games this past season. Already the trade rumors are ramping up with talks of him going to Detroit or Philadelphia or Pittsburgh but all of that hinges on whether or not he's able to turn his career around. I think a trade to one of the three contenders mentioned above would be in his best interest as Bogosian would be able to learn from Lidstrom, Pronger, or Letang, 3 of the elite defensemen in the NHL. However, Bogosian would serve himself well by having a strong reason to bump up his value so the Jets can get something in return.
Verdict - Bogosian struggles again as he is forced to learn the NHL game without a true veteran mentor and is eventually dumped at the trade deadline to a contending team willing to part with prospects and draft picks.
So there you have it. 30 teams and 30 players that are under a helluva lot of pressure this season. We'll see how many of them meet expectations, how many fall short, and how many surprise and dazzle us.
Prashanth Iyer
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