Five NHL Players Who Will Return to Form
There is nothing more disappointing for a hockey fan than watching a team superstar or NHL favorite have a disappointing season. Scoring too few goals, not protecting the net well enough, etc. And while having a player struggle can sometimes lead to a new star emerging, it’s best for a team to have all their players firing on all cylinders. So how does a player have a bounce-back year? It can happen in a couple different ways. A trade, being healthy again, or even something finally clicking in the mind can return a player back to their usual level of hockey greatness. Here are five players I believe will have bounce back years.
1. Sidney Crosby
When the 2012-2013 season begins, Sidney Crosby will be two things: wealthy and healthy. Since entering the league as the first pick in the 2005 Entry Draft, Sid the Kid has been nothing but phenomenal. The centre scored an incredible 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) his rookie year. He followed that with a 120-point (36 goals, 84 assist) season. However, Crosby has been hampered with concussions over the past two seasons. He has only played 63 games in the last two seasons. And while scoring over 100 points in these 63 games, he is capable of much, much more. Last season’s 8 goals and 29 assists will seem like a joke after this coming season, which Penguin fans hope he will play in it’s entirety. Sidney Crosby is the best player in the NHL when healthy, and love him or hate him, the NHL is better with him playing.
2. Patrick Kane
Surprisingly, Patrick Kane isn’t the most popular player in Chicago anymore. The first pick in the 2007 NHL draft, the 23-year old winger helped revitalize hockey in Chicago. Heck, he scored the Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Flyers. But Kaner has had a couple off-ice issues and coupled with steadily decreasing point totals, Blackhawk fans are obviously worried. In 2009, Kane and his brother were in an altercation with a Buffalo cab driver, and Kane supposedly punched the driver when he didn’t have the right change. He also is known to have quite the party streak in him, and this off-season Kane was photographed partying at the University of Wisconsin after the Hawks were eliminated from the playoffs. And speaking of the playoffs, Kane has all but disappeared in the last two seasons playoffs, tallying a measly 4 assists in 6 playoff games last season. Kane is considered one of Chicago’s numerous elite offensive players, and both fans and coaches expect a lot more from him. Pair this with Kane’s admitted embarrassment from all his off-ice issues and a sense of urgency in the Hawk locker room, and I think Kane will have at least an 80-point season.
3. Tuukka Rask
When Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask supplanted Tim Thomas as the Boston Bruin’s starting goaltender in 2009, Bruin’s fans thought they were done with Thomas. But Tim Thomas is a future Hall of Famer, and he reclaimed his spot. Since then, Rask has seen his playing time, and numbers, dramatically drop. His 2009 season saw him start 45 games, and he posted a 22-12-5 record with a goals against average of an incredible 1.97 and save percentage of .930. But backing up Thomas in 2010, he saw his GAA rise to 2.67, and he posted a 11-14-2 record in 29 games. Last season was better, posting an 11-8-3 record in 23 games, and lowering his GAA to 2.09. But with Thomas not playing this season, Rask will be named the starter for Boston, and he won’t have to settle with being the second choice. Rask has shown that he plays better in the spotlight than the shadows; I look for him to be a potential Vezina candidate.
4. Dany Heatley
Dany Heatley of the Minnesota Wild has five 80+ point seasons and two 100+ point seasons. Once considered one of the elite goal scorers in the NHL, his numbers have significantly dropped the last couple of seasons. Last season he posted 24 goals and 29 assists for the Wild, and fans know he can do better. At 31-years old, Heatley still has a lot of hockey left in his tank. His 53 points led the Wild last season. And while the Wild last season had some solid players, they really needed someone else to help Heatley out on offense. And then they got Zach Parise, who should help. And they also got top defenseman Ryan Suter. Heatley has thrived with other stars in the past, and with the addition of two great players in Parise and Suter, I expect Heatley to thrive again.
5. Rick Nash
Rick Nash has always put up consistent numbers. But last season, Nash put up his lowest point totals since the 2006-2007 season. However, Rick Nash was recently traded to the New York Rangers, and for the first time in his career, is playing with other players of his caliber. Never has Rick Nash played with other elite players like Marian Gaborik or Brad Richards. Nash has never played on a team realistically capable of winning a Stanley Cup. I, for one, am extremely excited to see Nash on a team loaded with talent. Nash is a player who has never broken the 80-point barrier in a season. But this season, I don’t only expect him to break it, I expect him to shatter it.
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