NHL teams are doing better than expected
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
With the 2024-25 NHL season just beginning, some teams are already performing well beyond expectations, while others are falling short. Last week, we looked closely at three teams that haven't lived up to fans' hopes. This week, we’ll focus on three teams that have surprised everyone with a stronger-than-expected start to the season.
Starting with the Winnipeg Jets, the Jets have topped the power rankings since the first week of the season with an 8-0 record. Under new head coach Scott Arniel, the Jets are sitting at the top of the Central Division and Western Conference and are the league’s only undefeated team thus far. Arniel has made history as the first coach in NHL history to go 8-0-0 to start his tenure with a new team. Winnipeg can credit their early success to goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who has a .940 save percentage and a 1.66 goals-against average (GAA). Hellebuyck has always been a great goaltender, but he keeps improving each year.
Left-wing Kyle Connor has kept himself on the scoresheet for all eight games of the season, with six goals and four assists. This is alongside center Mark Scheifele, who has five goals and five assists. Also, defenceman Neal Pionk tallied one goal and nine assists, with forward Nikolaj Ehlers acquiring four goals and six assists. Scheifele said, "I think there's no complacency; we've found ways to get wins, but I think the biggest thing is to continue to work at things and continue to get better. It's still so early in the season". The biggest thing for the Jets right now is not getting cocky. No matter who the team is, they just have to keep playing their game, and they should be able to stay at the top.
The Calgary Flames have started this season with a 5-2-1 record, with a retooling approach rather than a complete rebuild, giving them one of their best starts in franchise history. Head coach Ryan Huska has tweaked the Flames’ system to make the team more aggressive and has made defensive changes to allow defensemen the green light to move into the neutral zone without the fear of leaving the blue line empty—this is because forwards fill in for the defensemen’s place when they move up on the rink. Calgary is now tenth in the percentage of five-on-five high-danger chances after finishing eighteenth last season and is fourth in high-danger save percentage.
The Flames' new system requires a higher physicality compared to previous seasons. This seems to be working, though, as the more physical brand of hockey they are playing has boosted them from twenty-third in the league in hits to twelfth. With veteran players like centers Nazem Kadri, who has four goals and two assists, and Jonathan Huberdeau, who has four goals and three assists, the Flames have stability and experience working for their team. Hopefully, this new system will prove what Calgary needs to make this season’s playoffs.
Lastly, the Minnesota Wild have a 5-1-2 record to start this season. Despite their weak performance last season and a string of injuries among key players, the Wild are off to a better-than-expected start. Left-wing Kirill Kaprizov has racked up 15 points, with four goals and eleven assists making up his scoring breakdown. Kaprizov is an underrated player and should be a candidate for the Hart Most Valuable Player Trophy; yet, since he is in Minnesota—he’s going to continue to be overlooked despite his talent. Second-year defenseman Brock Faber is proving to be an integral part of the Wild’s success so far, averaging 26:06 on ice time combined with his innate hockey intelligence, the kid is bound to be a top defenseman in the league. In between the pipes, goaltender Filip Gustavsson has played the best he has ever played, with a 2.17 GAA and a .922 save percentage. If the Wild can keep offensive production high and pick up their defensive efforts to support the goaltending, then they should be able to sustain their success.
After focusing on the teams that could use a little work this year, it is nice to sing the praises of teams performing markedly well. I look forward to seeing how these teams progress as the season progresses.