The NHL season is not even a week old and each team (except the Dallas Stars, who have not started their season) has played a handful of games. Despite a 56-game campaign, it is still too early to overreact and draw conclusions, though that time will come quicker this year. With teams only battling others within their respective realigned divisions — some have seemingly become more difficult, others easier — the hierarchy of the NHL could change, at least somewhat. Thus, now is the time to rewind to last year and wonder: Which teams could be at risk of going from first to worst now? Or, rephrased: Which once-elite team is most vulnerable this season? USA TODAY Sports’ NHL experts break it all down with their picks.– Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports– Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press– Jimmy Hascup, USA TODAY SportsThen this season started, and the Stars were waylaid by a COVID-19 outbreak within their team in training camp that saw as many as 17 players test positive and led to the postponement of their first five games. They’re supposed to return to the ice Friday, but will the players all be back to their old selves? Even if the players are fine physically, it seems they will be out of sync against teams that have already spent over a week in competitive settings developing chemistry and building their game. Add in that Tyler Seguin, who struggled in the bubble but was still the team’s leading scorer in the regular season, is expected to miss significant time … and there’s reasons for concern.– Jace Evans, USA TODAY Sports
All data is taken from the source: http://usatoday.com
Article Link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2021/01/21/nhl-2021-debate-which-once-top-team-struggle-now/4196449001/
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