One question facing each Canadian NHL team in 2022-23
Posted Sep 2, 2022 12:00:00 PM.
The off-season is winding down and rosters are rounding out.
Between now and puck drop on the 2022-23 season come questions about the work each team put in this summer.
So let’s get a vibe check of all seven Canadian teams by analyzing one question each one faces heading into the 2022-23 season.
Ottawa: Are the Senators' off-season additions enough to make them competitive?
The Senators were one of the busiest teams this summer, adding Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux, and Cam Talbot via free agency and trades.
Up front, the additions of DeBrincat and Giroux are huge. The former Blackhawk is a frequent shooter who drives to the quality areas, and has the finishing talent to match. He’s coming off a 41-goal season where he met expectations thanks to his quality shooting. The winger can add some playmaking to that line as well. In Giroux, the Senators add a versatile two-way forward who can play centre or wing, set up or shoot, and bring defensive support. The two should slot well alongside playmaker Tim Stützle to give Ottawa a really strong top-six.
The addition of Talbot adds some stability in net alongside Anton Forsberg, especially since he doesn’t have the same injury history as Matt Murray.
Is it enough, though?
The Atlantic Division is one of the toughest in the league, so there’s quite the hill to climb even to get a wild card seed. The competition isn’t all that stands in Ottawa’s way; their defence does. The Senators were one of the worst teams in the league, allowing 2.83 expected goals against in 2021-22. And the personnel isn’t different enough going into this year. While having possession more thanks to their offensive improvements should help, adding another defenceman and adjusting some strategies seems crucial.
Montreal: Will Cole Caufield build on his second half?
It really doesn’t matter if Montreal is among the worst teams in the league this season. That’s pretty much the expectation after much of this roster has been stripped down, and more National Hockey League (NHL) calibre players are expected to be on the move at the deadline. It matters that head coach Marty St. Louis can keep the vibes up and that the young core can keep progressing. That includes Caufield, who really found his footing under the fellow short king.
Post-coaching change, the winger’s ice time jumped up and his play certainly warranted it. What also changed was his shot locations, with a much heavier concentration in the slot starting in mid-February. The goal scoring followed. That’s what has to continue for Caufield to keep developing this upcoming season, in what the Canadiens are likely hoping is a more stable season at the NHL level.
The challenge is to not get bogged down by the team around him if the losses keep piling up. But with a core of Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and possibly first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, there’s potential for the building blocks of this retooling process.
Winnipeg: Have the Jets done enough to move past mediocrity?
The roster isn’t that much different from where the Jets left off in 2021-22. What is different is the coaching staff. Rick Bowness has a reputation for defensive structure, even though his teams tend to be a bit more on the boring side. And that does fit what the Jets need; at five-on-five Winnipeg ranked poorly in the number of shots they conceded, scoring chances, and quality passes. It’s not solely on their blue line, either. Their forwards at the top, like Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, add to their defensive weaknesses. So the coaching staff has its work cut out for them to help work on play back in their own zone without it weighing on their offensive creation.
Still, even with their best offensive weapons clicking and improved team defence to give Connor Hellebuyck some support, the Jets may need reinforcements to have a chance at going up against Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis, Nashville, and Dallas all in their own division.
Edmonton: Is Jack Campbell the answer between the pipes?
The Oilers have two of the best forwards in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They have productive secondary players as well in Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, among others. And there’s even some progress on the backend, with Evan Bouchard’s emergence along with some important coaching changes.
The unreliable aspect of their team in 2021-22 was goaltending. While Mike Smith performed better than projected, saving almost five goals above expected in the regular season, there’s always a level of unpredictability with his game. Mikko Koskinen struggled, too.
Now, Smith is out for the year while Koskinen departed as a free agent. So Edmonton’s going in with a mostly new-look crease. Third-stringer from last year, Stuart Skinner, returns and should be a serviceable backup. But the big ticket add this summer was Campbell, formerly of the Maple Leafs.
There’s a level of unpredictability with his game as well. After getting off to a strong start, Campbell's game absolutely collapsed mid-way through the year dragging his GSAx just into the negatives. He had defensive support in Toronto, and if the Oilers pick up where they left off with Jay Woodcroft’s coaching adjustments, Campbell shouldn’t be hung out to dry with his new club. But whether he can outperform expectations to the point that their elite forwards will have the backend support they need is the pressing question.
