Ten Worst NHL Player Surprises

SI Staff | Dec 16, 2013

Ten Worst NHL Player Surprises /

Ten Worst NHL Player Surprises

10. Alex Burrows

Out since Dec. 1 with a broken jaw, the usually durable forward, once a productive linemate of the Sedins, has had a brutal season that started with a broken foot on Opening Night. (He missed more than three weeks.) But even when Burrows was in Vancouver's lineup, the Canucks went 6-7-4 in the 17 games he played. He saw the ice for more than 18 minutes per game, but failed to score a goal despite taking 49 shots and his -7 rating was the worst among the team's forwards. His slump and absence has forced coach John Tortorella to search for someone to slot in on the Sedins' line in the hope they can recreate some of the chemistry the twins used to have with Burrows. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

9. Sam Gagner

He was consistently good for 13-to-18 goals in all six of his previous NHL seasons, but if you prorated his 14-goal effort in 48 games last season, it seemed like Gagner was ready to deliver on the scoring savvy he showed while posting an eight-point night against the Blackhawks in Feb. 2012. Then he broke his jaw in a preseason game when he was struck by the stick of Vancouver's Zack Kassian and was out until late October. Playing with a face shield, Gagner has three goals in 21 games and a -12 rating. Even more worrying, his play in his own zone became so indifferent that the Oilers moved him to the wing. Will they move him out next? -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

8. Dany Heatley

After missing the playoffs last season because of a shoulder injury, Heatley said he would be disappointed if he didn't rebound with a 30-goal season, his first since 2009-10. Instead, the 32-year old who came into the campaign with 360 goals on his resume has put up just six -- and four assists -- in 35 games. He is also -10, four points worse than any other player on a team that is eight games above .500. The former NHL All-Star Game MVP was downgraded to the team's fourth line after committing a rash of turnovers. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

7. Alex Edler

It wasn't a happy sight earlier this season when John Tortorella motioned Edler to the end of the bench during Vancouver's 5-1 loss in the Canucks coach's return to Madison Square Garden. But at -12, Edler has really had trouble knowing when to hold his position and when to chase the play. He is trying to overcompensate for his initial mistakes and has dug himself deeper into his coach's roomy doghouse. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

6. Evgeni Nabokov

It isn't as if the Islanders have much better options, but Nabokov (5-5-4; 3.13; .896) isn't helping the team's cause as its noticeably aging 38-year-old No. 1 goalie. After a strong 2013 season and respectable first-round showing against the Penguins last spring, the Islanders have fallen fast and hard. Considering that Nabokov is just eight months removed from a solid season (23-11-7; 2.50; .910), his decline and time on injured reserve with a groin injury are key reasons why the Isles are destined for an early summer vacation. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

5. Nail Yakupov

The overall No. 1 pick of the 2012 entry draft and key part of the Oilers' future ranks last in the NHL with a -21 rating and has just five goals and six assists in 32 games. That should tell you all you need to know about the Oilers' present. Coach Dallas Eakins has shifted him from wing to wing, cut his minutes, upped his minutes, benched him and coddled him with power play time he hasn't really earned. Yakupov, who has just one goal at even strength, complained about how he's been used and his agent suggested that the Oilers trade him. This kid looks like a project with a long way to go. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

4. Jimmy Howard

Howard's record was a combined 130-62-26 during the past four years and he posted identical 2.13 goals-against averages each of the last two seasons, with save percentages of .920 and .923, but now the netminder who was expected to contend for a Sochi spot on Team USA is having his worst campaign to date (6-8-7, 2.65, .910 in 21 games). Howard has been outplayed by teammate Jonas Gustavsson and his dismal season was made even worse by an MCL sprain that will sideline him until at least the end of December. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

3. Craig Anderson

Not since his early days with the Blackhawks has Anderson put up such mediocre numbers. Consider his superb lockout-shortened 2013 season (12-9-2, 1.69 GAA, .941 save pct.) and it's hard to see what's missing other than the tooth he spit out in last season's playoffs. Anderson was an apparent lock to make the U.S. Olympic team this winter even with some tough competition in the goalie pool. Now, with horrendous numbers (9-8-3; 3.36; .898) as the season's midpoint approaches, is he even in the discussion? -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

2. David Clarkson

His 30-goal season in 2011-12 was an indication of what he could contribute on the scoreboard in addition to his obvious physical presence. After signing a seven-year, $36.75 million contract with Toronto during the summer, Clarkson was expected to become an impact player as a power forward. Instead, he produced only two goals and four assists in 23 games and was demoted to the Maple Leafs' third line. He hasn't helped himself, or his new team, by earning a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench during a preseason scrum and a two-game ban for a head shot on Dec. 12. -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

1. Henrik Lundqvist

Earlier in the season, King Henrik could easily have been distracted by the contract discussions that dragged on into early December. But even after he signed his new seven-year, $59.5 million deal that will keep him on Broadway until age 39, the 2012 Vezina Trophy-winner has let in a surprising number of goals on his glove side, and the Rangers are a game below .500 while the numbers for New York's back-up, Cam Talbot (6-2-0; 1.74; .934), are better than those of the team's more esteemed starter (10-14-1; 2.71; .909). -- <italics>Brian Cazeneuve</italics> <bold>Ten Best NHL Player Surprises</bold>

Published Dec 16, 2013

SI STAFF