Music: {allcanada} 10 things we didn't see coming into the season

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

{allcanada} 10 things we didn't see coming into the season

Things we didn't see coming into this NHL season:

1. Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets headed toward divorce: Nash has always had a respectful attitude about the game and his team. He has always been a company man. For him to have asked for a trade means the Blue Jackets hit rock bottom.

2. Erik Karlsson being a poor man's Bobby Orr: He's seventh in the NHL scoring race, and he has 23 points more than the second-highest scoring defenseman.

3. The Washington Capitals fighting for a playoff spot: Wasn't it yesterday that goalie Tomas Vokoun's signing looked like it might be the missing piece to push the team to the Stanley Cup Final? Unless they rebound and play well in the playoffs, the Capitals seem primed for a major roster shakeup this summer. Seeing Alex Ovechkin 44th in the scoring race says it all. With his ability, he should always be in the top five.

4. Sidney Crosby playing only eight games heading into March: Nothing illustrates the mystery of the human brain and the danger of concussions better than Crosby's absence from the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup.

5. Ottawa center Jason Spezza being fourth in the NHL scoring race: He probably has been among the NHL leaders in trade rumors the past few seasons.

6. Coach Paul MacLean getting Ottawa into the playoffs: It was clear MacLean knew the game, but many of us thought he might be too nice a guy to be a head coach. Who knew that "nice" could be an effective coaching strategy? It's easy to root for MacLean to have success.

7. Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas becoming a controversial figure: Always an interesting interview, Thomas surprised the hockey world by deciding not to accompany his team to the White House as his form of political protest. The flap over that hasn't affected his play. He has been stellar. But you have to wonder if there will be ramifications up the road when the Bruins have to make the decision about when Tuukka Rask deserves his opportunity to be No. 1.

8. The Nashville Predators ranking 10th in goal scoring and first on the power play: They lack the high-profile offensive catalyst, but they have scored well by committee. It also helps to have two premium defenseman in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. It also helps that Weber seems to be able to shoot the puck faster than the speed of sound.

9. Ilya Bryzgalov still "lost in the woods" this late in the season: Everyone believed the Philadelphia Flyers overpaid for Bryzgalov, but no one suspected he would struggle as much as he has this season. Philadelphia fans better fill their thermoses with ice tea because it will be a long offseason if Bryzgalov doesn't rediscover the magic he had in Phoenix.

10. The Los Angeles Kings being last in scoring and scrapping to make the playoffs: Coming into the season, they looked like a team on the rise after adding Mike Richards to a group that included Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Justin Williams and Drew Doughty. When Dean Lombardi acquired Jeff Carter last week, he said he figured, worst-case scenario, that the Kings would be in the middle of the pack in scoring.