The NHL announced its Return to Play Plan for the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, beginning with a Qualifying Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to begin on a date to be determined.
The regular season, which was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, will not be completed, and seven teams did not qualify for the postseason based on their points percentage.
Here is a brief review of each of their seasons:
Buffalo Sabres
Record: 30-31-8, 68 points; .493 points percentage
Season summary: Energized by new coach Ralph Krueger's positivity, the Sabres started 8-1-1 and were 16-11-6 and in second place in the Atlantic Division following a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators on Dec. 12. But a 1-6-1 slide began their decline toward missing the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
Standout player: Center Jack Eichel tied for 10th in the League with 78 points (NHL-career-high 36 goals, 42 assists) in 68 games. That included 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) during an NHL season-high 17-game point streak Nov. 16-Dec. 17.
Biggest question entering offseason: Will general manager Jason Botterill get another season to rebuild? The Sabres have shown some improvement in their three seasons under Botterill but faded after promising starts in each of the past two.
New Jersey Devils
Record: 28-29-12, 68 points; .493 points percentage
Season summary: The Devils failed to live up to expectations after selecting center Jack Hughes with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and trading for defenseman P.K. Subban and forward Nikita Gusev in the offseason. A 9-13-4 start led to the firing of coach John Hynes on Dec. 3. Forward Taylor Hall was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 16 and GM Ray Shero was fired on Jan. 12. New Jersey went 19-16-8 after Alain Nasreddine took over as coach but missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.
Standout player: Mackenzie Blackwood emerged as the Devils No. 1 goalie by leading NHL rookies with 22 wins (22-14-8) and ranking second among rookies who played at least 20 games with a .915 save percentage and three shutouts. With the regular season truncated, Blackwood fell five wins short of Martin Brodeur's Devils rookie record of 27 in 1993-94.
Biggest question entering offseason: Will Nasreddine and general manager Tom Fitzgerald return? Each were midseason replacements. The Devils have reportedly interviewed other candidates for each job.
Anaheim Ducks
Record: 29-33-9, 67 points; .472 points percentage
Season summary: Rebuilding with a younger roster under first-year coach Dallas Eakins, the Ducks went through some expected ups and downs. After going 9-6-0 in its first 15 games, Anaheim went 8-18-5 in its next 31 to fall out of contention and missed the playoffs for the second straight season. The Ducks ranked 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.56) and scored two goals or fewer in 39 of 71 games.
Standout player: Center Adam Henrique led the Ducks with 26 goals and 43 points. He was first on the team with five power-play goals, tied for the lead with nine power-play points and tied for 18th in the NHL in winning 55 percent of his face-offs (minimum 600 draws).
Biggest question entering offseason: How can the Ducks speed up the rebuild? Some of Anaheim's young forwards did not progress as hoped this season. Would trading a defenseman for a scoring forward help?
Los Angeles Kings
Record: 29-35-6, 64 points; .457 points percentage
Season summary: Los Angeles was one of the hottest teams in the NHL before the season was paused on March 12, winning its past seven games and going 10-2-1 in its final 13. Although that wasn't enough to prevent the Kings from missing the playoffs for the second straight season, it boosted coach Todd McLellan's and GM Rob Blake's belief that they're headed in the right direction.
Standout player: Center Anze Kopitar led the Kings in goals (21), assists (41), points (62), power-play goals (seven) and power-play points (21). The Kings captain was also first among their forwards in averaging 21:02 of ice time per game and led Los Angeles by winning 55.1 percent of face-offs (minimum 10 draws).
Biggest question entering offseason: Will Los Angeles acquire a defenseman? The Kings have a prospect pool that already includes forwards Alex Turcotte, Gabriel Vilardi, Arthur Kaliyev and Samuel Fagemo and 11 picks in the 2020 NHL Draft if they are interested in trading for a defenseman.
San Jose Sharks
Record: 29-36-5, 63 points; .450 points percentage
Season summary: After losing in the Western Conference Final last season, the Sharks had trouble replacing captain Joe Pavelski, who signed with the Dallas Stars, and went 4-10-1 in their first 15 games. San Jose rebounded to go 11-2-0 in its next 13, but a 0-4-1 start to December led to the firing of coach Peter DeBoer on Dec. 11. Injuries to forwards Logan Couture (fractured ankle) and Tomas Hertl (torn ACL and MCL) and defenseman Erik Karlsson (broken thumb) ended any hope of a second half comeback.
Standout player: Although he missed 18 games, Couture finished fifth on the Sharks with 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in 52 games and was the only forward on the team who played more than 20 games without a minus rating (he was even).
Biggest question entering offseason: Will coach Bob Boughner return? The Sharks went 14-20-3 after Boughner replaced DeBoer but were hampered by injuries and GM Doug Wilson was pleased with how they competed under him.
Ottawa Senators
Record: 25-34-12, 62 points; .437 points percentage
Season summary: The rebuilding Senators went through some growing pains in their first season under coach D.J. Smith but battled after a 1-6-1 start and managed to be competitive for much of the season, particularly at home where they were 18-13-6. Playing 10 rookie skaters over the course of the season, Ottawa was tied for 24th in the League in goals per game (2.68), 30th in goals-against per game (3.35), last on the power play (14.2 percent) and tied for 28th on the penalty kill (76.1 percent).
Standout player: Thomas Chabot continued to establish himself as a top defenseman and more than lived up to the eight-year contract extension he signed on Sept. 19, 2019. The 23-year-old led the NHL in averaging 26:00 in ice time per game and led Ottawa defensemen with 39 points (six goals, 33 assists) in 71 games.
Biggest question entering offseason: Will the Senators win the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery? Ottawa has its own first-round pick and San Jose's (from 2018 trade for Erik Karlsson). Winning the lottery and the opportunity to select coveted forward Alexis Lafreniere would provide a significant boost to the rebuild.
Detroit Red Wings
Record: 17-49-5, 39 points; .275 points percentage
Season summary: The Red Wings won three of their first four games before going 1-11-1 in their next 13. Detroit won three straight from Nov. 8-12 but did not string together more than two consecutive wins the remainder of the season. In the middle of a rebuild following a run of 25 straight seasons in the playoffs, the Red Wings have failed to qualify the past four seasons.
Standout player: Forward Tyler Bertuzzi led the Red Wings and matched his NHL career-high from 2018-19 with 21 goals, and established NHL career-highs with 27 assists and 48 points in 71 games. In his fourth NHL season, the 25-year-old was selected to represent Detroit at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game.
Biggest question entering offseason: Will coach Jeff Blashill be retained? Steve Yzerman inherited Blashill as coach when he was hired as the Red Wings GM on April 19, 2019 and might be looking to make a change after four straight losing seasons.
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