Giving out one Christmas gift for every NHL team this season
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL is on a Holiday Break and as players sit with their family and friends opening gifts from Santa, the Daily Goal Horn is playing Kris Kringle.
Here’s one gift for every team in the league broken down by division. Enjoy and Happy Holidays everyone!
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Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins (Youth Serum): This is an old team and their window is closing. They could sure use more years out of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Maybe one of their 2015 Draft Picks panning out would be nice too.
Buffalo Sabres (Respect): Let’s face it, the Sabres have been a joke for awhile with players wanting to jump ship for years. Now that the Eichel drama is done, they can focus on building a strong foundation and winning hockey games.
Detroit Red Wings (A Goalie): Steve Yzerman has built a very good team with lots of young talent. They just need a future netminder to go with Lucas Raymond sooner rather than later.
Florida Panthers (Goaltending Consistency): The Panthers have it all this season and the resurgence of Sergei Bobrovsky makes them top Cup contenders – as long as he keeps performing at this level.
Montreal Canadiens (Game 82): Seriously, the end of the season can’t come soon enough for this team. Better days are ahead.
Tampa Bay Lightning (A Force-field for Kucherov): This team certainly can three-peat but they need their stars healthy in order to win. Kucherov has missed way too much time the last few years.
Toronto Maple Leafs (Win a Round): Honestly, this team has under-performed almost as much as the Edmonton Oilers but boasts more stars. Another first-round ouster and there will be changes in Toronto.
Central Division
Arizona Coyotes (Relocation): The only thing that saves most teams from being the butt-end of jokes in the NHL are the Coyotes. It’s a shame really because the fans are great there, but this team could use a fresh start.
Chicago Blackhawks (Rebuild): This team is a shadow of its former and needs to come to the realization that it should fully rebuild. It will be painful, but ultimately worth it. Just ask the Rangers.
Colorado Avalanche (Playoff Luck): They really could use better goaltending, but the team is so offensively gifted that a little more luck in the playoffs could lead to a long overdue championship.
Dallas Stars (A Magic 8-Ball): Here is another team at a crossroads. Do they try to add to what they have or is it time to start trading veterans for the future.
Minnesota Wild (Veteran Defenseman): The Wild are pretty good at scoring and have a solid goalie in Cam Talbot. They could use a guy like Mike Giordano on the blue-line though.
Nashville Predators (A Crystal Ball): The Predators are good enough to make the playoffs – great! But they’ve been good enough for awhile with no Cup to show for it. If they could see the future they would know what is the next best step? Retool or Rebuild?
St. Louis Blues (Tarsenko Changes His Mind): The Blues look solid and have a lot of scoring depth. Vladimir Tarasenko still wants out, but if they could change his mind it would help for a long playoff run.
Winnipeg Jets (A Life Coach): This team has way too much talent to still be looking like they are in need of answers. Paul Maurice just walked away because he felt they needed a new voice. Let’s see what Dave Lowry can do.
Metro Division
Carolina Hurricanes (John Klingberg): Rod Brind’Amour has the Canes clicking but would love add another defenseman to help with the loss of Dougie Hamilton.
Columbus Blue Jackets (More Chinakhov Points): The Jackets are hoping Yegor Chinakhov turns into a star, but it would be nice if the kid started putting up more points. He has only 4 in 19 games.
New Jersey Devils (Hit Alert for Jack Hughes): The #1 overall selection in the 2019 Draft has a penchant for skating with his head down. NJ invested a lot of money in him with an 8 year deal worth $64 million. They need him healthy and aware of incoming traffic.
New York Islanders (A Do Over): Injuries, COVID, a bad start, and losing streaks – this team is an hole and unlikely to make the playoffs. Dead last in the Metro for a team many thought would win the Cup.
New York Rangers (Top Six Winger): I would say more cap space but that’s an issue for next season. The Rangers have gone from mid-tier to contenders quickly. They need more scoring and a top six rental on the wing would do the trick.
Philadelphia Flyers (Defense): Things have looked marginally better after firing Alain Vigneault, but this team has been swiss cheese in their own zone for too long. A healthy Ryan Ellis will help.
Pittsburgh Penguins (Bubble Wrap for Malkin): Honestly, the Penguins are good and they do it with players you never heard of. However, it would be nice to have Malkin healthy for once.
Washington Capitals (Goaltending): Yes, Ilya Samsonov has been solid but if the Caps can acquire a top veteran netminder at the trade deadline, another Ovechkin Cup bender could be on the horizon. Maybe Marc-Andre Fleury?
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks (Continued Success): This team has surprised everyone this season, and if they can keep the good times rolling will have a legit shot at the playoffs.
Calgary Flames (More Scoring): One of the best defensive teams in the game with great goaltending, they need more offense. Whether that’s Sean Monahan waking up or a trade remains to be seen.
Los Angeles Kings (Playoff Berth): The Kings have some promising prospects but made moves like signing Phillip Danault to please their aging core. A playoff spot is the payoff.
Edmonton Oilers (A Playoff Run): They have two of the best players in the world but can’t seem to win a round in the postseason. I don’t think McDavid can carry the team by himself and looks more dejected after each playoff season.
San Jose Sharks (A Trade Partner): The Sharks are hopeful to unload Evander Kane and his remaining 3 years at 50% salary.
Seattle Kraken (Winning the Lottery): Let’s face it, they are an expansion franchise and the first overall pick in the draft is how to build for the future.
Vancouver Canucks (Pettersson Magic): Elias Pettersson finding his form and breaking out into superstardom.
Vegas Golden Knights (Health): No team has lost more man-power games this season. Plus when Jack Eichel comes off LTIR, they will want to keep the team intact for a Stanley Cup run.
