|
Which Team is the Most Interesting in the NHL, Part 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
We're off to a great start! How have you liked the list so far?
I'm back with Part 2. These are the "blah" teams. Not super interesting, but not dull either. They're somewhere in the middle. Enjoy.
11.Winnipeg Jets - The Jets might be #11 on this list, for now, but they'll continue dropping down in the ratings over the next couple of seasons. Oh, we all know the fans in Winnipeg are simply amazing. There's something very Oilers about it: Small city, no one wants to live there...but the people who are there are extremely proud and determined to prove to the rest of the world that it is, in fact, a big league city. It isn't, and fans are both cute and tragic because of how oblivious they are about their own situation. In Winnipeg, it's the Matrix movie when Neo gets stuck in the subway station. The team itself has Dustin Byfuglien, and he's interesting. Aside from his name being a vowel disaster, he always shows up 70lbs overweight to camp, and I can relate to that. So can most of you. Evander Kane is interesting because he's more or less one arrest away from ending his NHL career. I've enjoyed this summer the Nik Andropov leaving storyline almost as much as I've enjoyed the Alexander Burmistrov "I'd rather be anywhere else" storyline. The Zach Bogosian signing this summer was interesting in the sense that the Jets had to completely overpay him. His overpriced contract came a few days after the team completely overpaid another guy, Blake Wheeler. I'm not sure what management is doing, but this roster has some serious issues and question marks. Do the Jets have the richest owner in the league? That could be interesting if I was a puck bunny...but I'm not.
12.New York Islanders - John Tavares.
13.Detroit Red Wings - Functional. Sane. The NHL's only perfectly run franchise. I gave the Red Wings points because my friend Andrew has been posting blogs on Hockeybuzz about them. Oh, and also because of Pavel Datsyuk, who is the NHL's human highlight reel. Even the jerseys are epic in Detroit. I'd like the team more if Chris Chelios still played, and if there was the occasional downtown riot - because if any city deserves a good downtown riot once in a while, it's Detroit. Just when you thought the team would start sucking, they saw your Alfredsson and raised you a Weiss. Now if only they can make a deal to bring in one more legitimate NHL defenseman, this team will be rocking. They'll probably be pretty good this season, anyway. It's the Wings. What else do you expect?
14.Chicago Blackhawks - Another team I'm going to punish for being good and normal. Jonathan Toews is the best all-around center in the NHL. Patrick Kane is a speed demon. I get the feeling off the ice, Kane has a little too much fun, if you know what I mean. My hand is making the "drinky drinky" motion. But on the ice, the man is magical. Keith...Seabrook...Sharp...Hossa...This team is just way too functional to be considered interesting. I've always loved their jersey, however, so for that reason I'll put them higher up the list than they should be. Best fans at the best arena in the sport, although Bruins fans with their standing up the entire time thru multiple overtimes came close.
15.New Jersey Devils - Like all other professional sports teams owned by the IRS, Devils management are too busy being bogged down in paper work to have time putting together a decent team. Here's an interesting story: Ilya Kovalchuk, one of the Top 10 forwards in the entire NHL, decides to walk away with several years left in his contract, and the team just lets him. In fact, they were happy about it. Why? Because they have no money. This team is going to involuntarily go through a full rebuild because they don't have the cash to keep the good players, which makes them the modern equivalent of the 1990's Oilers. Watching that team back then was more painful than interesting. Let's hope for everyone's sake the Devils are relocated to Quebec City as soon as possible. As soon as the Devils are les Nordiques, they'll make their way to the top of this list.
16.Anaheim Ducks - This is one weird franchise. Does Disney still own it? That would explain if things look like a circus in Anaheim at times. This team has some incredible players (Getzlaf and Perry most notably), the league's oldest guy in Teemu Selanne, who still is a better player than 90% of the other players in the league. The team has some interesting prospects, and could have four guys fighting for the starting goalie job in a few seasons. They're interesting enough, I suppose. In many ways, the most interesting story in Anaheim is the question "why aren't they better"? Oh, and that Bobby Ryan trade. Does anyone know why they traded him? Does anyone know why they accepted such a lousy return?
17.Boston Bruins - You'd think the team that just made the Stanley Cup Finals would lead the list, but they don't. If Tim Thomas was still in the picture, the Bruins would be incredibly interesting. But he's gone, and now all you're left with is solid players, excellent depth, and yet another chance to win a cup. Patrice Bergeron has went from being the most underrated player in the league to becoming a household name after making his way through the playoffs with two broken knees, a crushed pelvis and a case of itchy scrot. Zdeno Chara belongs in Philadelphia, because he's a wrecking machine. Iggy signed with the Bruins after shunning them for the Penguins last year. But does being good make a team interesting? Not sure.
18.Dallas Stars - The trades this summer to acquire Tyler Seguin and Shawn Horcoff make the Stars interesting. Sadly, Seguin's off-ice attitude might keep him from becoming the superstar his abilities say he should be. And we, in Edmonton, all know about the train wreck that is Shawn Horcoff. That's going to be one messed up dressing room. Dallas's ownership is putting plenty of money into the team, for now, to try and make it work in Dallas. Will it? That's about the most interesting story to be found here. The team isn't going to be very good, and no one in Dallas would notice if they were. I will be interested to see what happens with Seguin this season, though.
19.St. Louis Blues - I'd love to rank this team much higher. I do believe they will be a cup contender, because their line-up is just that good. A very solid Top 6 group with size and skill; the best group of six defensemen in the league; two goalies who could be starters. Unfortunately, the fan base in St. Louis is tiny and the coaching style is trap city. So instead of being one of the most interesting teams, they end up coming off as being rather dull. They almost moved up the list with the Perron trade this summer and the negative comments about the player from area media afterwards, but not quite.
20. Toronto Maple Leafs - The only thing that makes the Leafs interesting is the fan base. The entire team is a shrine to “meh”. The forward group is good, not great. The D has a couple of solid future guys, but for now, it’s an average group. The goaltending has two good, not great, guys. The prospect depth? You guessed it: Good, not great. This team is good. Likely a playoff team. But interesting? Hells no.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»