NHL players looking for a bounce back season

After a great start to his career that saw him record back-to-back 60-point seasons, Nylander's 2018-19 season got off to a late start, as he missed nearly half of the season due to a contract dispute. When he returned, he struggled to recapture his offensive touch and struggled through a disappointing year. He looks poised to erase that bad taste this season and should once again be a prominent part of the Maple Leafs' talented core. He got off to a great start with two goals and two assists in his first three games. 

He finished the 2018-19 season with 30 goals, but 18 of those goals came in the month of November. That means he managed just 12 for the rest of the season. That is not what the Jets expect from Laine. And it is almost certainly not what Laine expects from himself. He is one of the best pure shooters in the league and is too talented to struggle that much over a full season. 

He is getting older and will inevitably begin to slow down, but Kopitar should still have a couple of big years ahead of him. He has always been one of the league's best two-way players, blending shutdown defense and top-line offense. Last year both things kind of went away from him in what was an entirely forgettable year for the Kings. A fresh start with a new coach and a new system might be enough to jump-start him. 

You could probably make an entire list out of Kings bounce back players alone. Doughty had the worst year of his career during the 2018-19 season and was not only performing below expectations, but he was just flat out bad — one of the worst defenders in the NHL bad. It was unheard of for a player who is traditionally a top contender for the Norris Trophy, and it was likely a fluke down year. 

Quick has always been a little overrated because his playoff performances were always so dominant. Those are obviously important, but the big picture for his career paints him as more of a good goalie than a great one. Still, his 2018-19 performance was appallingly bad and far below his standards. He should be considered a bounce back candidate simply because he cannot possibly be any worse than he was this past season. 

An early season injury has kind of sidetracked Malkin's season already, but when he returns he should still be looking at a huge performance. His 2018-19 season was not up to his standards — by his own admission — and he came into camp looking determined to prove he is still an elite player. A motivated and determined Malkin can be the best player in the world and borderline unstoppable. Look for that version of him later this season. 

For most of his career Neal was a top-line goal scorer, and the Calgary Flames were hoping he could bring that to their lineup when they signed him in free agency. He managed just seven goals in 63 games and was traded over the summer for Milan Lucic. Neal's career shouldn't be tumbling off a cliff just yet, and perhaps a chance to play with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton will help him get back on track. He still has a quick shot and should get some better luck this season. 

Schwartz had a truly weird season for the Blues. During the regular season, he could not seem to buy a goal and struggled through one of the worst offensive performances of his career, mostly due to a staggeringly low shooting percentage. His luck changed in the playoffs when he could not stop scoring goals on the Blues' run to a Stanley Cup. His true talent level sits somewhere between the two performances, but that would still be a big bounce back this year during the regular season. 

The Flyers clearly see Provorov as a No. 1 defender. They use him like one, they are now paying him like one and they need him to be one. The problem for the Flyers is he has not always played at such a level on a consistent basis, and that was especially true this past season when his performance regressed across the board. Uncertainty about his potential aside, he is still better than he showed a year ago. 

At some point The King is going to begin slowing down, and at age 37 (and will turn 38 during the season) that point is probably getting close. But with a better team in front of him this season and a lightened workload with Alexandar Georgiev playing behind him, the Rangers should be able to squeeze some more productive hockey out of the best goalie to ever play for them. 

It would probably be unfair to say that Subban had a bad year for the Nashville Predators, but it was definitely a step below what we should expect from him. The Predators were willing to dump his entire contract for little return in an effort to create salary cap space, and now Subban gets to start over with the Devils where he is expected to be a huge part of their plans. He can still have an impact and is going to be the clear No. 1 player on the Devils' blue line. 

There are still reasons to doubt the Sharks' goaltending situation because they are bringing back the same duo that was the worst in the league a year ago. The good news is Jones should be better this time around. He may not be one of the league's elites, but his track record is enough that more should be expected of him. If he can go back to being a league-average goalie, that would be a huge help for the Sharks' Stanley Cup chances. They do not need him to be a game-stealer, but they just need him to be decent. 

Two years ago Keller was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year and looked to be on his way to becoming a key cornerstone player for the Coyotes. In Year 2 he was just, for lack of a better word, kind of ordinary. The Coyotes need more from him if they are going to end their playoff drought. 

Rakell was one of the many Ducks players to struggle through the 2018-19 season. After back-to-back 30-goal seasons that helped him become one of the best young players in the league, Rakell's goal production was nearly cut in half. He is still in the prime of his career and with a bump in his shooting percentage (a career low this past season) he should once again return to that 30-goal level. 

He does not need to do a lot to bounce back, but his game needs to get to another level, at least offensively. He took a lot of strides in his sophomore year in his two-way game, but his offense regressed a little. He is too dynamic and talented for that to continue. Expect him to be a star for the Islanders for a long time. 

At his best Simmonds was the best net-front power play presence in the league. But that style of play can wear on a player and now that Simmonds is on the other side of 30, you have to wonder when his game is going to slow down. It may have already started a year ago. The Devils are hoping he still has some productive hockey left and signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract. It is a good opportunity for Simmonds to show he can still be a productive, impact player with some young, exciting talent around him. 

Hornqvist was completely non-existent for the Penguins in the second half of the regular season and playoffs. His even-strength scoring disappeared, he started to lose his place on the top power play unit at times, and he just did not look to be the same player he had been through two Stanley Cup championship runs with the Penguins. Was it the result of another concussion at the halfway point of the year? Was it him starting to slow down and wear down as a player? Was it a combination of the two? Whatever it was, the Penguins need more from him this season, given their lack of proven depth on the wings and at forward. 

When healthy Raanta has been one of the league's most productive — and underrated — goalies. The problem for him and the Coyotes is he has not been healthy very much since he became the team's starter. If he can stay on the ice, he should give the Coyotes a huge lift in goal. 

Like his teammate Ivan Provorov, Gostisbehere is a young, impactful, potential top-pairing defender who struggled through some inconsistencies during the 2018-19 season. He went from 65 points and a top-10 Norris finish the year before all the way down to 37 points and being an afterthought among the league's top blue-liners. If the Flyers are going to get back to being a playoff team, they will need both Gostisbehere and Provorov to bounce back. 

It seems unfair to put him on a bounce back list because he was one of the five or six players at the top of the Stars lineup that carried the team offensively a year ago. His numbers were fine overall, but he still did not perform to his expected level of production. He should still have a couple of big years remaining, and as long as he gets to play next to players like Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, or Joe Pavelski he should have an opportunity to put points on the board.