NHL players hoping for a bounce-back season in 2018-19

Just two seasons ago, Pacioretty scored 35 goals, his fourth season in a row with at least 30. Last year was one to forget, as he managed a mere 17 goals and 37 points. He had been captain of the Canadiens, but after an unpleasant offseason he got dealt to the upstarts in the desert: the Vegas Golden Knights. Pacioretty would likely love to turn things around, if only to rub it in Montreal’s face.

Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry were both in need of bounce-back seasons, but then Perry got knee surgery, and now he’s out for five months. Kesler is also injured, but his return is likely more imminent. Last season, the 34-year-old had 14 points in 44 games but will need to do better once he returns. He doesn’t want to end his career with a whimper.

The Hurricanes brought Darling in to try and finally, FINALLY, solve their issues in net. That didn’t quite work out. The former Blackhawk had a 3.18 GAA and .888 save percentage. Cam Ward is gone. Carolina needs Darling to turn it around. If he doesn’t, the Canes will miss the playoffs once more.

Domi impressed as a rookie, scoring 18 goals and adding 34 assists. Injuries limited him to nine goals and 38 points in 59 games as a sophomore, but then last season he played a full 82 games and had only nine goals. That was enough to get the forward traded from the Coyotes to the Canadiens. Perhaps a chance of scenery will help him.

The Oilers signed Lucic to a big contract to try and give them some size and skill on the wing. His first season was a minor disappointment, but he ended up with 23 goals and 50 points. There were no silver linings last year. Lucic scored a mere 10 goals, making him look like an albatross for the Oilers. If he can’t rebound, he’s going to end up looking like one of the worst contracts in hockey.

Price was pulled down into the mire that was Montreal’s season last year. He was hurt a lot of the year, but when he was healthy he posted a 3.11 GAA and .900 save percentage. This is a man with a Hart Trophy to his name and a career save percentage of .918. He’s still one of the best goalies in the league. If you were going to bet on any goalie to rebound, bet on Price.

Last season, Toews set personal lows for a non-strike shortened season with 20 goals and 52 points. He’s only 30, so it would be a little early for his career to take a downturn. The issue may have been a 9.5 shooting percentage, which is well-below his career average of 14.1. If all Toews needs is more puck luck, it could easily happen.

Speaking of puck luck, few had worse luck than Toews’ teammate Duncan Keith. The man scored two goals on 187 shots. That’s a 1.1 shooting percentage! However, Keith may not be as primed for a bounce back as Toews, given that he’s a 35-year-old defenseman. Still, there should be some life left in his legs.

Talbot’s first two years as a starter with the Oilers went well. Last year was a different story, as he posted a 3.02 GAA and .908 save percentage. Not coincidentally, Edmonton missed the playoffs. If Talbot doesn’t improve his numbers, Edmonton may find itself on the outside looking in again.

The Blue Jackets really need depth on offense behind Artemi Panarin. A rebound campaign from Wennberg could go a long way to making that happen. Two years ago, he seemed to have a breakout year with 13 goals and 46 assists, including 23 power-play points. Last year, his point total dropped to 35, with only five of those coming with the extra man.

The Stars may have hoped that Spezza would provide them with a solid veteran as their second-line center. Instead, his point total plummeted to a mere eight goals and 26 points. Was this a fluke? Or is the 35-year-old out of gas? If it’s the latter, Dallas could be in trouble.

In truth, the Rangers have been hoping for a bounce back from Henrik Lundqvist for two seasons. They did not get it last year, as he had a 2.98 GAA and .915 save percentage. Goalies tend to fall off a cliff when they get up there in age, and King Henrik is 36 now. A good season would, frankly, be a surprise at this point.

Brassard was having a decent season with the Senators but was then traded to the Penguins. With Pittsburgh, he managed a mere three goals on 33 shots in 14 regular-season games, and then in the playoffs he managed a mere four points. He did not give the Pens the depth at center they were hoping for. Will he be able to do it with a full season in Pittsburgh?

Palat used to be part of Tampa’s esteemed Triplets line. Nikita Kucherov is now one of the best players in the league, Tyler Johnson is solid but Palat has fallen off a bit. Last season was particularly rough, as he scored 11 goals and added 24 assists. His minutes went down as a result, and if he doesn’t turn it around, that reduction in ice time could continue.

Okposo was brought into Buffalo the first time the team believed it was primed to take the next step of its reboot. That didn’t quite happen. Okposo had only 15 goals last season and was a woeful minus-34. That plus/minus rating is partially because of the lack of quality from his teammates, but you’d like to see that number improve for the veteran wing.

Allen struggled mightily last year, posting a .906 save percentage. Fortunately, the Blues were able to turn to Carter Hutton, who had a surprisingly good season. Now, though, Hutton is a Sabre, and the job is Allen’s again. If he doesn’t rebound, St. Louis will be in trouble.

There has been talk that Faulk is going to be traded from Carolina, but if the Canes deal him now they will be selling low. After emerging as one of the better young defensemen in the league, Faulk had a mere eight goals and 31 points last year. He’s still only 26, so there is time for him to right the ship, whether it’s with the Hurricanes or another team.

Tatar did technically score 20 goals for the fourth straight season, but he finished with a mere 34 points. Only six of those points came with the Golden Knights after he was traded from the Red Wings. Things got so bad that Tatar was a healthy scratch at times during the playoffs. Now, the Czech forward is trying to latch on with the Canadiens.

Shattenkirk was one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL with the Blues, so it made sense the Rangers wanted to add him. He was successful on the power play with New York, notching 12 points with the extra man. However, he had only 23 points total in 46 games thanks to an injury-hampered campaign. He’s healthy, and he will hope to remind us all of his talent even if he may end up getting traded by the Rangers as part of a rebuild.

Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk are gone, making Drouin the last malcontent standing in Montreal. After getting himself traded from Tampa, Drouin managed only 13 goals in his first year with the Habs. In truth, the third-overall pick’s entire career has been a bit of a disappointment. But he’s still only 23.