New York teams in trouble, white-hot Wild, and the biggest NHL storylines to watch in December

Anthony Trudeau
Anthony Trudeau(atrud00)
New York teams in trouble, white-hot Wild, and the biggest NHL storylines to watch in December
Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images

U.S. Thanksgiving is an unofficial benchmark in the NHL that serves as a bellwether on how the season is going to play out. Actually, it’s barely unofficial; Daily Faceoff managing editor Matt Larkin recently figured out that, over the past decade, around 77% of teams in the playoffs on Turkey Day have ended up making it to the dance. That means late November is go-time for the first major personnel changes around the league. 

Just ask the Boston Bruins, who parted company with coach Jim Montgomery on Nov. 19 after a lackluster start, or the St. Louis Blues, who tabbed Montgomery to replace Drew Bannister less than a week later.

It’s still early, but as temperatures plummet around North America, powerhouse clubs like the Minnesota Wild are daring to dream, and disappointing stragglers like the New York Rangers are beginning to panic. Read on for more on those clubs and other key storylines that could define December’s slate of NHL action.

What’s wrong with the Rangers?

The Rangers never had the cap flexibility to make major changes last summer after captain Jacob Trouba refused to sign off on a rumored trade to the Detroit Red Wings. Given their Presidents’ Trophy-winning 2023-24 season and a second Eastern Conference Final berth in three seasons, that was hardly a disaster. Or so they thought.

Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko’s strides (combined 42 P in 55 GP) have solved the Blueshirts’ depth-scoring woes, but new problems have taken their place further up the lineup. Veteran leaders Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck have combined for a total of nine points at even strength, Mika Zibanejad’s once-vaunted two-way game has fallen off a cliff (41.38% of expected goals, -14), and Trouba, as ever, is a pariah; his play has failed to justify either an $8 million salary or the ‘C’ on his chest. 

Igor Shesterkin (who is still due a record-setting raise) and Jonathan Quick’s play in goal kept the Rangers afloat during a 12-4-1 start, but the results are now more in line with New York’s ugly possession metrics (48.57% Corsi). Kreider is preaching perseverance, and coach Peter Laviolette has the lines in a blender, but nothing is working: they’ve lost six of their last seven including an ugly 5-1 home drubbing by the hated Devils. Something has to give, and soon, if the Rangers are to keep their place among the NHL’s elite.

Kaprizov, Gustavsson, and Co. are running Wild in Minnesota

The Wild’s policy of extending veterans like Ryan Hartman, Jake Middleton, and Marcus Foligno has caused plenty of headaches in the Twin Cities over the past few seasons, but it’s tough to argue with their results so far in 2024-25.

Middleton (12 P, +16) is off to a flying start beside Brock Faber, Matt Boldy (11 G, 24 P in 24 GP) has probably punched his ticket onto Team USA’s Four Nations Faceoff roster, and captain Jared Spurgeon (10 P in 18 GP, 60.87% of high-danger chances) is crushing it at both ends of the ice. With Kirill Kaprizov (league-leading 38 P in 23 GP) and Filip Gustavsson (league-leading 2.05 GAA, .929 SV% in 18 GP) looking the part of Hart and Vezina Trophy contenders, respectively, the Wild haven’t needed cap space to compete; their overtime win over Nashville gave them the NHL’s best points percentage.

GM Bill Guerin’s cap management will only come under more scrutiny when Kaprizov and Gustavsson become eligible for new contracts this summer, but his grand “five-year plan” is slowly coming into focus; the former Penguin added former No. 6 overall pick David Jiricek to a prospect pipeline already featuring Jesper Wallstedt and Danila Yurov over the weekend. The way things are going, the Wild might not have to wait five years to compete for the Cup.

Anyone need a goalie?

The better question might be: “Who doesn’t?” A league-wide dip in SV%, an injury epidemic, and some failed offseason gambles have created a perfect storm of bad goaltending, some of which could have season-changing implications. 

In Edmonton, Stuart Skinner (.887 SV%, .500 quality start %) must find some consistency before the Oil’s revenge tour goes anywhere. The usually stingy Hurricanes have gotten shelled since Pyotr Kochetkov went down concussed; with Freddy Andersen on the shelf long-term, third-stringer Spencer Martin is saving fewer than 85% of shots. Kevin Lankinen (12-3-2, 2.65 GAA, .907 SV%) is doing his part to fill in for Thatcher Demko in Vancouver, but 2024 postseason hero Arturs Silovs is not. The Latvian must be desperate to return to AHL Abbotsford after a shocking start (4.11 GAA, .811 SV% in 7 GP).

If substandard goaltending is hindering lofty expectations for the Canes, Oilers, and Canucks, it’s downright sabotaging the Colorado Avalanche. Their .856 team SV% is historically bad; no team has dipped under the .880 mark for an entire season since the Flyers (.879) during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Starter Alexander Georgiev is taking on water (3.31 GAA, .875 SV%), and though the Avs have mercifully pulled the plug on his pupil Justus Annunen, veteran replacement Scott Wedgewood (1-2-1, 3.68 GAA, .878 SV%) feels like a band-aid for a bullet hole.

The Calder race is getting crowded as Wolf, Celebrini round into form

Last season, only two players, winner Connor Bedard and runner-up Brock Faber, earned first-place nods for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie. Through 25 games, this year’s vote is already shaping up to be much more complicated. 

The first new NHLer to announce his Calder candidacy was Matvei Michkov, the 19-year-old Russian phenom who collected nine points in his first eight contests for the Philadelphia Flyers. Despite a brief stint in the press box, Michkov remains second on the team in scoring (19 P in 23 GP) thanks to his combination of skill and audacity.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf also pushed himself into the Calder picture with an 8-2-1 start and sky-high .926 SV% for the overachieving Calgary Flames before wearing four goals apiece in his last two starts. Wolf and Michkov must now monitor the progress of 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini, who has quickly become unstoppable for the San Jose Sharks since his return from a 12-game injury absence.

Like Michkov, Celebrini is unafraid to try ridiculous things with the puck, but he’s also shown the ability to go through defensemen he cannot go around. The NHL’s First Star of the Week has a chance to be special based on the early returns (8 G, 14 P in 15 GP), and Calder voters could face a difficult choice between his massive usage (19:48 ATOI), Michkov’s deadly precision, and Wolf’s invaluable contributions to an emotional turnaround for the Flames.

Major decisions loom for Lou Lamoriello and the New York Islanders

New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello doubled down on a middling roster two years ago by adding Bo Horvat in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. Then, he tripled down by bizarrely extending plodding defenseman Scott Mayfield (signed through 2030), frustrating middle-sixer Pierre Engvall (2030), and ancient backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov (2027). The team has limped to a first-round exit in both postseasons since the Horvat trade, but even that outcome seems optimistic for the injury-riddled Isles in 2024-25. They sit at 9-10-6 and have pieced together just one winning streak (of two games) this season.

Despite the bevy of long, bad contracts Lamoriello has stuck himself with, it’s not too late to press the rebuild button for the NHL’s most stubborn front office. Longtime linemates Kyle Palmieri (10 G, 20 P in 25 GP) and Brock Nelson (10 G, 17 P in 25 GP) are savvy, versatile snipers on expiring contracts. Captain Anders Lee (10 G, 19 P in 25 GP), signed through 2026, is playing his best hockey since before his 2021 ACL injury. All three players will be attractive options for playoff-bound teams.

Should the club choose to sell everything that isn’t bolted down, it will still have Horvat, Mat Barzal, and Ilya Sorokin signed as their foundational pieces until the early 2030s. Taking a knee in the present could yield a new generation of stars by then, but is Lamoriello willing to commit to that sort of project given the possibility he can’t see it through? If not, is it time for team owner Scott Malkin to protect his investment from the Hall-of-Famer’s pride? For an organization with no clear path to contention, nothing should be off the table.

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