Which struggling NHL player will bounce back in the year 2024?
The New Year looms. With it comes the opportunity for many of us to turn over new leaves and make resolutions.
That same principle can apply to pro athletes, including NHLers. Many of them had autumns to forget and will look to recapture their mojos in the second half.
So, Roundtable: Which disappointing NHLer will have the biggest bounceback performance in the calendar year 2024?
MATT LARKIN: I didn’t just double take when I checked in on Matthew Tkachuk’s numbers this season. I triple-taked. After delivering back-to-back seasons north of 100 points and establishing himself as the pre-eminent power forward in the sport, he’s not even on pace for 60 points. Is there a hex on that Jonathan Huberdeau trade or what? This is not the Tkachuk we know and love. Perhaps he still isn’t feeling physically right after breaking his sternum in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. But it’s more likely his shooting percentage is to blame. It sat at an impossibly low 4.0% through Friday’s games. No forward in NHL history with more than 200 shots has ever converted at a rate that low for a full season since shooting percentage was first tracked beginning in 1959-60. Positive regression will take over, and Tkachuk should return to his superstar ways in the second half.
STEVEN ELLIS: This might be more of a “want” than a who “will” but I hope we see Alex Ovechkin bounce back in some way. He played some decent hockey before the Christmas break, but goals were still very difficult to come by. With the Caps still in the playoff picture, I have to wonder if they’ll look to bring in some extra help to try and capitalize on the end of his career. Regardless, I’m just not ready to admit Ovi’s done yet. Even if they change his role up a bit and keep reducing his ice time to focus more on just getting pucks on the net out there, I think in the back of his mind the thought of missing out on Wayne Gretzky’s record is wearing on him and that something is going to click sooner rather than later.
SCOTT MAXWELL: I’m slightly cheating with this pick because he may already be finding his form again, but I’m going to go with Timo Meier. Meier had been a relatively consistent 30-40 goal scorer in San Jose, and many were expecting the same, if not more, when he joined the New Jersey Devils and would be surrounded by a lot more talent. However, his Devils tenure has been forgettable so far, particularly in 2023-24, with just nine goals and 15 points in 27 games this year through Friday’s action. Considering he’s the highest-paid Devil, they probably expect a lot more from him. He’s picked it up recently with four goals in his last three games, so hopefully that’s the start of him returning to his usual self, but the Devils really need to find a way to make this work.
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