Most Improved Teams of 2013/14
Colorado Avalanche
Without question the big surprise of the year and after an awful 2012/13 season where they finished bottom of the Western Conference and sacked Coach Joe Sacco, the Avs turned to former player Patrick Roy to breath new life into this franchise. Roy has done just that and currently Colorado top the Western Conference with a 13-2-0 recor byd! 1st overall pick Nathan MacKinnon has been a rookie sensation but Matt Duchene has been the more consistent scorer and currently has 19 points. This combined with the solid player of young captain Gabriel Landeskog has presented to us a franchise that can start to reclaim its glory years! But the scandal involving starting goalie Semyon Varlamov could prove crucial.
St Louis Blues
Previously on this blog we sneered at the St Louis Blues for their lack of squad depth - well it appears a heartfelt apology is in order as this season they look a changed team and currently stand fourth in the Western Conference. Their high scoring has been a major bonus and they have been led by the goals of Alexander Steen who sits on 30 points and the form of T J Oshie plus addition of Derek Roy has helped. But it has been the defensive pairing of Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo that has proven the difference which limited the Blues to only 3 losses and 51 goals conceded! Are the good times finally coming to St Louis?
Tampa Bay Lightning
This franchise has been through some tough times of late but this she as on they are showing signs of rebirth under new coach Jon Cooper because after a shaky start they now lie 3rd in the Eastern Conference. The first step was offloading high price star Vincent Lecavalier, but his replacement Valtteri Filppula has been a wise piece of business and he has added much not needed quality to this side. The loss of star player Steven Stamkos to injury has been a blow but captain Martin St Louis has held the team together with his 24 points scored and with a little luck, we will see a Florida team in the playoffs this year!
San Jose Sharks
In recent seasons, San Jose has been more of a dark house and have always narrowly made the playoffs after a late burst if wins, this season they have been one of the form teams and with their impressive record of 18-3-5 have put them in second place in the Western Conference. This has been largely thanks to emergence of young Czech star Tomnas Hertl whose 12 goals have aided their cause greatly and along with the solid scoring of veterans Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and upcoming star Logan Couture have turned them into genuine contenders! Watch out for these lot come play off time!
Without question the big surprise of the year and after an awful 2012/13 season where they finished bottom of the Western Conference and sacked Coach Joe Sacco, the Avs turned to former player Patrick Roy to breath new life into this franchise. Roy has done just that and currently Colorado top the Western Conference with a 13-2-0 recor byd! 1st overall pick Nathan MacKinnon has been a rookie sensation but Matt Duchene has been the more consistent scorer and currently has 19 points. This combined with the solid player of young captain Gabriel Landeskog has presented to us a franchise that can start to reclaim its glory years! But the scandal involving starting goalie Semyon Varlamov could prove crucial.
St Louis Blues
Previously on this blog we sneered at the St Louis Blues for their lack of squad depth - well it appears a heartfelt apology is in order as this season they look a changed team and currently stand fourth in the Western Conference. Their high scoring has been a major bonus and they have been led by the goals of Alexander Steen who sits on 30 points and the form of T J Oshie plus addition of Derek Roy has helped. But it has been the defensive pairing of Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo that has proven the difference which limited the Blues to only 3 losses and 51 goals conceded! Are the good times finally coming to St Louis?
Tampa Bay Lightning
This franchise has been through some tough times of late but this she as on they are showing signs of rebirth under new coach Jon Cooper because after a shaky start they now lie 3rd in the Eastern Conference. The first step was offloading high price star Vincent Lecavalier, but his replacement Valtteri Filppula has been a wise piece of business and he has added much not needed quality to this side. The loss of star player Steven Stamkos to injury has been a blow but captain Martin St Louis has held the team together with his 24 points scored and with a little luck, we will see a Florida team in the playoffs this year!
San Jose Sharks
In recent seasons, San Jose has been more of a dark house and have always narrowly made the playoffs after a late burst if wins, this season they have been one of the form teams and with their impressive record of 18-3-5 have put them in second place in the Western Conference. This has been largely thanks to emergence of young Czech star Tomnas Hertl whose 12 goals have aided their cause greatly and along with the solid scoring of veterans Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and upcoming star Logan Couture have turned them into genuine contenders! Watch out for these lot come play off time!
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