An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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[SeattleBattleCat]

Huskies are poised another big year. Loving the Shattenkirk signing, a great addition at the blue line.

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As we reach the midpoint of the season, The Athletic will once again do an analysis of all 32 NHL teams and where they currently sit. The articles will focus on what is going well for the team, what needs to be improved, and what is completely broken. For today’s analysis, we will focus on what is currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL: The Houston Huskies.

Before the season, although most would still consider the Huskies as contenders, most sports analyists saw the team taking a step back from the last two season (the team won the Stanley Cup and went to the finals in the last two seasons), more than likely finishing as a third spot in the highly competitive Central Division or as a Western Conference wild card. This was based mainly off the high turnover of supporting cast as well as the aging core of the team, which has one of the highest team average age of 29.6 years old. This has led to some key players having extended term on the extended IRR.

However, as of 9 January, when Houston played their 41st game, a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team sits in a dominating position in the Central Division and Western Conference with 59 points, with only the Edmonton Oilers close with 55 points (The St Louis Blues are second in the Central Division with 50 points). In the entire NHL, only the Buffalo Sabres have more point, with an amazing 67 in 41 games. They also have the season leading win streak of eleven games from 5 November with a 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights to their 4-2 loss on 29 November to the Arizona Coyotes.

Let’s break it down:

THE GOOD: Bottom line: the Huskies are 28-10-3. The are first in the Western Conference. The have won 72% of their games. They have a +31 goal differential. They lead the NHL with goals for per game (3.15) and third for goals against per game (2.39). Their powerplay is second at 25.9%. They have been dominant both at home (15-5-1) and away (13-5-2). They are the least penalized team in the NHL, being shorthanded only 90 times, which is good when I discuss their penalty kill later.

Nico Hischier sits eleventh in the NHL for points (40) and tied for eighth in +/- (+17). Kevin Shattenkirk is fifth among defensemen in points (28) and third in assists (25). Sergei Bobrovski is second in wins (32) and tied for seventh in shutouts (3). Thomas Greiss is eight in save percentage for goalies with more than ten games played (92.8%) and fourth in goals against per game (2.05).

Amazingly, for such a young team, the Huskies have a 139 game sellout streak over the last three seasons. Over the last three seasons, the Huskies are fifth in overall revenue with $549.1M and are also fifth in the NHL for the 2020-2021 season. During a recent NHL.com poll where viewers were asked who their second favorite team is, the Houston Huskies were the third most chosen answer.

THE BAD: This is an old team and is oft injured. So far this season, we have seen Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Ian Cole go down for an extended period. At one point early in the season, three of the regular six defensemen were injured for two games, though amazingly the team won both. Besides center with youngsters Nico Hischier and AJ Likens holding the top two rolls for a number of years and left wing, there is very little young depth at right wing and especially defense where all six starting defensemen are thirty or older! The only high end defensive prospect is this summer’s second round pick Adam Duffy, and offensively gifted 18 year old playing at Boston College. However, GM AW has noted a number of times he is a diamond in the rough and will take some molding before he is ready to take the reigns. Sergei Bobrovski is 32 and many ask how long he can keep his play up. There are no high end prospective goaltenders in the Huskies’ farm system.

Although the Huskies had an amazing eleven game win streak, they did see a slump in December, though their last ten games of 6-1-3, seizing 15 of a possible 20 points, is positive.

THE UGLY: How can a team that is so well positioned in the standings have an “ugly”?

The Huskies’ penalty kill sits at a woeful 78.9%, only stopping 71 of 90 attempts against, making them the eight worst team when down a man (79.8% is the average, or mean, for the NHL). As a counterpoint, the Huskies are second in the league for shorthanded goals for with three.

Do the Huskies make trades at the deadline? Although counter intuitive, I would have to say yes. With players like Joe Thornton, Mark Giordano, and Joe Pavelski who are becoming long in the tooth and could fit a glaring hole in other teams, they would fetch back a large ransom and help Houston stock the cupboards. Although it made sense for Houston to sacrifice picks early to “win now” and cement the franchise, they are going to hit a point in the next couple seasons where they will need a flow of youth coming onto the roster. I’m not recommending a full rebuild but definitely a retool.

Do the Huskies make the playoffs? Yes. Even if they do trade off some of their major pieces, they have enough depth to cover the losses, especially as they sit right now. The team is currently on pace for 118 points. With the last wild card team (Colorado Avalanche) on pace for 92 points, the Huskies would need a record like 16-25-0 to miss. Very unlikely even with trades.

Do the Huskies win the cup? Very unlikely. They had a much superior team last season and, even though they made the Stanley Cup Finals, there were some glaring holes in the team. With the way Buffalo is playing and the Oilers nipping at their heels, I don’t see it.

Other notes: While playing some very solid hockey, the Arlington Bald Eagles have taken a step back this season, sitting second in the AHL, one point behind the Texas Stars, with 53 points and a 23-11-7 record. One player that is showing his stuff is starting goalie Jonas Johansson, with a save percentage 93.6% (second in the AHL for a goalie with more than ten games) and a 1.77 goals against average, good for first in the AHL.

On an interesting note, goalie Matti Kokko of the Stockton Heat of the AHL has the dubious honor of being dead last in the AHL for goals against per game. Playing slightly less than one minute in a game where starter Michael Hutchinson was injured, he allowed one goal on one shot, giving Kokko a 0.00 save percentage and a 31.03 goals against average.

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Quote: Originally Posted by SeattleBattleCat

Huskies are poised another big year. Loving the Shattenkirk signing, a great addition at the blue line.

Don't know...thinking of blowing it up because...why not?!

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