‘Tis the season for wishes to (hopefully) come true.
We are coming into the holiday break in the NHL, so it is time to break down each team’s biggest wish for the holidays in 40 words or less each.
Anaheim Ducks
Santa, can you please bring the Ducks a true goal scorer? Relying on Ryan Kesler and Rickard Rakell for the bulk of the goals is just sad.
All the Coyotes want is to resign Shane Doan.
Arizona Coyotes
Please resign Shane Doan. Just do it. Nobody wants to see him on a different roster or see him leave the league just yet.
Boston Bruins
A start would Zane Mcintyre would likely be a nice gift. Anton Khudobin has simply been terrible, and maybe it’s time to move on.
Buffalo Sabres
A healthy roster would certainly be welcome for the lowly Sabres. Also, a full year of no trouble from Evander Kane sure wouldn’t hurt.
Calgary Flames
A solid gift would be the Flames stars finally playing a little defense here and there. Gaudreau and Monahan are a combined -23, while TJ Brodie is a ridiculous -19. Also, please keep it up, Chad Johnson.
Carolina Hurricanes
Fans may be wishing for a clear decision from management during the holiday season. Should they tank for a pick? Should they try to compete? Who knows? A decision should be made soon, though.
Chicago Blackhawks
Is the tandem of Panarin-Kane not enough of a gift? Even if you’re not a fan of the team, they’re just plain fun to watch.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche would like nothing more than a large rock for them to crawl under at this point. Just 12 wins in 33 games tends to do that.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets don’t seem to need much at this point in the season. Continuing their winning ways would be enough to please Columbus fans.
Dallas Stars
A new goaltender would be a welcome gift for the Stars, say, maybe a clear-cut starter? I hear Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t been doing much lately, and Ben Bishop will be waiting by the phone this summer.
Detroit Red Wings
The red wings could use a Christmas miracle. Their 25-year playoff streak is up in the air, and the Wings just can’t seem to perform.
Edmonton Oilers
For the holidays, the Oilers may be wishing for a “Marty Mcsorley” of sorts for Connor Mcdavid. They can’t be letting the future (and present) of the NHL get tossed around on a nightly basis.
Florida Panthers
The best gift has already been given to the Panthers in the form of an ageless right-winger. The only other thing they could ask for is for him to never leave.
Los Angeles Kings
Just bring Jonathan Quick back. The Kings look lost without their man.
Minnesota Wild
Continuing this winning streak would be great, maybe pushing the Wild into the playoffs. Maybe they could make it past the Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2003.
Montreal Canadiens
The best possible gift the Canadiens could ask for is for Michel Therrien to keep his mouth shut. It seems every time he starts to open it, the team is what gets hurt.
Nashville Predators
A good gift would be to give Viktor Arvidsson a few more minutes per game. He is tied with Ryan Johansen for the team lead in points despite playing 2:36 minutes less per game.
New Jersey Devils
At this point wouldn’t it just be easiest to lose? They STILL don’t have a player with double-digit goals, after 34 games. Maybe a top5 pick wouldn’t be too bad after all.
New York Islanders
Please, for the love of the star on the tree, get John Tavares a winger. After losing Kyle Okposo, Tavares has been left out to dry, and the Islanders have looked far worse for it.
New York Rangers
Let’s hope that the gift given to the Rangers is to keep the revitalized Rick Nash. Second on the team in goals while holding a high shooting percentage, his power-play assistance has certainly been welcome.
Philadelphia Flyers
Let the streak never end. Oh right, they got beat by the Devils… How about they win the rest of their 46 games?
Pittsburgh Penguins
A healthy and happy Sidney Crosby is all you could want as a Pens fan. Looks like he is the Rocket Richard favorite already. Not much of surprise, eh?
San Jose Sharks
A promise from Jumbo Joe to never retire would be great. How fantastic would it be seeing a 45-year-old Joe passing for 60 assists a season?
St. Louis Blues
Some assistance on offense for Vladimir Tarasenko sure would go a long way. Can we make Ken Hitchcock’s last (maybe) season a good one, with a balanced scoring load?
Tampa Bay Lightning
A speedy recovery is #1 on the list for sure. Still on crutches after his surgery, it seems it may be awhile still, but for the sake of Bolts fans, please Santa, bring him back early.
Toronto Maple Leafs
It has been Christmas all season long for the Leafs. With a young roster rich with talent, all they could want is consistency. Babcock certainly knows how to bring that (see. Detroit Red Wings).
Vancouver Canucks
A change of management would be fantastic for Canucks fans. The test with Jim Benning has gone off the rails, and watching the Canucks play is just awful. Fire him, please.
Washington Capitals
This one is more for Alexander Ovechkin than anyone else. Can we please get Alex past the second round of the playoffs? The joke is over, it’s getting old. Let him have this.
Winnipeg Jets
For Patrick Laine to keep playing as highly as he is would be gift enough for the Jets. They’re currently relying on his stellar play to carry the offensive load.
It’s alright if the big man can’t deliver all of these wishes, he’s pretty busy this time of year anyway.
