Every NHL Team's Red Flag One Month into the Season

Positivity is a beautiful thing, but nothing hits the spot like an occasional glass of haterade.

Life is all about balance, so let's take a look at each NHL team's emerging red flag one month into the season.

Boston Bruins: Ruining the vibes

The Bruins are off to one of their best starts in franchise history at 12-2-0. They aren't just winning games, they are crushing opponents. The players are fun, too, with Patrice Bergeron back for another season, David Pastrnak doing his thing, and goalies that hug at the end of every game.

So for some reason management just had to sign (and then part ways with) Mitchell Miller, a convicted bully, to an entry-level contract last week. This situation shouldn’t be reduced to a PR headache, but the PR headache byproduct couldn’t have been more unnecessary. It's worth saying that team leaders Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Nick Foligno speaking out against the signing reminds us that it obviously wasn’t the players’ decision, and they are the ones who are off to a great start—not the front office.

Detroit Red Wings: Inconsistency

Wait, are the Red Wings actually good? They are off to one of their best starts in recent memory, at 7-4-3 and second in the Atlantic Division. I thought they were going to improve on their last season, but I wasn't expecting this strong of a start, so I don't want to bellyache too much about the details.

But this is an article about red flags, after all. The three loser points don't necessarily paint a picture of a team that is truly second in the Atlantic Division.

Florida Panthers: Defense

It’s a good thing Aaron Ekblad is expected to return to the lineup this Saturday against the Oilers, because the Panthers have been hurting on defense this season and it shows. They shouldn’t panic, and they’ve climbed to 8-5-1 after a rough start. But last season’s playoff run was disappointing and there’s pressure on this franchise for the first time in a long time.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Finger-pointing

I get that it’s just the nature of being in the Toronto hockey market, but I really do think the amount of vitriol and finger-pointing that goes on after just a few losses is detrimental to the team in the long run. The fans can say whatever they want, but some of the comments and actions coming from the team itself about Mitch Marner in particular in recent losing streaks has been overblown. They aren’t winning every game, but they’re doing just fine right now at 7-4-3. Living and dying by every loss isn’t a recipe for success, nor is throwing your top performers under the bus in public.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Middling

The Lightning haven’t been horrible, but the dynasty has been uncharacteristically forgettable through its 7-5-1 start. There’s not much spark or oomph, and you’ll forgive them for that at the beginning of this season. But there is that voice in the back of your mind wondering if this is the year they start fading.

Montreal Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky’s dangerous hit

The Montreal Canadiens are not fine, but they were one of the teams expected to at least quasi-tank. They’re playing slightly better than I thought they’d be so far, at 7-6-1 with the third-worst record in the Atlantic Division.

I’m more concerned about their future, and 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky is currently suspended for a dangerous hit that has Detroit’s Matt Luff sidelined for 10-12 weeks. I don’t think there was any ill intent at all, but at 6’3” and 238 pounds, Montreal’s 18-year-old prize will have to learn how to acclimate his body to the NHL game, and fast.

Buffalo Sabres: Another tragically hot start

The Sabres have been super promising at times to start this season, like that fun late October run featuring the overtime win to the Blackhawks, the 8-3 thrashing of the Red Wings and the TNT-televised 6-3 thriller against the Penguins. Many of us have loved the evident camaraderie among teammates, maybe so much so that we've ignored the inconsistency with the team. But I just blinked and they've lost four in a row, including a pretty bad loss to the Coyotes, and now they're 7-7-0 and seventh in the Atlantic.

They most recently let former franchise cornerstone Jack Eichel score a hat trick against them.

Are they seriously doing this to us again? For the sake of passionate Sabres fans, I hope not.

Ottawa Senators: You know it’s bad when a Canucks fan wants to buy the franchise

Full disclosure: I am just kidding, and I actually think it would be very cool if movie star Ryan Reynolds bought the Senators. But lifelong Canucks fan Reynolds’ interest in owning the Senators is objectively hilarious. The Senators have had injuries to key players this season, but we projected them way better than 4-8-1 at this point. We were all rooting for you, Ottawa, including Deadpool.

New Jersey Devils: Nothing really, but goaltending if we must

We’ve all picked on the Devils enough over the past few years, and now they’re suddenly emerging as one of the most fun teams in the league. They’re dominating opponents at even strength. They’re scoring a lot. They’re first in the Metro at 11-3-0. Devils fans deserve to enjoy this.

The Vitek Vanecek-Mackenzie Blackwood tandem really just has to hover around .900, and would you look at that, their collective save percentage right now is .897. Both of their goals saved above expected rates are subzero, according to MoneyPuck.com, so it’s just something to keep an eye on if offense dries up.

New York Islanders: Mat Barzal’s lack of production

Frankly, the Islanders are doing much better than I anticipated at 9-5-0 to start the season. Props to new head coach Lane Lambert, who is a great hockey mind and has deserved this opportunity.

I honestly don’t even think it’s a terrible thing that Mat Barzal has yet to score a goal—maybe it’s even a sign of maturing that he’s helping out and growing parts of his game to make the rest of the team better. The Islanders are scoring enough goals, and Barzal’s got 15 assists in 15 games. It’s just sort of funny that he hasn’t done the thing yet.

Carolina Hurricanes: How serious is Freddie Andersen's injury?

According to the North State Journal's Cory Lavalette, Freddie Andersen left practice early Nov. 8, and head coach Rod Brind'Amour said "I don't know what happened there...he did something."

We don't yet have an update, but Andersen did not travel with the team Nov. 9. You'll remember his excellent 2021-22 season ended before playoffs last season with a torn MCL.

Philadelphia Flyers: The goaltending might be too good

Raise your hand if you thought the Flyers would start the season 7-4-2. No one?

This is largely because of lights-out play from goalie Carter Hart, who is currently leading the NHL with a .946 save percentage. According to MoneyPuck, he’s leading in Goals Saved Above Expected by a ridiculous margin with 15.9.

You don’t need Albert Einstein to tell you this might not be sustainable. The Flyers’ skaters actually seem to be improving as the season goes on, though, with a few strong performances lately. Maybe they’re legit.

New York Rangers: Has the quit-per-60 risen in New York?

There’s plenty of hockey left, but the Rangers aren’t exactly where we thought they’d be yet at 7-5-3. Great Rangers beat reporter Vince Mercogliano rattled off five reasons for that here. The most interesting to me is the lack of “it” factor. I used the word “it” to describe the Rangers before the season , there’s just a hard-to-define but obvious flare these guys have when they’re on.

Sometimes you have to lose “it” and resort to working on the fundamentals if you want to be a consistently good team, though. Or maybe you just have to beat the Red Wings 8-2 -- Thursday was a good start.

Washington Capitals: Injuries

Every team goes through injuries, and you never want to place too much blame on an uncontrollable. But the quality and quantity of injured Capitals players is too much to ignore.

Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom have both been out the entire season. Carl Hagelin has been out since Oct. 19. Connor Brown got hurt Nov. 1 and will be out until at least May 1. Both TJ Oshie and John Carlson hopped on IR last week. And to top it all off, Dmitry Orlov is currently day-to-day.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Father Time

You’ll never find me counting Sidney Crosby out, and the big three in Pittsburgh have learned by now how to conserve energy then turn it on when it really matters. But a seven-game losing streak is a concern no matter who you are, and now the Penguins find themselves with the second-worst record in the Metro. It’s hard to dig yourself out in a division like that.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Upsetting Patrik Laine in his homeland

To tell you the truth, I simply cannot pick one red flag when it comes to the worst team in the league (4-9-0).

Even knowing this was going to be a building season, I don't think anyone anticipated it to be this bad. The Blue Jackets traveled to Patrik Laine's homeland Finland earlier this month to play a pair of games with the Avalanche for the NHL Global Series. They lost both and extended their losing streak to five. Laine was upset.

"It sucks," he told The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "I'm kind of wishing that this trip had never happened after this. I feel like it was just a waste of time for us. It sucks. That's all I've got to say."

Winnipeg Jets: Is it too good to be true?

The Jets are quietly having a great season, sitting atop the Central Division with an 8-3-1 record. Maybe the reason the great start seems so quiet is they’ve had great stretches before and have just needed to build consistency.

It does seem different this time around under Rick Bowness. We’ll see.

Dallas Stars: Depth

It’s not like anyone expected the Stars to absolutely stink this year, but Dallas’ commanding 8-4-1 start is certainly beating the “mid” allegations. The Jason Robertson-Roope Hintz-Joe Pavelski first line might be the most underrated line in hockey right now. Robertson and Hintz are averaging well over a point per game, while Pavelski’s right there with six goals and 12 points in 13 games. The best defense is a good offense, so it’s not exactly a surprise that they are also crushing opponents defensively as a line.

Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin aren’t too far behind offensively, but the drop-off on defense has been a bit concerning if we’re nitpicking. If the Stars end up dropping off, it won’t be the first line or the goaltending. The players in the middle of the pack just need to keep pulling their weight.

Colorado Avalanche: Valeri Nichushkin's injury

Ugh. I've loved watching Valeri Nichushkin tear it up after signing his eight-year, $6.125 million AAV contract. But he's out for a month after undergoing ankle surgery. You never want to see this, but I guess there's a silver lining of timing -- he'll have ample time to recover before what looks to be another long playoff run for the Avalanche.

Minnesota Wild: The start

The NHL has shown us that a team can turn a season around after almost anything, and it appears the Wild may have. This didn’t feel like your average 0-3 start, though, it was riddled with goaltending woes and generally confusing underperformance on a team that was supposed to be better. But looking back, we may have exaggerated because they’re an exciting team with a rabid fanbase—not to mention all of the injuries they’ve been dealing with, or the growing pains we should expect from Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. Now they’re 6-6-1 and showing signs of that team we expected them to be. It’s fine. They’re fine. Maybe.

Chicago Blackhawks: Hovering around a playoff spot

Don't look now, but the openly tanking Chicago Blackhawks are currently 5-5-2 and flirting with a playoff spot. God bless the loser point, am I right?

Of course, we shouldn't take the standings seriously until at least American Thanksgiving. But I have to admit I enjoy when players on tanking teams mutinize and decide to try to win.

Arizona Coyotes: Not tanking hard enough

I actually hate the concept of tanking, but if it's your mission (which it clearly is for the boys at Mullet Arena), you gotta lean in. The Coyotes are 6-6-1. In this economy? In one of the weakest divisions in the league? They might squeak into the playoffs at this rate, and you know what, I’m cool with them sacrificing the future of the franchise for playoffs at the Mullett.

Nashville Predators: Tanking too hard

The Predators are having a tough start at 5-8-1, and it’s way too soon to tell, but I fear this is going to be another middling season. At a certain point (like, yesterday?) does management need to commit to a rebuild? I’m happy to eat my words if they turn it around, I really liked their offseason.

St. Louis Blues: Breaking the wrong records

The Blues’ eight-game losing streak is the longest in team history, and the 5-1 loss to the Flyers was not pretty. Every facet of the team has been bad. But the good news is the team has enough star power to turn it around, and remember how bad that 2018-19 Blues team was in the beginning of the season? They went on to win the Cup.

Vegas Golden Knights: Will Robin Lehner’s absence catch up?

The vibes-per-60 are off the charts in Vegas right now, so it’s tough to really nitpick. Many of last year's injured players have come back with a bang, and the league’s best team holds a 13-2-0 record. You almost forget that starting goalie Robin Lehner is out for the entire season.

I’ve been really impressed with Logan Thompson, though, and he’s earned his .925 save percentage through 10 games. It’s just a lot to ask of the kid!

Seattle Kraken: Bad luck with Philipp Grubauer

Look, no one could have predicted goaltender Philipp Grubauer’s injury woes or his down season, and he could come back and play at the level we all know he’s capable of. But the $5.9 million cap hit is tough to swallow with last season’s underperformance and so much time out.

The Kraken are exceeding expectations (and currently in a playoff spot!), but the defense has been an issue. You’d hope to have Grubauer in the net and performing well to make up for it, and you don’t.

Los Angeles Kings: The kids

I love the potential of this Kings team, and I was impressed with its performance in the first round against Edmonton last season. They’re 8-6-1 to start 2022-23, the Kevin Fiala acquisition was huge, and I don’t doubt they’ll be back in the playoffs this year. But I do think it’ll be a few more years until they make a deep run, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Edmonton Oilers: The same red flag as always

Can Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sustainably carry this team as much as they have been? Can they keep getting away with this?

McDavid has 15 goals and 31 points in 15 games, Draisaitl's got 9-18-27 in 15. Yes, they can carry the team. But it still makes me uneasy, and I'm not comfortable with the 8-7-0 record despite how well the stars have played.

Calgary Flames: Goaltending

The Flames are currently in one and riding a seven-game losing streak. Yes, three key blueliners in Oliver Kylington, Chris Tanev and Michael Stone are injured. But the blue line is still pretty stacked, especially with the off-season acquisition of Mackenzie Weegar, and Jacob Markstom's usually elite goaltending should've been enough to keep their heads above water for the time being.

Coming off an amazing season, though, Jacob Markstrom is very much underperforming. And his backup Dan Vladar is doing even worse. It's rarely one thing when teams that were supposed to have great years find themselves in the trenches, and obviously Jonathan Huberdeau's surprising lack of production then injury is also hurting the team.

But the Flames need better goaltending, period.

Vancouver Canucks: The little things (and the big things)

The Canucks, 4-7-3, have allowed at least four goals in 10 of 14 games. They are losing in particularly disheartening ways, and making a ton of head-scratching mistakes along the way. It’s tough to say what the fundamental issue is with this team, but to me, it comes down to forcing a collection of players to be something it’s not. The sooner we can all admit that the better off we will be.

San Jose Sharks: Erik Karlsson’s resurgence

The team needs to be bad, and yet Erik Karlsson cannot stop scoring. He looks like his old self. How dare he!

Anaheim Ducks: Wasting John Gibson's prime

It pains me to watch 29-year-old John Gibson in this situation, but the Ducks' holes on defense have contributed to his goals-against average of 4.47, which is second-worst in the league. Through 11 games, he's 2-8-1 with a .888 save percentage, and that save percentage is actually somewhat decent given the goals against. He's no doubt underperformed to start this season, but the stars just aren't aligning right now when it comes to Gibson's prime and the Ducks' youth movement that still needs a few years to grow.