15 reasons this NHL season took place in the Upside Down

9. Original Six malaise

I’ve already touched on the miserable seasons of the Canadiens and Rangers, but the debacle turned in by the Detroit Red Wings and especially the Chicago Blackhawks was out of the blue. Who would figure the Blackhawks would roll up snake eyes in a season in which they conceivably still had so much going for them? After all, they didn’t really have departures any more damaging than in previous seasons, when they ended up being their usual powerhouse selves. But the fall from grace by stalwart defenseman Duncan Keith (One Goal?) felt like it was caused by fatigue but also the absence of Niklas Hjalmarsson, who had a woeful season of his own after being exiled to the Arizona Coyotes.

Scoring didn’t seem like it was going to be a problem, what with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and a returned Brandon Saad blasting away. But not having Artemi Panarin to dish to him apparently hurt Kane more than it hurt Panarin (who had more points than any member of the Blackhawks). And let’s not forget about the departure of backup Scott Darling. The fact that the same Joel Quenneville was behind the bench and general manager Stan Bowman was calling the shots — both among the best of their respective professions — makes this an even bigger head-scratcher. As for the Red Wings…well, they weren’t going to be good, but missing the playoffs two seasons in a row makes me wonder if the days of Reed Larson have returned.