NHL Teams That Deserve Big Gifts From Santa This Year – The Hockey Writers Column Latest News, Analysis & More

It’s that time of the year when everyone is doing their gift shopping. Some of us have wishlists and others have friends and families on tight budgets. On this site, many teams have wishlists for Santa ready to go with some teams having higher demands and gifts that would be more appreciated.

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Some teams deserve to be rewarded more than others and could use a good gift this season, whether it’s making the playoffs or having a great season. So, which presents would some teams and their fanbases love to see under the tree? Let’s start with one that could use some good fortune these days.

The First-Overall Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have gone through enough in the past offseason alone to see some success on the ice. Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic passing left the team without a first-class person both on and off the ice and it’s hard for any team to recover from a devastating loss of that caliber. The Blue Jackets have become one of the teams even casual fans have rallied behind with the hope that they will turn things around for a fanbase that deserves to see success.

Despite all the issues, the Blue Jackets have a few things working in their favor. General manager (GM) Don Waddell is building a good team from the ground up and Dean Evason has shown he’s a great head coach who can lead this team in the long run. The Blue Jackets are 12-14-5 but they are playing competitive hockey, a must for any rebuilding team.

Winning the NHL Draft Lottery would be just what the Blue Jackets need. They have a handful of players to build around and adding a young star would put them ahead of schedule. On top of that, it would turn the rebuild into a promising one and possibly turn the Blue Jackets into one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference down the road if they land an elite talent with the first-overall pick.

A Playoff Berth: Ottawa Senators

The team that was supposed to receive this gift before the season began was the Buffalo Sabres. They have the longest playoff drought in the NHL and deserve to make the playoffs more than anyone else. The problem is that the Sabres are awful and watching the season fall apart. They haven’t been eliminated from the playoffs but their outlook for the rest of the season is bleak.

The other teams with long playoff droughts are the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and the Ottawa Senators. The Sharks, like the Sabres, are near the bottom of the standings and while the Red Wings also deserve to make the playoffs, the Senators are the most deserving, in part because the fans have endured the rollercoaster that was the Eugene Melnyk ownership era.

The Senators have a good chance to make it as a wild-card team and have the roster to make a late-season push. While Linus Ullmark has been inconsistent in the net and the depth on defense remains a question mark, the forward unit has played well all season and the young core is starting to come together. The rebuild has had some highs and lows but this season, it looks like all the pieces are falling into place and they can end up making the playoffs.

A Playoff Series Win: Minnesota Wild

It’s been a while since the Minnesota Wild have won a playoff series. A decade to be exact. In 2014-15, they defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games. They have only seen early exits since. This fanbase has only seen heartbreak from the Minnesota North Stars era to the Wild’s inception at the turn of the century. They deserve a playoff victory and possibly more, especially this season.

The Wild have are one of the best teams in the NHL and are built to win in the playoffs. Yes, they have a great offense with Kirill Kaprizov leading the way but they are led by a shutdown defense anchored by Brock Faber and great goaltending from Filip Gustavsson.

The biggest obstacle for this team winning a series is, unfortunately for them, the Central Division. The Wild are poised for a tough matchup against the Dallas Stars or the Winnipeg Jets. It’s why winning the division will be pivotal for this team as they strive to not only win their first playoff series in a decade but set themselves up for a deep playoff run.

A Deep Playoff Run: Winnipeg Jets

Like the Wild, the Winnipeg Jets have a passionate hockey fanbase eager to see the team have success. They have powered through the tough times and saw the original franchise relocate to Arizona (how’d that work out?) only to see the Atlanta Thrashers move in and find a home but not much great play on the ice. This fanbase deserves a Stanley Cup title but at the very least, they can use a deep playoff run.

The Jets have a roster that is different from the others in their division but one that can get the job done. They are built from the net out with reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck on pace to win the award for the second season in a row but they also have a strong defense. Pair that with plenty of forward depth and the Jets have a lot of pieces in place to not just win one playoff series but a few. While last season’s playoff defeat is still fresh in their memory as they were outplayed and looked slow against a fast-paced Colorado Avalanche team in the first round, they are still ready to make noise in the playoffs.

The last time the Jets went on a playoff run, it was fun not just for the fans of the team but for hockey fans at large. The home atmosphere is one of the best in the NHL with their iconic “Whiteouts” and in 2018, the hockey world saw it firsthand as the team reached the Western Conference Final. It would be great to see this team reach the Western Conference Final and possibly the Stanley Cup Final this season and to see the fanbase go crazy in the process.

Stanley Cup Title: Toronto Maple Leafs

There are a few teams that never won the Stanley Cup and other teams with long title droughts, but none longer than the Toronto Maple Leafs. The last time this historic franchise won it all was in 1967. They’ve only endured heartbreaking defeat after heartbreaking defeat since.

Every season, the Maple Leafs look like a team that can get over the hump, only to lose in the playoffs to one of their division rivals like the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning. This team, however, isn’t the same as the past ones. They are built with great goaltending and the defensive unit, with the help of offseason signees Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, is the team’s strength.

Along with the balanced roster, the Maple Leafs have a head coach who knows how to take a team that has trouble getting over the hump and lead them to a title. Craig Berube led the St. Louis Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019 and has the Maple Leafs playing playoff hockey and preparing to snap the longest drought in NHL history. This team always seems to choke when it matters most but they finally have the pieces in place to bring the Stanley Cup to Toronto. To say the fans have waited long enough is an understatement.

Some Players Who Could Use Big Gifts

Juuse Saros deserves a good defense in front of him. He’s having a remarkable season and it’s going to waste on a Nashville Predators team that is going nowhere. A good team would be nice but at least a good enough defense where he isn’t overwhelmed by shots on a nightly basis would be appreciated. The same can be said about Igor Shesterkin, who just received a big gift in an eight-year extension from the New York Rangers but could use a defense that helps him out. Both teams have elite goaltending but are squandering it this season.

Speaking of the Rangers, a gift they might want to give their players is a quiet season. When Jacob Trouba was traded earlier this month, the assumption was that the drama was behind them. It isn’t. The Rangers have continued to play poorly and they seem to stir up some big news every day with who is and isn’t on the trade block. A few quiet weeks to allow the team to get back on track would be much appreciated.

Nathan MacKinnon is once again carrying the Avalanche to a large extent. He could use some roster depth around him and more importantly, stability in the net. Cala Makar and Mikko Rantanen have the same wish. The trio has carried the Avalanche to their current spot int he standings and could use some help.

Sidney Crosby wishes he was on a competitive team again with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division this season and poised to miss the playoffs for the third-straight seasonthe. He’s still playing at a high level and the hope is that his final years in the NHL don’t go to waste.

Is there a team or a player that deserves a special gift this season? Let us know in the comments section below!