Looking at 10 players who need to bounce back after disappointing last season.
With the 2010-11 season just around the corner, there are players heading to training camp with their fingers crossed they can duplicate what they accomplished last season.
There are also players who would like to wipe last season from their memory banks. Here are 10 players you just know are hoping for better results this season:
JAY BOUWMEESTER, CALGARY FLAMES: The Flames thought (hoped) they were getting a budding superstar when they acquired the 25-year old from the Florida Panthers and then signed him to a five-year, $33-million contract, and why wouldn't they? The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Edmonton native was coming off back-to-back 15-goal seasons. Yet all he could muster with the Flames was three goals and 29 points in 82 games. One of the best skaters in the NHL, Bouwmeester spent most of last season in neutral, which begs the question: Is he playing in the right system? With the Panthers, Bouwmeester had the green light to rush the puck when he deemed it safe and necessary. He played a much more conservative game with the Flames and his stats reflect that. If the Flames are going to get back to the playoffs, Bouwmeester must get back to being one of the better two-way defenders in the NHL.
BRYAN LITTLE, ATLANTA THRASHERS: After a breakout year in which he scored 31 goals, Little struggled last year and slipped to 13. But, like the great Bob Gainey once said, just because a player has one bad year doesn't mean he'll have two. The Thrashers obviously believe he has the ability to bounce back since they signed him to a three-year, $7.15-million contract. Little is a supremely talented right winger who should take more of a leadership role with the revamped Thrashers.
BRAD BOYES, ST. LOUIS BLUES: There are all kinds of stories going around about the Blues being hard up for money, so if this team is to improve on last year's 15th overall ranking, it will have to come from within. It means players in the system are going to have to be better and nobody fits that description better than the 28-year-old Boyes. Three years, ago Boyes tallied 43 goals and not too many blinked an eye when he slipped to 33 the following year. But when he tumbled to 14 last season, well, you get the picture.
CAREY PRICE, MONTREAL CANADIENS: The Habs rolled the dice on Price and allowed their MVP from last season, Jaroslav Halak, to walk. After seasons of 24 and 23 wins, Price slipped to 13 last year and rode the pine during the playoffs when Halak carried Montreal to the Eastern Conference final. The pressure will certainly be on the 23-year-old Price to, if not duplicate what Halak accomplished, at least give some indication that he can indeed be a capable No. 1 goalie in the pressure cooker that is Montreal.
STEVE MASON, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: The NHL's rookie of the year two years ago suffered through a miserable sophomore slump last season. And he wasn't alone. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Blue Jacket that actually enjoyed a great year. But the Jackets need Mason to bounce back if they are going to make it to the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. There's no way this kid is a one-hit wonder.
VINCENT LECAVALIER, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: One of new GM Steve Yzerman's biggest challenges will be to coax Lecavalier into returning to the form that had him ranked among the best players in the NHL. It's not that 24 goals and 70 points is a disastrous year, but Lecavalier led the NHL with 52 goals in 2006-07 and he should put up 90-100 points in his sleep. If he finds his mojo, the Lightning could go deep into the playoffs.
CHRIS DRURY, NEW YORK RANGERS: It's a fact of life in today’s NHL that a player’s success is measured by his output vs. his paycheck. And few take a bigger beating for his lack of production vs. his take-home pay than Rangers centre Drury. It has pretty much been that way since he joined the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent three years ago. His production has been in decline ever since and last season's 14 goals and 32 points in 77 games simply isn't cutting it.
SHAWN HORCOFF, EDMONTON OILERS: Horcoff is in pretty much the same boat as Drury -- his offensive output doesn't come close to justifying his salary. The Oilers got a little carried away in paying the guys that helped them make the Stanley Cup final in 2005-06 and are paying a price for that now. There is a youth movement in Edmonton, but it would be nice if Horcoff, who had just 13 goals and was a minus-29 last year, finds his game. He's on the books for five more years.
MARTIN HAVLAT, MINNESOTA WILD: The Martin Havlat that Minnesota Wild fans saw last season in no way resembled the player that thrilled fans in Chicago and Ottawa in a previous life. And if the Wild are to make a serious run for the playoffs, he'll need to get back to being one of the most thrilling individuals in the league. Obviously, injuries have taken a toll on his play but when he is healthy, Havlat is one of the most dynamic, exciting players in the league. Playing for a team that is hard-pressed to score goals, Havlat needs to stand up and be counted.
THOMAS VANEK, BUFFALO SABRES: The Sabres are a defence-first team, but that doesn't mean they don't requite offence. Playing in just two fewer games than he did the year before, Vanek scored 12 fewer goals, dipping from 40 to 28. The Sabres need the 26-year-old Vanek to get back to being a dangerous sniper; a player the opposition has to worry about every time he is on the ice.
