Jason Chen and Michael Amato discuss the why the second half doesn't look so great for the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers.
The Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast hosts Jason Chen and Michael Amato think a few teams in the first half of the season outperformed expectations and due for a regression in the second half.
The Kings' slide has been well-documented and it's cost Todd McLellan his job. But with an interim head coach promoted from within in Jim Hiller, is this just about having another voice in the room or is the roster construction flawed? Pierre-Luc Dubois has been a massive disappointment, Kevin Fiala has been very quiet recently and they desperately need better goaltending.
Anze Kopitar (11), Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) and Kevin Fiala (22)The Predators have depended on their veteran top line of Filip Forsberg - Ryan O'Reilly - Gustav Nyquist, but it felt like they were playing above their heads. The Preds' young players, including Luke Evangelista, Jusso Parssinen and Tommy Novak, have been inconsistent contributors. Juuse Saros has underperformed all season and it doesn't look like he'll be turning it around soon.
The new coach bump from John Hynes has dissipated for the Wild, and they're now barely clinging onto the playoff race. Brock Faber has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing and injury-plagued season for the cap-strapped Wild.
John Tortorella's teams consistently punch above their weight but you wonder if there's any gas in the tank left for the Flyers. They lack elite talent and No. 1 goalie Samuel Ersson faces a heavy workload, one that he's never quite experienced before.
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