5 teams that will boast lethal offenses this season
Evaluating the impact of goals to the average NHL fan is rather simple: people like them. Goals are fun, goals are exciting, and more goals generally leads to a more exciting on-ice product for viewers.
The problem, though, is goals these days are hard to come by. In 2016-17, the team average for goals in a game was 2.77 (Hockey Reference), a number which, shockingly, is the highest season total since 2010-11, when the stat was a barn-burning 2.79.
If tight-structured defensive systems aren't your thing, we recommend keeping a close eye on the following five teams in 2017-18, as they're poised to ensure the NHL's goals per-game number continues its brief upward trend.
Dallas Stars
See this thick-bearded, toothless fellow above? He gets to join a forward corps that already features the likes of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Jason Spezza.
Alexander Radulov was one of the Stars' prized offseason acquisitions, coming off a rebirth in Montreal in which he recorded 54 points in 76 games. Radulov provides Dallas another power play producer, and can slot in beside Seguin on a top line that, on paper, is simply unfair.
Dallas also bolstered it's attack by luring towering pivot Martin Hanzal to the club in free agency. The 30-year-old should nicely complement prospering depth contributors Devin Shore and Radek Faksa.
Toronto Maple Leafs
After netting the fifth-most goals in the NHL last season (250), year two of the youth movement in Toronto should warrant more of the same.
While the Maple Leafs sophomores surely won't be taking anyone by surprise this time around, Toronto added Patrick Marleau into the mix to solidify one of the deepest forward groups across the NHL.
Winnipeg Jets
Finding the back of the net certainly isn't what kept the Jets outside the playoff picture last season.
Winnipeg scored 246 goals in 2016-17, a sum good for seventh in the league. The Jets didn't make too much noise in the offseason in terms of adding personnel, mainly because they didn't have to. With a top six that includes Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg is primed to rack up gaudy offensive numbers for years to come.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Last season's Blue Jackets were sandwiched between the Maple Leafs and Jets in terms of goals, and on the heels of a historic breakout campaign, Columbus added yet another offensive weapon in Artemi Panarin.
Panarin, who's recorded 151 points in 162 career games, should adequately replace Brandon Saad's output, and joins a roster that had seven skaters, excluding the departed Saad, eclipse 40 points last season.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Who knows where Tampa Bay might have ended up last season with Steven Stamkos involved.
The Lightning captain had 20 points in 17 games before a knee injury ended his season, leaving the club without one of the game's purest scorers. However, Stamkos is expected to be fully ready for training camp, and should he stay in the lineup, will form an incomparable duo with 40-goal man Nikita Kucherov.
Behind the two big dogs, the Lightning have a formidable trio of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point to rely on offensively. Not to mention Victor Hedman, who anchored the blue line and put up a whopping 72 points in 2016-17.
(Photos Courtesy: Action Images)
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