Well another season is officially in the books, and there was no shortage of intrigue and excitement this year. We finally got a full 82 game schedule in, as life as a whole seemingly continues to go back to "normal." With the playoffs starting tomorrow and our fantasy seasons in the rear view, I figured now would be as good a time as any to take a look back on the season and highlight some players and teams that stood out, for good or for bad. I am going to start off in the West with a team and one player in particular really broke through this season.

Johnny Hockey and the Flames Burn Up the Competiton

Going into this season, we all knew the Pacific Division was probably the most volatile and hardest to predict. I had Calgary as a playoff team for sure, maybe a two or three seed, or maybe even a wild card team depending on how they played. I thought their offense was mid-tier, and I questioned their defense, but here we are after 82 games and the Flames finished the year with a whopping 111 points. They clinched the top seed in their division by seven points and looked dominant throughout most parts of the year. 

With 293 goals scored (sixth best in NHL), the offense certainly wasn't an issue and thanks to steady defense and an outstanding year from Jacob Markstrom, they were equally as efficient in their own end. I could probably write a whole bit on Markstrom's year as well, but the true star emerging from the Flames this year is clearly Johnny Gaudreau. Johnny Hockey led his team with 40 goals and a ridiculous 75 assists for a total of 115 points this year. 

There were a couple seasons pre-COVID where Gaudreau performed at a pretty elite level, but I was starting to have my doubts on him after his numbers dipped over the past couple of seasons. After he hit a career-low in shot rate in the 2020-21 season, I was pretty down on him heading into this season. This year though he stormed back with a vengeance and proved me and the rest of his doubters wrong. He smashed his career highs in goals, assists and shots, and helped pave the way for the Flames to contend this season. 

Alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm, the Flames boasted three players who scored 40 or more goals this season and Andrew Mangiapane was almost a fourth, finishing just shy with 35. It will be interesting to see if Calgary can translate their regular season success to the playoffs. We will find out this coming Tuesday as the Flames kickoff their opening round versus the Dallas Stars!

Josi Gets Better with Age, Leads Preds to Another Playoffs

Much like Gaudreau, Roman Josi was another player I had kind of written off going into draft season. It's so easy to write off a guy in hockey, especially after one off-year. The COVID-shortened 2020-21 season was a down year for Josi as he posted some of the worst numbers of his career. That, mixed with the fact that he wasn't getting any younger (now 31 years old), kind of led me to pass on him in a lot of drafts. Going even a step further, I thought the Preds were going to be a non-playoff team this season. I did not foresee the reincarnation of Matt Duchene's career coming, that's for sure. But what Josi did this season was absolutely incredible.

He led the Predators in scoring as a defenseman with 23 goals and 73 assists for 96 points, just missing the century mark!  He was an absolute killer on the man advantage, collecting 37 of his 96 points there. He shot the puck a ton, and even his block numbers were the best he's had in years. Hockey is such a young person's sport these days, and it feels like more and more players are in their prime at 21 or 22, and by the time they reach their 30s their best years are behind them. Well, the season Josi has put together should be a stark reminder that guys over 30 shouldn't be cast aside so fast! Next season I certainly will think twice before skipping over Josi on my draft board.

Fiala, Kaprizov Keep Minnesota in the Mix 

I had a hard time deciding who to focus on here, so ultimately, I decided to cover two guys. The Minnesota Wild, much like the Nashville Predators, always seem to find a way to be competitive year in and year out. This season was no different as the Wild wrapped up yet another dominant campaign with a 53-22-7 record which was good for 113 points, second behind only the top-seeded Avalanche. Last year we got a sample of what Kirill Kaprizov was capable of, but this year we got the main course and it did not disappoint.

In 81 games, Kaprizov put up 47 goals and 61 assists for 108 points total, which was fifth most in the entire NHL. For me, Kaprizov was pretty much a lock to be an elite player this year, but I didn't expect top-5 league-wide production levels. He exceeded the expectations of me, and probably just about everyone else in the hockey world. He is locked up for the next four seasons, so Wild fans have much to look forward to looking past this season. 

What really stood out to me though this season for Minnesota was the emergence of Kevin Fiala. Heading into this season, Fiala was regarded as a perfectly fine middle-six forward, who definitely was serviceable in the NHL, but in fantasy circles, he didn't start getting on people's radar until the first COVID-shortened season back in 2019-20.  This season was a contract year for Fiala, and he sure picked the perfect time to break out. He eviscerated his previous career bests in goals, assists and points. He put up 33 goals and 52 assists for 85 points, 31 better than any other year. 

With Kaprizov's elite goal scoring on the top line, and Fiala's emergence as a major offensive player from the second line, the Wild's top-six was truly a force to be reckoned with this season. They draw the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs, another team that is never easy to play against. Honestly, this series is a hard one to predict, but it's hard to bet against the Wild after the season they just had.

Backstrom Has Season to Forget

I'm only going to focus on one bust in this article, and it's the Swedish sensation Nicklas Backstrom. Granted, his season has been derailed with injuries, but nonetheless, it has been a very forgettable campaign for the veteran center. In just 47 games this season, Backstrom netted just six goals to go along with his 25 helpers. Even if you pace this out through 82 games, he was only putting up 54 points in a full-length season. 

When I was reviewing Josi's season earlier and was talking about how guys in their 30s start to lose a step, this is a prime example of that. Backstrom is 34, and turning 35 this coming November. I can't help but wonder how much both him and Ovechkin have left in the tank. In my pre-season predictions, I picked Alex Ovechkin to be my disappointment of the year. While that was clearly off (Ovi finished with 50 goals and 90 points… obviously), his teammate and longtime friend certainly has fallen victim to time. 

Despite Backstrom's off-year, the Capitals still were able to cruise to a 100-point season and secure a wild-card spot for the playoffs. They will be facing off against the powerhouse Florida Panthers in round one, and well… good luck Washington! You never know though; playoff hockey is truly a different beast. You can have all the offense in the world (and the Panthers do), but once the post-season begins, all that time and space evaporates and you're fighting tooth and nail for every goal you can get. Just ask the Leafs about that one. 

Well that's a wrap. I feel like I barely touched the surface of the season as a whole. There were a lot of teams that had incredible seasons this year, but these were some of my favorites. Going forward in the short-term, I will probably be checking in throughout the playoffs to give some thoughts on how everything unfolds. Be sure to check the expert panel of playoff predictions that is due to come out later on DobberHockey.com!  Enjoy the playoffs everyone!