Storylines From The First Two Months Of The NHL Season

There have been some noteworthy stuff happening in the other winter sport as well. The NHL has plenty of stories to talk about in the first two months. Here's what transpired at the beginning of the NHL season.

• Lots Of Early Coach Firings: There have been plenty of head coach firings, ranging from those who were too intimidating and harsh on their players (Mike Babcock, Bill Peters, Jim Montgomery) to those who were just incompetent (Peter DeBoer). Surprisingly, some coaches such as Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings remain. Will Blashill and anyone else be on the chopping block next?
  
• Early Surprises: Teams like the Florida Panthers (thanks to Joel Quenneville), the Arizona Coyotes (thanks to a budding young group led by Clayton Keller), and the Edmonton Oilers (thanks to lines not featuring Connor McDavid) are suddenly taking the NHL by storm. How their staying power is going to last remains to be seen. However, it's fun seeing these teams compete in the NHL.
  
• Early Disappointments: Then, there are teams like Nashville, San Jose, and Toronto, who haven't lived up to expectations. Even the Golden Knights, who were supposed to get better with Nate Schmidt returning, haven't done much until recently. It's still early in the NHL season. But if these teams don't improve their situations, they'll be hitting the links by early April.
  
• Still Playing Gloria: The St. Louis Blues, who were in dead last in the Central Division at the beginning of last January, are still rolling along. The defending Stanley Cup champions are strong on virtually every line and are stingy on the back check. It's not a farfetched possibility to see the Blues hoist the Cup again come June.