When an NHL player has a season below their norm, their road to redemption becomes a storyline early in the following season. Will they bounce back? What went wrong the year before? How will their resurgence or continued struggles impact the team?
There are a number of players this season who are showing signs of having bounce-back campaigns, and others who were hoping to bounce back but haven't yet.
Will the current trends continue or is there a chance the comeback stories will turn sour? Let's have a look.
Jason Spezza, C, Dallas Stars
Key stat from 2017-18: 4.1 percent even-strength shooting percentage
2018-19 comparison: 14.3 percent even-strength shooting percentage
Following a brutal 26-point season, it appeared Spezza's days as an impact player might have been over, but he has shown signs of life over the Stars' first 18 games, scoring 11 points while bouncing around to different spots in the Dallas lineup. He has played 15:04 per game, which is more than two minutes per game more than last year. One concerning sign going forward is Spezza's shot rate, which is at a career-low 1.72 per game. If the 35-year-old doesn't find a way to get more pucks on net, his quick start could fade as the season goes on.