from Steve Ellis of The Daily Faceoff,

Today, we’re looking at five players that have played big roles for their teams in the past or were expected to and have fallen short. There’s still plenty of time for course correction, but these five players will need to get on the right path sooner rather than later:

Juuse Saros, G (Nashville Predators)

So much of Nashville’s success last year revolved around Saros’ play, and he ended up as a Vezina Trophy finalist. But of the 26 goalies with at least eight games played this year – essentially, most of the league’s starters – Saros’ .897 save percentage at 5-on-5 is 24th, and his minus-4.26 goals saved above average is 25th. You can’t sugarcoat his performance – he’s not getting the job done, and the team in front of him isn’t good enough to make up for his shortcomings. The 27-year-old has had a handful of ups and downs in his career, and right now, it’s definitely on the low side.

Andrew Mangiapane, LW (Calgary Flames)

Mangiapane went from earning some Team Canada Olympic consideration last year to scoring just twice in 12 games this season. He had 35 goals last season, but in the past 65 games since Jan. 1, he only has 19. That means 18 of his 35 last year them came in his first 29 games.

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