Is Matt Moulson Good Again?
Some of you may have read my piece on Michael Grabner, if not you can get it here. Today I'm going to look at another player who appears to be all of a sudden good again, Matt Moulson.
Moulson is another former Islander who was really good, and then fell off the map. He started his career with the Los Angeles Kings, but was never an everyday player with them. He became a full time NHLer in 2009 with the New York Islanders. He scored 30 goals in his first full season, 31 in his second, and 36 in his third. Much like Grabner, Moulson looked like he was going to be a star for years to come. In the lockout shortened 2012-2013 season, Moulson put up 44 points in 47 games. Then things went south for Moulson. In 2013-2014 he played on three different teams, the Islanders, Sabres, and Wild. He didn't have a terrible year, but the changing of teams did not help. In 75 games he scored 23 goals, 28 assists, and 51 points. This was a step down in production from previous years, and a sign of things to come. After the 2013-2014 season, Moulson returned to Buffalo and signed a long term contract with the team. He has not lived up to that contract.
Matt Moulson made my list of 10 Most Overrated NHL Players, mostly for his time in Buffalo. The Sabres signed Moulson with the hopes that he would be a first line scorer and score 25-30 goals every year. In his first season in Buffalo, Moulson scored just 13 goals and 41 points. Things got even worse last season. He played 81 games and had just 8 goals and 13 assists. Moulson was dropped down to the fourth line and his career appeared to be just about over.
Things seem to be changing though. This season, Moulson appears to be taking a step in the right direction. At 33, he's never going to be the star he was in his first few seasons in the league, but he can be a decent player. In 19 games this year, he already has 7 goals and 9 points, a much better pace than he was on last season. Much like Michael Grabner, it remains to be seen if he can keep this up for an entire season, but he looks good so far. At least he is contributing and benefiting the team at this point. I think anywhere between 15-20 goals and 40-50 points is a good season for Moulson, and it seems like he's going to hit those marks. It's rare to see players fall on their faces and then resurrect their careers in the NHL, but Moulson appears to be doing that this season. Yes, Matt Moulson is good again, I think.
