Carolina Hurricanes 24-15-2 3rd in Metro
Carolina, again, seems to be a cup contender. After a busy offseason where they revamped their depth forward lines and second defensive pairing, the Hurricanes were primed to take a step back. They had lost several impact forwards including Jake Guentzel and Teuvo Teravainen but Rod Brind’Amour’s coaching has allowed the lesser skilled forward group to simply overwhelm opponents with a high shot volume, leading the league in shots. This has allowed Martin Necas to break out this season scoring at a 95-point pace through 41 games. I’m sure Carolina is glad they didn’t trade him last summer.
On the flip side, the Hurricanes have done an amazing job of limited opportunities against, placing 31st in shots allowed per game. Unfortunately, poor goaltending and injuries this season have limited the team’s defensive ceiling.
With all their success, Carolina has received an A- in their mid-season review due to poor goaltending and a middling powerplay. Reportedly looking to be huge buyers at the deadline, the Hurricanes will look to fix these issues going into their seventh straight post-season appearance.
Columbus Blue Jackets 18-17-6 4th in Metro
It appears the Blue Jackets have finally turned the corner and are a competitive team again. After several rebuilding seasons, Columbus has seen a huge increase in scoring which is typically a sign that a team has started to climb out of the basement. New Head Coach Dean Evason has allowed his younger players to make mistakes in an effort to promote their creativity. The Blue Jackets are still allowing tons of scoring chances against, but I believe this is a step in the right direction.
Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko are the highlights of the team this season, both scoring at above a point per game, both coming as surprises. The Blue Jackets will likely look to add cheap goaltending help at the deadline to support their defensive game.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have earned an A on their mid-season ranking because they are currently sitting in a playoff spot after several years of rebuild. I would love to see the Blue Jackets in the playoffs again, playing for Johnny Hockey.
Washington Capitals 27-10-4 A+
The word I would use to describe the Washington Capitals this season is Breakout. After a decade of Stanley Cup contention which resulted in a cup in 2018, the Capitals had regressed to the point where fans were unsure if Ovechkin would be able to break Gretzky’s goal record. Several impact players were picked up in the offseason including Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Logan Thompson who have helped fill in the Capitals roster and have allowed head coach Spencer Carbury a full lineup who he trusts to play his high-paced system.
The added support has also allowed several Capitals players, including Dylan Strome and Connor McMichael, see career-high scoring paces. On top of that, Alex Ovechkin has somehow continued to score at a ridiculous pace, with 20 goals in 27 games, and it looks likely he will break Gretzky’s record this season.
This Capitals team has earned an A+ mid-season ranking because they have exceeded their preseason expectations BY FAR. Very few people predicted them to be at the top of the Eastern Conference come Christmas.
New York Islanders 16-18-7 7th in Metro
The New York Islanders are an interesting group. With a similar roster construction from their contending years in the early 2020s, they have little high-end skill but play a possession style game focused on creating scoring opportunities, while respecting the defensive side of the puck. The scoring chances are there, with the Islanders ranking 12th in the league in that category and their even-strength game is solid, with a 49.7% Corsi Score halfway through the season.
The issues come in on special teams. Their powerplay is scoring at 10% and their penalty kill is somehow equally poor at 65%. Both stats are dead-last in the league. Now I don’t think the Islanders will have a shot at making the playoffs this season, but the coaching staff will have to adjust if they want a shot, something that Head Coach Patrick Roy has resisted.
"We need to continue exactly what we're doing," Roy said. "Changing won't help us, so let's keep doing what we're doing well.” [Stefen Rosner Nov. 26, 2024 – THN]
It’s almost comical, but it’s not out of expectation for the Islanders to do this poorly this season. They are full of aging veterans and lack high-end skill aside from Mat Barzal. They have earned a D- on their mid-season review due to their historically bad special teams and lack of competitiveness.
New York Rangers 19-20-2 6th in Metro
The New York Rangers are a disaster this season. After starting the season 13-5-1, the Rangers began to free-fall, dropping all the way to 8th in the Metropolitan in mid-December. Basically everything has gone wrong, the team isn’t playing adequate defense, several key forwards have stopped scoring, goaltending has regressed from previous years, players and management are disconnected, and finally, just about every player has seen their name come up in trade talks.
Everything’s gone wrong but fortunately, the team was able to sign superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year contract for fair value. The Rangers should hope he can regain his 2022 form and carry them to the playoffs.
The New York Rangers have earned an F on their mid-season review simply because the organization looks like a disaster at the moment. The team isn’t winning enough games to be competitive, and it seems like several core players have come up in trade talks at some point. It will be interesting to see how management reacts.
Pittsburgh Penguins 17-17-7 5th in Metro
On November 13th, General Manager Kyle Dubas announced that everyone was on the trade block except for Sidney Crosby. The team had started the season 6-9-2 and had the league’s worst even strength defensive game. Since then, they’ve only traded Lars Eller and have recovered to still be in the playoff race halfway through the season. They are still in a delicate position where General Manager Kyle Dubas will not want to buy at the deadline, but the team is not a serious contender without added help.
The Penguins are controlling the shot share at even-strength and are a high event team this year. Producing tons of scoring chances and allowing just as much. To make a playoff push, management will have to address the goaltending. Pittsburgh’s goaltending is currently holding them back sitting at third-last in the league and cannot be relied upon.
Pittsburgh has earned a C+ for their mid-season review because they have overcome their poor start and are in the playoff hunt. I hope that Sidney Crosby can make the playoffs again because it looks less and less likely as each season goes on.
Philadelphia Flyers 17-19-5 7th in Metro
Bad goaltending has cursed the Flyers in the first half of this season. Their trio of Ersson, Kolosov and Fedetov have a combined save percentage of .870. This has crippled the rest of the team and it’s surprising they are fifth place in the Metro. On the bright side, their Shots Against and High Danger Chances Against are lower than league average indicating the team is playing well defensively. The offensive metrics are similar showing the team is playing at league average.
If goaltending recovers, the Flyers could be a competitive wildcard team. They are a typical John Tortorella team, with every line buying into hard-checking system. Rookie Matvei Michkov has also brought some excitement to this team, scoring 31 points in 41 games. He’s slowed down as of late, but Michkov will be a high-end offensive driver for the next decade with the Flyers.
I am giving the Flyers a C+ in their mid-season review because the team has been competitive and is primed to make a late season push for the playoffs. The goaltending needs to be fixed though and I hope Daniel Briere and the front office can make changes.
New Jersey Devils 24-14-3 2nd in Metro
The New Jersey Devils have bounced back from last season, and I think that was one of the most predictable things to happen in the NHL this season. They were riddled with injuries and bad goaltending last season which led to missing the playoffs. The Devils’ roster is loaded with diversified talent on both forward and defense. Since adding goaltenders Jakob Markstrom and Jake Allen on the back end, the Devils has become much more stable defensively, allowing almost a full goal less per-game.
Bringing in Sheldon Keefe as Head Coach has also influenced the team’s all-around play, as he uses a possession heavy system which benefits highly skilled forwards and strong puck-moving defensemen, both attributes the Devils possess.
New Jersey has earned an A in their mid-season ranking because while they are winning games and are a lock to make the playoffs, I think this level of play was expected from the team coming into the season.
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