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<\/a><\/p>\n\n Connor Bedard is a major reason the Blackahwks have been better than expected this season. (Patrick McDermott \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Chicago Blackhawks: B<\/p>\n
The Blackhawks have been much better than anyone could have anticipated coming into the season. Connor Bedard is a major reason for that, but it goes beyond him. Even when he was out for a month recently, the Blackhawks remained afloat. Players such as Spencer Knight and Tyler Bertuzzi have consistently performed well, and the team\u2019s young players are coming along. Jeff Blashill deserves some of that credit, too. The Blackhawks have been much more structured and competitive under him. Odds are still likely against their making the playoffs this season, but they\u2019re in the mix. \u2014 Scott Powers<\/p>\n
Colorado Avalanche: A+<\/p>\n
The Avalanche are on pace to tie the 2022-23 Bruins for the best regular-season record in NHL history. Their plus-79 goal differential is nearly double the next-best team (Tampa Bay at plus-44). Colorado has the favorite to win the Art Ross (Nathan MacKinnon with 81 points), the Rocket Richard (MacKinnon again with 36 goals), the Hart (MacKinnon again) and the Norris (Cale Makar). It would be tough to grade that as anything but exemplary. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n
Columbus Blue Jackets: D<\/p>\n
Well, the first team to fire its coach can\u2019t get a good grade, right? Dean Evason was replaced by Rick Bowness on Monday, with the Blue Jackets stuck in second-last place in the East. They\u2019ve scored fewer goals and allowed more goals than a year ago, and they\u2019ve coughed up way too many late leads. The Blue Jackets have a .521 points percentage, but that\u2019s not what they were expecting after nearly making the playoffs one season ago. \u2014 Aaron Portzline<\/p>\n
Dallas Stars: B+<\/p>\n
The Stars were the only team within spitting distance of the Avalanche, but a six-game losing streak pretty much ended that chase. Their underlying numbers are fair to middling, and they\u2019re being propped up to an extent by a brilliant power play. Still, they\u2019re third in the league, and their three biggest stars \u2014 Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston \u2014 are having huge seasons, and Jake Oettinger has been trending in the right direction since the start of December. Now it\u2019s just cruising to the finish line and preparing for a titanic first-round matchup with the Wild. \u2014 Mark Lazerus<\/p>\n
Detroit Red Wings: B+<\/p>\n
The Red Wings have clearly exceeded preseason expectations, battling for the top spot in the Atlantic so far. They\u2019re getting good depth contributions from players such as Andrew Copp and James van Riemsdyk, a Norris-level season from Moritz Seider, and strong goaltending as of late, too. But they still have a lot to prove, particularly as the games get harder. \u2014 Max Bultman<\/p>\n
Edmonton Oilers: B+<\/p>\n
The Oilers have a championship ceiling, led by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. The floor (third and fourth lines, goaltending before two trades brought in Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram) is expansion level at five-on-five. Edmonton is in a good spot, and some of the recent auditions in those depth positions appear to be gaining traction. It\u2019s been a weird first half. \u2014 Allan Mitchell<\/p>\n
Florida Panthers: B<\/p>\n
No Aleksander Barkov and no Matthew Tkachuk could have been a lot uglier than this. The Panthers struggled mightily to start the year (7-7-1) but have been better as of late, and their 93-point pace is going to put them right in wild-card territory, which is all they need to accomplish to do damage in the postseason. They\u2019ve played more hockey than anyone in the league the past few years, so we\u2019re not going to fret that they aren\u2019t in more solid playoff positioning than this at the half, especially with all the injury absences. \u2014 James Mirtle<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Kings: D<\/p>\n
The Kings brought in Ken Holland as GM to change up the dynamic after four straight first-round losses to Edmonton. Holland kept Jim Hiller as coach after a 105-point season despite his backfiring coaching maneuvers last spring. This season has shown the Kings brought in inadequate replacements to key departures, and the few successful additions have been offset by returnees not measuring up to what they did last season. Only goalie Darcy Kuemper and defenseman Brandt Clarke have excelled. The Kings, in a weak Pacific Division, have traded wins and losses throughout. They are the definition of average and underwhelming. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Minnesota Wild: A<\/p>\n
After the Wild won three of their first 12 games this season, nobody in their right mind would have predicted they\u2019d have the third-most points in the NHL (and cutthroat Central Division) at this juncture or be the team to execute a Quinn Hughes blockbuster. But here they are, on the verge of true contender status if they can add a top-six center by the deadline. They\u2019ve got a great blue line, great goaltending tandem and star power with Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. \u2014 Michael Russo<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens: A<\/p>\n
The Canadiens are in the thick of a race to win the Atlantic Division more than halfway through the season. They are unlikely to reach the finish line in first, but the fact that they are there as the NHL\u2019s youngest team is a very good sign. Not only that, but it is their youngest talents who have been driving the bus, players such as Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson, who are still far from hitting their ceiling, and they are doing it despite missing several key players to injury. General manager Kent Hughes said recently his team is ahead of schedule, and this grade reflects that. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n
Nashville Predators: C<\/p>\n
This is essentially averaging the \u201cF\u201d for the first quarter of the season and the \u201cA\u201d for the second quarter, which has pulled the Predators into playoff contention \u2014 amid tremendous outside negativity, it should be noted. Predators fans are largely enamored of a true rebuild. But Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos have no use for that. They\u2019re fighting, and coach Andrew Brunette is leading. \u2014 Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils: D<\/p>\n
The Devils\u2019 fall has been startling after their strong start to the season. Injuries haven\u2019t helped, but the fact that the team\u2019s playoff odds have dropped so significantly speaks poorly of everyone involved. It\u2019s been an eventful season off the ice, too, with the Quinn Hughes pursuit coming to a head (and Vancouver ultimately trading him elsewhere) and the Dougie Hamilton healthy scratch. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n
New York Islanders: B+<\/p>\n
The Islanders\u2019 season hasn\u2019t been perfect \u2014 the defense has been shaky, the penalty kill relies heavily on goaltending, and their scoring rate is bottom-10. But this retooling team is still exceeding expectations. The vibes are different since a change in management, and the on-ice product is trending up, too. Matthew Schaefer has been phenomenal, Ilya Sorokin is Vezina worthy, Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat are leading the way up front, and there have been highlights in the supporting cast. The team plays with a lot more pace this year and has a stronger long-term outlook. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
New York Rangers: F<\/p>\n
The Rangers are the only team in the Eastern Conference under .500. They are coming off a 10-2 loss to Boston, a blown two-goal lead to Seattle and an 8-4 loss to the Senators. It\u2019s only January, and Chris Drury already sent out a letter to fans that they\u2019ll be sellers<\/a>. Perhaps this shouldn\u2019t be a total surprise given the team\u2019s aging core, but it\u2019s hard to be charitable with the midseason grade. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators: D+<\/p>\n It\u2019s a harsh grade for a team that\u2019s done so many things right. Its underlying metrics at five-on-five are among the league\u2019s best. The Senators\u2019 best offensive players, including Tim St\u00fctzle, have done their part. Jake Sanderson continues to emerge as one of the best two-way defenders. But goaltending has them in the Eastern Conference\u2019s basement. And with their chances of making the playoffs plummeting in recent weeks, they risk slipping in their growth trajectory with this core. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n