1 Word For Every NHL Team's 1st Half of the 2023-24 Season
Headed into the NHL All-Star break, and the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks are tied for No. 1 in the league with 71 points.
This season has already been full of twists and turns, such as the Bruins not regressing and the Canucks not giving us an existential crisis.
While some players go to Mexico and others cancel their non-refundable trips and head to Toronto, here's one word for every team as we conclude the first half of this NHL season.
Anaheim Ducks: Promising
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The Ducks have cooled down since their unexpectedly hot start, and now they're only six points ahead of the Sharks at the bottom of the Pacific.
However, 20-year-old Pavel Mintyukov entering the league and immediately showing flashes of star defenseman potential had made the losses worth watching.
Then, you've also got Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson and Lukas Dostal leading the rest of the youth movement, and Cutter Gauthier is waiting in the wings.
This is going to be one complete, electric squad in a few years' time.
Arizona Coyotes: Awoo...?
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Are we still awoo-ing, 'Yotes faithful?
This season started strong and the Coyotes have been in and out of the playoff conversation multiple times.
Connor Ingram is receiving well-deserved praise and recognition for his breakout performance in net.
But there's been considerable regression overall as other Western teams have trended in a better direction, and now Arizona enters All-Star break five points and three teams out of a playoff spot.
Will they return to form?
Boston Bruins: Classic
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Remember last year when the Bruins had a historic regular season most weren't expecting?
After their first-round exit, major offseason retirements, and necessary but tough cap space moves, people were again not expecting much out of Boston.
Well, the joke's on them, because David Pastrňák, third in points and goals, is having a career season and is on pace to break franchise records. Brad Marchand, who took over as captain, is on pace to break his own career goals record with 24 in 49 games so far. The goalies are still very much goalie-ing.
The Bruins lead the East with 71 points, but we'll see if the story ends differently this time around.
Buffalo Sabres: Bye
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It's too late for your typical, late-season push that gives us a glimmer of hope and has us biting our nails, Buffalo.
You're not fooling us this time. The return of Tage Thompson and all these high-scoring games are looking enticing, but we can't do this again.
Calgary Flames: Difficult
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What are the Calgary Flames right now?
They've got enough talent to beat the best teams in the league and give anyone hell to play against, but they cannot develop a crumb of consistency or sustainability.
While the depth is encouraging and we've seen signs of life from Jonathan Huberdeau, the current Flames just aren't cutting it compared to the consistency of the best teams in the league right now.
But "difficult to play against" is at least a step in the right direction.
Carolina Hurricanes: Steady
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Well, well, well. Despite early panic about the team and a slow-ish start, the Hurricanes are headed into All-Star break No. 2 in the Metro, two points out of the No. 1 spot.
Andrei Svechnikov is back and thriving, Sebastian Aho has had some career-best stretches throughout the season, and Seth Jarvis is becoming a well-known personality around the league.
If the Hurricanes snag the right goalie at the deadline and/or Pyotr Kochetkov returns at full strength, they've got another crack at the Stanley Cup this year.
Chicago Blackhawks: Under
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If you're into betting the under, I hope you've been gambling on the Blackhawks the past few months.
Headed into the break, they've been shutout in four of their last six games and have scored just 10 goals in their last 10 games. It's no coincidence that this coincides with Connor Bedard's injury timeline.
Anyway, they're officially tied with the Sharks at the bottom of the league with 30 points, as was more or less expected at the beginning of the season.
If you needed tangible proof of Bedard's growing value, it doesn't get much clearer than how the Hawks have performed without him in the lineup.
Colorado Avalanche: Beastly
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It took a minute, a few call-outs in the media and some accountability, but Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche have completely taken over the NHL again.
"Beastly" is the word that immediately comes to mind when you think about MacKinnon's season so far.
The 28-year-old has the best points-per-game home average of the past 30 years, he's racking up four-point evenings, and the overall intensity is absolute must-watch hockey.
Colorado is heading into the All-Star break No. 1 in the Central, and it's everybody's problem.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Dumpsterfire
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Leave it to the 2023-24 Columbus Blue Jackets to teach me that dumpster fire is, in fact, not one word.
I'm not sure how you fix the second-worst team in the East at this point.
They were supposed to be much better than they've been this season. Part of that is due to injury and player underperformance.
However, especially with the hiring of Mike Babcock early in the season, it might be time to question some of the decisions coming from Columbus' front office.
Dallas Stars: Complete
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The Stars have everything a hockey team could need.
You've got a lovable 39-year-old in Joe Pavelski with 19 goals and 43 points in 49 games. There's the Matt Duchene revenge story, as he sits top-five leaguewide in game-winners, and he's got 45 points in 48 games.
You've got Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen becoming stars in front of our eyes, you've got Thomas Harley and Wyatt Johnston venturing down the same path, and then you've got Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn still very much productive while giving a veteran presence to the rising stars.
Jake Oettinger has had some ups and downs in net, but he's been mostly positive and has maybe needed some growing pains on the path to being a great NHL goalie.
This is a great hockey team.
Detroit Red Wings: Rollercoaster
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At times, the Detroit Red Wings look like the best hockey team in the league. At other times, they look like a team that's going to miss the playoffs.
It feels like they wake up and decide each Monday what version of themselves they're going to be for the week.
This leaves them exactly where they should be: in the last Eastern wild-card spot. They've got some decent wiggle room, with the Islanders flailing even harder and five points behind them, but they can't push it.
It'll be interesting to see what they do at the deadline. Check out the goaltending market and go for it? Extend the Yzerplan? They should go for it because the entertainment value is there when they're on.
Edmonton Oilers: Historic
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There's nothing like heading into All-Star weekend on a franchise-record 16-game winning streak.
Edmonton has the opportunity to tie the 1992-93 Penguins for the longest NHL win run of all time on Feb. 6 after the All-Star break. It's always fascinating to look at which types of regular seasons translate to playoff success.
The Oilers led the NHL in scoring last season and went on a solid playoff run, but they didn't make it to the Finals. They struggled early this season, got it together for this current magical run, and maybe learned a thing or two about adversity along the way.
Maybe the team around Connor McDavid needed to prove to itself that it's got what it takes. It's done just that.
Florida Panthers: Statement
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Some folks thought the Panthers would take a step back this season after their run to the 2022-23 Cup Final.
Their post-All-Star break heater led by Matthew Tkachuk was a fluke, they said. Sergei Bobrovsky got hot at the right time, they said.
Well, the first half of this season showed Bobrovsky has still got it and the Panthers don't need a Hart Trophy-contending performance from Tkachuk to succeed.
If you were sleeping on the Cats headed into this season, the first half was a big wakeup call.
Los Angeles Kings: Deteriorating
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That eight-game losing streak started a wave of confusion surrounding the Kings, and they haven't regained much footing since.
Cam Talbot's strong start in net has regressed, and Pierre-Luc Dubois isn't really benefitting from the change of scenery.
They're still hanging on to a wild-card spot in the West, but serious concerns are bubbling in L.A.
Minnesota Wild: Annoying
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Minnesota Wild fans have suffered enough, but at least this time there's a somewhat unexpected star talent emerging in front of their eyes in Brock Faber.
I'm annoyed at the way this team seemed to completely give up and descend into a quick freefall. I understand the untimely injuries were piling up more than arguably any other team this season, but I can't shake the feeling that they took that excuse and ran with it.
Hopefully some sort of cleansing of bad vibes occurs on the offseason and the young stars get a clean slate.
Montreal Canadiens: Business
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The Canadiens have been great at sticking to the business plan in a not-totally miserable way this season.
You get your Cole Caufield goals, you get a glimpse of a competitive team at times. You also own the third-worst record in the East.
The Gentleman's Tank.
Nashville Predators: Mid
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Death, taxes, and another half of a Predators season that looks like 26-22-1 at the All-Star break. And stop me if you think you've heard this one before: They're one point out of a Western wild-card spot.
Will they make it? Will it matter?
New Jersey Devils: Yikes
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Not many saw the Devils being six points and three teams out of a playoff spot heading into this season, but here we are.
Unfortunate injuries to key players such as Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and others have largely impacted the team, but it's more than that.
They took a chance on their goalies Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek, but it just hasn't worked out in a best-case scenario.
A Hughes-led comeback would add to his growing star power and would be a great follow-up to his breakout season.
New York Islanders: Roy
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The picture says it all. The team with the notorious overtime losses and even more notorious minus-23 goal differential is five points out of a wild-card spot in the East, and the Islanders believe Patrick Roy is the guy to sneak them in and increase the pizzazz.
It's certainly worth a try.
New York Rangers: Resourceful
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The Rangers enter the All-Star break in first in the Metropolitan Division.
They've spent the season finding different ways to win, flexing their depth, and enjoying first-year coach Peter Laviolette.
It's been a little inconsistent lately, especially with a loss to the Sharks, but it's nothing to get too concerned about.
A break will do New York good.
Ottawa Senators: Baffling
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You thought the Senators would at least be on the playoff bubble heading into the All-Star break, but no.
Here they are, with fewer points than the actively tanking Canadiens and tied with the noted dumpster fire that is the Columbus Blue Jackets.
These are tough times in Ottawa.
Philadelphia Flyers: Galvanized
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On the other end of the spectrum, who would have thought the Flyers would be above a wild-card spot and the third team in the Metro with 56 points? Probably them despite the odds, and that explains much of why they're in this position.
It's fun to watch a chip-on-the-shoulder team win for each other, and it's even more fun when that team is coached by John Tortorella.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Sid
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The Penguins find themselves in an eerily similar situation to their prior season: six points and two teams out of a playoff spot in the East.
Will this time be different? Will they do it for Sidney Crosby, who is still playing his heart out?
San Jose Sharks: Transparent
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It's always been clear what the mission was this season for the San Jose Sharks: Tank and go for Macklin Celebrini in the 2024 draft.
At the All-Star break, the Sharks are tied with the Blackhawks for fewest points in the league with 30. Nice.
Seattle Kraken: Fun?
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The Kraken have been good but inconsistent as they navigate their identity.
Is it depth and having a scoring threat on every line? Is it elite goaltending in Joey Daccord? They need to put both of those things together as they sit two points out of the playoff picture in the West.
St. Louis Blues: Wait...?
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Don't look now, but the St. Louis Blues are in a playoff spot heading into the break. The most confusing team in the NHL has done it again.
Now, the race is right, and the Predators are tied with them for points while the Kraken are only two out. But maybe Doug Armstrong was onto something with the coaching change.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Thriving
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Tampa Bay might have started the season without star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, but he's back, and Nikita Kucherov has almost singlehandedly refused to let the dynasty die anyway.
Kucherov is leading the league with 85 points in 49 games, and the Lightning have hung on enough to enter the All-Star break at No. 3 in the Atlantic.
Tampa Bay, Toronto and Detroit are all in an extremely tight race separated by one point each, but the Lightning are leading the pack and are in a good position to attempt one more run with this core.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Drama
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Only the Toronto Maple Leafs could have multiple players on pace for 100-plus points seasons and still have this much drama.
Anyway, the problem with the Leafs isn't the stars; it's their depleted defense and inconsistent goaltending.
How will they address each of these problems at the deadline?
Vancouver Canucks: Fun
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The dominant Canucks have been the most fun team to watch this season.
They win in so many different ways, but you can usually count on them immediately stepping into the building and running up the score. Sometimes that ends in dominance all the way through, sometimes it's a thrilling overtime win.
They could stand to improve the penalty kill and defensive structure just a bit, but I'm having a blast over here.
Vegas Golden Knights: Injured
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The Golden Knights started the season with no Cup hangover in sight, but that changed once significant injuries took over.
They've looked a little lost at times compared to the confidence from the Cup team and the beginning of the season, but they've held on to the No. 2 spot in the Pacific and will be fine.
Washington Capitals: Fading
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The Capitals have had bursts of energy throughout this season as they've battled for a wild-card spot in the East, but it's mostly felt like those moments were only dragging out the inevitable decline of the 2018 Cup winners.
Alex Ovechkin is on pace for an extreme career-worst season, and the team around him isn't helping much.
Winnipeg Jets: Optimistic
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The Jets have reached No. 1 in the Central at times this season, and they've done so with an injured Kyle Connor.
They've come down to Earth a bit, currently third in the Central in a tight race to the top, but Connor has returned at the perfect time to provide some oomph as the consistency develops.
I trust this Jets team, and Connor Hellebuyck's Vezina campaign, to make it out of the first round this time.
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