Winners and Losers from the 1st Half of the 2021-2022 NHL Season

Just like that, the NHL's regular season is halfway done.

And now that the calendar has hit February, the hockey-writing types here at Bleacher Report have reconvened to discuss all things pucks, skates and sticks that have occurred in the first four months of this season.

From great starts in Alberta and the Southeastern United States to disappointment in Chicago and Montreal, all narratives were taken into consideration as we analyzed who is trending up and down and assembled the definitive list of winners and losers through the first 40-plus games of the 2021-22 season.

Click through to see what we came up with and feel free, as always, to leave a viewpoint or two of your own in the comments section.

     

Stats are up to date through Wednesday night's games.

Winner: The State of Florida Hockey

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

When you think of the NHL's capitals, by default you probably think Montreal, Toronto and Boston, among others.

And it would probably be a ways down the list before mention is made of the Sunshine State.

But in the NHL in 2021-22, there's no place hotter.

A look at league standings heading into the All-Star break shows metropolitan Miami's Florida Panthers and the Gulf Coast's Tampa Bay Lightning as two of the best teams through the season's first half.

The Panthers reached All-Star Weekend first overall in the league—having racked up NHL bests in points (69), wins (32), goals (194) and goal differential (plus-55)—and three points ahead of their in-state rivals in the race for the Atlantic Division's regular-season title.

Of course, the Lightning are focused on other titles after winning the last two Stanley Cups, and they've put themselves in a viable contender position for another run—earning nearly 72 percent of possible standings points despite having Nikita Kucherov for only 11 games as a result of injuries and illness.

They both reside in the Eastern Conference, so a Stanley Cup Final duel is out.

But the prospect of a title-round berth up for grabs up and down I-75 isn't so far-fetched, particularly after their first-ever playoff meeting—a six-gamer in last season's first round—whetted competitive appetites.

"I think you can't help but notice that and I think that's where excitement builds because there are bragging rights not only moving on in the playoffs but who's Florida's team and fanbases going at it," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. "I think it's great."

Loser: Montreal's Hockey-Obsessed Fans

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

The Montreal Canadiens went to the Stanley Cup Final last summer.

And as unlikely as the run was, expectations remained high as the 2021-22 season approached.

But to say it hasn't worked out feels like a gigantic understatement.

The team won just eight times through 44 games heading into the break, registered a league-worst minus-73 goal differential and went a particularly abysmal 3-16-6 on the road.

Montreal has been rattled by the loss of Carey Price, who voluntary entered a treatment facility for substance abuse in October and still hasn't played, leaving goaltending duties to the dubious quartet of Jake Allen, Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau and Michael McNiven. 

The team has also dealt with injuries to other key players and underperformance from some who were expected to contribute. General manager Marc Bergevin was let go in November and former player agent Kent Hughes was hired in January, pledging to get the recovery process started.

Price is battling a knee problem but is expected back before the end of the season. And veteran defensemen Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry have been suggested as possible trade pieces to bring back new assets.

"We have challenges, there's no question. The team's not where we hoped it would be, or the Canadiens hoped it would be at this point in time," Hughes told reporters. "My opinion is some of that is circumstance, but there's no question that there needs to be changes ... ."

Winner: Nazem Kadri's Career Arc

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Here's a fact: Nazem Kadri won't win any NHL popularity contests.

His disciplinary record rivals that of nearly any player, and most recently there was an eight-game suspension for an illegal hit that rendered him absent from Colorado's second-round playoff exit last spring.

So if you're compiling a list of best-behaved players, he'd be rightfully excluded.

But there's another fact this season, too.

Kadri was one of the league's most prolific offensive talents through the first half of 2021-22, which is particularly impressive given that he plunged to 11 goals and 32 points in 56 games last season—his lowest season totals as an NHL regular.

In 41 games this season, Kadri has established himself as better than a point-per-game player, racking up 19 goals and 41 assists, tying a guy named McDavid for third in the league in points while staking out the top scoring spot on the NHL's highest-scoring team (4.09 goals per game).

He earned a Last Man In ticket to the All-Star Game thanks to a fan vote, his first opportunity to participate in the league's midseason classic after 709 games across parts of 13 seasons since 2009-10.

"It's a little surprising, but I've always believed in myself," Kadri told reporters. "I'm surrounded by a great group of guys, great linemates, great teammates, great friends. It's been easy to fit right in. 

"Of course I want to continue."

Loser: Edmonton's Dual MVPs

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Not sure how the season's been going in Edmonton?

Don't worry. Wait five minutes, and it'll change.

The Oilers have been a study in topsy-turvy tumult through their first 42 games—bursting from the gate with a league-best 16-5 record before enduring six- and seven-game skids while plunging all the way to 17th overall and fifth in the Pacific Division, three points out of a playoff position.

Not what Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the last two Hart Trophy winners, had in mind.

Consensus picks among the world's top five players, Nos. 97 and 29 have been expectedly prolific thus far in 2021-22, combining for 123 points while taking second (Draisaitl, 63) and third (McDavid, 60) behind Jonathan Huberdeau (64) in the NHL scoring race while playing five and six fewer games, respectively.

Huberdeau's Florida Panthers, as mentioned earlier, are first overall.

But lest anyone scan today's headlines for a dual trade demand out of Alberta, things are looking up.

Maybe.

The Oilers went 5-0-1 through their final six games before the break, scoring 14 goals across the final three following the acquisition of disgraced free agent Evander Kane, who scored twice. 

Nevertheless, it'll take a salary-cap opus from GM Ken Holland to parlay the recent success into the type of roster likely to give McDavid more than the one playoff series win he's earned since arriving in 2015.

Tick, tick, tick...Mr. Holland.

Winner: Talented Young Blood

Jose Juarez/Associated Press

Take a look at the NFL landscape.

With the recent retirement of consensus GOAT Tom Brady and his seven titles, the league has now seen a handful of high-profile Super Bowl heroes—Ben Roethlisberger (two), Drew Brees (one), Eli Manning (two) and Peyton Manning (two)—exit the championship stage within the last six years.

That's 14 of 55 Lombardi trophies (not to mention nine Super Bowl MVPs) walking out the door.

But when it comes to hockey, the game's future is now.

Though generational NHL superstars like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, the league's skill level won't plummet when they hang up their skates.

A significant chunk of elite players are on the opposite side of the age scale.

In fact, the reigning Art Ross, Hart, Norris and and Rocket Richard Trophy winners are all 25 or younger.

That includes the aforementioned McDavid (Art Ross and Hart), along with fellow superlatives Adam Fox (Norris) and Auston Matthews (Richard). Additionally, fellow youngsters Alex DeBrincat, Kyle Connor, Troy Terry and Mikko Rantanen are all among the league's top 10 goal scorers and were born in 1996 or later.

And when it comes to first-year guys, the pickings aren't close to slim, either.

Anaheim's Trevor Zegras, still just 20, has become a highlight-reel regular thanks to lacrosse-style goals, and he's joined on NHL.com's All-Rookie All-Star Team by Detroit's Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Alex Nedeljkovic, Nashville's Tanner Jeannot and Washington's Martin Fehervary.

"We are here to compete. We are here to do our best to win," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said of Zegras' possible inclusion in the All-Star skills competition. "But the No. 1 thing I believe is that we're in the entertainment business and we should never forget that."

Loser: Chicago's Championship Core

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Chicago Blackhawks had a busy offseason.

They acquired several impact players, including defenseman Seth Jones from Columbus and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury from Vegas, which, like the Canadiens before them, significantly heightened expectations as the 2021-22 season approached.

But to say it hasn't worked is, as it is in Montreal, a considerable understatement.

The Blackhawks won 16 of 46 games before the break, allowed 44 more goals than they scored and saw coach Jeremy Colliton fired just 12 games (1-9-2) into his fourth season behind the bench.

It's a tough blow for veterans Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, still around after three Stanley Cups.

Off the ice, Chicago is still dealing with the results of the investigation into the organization's handling of sexual assault allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich by former player Kyle Beach in 2010.

The team was fined $2 million, while team president Stan Bowman and Senior Director of Hockey Administration Al MacIsaac both resigned. Joel Quenneville, head coach of Chicago in 2010, also resigned from the same position with the Florida Panthers.

The team's chairman, Rocky Wirtz, lashed out at a reporter during a Wednesday town hall session for asking what steps the team was taking to ensure a similar incident would never occur.

"We're not going to talk about Kyle Beach," Wirtz told reporters. "We're not going to talk about anything that happened. We're moving on. What we're going to do today is our business. I don't think it's any of your business. You don't work for the company. If somebody in the company asks that question, we'll answer it."

Later Wednesday, the team headed to the break after dropping a 5-0 nod to the visiting Minnesota Wild.

"Clear the mind, kind of get away from hockey," interim coach Derek King told reporters. "I don't get away from hockey because I've got to drive my kids around, but still I think it's a good mental and physical break for everybody."

Winner: Blockbusters on Broadway

John Minchillo/Associated Press

It's been a while for the New York Rangers.

They reached the Stanley Cup Final after the 2013-14 season and got within three games of a trophy lap before losing to the Los Angeles Kings.

Since, it's not been quite as close.

The Rangers are on their second GM and third coach since the Kings hoisted the chalice eight years ago, and they've won only three playoff series in that span—two of which came the following season in 2014-15.

And in spite of a series of premium draft picks since 2017 (including four in the top 10), New York finished 16th overall and missed the playoffs with a fifth-place finish in the East Division in 2020-21.

So, while there was optimism and anticipation entering this season, few expected this.

Under the new leadership tandem of coach Gerard Gallant and GM Chris Drury, the Rangers were a first-half revelation and arrived at the All-Star break with 30 wins in 47 games, a shared spot atop the Metropolitan Division with the Carolina Hurricanes and a shared slot at No. 4 overall in the league.

They're second in the league in regulation wins (26), third in goals-against average (2.57), fifth in power-play production (25.9 percent) and showing no signs of faltering while chasing their first Cup since 1994.

"I don't know if it's any secret recipe," forward Ryan Strome told reporters. "I think it's just everyone buying in. It's our D playing hard, our goalie's been good, our forwards not turning the puck over as much, just trying to protect the middle of the ice. I know it's all cliche things, but it's true."

Loser: Bounce Back in New Jersey

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The New Jersey Devils were, to coin a phrase, all-in.

Let's face it, no one really expected them to win their first Stanley Cup since 2002-03. But given three straight playoff misses and precisely zero postseason series wins in nine years as a prelude, there was reason to believe an active offseason would at least yield a tangible improvement in the hockey-loving swamps of Jersey.

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton was among the most coveted free agents on the market and chose the Devils for a seven-year, $63 million contract, arriving on the same July day that goalie Jonathan Bernier signed a two-year, $8.3 million deal to stabilize the New Jersey net alongside starter Mackenzie Blackwood.

Combining two proven vets with a core featuring No. 1 overall picks Nico Hischier (2017) and Jack Hughes (2019) seemed sure to translate to something better than last season's 29th overall finish.

Early on, it worked.

The Devils were racking up standings points at a 60 percent clip (5-3-2) through 10 games and remained a few ticks above .500 (9-7-4) through 20 games as well. 

The wheels came off soon after, though, as a 1-8-1 run on the way to game No. 30 plunged New Jersey to 26th overall and a subsequent 5-10-0 stretch left it tied for 27th heading into the All-Star break.

In fact, only the Montreal Canadiens have fewer points (nine) since December 1 than the Devils' 13.

It hasn't helped that Hamilton hasn't played since January 2 with a broken jaw, Hughes was out for 17 games with a dislocated shoulder, and Bernier played just 10 games before hip surgery sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

"Frustration doesn't do anyone any good," assistant coach Alain Nasreddine, who filled in for Lindy Ruff after the head coach's father died, told reporters. "When you're frustrated it gets your focus away from what you're supposed to do. So, we're trying to do the opposite. There's no need to get frustrated here. We just have to get back. There are certain things we want to get better at than yesterday. We just have to execute."