This took a lot fucking longer than I thought it would.
Eastern:
1. Pittsburgh
The Sidney Crosby vs. anyone else debates should be put to rest for good. Chris Kunitz has been the beneficiary of The Kid’s best stretch of play thus far.
2. Boston
They're flying as far under the radar as a team that recently won the Cup can, but they've looked great thus far and have a good shot at making it out of the East.
3. Winnipeg
The division is a toss-up between the Jets and Canes, but the advantage in goaltending that Winnipeg holds with Cam Ward out injured will be the difference in the division.
4. New York Rangers
Despite sitting in 8th as of now, the Rangers have been held back by a low shooting percentage. With all the high-powered offensive stars on the roster, the goals should begin to flow bountifully.
5. Montreal
Quite the turn-around for them from last year, but I don’t think they (or any other team in the conference) have the talent to compete with Pittsburgh and Boston.
6. New Jersey
Despite the horrific play of Johan Hedberg (.879 SV% in 13 starts), the Devils currently sit in a playoff position. A merely average goaltender would reduce the strain on the offense and improve the team’s playoff seeding.
7. Toronto
Playing well thus far, but they look to be in line for some serious regression. Will they be able to hold onto a playoff spot? Will Dave Nonis shoot himself in the foot by trading Clarke MacArthur or Nikolai Kulemin instead of dumping Colton Orr or Frazer McLaren? The answers to those questions may be directly related.
8. Ottawa
Making the playoffs after losing so much talent to injury would be a fantastic accomplishment. The patchwork roster has done an excellent job thus far, and the return of Vezina favorite Craig Anderson will further bolster the Sens’ playoffs hopes.
9. Carolina
Currently in the division lead, but relying on Dan Ellis in net may lead to problems. The standings seem to suggest that it could be division title or bust for the teams of the Southeast.
10. Philadelphia
Ilya Bryzgalov’s goals against average has been humongous big thus far, as the NHL’s spending leaders have disappointed. If he can improve, the Flyers might be able to sneak into the postseason.
11. New York Islanders
Currently within striking distance for the 8th spot, but I’m not holding my breath that Charles Wang will splurge for any upgrades at the deadline. Will the organization continue to stick with a no upgrades ‘till Brooklyn strategy?
12. Tampa Bay
Steven Stamkos continues to score, but the defense hasn’t bothered to do much defending. A low puck possession rate doesn’t bode well for a playoff run.
13. Washington
Alex Ovechkin is a popular punching bag for the Caps’ nightmare start, even though Mike Riberio and a host of others have been somewhere between underwhelming and disastrous. GMGM has the cap room to swing a deal, but time is running out.
14. Buffalo
After a coaching casualty, the Sabres still haven’t picked their play up. With every loss, the season looks more & more like a lost cause. Ville Leino’s contract from Hell is a surefire amnesty buyout candidate in the offseason, but will GM Darcy Regier last long enough to do the honors?
15. Florida
Lost Stephen Weiss for the year, which puts them into the driver's seat for Seth Jones. On the bright side, Jonathan Huberdeau looks promising.
Western:
1. Chicago
They’re so far ahead of the rest of the conference that the inevitable losing streak won't be able to knock them out of the top spot, but have they peaked too soon? As a Sharks fan, I know far too well that a President’s Trophy doesn’t guarantee postseason success.
2. Los Angeles
LA and Anaheim should trend in opposite directions in the second half of the season as LA begins to shoot at a better percentage. The Fenwick darlings have been bolstered by the play of Jake Muzzin and Slava Voynov, who have combined to show why Jack Johnson was very expendable.
3. Vancouver
A weak division looks like it will propel the Canucks to another division title and a top 3 seed, though the Wild should be able to mount a better challenge than in prior years.
4. St. Louis
One of the Halak/Elliot/Allen goaltending trio has to pick things up eventually, as the offense is starting to come around. They also own the 2nd best Fenwick Close number in the league, showing that they’re a top puck possession team.
5. Anaheim
Started the season white hot largely due to the goaltending of Viktor Fasth and a league-leading shooting percentage, but are a prime candidate to regress. Fasth and Ryan Getzlaf have already cashed in, but how will the Corey Perry saga conclude? A trade could blow the Ducks’ shot at a cup, but it wouldn’t hurt as badly as Perry leaving for free come July 1st.
6. Detroit
The trusty Red Wings have survived the loss of Nicklas Lidstrom thus far, thanks to large contributions on the blue line from Kyle Quincey and Brendan Smith. Although another Cup run seems unlikely, it’s foolish to count out the Wings as long as Pavel Datsyuk is still working his magic.
7. San Jose
Antti Niemi’s stellar play (not withstanding the disastrous final two goals he allowed in a loss vs. St. Louis) and a vastly improved penalty kill have been spoiled by an extended power outage in the offense. If the offense can get back on track, the Sharks should be able to land a playoff spot.
8. Nashville
A total lack of any semblance of scoring currently has the Preds in the unfamiliar position of being outside of the playoff picture. Things need to pick up promptly, or else changes in personnel are sure to be made.
9. Phoenix
Everything in the West between the teams ranked 3rd-11th is a crapshoot, and the 48 game schedule will only make things closer come playoff time. The Coyotes sorely need the revenue from the playoffs, but offensive upgrades are needed in order to secure the 8th spot.
10. Minnesota
Finishing outside of the playoffs would be a massive disappointment after the signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, but someone in the conference has to come up short. Niklas Backstrom has been characteristically good thus far, even though their possession numbers leave something to be desired.
11. Colorado
Ryan O’Reilly’s triumphant return has made things better in Denver, but the Avs still don’t have the pieces needed to land a playoff berth. It’s still a noted improvement from the start of the season, as injuries and the O’Reilly contract dispute exposed a lack of forward depth in the organization.
12. Edmonton
The league’s longest rebuild continues to roll on, and the Oilers are currently in position for yet another lottery pick. Although the team’s shooting percentage is bound to improve from a league-worst 6.1%, their horrid possession rates are an ominous omen.
13. Dallas
Currently flying far under the radar despite being squarely in the middle of the conference’s logjam. The return of Kari Lehtonen makes the team stronger on paper, but I can’t see them unseating the teams in their vicinity in the standings.
14. Calgary
The only real intrigue left in the Flames’ season is if they decide to liberate Jarome Iginla and kick off a long overdue rebuild. Back-to-back embarrassing losses to the Kings have nailed home the fact that this team is in a similar position to their provincial rivals in 2007.
15. Columbus
A 5 game winning streak temporarily moved them out of the basement and within shouting distance of the playoffs, but the Jackets still aren’t good enough to escape the bottom of the razor tight Western conference.
