NHL Report Cards: Grading Every Team at the Season’s Halfway Point
The NHL season has passed its midway point, with all 32 teams playing between 46 and 49 games. By now, we generally know what each team is and isn’t and whether the rest of the season should be focused on title contention, short-term progress or the long-term future.
What better time to break out our red pens and hand out some grades? That’s exactly what The Athletic did this week when it asked its NHL staff to assign a grade to every team with expectations in mind. You’ll definitely wont to show some of these to your parents (or general managers). others … maybe not.
Stats collected before Friday’s NHL action.
Anaheim Ducks: C+
Table of Contents
- Anaheim Ducks: C+
- Boston Bruins: B+
- Buffalo Sabres: B
- Calgary Flames: D
- Carolina Hurricanes: B+
- Chicago Blackhawks: B
- Minnesota Wild: A
- Montreal Canadiens: A
- Nashville Predators: C
- New Jersey Devils: D
- New York Islanders: B+
- New York Rangers: F
- San Jose sharks: A-
- Seattle Kraken: B
- St. Louis Blues: F
- Tampa Bay Lightning: A-
The Ducks were the embodiment of exciting, high-event hockey in the early weeks, but that concoction for winning games aged quickly. Opponents adapted and slowed down their rush game, forcing them to adjust, and the offense has been harder to come by. More alarming is their inability to consistently defend well and their continued tendency to allow golden scoring chances. The youngsters are still growing, but a recent nine-game losing streak showed they’re not ready to lead, and the contributions from complementary veterans have been waning. - Eric Stephens
Boston Bruins: B+
The Bruins are fading, but they’re still in the playoff hunt. Its a good spot to occupy considering how poorly they played last season. Jeremy Swayman is back, the team plays with spirit, and a handful of players are performing above expectations.- Fluto Shinzawa
Buffalo Sabres: B
The Sabres got off to a slow start because of injuries and inconsistent play. But a 10-game winning streak that coincided with Jarmo Kekäläinen’s taking over as general manager has Buffalo right back in the wild-card mix. This is a deeper and more defensively sound Sabres team than we’ve seen in years past. – Matthew Fairburn
Calgary Flames: D
The Flames weren’t a favorite to make the playoffs despite nearly accomplishing the feat last season.Especially with their offense trailing behind the rest of the league.And if they weren’t on trend to do so,they needed to sell hope with their future. Fans weren’t given that hope after some confusing comments about a retool and rebuild earlier this year. Their youth needs more time and prospect. But they’re in the hunt for a top pick in the draft, which is sorely needed for the franchise to take that next step in its evolution. – Julian McKenzie
Carolina Hurricanes: B+
The Hurricanes have settled in atop the Metropolitan Division, but injuries and inconsistency have made for some ups and downs through the first half of the season. The good news is Carolina believes it has found a hidden gem in goaltender Brandon Bussi, who is off to a 16-3-1 start to his NHL career. the Hurricanes are also getting healthy. Seth Jarvis is back from a rib injury, and jaccob Slavin – who played in only five games this season before getting injured - has returned. Slavin should help shore up a surprisingly mediocre penalty kill, and Carolina’s power play is showing signs of life.- Cory Lavalette
Chicago Blackhawks: B
The Blackhawks
Los Angeles Kings: C
The Kings are treading water this 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. – Eric Stephens
Minnesota Wild: A
After the Wild won three of their first 12 games this season, nobody in their right mind would have predicted they’d 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’ve got a grate blue line, great goaltending tandem and star power with Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. – Michael Russo
Montreal Canadiens: A
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’s 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 Slafkovský, 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. – Arpon Basu
Nashville Predators: C
This is essentially averaging the “F” for the first quarter of the season and the ”A” for the second quarter, which has pulled the Predators into playoff contention – 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’re fighting, and coach Andrew Brunette is leading. – Joe Rexrode
New Jersey Devils: D
The Devils’ fall has been startling after their strong start to the season. Injuries haven’t helped, but the fact that the team’s playoff odds have dropped so significantly speaks poorly of everyone involved. It’s 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. - Peter Baugh
New York Islanders: B+
The Islanders’ season hasn’t been perfect – 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 as 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. – Shayna Goldman
New York Rangers: F
The Rangers are the only team in the Eastern Conference under .500. They are coming off a 10-2 loss to Boston,
San Jose sharks: A-
Despite preseason expectations of a rebuilding year, the San Jose Sharks are currently contending for a playoff spot, largely due to the extraordinary performance of rookie Macklin Celebrini.
Detail
The Sharks entered the 2023-2024 season widely predicted to be among the league’s bottom teams. Though, Celebrini, 19, has emerged as a Hart Trophy candidate, significantly boosting the team’s performance and attracting larger crowds to SAP center. The team’s success is characterized as “full of flaws and fun,” indicating an unexpected but positive trajectory.
Example or Evidence
As of January 17, 2024, Macklin Celebrini’s performance is drawing attention from East Coast viewers watching late-night games, according to The Athletic‘s Eric stephens. His impact has shifted the Sharks from a projected bottom-dweller to a playoff contender.
Seattle Kraken: B
The Seattle Kraken are exceeding expectations in the 2023-2024 season, primarily due to strong goaltending from Philipp Grubauer, Joey Daccord, and Matt Murray, despite struggles in five-on-five play.
Detail
Despite a perceived fragile roster profile, the Kraken have become a defensively formidable team under first-year coach Lane Lambert. their success is attributed to the consistent performance of their goaltenders, allowing them to remain competitive in the Western Conference playoff race.
Example or evidence
As reported by The Athletic‘s Thomas Drance on January 17, 2024, the Kraken’s goaltenders have been “sensational,” enabling the team to overcome five-on-five challenges and compete for a playoff berth.
St. Louis Blues: F
The St. Louis Blues are experiencing a disastrous 2023-2024 season, ranking near the bottom of the league in key statistical categories.
Detail
Prior to the season, the Blues were considered by some to be potential playoff contenders, but they are currently tied for last in the league in goal differential and averaging the fewest goals per game. Their struggles extend to both offense and defense, and also special teams.
Example or Evidence
According to The Athletic‘s Jeremy Rutherford on January 17, 2024, the Blues have a goal differential of minus-44, averaging 2.49 goals per game, allowing 3.38 goals against, and possess a power play conversion rate of 17.1% (ranked 24th) and a penalty kill rate of 77% (ranked 25th).
Tampa Bay Lightning: A-
The Tampa Bay Lightning have demonstrated a streaky but overall strong performance in the 2023-2024 season.
detail
Despite experiencing periods of inconsistency, the Lightning remain a top team in the league, showcasing their continued competitiveness and ability to contend for a playoff spot.
Example or Evidence
While specific statistics were not provided in the source material, the “A-” grade assigned by the Athletic indicates a high level of performance and positive outlook for the Lightning as of January 17, 2024.