This was written a couple of days ago, so please excuse the slightly out-of-date standings.
Metropolitan:
1) Carolina Hurricanes: Of the many things I was wrong about at the start of the year, one of the most egregious has to be Frederik Andersen. Far from being mediocre-at-best and/or on IR, Andersen has looked like The Great Dane of old, performing brilliantly for the Canes, and one of the key reasons they’re off to their terrific start. The phenomenal offense in Raleigh isn’t surprising, but Andersen’s resurgence definitely is. On a side note, Jaccob Slavin continues to get almost no recognition whatsoever for being one of the best blue-liners in the league.
2) Washington Capitals: Speaking of other veterans I was wrong about, how about Ovi? Off to an absolutely scorching start, The Great Eight appears to have put last year’s injury-plagued campaign behind him and has put the Caps on his back with Backstrom out. The Vanecek/Samsonov tandem has worked out excellently so far, and despite a slew of injuries, the Caps have been just fine. This is going to be one dangerous team when fully healthy.
3) New York Rangers: The top line was always going to be terrific, but the surprisingly balanced production under Gerrard Gallant has been behind much of the Rangers’ success. Throw in another Norris-worthy campaign so far from Adam Fox and solid goaltending from Shesterkin, and suddenly the Rangers are a team with serious playoff chances.
4) Pittsburgh Penguins: With injuries and COVID taking out almost every player on the active roster at one point or another, the Pens should be mighty pleased to find themselves right in the mix at this point in the season. Jarry has been quite solid, and the emergence of several previous unknowns (such as Danton Heinen and Drew O’Connor) have been a welcome addition to a seriously tested group.
5) Columbus Blue Jackets: Well, well, how about Elvis Merzlikins? Blue Jackets might just have a goalie of the future if he keeps playing the way he has. The revelation for Columbus in net has been matched by surprising offense from several up-and-comers (notably Cole Sillinger), and what I thought would be the team destined to finish in last might make things even more interesting in an already packed division.
6) New Jersey Devils: When Jack Hughes’s shoulder got popped against the boards in just the Devils’ 2nd game, it looked like another long season in New Jersey. Not so fast. Behind continued improvement from MacKenzie Blackwood (that 2-on-0 save against the Lightning-HOLY SMOKES) and consistent four-line output, the Devils are shaping up to possibly be a surprise contender in the Metro, and their stock should only improve with Hughes’s return. (On a complete side note, those new alternate jerseys are nothing short of awful. Who puts just the word “Jersey” ON A JERSEY?!)
7) Philadelphia Flyers: Truth be told, I didn’t expect to be the problem in Wells Fargo Center this year to be scoring goals so much as stopping them. But Carter Hart has seemingly put last year’s god-awful nightmare behind him, looking terrific in the early going, and it’s been at the other end of the ice that the Flyers’ woes lie, scoring just 11 goals in their past 18 games. I’m confident that they will eventually put it together (they have too much talent not to), but they’d better do it quickly in the tightest division in the league.
8) New York Islanders: There isn’t much to be thankful for in Long Island right now. What with 7 losses in a row, half the team out with COVID, Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock on the shelf, and sitting dead last in the division, they’ve seen better days in UBS Arena. (Actually, they haven’t, if you get my drift.) That being said, they should get rolling once healthy, but they’d better figure out how to tread water in the meantime, this is too deep of a division to dig a hole in.

Atlantic:
1) Florida Panthers: The only question facing this absolutely stacked team heading into this season was in net, with Sergei Bobrovsky having underperformed significantly since signing in Sunrise, and he has more than responded to the criticism, looking much more like his Columbus Vezina-winning self than at any point in his Panthers career. If he continues like this, the Panthers are going to be hunting for a lot more than just a playoff appearance.
2) Toronto Maple Leafs: Pretty much everybody expected this team to be good, but I don’t think anyone saw Jack Campbell having quite this type of season. He’s been nothing short of brilliant for the Leafs, and with Mrazek on the shelf for multiple periods of time, he has been a godsend in Toronto. However, the biggest question is obviously whether Campbell can be the difference-maker Toronto desperately needs come playoff time…
3) Tampa Bay Lightning: Despite their two best skaters being out for at least a month each in Kucherov and Point, the Lightning have shown why they’re the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs, racking up victories behind terrific depth and a brilliant-as-usual Andrei Vasilevskiy, nipping on the heels of the Panthers and the Leafs (this will be a seriously entertaining division race down the stretch). Once they’re fully healthy, watch out.
4) Boston Bruins: It’s been a strange season in Boston. With Tukka Rask still unsigned and injured, the tandem of Ullmark/Swayman has been good but not great, and the Bruins can’t seem to get enough depth scoring behind their deadly first line, the departure of Krejci having a significant impact so far (especially for Taylor Hall). It will be interesting to see if the Bruins make any moves at the Trade Deadline to bolster the offense, but even more intriguing to see what happens in net with Rask’s possible return.
5) Detroit Red Wings: The youngsters have got something going in Hockeytown. The Wings find themselves in surprising contention for a Wild Card spot, as rookies Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider along with vets Larkin and Bertuzzi have produced at a pleasantly surprising rate. It also doesn’t hurt to have stolen Alex Nedeljkovic for practically nothing from the Canes over the offseason (though they don’t look as bad with Andersen’s emergence in Carolina). Things are looking up for the Wings.
6) Buffalo Sabres: After a surprisingly decent start, the Sabres are coming back to earth, looking more and more like the team expected to contend with the Coyotes for Shane Wright every game. With Jack Eichel finally being traded, there isn’t much to cheer about in Buffalo.
7) Montreal Canadiens: The most disappointing season of any team in the league, and it’s not even close. After a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Habs have absolutely plummeted, getting practically no production whatsoever from the likes of Caufield, Toffoli, Gallagher and Petry, all of whom were critical in last year’s miracle run. With Carey Price still off the ice, it’s possible the season’s not over yet, but right now, it’s a pretty dismal time in Montreal.
8) Ottawa Senators: With injuries and COVID ravaging the organization, it’s not surprising that an already weak Sens team is in the cellar. It’s still disappointing that Matt Murray has continued to regress, leading to his being placed on waivers a couple of days ago. The one bright spot for Ottawa has been off the ice, locking up their young stars in Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson.

Central:
1) Minnesota Wild: It’s been about as good of a season as you could’ve hoped for if you’re a Wild fan. Cam Talbot is still solid in net, Kaprizov hasn’t missed a beat, and the four-line depth has continued to be productive. Not many people had the Wild winning this division despite last year’s strong showing, but if they keep this up, things will get mighty interesting down the stretch.
2) St. Louis Blues: There seems to be little-to-no consistency with this Blues team. They can look like the playoff team they’re expected to be one night and lose to the Coyotes the next. Even so, it’s a cautiously optimistic time in St. Louis, as despite not getting the type of production they’d expect from O’Reilly and Schenn (granted, they’ve both missed time, but even when on the ice they haven’t looked up to snuff), they’ve benefited from Jordan Kyrou continuing to be one of the most underappreciated players in the league, the re-emergence of Tarasenko, and Pavel Buchnevich has been picking up steam recently as well (of course, I dropped him in fantasy right before his streak started). If their top players can also find their groove, the Blues might just find themselves with a chance for home-ice advantage in the first round.
3) Winnipeg Jets: If the Blues are inconsistent, the Jets are second to none in that category. There is no telling which Winnipeg team will show up on any given night-though Kyle Connor always will, proving once again this season why he is the one of the most underrated players in the NHL, if not the most. He’s continued to score at a red-hot rate even with Scheifele and Blake Wheeler underperforming for much of the year. If the Jets want to have any shot come playoff time, those top players need to get going, as Connor can’t do it all on his own, even with Connor Hellebuyck in net (who in turn, in should be noted, hasn’t received a ton of help from what was supposed to be an improved Winnipeg blue-line, which has been absolutely abysmal on the penalty kill).
4) Colorado Avalanche: After a slow start, the Avs look more like the Stanley Cup contenders they were expected to be with every game, and Nathan MacKinnon isn’t even back yet. Darcy Kuemper has been slowly improving after a rough first month, Rantanen and Landeskog have been fire as usual, Kadri has been terrific in MacKinnon’s stead, and Cale Makar has been nothing short of otherworldly after a dismal first couple of weeks. Once MacKinnon gets back, this team is going to be one of the best in the league.
5) Nashville Predators: After losing Ryan Ellis, Viktor Arvidsson, Colton Sissons and Erik Haula in one offseason, not much was expected out of this Nashville team, but behind another terrific year so far from Juuse Saros and a long-awaited re-emergence from Matt Duchene, the Preds find themselves in hot contention for a Wild Card spot. Saros was brilliant in the 2nd half of the season last year, and if he can pull that off again, don’t sleep on Nashville.
6) Dallas Stars: Another team that got off to a slow start, not picking up a single regulation win in their first 11 games, the Stars have picked up steam as of late, winning 5 in a row behind a red-hot Roope Hintz and a terrific Jake Oettinger in net (who should’ve been the starting goaltender from day 1). Yet another team not to lose track of in this packed division.
7) Chicago Blackhawks: Seth Jones absolutely stinks. That contract may go down as one of the worst in league history at this rate-he’s performing even worse than I thought he would, just look at his advanced defensive stats. And they picked him for the Olympics over Adam Fox, Jaccob Slavin, Adam Fox, Zach Werenski, Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, and Ryan McDonagh. Oh, and did I mention Adam Fox? But enough ranting about Jones. After about as bad of a start as you could’ve feared if you’re a Blackhawks fan, Chicago has seemingly found its footing after firing Jeremy Colliton (along with almost everybody else in the front office), with Derek King guiding the team slowly but surely back towards contention. There’s still a long way to go if they want to have any hope of making the playoffs, but they’re on the right track. The question is if it’s already too late in this absolutely stacked division.
8) Arizona Coyotes: They absolutely stink. What else is there to say? It’s going to be a long, long season for the Yotes. Nonetheless, GM Bill Armstrong has played it the right way, piling up a treasure trove of draft picks, and currently sitting as the favorite to get Shane Wright, though who knows if they’ll still be in Arizona by that time…

Pacific:
1) Edmonton Oilers: I’m not surprised by Edmonton’s hot start, and definitely not by McDavid and Draisaitl tearing the score sheet to shreds. What is a little surprising are the hot starts of Hyman and Puljujarvi, and what is extremely surprising is the solid netminding the Oilers have gotten from Koskinen and Stuart Skinner with Mike Smith on the shelf. Can it be continued come playoff time? I doubt it, but it’s anyone’s guess if Ken Holland makes a move to improve his goalie situation come the Trade Deadline.
2) Calgary Flames: Let the record show that yours truly predicted Calgary finding its footing under Darryl Sutter. A Vezina-worthy start from Markstrom and an outpouring of offense from not just usual suspects Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Lindholm, but even Andrew Mangiapane have the Flames in solid shape as we hit winter. However, as Vegas gets their key pieces back and McDavid and Draisaitl continue to be on pace for 250 points combined, Calgary better stay consistent to have a chance at home-ice advantage in the first round.
3) Anaheim Ducks: Who saw this one coming? If you say you saw Troy Terry going on a 16-game point streak, you’re lying. If you say you saw Getzlaf re-discovering the fountain of youth at age 36, you’re lying. If you say you saw Trevor Zegras breaking out this year…well, OK that’s not so unreasonable, but still, it’s been a pleasant surprise for the Ducks. Throw in John Gibson’s rebound year (finally getting some recognition) after a rough last campaign, and the Ducks might just find themselves battling for a playoff spot down the stretch.
4) Vegas Golden Knights: The fact that they’re in this position despite having Pacioretty, Stone, Karlsson, Marchessault, Martinez, and Whitecloud (did I miss anyone?) all miss time is remarkable (also, though I hate the guy, having Robin Lehner in net doesn’t hurt). Once they get the remaining pieces AND Eichel back on the ice, this team is going to be a Stanley Cup contender.
5) San Jose Sharks: Signing Reimer to the deal that they did was an absolute steal, and he’s proving it, having a GAA under 2.00 to this point. The problem is he’s not getting much offensive support, and the defense isn’t great either (also, that’s a heck of a lot of salary cap to spend on a below-average age 35+ blue line). They’re not off to a bad start, but the Sharks aren’t likely to make any serious push for the playoffs.
6) Los Angeles Kings: Well, the 7-game win streak earlier in the season aside, there’s not much positivity to talk about here. Cal Petersen continues to improve and Kopitar continues to produce, but there’s still a ways to go for LA to get back into contention.
7) Vancouver Canucks: I didn’t see them making the playoffs, but I didn’t see them being THIS bad. Like the Habs, Vancouver’s big guns just have not been firing, with Pettersson, Boeser and JT Miller all having disappointing seasons so far, and poor Thatcher Demko having to tend the goal behind a horrific defense that is awful at even strength and even worse on the penalty kill. It’s a ticking clock for both Travis Green and (even more so) Jim Benning.
8) Seattle Kraken: Well, it’s their first year, so expectations weren’t particularly high, but a little more was expected from the Kraken than what they’ve shown. Grubauer has been a major disappointment, the offense is thin (with an especially weak bottom 6), and the D-which was supposed to be this team’s strength-has been significantly underwhelming. Ron Francis passing over the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, Max Domi and Jake Bean seems pretty eyebrow-raising right now.