Team: 2023-24 Custom Team

Initial Creation Date: Jan. 4, 2024

Published: Jan. 4, 2024

LTIR Enabled: Yes

Season Days: 192

Days Remaining: 105

Season Remaining: 55%

Projected Cap Hit Prior To Days Remaining : $0

Just chose players that I think are the best of each team or players that really stand out to me.
Anyways we are reaching that halfway mark and there are expectations that have been met and have been exceeded. And expectations that have not been met.
Starting in the metro I had
Carolina-1st/2nd(currently 2nd)
NJD-1st/2nd(currently 5th)
NYR-3rd(currently 1st)
Pens-4th/5th(currently 7th)
NYI-4th/5th/6th(currently 3rd)
Caps-6th/7t(currently 6th)
CBJ-6th/7th(currently 8th)
Flyers-8th(currently 4th)

There are things that can be easily predicted but I did not expect the Flyers to be the team they have been this season but at the same time I don’t think they can keep up the pace. Maybe they do but I wouldn’t really count on it. I also didn’t think the Devils would fall that much but I guess their goaltending really hasn’t been good at all. They have the goalscoring but they get scored on just as easily though. So that’s a bit troublesome. The Caps are weirdly in a decent spot but I can’t see them playing winning hockey when the get scored on more than they score goals themselves. That’s really gonna hurt them especially with teams that start ramping up more and more as the year goes on. The same would go for the Islanders. If there’s some teams in the metro I can see falling in standings, it’s the Caps and Isles. New Jersey will be in that conversation as well if they don’t figure out their goaltending. When it comes to other teams I can’t say I’m surprised with where they place. It’s bit of a tough division but teams I’d count on rising in the standings is Pittsburgh really.
Atlantic division

Toronto-1st/2nd(Currently 3rd)
Bolts-1st/2nd(Currently 4th)
Bruins-2nd/3rd/4th(currently 1st)
Panthers-between 2nd-6th(currently 2nd)
Sens-3rd/4th/5th(currently 8th)
Detroit-between 3rd-7th(currently 5th)
Buffalo-4th/5th(currently 7th)
Habs-8th(currently 6th)
The Atlantic division was hard for me to really predict on because at the time to me it felt like they had the strongest division and hard to predict where the buyers in the Atlantic were going to place but to say the least I have been a bit surprised to where these teams have placed. The top 3 teams I’d say there’s no surprise to where they stand. Boston has done well with moving on from Bergeron and Krejci and still have a well balanced team that’s just been proving to be one of the best still. Florida has also been well balanced I think and the players they got in the off-season has really been paying off. Toronto caught me off guard a little bit because I didn’t really think their defence would be questionable and didn’t think any of their goalies would just collapse so badly. Tampa Bay I’m a bit surprised have lost quite a bit so far but they still have insane amount of offence. They just need Vasy to get going and they’ll be a playoff lock. Detroit has ended up hitting those inconsistencies that makes them fall in the standings as much as they do. Buffalo and Ottawa I have to say I’m quite surprised both are bottom teams and not the Habs. Not really sure what they can do but they need some kind of jolt to get themselves going.

Central division

Avs-1st(currently 1st)
Stars-2nd(currently 3rd)
Wild-3rd(currently 7th)
Jets-4th(currently 2nd)
Blues-5th(currently 6th)
Preds-6th(currently 4th)
Coyotes-7th(currently 5th)
Hawks-8th(currently 8th)

I’ve only been surprised by how bad the Wild have been. I don’t know why they’ve been so bad. They just look like such a dejected team. No answers for their struggles and no motivation to win now. No idea what can get them going but if they want playoff action they better figure it out fast.

Pacific Division

Oilers-1st(currently 4th)
Kings-2nd(currently 3rd)
VGK-3rd(currently 2nd)
Kraken-4th(currently 5th),(I also messed up on forgetting to give them a real ranking but I said they could be a top 3 team in the pacific. So I’ll just place them at 4th cause I believed in them a lot)
Nucks-4th/5th(currently 1st)
Flames-4th/5th(currently 6th)
Ducks-7th(currently 7th)
Sharks-8th(currently 8th)

Canucks and Kraken have surprised me this year so far. For the first time in years maybe literally even 10 years that the Canucks are 1st in the west. It’s so crazy to me. I would’ve expected another year or two for the team to really breakout like this but there’s still another half season to go. So we’ll see just how long they can hold that title for. As for Seattle I didn’t think they’d fall in the standings compared to last season. Don’t have much to say about them now honestly. They’ve just been kind of disappointing.