The general consensus around the hockey community is that by Thanksgiving, each team starts to get a sense of who they are. Some teams might see themselves as strong contenders, some might be feeling pressure to up their game and others might be ready to commit to a rebuild. Either way, Thanksgiving is the first chance for hockey fans to get a sense of the standings for the season and how teams are feeling. In this edition of “In the Crease,” we will take a look at the aspects of the standings that stand out the most thus far.
Starting in the Eastern Conference, one team that should immediately catch everyone’s attention is the Washington Capitals. They have had a fantastic start, currently sitting third in the Metropolitan Division with 23 points. Although they made the playoffs last season, most fans viewed this and last season as retool opportunities for the club, thus making their strong start to the season somewhat surprising. In addition to the Capitals, another team with a strong start is the New Jersey Devils. After a rough 2023–24 season, New Jersey currently sits atop the Metropolitan with 26 points.
One more team in the East that stands out, but for unfortunate reasons, is the Montreal Canadiens, who currently sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with 14 points. Nobody expected the Canadiens to be a contending team this season. However, at this point in their rebuild, there should be at least some signs of improvement. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case, at least so far.
Moving out to the Western Conference, it’s the Winnipeg Jets that stand out right away, as they’ve had a start for the ages. With a current record of 15–3–0, there is nothing negative that can be said about this team. Nobody ever expects a team, no matter how talented, to have this good of a start, so it has been a surreal sight to observe over the last couple of weeks. The Minnesota Wild — after a mediocre season last year — have also come out firing, sitting in second place in the Central Division with 25 points.
It was covered in my last edition, but the Nashville Predators have had the most disappointing start to the season, relative to their expectations. With all the star power and talent they have, the team should definitely not be sitting last in the Central with 13 points. This team needs to get their act together, and they need to do it quickly.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we have a pretty good idea of where things stand in the NHL. Of course, there will be changes to come, but this examination gives a good indication of each team’s relative success.
