October Report Cards, Part 1

Note: Records are prior to games on November 1st.

Anaheim Ducks (10-3-1)
Grade: B+
It's nothing short of a miracle that Anaheim has notched 21 of a possible 28 points with their special teams being this bad. They cannot sustain this streak if the power play and penalty kill continue to falter. I don't care how good their other metrics are, when you don't punish teams for committing penalties and don't bail yourself out when shorthanded, you're not going to see long-term success.

Boston Bruins (8-4-0)
Grade: B+
An uncharacteristically sloppy penalty kill is the story here. Boston is getting enough goal scoring and playing stellar defense as usual, but that PK needs a boost. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are off to slow starts, but the slack has been picked up by David Krejci (11 assists) and Milan Lucic (12 points) thus far. They suffered a tough loss to Pittsburgh the other night but rebounded nicely in a shootout win over Anaheim.

Buffalo Sabres (2-12-1)
Grade: F
I really didn't want to give this team an F simply because this is a rebuilding year and many correctly pegged this team to be the worst in hockey, but after scanning their stats I couldn't justify giving them a better score. If the PK were in the top ten I probably would've bumped them to a D- on the grounds that they were doing something right. However, 82%, while serviceable, isn't anything to celebrate. Trading Thomas Vanek for Matt Moulson was a complete fleece job by Darcy Regier as he continues to stockpile picks.

Calgary Flames (5-5-2)
Grade: B-
Was going to give them a higher grade until I saw the defense and special teams. Make no mistake, their record is still a surprise to me (hence the probably inflated B-), but it's a far cry from their hot start in the first few games. Sean Monahan has been the catalyst for this group, though he's disappeared a bit in their last few outings. They need to get him going again. They also need to figure out the goaltending situation, because the committee so far hasn't gotten it done.

Carolina Hurricanes (4-5-3)
Grade: D+
They should thank the rest of the Metropolitan Division (sans Pittsburgh) for being so putrid this season, because somehow the 4-5-3 Hurricanes are in second place. Nobody has reached double digit points yet and only four players have a plus rating. The goaltending has quite literally been a three-ring circus, with Cam Ward and Justin Peters faltering while Anton Khudobin has been sharp. Khudobin's on IR now though, so Ward and Peters have to play better... Ward especially, since he's the starter.

Chicago Blackhawks (8-2-3)
Grade: B+
They're scoring, they're converting on the power play, and they're getting a lot of pucks to the net. Defense has been an adventure so far, though, with the NHL's worst PK not helping matters. You can only mask bad defense with good offense for so long, but if the Hawks are driving possession and applying a solid forecheck, the penalty kill numbers will come up some.

Colorado Avalanche (10-1-0)
Grade: A
This team was doing everything right until Semyon Varlamov turned himself in to police amid charges of kidnapping and domestic violence. Backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been great so far, so it looks like the Avs will be alright for the time being in net. Who would've thought they'd be 10-1 through the first month and that it would be the defense that got them there? The trade that brought in Max Talbot will only help them continue to be solid in their own end.

Columbus Blue Jackets (5-6-0)
Grade: C
The Blue Jackets look like a team that is just trying to stem the tide right now. They're still without Nathan Horton for the foreseeable future so they will be missing a major offensive weapon going forward, but even at 5-6 they're right in the thick of it in the Metropolitan Division, where they sit in 4th place. They have to improve the special teams and find some more scoring, but if they're above .500 when Horton comes back, look out.

Dallas Stars (5-6-1)
Grade: D+
Given the fact that the Central Division has delivered in terms of being iffy in the middle, the last-place Stars don't deserve any better of a grade. They're 1-2-1 against their division rivals thus far and that will not get it done. They've been the model of mediocrity to this point in the NHL and have to improve in all areas of the game if they want to climb up the mountain. I believe it's an issue of depth with this team, as they simply don't have enough on the wings or on defense.

Detroit Red Wings (7-4-2)
Grade: C+
Let me put it this way: this team is not trending in the right direction. The offense has not produced, they've gotten almost nothing from Stephen Weiss so far, and the special teams have been meh. Defensively, they've been good enough to have a winning record, but again the scoring isn't there. Detroit has just 20 points from its defensemen so far, led by Niklas Kronwall with eight. They need more from the backend.

Edmonton Oilers (3-9-2)
Grade: F
This team has been a complete trainwreck after such high hopes to begin the year. Taylor Hall is hurt, Nail Yakupov has been nonexistent, the defense has continued to suck as only they can, and the special teams continue to not produce. This squad is doing nothing well right now. Mark Arcobello is off to a nice start with 10 assists, but when he's tied for your team's lead in scoring, there are serious issues that need to be addressed.

Florida Panthers (3-7-2)
Grade: F
This grade is another case of me wanting to be soft on a team that everyone knew was bad preseason but being unable to justify it. The Panthers have been absolutely brutal so far. Tim Thomas has not been healthy and it's been clear that his body isn't in playing shape yet. Brad Boyes has slowed down, Jonathan Huberdeau hasn't gotten untracked yet and Shawn Matthias is struggling. They need more from their best players.

Los Angeles Kings (9-5-0)
Grade: B
They're currently sitting in fifth place in the stacked Pacific Division, but that's no reason to count the Kings out. Aside from their goal scoring, they've been solid overall. Anze Kopitar is off to a great start and the defense has both kept them in and won games. They'd like to see an increase across the board; these are not the numbers of a Stanley Cup contender. However, they don't need to be yet, that can wait until the playoffs.

Minnesota Wild (6-4-3)
Grade: B-
I can't figure this team out. They aren't scoring, but have a great power play. The defense has been stingy, but the penalty kill has been a sieve. Josh Harding has played admirably in net so far, but this team needs Nicklas Backstrom to be healthy and playing his best hockey if they're going to improve upon their success from a season ago. Also, where has Dany Heatley been? Has anyone seen him?

Montreal Canadiens (8-5-0)
Grade: B+
With the statistics that they've put up across the board, Montreal should probably have a better record than they do. They're trending in the right direction, but they need to get more pucks to the net. It's going to be tough to maintain such a low goals against average, so the more they can help out the goaltending by driving possession, the better off they'll be.

30 Teams, 30 Days - Minnesota WIld

Last offseason, the Wild made two huge moves by signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to identical 14-year, $100 million contracts. The signings were expected to make them into a contender overnight, and the Wild nearly won the Northwest Division, finishing four points behind champion Vancouver. Their playoff run was almost over before it began. They lost to Chicago in five games in the first round, and didn't have starting goalie Niklas Backstrom after he injured himself during the Game 1 warmups. He underwent surgery for a sports hernia back in May and after signing a new contract, he appears ready to return to form. Minnesota added more offense by trading Cal Clutterbuck and a third round pick (which became goalie Eamon McAdam) to the Islanders for Nino Niederreiter. They also allowed Pierre-Marc Bouchard to walk in free agency, and he joined Clutterbuck on Long Island. Matt Cullen also left, he is now in Nashville. There will be younger players in elevated roles this season, and they might make the difference between a second straight trip to the playoffs and a spring spent golfing.

Projected Forward Lines:

Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Jason Pominville
Dany Heatley - Kyle Brodziak - Charlie Coyle
Matt Cooke - Mikael Granlund - Jason Zucker
Torrey Mitchell - Zenon Konopka - Mike Rupp
Jake Dowell - Nino Niederreiter

I know, I know. Coyle and Granlund are more offensively talented players than Brodziak. Granlund will probably be the 2C by season's end. I like Brodziak there for his experience, at least in the early going. The top line could potentially be one of the best in the NHL, and there's a lot of pressure on them to be just that. Minnesota has the defense of a serious contender, but if they can't find enough goals then they're going to struggle. Minnesota has never been a high scoring team and has always been built around keeping the puck out of their net. They could really use a resurgence from Heatley this season, and I'm talking in the neighborhood of 40 goals. He has just 61 goals combined in the last three years, so he absolutely must step it up if the Wild are going to progress this season.

Projected Defensive Pairings:

Ryan Suter - Jonas Brodin
Clayton Stoner - Jared Spurgeon
Keith Ballard - Jonathon Blum
Marco Scandella

Minnesota has one of the better defense corps in the NHL. Brodin's coming out party last year was vital to their success, as he played huge minutes for them down the stretch and helped get them into the playoffs. Not much scoring from him, but that's the theme of this defense. This is not a backend that will put up gaudy offensive totals. They're all responsible in their own end, rarely get caught out of position, and pride themselves on their bend-but-don't-break philosophy. Minnesota finished 6th last year in shots against at 27.1 per game. The Wild were near the bottom of the league in hits, takeaways, and blocked shots last season, so there are three areas to improve on for this defense. They have to be more physical and help the goalies out more.

Goaltending:

Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding

Backstrom signed a three-year deal this offseason for what was effectively a hometown discount ($10.25 million) and he looks to come back healthy and improve upon his iffy .909 save percentage from a year ago. He displayed Vezina-caliber form in his earlier years in the NHL, but at 35 he's likely on his last contract. Josh Harding is an incredible story, winning the Bill Masterton trophy for perseverance after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during last season. He stepped in for the injured Backstrom in last year's first round loss and played admirably, earning praise league-wide for his grit and determination. Harding has made it clear that he isn't going to let his ailment beat him and that he will continue to play in the NHL for as long as he can.

Special Teams:

Minnesota finished 16th in the NHL on the power play, putting up a 17.9% efficiency rate. To me, the major hole on the power play is the blueline. They don't have a true power play quarterback, or even one defenseman who they can count on to produce offensively. They're going to have to find someone, whether it's Suter, Brodin, Scandella, or Spurgeon, who they can count on in those situations to score goals and set teammates up. It helped that the Wild were +16 on special teams differential and were shorthanded the fewest times (135) in the NHL last year. It helped hide their below average penalty kill, which was 18th in the league at 80.7%. Someone will have to emerge as a solid penalty killer for that unit to improve this season.

X-Factor:

The special teams are the key to success for the Wild this season. They were mediocre last year and that can't happen again if they're going to return to the playoffs. They have talented offensive players at the top and eager youth elsewhere in the lineup, but somehow it just hasn't clicked on the power play. Granlund, Coyle, and Zucker will have to make an impact with the man advantage this year. On the penalty kill, the fourth line plus Cooke should make up the forward lines, and if they can get it together this season then they should see significant gains in their kill rate. The blueline isn't to blame for the low PK percentage at all, they just need to maintain the status quo.

The Wild will make the playoffs if...

... secondary scoring is found, the special teams improve, the top line stays healthy, and Backstrom plays closer to the level he was at when he first entered the NHL. I'm going to beat this to death in every Central team's preview, but the race for the third and final automatic playoff spot is wide open. There isn't much separating this team from the likes of Dallas, Nashville, Winnipeg, or even Colorado. The Wild are one of the safer picks out of the remaining five Central clubs to make the playoffs this year, but this team is an injury to Koivu or Parise away from getting a lottery pick. They're already thin offensively and cannot afford to lose anyone from their top line.

The Wild will miss the playoffs if...

... the offense continues to struggle, there are injuries to the top six, and Backstrom can't recapture the glory days. We know that the top line of Parise, Koivu, and Pominville will produce. That's a given. However, from the second line on down the depth chart are a lot of question marks. Can Heatley revive his career this season? How much can Granlund, Coyle, and Zucker improve in their first full seasons? Will someone on the blueline emerge as an offensive threat? Can Cooke stay on the ice without playing dirty? Will Brodin have a sophomore slump? I'm excited to find out about all of these things, and you should be too.