February NHL News, Standings and Opinion (Week of 2/21)
By Jim Lynch
The NHL trade deadline is officially a month away. As the season heats up and things begin to take shape, let’s dive in with an updated look at the standings as of Monday, February 21.
Nothing is decided within the standings thus far. There seems to be a tight race for the Presidents Trophy this year, and there even seems to be a tight race for the bottom spot in the league. As teams continue to play out their years, different organizations definitely will have different goals for what they see as success as the season draws to a close.
Here is an updated look at the NHL standings:
Atlantic Division Standings:
Florida Panthers 35-10-5 75 Pts
Tampa Bay Lightning 32-11-6 70 Pts
Toronto Maple Leafs 32-13-3 67 Pts
Boston Bruins 28-17-4 60 Pts
Detroit Red Wings 23-22-6 52 Pts
Ottawa Senators 18-26-4 41 Pts
Buffalo Sabres 16-27-8 40 Pts
Montreal Canadiens 10-33-7 27 Pts
Metropolitan Division Standings:
Carolina Hurricanes 34-11-4 72 Pts
Pittsburgh Penguins 31-13-8 70 Pts
New York Rangers 32-13-5 69 Pts
Washington Capitals 28-15-9 65 Pts
Columbus Blue Jackets 25-23-1 51 Pts
New York Islanders 18-20-7 43 Pts
Philadelphia Flyers 15-25-9 39 Pts
New Jersey Devils 17-28-5 39 Pts
Central Division Standings:
Colorado Avalanche 36-9-4 76 Pts
Minnesota Wild 31-13-3 65 Pts
St. Louis Blues 29-14-6 64 Pts
Nashville Predators 28-18-4 60 Pts
Dallas Stars 27-20-2 56 Pts
Winnipeg Jets 22-19-8 52 Pts
Chicago Blackhawks 18-26-8 44 Pts
Arizona Coyotes 13-33-4 30 Pts
Pacific Division Standings:
Calgary Flames 29-13-6 64 Pts
Vegas Golden Knights 29-18-4 62 Pts
Edmonton Oilers 28-19-3 59 Pts
Los Angeles Kings 26-17-7 59 Pts
Anaheim Ducks 24-19-9 57 Pts
Vancouver Canucks 23-22-6 52 Pts
San Jose Sharks 22-22-5 49 Pts
Seattle Kraken 16-31-4 36 Pts
There is plenty of news to discuss today:
The Montreal Canadiens won their tenth game of the season last night, and that has to be pretty remarkable considering it is February and the team is just now getting to ten. The Canadiens have already been involved in a trade, sending Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a solid return the other way for their team.
The Canadiens are one of many teams hoping to rebuild their franchise during the coming years. This upcoming trade deadline and draft is going to be central to their plan for the future. Another team looking to work on their franchise is the Chicago Blackhawks who have plenty of players they can move ahead of the deadline like Marc-Andre Fleury and Brandon Hagel.
Claude Giroux with the Philadelphia Flyers is another player that fans are looking at as a potential trade piece. Giroux has been a long-time Flyer and a trade definitely would be a good move for the Flyers as they try to bring in some assets to build around.
Thoughts On The NHL Standings:
The NHL has its top team, it looks like the Colorado Avalanche are the top team in the west, and considering the competition, they will be facing within their conference, it seems as though they are going to be the clear pick to take the Presidents Trophy. I am rather interested with some of the other races within the standings.
Which teams will make up the wild card teams is going to be fun to watch, and similar to years past, definitely don’t count out any of the wild card teams that make it in. Also, don’t count out the Tampa Bay Lightning as the best team in the league, that is until someone does beat them in the playoffs eventually.