O Canada: Grading the north's 7 teams halfway through the season
Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."
With the season at its halfway mark, let's take a moment to reflect on the seven Canadian franchises and their highs and lows of an exciting 2016-17 campaign.
Calgary Flames
The Take: The Flames entered the season with Canada's expectations on their shoulders, anticipated to be the nation's lone playoff entry in the West.
After 46 games, the Flames are clinging to a postseason berth with 49 points. Calgary's had its share of surprises this season, beginning in goal. After the Flames made a draft-day deal that sent two picks to the St. Louis Blues to bring goaltender Brian Elliott to Alberta, he was expected to run with the starter's role. Through 21 games, though, Elliott's come up with just eight wins, paving the way for free-agent addition Chad Johnson to take over. He's done just that, owning a 15-10-1 record on the season.
Most troubling has been the Flames' ability to be average. The club sits 18th in goals for, goals against, and on the penalty kill, while its play on the man advantage sees a bit of an uptick as the league's 12th-best. In the forward ranks, after scoring 64 points a year ago, winger Johnny Gaudreau hasn't been as offensively productive this season, with 28 points on the year and on pace to finish with a lower total than in 2015-16. Fellow forward Sean Monahan has also experienced a disappointing slide; he's on pace for 44 points after finishing with 63 last season. That could lead to a short tenure for coach Glen Gulutzan, who signed on to a one-year deal.
The Grade: C
Edmonton Oilers
The Take: At this point in the season, Oilers fans are usually accustomed to poring over draft rankings and calculating their best lottery odds. Not this year.
Things are finally on the up and up in Edmonton, where phenom forward Connor McDavid has been the piece needed to finally turn around the franchise. The Oilers are in playoff contention, holding down the second seed in the Pacific Division with a 24-15-7 record. Beyond McDavid, the Oilers have gotten key performances from a handful of players - most notably Cam Talbot, who's solidified things in goal, appearing in all but five games and collecting 23 victories.
Credit goes to Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli, who made the wrong kind of headlines with the summer deal where he shipped former top pick Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for young blue-liner Adam Larsson. Larsson has been a critical cog in stabilizing Edmonton's defense alongside the likes of Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom, and Kris Russell, and the Oilers appear poised to advance to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.
The Grade: B
Montreal Canadiens
The Take: The Canadiens were roasted all offseason following a deal that sent blue-liner P.K. Subban to Nashville. While the trade landed stalwart Shea Weber in Montreal, the Canadians took heat for getting rid of a new-age blue-liner in his prime to bring in an aging defenseman.
But all Weber has done since arriving in Montreal is stabilize the team's back end and act as a key leader for a team that's once again in Stanley Cup contention. Another former Predator, forward Alexander Radulov, has been a revelation through his first season in Montreal, putting up 32 points through 43 games. Sitting atop the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens have seemingly coasted through the regular season, with their closest divisional foe trailing by nine points.
The Canadiens have battled through their share of injuries - forwards David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher are currently shelved. The club also maintained its strong play despite the long-term loss of Alex Galchenyuk. Through that stretch, the Canadiens posted a 9-5-4 mark while missing their top center. As always, Carey Price remains a rock in goal, owning a 21-8-4 record and .922 save percentage on the season.
The Grade: A
Ottawa Senators
The Take: The Senators had a relatively quiet offseason, but their biggest move may have been the installation of coach Guy Boucher behind the bench.
Thanks to Boucher's efforts, the Senators are a tough team to play against, allowing just 107 goals through the team's first 41 games - the fifth-lowest mark league-wide. That's despite losing starter Craig Anderson, who's taken a leave of absence to be with his ill wife. Waiver claim turned No. 1 netminder Mike Condon has held down the fort in his stead. Since arriving in Ottawa in mid-October, Condon has grabbed the starter's role and posted a 10-7-3 record, with Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs marking his 18th straight start.
While things have been tight defensively, the Senators simply need more scoring. Blue-liner Erik Karlsson is once again the team's top producer, tallying 35 points, while winger Mark Stone leads the forward corps with 0.8 points per game. The Senators' 105 goals rank ahead of only four clubs, so you can understand why GM Pierre Dorion is on the lookout to add offense.
The Grade: B
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Take: After finishing dead last a year ago and earning the right to select Scottsdale-born Auston Matthews first overall, the belief was that the Maple Leafs faced a slow climb up the standings. How wrong we were.
With Matthews as the biggest piece of the team's future, the Maple Leafs are led by an exciting host of young talent - Matthews and fellow forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander grab highlight-reel goals in seemingly every game. All three could be in the mix for rookie of the year honors, with the No. 1 pick likely having the best odds. Through 41 games, he's collected 21 goals and 16 assists in the type of performance that could make Matthews the first Toronto player to capture the Calder Trophy since Brit Selby did so in 1966.
Beyond the rookies, forward Nazem Kadri is also worthy of mention. He's taken on a key checking role under coach Mike Babcock while also impressively scoring 18 goals on the season, just two back of his NHL best. With 48 points in 41 in games, the Maple Leafs hold down the third seed in the Atlantic, and if they keep it up, the team will return to the postseason for just the second time since 2004.
The Grade: B
Vancouver Canucks
The Take: Darts were aimed at Canucks GM Jim Benning for his club's seeming lack of direction. Pundits and many a fan screamed for a teardown rebuild, while Canucks management insisted the postseason is the goal, at least while the Sedin twins are still around.
Through 45 games, the Canucks sit within striking distance of the playoffs, only two points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the West's second wild-card slot. It's been a streaky season in Vancouver, to say the least. After starting the campaign 4-0, the Canucks went winless through their next nine matches. More recently, the Canucks rattled off a six-game win streak before the Flames ended that run Jan. 7. The club has just one regulation loss since returning from the Christmas break, going 6-1-3 over that stretch.
Benning's reported plan from here is to stand pat and retain his team's draft picks, seeing no reason to send up-and-coming talent out the door in order to aid a playoff push. As for the Sedins, both are closing in on the 1,000-point plateau, combining for 53 points on the season.
The Grade: C
Winnipeg Jets
The Take: The Jets have been one of the league's most exciting teams to keep an eye on, led by a crop of young talent and headlined by a Finnish scoring sensation. Those seem to roll through Winnipeg every few decades.
When the club chose Patrik Laine second overall in last year's NHL entry draft, he wasn't expected to make an immediate impact, but Laine has lived up to the challenge. Despite concussion concerns that have kept him out of the lineup for the past five games, Laine continues to lead the Jets in goals, already with 21 on the season. That's tied with Matthews for the most by a freshman, while only two players - the Kings' Jeff Carter and superstar Sidney Crosby - have found the back of the net more often than Laine.
While the Jets have seen plenty of action at one end of the rink, things haven't been as rosy in their own zone. The young goaltending duo of Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson has struggled. After banishing veteran keeper Ondrej Pavelec to the minors during training camp, the club recalled Pavelec earlier Tuesday in an effort to clean up the crease.
The Grade: C