With half of the season complete, it's time to hand out our midseason grades. Here's how the teams in the Eastern Conference graded out:
Toronto Maple Leafs (23-12-3-3)
His numbers are in the middle of the pack among goaltenders with his workload, but Curtis Joseph remains the straw that stirs the drink for the Leafs. Despite the airtight battle in the conference, this looks like the year that the Leafs could go a long way. The Devils are down, the Rangers are one concussion and one ACL tear away from crisis, the Flyers are decent but beatable, and the Senators are great skaters but soft. That leaves a real chance for the Leafs. To read about them in Toronto, you'd think they were the Florida Panthers. But this is a very sound, well coached, well balanced squad. Beware of them come April.
Grade: A
Boston Bruins (22-12-3-4)
A good portion of the fan base was ready to go on the warpath during the club's contract battle with former captain Jason Allison. But the success of the team, which failed to make the playoffs the last two years, has wiped out any and all hand wringing. Jozef Stumpel and, especially, Glen Murray, who came in the swap for Allison, have made important contributions to the cause. The No. 1 reason for the Bruins' success -- on top of great seasons by Joe Thornton and Brian Rolston -- is that goaltender Byron Dafoe is healthy. Dafoe, through the halfway point, made 34 starts and is on pace for 68. John Grahame, who had a forgettable year last season until the end, also has looked good in a limited role. Coach Robbie Ftorek has everyone on the same page and has three terrific lines.
Grade: A-minus
Carolina Hurricanes (20-14-5-5)
When general manager Jim Rutherford threatened changes if the team's fortunes didn't improve and improve immediately, that seemed to be all the Hurricanes needed to kick it in gear. With the Capitals floundering, the Hurricanes are the cream of the Southeast Division crop. Classy Ron Francis reached the 500th goal of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career and played in his 1,000 game as a member of the Hurricanes/Whalers fraternity. Jeff O'Neill, who has been bothered by back spasms, is needed if the team is going to make a run down the stretch. Sami Kapanen is having a terrific season and Rod Brind'amour is coming on strong. Rookie Erik Cole has proven to be ready for prime time and coach Paul Maurice, whose job seems to be perennially on the line from a media perspective, has once again kept things on the straight and narrow. We've been saying it along but we'll say it again -- this team is a force to be reckoned with.
Grade: B-plus
New York Islanders (20-12-5-2)
You knew they weren't going to keep up the extraordinary pace they started at. No team could do that, not even the dominant Oilers' teams of the 1980s. But the fact that this is a completely retooled Islanders' team bodes well for the rest of the year. They've gotten great goaltending from Chris Osgood, key contributions from Alexei Yashin, Mark Parrish and Michael Peca and terrific coaching from Peter Laviolette. Shawn Bates, if he can avoid any further groin problems which have hindered him his entire career, will wind up with a real resurgent season. Of late, the club has had problems with the officiating with both Laviolette and Osgood speaking out on the subject before general manager Mike Milbury jumped into the fray. That's a war you won't win guys. Give it up and focus on finishing strong.
Grade: B-plus
Philadelphia Flyers (21-12-5-1)
The free-agent signing of Jeremy Roenick has paid big dividends (39 points in 39 games) and talented forward Simon Gagne is also a point a game guy (39 points in 38 games). Both players are substantially on the right side of the plus-minus ranking (plus-24 for Gagne and plus-21 for Roenick). From a goaltending perspective, Brian Boucher, who was No. 1 at the quarter pole, is No. 2 behind Colorado's Patrick Roy. In 17 starts, Boucher's record was 9-5-1 with a 1.90 GAA and .928 save percentage. With 26 starts, Roman Cechmanek was 12-8-4 with a 2.35 GAA and .912 save percentage. The Flyers are steady, veteran laden and deep. And most importantly, they prove there is indeed life after Lindros.
Grade: B-plus
Montreal Canadiens (16-17-5-2)
Few teams have suffered the number and extent of injuries that the Habs have endured this season. When captain Saku Koivu was diagnosed with cancer, it sent a shockwave through the entire team. Koivu seems on the way to a full recovery, which has everyone in Montreal both relieved and elated, but if and when he plays hockey again, it won't have a bearing on how the team does this year. The front office signed center Doug Gilmour in hopes of partly replacing Koivu's gifts in the lineup but it's been a disappointing run for the veteran. Despite that, the team has battled back to a position of respectability. Through 39 games, center Yanic Perreault was the leading scorer with Brian Savage right behind. But no one has been more important than goaltender Jose Theodore. In 28 starts, Theodore was the fourth-ranked netminder in the league with a 2.04 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. Since returning from a shoulder injury, goalie Jeff Hackett has not been the same, requiring Theodore to carry the ball.
Grade: B
New York Rangers (22-16-3-3)
Will he or won't he? The Eric Lindros concussion saga has overshadowed what has been a pretty good turnaround for the Rangers. With Lindros in the lineup, Theo Fleury (when he isn't smacking around other team's mascots) and Mike York have been on fire. But Lindros is a ticking bomb and will be for the rest of his career, however long it lasts. Mark Messier has been slowed by physical woes, most recently a shoulder, but defenseman Brian Leetch is having another stellar year. Petr Nedved has respectable numbers with 25 points -- 13 of them goals -- in 39 games. There are some nights when the offense isn't there (which seems to coincide with when Lindros isn't there) and there is still some chemistry to be worked out. Mike Richter, so far, has stayed healthy and for the most part played well. Let's see how he feels after the grind of the Olympics. This team is too talented not to be there at the end but it says here they're not going to go very far.
Grade: B-minus
Ottawa Senators (21-14-4-1)
From a specific standpoint, there isn't a lot you can rag on the Senators about. They're well coached with Jacques Martin at the helm, Patrick Lalime has been a force in goal and captain Daniel Alfredsson has been (knock on wood) healthy and very productive (40 points in 35 games) but there just seems to be something missing. Yes, they're still missing the grit that has limited their playoff success in past years. However, their forwards are some of the best in the NHL; their skating is still outstanding and their speed is something to be reckoned with. Yet, it's difficult to interpret the sum of the parts. The conference is tight, other teams are better. That will affect the Senators at crunch time.
Grade: B-minus
New Jersey Devils (17-15-5-2)
There have been no shortage of distractions for this team, which always seems to end up on the top of the conference heap at the end of the year no matter what. This looks like the year they won't. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. Sometimes they look great, sometimes they look awful. What they don't look like is a long-term contender. Do they trade Bobby Holik, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, to get someone who might jumpstart the club? Does Martin Brodeur have to carry them in order for them to win? Where is Jason Arnott's offense? He's had three straight 20-goals seasons and is on track to repeat that this year, but so far, Arnott hasn't been the same strong presence. If all the Devils don't turn it up a notch, it'll be an early exit.
Grade: C
Pittsburgh Penguins (14-18-5-2)
Like it or not, this is simply not a good team. You take Jaromir Jagr out of the lineup (via trade) and then lose owner/center Mario Lemieux (hip injury) and there isn't a whole lot to get excited about, especially given the loss of talented center Martin Straka who is sidelined for months because of a broken leg. If the playoffs started today, the Penguins would be on the outside looking in. The holes, to this point, have simply been too big to fill. Coach Rick Kehoe has done the best he can, but the deficiencies outweigh the assets.
Grade: C-minus
Washington Capitals (16-18-7-0)
It almost seems like piling on to criticize the Caps. But we're still waiting for Jaromir Jagr to emerge as the star he's paid to be. Pardon us, but 14 goals in 34 games doesn't quite cut it. Peter Bondra has been very effective with a point a game average (40 points in his first 40 games, 24 of them goals) and center Adam Oates recovered from a slow start with 37 points in 37 games, which is pretty well the norm for his career. Goaltender Olaf Kolzig has not had a great season. He hasn't been given a great deal of help, especially in the early going with the loss of defensive specialists Steve Konowalchuk and Calle Johansson. Defensively, Sergei Gonchar has been racking up points (34 points in 39 games -- 14 of them goals) but this is a team still lacking in chemistry, identity and purpose.
Grade: C-minus
Buffalo Sabres (15-21-4-1)
The Sabres have scored 110 goals through 40 games. The bad news is they've given up the same amount. Truth be told, they were a pretty middle of the road team when Dominik Hasek was playing for them, but Hasek lifted the into contention on more than one occasion. With Hasek now in Detroit, Martin Biron is a fine netminder but the club is average. They have yet to replace Michael Peca's leadership, although Stu Barnes is certainly an asset. It could be argued that some players have not met expectations (Maxim Afinogenov, Chris Gratton, Tim Connolly), but the sum total of their year so far is less than average. If they don't pick it up and soon, they'll be out of the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Grade: D
Tampa Bay Lightning (15-19-3-2)
To this point, the Lightning have been a one-line team and center Vincent Lecavalier hasn't been one of that trio which includes Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis and Fredrik Modin. General manager Rick Dudley said there wasn't a proper deal out there for Lecavalier, but the club clearly isn't doing much with him. Maybe his stock will go up as the season gets closer to the trade deadline in March, but you can hardly believe that Dudley would be content to tread water until then. Coach John Tortorella, a real competitor, has to be tearing his hair out with this crew, which was supposed to be a big improvement over last. If not for the excellent goaltending of Nikolai Khabibulin (ranked No. 6 in the league despite the Lightning's troubles), this team would be in a far greater mess.
Grade: D
Atlanta Thrashers (8-25-5-3)
It's impossible to deny the sensational talents of rookies Dany Heatley (33 points in 40 games) and Ilya Kovalchuk (31 points in 39 games) but the problem is everything that surrounds them. The Thrashers pride themselves on being giant killers, effectively knocking off some of the top teams in the league who perhaps make the mistake of underestimating them, but it's clear the front office is frustrated with the inconsistency, the losing and all the negativity that comes along with it. The club was hoping to build off last year's moderate success, but instead, they've spiraled in the opposite direction. They've gotten five more victories since the quarter pole, but they can hardly be satisfied with that. And what in the world has happened to Patrik Stefan?
Grade: D-minus
Florida Panthers (12-21-3-3)
The team has a new coach in Mike Keenan and it's likely Iron Mike will kick some life into the club as he has everywhere else he's been. But the real problem with the Panthers is that their resident superstar -- Pavel Bure -- far too often plays as if he'd like to be anywhere else other than where he is. That on-ice lethargy won't actually motivate the fans to spend a fortune to see him or anyone else on that team. Through 39 games, Bure had a paltry 11 goals and was a minus-10. It doesn't get much worse than that, especially given the fortune the ownership is paying him to underachieve in such a shocking way. This is the same guy who won the Maurice Richard Trophy the last two years as the NHL's top goal scorer with 58 and 59,
respectively. The mantra in South Florida is rapidly becoming, "If you don't care, why should we?"
Grade: F
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.