A grade, New Year’s resolution for every NHL Eastern Conference team

As another year nears an end, the NHL season is rocking. 

Before Jan. 1, we graded every team’s 2024 portion of the season — take a bow, Washington Capitals. Plus, we added a New Year’s resolution for good measure.

All records and statistics are through Sunday’s games. 

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes (22-13-1) | Grade: A- | They’ve been their usual selves in controlling rate of play, grading out highly in shot attempts, shots and chances. But their defense is a bit leakier than normal (21st in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes). Plus, their goaltending is an issue (23rd in all strengths save percentage). 

Resolution: Swing for the fences at the trade deadline on a middle-six, two-way center and another defenseman. 

Columbus Blue Jackets (15-16-6) | Grade: C | The Jackets being remotely competitive after such a tumultuous summer is a testament to the players and new coaching staff led by Dean Evason. They easily could have given up in the wake of Johnny Gaudreau’s death.

Resolution: Find better consistency in deploying potential franchise superstar center Adam Fantilli after failing to find the right line for him for much of this season.

New Jersey Devils (24-12-3) | Grade: A | Every offseason move looks like a hit, perhaps none more than hiring Sheldon Keefe as head coach. 

Resolution: Come up with a deadline move that somehow won’t rock team chemistry or cost them a premium prospect and yet still move the needle for a team with few weaknesses but room to improve in on-ice chance generation and finishing at 5-on-5.

New York Islanders (14-16-7) | Grade: D- | Their special-teams units are in disarray, ranking last in power-play percentage and penalty-kill percentage. No team has finished a season last in both since the openly tanking 2014-15 Buffalo Sabres, so that should give you some idea of how this season is going.

Resolution: Management must determine how much of this nightmarish start to the season is connected to injuries to star center Mat Barzal and defenseman Adam Pelech. 

New York Rangers (16-18-1) | Grade: F | We might be headed into unprecedented territory with a team fresh off a President’s Trophy last season. The Rangers are hurtling downward after losing 14 of their past 18 games (all in regulation).

Resolution: Figure how to fix center Mika Zibanejad, whose game is cratering.

Philadelphia Flyers (16-17-4) | Grade: D+ | They’re a mixed bag in terms of possession and chance generation and a complete disaster in net.  

Resolution: Find a goaltender who can put up numbers that look more like 2024 instead of 1984.

Pittsburgh Penguins (17-16-5) | Grade: C | They have a pulse, winning 10 of 15 games since a disastrous 7-12-4 start. But they still have a goal differential of minus-25 at 5-on-5.

Resolution: Enjoy the wins, appreciate Sid “The Kid” Crosby and don’t divert from the plan of getting younger.  

Washington Capitals (24-10-2) | Grade: A+ | They’ve turned back the clock with the help of youth and Dylan Strome’s evolution from competent middle-six center into a legitimate top-line center. 

Resolution: Enjoy the wins, appreciate Alex Ovechkin and take a massive swing for the fences because you may not get another season like this out of “The Great Eight.”

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins (20-14-4) | Grade: B- | A poor start to the season led to the firing of head coach Jim Montgomery, but Boston has roared back to life under interim coach Joe Sacco. They look playoff bound but still have issues to sort out on special teams and one big issue — the goaltending — the Bruins must resolve. 

Resolution: Find a way to get the third-worst power play and eighth- worst penalty kill at least functional in time for the postseason.

Buffalo Sabres (14-19-4) | Grade: F | Maybe when the Buffalo Bills season ends, owner Terry Pegula will pay attention to what’s going on with his other team. His bizarre in-person vote of confidence for a team that was in the middle of a stretch of 13 consecutive losses (and possibly its 14th straight season without making the playoffs) will haunt the fan base unless the Sabres’ current three-game winning streak actually develops into something real.

Resolution: If this continues, the Sabres must make a trade to shake things up.   

Detroit Red Wings (14-18-4) | Grade: D- | Detroit followed Boston’s lead in firing its head coach — hardly a shocker for a Red Wings franchise that could become the first Original Six team to miss the playoffs in nine straight seasons. 

Resolution: Give more playing time to center Marco Kasper, drafted eighth overall in 2022.  

Florida Panthers (22-13-2) | Grade: A- | The defending Stanley Cup champs are strangling the opposition at 5-on-5 but must improve offensively then. They grade out favorably as one of the best possession teams in hockey, but they are also 26th in the NHL in high-dangers chances for per 60 minutes and struggling to finish when not on special teams.  

Resolution: Find 5-on-5 goal scoring at the trade deadline. 

Montreal Canadiens (16-17-3) | Grade: C- | They’ve hung around in a weak Eastern Conference and won four of their past five, outscoring opposition 23-10 during that stretch. Defensively, they are again struggling (31st in the league in  goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5). 

Resolution: Make a determination on the future of fourth-year head coach Martin St. Louis, who has struggled to get the Canadiens to buy in defensively.  

Ottawa Senators (19-15-2) | Grade: B | They’re 10-4-1 in their past 15 games and are in the middle of a nine-game road trip that could have a huge impact on their playoff hopes. The Senators haven’t had a winning record at this point in the season since 2016-17, when they last made the playoffs. 

Resolution: Even if they remain on the playoff fringes (currently eighth in the Eastern Conference), they should bring in reinforcements before the trade deadline.  

Tampa Bay Lightning (20-12-2) | Grade: A | They’re eighth in high- danger chances for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 and the best 5-on-5 finishing team in the league. Couple that with the third-best power play in the league and one of the NHL’s best goaltenders (Andrei Vasilevskiy) and the Lightning, like John Wick, appear to be back. 

Resolution: Don’t blow limited draft capital on another Tanner Jeannot.

Toronto Maple Leafs (22-13-2) | Grade: A- | The Leafs are playing pretty well, generally middle of the road or better in chance generation and chance suppression while getting top-notch goaltending across the board. As any Leafs fan will tell you, nothing they do will matter until the playoffs.  

Resolution: Win at least one playoff series.