By: Chris Nosek Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche have gotten points in 43 of their 48 games, winning 34 of them. They have scored more goals than any other team and given up fewer. As a team, their goal differential is +77, with Tampa Bay behind them in second at +49. They are far and away the best team in the league so far this season.

By: Chris Nosek We’ve looked at the Eastern Conference, so let’s take a look at the West now. Vegas Golden Knights Trevor Connelly is the only 1st-round player in their organization that they drafted. Now, they don’t have a pick in the 1st-round until 2028, possibly 2029. They just completed a deal with Calgary to bring in Rasmus Andersson. This was necessary because they lost Alex Petrangelo for the whole season.

By: Chris Nosek Once or twice a week, we’ll take a look around the league at various teams. Anaheim Ducks After losing nine straight games, the Ducks finally got back in the win column. They've now won three in a row. Today, they kick off a 5-game road trip in Colorado. The trip includes stops in Seattle and Edmonton. How they do on this trip will likely dictate the approach Pat Verbeek takes for the trade deadline.

By: Chris Nosek Let’s continue our look around the league to see what action teams are currently leaning toward for the trade deadline. Carolina Hurricanes Coming into the season, there were questions in goal for the Canes. Brandon Bussi was claimed off waivers and has been a steady presence for them. Both Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov have suffered from injuries.

By: Chris Nosek As some teams have begun to separate themselves in the standings, trade chatter is starting to pick up. Adding to the urgency for deal-making is the Olympic break, which is now just three weeks away. Let’s examine each team and the direction they should be leaning at this point. Detroit Red Wings The Red Wings find themselves in contention for the division.

By: Chris Nosek There are several questions floating around about the Boston Bruins crease. As usual, it is one of the most polarizing positions among fans in the city. So far this season, Jeremy Swayman has started 29 games and Joonas Korpisalo has started 15. Each has been pulled one time this year. Posting a 7-8-0 record, a .888 save percentage, and 3.42 goals against average, Joonas Korpisalo has been the focus of fan ridicule.

By: Chris Nosek On Saturday, December 6th, the American Hockey League saw the Bridgeport Islanders host the Hartford Wolf Pack. The two teams are battling for 6th place in the Atlantic Division and are separated by only two standings points. This match up had two young goaltenders. They are both trying to prove to their organization they should stay part of the team's future.

By: Chris Nosek The Boston Bruins have been struck by the injury bug. It started with Jordan Harris who suffered an ankle injury on October 21st. Then, Elias Lindholm suffered a knee-on-knee hit from Jordan Greenway on October 30th. Both players have been put on Injured Reserve. Since then, John Beecher and Casey Mittelstadt have suffered injuries and have been out of the lineup.

By: Chris Nosek The Panthers are the easiest team to hate. Having won the last two Stanley Cups, especially given that they used LTIR to win last season. They were able to re-sign all three of their biggest unrestricted free agents. Yes, they had help from Florida being a no income tax state. However, this season they will have to contend with new rules pertaining to Long Term Injured Reserve.

By: Chris Nosek For the fourth straight season the Kings lost to the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. Last season looked like the season they would finally be able to knock the Oilers out. Each of the first two games in the series the Kings got out to strong starts. A failed coaches challenge shifted the momentum of the series in the third game.

By: Chris Nosek As he began the job last season, Stan Bowman stated they were still confident in their goaltending. Now, fans are frustrated after another year of coming up short in the Stanley Cup Finals. They did nothing this offseason to change their goaltenders, which will further upset the fanbase. There is now additional scrutiny on Bowman as Connor McDavid doesn't have a contract for next season yet.

By: Chris Nosek After reviewing ten other players worth watching this NCAA season, the NHL preseason is officially underway. Let's finish our countdown with the top-5 players in the NCAA who you should be watching during their entire season. 5. Dean Letourneau After his first season at Boston College, some in the Boston area have started to call Letourneau a "bust." Posting only 3 assists over 36 games would normally cause a panic.

By: Chris Nosek The Red Wings had another season where they ended just outside the playoff picture. They finished the season on a 6-2-2 run. They also finished 22nd in goals scored and 21st in goals against. Many fans are starting to question Steve Yzerman. He continues to try to bring the organization back to being a perennial contender. He has taken a long-term approach as he has been building through the draft.

By: Chris Nosek Everyone remembers how last season ended. The surprise pulling of goaltender Jake Oettinger by now former Head Coach Pete DeBoer. DeBoer made a really tough call in a key situation and it turned out to be the correct one. Oettinger was not on his game that night. Changing goaltenders woke up the rest of the team. Despite losing, it was the correct call to make.

By: Chris Nosek Last season the Blue Jackets were able to honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in all the right ways. Biggest Departure: Sean Kuraly, left in free agency The Blue Jackets didn't lose too many players over the summer. However, of the ones they did lose, Sean Kuraly produced the fewest points. He only had 17 points over 82 games.

Chris MacFarland, the active GM of the Colorado Avalanche, traded star Mikko Rantanen to Carolina, a decision he likely regrets. Acquiring MacKenzie Blackwood improved the team's goaltending significantly. Meanwhile, the return of Gabriel Landeskog is crucial for filling Rantanen's absence. Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon are vital for the Avalanche's success.

By: Chris Nosek The first part of our list included some familiar names who stood out last season. The rest of the will highlight a number of players who are new to the NCAA. All of these players have the potential to stand out significantly. All of these players could help change how NCAA schools do their recruiting. Schools may need to make a greater effort to appeal to players with "one-and-done" potential.

By: Chris Nosek Last season was the second year of the "Connor Bedard era." Many were expecting a big step forward for the team. To help the youngsters take that step, the organization brought in some NHL veterans who possessed leadership, skill, and physicality. Three of the keys players they brought in, Taylor Hall, Alec Martinez, and Pat Maroon. All three of them had injury-plagued seasons and missed long stretches of the season.

By: Chris Nosek We've looked at some of those who will be in the crease this coming NCAA season. However, there are a lot more skaters. Let's look at the top-15 players you should keep your eye on throughout the upcoming NCAA season! The first group includes a few players we know can play in the NCAA. They are looking to take another step toward the NHL.

By: Chris Nosek One year ago yesterday, the hockey-world lost Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Take some time to remember the lives of those we lost in just a tragic way. Through his game, we knew him as Johnny Hockey - but both brought joy and happiness everywhere they went. Johnny was a leader in so many ways and one of the leagues most exciting players to watch. May they rest in piece, and may we all remember and honor their legacy by bringing joy and happiness anywhere we can.

By: Chris Nosek The Carolina Hurricanes have been making the playoffs so much they look like a great success, however they haven't been able to make a Stanley Cup Final let alone take home a title. Last season they finished second in the Metropolitan Division behind the Washington Capitals. New General Manager, Eric Tulsky, made it known that the organization wouldn't be afraid to go after big name players regardless of what their contract might look like.

By: Chris Nosek Last season the Flames received a massive boost due to the play of rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf. His great play provided the backbone as other young players like Matthew Coronato, Kevin Bahl, and Connor Zary stepped into critical roles for the team. The play from the young group caused the Flames to finish much closer to a playoff position than many expected.

By: Chris Nosek Every hockey season people’s interest in the NCAA always starts to pick up massively as the tournament starts to approach. So lets have a look at the top netminders you should be watching all season. 5. Michael Hrabal - University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Last season, the UMass Minutemen locked up a number 3 seed heading into the NCAA tournament.

By: Chris Nosek The fanbase has no confidence in ownership or management and for good reason. Kevyn Adams alienated fans even further by making excuses and comments about the city lacking palm trees. The Sabres have become the opitome of failure despite having several extremely young talented players in the organization. No one is going to pick the Sabres to make the playoffs until the ownership and management show they can pull off a decent roster move.

By: Chris Nosek Last season was the opitome of "what can go wrong will go wrong" for the Bruins. Everyone remembers Jeremy Swayman's contract dispute entering training camp, meanwhile Elias Lindholm started the season with a back injury and the hits kept coming. Hampus Lindholm was the lone bright spot for the first two months of the season then suffered a broken knee cap when he took a shot off his leg in November.