NHL Eastern Conference: Team-by-Team New Year’s Resolutions

The NHL season is hitting its stride as we head into 2024, and some teams are making serious waves while others are struggling to stay afloat.

The Washington Capitals are the surprise story of the year, earning a perfect A+ grade. They’ve found the fountain of youth, and Dylan Strome has transformed from a decent center into a genuine star. Alex Ovechkin’s team might want to go all-in this season – who knows how many more chances “The Great Eight” will get?

Not everyone’s having such a great time, though. The New York Rangers have taken a shocking nosedive, losing 14 of their last 18 games. Pretty hard to believe for a team that won the President’s Trophy last season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are showing they’ve still got it. They’re finishing plays better than anyone else at even strength, and with superstar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes, they’re looking dangerous again.

Things are rough in Buffalo. The Sabres are riding a three-game winning streak, but that’s after losing 13 straight. Owner Terry Pegula’s vote of confidence during that losing streak didn’t exactly inspire the fans.

The New Jersey Devils are crushing it with their offseason moves. Bringing in Sheldon Keefe as head coach looks like a genius decision.

In Carolina, the Hurricanes are doing their usual thing – controlling the game like pros. But their defense has been a bit shaky, and their goaltending ranks 23rd in the league. Not ideal.

The Florida Panthers are suffocating teams at even strength, but they’re having trouble scoring. They’re sitting at 26th in high-danger scoring chances, which is pretty surprising for the defending champs.

Toronto’s playing solid hockey, but as any Leafs fan will tell you (probably with a deep sigh), none of it matters until playoff time.

The New York Islanders are having a nightmare season with their special teams. They’re dead last in both power play and penalty kill – something that hasn’t happened since the 2014-15 Sabres were actively trying to lose.

Up in Detroit, the Red Wings are struggling. They fired their coach and might become the first Original Six team to miss the playoffs nine years in a row.

The Ottawa Senators are showing some life, going 10-4-1 in their last 15 games. They haven’t been in playoff position this late in the season since 2017.

As teams look toward the trade deadline, many will be trying to fix their weak spots. Some need scoring, others need defense, and a few (looking at you, Philadelphia) just need a goalie who doesn’t play like it’s 1984.