1 Colorado Avalanche - GM The Communist Czar - Grade A ...The guy who everyone loves to cheer against, had his roster in fine form heading into this season minus a 2nd stud D-man.  Once he landed Devon Toews, the machine was fully fine tuned for another kick at the can. 

2 New York Islanders - GM Joe the Juggernaut - Grade A ...The projected top team in the Metro has not disappointed.  Losing 3 of 5 as we had towards Christmas was to be expected, as the Isles were due to hit a small speed bump, but still the class of the East. 

3 Edmonton Oilers - GM Stealer of Candy from Children - Grade B+ ...No one who is tied with Sumit in the standings deserves an A... but don't be fooled... The Sharks are winning a lot of one goal games, so expect Leon and his evil empire to push ahead down the stretch. 

4 St Louis Blues - GM The Sim Cheater - Grade A+ ...The defending champ deserves credit here. Despite very limited cap space this offseason, and so-so goaltending, the Blues have surged towards the top of the standings.

5 Columbus Blue Jackets - GM The Funkster - Grade B+ ...Jesse is right where I figured he'd be.  A very good team with great goaltending is currently in what will likely be a season-long battle with Tony for home ice in round 1. An interesting storyline to monitor.

6 Detroit Red Wings - GM Toby's Hero - Grade B+ ...The rebuild has come full circle.  Without the Mighty Bruins being so mighty so far this season, we've had the privilege of running the table in the Atlantic.  Ullmark has held up, but the playoffs will be the real test.

7 San Jose Sharks - GM The Tinder and Sim Swindler - Grade A+ ...It has probably killed many of our managers to see the Sharks doing so well. Leading the division I predicted them to finish 5th in is incredible.  Their goal differntial suggests slight regression the rest of the way, but we shall see. 

8 Philadelphia Flyers - GM The Mobster of Philly - Grade B+ ...Ditto the report I gave earlier for Jesse.  I can't find the exact stats on our site, but the Flyers 5 on 5 play has been nothing short of spectacular this season.  Probably the best defensive 5 on 5 team, which could bode well come playoffs. 

9 Winnipeg Jets - GM The Drunk Aussie Doctor - Grade A+ ...I met this guy recently!  I probably should've apologized for the bleak pre-season outlook. Jordan has surpassed all expectations despite what I figured was a weak D-corps and no financial flexibiltiy.

10 Toronto Maple Leafs - GM The True Star of Sportsnet - Grade B+ ...I also met this guy recently!  In typical Leafs fashion, Garrett has his club firing on all cylinders offensively.  With two lines lighting it up, and a sizzling powerplay, they can run and gun with anyone.

11 Minnesota Wild - GM Grumpy Al - Grade B+ ...Al and his Wild definitely had some back luck when Varlamov failed to hit 35 games last season.  Don't look now though, as he's been one of the sim's hottest tenders.  Still not an easy division to compete in, Al has Minny sitting comfortably in a playoff spot. 

12 Calgary Flames - GM Kautious Kevin - Grade B- ...Calgary always seems to sport a good, young roster, but Kevin always seems apprehensive to offload young assets to try to put the Flames over the top.  Lots of time unitl the deadline, so an interesting team to watch.

13 Dallas Stars - GM The Antagonist of the BRHL - Grade C- ...The goal differential isn't terrible, but the wins haven't been there.  A win/loss record that's better than it should be for a team's goal/run differntial, indicates great management.  So, the opposite obviously means the Stars have bad management. 

14 Vegas Golden Knights - GM The BRHL's Favourite Hockey Dad - Grade B ...Joe has done great with what he has. Restocked the cupboards nicely with assets going forward, yet is still battling for playoff positioning.  Not sure which way he'll go at the deadline, but would be wise to sell off more. 

15 Montreal Canadiens - GM The Closet Josh Norris Fan - Grade B ...Vardy is sitting right around where I thought he would.  A good forward grouping and a strong powerplay is keeping him in contention in the newly competitive Atlantic. 

16 Buffalo Sabres - GM Ganja Jared - Grade A ...One of the leagues biggest surprises. Who would've predicted the Sabres ahead of the Bruins?  No one. Maybe the sim is broken.  Whether they come back to earth in the 2nd half will be a huge story to watch. 

17 Vancouver Canucks - GM The Mysterious Rob - Grade B+ ...I don't know much about Rob, but he seems to love taking on massive contracts and running a defensive first sim team.  He's definitely surprised so far this season as he's currently battling for a playoff spot. 

18 Carolina Hurricanes - GM Brother Uncle Rich - Grade B ...Similar to Joe in that he's done well with the roster he's sporting while retooling along the way.  Malkin could use a little help up front if the Canes are to do damage this spring. 

19 New Jersey Devils - GM Ken from Ken and Barbie - Grade B+ ...One of the biggest surprises of the season.  Husso deserves a ton of the credit, but after finally unloading Parayko, it looked as if the Devils were destined for the basement.  However, they are managing to stay relevant.  Well done.

20 Boston Bruins - GM Greg the Grumpy Teddy Bear - Grade D ...Well, well, well.  What more could go wrong? What has happened to Mark Stone and David Pastrnak?  These guys can't score to save their lives.  No one saw the Bruins in the basement of the Atlantic. Running out of time on the season. 

21 Tampa Bay Lightning - GM The Starbucks Barista  - Grade B+ ...What on earth is happening?  Ferraro has these guys buzzing... Namely the top line of Barzal, Terry, and Voracek.  Their goal differntial indicates a 2nd half slowdown, which is what the other mid tier teams are praying for.

22 Ottawa Senators - GM Steph the Slack King - Grade C ...Toiling near the bottom of the Atlantic is kind of what we expected from the Sens.  Though not really in the mix for the highest few draft slots, it's an interesting change to see Steph owning some picks including his own 1st. 

23 Washington Capitals - GM Larry the Lovable Law Enforcer - Grade C- ...Disaster might be a good word to describe much of the 1st half of the season for the Caps. Okay maybe I'm being dramatic, but I for one had Larry well inside the playoffs with such a deep top 9 up front.  Maybe a trade would shake things up for the better. 

24 Nashville Predators - GM Snowflake Sheds - Grade B- ...Certainly not underachieving based on the strength of roster that the Preds are sporting, but currently toiling in no-man's land.  If only Lundell had a 99DF instead of just an 89DF, things would be different. 

25 Florida Panthers - GM Mr Super Irrelevant - Grade B- ...No real scoring threats being featured by Tyler's squad this season. In fact, no one has hit 20 points.  Great goaltending has actually kept the Panthers almost relevant, but I don't see that holding up in the 2nd half.

26 Los Angeles Kings - GM The Red Bearded Rumple - Grade D ...The Kings certainly aren't throwing out an all-star lineup every night, but they should be performing way better than they are.  Expect a fire sale between now and the deadline. 

27 Chicago Blackhawks - GM The BRHL's Favourite Asian - Grade C ...I really thought David would make a couple moves to add to his forward talent this year.  He does sport one of the league's best top 4 D-man groups.  But as Rumpy proved in the brhld, you can't win with only great defensemen. 

28 New York Rangers - GM The Patient PJ - Grade C- ...Is there help coming for Cale Makar anytime soon?  The generational defenseman is alone on an island trying to keep the Rangers relevant.  Expect more growing pains in the Big Apple for a couple more seasons at least. 

29 Seattle Kraken - GM Rowdy Rural Rex - Grade C- ...The forever rebuilding Kraken are toiling again.  Even with EP and Swayman shouldering an incredible workload each night, Rex has no hope for the playoffs and is already planning his draft night outfit and beverage of choice. 

30 Arizona Coyotes - GM Thumbs Up Emoji Joel - Grade C ...We didn't expect much from this roster.  And they are fulfilling that potential with a league worst 1.94 goals per game clip.  The Wright/Slaf sweepstake is the only thing keeping interest alive in the desert.

31 Pittsburgh Penguins - GM The Closet Leafs Fan - Grade D- ...Oh boy, what to say and analyze here.  The battle of the Cordell brothers for last overall is a heated one.  Toby has been ever so slightly less bad, but considering there's only a few percentage points differnce in odds of landing the top pick, it may not matter who tanks better. 

32 Anaheim Ducks - GM Mr Unpredictable - Grade D- ... You never know if Dev is going to go for 1st overall or last.  This year it's last.  The word that comes to mind on just how good of a job that Dev has done in tanking is legendary.  One of the worst performances in league history has led to a 2 win total at Christmas.