The Leafs GM has been busy improving this team step by step.  Chad himself said he was thinking “Three steps ahead” this season.  That means he has a plan.  It is showing here as suddenly this team is awesome with Schwartz, Hossa, Lehtera and Saad with two Habs and Bruin in for good measure.  Interestingly enough both Chad and Marcel in Florida, the first and second place teams in the North Standings and CTR have identical leaders Schwartz and Hossa.  How do you come off one of those two and will either be the first GM to flinch?  If the teams stayed the same, Schwartz and Hossa would cancel each other out and it would be a 5 against 5 matchup if they met in the first round with Chad easily the better 5 at the moment.

Tavares is having another great season and by far the most valuable player GM Chad has in Toronto.  The three Rangers are hanging on to being rated and will be a concern until the day they secure a playoff spot.  It will be hard for Chad to get away from Nash, St Louis and Kreider, a very heavy investment in the Rangers.  They did go all the way last year so panic won’t truly set in for a while, but if they slide out the Leafs likely go along for the ride.

---

Tavares has been a pleasant surprise.  Of course not his scoring, everyone knows the guy is pure points, but the fact the NY Islanders are looking solid in the first 20 games of the NHL season.  No GM has a better NY Rangers built team than GM Chad does here in Toronto with Nash, St Louis and Kreider.  We are talking the NHL team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season.  Slow early on, if the Rangers rebound, Chad can only go up the NHLP’s Power Rankings.

Took a chance on a second Colorado player in Duchene.  Nice start with Schwartz and Hossa and Perron shows well on top rated Pittsburgh and even playing a lot with Crosby.  The CTR continues to go the right direction and now Marcel finds himself with 30 points to work with.  Well done.

Slowly being chased down for first place in the North but still 12 points up on 5^th.  Hall and Landeskog have no rating but Hossa and Schwartz are great assets.  Florida will easily compete for a playoff spot with the only question being will GM Marcel have to eventually sell off an asset or can he somehow be a buyer.  With the Division so jammed up, it is unlikely there are buyers in this Division and everyone will have to sell off for their final push.

---

Possible bad timing of an early Waiver, or early injury, depending on how you look at it.  Holding back the Panthers rating is top point producer Hall isn’t rated and likely won’t be all season as the Edmonton Oilers seem destine to be failures.  Schwartz is the teams golden boy, leading in points and value as the Blues come on in the East.  With Hall injured, taking a big penalty hit to the minors in a Waiver means he has useless value to be dropped, meaning Florida may look to trade back.  Scoring is there now, but it must be replaced when Hall moves or GM Marcel may find the season a struggle.

Still has a lot of scoring and 27 points in the North to work with.  A decent CTR that is still creeping upward.  Three Rangers including Nash and St Louis and playoff performer McDonagh, GM Matt is banking on the Rangers.  And why not?  All 9 ranked teams in the NHL’s Eastern Conference have between 51 and 59 points, totally wide open.

Still the highest scoring team in the North, but that is clearly misleading as far as NHLP strength.  The team is only 10 points clear of a playoff spot with Voracek having 37 points and when added with Chiasson, that is 52 points that must be replaced.  Maybe it can be done, but the Rage aren’t the only team vying for those playoff players in the Minors.  It would seem unlikely that if Voracek goes a player anywhere near his 1.28 PPG could be a replacement, meaning Cincinnati will fall and likely even out of the playoffs.  Matt put himself in this position, now let’s see how he gets himself out.

---

Putting more room behind 5^th weekly and now already 22 points up on the North’s final playoff spot.  A team of rated players led by Voracek’s 22 points and Schwartz Blue’s value.  GM Matt faces a crazy decision of keeping Voracek and his crazy point and pace totals, or moving him to the minors now and possibly making a much more solid team top to bottom.  Of course Cincinnati doesn’t have a Waiver, but that has hardly stopped this GM before.

Of the moves GM Scott did make, maybe adding top rated Tavares might have been the best one as the Islanders actually lead the East Conference in the NHL Standings.  Three Tampa Bay players after paying a hefty 19 points for Hedman who got hurt in his first game as a Titan.  The scoring is here to creep back up the standings, some 18 points out of a playoff spot.  If it can’t be done, who goes first?

Hossa, Kucherov, Lehtera, Lehtera and Koivu are now a nice makings of what will be a solid team.  A huge jump in the CTR, no surprise.  While other GM’s are starting to make a plan for the season, GM Scott is already executing his.  The aggressive approach wins Cups.  When Andrew and Scott have 10 of 24 Cups, and both are aggressive GM’s who play the nightly Waiver wire and make bold moves, clearly others need to follow suit.  Great move adding Jenner twice as a low number that is now another top player at a coming meeting.  The CTR loves teams that get it done.

---

You know you have the makings of a long season when you are rated behind Miami (Charlie).  The teams bright spot is Drouin wasn’t sent back to the minors and outside that there isn’t too many positives for the leagues reigning Cup Champs.  The team’s top guns are not even playoff players and when this occurs we all know GM Scott doesn’t sit around and wait for things to change on their own.  Expect movement here soon.     

As does the team 14 points behind GM Vinnie (Miami, Charlie) also has three top Red Wings.  The Wings are now at the lower end of the ratings which never helps a strong CTR.  Las Vegas does have 7 rated players, meaning 7 playoff players and enough scoring to battle down the stretch for a place in what appears a very close Division.

Three non-rated Philadelphia Flyers have caught up with the team, some 49 points that GM Vinnie will have to move if the Flyers don’t turn it around.  Nice to have Wingels rated, joining the top players Datsyuk and Henrik Sedin.  If the Flyers are replaced properly this team can easily compete with the rest here in a battle for a playoff spot.  The Division is so tight top to bottom, the teams that end out may just be the GM’s missing the Trading Deadline, where little tweaks will make the difference in the end.

---

The Vancouver Canucks are just about the Wests top NHL team, meaning huge value from Henrik Sedin while that lasts.  Datsyuk continues his scoring ways as well as injuries.  When playing he is producing over a point per game.  Vinnie is giving lots of love to his three Flyers and they are paying it back scoring on solid paces and the Flyers keep staying in a playoff spot in the East.  Heading in the right direction as teams behind struggle to score and keep up.

A massive dive from first to last in the CTR’s ranking of the North Division teams.  Detroit players Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Franzen are not what they were in the NHL Standings.  Weiss finally had to go for he can’t stay healthy.  Zuccarello was a nice addition but Kadri isn’t rated as the Leafs have fallen out.  With a team seemingly often injured and now 14 points behind 4^th and now with a lower scoring team then they had prior to some deals, things are no longer cozy in the beach area.  This team is Detroit or bust.

The Divisions previous two worst rated teams are now the North’s two best.  Rising to the top of the CTR is the Divisions last place team, but not for long.  We mean, they won’t be in last place in the standings for much longer.  Sitting just 11 points out GM Charlie has the scoring, if he can stay healthy, to also move up and take over first place.  Datsyuk and Zetterberg join Weiss and Franzen as a Red Wings over-kill.  Detroit is doing a fine job to stay near the very top in the East and this team will stay as high as they do.  Kadri and Lupul are pulling their weight.  Charlie takes a pretty consistent pounding by the CTR, usually deserved, but this team will be the one doing the pounding of their first round opponent.  Well of course, if they can stay healthy.

---

Things are bleak once again in the league’s best surfing market.  You cannot get three better Red Wings on an NHLP team, they are the team’s top three players and scorers.  Problem is, they along with the teams two Leafs are battling just to remain rated in the Power Rankings.  So all is good now, as they are rated, but the rating is still pure crap even with these guys rated.  Bouwmeester is playing on the top rated team, but his 1 point and 0.07 PPG aren’t enticing a blockbuster for his services.  This team sucks and will suck a little more if Detroit or Toronto fall from the NHL’s East playoff picture.

Missing the Winter Meeting meant little for the Wolverines who just have to figure out how to make a blockbuster deal for their 42 points to give.  Those CTR points will eventually disappear, as now they are potential to improve but in the end after the Trading Deadline, those 42 points mean little.  Having Tampa’s two top scorers and three Ducks led by Perry, this team is hard pressed to get better.  Backes is golden.  Seems Lucic is the low man, with Fowler, some 41 points that can be used to improve.  What two players can come in that range, assuming New Orleans was to give some points in the deal, to improve?  Seems very unlikely this team can get much better unless GM Shawn wants to move off the Ducks or Lightning and he has to make a crucial call if he really wants to do that or not.

Ten NHLP GM’s can be thankful that GM Shawn and GM Joel are in the same Division.  The NHLP’s two most elite teams will eventually have to battle each other.  They are so far ahead of the rest of the Division it is painful to witness.  Shawn has a very challenging issue, same one Joel faces in Buffalo.  How do you get better?  Two top Tampa players and three Ducks led by Perry.  Lucic and Backes might not be players you want to replace, but who can replace them that is better in their point range?  The teams 48 points up on 5^th is very deceiving, for what can they do with these points and improve?  Maybe the answer is anything they want.  True.  Maybe the answer is nothing at all.  The crazy thing that could occur is if somehow New Orleans and Buffalo meet each other in the first round, meaning two other teams in the South don’t face getting destroyed and one actually makes the Division Finals where who knows what might be left.  These two GM’s and their teams are the story of the year so far in the NHLP.  It is so much fun to follow.

---

Breaking 2000 CTR points just isn’t done by seasons end, unless of course you have one of the best teams in years.  Early on, this is that type of team with everything GM Shawn doing at the draft turning into what could be one of the league’s best teams in the makings. With three scoring Ducks led by Perry and Johnson of Tampa Bay giving the team 4 players on the NHL’s number one teams per Conference.  Throw in a high scoring Nash and two Canucks who are basically the Wests “other” top team after Anaheim and you have a team of top rated players.  Scoring at will and already a mind blowing 31 points up on 5^th, the potential is there to improve in any way GM Shawn decides.  Did we mention the two Waivers this season?  Oh ya, two Waivers this season means this team can set up the coming seasons draft as well as build an NHLP Championship team now.  The season is only 25% completed but there is little indication that things here are changing any time soon.  This may be a “10^th Anniversary” season to remember for Shawn.

This is with a zero rating from Bozak!!!  With 37 points to work with and more players like Bozak and Vrbata seemingly possible trade bait, GM Joel can improve the team, but again, as with New Orleans (Shawn) can they improve enough with 37 points to give?  Seems they too will be eating points that they maybe just can’t move.  This is still Malkin and Hornqvist team and now two Nashville players after Wilson was added.  The GM who can out-manage his opponent may be the GM who comes out of the South and right now, we are liking watching this battle.

The CTR fell, but only because it is practically impossible to keep it over 2k.  This is what is called DESTRUCTION.  Malkin and Hornqvist of the top rated Penguins are leading the charge in cruise control, now an NHLP League leading 58 points up on 5^th.  How is it possible to move players and improve the team?  It may not be possible because the improvement comes likely moving Henrique and maybe Smith and Smith.  That is only 48 points for three players, so what can you possible bring in that is going to be a massive improvement?  GM Joel will get better, somehow.  This team reminds us of the 2008 NHLP Champions in Florida (Marcel) where he just dominated everyone and really couldn’t improve for he had the best he could do.  Of course, you can always do better and that will be something that challenges Joel this season.  How?

---

Buffalo would be in a league of their own if it wasn’t for Division rival GM Shawn in New Orleans who is the only other team in the NHLP who can claim to be this good.  These two GM’s teams spell doom for the other four GM’s in the South, Ryan, Andrew, Tyson and Jr.  The Sabres are dominating the scoreboard each night and have a one-two dream ‘Pens punch’ of Hornqvist and Malkin.  Vrbata has been a solid 5^th round draft selection and Smith has good value in Nashville with the Preds at the top of the West’s Standings.  With 29 points up on 5^th and growing daily there is nothing stopping this team, except GM Shawn of course, from making the Division’s power house.

Only Ovechkin and Saad survived the Winter Meeting Waiver, one that seriously improved the CTR to a season high.  The team has two Preds and two Hawks, a winning combination with Strome’s Islanders atop the NHL’s Eastern Conference and OV, if nothing else, potential big first round scoring.  Although maybe light on team scoring, a healthy looking CTR with movable parts when needed later sounds and looks like a winning combination.

What is lost in the South, is there are 6 teams in the Division.  A nice rating for a team, just nowhere near the leaders.  GM Ryan does have 24 points to give, so can improve upon a team currently with 6 rated players, only Karlsson’s 20 points is an issue.  If Washington falls out, Ovechkin becomes a liability.  If they stay in, he is the type of player that can get 10 first round points, so he is really tough to replace.  All in all it isn’t bleak in Boston but they are in tough considering the top dogs here are really, really good. 

---

With Ovehckin and Karlsson being fringe playoff players and a poor showing from Chicago in the early going the Bruins find themselves mediocre at best.  The team has movable assets and enough scoring as is, but will be worse off if Ovechkin or Karlsson must be replaced for playoff types.  GM Ryan will have to vastly improve this team if more than just a playoff spot is a goal here in the South this season.

Not making a move at the Winter Meeting GM Andrew did his work in a Waiver prior.  Toews and Richards seem the building stones with support from Brassard, Burns, Abdelkader and Kronwall.  Andrew knows he is in tough and is working overtime trying to come up with a plan to compete.  Can he build a team to upset either New Orleans (Shawn) or Buffalo (Joel)?  Finally the scoring is near where it might have to be, although overall it is just a good CTR at this point.

The Divisions best improvement in the CTR and still 22 points to work with.  This is a good team in a tough spot, that being New Orleans and Buffalo.  GM Andrew has 5 Cups.  We keep saying that because it is just fucking phenomenal when you truly think about it.  Andrew knows how to build a winner.  This team is likely already that good and will be made better.  The scoring isn’t where it will likely have to be in the end to get through a round one match up with Shawn or Joel, but we are a long ways from those matchups.  Part of the strategy in this Division will be likely avoiding that matchup if possible.  Andrew finds a way to do the little things better.  They traded for Toews and that might be the move of the year so far all things considered.

---

The big preseason deal was made in hopes of landing a ‘Toews like player’, so that part has worked out.  The NHL’s Blackhawks haven’t risen the NHL Standings enough to add a power ranking value enough to say that was a great move by GM Andrew, but we’d think that will change.  A long ways off in terms of CTR strength from the Divisions powerhouse teams, GM Andrew won’t be deterred in his goal of making a team that can compete.  When you have 5 Cups to your name, we don’t question if you have what it takes.

Finally something that resembles a playoff team.  Dallas really went all out in the adding of scoring with Foligno, Strome, Backlund and Karlsson from San Jose added at the Winter Meeting. Seems this team will now score into a playoff spot, likely very soon.  More work will have to be done, but compared to the outlook early, GM Jr has finally shown a bit of life.  There are assets here if needed, or players to now build around.  It will never be pretty, but after a few cold pops it will look more fuckable.

They have the next Waiver that will be completed, apparently traded, by the time this is posted.  Things truly are bleak.  The top assets are Richards, Silverberg and Krejci, although Boston needs to wake up to maximize Krejci’s fullest value.  The team is 22 back.  Who is calling the shots?  The two-time Cup winning GM Jr or the cupless up-and-comer Scottie?  With this team, this season, in this Division.  Likely it don’t matter as the Stars don’t seem to be going anywhere.  Well, correct that.  The South Divisions last place team does move to the North Division next season.

---

The GM’s at some point need to re-evaluate.  Things just aren’t working in Dallas.  Top point producers Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle are dumps waiting to happen, while the other half the team are better suited for late season call ups over actually drafted players.  You can’t blame much of this on Voynov missing time, for at 0.33 PPG, he’d only have the Stars 12 back instead of 14, even with perfect attendance.  Brown is painful to watch and Silfverberg is more Bronsverberg.  Krejci, the teams true Diamond, certainly wasn’t found in the rough with his Elite status and slow start due to injury hasn’t help this team’s fortunes.  This isn’t the Conference’s worst rated team, that belonging to San Fran (Scott), but it is so far below the actual teams sitting in a playoff spot that it appears most likely a season going nowhere, again, in Dallas.

Hedman was finally dealt, adding 19 and Johansen.  Still the worst scoring team in the Division and with injuries and non-playoff players nothing will come easy from here on out.  Even making the playoffs in this Division just certainly means a heavy first round underdog for a team in Cleveland that got beat 45-22 in the first round of last year’s playoffs.  Even a miracle might not be enough.

A drop in the ratings.  Hedman is back, scoring and the one asset anyone would buy to change the team’s season.  There are 7 rated playoff players sitting here, so something that drastic may never have to occur as the teams in front might drop enough.  It is a cat and mouse game, but unlike Dallas (Jr & Scottie) GM Tyson will get serious offers here and if the teams in front stay high, at some point to no one’s surprise that big deal will occur.  The scoring needs to improve but Tyson has won two of his possible first five Cups, so we have faith in what he will do as the season goes along.

---

The South Divisions third best team in ranking is in 5^th in standings.  The team suffered a huge blow losing one of the NHLP’s top rated players, Hedman in Tampa Bay.  With the Lightning looking strong the team’s top defensemen has great value just a year after his break out season.  Toffoli, although not playing on a team atop the NHL standings, has 17 points, one of the very best marks in the league on the team that may arguably be better known for their playoff prowless.  Stastny, Tyson’s Elite pick, is a slow starting Fury but is ranked high as the Blues look solid in the NHL’s West.

It really is a nice rounded team.  GM Tyson traded the Waiver, adding a third Lightning player in Drouin.  With Callahan and Palat leading the Hitmen’s Bolts makeup, this team is seriously solid.  Steen and Couture are solid scorers and solid first round players if they make it that far on this team.  So far things are really starting to take shape here for Tyson.

A VERY NICELY ROUNDED TEAM.  Fucking caps lock key.  Anyhow, a solid mix for GM Tyson with a decent rating from Couture now as San Jose is back where they were always expected to be.  Callahan and Palat are beauts.  Steen has been solid and the Hitmen have 14 points to work with, so subtle tweaks may be able to be made.  It is a tight Division but we aren’t worried about Hamilton as they have too much to not take down a playoff spot.

---

Callahan and Palat are solid choices for GM Tyson as Hamilton looks like they are a competitive team this season.  With only injury riddled Blue Jackets forward Hartnell the lone non-rated player this team has the right mix of scoring and playoff players to get much better as the season unfolds.

Grabbed Hedman and still has 20 points to give from the first slot in the Atlantic.  That is what GM Andrew does.  He grabs the shit when other guys are in la-la land.  With maybe the best scoring in the Conference GM Andrew again shows why he is a legend.  Two Bolts and two Rangers is a nice start and Steen is a great Western Conference player.  There isn’t much wiggle room in the Atlantic, but this team has finally started their charge towards building another Championship in Hartford.

Scoring is better than those behind in the Atlantic.  Much of the team is fringe players, like Stepan, Zuccarello, Wheeler and Krug, all barely hanging on to being rated.  Outside the Ranger’s players the team doesn’t have it’s identify just yet, but that will undoubtedly come as all GM Andrew’s teams eventually do.

---

With the NHL’s Lightning “it up”, Filppula is a most desirable player to have on your roster and likely build around if you believe in Tampa.  GM Andrew has enough scoring to stay high while improving in the Atlantic Division.  A number of players that are fringe leaves this team open to wanting a Waiver while the pickings are still good.

GM Chad traded for Drouin at the Winter Meeting, only to move him for the Waiver.  Before this goes live he will likely have altered his season high CTR.  The problem appears to be a lack of scoring, something the 17 year veteran GM will likely try to improve upon with the Waiver.  Getzlaf, Belesky and Silfverberg are a nice Ducks combo as Anaheim trails only Nashville for first overall in the NHL standings.  It will be work grabbing a playoff spot as the Atlantic is very tight top to bottom.

Part of the issue is that three players still have no NHLP value in Johansen, Dubinsky and Couturier.  GM Chad has the scoring, but will he maintain it when those players move out?  Likely yes, meaning this team can improve here in the Atlantic.  The start is awesome with Getzlaf, a player who has his name on Chad’s last Cup in Portland in 2007.  The Atlantic can yet go to anyone, so Pittsburgh is easily in the mix.

---

Johansen was a great pick in the 4^th round with 16 early points, but he certainly would look better in a package with Hodgson and his two points to improve the CTR as both players are well out of the NHL playoffs.  Getzlaf is as Elite as they come and a building block for what can be.  The Penguins have never won an NHLP Championship and as GM Chad pointed out at the NHLP Draft, “As long as I win again before Jr.”  Well, looking at things this season, GM Chad doesn’t have any worries.

GM Matt made a huge splash when he added Stepan, Lehtera and Soderberg for Saad, Galchenyuk and Plekanec.  Now with two point per game Rangers, Nash and Stepan, this team would be hard to handle with a Rangers run.  Seemingly enough scoring to battle back into a playoff spot the Nords now have some identity as GM Matt chases the ever elusive dream of winning his first NHLP Championship.

The Atlantic Divisions big gainer, basically moving to the top rated team in the Division.  A full 7 rated players with top rated player Saad and Maroon.  Nash is a solid leader as he has really had a great bounce back year, even scoring for GM Matt while Matt looked on in Detroit.  More scoring than the weak links behind, so Quebec should do well to battle for a playoff spot.

---

The Conferences lowest scoring team with their highest scoring player Staal not even a good number fit for the Minors.  A long season awaits this team if improvements in scoring doesn’t come.  There looks to be plenty of assets but they just haven’t shown their full worth yet.  We aren’t writing this team off by any means, but we aren’t planning on engraving the teams name anywhere this season either.

Oshie is a very valuable asset here, and their simply aren’t many.  Spezza, Kadri and Phaneuf are roster spots and little more.  Two low scoring Ducks and Marchand who may or may not yet be on a playoff team.  To top all this off, the team can’t score.  The way GM Charlie builds his winning teams is very similar to that of the Toronto Maple Leafs and they haven’t won in any current NHLP GM’s lifetime.  It is going to be sad to see a Cupless 88 year old Charlie saying, “Why would I change my philosophy on how I build my teams now?”  Stop only following your heart and stop with the Leafs. 

Finally TJ Oshie has awaken from his early season slump and concussion.  Two Ducks is always nice, but certainly they aren’t blowing the socks off with their ‘high scoring’.  Spezza is a major disappointment, a big PPG producer that isn’t worth his so called Elite status.  The team can’t score enough with Spezza, so replacing him with a playoff player scoring as much is unlikely, meaning doom for the Rangers here.  There are other assets, but keeping them seems very unlikely if a playoff spot is to be had.

---

GM Charlie has one thing going for him in New York, Oshie may be the most tradable NHLP player with only 1 point.  Off to a horrendous start and now concussed Oshie’s value can only go in one direction.  Spezza’s point totals look solid, but the Stars are nowhere to be found in the standings and thus the CTR.  All in all, continuing to draft Leaf players hasn’t worked for the Cup-less GM.  When will he learn that maybe the two go hand in hand?

Arguable the very best team in the entire NHLP simply because its potential number will keep it closer to the 2000 barrier then New Orleans (Shawn) or Buffalo (Joel).  GM Scott has went about his business doing what he does.  Building from the defence forward, top players playing top minutes on top teams.  When the playoffs start, at 30 minutes a game and power play time, the Keith and Seabrook type players win NHLP Cups, a formula that has just worked for GM Scott in the past.  If Chicago craws up the ratings, this rating can go higher as Nashville and Anaheim are the top two NHL rated teams from the Western Conference.  What happens here next?  Maybe nothing more than another Championship!

It will be tough to imagine a better Chicago built team come playoff time as Sharp, Keith, Seabrook and Versteeg isn’t too shabby.  Add in Forsberg, Ribeiro and Soderberg and enough scoring to continue to gain on the lesser lights, you have a potential Cup winning threat, as shown by the outstanding CTR.  GM Scott believes your work is never done so expect the date to come when changes happen for the Flyer, likely when it is least expected.

---

GM Scott is sitting on one of the league’s most desirable Waiver drops, 30 some points for Giordano and Karlsson if he doesn’t feel they are playoff players.  The bigger problem is the Flyer don’t have a Waiver this season.  For a GM who out-risks all other of his colleagues, one can only assume something aggressive is in the works.  “Sitting back isn’t our style” said GM Scott, “Our biggest risks have landed us our biggest rewards, and they shall again.”  With 20 points to work with we highly doubt the Flyer to be inactive for very long.

Crosby might not be leading the NHL in scoring, but is as valuable of player as the NHLP has.  His top rated Penguins and his 44 points at 1.16 PPG are worthy of his first overall NHLP selection.  Three Habs mix in well.  Toffoli now has mono and by the time he returns GM Marcel might be out of a playoff spot.  It is a decent rating, but a Crosby lead team with the Pens in first is always going to be a decent rating.

Not what they were but clearly a very good rating for the Crosby led Division leaders in the East.  With 23 workable points the 47 of Johansen and Boedker will likely eventually have to find a new home, although Columbus has really came on since starting to get healthy and somehow are only 6 points clear of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, meaning maybe Johansen could be an asset after all.  Subban and Pacioretty continue to do GM Marcel proud and it seems very likely the Habs grab an NHLP playoff spot here with the teams decent scoring.  Basically, with Crosby!

---

The East Conference’s best rated team is led by the NHL’s top rated player.  It has been said that Crosby is in a league of his own.  With the Penguins barely beaten in the last 10 games and Sid averaging as close to 2 points a game as you can get, GM Marcel is riding high in Hab land.  Johansen and his 16 will work well when the GM decides it is time to make a better playoff team.  There is no slowing this team as long as Crosby stays healthy.

A steady climb up the CTR and some 31 points to work with to improve in the East Division.  GM Vinnie did not move MacArthur or van Riemsdyk at the Winter Meeting, holding on tight to his 13 point lead over second place.  He likely wants to wait and make the right move, and why wouldn’t he?  Sometimes however, by waiting, some of the very best players are gone for good and the later the season goes, who wants non-playoff guys?  Not the winning GMs!  Vinnie has been close before to winning it all, ever so very close.  Kane, Shattenkirk and Doughty sound like three great directions to head, if GM Vinnie ever makes up his mind.

The Gamblers have really started scoring in a big way.  Led by Kane and getting great support from both JVR and Shattenkirk who is having an amazing season.  With 17 to work with and only MacArthur unrated, GM Vinnie should be well on his way to a playoff spot if the scoring doesn’t dry up some.  Doughty and Lucic continue to be a tad worrisome but don’t likely worry too many GMs.

---

On paper things look good for the Gamblers.  In reality, the team isn’t scoring and has more fringe players holding back the rankings then even we’d expect.  We aren’t to believe Kane is a fringe player and Chicago might miss the playoffs, but at some point the team’s goals will have to start going in, and we do believe that they will.  GM Vinnie has solid building blocks, but until the teams starts scoring you have to wonder what pieces may have to be moved later if he falls back.  It is a long season, this is true, but sometimes letting things unfold can be more damaging then helpful when trying to build the one team that wins this entire thing.

Likely the biggest gainer in points at the Winter Meeting, the Canes are now flying near the top of the East Division.  Okposo is a star for the Eastern Conferences first place NY Islanders, even though he is gone once now from this roster.  There are fringe and non-playoff players here and work to do but the good news is there are 18 points to do it with.

Heading the right way up the East’s standings and the CTR.  GM Joel has another nice team here being led by two high scoring Islanders Okposo and Nelson.  We think it is safe to say the Islanders have rebounded in a big, big way.  Vatanen is a nice power play specialist on top rated Anaheim, maximizing his CTR value.  No Eastern Conference team is scoring more than Carolina, so Joel is well on his way to making this CTR even better. 

---

The East Division seems to have a lot of potential and Carolina is certainly included in this mix.  With Okposo and Okposo GM Joel is living large with each Islanders day spent in the NHL playoffs.  Lee likely goes in a Waiver package at some point as his has been a major disappointment, even for a 7^th rounder.  With two teams struggling to score lower in the Division, any moves sooner than later are likely wise choices.

The third rating in a row the team has dropped in the CTR.  The big deal finally did come as Hedman was shipped off and replacements Subban and Krug came in.  Subban and Hedman may be a wash, so it is all in who you believe in, either Tampa Bay or Montreal.  The Halifax GM might now be picking Montreal.  Tarasenko and Nelson are top rated players, so this team can easily move in no matter how far out they ever are.  They are moving in the right direction in the standings (just not with the CTR) and likely more work to be done before setting a playoff team.

So far, so good, on the Sharp for Nelson trade, with Nelson having a better CTR at the moment, even with Chicago’s top ranking.  The team gained 13 points so far in that deal, but will it be maintained will be interesting to follow.  Only 10 points out and with assets Tarasenko and Hedman, accompanying Nelson, there isn’t any doubt GM Shawn can get in.  Best would be to score in, or trading as little as possible and keeping the nucleus.  Good players are always a bonus whether you are last or first.

---

The Divisions last place team has so many assets they can’t help but take down a playoff spot in this Division this season.  A miserable start thanks to serious injuries has slowed the Destroyers.  We know the players will come back healthy but the team’s roster will have to change.  Three players who can’t score aren’t going to steal you a spot.  Aggressiveness is likely a good move here.  Staying close means keeping more of a solid top half.  Falling further out means a Hedman, Tarasenko or Sharp might have to be traded away.  GM Shawn has become more a threat each year but needs a Championship to move into that next level.

As if things weren’t bad enough Hornqvist has been out a while and the team now has three Avalanche players, all not rated with the CTR.  At 18 points back GM Ryan can be thankful no one ever expects the Islanders to do anything anyhow, so he isn’t letting his fans down.  We don’t expect Ryan to just give up here, but making a team that will grab a playoff spot and compete might be asking a little much.  Then again, if the Avs can only grab a spot, we’d be changing our tune in a hurry.

GM Ryan has 6 non-rated players on this team.  They can’t score, are 8 points out and don’t have assets outside of Hornqvist.  A 6 for 6, 101 points to the Minors seems probable at some point, then likely having something to trade to move up.  What started out as an ok CTR has taken a hit in a big way on the Island.

---

A lot of deadweight from MacKinnon and Iginla are hurting the rating.  Both players find themselves as non playoff players as currently does Staal.  With enough scoring to stay clear of 5^th a determination will have to be made at some point on the two Avs, are they or are they not playoff players?  Often the sooner a GM can decide, the stronger his team can be.  Once the minors dry, making these decisions doesn’t make strong teams.

Quietly GM Chad is having a decent season with an outstanding team here in Colorado.  Not making a move here at the Winter Meeting, hanging onto Parise's high scoring but not rated number.  Four top rated players Okposo, Letang, Fisher and Neal with Oshie and Nyquist gives this team a serious chance, especially in this Division.  With 20 points to work with and the Pacific’s top scoring team, GM Chad is going to have a shot at a third NHLP Championship.  We think he has been making amazing moves (overall of course).  Great work Chad.  Bring it home.

Over a 1000 point jump in the CTR.  This team is one of the very best now in the league.  After a very injury filled start GM Chad has as good a team as you will find.  Stars Okposo and Letang are on top rated teams from the East while Nyguist, Glencross, Fisher and Oshie are all rated.  Rated, but in tough is the team’s top scorer, Parise who is potentially a huge point producer in the playoffs if he see action with his team.  The Avs will easily be able to get a playoff spot with all the low scoring teams in the Division, but it will be the tweaks Chad makes that determine if they come out of this Division in the playoffs.

---

Another team hit hard with injures.  GM Chad can’t seem to stay healthy even though his Avalanche team are only 3 points out of a playoff spot in the tight Pacific Division.  Letang has been solid and Parise and Oshie seem to make the roster loaded with talent.  Nichushkin has been a complete disaster and would look good in the minors.  Oshie certainly has value and with one point to start the season may get Chad a few emails as the season goes trying to offer Chad points he may, at some point, just have to take to right the season.

Maybe said out of frustration but it didn’t go unnoticed when GM Charlie said aloud, “I might trade Stamkos there.”  The Yotes are 30 points up in first place in the Pacific Division and Stamkos has his name thrown out there by the GM.  Hey, if you don’t think they can get by Montreal or say TORONTO in the first round or from within their NHL Division, he should be gone, if you don't need his first round scoring.  Then again as a GM, maybe you look at another player, say van Riemsdyk and fucking concentrate on moving him with your 30 points.  I mean, there are different ways to skin a cat, unless of course you have never skinned a cat before.  Like seriously, what a stupid fucking saying.  Who skins a cat?  I guess the bottom line is there are more ways to do something then just the most obvious so in that case, ya, let’s get rid of Stamkos.  (Editor’s note:  Coyotes have been known to kill Coyotes in different ways and a Panther once killed a rat with a hockey stick.  You can use that in your future writing.)

An incredible 39 points to work with and Stamkos, D. Sedin and JVR.  This team is solid and a great CTR to show for it.  Only low-light Briere isn’t rated, but a better replacement will be found.  It sure would be nice to see Charlie build a team that can go far and with Stamkos it makes it hard to fuck it up.  He is awesome, but Charlie hasn’t been his equal at building a deadly, feared team.  Maybe this is the year we see it?

---

It is hard to screw up a team with Stamkos and with 13 points keeping the team above 5^th, it is looking like Stamkos might get to spend the season in the desert.  GM Charlie needs to bring in support if he decides to build around Stamkos, but the current roster has a lot of attractive ‘Minor’s labelled’ players compared with inner league movable parts.  After leaving the Draft GM Charlie’s season notoriously starts to go downhill.  Does he actually have what it takes to improve upon the start?  It only takes one time to prove you can do it, well, at least once anyhow!

Perron is the only rated player off a top team, but Plekanec rates well and the Rangers Brassard and Boyle are great building blocks.  A few right moves and this team, as can anyone here, come out of the Pacific.  GM Joel is aggressive and doesn’t shy away from a move.  Risk takers do well when the risks are properly calculated.  He is the leagues numbers guy, but can the winning numbers be found to make a 1^st and 25^th NHLP Championship in Vancouver?

Things have gone to hell for Vancouver who now find themselves 24 out of the final playoff spot in the Pacific.  Stepan can’t be blamed for the problem scoring but TJ Brown and Lecavalier together are in the range of a healthy scratch producer.  After Filppula the team is carrying four players who either are barely rated, or not at all.  Gaborik has been a disappointment but his value starts climbing with each Kings win which could really help dig GM Joel out of this huge hole.

---

Striking with the NHLP’s first Waiver of the season the Canucks took Toffoli from the minors.  Adding him with Gaborik looks like a nice start to a Kings built team which also has two Lightning and two Rangers, four players in total that appeared in the last NHL Stanley Cup Finals.  Now with the Divisions top scoring team a rise up the standings should start to show.

Scoring continues to be a major issue in Seattle even if GM Shawn seems cloaked full of assets.  Callahan and Killorn and Kesler and Cogliano seem a nice top four with Marleau and Pietrangelo also great players.  Sitting 5 points out and falling it would appear a few other GM’s will be 'Storm chasers' as everyone will come calling for this loaded lineup when building their teams.  So in that regard, GM Shawn can always get in.  Just ultimately you want to still keep the best team you can for the playoffs.

Another feared team for GM Shawn who might be having his best ever season as a GM.  Callahan and Killorn with Kesler and Cogliano is a nice start.  Cogliano has been likely too slow to keep his job, but two Lightning and two Ducks is a great sounding team.  Marleau is on fire and the Sharks get some CTR love.  This team has room galore to improve, so expect that to happen.  Playoff for playoff deals here will give Shawn the mix he is looking for and maybe, just maybe a Cup in Seattle to join the Super Bowl Championship.

---

A nice starting team for GM Shawn with two Lightning and two Ducks.  Callahan is playing and earning his keep with Stamkos while Kesler has done well with 11 points to open the campaign in Anaheim.  The entire Division is bunched up with only 13 points separating 1^st and 5^th and Seattle in the middle of that.  It appears this is going to be interesting, and possibly a great season awaits GM Shawn, with such a strong early showing here in Seattle.

This team has had just a miserable season.  After Palat there likely isn’t a player with any real value yet and maybe never.  Seguin is a painful Elite selection.  All in all GM Andrew may be very thankful this is the Pacific.  More specifically it is an Island in the Pacific.  The Island of Misfit Boys!

GM Andrew has been saying all along Dallas will come back and grab a playoff spot and win at least two rounds.  OK, he has never said that at all, but he wishes it.  Seguin has been everything Andrew hoped for, but a playoff player.  Having now fallen to 9 points out as we get closer to the halfway mark in the NHL, even crossing his fingers might not help Andrew in his hopes Seguin becomes a playoff player.  The good thing Andrew has going for him is the 30 points clear on 5^th.

---

Not what GM Andrew was hoping for when he drafted a player that could win the NHL’s scoring title.  Andrew surely is happy with Seguin’s 19 points, but with Dallas closer to Draft Lottery status than they are NHL Playoff’s, Seguin likely is a disappointment in the GM’s eyes all-said.  The Kings are league Kings, being in the NHLP Finals for a league record three straight seasons, but one has to wonder if a fourth straight trip is  more a pipe dream over a reality based on the early outlook.

Keith, Bickell and Kopitar will be in discussions when the points will be needed to compete for a playoff spot.  At 16 points out and the NHLP’s lowest scoring team assets will have to go.  GM Tyson is hoping Vermette, an UFA gets traded making him another player that can be moved later.  Pearson breaking his leg just about sums up the entire season for the Blues.  It’s been Blue.

It is never a nice feeling knowing you have the worst scoring team in the NHLP.  This seems unlikely with the names of these players like Pominville, Keith, Kane, and Kopitar.  So now you are 26 points out nearing the midway point of the season.  The bright spot remains that the team in front, the imaginary cut-off line is only two points.  One would think sooner or later a team in the front pack drops back, easing the panic here.  If Los Angeles continues around 8^th, Kopitar isn’t the blockbuster deal he should be.  Keith is a sure bet, mumps or bumps, so there is a way out if GM Tyson decides to go looking for it.

---

GM Tyson might not think it is time to panic even with the worse scoring, positioned and ranked team in the NHLP’s Pacific Division.  After all, with names like Kopitar, Keith, Pearson, and Pomminville, the GM knows “Chocolate bars” will be flying when he makes any of them available.  It is a concern, the lack of scoring, but it isn’t anything the two-time NHLP Champion can’t correct without selling prematurely some huge NHLP names.

GM Scott has the class of the Division and his second CTR rated team over 2000.  This is one of four monster teams currently in the NHLP rated over 2k.  This team doesn’t have to move Kunitz and moving that first round scoring might be a serious mistake as the Penguins only trail the NY islanders for first overall in the Eastern Standings.  With Nashville first overall in the NHL Forsberg, Weber and Josi is a Predator trio in and of itself.  Johnson and Killorn are a good Bolts mix and a Tampa Bay – Nashville finals, although laughable at the start of the season seems a decent bet as both teams head into the second half the season.   

Easily the top CTR rated team in the West Division and with good reason.  PPG producers Forsberg and Johnson are close to the top of the overall league scoring, 11^th and 16^th overall.  Kunitz gets the Crosby factor and Killorn is often enough with Stamkos.  For a GM who loves defensemen, three top defensemen in Weber, Josi and McDonagh, are mixed in well.  The scoring is good enough to be there when buying or selling matters most.  As is, the Oil will have a legitimate shot at their 3^rd team Cup, an NHLP first if that happens.  The right changes are likely going to be made here to give GM Scott a chance to make that happen.

---

The twin-Burners would look much better if San Jose wasn’t so inconsistent.  Are they a playoff team or a pretender?  This is a question GM Scott needs to find out, carrying the three Sharks.  Kunitz has been strong, but who wouldn’t be playing power play time with Sid himself.  Potential to improve upon the potential to start.

Sitting nice with Ribeiro, Weber and Subban, two defensemen you know will play 30 minutes a game, in every situation once playoffs come.  The Attack are 11 points up on 5^th and with 7 playoff players.  Backstrom is a solid first round number to add the scoring needed to go far come playoffs.  We like the potential and Marcel has been there and done that.  He hasn’t done all that yet in Alaska but the Attack are a very good team that can seriously go the distance.

Still getting worth from Backstrom and a very nice Nashville touch with Ribeiro and Weber.  All rated players but an easily movable number in Zajac.  Still only one team scoring less in the Division, but easily in the mix of things as the Attack are a mere Riberiro-Weber empty net goal from 2^nd place in this Division, so things are very tight here for sure.  This Division may be had by anyone, so there is potential to go to the Conference Finals if given the right love.

---

For a team that just can’t score, this Attack team looks pretty decent with the CTR.  Ribeiro and Weber show well with Nashville’s hot start.  Subban is a must for any Habs fan.  Koivu is off to a slow start, but all indications are he should right his ship.  The potential is here, just not the early scoring.

With 21 points to move GM Vinnie will be able to get rid of Benn, but it is likely he will have to get rid of Benn.  That will hurt as 0.88 PPG players are hard to find when trading a non-playoff guy and hoping for something of serious value in return.  Tarasenko, Nelson and Vatanen have some serious value, players Vinnie can build around or move playoff for playoff in building.  All said Portland will have a shot if they get better and right now they are the best they have been all season according to the CTR.

GM Raymond always loved having first place.  Like there was a trophy for first place or extra revenue in the playoffs with the home games or something.  You’d tell him, “You have Voracek and Benn, 63 non-playoff points” and he’d let you know, “So, I am in first place.”  He was right, he was in first place.  His logic however was slightly flawed.  You want to be in first place, with a star-studded team of playoff players.  GM Vinnie likely has shown he most resembles GM Raymond in his GM’ing style.  Being 33 points up on 5^th place you can bet this is one place non-playoff NHLP teams will be looking for massive points.  Knowing Vinnie doesn’t like 4^th place he will be moving those players for a lot less, and likely get a lot less return than GM’s who aren’t afraid to move into 5^th and work back up, something GM Raymond would never ever do.

---

By far and away the top scoring team in the West Conference.  Of course top scoring teams don’t automatically mean Cup engraved, so there is work to be done here.  With points galore to work with the potential will be here when GM Vinnie gets around to it.  Tarasenko is turning into what most expected him to be, an outstanding player, who is likely just a year away now from NHLP Elite status.  Carrying Voracek and Benn are only adding to the fun, although it would be more fun to think of Benn as a playoff player instead of a huge minor’s number.  Which is that?  Vinnie will have to ultimately decide.

About as consistent a season as any team.  The Knights are still high in the CTR, or at the least still respectable now.  Letang and Vatanen along with Doughty, a classic playoff performer, make a strong back end start to a winning team.  The West is a tight Division but 7 ranked players is a good thing.  It is still a nice mix so we will see what GM Ryan does the second half to make it better.

Nice to see Letang bounce back after a year to forget.  He is the back end of one of the most star studded teams in the NHL.  Last year’s playoffs weren’t his best work, but just the fact he played showed his true character and love for the game.  This season he is back to where his first round can easily be a 6+, and sixes are GOOD!!!  Green Bay also has Vatanen and Doughty, the kind of players who all play 30+ minutes in the playoffs and win NHLP Cups.  Bergeron, Marchand, Doughty and Williams all have CTR values much less likely their real worth once their teams wake up.  Ryan has something special here just no one knows it yet.

 ---

A very nice selection of top players and playoff teams led by Letang and Daniel Sedin, with solid support from Bergeron and Marchand, the singing duet.  With two Divisional teams that can’t score there should be added points to improve as we go along.  When to use those points is to each GM’s strategy but for a 13 year veteran who has yet to win it all, maybe something different this year is worth a shot.

Seriously, if this team wasn’t so far back, and they are 49 points out, they wouldn’t be half assed bad.  Can they get back in?  Shattenkirk has to be worth as many as a GM can afford, but having 37 points makes it hard to reap the rewards.  Neal has got to be worth a ton.  Franzen is worth points.  Galchenyik is a great player.  All told even if you traded each for 10 points (on average) you are still 10 points back.  If a move isn’t made soon, this is the kind of team that a move starts getting scrutinized, “Like what good is 20 points though when you are now 70 points out?”  GM Jr has brought teams back from the dead and some deals and a huge point gaining Waiver can start the process, but I don’t think it just starts with a simple deal.  It must be all out or CALGARY STAYS OUT!

This is suddenly an incredible CTR considering this team is 34 points out of a playoff spot.  All Gonchar’s age jokes aside, and we can think of quite a few of them, he has something very valuable to this Flames team.  His low number makes Shattenkirk, Franzen, Galchenyuk, Neal and Parenteau all even more attractive, for every number on any deal can work.  It won’t take just one move but GM Jr knows the window of opportunity closes faster than it opens and will be ready when the offer is presented.

---

When your first and second picks are Avalanche players, you are doing pretty good to have a CTR this high.  Scoring isn’t something this team, as is, can do well.  Sooner, hopefully rather than later, the co-GM’s find a way to change course.  We just can’t go through another season picking on this Franchise.  We are starting to feel like the leagues bully.

Kessel and Johansen.  A huge PPG total that would amount to zero first round playoff points.  Making matters worse is this is the 5^th place team in the Division.  Those player’s points can’t go anywhere until this team gets a playoff spot and what comes in return has to try and keep that playoff spot.  From past experience, this kind of makeup spells doom and disaster in the NHLP and usually ends with missing the playoffs.  After saying that we all want to thank you for the chicken.  Delicious!

A great jump up the standings in the West for GM Matt.  If GM Marcel is happy to have those Montreal players, can you imagine how “Make any Leaf bet going” Matt must be having Kessel for the unstoppable Leafs.  That is right – unstoppable.  We can’t wait to see the bets flying around the Winter Meeting this year.  A full 7 playoff players with scoring better than most of the Division this team will undoubtedly be building around Kessel, as even a full box of chocolate bars might not be enough to pry him out of Indy this season.  Then again, Matt does love chocolate.

---

Little surprise that this is the worst NHLP team.  How bad are things?  The team’s best asset has 3 points in Williams who at 0.21 PPG seems impossible to carry another 60 games.  This is the kind of team that could improve itself greatly with a 7 for 7 dump.