The hockey season is officially a month old, as of Friday, with the first action of the season kicking off on October 7th. Over the last 31 days, the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference, as a whole, have been incredibly competitive, with the Carolina Hurricanes right in the thick of it at 9-4-0.
Everyone in the NHL has played at least 13 games, and there hasn't been much separation amongst the eight teams vying for the Metropolitan Division crown. While the Canes have their own set of issues, I want to focus on the seven other teams in the division and talk about what I've seen from each of them over the first month.
The hockey community needs to show Kirill Marchenko more respect
Last season was a coming-out party for Columbus's Kirill Marchenko, securing his first 30-goal and 70-point season as the Blue Jackets fell just short of the playoffs. For my money, and the term "underrated" gets thrown around a little too much, Marchenko is near the top of the list as one of the most underrated players in the NHL.
Marchenko already has a hat trick under his belt this season, scoring three against the Wild in their second game. While it's his only multi-point effort, Marchenko has points in all but two of Columbus's 13 contests, leading the team with six goals and 13 points. When he faces the Hurricanes this season, it feels like a near lock that he'll get on the scoresheet, torching them every time they meet.
The Devils have navigated injuries well, though having Jack Hughes helps
We've talked ad nauseam about how much injuries have played into the Canes' start, but they are far from the only team going through it right now. The New Jersey Devils have faced just as much adversity to start the season, and they're off to an excellent start. After dropping their opener to the Canes, the Devils won eight straight to jump to the top of the division.
Having Jack Hughes back in the lineup after losing him at the end of the last season certainly does wonders. Hughes is one off the Rocket Richard with ten goals and leads the Devils with 18 points. He hasn't missed a step, while Jesper Bratt is doing what he usually does, and Dawson Mercer looks poised for another big year after two subpar efforts.
Matthew Schaefer is legit and the rightful Calder front runner
The Hurricanes have already seen the 2025 top pick live and in living color this season, and he scored a goal on the power play when the Islanders visited Raleigh. Now, the Hurricanes did blow by him twice in the third period, but it's normal to see these moments from rookies. It hardly negates all of the great things he has already done this season.
As of November 7th, Matthew Schaefer is second in rookie scoring to Montreal's Ivan Demidov and tied for the rookie lead in goals. His numbers stack up well against all NHL defensemen, sitting tied for fifth in points and leading all defenders in goals. As the reigning Rookie of the Month for October, Schaefer would have my vote for the Calder, even if it pains me not to pick Alexander Nikishin.
The New York Rangers might never win another home game
Okay, maybe this is an overexaggeration, but you can't ignore the Rangers' misfortunes at home. In six games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers have registered just one point in a 6-5 OT loss to the Sharks. They've been shut out four times, including by Pyotr Kochetkov and the Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Many of their stars have shells of their former selves, particularly Artemi Panarin.
Fortunately, the Rangers have made up for it by being one of the best teams in the NHL on the road, with their six road victories and .813 road points percentage leading the league. It's not a sustainable formula for success, putting them near the bottom of the conference with Buffalo. Getting Vincent Trocheck back in the lineup will help, but they really need to figure out their home ice problems.
The trade to Philadelphia was exactly what Trevor Zegras needed
When players are struggling, the logical response is to suggest they need a reset. That was very much the case for Trevor Zegras, especially after his last two seasons in Anaheim. After back-to-back 60-point seasons, including a runner-up finish for the Calder Trophy in 2021, Zegras fought through a few injury-filled seasons, scoring just 32 points in 57 games last season.
The Flyers took the opportunity to buy-low on the star winger, and they've reaped the benefits so far. Zegras has 15 points in 14 games to open the campaign, recording points in 10 of their 14 contests, including a pair of three-point efforts already after none in the last two seasons. He's been dangerous on the power play, pushing the Flyers back into contention after a down season.
The Penguins are turning back the clock for last run with Crosby, Malkin
One of the biggest stories of the first month has been the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking like the Penguins of the 2010s. At the center of it are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are the top two in scoring on the team. Crosby is tied for the league lead in goals (11), while Malkin is tied for the lead in assists (17) and is one point off the Art Ross lead with 20.
Is this pace sustainable for an aging team with an injury list nearly a mile long? I have no clue. Several players have already missed time with various ailments, and it seems to be growing by the day. As long as Crosby is on the roster, the Penguins are going to come prepared to fight every night, though the jury is still out on whether they're legit playoff threats.
Logan Thompson should be in contention for Canada's Olympic starter
Many were surprised after Logan Thompson was left off Canada's 4 Nations roster, especially since he'd been one of the best goalies in the league to that point last season. He finished 4th in Vezina voting, and Thompson has only gotten better. Through the first month, Thompson leads the league with the best save percentage and the lowest GAA while allowing two goals or fewer in all nine starts..
Giving credit to Jordan Binnington for what he did in the best-on-best tournament, I think Thompson should be Canada's starter when they head to Italy. This season, he's running laps around all three goalies from the 4 Nations roster. If the reported bureaucratic issues that kept him out of February's tournament aren't factors, I see no reason Thompson isn't on a flight to Milan this winter.