Three NHL Trends to Watch as the Season Reaches the Quarter Mark

As the NHL season heads to the quarter mark, there are already trends of note.

Some of them are expected, such as the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes again a top-tier club, the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks struggling and the Edmonton Oilers boasting a potent attack led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

However, there have been some legitimate surprises. Which ones will continue all the way to the end of the regular seasons is definitely an interesting study, but here are three worth noting, and a bold prediction against the grain.

Lightning Bolt Trade Request

The off-season string of star players asking to be dealt was not that shocking. There were plenty of whispers about Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck. However, it was jaw dropping when Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov said he wanted out of Tampa.

Lightning general manager Julian BriseBois said he has “no intention of trading” the star, but the relationship between the GM and the pending unrestricted free agent appears broken.

To his credit, Kucherov has continued to play at an elite level, but it is hard to believe the Lightning will simply let him play out the season and lose him for nothing. Tampa is in a no-win situation while trying to trade him, but must take the best deal it can get.

Devils finally doing it

Speaking of Hellebuyck, the Devils have fallen short of expectations the last few seasons after reaching the second round of the 2023 playoffs.

Look now: the Devils are running with the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Capped by a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, New Jersey is riding a five-game winning streak and won nine of 10 games.

Hellebuyck, acquired from the Winnipeg Jets a few weeks ago, has won all five starts for New Jersey, finally curing a problem the the team struggled to correct.

New Jersey now has an offense and defense in the top 10.

Oilers strengthen on defense

While McDavid is putting up points at a rate not seen since Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux’s heydays, do not ignore the club’s actions at the other end of the rink.

Edmonton is a top-10 club defensively, a huge improvement from the past.

This team is going to turn into the Hurricanes in terms of goals against, but the Oilers are benefiting from an improved defensive play under coach Mike Babcock, and actually getting solid enough goaltending from Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi.

The Oilers surrendered 13 goals in their first two games and have allowed 42 in the 16 games since.

And now for a bold prediction:

The New York Rangers will sink dramatically

Remember what the Rangers went through a couple of seasons ago? In mid-November of 2024, they started the season 12-4-1 and hen lost five straight and fell apart.

Of the current clubs holding a playoff position, the one in a precarious spot is the Broadway Blueshirts, regardless of their three-game winning streak heading into Monday’s date with the Oilers.

Goaltender Dylan Garand has been a great story while stepping in for the injured Igor Shesterkin, but the bubble will burst soon enough for a team that is surviving on a surprising penalty kill and despite a below average offensive attack.

The Rangers’ final game before Christmas is against the Devils. By then, they may be miles apart.