It’s likely that the wonders of small sample size are simply at play at the start of this NHL season, but it certainly looks like someone took last year’s standings and just turned them upside down. It’s two weeks into the year, and the three current division leaders in the Eastern Conference are teams that didn’t even make the playoffs last year, while two of last season’s division winners are tied for last place in the conference.
Toronto is the biggest surprise of all, much to the dismay of Bruins fans hoping to get another lottery pick out of the Phil Kessel deal. After finishing with the second-worst record in the league last year, the Leafs currently have the best record in the league and haven’t suffered a regulation loss in their first five games.
In the West, two 100-point teams from last year — San Jose and Phoenix — are tied for last, while Dallas, a 12th place team a year ago, leads their Pacific Division.
It’s been a strange start to the season, one which certainly doesn’t make sorting out a ranking of the 30 teams an easy task.
