Kevin Allen, and Jimmy Hascup

USA TODAY

By the end of this week, the majority of NHL teams will have reached the halfway point of their schedule. Thus, it's a perfect time to reflect on what has transpired. Here are 30 takeaways (one for each team) from the first half of the season (stats through Jan. 6):

Best Washington Capitals team ever? It’s too soon to know. The 2009-10 Capitals won the President’s Trophy, and the 1997-98 team reached the Stanley Cup final. But this team appears to be set up better for a long playoff run than the 2009-10 Capitals. Under coach Barry Trotz, they play a Chicago Blackhawks-like balanced style that wins in the postseason. It helps that goalie Braden Holtby is playing like Carey Price did last season. (Kevin Allen)

A return to 100 points? Nobody told Dallas Stars forwards Jamie Benn (52 points) and Tyler Seguin (50 points) that offense was down, but 100 points are within their grasp. The 2009-10 season was the last one that saw more than one player get to the century mark. With Patrick Kane at 59 points, we could have three. (Jimmy Hascup)

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Los Angeles Kings primed for deep run. Very little not to like with this roster. Possession game is elite again, Drew Doughty is in the Norris Trophy discussion and Jonathan Quick’s even-strength/adjusted save percentages are a career-best. Scary to think they're only 15th in scoring. (JH)

Jaromir Jagr deserves more love. Jagr, who turns 44 next month, has been most important to the success of the Florida Panthers. He is the team’s goals leader (14), points leader (29) and inspirational leader. He has netted four goals in four games to help the Panthers extend their winning streak to 10 games. (KA)

Doug Armstrong needs to add offense. The St. Loius Blues are 23rd in scoring and in dire need of a top-six winger who can bring punch to the second line. Paul Stastny’s shooting percentage is half of his career average, so expect him to score more at some point. But the Blues are looking at more playoff disappointment if they fail to address this. (JH)

Marian Hossa is still playing at a high level. Five goals and 17 points don’t tell the entire story of his impact. Hossa's shot rate is still over three per game, though his scoring rate is about one-third off his career. Hossa is still a strong defender and one of the best possession drivers on the roster. (JH)

Minnesota Wild due for a slip. Would you characterize the Wild as possessing a top-level finishers or goaltending? Yet their PDO — a sum of five-on-five save percentage and shooting percentage — is 101.6, the highest among West teams. Factor in middling possession numbers (19th, 48.9%) and the correction could be coming. (JH)

Travis Hamonic deal on back burner. Although you still hear rumblings about teams wanting to acquire Hamonic, it’s in the New York Islanders’ best interest to wait until the summer to accommodate his wishes to move to a Western team. More importantly, the Islanders have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup. They can’t afford to give up Hamonic, especially now that Johnny Boychuk is sidelined by injury. (KA)

Sloppy play in Big Apple. The euphoria over the Rangers’ good start has now been erased by the team’s gross inconsistency for the past several weeks. They are 6-11-2 in their past 19 games and the team’s veteran defensive corps has looked leaky to ordinary. The Rangers’ Corsi rating (47.4%) ranks near the bottom of the league. This may be the first major test for first-year GM Jeff Gorton. Will he make a trade to change the look? (KA)

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Petr Mrazek is the answer. Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill has started Petr Mrazek the past three games and it seems as if he is Detroit’s No. 1 goalie. He has stopped 240 of the past 258 shots (.930 save percentage) he has faced. Meanwhile, Jimmy Howard has been pulled in his past two starts. He's given up up seven goals on 20 shots. (KA)

Waiting for Price. The Montreal Canadiens may need Price as much for a psychological boost as for what he does on the ice. After they played their best game of the season in the Winter Classic, they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in their next game. Brendan Gallagher is back, but Dale Weise is gone for a couple of weeks. The Canadiens simply need to get healthy before we know exactly where they are. (KA)

New Jersey Devils still start with ‘D’. Jacques Lemaire left, Scott Stevens and Marty Brodeur retired, and Lou Lamoriello jumped to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and yet the Devils’ success is still about defense and goaltending. No one expected the Devils to be contending for a playoff spot, and yet they are doing it with a defensive style and stellar goaltending that is giving up 2.28 goals per game. Cory Schneider (.928 save percentage) should be in the Vezina hunt. (KA)

Pressure on Nashville Predators’ defense to do it all. Among players with at least 400 minutes of ice time, Predators forwards rank as follows in points per 60 minutes (even strength): Mike Ribeiro (32), Craig Smith (98), James Neal (109), Colin Wilson (128), Filip Forsberg (139) and Calle Jarnkrok (145). That won’t get the job done. (JH)

It’s about Auston Matthews. What else can the Columbus Blue Jackets do? It’s clear that their mix isn’t as impressive as we thought it was coming into this season. Columbus fans have to start thinking about the 2016 draft. The Ryan Johansen fallout is extensive to the point that trading him seems like the best solution for all parties. The problem with the all-in-on-Matthews strategy is that even finishing last only gives a team a 20% shot of landing him in the lottery.

UPDATE: The Predators and Blue Jackets completed a trade Wednesday night. Nashville traded defenseman Seth Jones to Columbus for center Ryan Johansen, whose 26 points tie him with Forsberg for the most among Nashville forwards.

‘Z’ still a big plus. It’s not like anyone is going to overlook a 6-9 player, but Zdeno Chara has been a vital contributor to the Boston Bruins’ better-than-expected season. At 38, he leads them in ice time (24:27) and plus-minus (+10). He’s on a pace to register about 40 points this season. He has blocked 54 shots, and he’s a mainstay on a Boston penalty-killing unit that ranks eighth. (KA)

Sidney Crosby is back. After suffering through the worst offensive slump of his career, Crosby has rediscovered his magic. He has scored five goals in the past four games. He boasts 12 points in the past eight games, more fitting for a player averaging 1.33 points per game in his career. Crosby has only been a minus-player once in the past 16 games. (KA)

More lucky than good. The Senators’ ability to hang in playoff contention is impressive, considering that statistically they aren’t measuring up to true contenders. The Senators have the worst possession numbers (46.5%, according to war-on-ice.com) in the Eastern Conference. Plus, their penalty killing ranks 28th (76.3%) and their goal-against per game average (2.90) is 26th. They have survived on the strength of the eighth-best offense. (KA)

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Tobias Rieder overlooked in the desert. Rieder might be the most complete young forward on the Arizona Coyotes' roster. He is one of four with at least two points per 60 minutes at even strength, and he’s their best possession player, as the Coyotes control the play more than 5% better with him on the ice. He’s on pace for 17 goals and 48 points. (JH)

Jonathan Drouin saga just a blip. Drouin’s trade request isn’t close to the Lightning’s biggest problem. GM Steve Yzerman and coach Jon Cooper's priority is to figure out why Tampa Bay’s offense ranks 21st after leading last season. The return of Ondrej Palat from injury helps. The Lightning need more from Tyler Johnson (four goals, 11 points in 27 games), Valtteri Filppula (four goals, 17 points) and Ryan Callahan (five goals, 13 points). (KA)

Colorado Avalanche's 2013 success is blinding. Don’t let the 19-18-3 record fool you. Teams should be judged on process and not just results, and coach Patrick Roy hasn’t made the necessary adjustments. A below-average possession team has gotten worse the past few seasons, to a league-low 44%. (JH)

Anaheim Ducks are lurking. Despite the terrible start, the Ducks are three points behind the Coyotes for second in a weak Pacific Division. With a a talented roster and league-low 97.3 PDO, they’re due for a hot streak. (JH)

Shayne Gostisbehere provides a spark. The most impactful minor-league call-up in the Eastern Conference goes to Gostisbehere, a 22-year-old defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers. The puck-moving defenseman has created a buzz around the league with his offensive knack. He has scored seven goals (with 16 points) in his 22 games. He freshened up a team that seemed a bit stale. (KA)

Nothing going on with Eric Staal. It would seem to be in the Carolina Hurricanes' best interests to trade Eric Staal if they can’t re-sign him, but Staal will decide his fate because he has a no-trade clause. He hasn’t decided what he wants to do, meaning this could go all the way to the trade deadline. Staal could help several teams, including the Predators. (KA)

Vancouver Canucks should sell, now. They’re six points out of a playoff spot with four teams to jump. The prudent move for general manager Jim Benning is to realize this team isn’t close to contending and that it needs a wave of new, young talent. Radim Vrbata and Brandon Prust are the only major unrestricted free agents next season, but Benning should sweeten deals with veteran players whose deals don’t expire until 2017-18. (JH)

San Jose Sharks banking on Logan Couture. The moves GM Doug Wilson made in the offseason indicate the Sharks are in win-now mode. They’ve suffered without Couture, who has played only seven games because of injuries. Couture is dynamic, and he will single handedly change the complexion of this offense. (JH)

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Mike Babcock should be Jack Adams candidate. This is a rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs team with an uninspiring roster, and yet somehow Babcock has it at .500. The Maple Leafs have gone 7-2-2 in their past 11 games. Babcock’s ability to improve this team's defense (13th in goals-against average) should be enough to earn him coach-of-the-year consideration. (KA)

Karri Ramo holds the keys. If the Flames want to be a contender, their goaltending is going to have to be much better. Their 90.9 save percentage at five-on-five is the worst in the NHL. Ramo has been much better since early December. (JH)

Connor Hellebuyck is an emerging star. It won’t be long before the Winnipeg Jets rookie netminder gets mentioned with the league’s best. For now, he needs to start the majority of games for the Jets' playoff push. Among goalies with at least 12 games, Hellebuyck is tops in save percentage and adjusted save percentage. His .935 overall save percentage would be second if he logged enough games. (JH)

Connor McDavid is a wild card. McDavid’s return to the lineup could change the playoff picture. Could he lead the Edmonton Oilers’ charge? If he does, how will that affect his Calder Trophy candidacy? Even if the Oilers don’t make the playoffs, adding McDavid to Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl will make them a difficult opponent. (JH)

Don’t rule out Jack Eichel. Chicago's Artemi Panarin and Detroit's Dylan Larkin are receiving much of the attention for the Calder Trophy, but Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel will be in this race at the end. He has four goals and six assists in his past six games. With 13 goals, Eichel could reach 30 by the end of the season. Historically, what happens later in the season carries more weight in Professional Hockey Writers Association balloting. (KA)