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A shortened training camp had an impact early in the season with some high-scoring games and inconsistent play.
But now that the 2026-27 NHL season has hit Nov. 1, it's time to hand out team grades, as a few stories have dominated the early part of the season.
First are prominent trade requests. Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was traded to New Jersey Devils on Oct. 23 after sitting out the early part of the season. Detroit Red Wings star Dylan Larkin, who had been playing through his trade request, announced on Oct. 29 that he wouldn't suit for the team again.
But it isn't just U.S. Olympians who are trying to force their teams' hands. Russian Nikita Kucherov, the reigning MVP, told the Tampa Bay Lightning he won't re-sign and wants to be traded. LIke Larkin, he has a 10-team trade list, but his is unknown.
The other trend is struggling goalies. Kevin Lankinen (.812), Jordan Binnington (.846), Dustin Wolf (.847), Jakub Dobes (.853), Brandon Bussi (.865), Andrei Vasilevkiy (.877), Darcy Kuemper (.878) and Sergei Bobrovsky (.885) are among goalies with substandard save percentages.
Here are early grades for all 32 NHL teams:
The Ducks have been defensively leaky, allowing four or more goals eight times and 13 goals over their last two losses.
The Bruins were staring at a three-game losing streak before Morgan Geekie helped them rally to beat the Blackhawks on Oct. 31. That win kept them atop the Atlantic Division despite only two goals from Geekie, who totaled 72 the past two seasons.
Tage Thompson has willed the Sabres to a three-game winning streak with five goals and three assists.
Goalie Devin Cooley has outplayed Dustin Wolf and has had great interviews. But Wolf is back in net after Cooley was hurt during a collision in the crease.
The defending champions are getting balanced scoring, and goalie Pyotr Kochetkov is 9-0 while Brandon Bussi is off to a slow start.
They're heading toward another lottery pick. Connor Bedard and defenseman Bowen Byram have played only one game together because of injuries.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are dominating as usual. Add Artturi Lehkonen (12 goals) to that list.
The Blue Jackets have been wildly inconsistent. Newcomer Matthew Knies has only one point in his last nine games after getting four points in his first two.
The Stars have the league's best penalty kill at 93.6 percent. They have allowed only three goals while a man down and have scored a short-handed goal.
The Red Wings get a poor grade over the Dylan Larkin trade request saga and Simon Edvinsson contract dispute. But the players bump that up by putting aside the distractions with a decent start.
Connor McDavid has 37 points in a season-opening 14-game point streak and coach Mike Babcock has straightened out the defensive play after some early wild games. He benched defenseman Jake Walman.
Brady Tkachuk's surge alongside brother Matthew has drawn the attention, but Seth Jones is on fire with 18 points. That was helped the Panthers survive injuries to Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand and Jacob Markstrom.
The Kings were the last team to pick up its first win. A 1-4 record at home and a league-worst penalty kill have hurt them.
The Wild are on top of the Central Divison as Kirill Kaprizov leads the league with 14 goals. Quinn Hughes is dominating, too, as everyone parses words to determine whether and when he'll sign a contract extension.
The Canadiens have won five in a row without injured captain Nick Suzuki, and goalie Jacob Fowler is generating Calder Trophy buzz. They've been mentioned in Larkin and Kucherov rumors, though they're not on Larkin's trade list.
Could coach Andrew Brunette be on the hot seat after a middling start? "I think we've had this conversation the last three years," he told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. "I understand what the game is and where the game's at. I'm just focused on being the best coach I can every day."
Goaltending was considered an issue heading into the season. No longer after their blockbuster trade for Connor Hellebuyck. Throw in scoring up and down the deeper forward group and the Devils seem likely to return to the playoffs after missing last season.
Rookie of the year defenseman Matthew Schaefer is off to another strong season. They're still waiting for injured Mathew Barzal to make his season debut.
Igor Shesterkin's season-ending injury disrupted a solid start and the Rangers are still trying to figure out a good fit for offseason acquisition Pavel Dorofeyev.
No Brady Tkachuk. No problem. Tim Stutzle's strong start has helped drive the Senators into third place in the Atlantic.
The Flyers' playoff hopes took a massive hit with an 0-6-3 start. A bright spot has been Matvei Michkov, who ended the month with seven goals in his last seven games.
Sidney Crosby is below his usual point-per-game pace, but he had his best game on Oct. 31. He set an NHL record for most career assists with one franchise (1,113), passing Ray Bourque. He also tied Marcel Dionne (1,771) for sixth in all-time points.
Goalie Jordan Binnington has a 4.11 goals-against average in the final year of his contract. Joel Hofer has received 10 of the 14 starts and sports a 2.42 GAA.
GM Mike Grier beefed up the defense but it has still been a problem this season. They've allowed 31 shots per game, second worst in the league.
The Kraken came up short in recent bids for Artemi Panarin and Jason Robertson. They've been boosted internally by second-year forward Berkly Catton, whose 11 points are six shy of his rookie total.
Nikita Kucherov is playing through his trade request and had three assists in his first game after it become public. GM Julien BriseBois says he won't trade Kucherov.
The Maple Leafs took a while to gel after all of their offseason moves. One of their newcomers, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, remains off to a slow start.
The Mammoth are second in the Central Division, boosted by the league-best power play (34 percent). Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is on pace for a career best with 16 points in 14 games.
The Canucks are getting scoring, led by rejuvenated forward Elias Pettersson, but they have allowed a league-worst 4.5 goals per game.
The Golden Knights mixed up their top power play unit, giving rookie Trevor Connelly a shot there and bumping Ivan Barbashev to the second unit.
Hot starts by Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou show the Capitals are in good shape for the post-Alex Ovechkin era. It's also helping them now with Ovechkin off to a slow start.
The Hellebuyck-less Jets were surviving early, but an injury to Josh Morrissey proved costly. They ended the month on a 1-7-2 slide.
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