The 2024 NHL Draft runs June 28-29 in Las Vegas. At the scouting combine in Buffalo in early June, we surveyed dozens of draft-eligible players on a variety of topics. Their answers, listed below, have been lightly edited for clarity.

Zayne Parekh, D, Saginaw (OHL): I like to watch a lot of (Cale) Makar, (Quinn) Hughes, and (Erik) Karlsson. All so good at what they do. I think I fit in that mold of defensemen. I like to play with the puck. I like to hold on to pucks. So, I like to take little bits and pieces from their game and add them to mine.

Brodie Ziemer, RW, USA Hockey National Team Development Program: Tyler Toffoli. He has really good hockey sense. It allows him to play the game faster than he really is.

Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat (WHL): I try and be my own player, but I think I play a lot like Roope Hintz. Both power forwards. Centermen. Skilled with the puck. Protect the puck well.

Jared Woolley, D, London (OHL): I like to think I can play like Alex Pietrangelo - a left-handed version. I play that two-way style of game and I have a big body like him. I can play in all situations.

Eriks Mateiko, LW, Saint John (QMJHL): Adam Lowry. What I need is toughness. He's a good leader and I want to play that role.

Jacob Battaglia, RW, Kingston (OHL): I really like Leon Draisaitl. He isn't the greatest straight-line skater, but he makes up for it with his edge work and puck protection. The way he sees the ice and thinks the game, I think, is pretty similar to me.

Maxim Masse, RW, Chicoutimi (QMJHL): I love to watch Alex Tuch. That's what I want to look like in the NHL. His shot, his game without the puck, and how he can score goals in different ways - that's why I love him.

Veeti Vaisanen, D, KooKoo (Finland, Liiga): My favorite player? Erik Karlsson. I don't have hands like him, or the offensive stuff. I try to be like K'Andre Miller instead.

Sam Dickinson, D, London (OHL): I'd say (Miro) Heiskanen on Dallas. The way he takes control of games with his skating ability - offensively, defensively - that's something I try to emulate. A guy that does everything, plays all situations for them.

AJ Spellacy, RW, Windsor (OHL): Definitely Tom Wilson. He's a mean power forward. Guys on the other team are scared of him and nobody wants to play against him. I'm a force out there when I'm playing hard.

Julius Miettinen, C, Everett (WHL): (Aleksander) Barkov. I appreciate his two-way game - how hard he plays and how he sees the game. Overall, just a good player, does everything perfect. I've been watching him since he played in Liiga.

Riley Patterson, C, Barrie (OHL): A guy like J.T. Miller on Vancouver. Similar body types. Thicker guy that protects the puck but also has the offensive ability. I believe, in myself, that I have that as well.

Miguel Marques, RW, Lethbridge (WHL): The one guy I try to follow a little bit is Nathan MacKinnon, just because he plays the game the right way and he's super skilled. But the closest one might be Jesper Bratt - because of the way he skates and makes plays. He scans the ice pretty well. I think we have a lot of similarities in the hockey IQ and playmaking side of things.

Carter George, G, Owen Sound (OHL): Igor Shesterkin and Jeremy Swayman. Both are around my height, both are elite goalies. Good edge work, good at tracking pucks. I like to take stuff from both of them and make it my own.

Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna (WHL): Hard not to take (Connor) McDavid's speed.

Simon Zether, C, Rogle (Sweden, SHL): McDavid's speed. His skating, if I got that, I would be in the NHL right now. Another guy who's underrated and I looked up to during my childhood is Nicklas Backstrom. I love how he sees the game. His passing game had such a big impact on how many goals Alex Ovechkin scored.

Tanner Howe, LW, Regina (WHL): Matthew Tkachuk's style of hockey. He plays with so much emotion. He's a hard worker. He's competitive. He wants to score. He wants to get better each and every day. I almost play a little bit like him already.

Charlie Elick, D, Brandon (WHL): Moritz Seider. His reverse hits are something that stand out.

Tomas Lavoie, D, Cape Breton (QMJHL): I'd bring more meanness in my game like Radko Gudas.

EJ Emery, D, USNTDP: Jake Sanderson's ability to break out the puck. He's kind of a breakout machine - the way he's able to move his feet and get the puck up the ice. His deception is some of the best in the world.

George: Bobrovsky's patience.

Lukas Fischer, D, Sarnia (OHL): Probably Ovechkin's shot. He's been doing it for the last 20 years and no one can figure out how to stop it.

Berkly Catton, C, Spokane (WHL): Maybe MacKinnon's crossovers. So, so powerful. It's crazy. It looks like he's going to wreck the ice.

Patterson: MacKinnon’s explosiveness. Just how he moves with the puck. You see how he gets from one end to the other in an instant.

Marek Vanacker, LW, Brantford (OHL): Probably (Auston) Matthews' shot. He can really rip that puck. If I could have that, it would really take my game to the next level. I watch video on it, and I'm working on my shot all summer and during the year.

Mateiko: Makar's edges. For my size (6-foot-5, 216 pounds), if I would be able to skate like him, that would give me a good advantage.

Terik Parascak, RW, Prince George (WHL): I got asked by Nashville, 'If you were in the army, would you be a sniper, a medic, or a helicopter pilot?' That was a different one I wasn't expecting or prepared for. I said a sniper because I like being under that pressure, and sniper is obviously a high-pressure position.

Dean Letourneau, C, St. Andrew's College (Ontario, high school): 'If I was to join the army, would I be a pilot, a medic, or a sniper?' I chose sniper. I didn't really know what to think, but it was the only scenario where I could have control of myself. It was me versus another guy.

Will Skahan, D, USNTDP: (One team) gave me the infamous, 'If there's a reason why you didn’t get to the NHL, what would be that reason?’ I said, 'Either injury or death. That's how committed I am to the game.'

Hagen Burrows, RW, Minnetonka (Minnesota, high school): The only weird one I had (from Minnesota) was to say the alphabet and then say the (sequencing) number after each letter. It was weirdly hard.

Spellacy: 'If you were on a plane and the pilot said, "Do you want me to do my best, or do you want me to land the plane?" What would you tell him to do?' I said, 'Well, if the pilot is doing his best he's going to land the plane, that's why he's a pilot.'

Marques: (Utah) asked to see what my rating in the Uber was. It's a 5. So that's pretty good. I didn't know how to get to it (on my phone). I didn't even know that was a thing. I was a little nervous to see what it was.

Parekh: My Uber rating and my Snapchat score. Those were the two ones that stood out. I have a really good (rating). I use Uber a lot. It's a 4.92, which could be better, but it's up there. I've probably done 200 rides and sometimes it's me just sitting quiet in the back because I'm tired. Maybe they don't like that. But, usually, I'm a chatty guy and that's where I get my stars from.

Mikhail Yegorov, G, Omaha (USHL): I would say Colorado because we played some board games. I remember beating their GM in one board game. (Laughs) So, yeah, it was fun.

John Mustard, C, Waterloo (USHL): I did play some games with Colorado, which was pretty fun actually. One was putting keys through holes. Memory games. And then a slingshot game. You have to play against one of the members of the staff. There's a little string, you have little discs, so you try and get it through the little hole, and whoever has the most (at the end) loses. I almost got the win.

Kasper Pikkarainen, RW, TPS (Finland, junior): Montreal had one: 'What animal would you be on the ice and off the ice?' I said on the ice I'm a gorilla and off the ice I'm a dolphin. I'm a dolphin because I'm a funny guy and a positive guy.

Carter Yakemchuk, D, Calgary (WHL): I said I was a crocodile on the ice and monkey off the ice. Just a pretty calm guy off the ice. On the ice, I'm pretty calm as well, but I have a little bite to my game.

Patterson: I said off the ice I'm a panda, on the ice a rhino. Pandas are laid back, I'm a pretty laid-back person. I have some good friends, but at the same time I like being by myself. I'm a bigger, stronger kid that moves along the ice, so that's what I was thinking with rhino.

Iginla: They said, 'You can't say lion or dog because everyone says that.' I wanted to go with one they probably hadn't heard. On the spot, I was like, 'I'm a Pegasus.' It's a mythical creature. It's like a horse with wings. They were like, 'Explain it.' I was like, 'Oh, hard to explain that ... ' But I said, 'As a horse, I feel like I can be sociable and friendly and hang out with the other horses. But, when it's time to ascend, I've got the wings, too, so I'll try to fly.'

Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA): A young memory of mine when I was probably five years old is going to a Canucks game and watching the Canucks play - the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, and that group that went to the finals.

Adam Jiricek, D, Plzen (Czechia, Extraliga): Me and my brother (David, a Blue Jackets prospect) played a lot against each other and we fought with each other a lot. Me and him both hate losing. He was older and stronger so he won almost all of the fights.

Lindstrom: We had this carpet floor. I had these little skates. I was probably three or four years old. My grandpa would always tie the skates up in the house with the blades off. I would just walk around with a little mini stick in my hand. There’s pictures of it. (The skate boots) would rip up the carpet and couches and everything. My mom and grandma would just get pissed because my grandpa is just laughing at me scratching up the floor. (Laughs)

Kamil Bednarik, C, USNTDP: My mom actually knew how to skate way back then, so she taught me how to skate. I was maybe three years old. My mom had Skittles in her pocket and she would give me one every time I completed a lap. (Laughs)

Carson Wetsch, RW, Calgary (WHL): I remember being on the ice as a little kid and being on my butt just eating the snow off the ice. (Laughs) I would pick the snow up, stick it through my cage, and just eat it.

Yegorov: I slept with a stick when I was like two or three - small stick, a plastic one. I remember too doing some ball juggling in our apartment back in Russia. And I remember watching the team from St. Petersburg on TV and in person.

Catton: It was definitely on my backyard rink. My dad passing pucks into my feet. Tipping pucks. The little things of hockey. That's where I just absolutely fell in love with it.

Skahan: I grew up around the pro game in Anaheim. My father (Sean) was the strength coach for the Ducks. I remember the Ducks beat some team in the first round of the playoffs and I went down to the locker room after the game. Just seeing how happy those guys were kind of ingrained in my brain of how this is at the next level. It built a burning passion for me moving forward.

Emil Hemming, RW, TPS (Finland, Liiga): First time when I stepped on the ice it was an outside rink. I think I was three years old. I cried a lot.

Masse: I'm from Rimouski, so going to watch the (QMJHL's) Oceanic play with Alexis Lafreniere on the team. Packed house. It was a crazy atmosphere.

Miettinen: Skating with my dad. I was maybe four or five. We were on the outdoor rink close to my home in Helsinki. Lots of snow and cold, of course, in Finland. I remember my dad wasn't the best. He had never really played hockey. I was beating him.

Battaglia: Back home in Mississauga, I remember I got a pair of skates and a starter kit from Canadian Tire. I was three. I slipped it all on and my dad took me to a local stick-and-puck. I kept falling. He got me one of those skating aides and I started to move my feet and glide. It worked out pretty well.

Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert (WHL): I got to go into the dressing room in Vancouver after my dad (Byron) won. I did the same thing in Calgary and I actually got to put on Miikka Kiprusoff's goalie helmet. I was really interested in being a goalie back then - I think I was 2 - so I have this flashback to that moment.

Emery: Probably a dog on top. A key thing I want to be is a dog. Someone that's going to get down and dirty, do all the things that a dog would do. I just want to show everyone that that's who I am. I would spell it a little different on the mask: D-A-W-G.

Zether: I would put a snake on it. It'd be kind of cool to have a snake on the side of your mask.

Lavoie: Something about the movies I like. I'm a huge Marvel fan. All those superhero movies I've watched since I was a kid. Since the first Ironman, I've been watching all those movies. My favorite is probably Thor.

Wetsch: I'm a big fan of Harry Potter. I'm into mixed martial arts and UFC. So maybe a little mix of that with Harry Potter?

Cole Eiserman, LW, USNTDP: Maybe a Gerry Cheevers-type mask. Little old-school. Little scary. My dad would appreciate it. Maybe a vintage color. Maybe an American flag in the back.

Tarin Smith, D, Everett (WHL): I'd put a lot of stuff about Porcupine Plain, my hometown (in Saskatchewan). Maybe a porcupine. I grew up on a farm so a little bit of farm stuff on there. We farm canola and wheat.

Zeev Buium, D, Denver (NCAA): Maybe the Denver logo. Maybe the US stripes. Gotta get my family on there somewhere. Maybe their heads? Something funny like that. Maybe Batman. Yeah, I love Batman. Big Batman guy. Maybe the Star of David, too.

Bednarik: I'm a pretty religious guy, Christian, so I'd definitely put a cross on there, for sure. Maybe something to do with my family and my grandparents in honor of them.

Hemming: On the back of my helmet I would have my old dog who passed away six years ago. He was important to me when I was growing up. It was a medium-sized fluffy dog.

Parascak: I've heard a couple funny ones from guys after they sign their contract in the NHL, saying they'll slap (an opponent) with their wallet.

Ziemer: Somebody told me that once I'm done playing in the (AHL) that I'll be working for him someday. (Laughs) I just skated away after. Just got to take that one.

Skahan: I got buried. The guy was skating away. I think it was against Western Michigan. He said, 'How do you feel down there?' as I was lying on my back.

Luca Marrelli, D, Oshawa (OHL): A player on the opposing team skated by Luca D'Amato, who's a shorter, small guy on our team, and goes, 'Hey bud, did your parents forget to water you when you were a kid?' I thought that was pretty funny - and it's not overly harsh.

Burrows: The thing I get chirped for a lot is my hair color. For some reason, everybody thinks I dye my hair (bleach blonde), which I don't, for the record. So, everybody tells me to go dye my hair, and I don't dye my hair. I think that's pretty funny.

Zether: Playing against the American guys, they make fun of your English. They'll tell you to go back to kindergarten English.

Miettinen: Everybody this year was just saying I can't speak English. That was probably the biggest thing. 'Don't say anything, you can't even speak.'

Pikkarainen: We were in Plymouth for the 5 Nations tournament. Cole Eiserman said I was Patrik Laine from Walmart. It was a good one. I liked it. (Laughs)

Battaglia: I usually just tell them they suck. 'You're not good enough,' or, 'You just suck.' I remember I told (Flyers prospect) Denver Barkey that he sucked. Obviously, that's a complete lie, but it just kind of happened. It just comes out.

Marques: There's guys who are sometimes more skilled than me, and I just say, 'Who are you?' Just to piss them off, because it's coming from me. (Laughs)

Howe: Lots of guys chirp back and forth about someone's breath.

Catton: Honestly, I try to distance myself from that as much as possible. I'll stutter, and then I'll get chirped for that. So, I stay away from that and let my play do the talking.

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With the NHL's regular season roughly one-third complete, it's as good a time as any to try and separate the contenders from the pretenders.

We avoided teams widely viewed as Stanley Cup favorites - the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche - and are instead focusing on six clubs that appear to be causing a divide among fans and analysts.

All six have tantalizing strengths but also question marks that could ultimately be their undoing.

New York Rangers

Record: 18-6-3 (.722 PTS%)
Standing: Tied for 2nd in Metropolitan Division

Josh Wegman: Pretender. There's a lot to like about the Rangers. Adam Fox is challenging for another Norris Trophy, Artemi Panarin is lighting up the scoresheet, and Igor Shesterkin has been sensational between the pipes.

However, the Rangers rely on their netminder too much at times. The club ranks 25th in five-on-five expected goals for percentage, which suggests it's bound to come down to earth a bit.

It's also important to remember that the Rangers employ the league's fourth-youngest roster. Players like Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller, and Nils Lundkvist still need time to grow. Come playoff time, I can't trust this team against veteran-laden Metro clubs like the Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

John Matisz: Pretender. Plain and simple, the Rangers remain under construction.

Gerard Gallant, who's in his first season behind the Rangers' bench, continues to put his stamp on the team with respect to systems and deployment. Lafreniere and Kakko haven't progressed at the rate commensurate with top-two picks, and it's gumming up the forward group. Backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev hasn't been good enough in 11 appearances. Overall, there's isn't enough reliability throughout the lineup.

That said, how many NHL clubs would kill to have a one-two-three punch of Panarin, Fox, and Shesterkin? Nothing's wrong with this core, which also includes the likes of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Jacob Trouba.

Check back in a calendar year and the Rangers will probably be in the East's contenders tier.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 19-8-2 (.690)
Standing: Tied for 1st in Atlantic Division

Wegman: Pretender. The Maple Leafs' "Core 4" forwards are firing on all cylinders and the team is getting Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltending from Jack Campbell. That seems like a recipe for success, right?

However, the defense presents a major cause for concern. Jake Muzzin appears to have lost half a step in his age-32 season. His shutdown-pairing partner going into the season, Justin Holl, has fallen off to the point where he's borderline unplayable. Adding a solid top-four defenseman at the trade deadline would fix their one major hole, but it wouldn't be easy given Toronto's tight salary-cap situation.

Additionally, the Maple Leafs haven't fixed one glaring area of play that haunted them in their past two playoff exits: turnovers. Toronto leads the league in both total giveaways and giveaways per 60 minutes. If the club can't clean up its act, it'll be lucky to get out of Round 1.

Matisz: Contender.

Yes, Toronto has failed to win a playoff series in 17 years. That is an indisputable fact. Yes, the Leafs need to acquire a high-quality defenseman to solidify its blue line ahead of the playoffs. Another indisputable fact.

Otherwise ... what else could you ask for so far in 2021-22?

Led by super sniper Auston Matthews and a resurgent John Tavares, the attack is as deadly as in years past. Head coach Sheldon Keefe is running a tight ship defensively for a second straight season. Campbell has been given a heavy workload and is proving (.935 save percentage) to be a trustworthy No.1 goalie.

Postseason choke jobs have made the Leafs nearly impossible to trust. I get it. Yet, nothing from their first 29 games qualifies as gravely concerning, and that, to me, is more useful intel than what's occurred in the past. (Plus, general manager Kyle Dubas is all-in here. He will add pieces at the deadline.)

Toronto's core is far too talented to not break through at some point, and I'm willing to bet this is the year the Leafs, at the very least, win a playoff round.

Anaheim Ducks

Record: 16-9-5 (.617)
Standing: 1st in Pacific Division

Matisz: Pretender.

While I certainly didn't think the Ducks would be in a playoff spot at this point in the season, let alone first in their division, it feels as if the wheels are going to fall off sometime between now and Game No. 82.

Leading goal-scorer Troy Terry is shooting an unsustainable 24.6%. Goalie John Gibson has been peppered with shots and won't be able to hold the fort forever. Calder Trophy hopeful Trevor Zegras, as awesome as he is to watch, is still learning the ropes as a No. 1 center in the NHL.

Anaheim has plenty of emerging talent and the organization should absolutely be excited about what the future holds. This year is more of a prelude.

Wegman: Pretender. The Ducks are a great story, but it's premature to include them among the league's contenders. The young core of Zegras, Terry, Jamie Drysdale, and Isac Lundestrom is exciting, but these players lack the experience to have Anaheim competing for a Stanley Cup. Terry, in particular, is already coming down to earth after his hot start. Plus, the team's underlying numbers aren't encouraging, as it ranks 18th in expected goals percentage.

The veteran contingent of Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, Gibson, and others are all enjoying strong seasons, but unless Gibson goes full-on 2003 Jean-Sebastien Giguere, I can't see this squad making any noise.

Edmonton Oilers

Record: 16-10-0 (.615)
Standing: 3rd in Pacific Division

Matisz: Pretender. New year, same story for the Oilers.

Despite offseason additions to the bottom of the forward group, Edmonton is still struggling to generate offense when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are off the ice. Meanwhile, the defense corps is thin, and the three-headed monster in net (Mike Smith, Mikko Koskinen, Stuart Skinner) is far from scary.

It's tempting to ignore the club's warts and blindly trust that the brilliance of McDavid and Draisaitl - the sport's best duo since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr - will prevail. Their ability to change the course of a game is enormous at even strength and especially on the power play.

But I just can't bring myself to that point. The Oilers will face teams with significantly more depth in the postseason, and it's impossible for McDavid and Draisaitl to play more than half of the game.

Wegman: Pretender. McDavid and Draisaitl may not be from this planet, but hockey is a team game, and the Oilers have too many other holes for me to give them a real shot.

The blue line is suspect - especially when it comes to actual defending. Darnell Nurse is a workhorse, but the unit after him is filled with question marks.

The goaltending situation is even more problematic. Smith has been hurt for most of the season, and even if the 39-year-old returns, he can't be relied upon. Koskinen has been a roller coaster in Smith's absence, and Skinner is far too inexperienced.

This team isn't just one trade from magically being fixed, either.

Minnesota Wild

Record: 19-8-1 (.696)
Standing: 1st in Central Division

Wegman: Contender. The Wild don't get a lot of national attention as a small-market club lacking star power outside of Kirill Kaprizov, but they're legit. And while getting an offensive game-breaker like Kaprizov has changed the team's complexion, there are so many other reasons to believe in Minnesota.

Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba, and Jonas Brodin anchor one of the league's best blue lines. Brodin, in particular, has always been elite defensively, but his offensive game has really come together this year. Up front, the line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jordan Greenway brings so much size, speed, and physicality that it's an absolute nightmare to play against. In goal, Cam Talbot is as solid as they come.

Adding one more forward, ideally a center (Tomas Hertl, anyone?), would really push the Wild over the top, but even as currently constructed, they could go all the way.

Matisz: Contender. The '21-22 Wild are a well-oiled machine.

Sneakily third in the league in goals per game, Minnesota already boasts 15 players with at least 10 points on the season. The top line of Ryan Hartman (32 points) between Kaprizov (23) and Mats Zuccarello (22) is a perfect complement to the all-around trio centered by Eriksson Ek. The bottom-six group, headlined by Kevin Fiala and Victor Rask, is above average, as well.

As for coaching, defense, and goaltending, well, there are no significant issues to report. General manager Bill Guerin doesn't have to make a big splash ahead of the deadline, though he'll be motivated to do something, with the Ryan Suter/Zach Parise buyout penalties kicking into high gear next season.

Minnesota has a marvelous opportunity here to go on a long playoff run.

Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 16-11-0 (.593)
Standing: 2nd wild card in Western Conference

Matisz: Pretender.

The Golden Knights are one of those teams you'd love to believe in wholeheartedly. From Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty to Robin Lehner and Shea Theodore, the roster is full of likable, star-level players. This roster is mature and deep because the front office is obsessed with winning a Cup.

However, before getting carried away, you catch yourself going, "Yeah, but ..."

Exhibit A: the Jack Eichel situation. Yeah, the 25-year-old star center is coming back sometime in early 2022, but who knows how effective he'll be in trying to hop on a moving train while adjusting to a new playing environment and linemates. Yeah, he's worth getting excited about, generally speaking, but which player(s) will be subtracted from the lineup to make room for his salary?

Exhibit B: special teams. Yeah, they've got weapons, but where are the results? Vegas' power play ranks 28th and its penalty kill is tied for 22nd. Is special teams a serious issue or just the byproduct of injuries to key players?

If uncertainty's a theme with a squad in October, whatever. But we're in mid-December and the Golden Knights still aren't playing to their full potential. If Eichel's transition doesn't go smoothly, perhaps Vegas becomes a team primed to contend in '22-23, not '21-22.

Wegman: Contender. The Golden Knights' track record of playoff success in their short history is astounding. In their first four seasons, they advanced to at least the conference finals three times. A lack of goal-scoring has ultimately been their kryptonite the past two years, but now they'll have Eichel.

It's true, Eichel will have been out of action for nearly a year, but I think he'll have more than enough time to find his groove before the postseason. Seemingly every Cup winner ever has rostered a bona fide first-line center, and when Eichel is going, that's exactly what he is. With a stellar supporting cast, he can push this group over the top.

The Golden Knights may need to get creative in order to accommodate Eichel's cap hit once he's activated off LTIR, but winger Evgenii Dadonov is expendable, shouldn't be difficult to move, and will likely be enough to get Vegas cap compliant.

(Advanced statistics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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It's an age-old question in hockey: At which point in the season should we start believing what we're seeing? The answer is usually somewhere between the quarter-way point in mid-November and the halfway mark in late January.

In this truncated season, well ... we might as well cut to the chase. It's Feb. 6, three-and-a-half weeks into a campaign dominated by uncertainty, and we've identified five team trends to take a temperature check on.

Note: Stats are as of Saturday morning.

Real or Mirage: Canadiens' torrid start

Montreal sits second in the North Division with a 7-2-2 record, largely due to the league's best offense (4.18 goals per game).

Matisz: Real. It can be tempting to look for holes in teams fast out of the gate. Doing that with Montreal is overthinking it, though, since both the eye test and underlying numbers suggest the Canadiens are not only in a groove but also a well-built team primed to sustain this early run of success.

Over the past few years, the knock on the Habs has been their inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Offseason moves appear to have fixed the issue, with Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson blitzing the NHL for a combined 16 goals. Three others among the club's versatile forward group - Brendan Gallagher, Nick Suzuki, and Tomas Tatar - have pitched in at least three goals.

That said, pucks won't bounce their way forever. A key player will get hurt. There's always the chance a COVID-19 outbreak derails momentum. There will be a detour of some kind here, but the Canadiens have given us no reason to doubt them thus far, so I'm keeping my seat on the bandwagon.

Wegman: Real. The hot start is no fluke. The Canadiens are one of the league’s deepest teams and boast the NHL’s second-best expected-goals-for percentage at five-on-five. This club will, at worst, finish second in the North Division behind the Toronto Maple Leafs. They have a genuine chance at a deep playoff run.

However, I think their wins will come in a different fashion as the season progresses. Their offense will come down to earth and finish outside the top five. But to offset that regression, Carey Price, who owns a .899 save percentage, will play better.

Real or Mirage: Bruins can contend with current blue line

Boston lost Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara in the offseason and chose to replace them internally, yet the team hasn't missed a beat, sitting third in the league in points percentage at 8-1-2.

Wegman: Mirage. Internally replacing two franchise pillars on defense is mightily impressive - especially considering Matt Grzelcyk has missed six games - but I'm not fully sold.

Charlie McAvoy is a workhorse and will garner Norris Trophy consideration. But behind him is a group of unheralded names playing even minutes (besides McAvoy, no D-man averages more than 19:54 or less than 17:08). Boston's player development staff deserves credit for the progress of Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril, and others.

However, the Bruins need to add one more defenseman on the left side if they're to take another run at the Stanley Cup while Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are still elite. Come playoff time, the current group’s lack of experience could get exposed. Ryan Murray makes lots of sense should the Devils choose to be sellers.

Matisz: Real. Admittedly, this topic is the trickiest of the bunch because Krug and Chara's departures hung over this team like a dark cloud coming out of the offseason. The left side of Boston's blue line was suddenly Grzelcyk and … who? This couldn't possibly end well, could it?

The early returns are positive. And it's not just the goaltending tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak that's keeping pucks out of the net. At even strength, Bruins skaters are suppressing shots better than any squad in the NHL. They've shown that a team-wide commitment to defense works.

It's hard to divvy up the credit for this development as the impact of a Norris-caliber season from McAvoy can't be ignored, nor can the contributions from the squad's many two-way forwards. And hey, that left side is doing alright.

Put another way, it doesn't matter if Boston's blue line is filled with difference-makers. At the very least, it's competent, and the rest of the team is capable of compensating. Absolutely, the B's can contend with this defense corps.

Real or Mirage: Canucks' regression

After a strong postseason showing in the summer, Vancouver owns the fourth-worst points percentage in the NHL and the league's second-worst defense (3.93 goals-against per game).

Matisz: Real. And this is no false alarm. It's time to panic in Vancouver.

Already 25% into their schedule, the Canucks look discombobulated, listless. They're a tire fire defensively, J.T. Miller is a shell of his 2019-20 self, and youngsters Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson - while still exceptional players - have failed to level-up in the early stages of their second and third seasons.

That last note is crucial because it winks at how last season's playoff run inflated expectations for this group and its stars. Hughes and Pettersson already shoulder a massive load for the Canucks. How much more can they be reasonably expected to do, especially with goalie Jacob Markstrom gone?

On the bright side, rookie forward Nils Hoglander is a hell of a player.

Wegman: Real. It’s easy to see how much Markstrom masked Vancouver's defensive issues a year ago. The loss of steady blue-liner Chris Tanev has hurt, too. The Canucks own the league’s worst expected goals-against per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season. They finished fifth-worst a year ago.

While this start may cost head coach Travis Green his job, general manager Jim Benning is responsible for this mess. If it weren’t for the egregious contracts he gave to Loui Eriksson, Brandon Sutter, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel (those four players combine for over $16 million), the Canucks would've been able to support their star-studded core properly.

Real or Mirage: Devils' huge defensive improvement

New Jersey owned the league's fourth-worst defense a year ago, but in its first season under Lindy Ruff, the club's 2.67 goals-against per game is the ninth-best in the NHL.

Wegman: Real. I think the Devils can maintain in the top half of the league in the goals-against category, despite the analytics suggesting they’ve had some luck in that department - ranking 24th in xGA/60 at five-on-five.

Keep in mind, starting netminder Mackenzie Blackwood has played only three games due to COVID-19 protocol. Scott Wedgewood, who was projected to be the team’s No. 3 goalie before Corey Crawford retired, has carried the load between the pipes. Additionally, Nico Hischier, one of the game’s best young, two-way centers, has yet to play.

The Devils should sharpen up defensively as they get healthier and become further accustomed to Ruff's system, although I still think they're a year or two away from playoff contention.

Matisz: Mirage. With due respect to Ruff and the fabulous job he's done behind the bench, this start is hard to wrap your head around. It's fishy.

Despite being an improvement over 2019-20, New Jersey's defense corps of Damon Severson, P.K. Subban, Ryan Murray, Dmitry Kulikov, Ty Smith, and Matt Tennyson doesn't strike fear into opponents. Ditto for the three-headed goalie monster of Blackwood, Wedgewood, and Eric Comrie.

Severson's a stud. Blackwood and Smith are budding stars. Subban, Murray, and Comrie bring value. This means the Devils could definitely finish 2020-21 in the Top 20 in team defense, thus improving their '19-20 results.

But a top-five defense? Highly unlikely. Top 10? I'd bet against that too.

I'm happy to be proven wrong, but, based on the personnel and the natural ebbs and flows of a season, I'm confident the Devils will hit a wall in the meaty part of the schedule. Larger sample sizes weed out statistical anomalies.

Real or Mirage: Stars are still elite

Despite the possibility of a Stanley Cup Final hangover and starting the season without Tyler Seguin or Ben Bishop, Dallas (5-2-1) ranks eighth in the league in points percentage.

Matisz: Mirage. Given how few games they've played (only eight due to COVID-19-related delays) and how uncharacteristically explosive they've been (a whopping four goals per contest), I must stick with my preseason opinion - Dallas is a cut below the NHL's surefire contenders.

The Stars are a very good, battle-tested club. They showed us that in the bubbled postseason, as the wins kept piling up despite player after player going down with an injury. However, I'd wager it was closer to a perfect storm than a repeatable performance, and it doesn't feel like this Stars crew - largely intact following the trip to the Cup Final - has another deep run in them.

In the Central Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes are stronger. So, with the caveat that anything can happen in regards to the coronavirus affecting rosters, the Stars will have a difficult time making noise.

Wegman: Mirage. What the Stars have done in the early going of the season is impressive - especially without Seguin - but I still wouldn’t place them among the league’s elite teams. Their hot start has been buoyed by a completely unsustainable 40% power play - tied for best in the league. Joe Pavelski, 36, is averaging nearly two points per game, which isn't going to last. The Stars are still a playoff team, but I don’t see them as a legitimate Stanley Cup threat, despite how close they got last season.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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It's an age-old question in hockey: At which point in the season should we start believing what we're seeing? Is it mid-November, when the quarter-way point of the NHL schedule hits, or is it closer to the new calendar year?

In this case, we'll go with the former. We've identified four early-season team trends and taken a temperature check on each of them.

Real or mirage: The Canadiens' potent offense

Matisz: I'm going to sit on the fence here. On one hand, the Canadiens have proven over the past 13 months that they can generate plenty of offense without a superstar forward. On the other, maintaining their current pace (3.4 goals per game, which ranks sixth league-wide) will be a difficult task over a full season. Above-average talent, versatile skill sets, and a boatload of speed combine to make Montreal's attack a notable threat on most nights, yet the team's true difference-makers - Shea Weber and Carey Price - play defense and goalie.

Wegman: Real. I think a top-10 offense is viable. Despite not having a single player who's averaging a point per game, Montreal is getting contributions from the entire lineup thanks to some outstanding forward depth. The underlying numbers are fantastic, as this team ranks fifth in expected goals per 60 minutes and fourth in high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (at five-on-five). Another key has been the Canadiens' respectable power play (14th) after they ranked just 30th with the man advantage a year ago.

Real or mirage: The Oilers' hot start

Wegman: Mirage. The Oilers' 12-6-2 record is perhaps the most surprising story of the young season. But as much as we'd love to see Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl dominate together in the playoffs, I don't think this start is sustainable. Edmonton's lack of secondary scoring will hold the team back when McDavid and Draisaitl go through stretches of human-like play. Additionally, I don't have faith that goalies Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith can keep up a combined .920 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average.

Matisz: Mirage. Pose this question again in February and the answer may differ, but as of now the math just doesn't add up. McDavid and/or Draisaitl have recorded a point on 75% of Edmonton's goals, which is an absurd reliance on two skaters. That dynamic is entertaining to watch, but the goaltending tandem, bottom-six forward group, and third defense pairing don't inspire much confidence. The Oilers have certainly earned some respect and a comfy spot in the standings through 20 games, but the dam is primed to burst soon.

Real or mirage: The Islanders' dominance

Matisz: Real. The Islanders are flat-out one of the best teams in the NHL. There's no denying it at this point. Through 17 games, they've looked clinical and are continuing to employ the highly effective meat-and-potatoes brand of hockey that took the league by storm in 2018-19. The throwback style promotes strong team defense, and heat maps prove the Isles almost never surrender shots from the slot, which is a big reason why both goalies - Thomas Greiss (.942 save percentage) and Semyon Varlamov (.917) - are excelling in a platoon system. Also of note: The top defense pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock is grossly underrated as an all-around unit. Last year, the Islanders finished with 103 points. This year, they're on pace for 130. Expect a drop-off, obviously, but not a tumble down the standings. This team seems bulletproof.

Wegman: Real. I've doubted the Islanders before due to some poor underlying numbers, but I can't make the same mistake again. Barry Trotz-led clubs have long defied analytics, and these Isles are awfully reminiscent of the coach's Predators teams from 2005-12: few big names up front, some underrated defensemen, and stellar goaltending. I believe in Trotz, who's not only the best active coach in the NHL, but one of the best ever. His players buy in, respect the hell out of him, and play their hearts out.

Real or mirage: The Sharks' implosion

Wegman: Mirage. I think the Sharks can turn this thing around - with the caveat that Doug Wilson must acquire a netminder. Martin Jones has been one of the league's worst goalies over the last year and a half, and I don't think Wilson, one of the smartest GMs out there, will watch this ship sink without taking action. Cap space is an issue, but Ottawa Senators goalie Anders Nilsson could be a fit. I believe this strong leadership group is capable of rallying together to make the postseason despite some early adversity.

Matisz: Real. San Jose struggled mightily out of the gate, losing 11 of its first 15 contests while getting outscored 56-36. Despite a four-game winning streak, the early-season hole feels too deep to climb out of, especially because the team's poor goaltending seems unfixable in the short term. The offseason departures of Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi have turned a traditionally lethal offense into something average. This squad still has talent, but perhaps the mileage accumulated over the years has overcome too many core pieces.

(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick)

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With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, let's look at the winners and losers from a busy day in the NHL.

Winners

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights landed the top trade chip available in Mark Stone, and the two sides already agreed to terms on an eight-year extension.

The price was more than fair for general manager George McPhee, as he only gave up one key prospect, a depth player, and a second-round pick. Vegas will likely go on the road to face either the San Jose Sharks or Calgary Flames in a tough first-round matchup, so without the extension, this trade would look vastly different.

All indications suggest Erik Brannstrom, the top prospect heading to Ottawa, has the potential to be a special player. But Stone, 26, can help Vegas contend for a Stanley Cup this season and beyond. He's a dynamic point-per-game winger, and also one of the top defensive forwards in the game, as evidenced by his league-high 88 takeaways. - Wegman

Columbus Blue Jackets

Over the last three days, the Blue Jackets acquired Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid. While the team's draft-pick cupboard is now bare, the only player from the active roster lost in the process was Anthony Duclair, who was becoming a permanent resident in John Tortorella's doghouse.

Duchene, and to a lesser extent, Dzingel, give Columbus a formidable top-nine forward group. McQuaid provides the Jackets with grit, experience, and a right-handed shot on the bottom pairing, while Kinkaid fills a need as a backup goalie. With the Metropolitan Division more wide open than it's ever been, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen picked the right time to go for it all. - Wegman

Nashville Predators

It was obvious what Predators GM David Poile needed to do during the lead-up to the trade deadline. With his defense and goaltending tandem requiring little to no fixing, upgrading the club’s top-heavy forward group became the focus.

Although Vegas ultimately won the grand prize of Mark Stone, Poile managed to acquire two second-tier talents in Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund and Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds. Exchanging just Ryan Hartman, Kevin Fiala, and a conditional fourth-round pick for two sure bets is some crafty work. Granlund is signed through 2019-20, and Simmonds is a pending free agent. Neither is guaranteed to stick long term, but that’s a lesser concern for a contending team.

Suddenly, Nashville’s dominant top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson has some serious company, and the Western Conference better watch out. - Matisz

Losers

Calgary Flames

The Flames’ lack of cap space killed them this trade period, forcing GM Brad Treliving to watch as rival clubs, particularly within the conference, bulked up significantly. A deal to acquire the Wild's Jason Zucker fell through, which also didn't help matters.

Oscar Fantenberg, from the Kings, ended up being Calgary's lone add. The 27-year-old is a decent defenseman, though his potential impact pales in comparison to that of Vegas’ Mark Stone, Nashville’s Wayne Simmonds and Mikael Granlund, Winnipeg’s Kevin Hayes, and San Jose’s Gustav Nyquist.

The Flames' post-deadline roster leaves much to be desired among the bottom-six forwards and goalies. Calgary needs to hope unexpected starting goalie David Rittich, who’s been a tremendous story this season, doesn’t turn into a pumpkin anytime soon. - Matisz

Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has developed a reputation for making big-time trades, sometimes around the deadline. During crunch time this year, however, he mainly stood on the sideline.

Rutherford made two low-key swaps, bringing in Erik Gudbranson from Vancouver for Tanner Pearson, and receiving Chris Wideman from Florida in exchange for Jean-Sebastian Dea. The Gudbranson move, while defensible given the state of Pittsburgh’s blue line, was a little weird because the incoming player isn't exactly a fit for the modern NHL. He's simply too slow to defend at a high level these days. Wideman for Dea, meanwhile, was essentially a minor-league transaction.

So now, this is the roster Rutherford - who, to be fair, made changes from November through January - has in place as Pittsburgh battles Carolina for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Let's face it: On paper, the Penguins don't have a championship-caliber squad. - Matisz

New York Islanders

The Islanders' biggest move ahead of the trade deadline was inking 37-year-old Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year contract. If that doesn't solidify their status as a deadline-day loser, then what does?

Sure, the Isles lead the Metropolitan Division, but the Washington Capitals trail them by just two points and made two notable additions, picking up Nick Jensen and Carl Hagelin. The Blue Jackets sit third in the division, but they made a bevy of moves to become contenders.

The Islanders had the necessary cap room and prospect capital to be big players on deadline day and add a much-needed injection of offense. Instead, Lou Lamoriello sat on his hands.

The cost for even a subtle addition up front, such as Wayne Simmonds or Marcus Johansson, was well within reach. - Wegman

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