One question facing each NHL team heading into the second half of 2023-24

For the second time this season, all 32 teams will play on Saturday, with the first game beginning 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.

This slate of games also comes as the NHL hits its halfway mark and with some teams having already crossed the 41-game line. Playoff races are taking shape, buyers and sellers are separating, and hard questions are being asked.

In less than two months we'll be at the trade deadline and, before you know it, the playoffs will be here.

With that in mind, we are looking at one question facing each team in the second half of their season, from award considerations to trade plans, tough calls and more.

New York Rangers (26-12-2) at Washington (19-14-6): 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT

Rangers: Can Igor Shesterkin have a stronger second half?

New York has emerged as one of the East's top contenders the past two years, reaching the conference final two years ago but was bounced in Round 1 by rival New Jersey last spring. And, so far in 2023-24, the Rangers are still in that high-end collection of teams, sitting first in the Metropolitan Division after 40 games. But not everything is perfect here. The Rangers have struggled to defend off the rush, are 17th in expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play and generally don't dominate the control of play. This has put more pressure on Igor Shesterkin, who has a career-low .904 save percentage and career-high 2.85 GAA to this point. A lot of that is because of leaks in front of him, but if Shesterkin returns to Vezina calibre, New York's already strong season will really take off — and the East is there for a team like this to take.

Capitals: Will the power play be able to keep turning around in the second half?

Through the early part of the season, the Capitals' power play was atrocious, converting on less than 10 per cent of its opportunities and sitting at the bottom of the league for most of the first two months. A new coach and a new system were both big factors, and so too was the fact that the NHL's all-time leader in power-play goals, Alex Ovechkin, had just one such goal in the first quarter. However, over the past month and a half, the Capitals have been converting on 21.3 per cent of their man-advantage opportunities. Still hanging around the playoff picture, that cannot slip back again if they're going to challenge the likes of New Jersey and Tampa Bay to qualify in a wild-card spot.

Vancouver (28-11-3) at Buffalo (18-20-4): 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

Canucks: When, and what, will they start buying?

One of the surprise teams of the first half, much has and will be made about Vancouver's sky-high shooting percentage and league-leading PDO (combined shooting and save percentage), which can sometimes signal incoming regression. But you'd be mistaken to think that means these Canucks will suddenly revert back to where they were a year ago. No, when you're challenging for first place in the league and have Jim Rutherford running the front office, attention in the second half turns to how active the team might be in the trade market. In our most recent top 25 trade candidates list, there were a couple Canucks (Nils Hoglander, Andrei Kuzmenko) who could be swapped to help make money work. But there's no doubt this team will be buying — the questions are which positions they'll address, how early they'll strike and how big they'll swing. Rutherford teams tend to get a jump on the market.

Sabres: What are the takeaways from a season that, if not lost already, is quickly slipping away?

GM Kevyn Adams committed to his young core early but this season was another reminder of how rebuilds — no matter how promising — don't always have a smooth incline. There is work still to be done surrounding the core group with experienced veterans with something to contribute and they clearly jumped the gun in how much they put on youngsters Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in net. Left untouched, this rebuild risks drifting away like the Jack Eichel-led years, and Adams' tall task is to prevent that from happening. Will the coach's job be at risk? Will they buy anything at the deadline? Does this get to a point where presumed core pieces get moved?

San Jose (10-29-3) at Ottawa (14-23-0): 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

Sharks: How much can they add to their draft capital?

Let's face it: It's going to be a long second half for the Sharks, who are mostly working on improving their draft odds to land Macklin Celebrini. Before that is the trade deadline, where Sharks Kaapo Kahkonen, Kevin Labanc, Anthony Duclair and Mario Ferraro could be had. The Sharks already have two first-rounders (and will add a third if the Devils make the Eastern Conference final) and are shaping up to get more picks. Can they land another first this season?

Senators: Could they be a surprise team in the trade market?

In most cases when a team is 19 points out of the playoffs at the midway mark, as the Senators are, the trade approach is pretty straightforward: move out expiring contracts and/or vets, bring in draft capital and/or prospects. But Ottawa is supposed to be past that. Sure, they could still flip their two pending UFAs — Dominik Kubalik and Vladimir Tarasenko are fifth and sixth on the team in goals — but could such a disappointing half make the organization think deeper? Remember, everything is new about the shot-callers now; new owner, front office and coach. These aren't the folks who built this roster. That doesn't mean the whole thing is about to get blown up, but might they kick around the idea of moving any one piece from the core?

New Jersey (21-15-3) at Florida (27-12-2): 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT

Devils: Will the goaltending improve?

At the first quarter mark, it was notable how poorly New Jersey's five-on-five offence was going, but in the second quarter it had the league's second-best shooting percentage and third-best even-strength offence. Problem solved. Lingering is a troubling goalie issue, however. The Devils remain at the bottom of the league in team save percentage (.880), which is making their road back to the playoffs tougher to travel. Sitting a two points out of the wild card with a negative goal differential, New Jersey's top priority is to somehow, someway, find a goalie who can stabilize things.

Panthers: How much is it going to cost to keep Sam Reinhart?

Building off last year's Stanley Cup Final run, the Panthers are largely exceeding pre-season expectations by challenging Boston for the Atlantic Division. One of the most surprising storylines here is Sam Reinhart's quest for 50 goals, as he sits at 30 through 41 games. It's a contract-year explosion for Reinhart, who scored 33 and 31 goals in his first two years with the Panthers. This is setting up for an interesting next contract. Currently making $6.5 million AAV, a 50-goal season opens the door to a sizeable pay raise, especially in light of the rising salary cap. But Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky are already $10-million players and Matthew Tkachuk at $9.5 million. They have to be careful, too, because the Panthers used up most of their trade assets at previous deadlines.

Edmonton (22-15-1) at Montreal (17-18-6): 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT

Oilers: What will Ken Holland prioritize in his last trade deadline?

He doesn't have any more legacy building to do in his career, but Ken Holland's last GM job in the NHL will be trying to find the final pieces that get the Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl Oilers over the top. He's swung big before, bringing in Mattias Ekholm last season and the Zach Hyman signing has been an enormous success. This is expected to be Holland's last deadline before he walks into retirement, and his last chance to go for a Stanley Cup. What does he choose to prioritize?

Canadiens: Can Juraj Slafkovsky break out with a strong second half?

Earlier this week, Eric Engels wrote a notebook that included how far Juraj Slafkovsky had come with his two-way awareness and how that was paying off with opportunity and trust from the coach. The offensive numbers have still been slow to come for 2022's first-overall pick, with 10 points in his first 39 NHL games last season and 15 in his next 41 this season, but if you look closely, you see signs of it coming together. Now on the top line, Slafkovsky's minutes have been on the rise, and while, yes, he has just 15 points, more than half of those have come in the past 12 games. Heads up for a notable step up in the next 41 games.

Philadelphia (22-14-6) at Winnipeg (28-9-4): 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Flyers: Can they hold off Metro Division challengers?

The Flyers have been one of the best stories of the first half, overachieving pre-season expectations and sitting third in the Metro Division. But look at some of the teams chasing them in the race: New Jersey, which finished with 112 points last season, Pittsburgh and even Washington, which has a few games in hand of the Flyers. When it comes to the wild card, the Flyers could be competing against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a much more established team. Philadelphia has struggled mightily on the power play and Friday's result gave it the first back-to-back wins in a month. If the Flyers can figure out the man advantage and be more consistent, they might be able to finish the job and get in.

Jets: Are they Canada's best team?

While the Flyers have been one of the best stories of the first half, surely the Jets are the best story of the first half. Before the puck dropped on 2023-24, it was unclear if Winnipeg's best players wanted to stay or if they'd follow the likes of Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois out the door in a contract-year trade. Instead, both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck re-upped. Then, low attendance was an early-season concern, a bad omen for the market. Winning cures everything, though, and as the Jets sit atop the entire NHL at the halfway mark, all those prior concerns have vanished and we're talking about them as a Stanley Cup challenger again.

Seattle (18-14-9) at Columbus (13-20-9): 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Kraken: Can Joey Daccord keep it rolling?

Since the start of December, Daccord's .949 save percentage is tops among all regular starters, as is his 1.56 GAA. He's outperformed the now-injured Philipp Grubauer and has led the Kraken on an eight-game winning streak — highlighted by shutting out Vegas in the Winter Classic — to get them back into the thick of the wild-card race.

Blue Jackets: What will happen with Elvis Merzlikins?

Columbus hasn't played its presumed No. 1 since Dec. 29 and, actually, has made him a healthy scratch and the No. 3 in four of the six games since. Head coach Pascal Vincent has said he wants to see what Daniil Tarasov, a 24-year-old prospect, has to offer, but why scratch Merzlikins? Speaking to the media Friday, the Latvian netminder said he hadn't requested a trade, but also bluntly said he wasn't a backup. He makes $5.4 million for another three seasons beyond this one and, though he's playing pretty well this season (.907 save percentage, one goal saved above expected), he had his worst season ever in 2022-23. Is there a buyer for such a player, or what is the next step in this relationship?

Los Angeles (20-10-8) at Detroit (20-16-5): 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Kings: Can Pierre-Luc Dubois break out of his funk?

As the Winnipeg Jets sit atop the league with contributions from everyone acquired in their big summer swap, their trade partner, the Kings, are third in the Pacific largely thanks to a solid start that has softened by going 4-6-5 in the past month and losing seven in a row. A defensively stout team getting good goaltending behind it, Los Angeles' offence has dried up. Recently, Pierre-Luc Dubois, who L.A. picked up from Winnipeg and signed for eight years at an $8.5 million AAV, was dropped to the fourth line. He has the team's worst on-ice goals for percentage, and just seven goals and 16 points after posting back-to-back career years in both stat categories with the Jets. The Kings have designs on making a deep playoff run, and one of their strengths should be elite centre depth.

Red Wings: Can Alex Lyon lead another team into the playoffs?

While Detroit stayed in the playoff picture longer than most thought they would last season before fading near the end, Alex Lyon was playing for the Florida Panthers and went on a regular season-ending hot streak that snuck them into the post-season. Florida didn't keep Lyon, he signed with Detroit and, lo and behold, the 31-year-old journeyman is emerging as perhaps their best netminder. After a sweep through California, the Wings are still in the playoff mix.

Anaheim (14-26-1) at Tampa (21-17-5): 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Ducks: Is a breakup with Trevor Zegras coming?

Before breaking his ankle this week, the trade winds were beginning to blow around Zegras after a four-goal, seven-point start to his season in 20 games. This latest injury is his second of the season and will keep him out six to eight weeks, bumping right up against the trade deadline. The Ducks traded Jamie Drysdale for another scoring forward prospect in Cutter Gauthier this week and that's led to speculation they could be more open to moving the dynamic Zegras.

Lightning: Will they round into form or are they at risk of missing the playoffs?

Tampa Bay sits in the East's second wild-card spot heading into the weekend, but has more games played than anyone in the race around it. Nikita Kucherov is a Hart Trophy and Art Ross candidate, the Lightning's power play is fourth overall, but not everything is coming together as tightly as before ... yet. These Lightning get outshot, outchanced and outscored, with a minus-7 goal differential and just 21 wins in 43 games. Since Andrei Vasilevskiy returned from back surgery, he's had an .896 save percentage, stopping two goals above expected.

Pittsburgh (20-15-5) at Carolina (23-13-5): 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Penguins: In his first trade deadline at the helm, how will Kyle Dubas balance team needs?

Still in the hunt, the Penguins are a veteran team seemingly caught in the mushy middle but still with a sort of urgency to win in the final years of the Crosby-Malkin-Letang era. Their top-10 protected first-round pick is gone, sent off in the Erik Karlsson trade, and their prospect pool is shallow. That's an organizational problem for another day, but does limit their trade options for now. And then there's Jake Guentzel's status as a pending UFA. The Penguins' scoring leader is pacing around career-best numbers, but he's also a trade candidate.

Hurricanes: Can they get over the hump?

On paper, Carolina has the ingredients to go the distance, and the expectation is still to do just that. The Hurricanes are top 10 in both special teams, a top-10 offence and still one of the best team defences and bluelines in the league. Though there's some question in net, Carolina is three points off the Rangers' pace in the Metropolitan Division and 11th in the league by points percentage. The Hurricanes also have about $3.5 million in cap space, a luxury that should position them better than most at the deadline. But nothing matters until the playoffs for a team that has been on the cusp for a little over a half decade. When the Canes have exited the playoffs, they've usually exited fast, including last season, when they were swept by Florida in the conference final.

Colorado (27-12-3) at Toronto (21-10-8): 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Avalanche: Will Gabriel Landeskog come back?

In an effort to get back on top, Colorado will surely be a buyer again this deadline with a need for more forwards. But there remains hope that another big addition could happen. Team captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has not played since that Stanley Cup-winning game in June 2022, was back skating with the team this week, though with the caution that a return isn't in the offing. Still, the hope was always that he could make it back for the playoffs and this gives hope that timeline could still be met.

Maple Leafs: How many goals does Auston Matthews need to score to lock up the Hart?

The last NHLers to score 70 goals in a season were Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny, back in 1992-93, and it's a mark reached only 14 times in league history. This season, Auston Matthews is pacing to reach that total, scoring 33 goals in his first 38 games. You'd think he'd be a locked-in first-half candidate for the Hart Trophy, but there are other solid candidates as well, from Nathan MacKinnon to Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid to Artemi Panarin. Is there a goal total Matthews could get to that would make it next to impossible to give anyone else the MVP?

Arizona (20-18-2) at Minnesota (17-19-5): 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Coyotes: Will they get any traction on a new arena site?

It's hard to be optimistic, given where the team is and the false starts that have come before, but it seems the Coyotes are nearing an announcement that will unveil the next piece of land they'll focus arena efforts on. This time, it's expected to avoid a referendum. Team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said the team committed to the NHL to have its next plans in place by the end of this season. From there, we'll see ...

Wild: Is Marc-Andre Fleury going to pop up as a trade candidate?

Absent from our most recent top 25 trade candidates list, the future Hall of Fame netminder is nonetheless a name that could start being talked about. Minnesota is battling both a cap crunch and a piling up of injuries that has strained the lineup and, as a result, it's been sliding back in the playoff race. With a 7-9-2 record, .892 save percentage and 3.12 GAA, Fleury isn't a game-stealing No. 1 anymore, but several teams are seeking help at the position, and he could certainly provide that. You could do worse than Marc-Andre Fleury as your emergency option in net.

Boston (24-8-9) at St. Louis (21-18-1): 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Bruins: Will Jeremy Swayman get a heavier workload, and how would he handle it?

With Linus Ullmark leaving Tuesday's game in OT with an injury, the Bruins called up Brandon Bussi and turned to Jeremy Swayman for Tuesday's 2-1 OT loss in Vegas. Swayman and Ullmark had evenly split starts this season, keeping them both fresh and atop their games, and both are performing like standalone No. 1s. But with Ullmark out (being called day-to-day, for now) and key defenceman Brandon Carlo on IR, Swayman will be given a heavier workload than usual. And though Swayman has emerged as a really good goaltender in Boston over the past couple of years, his career high in games played is 41 and his career high for consecutive starts is five. A pending RFA with arbitration rights this summer, Swayman will be due a hefty raise, while Ullmark has one more season on his contract before becoming UFA-eligible. The Bruins might have to move on from one this summer and this could be Swayman's chance to show he can handle the pressures of being an unchallenged No. 1.

Blues: Can Drew Bannister pull them back to the playoffs?

Since taking over for Craig Berube, Bannister's Blues are 8-4-0, have won in a variety of ways and have knocked off the likes of Vancouver, Dallas and the New York Rangers. Both Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer are holding down the net, while the defensive play in front of them has seemed to tighten. There's a new-coach bump going on here for sure; the question is how long it can run for and if it means the Blues can make a playoff push after missing out last season.

New York Islanders (19-12-10) at Nashville (23-18-1): 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Islanders: Can Noah Dobson make a play for the Norris Trophy?

Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar will be difficult to overcome, but New York's Dobson is having quite a breakout season that deserves recognition. The 25-year-old is third at the position in assists and points, and second in average ice time behind Drew Doughty. Dobson will be a huge figure in New York's second-half push through a crowded playoff race — and even if winning the Norris isn't in the cards this season, being named a finalist would be a huge step.

Predators: What's up with Juuse Saros?

It would have been hard to imagine the Predators being in the playoff picture with Saros posting a sub-.900 save percentage and ranking 82nd of 87 goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected, but here we are. Nashville holds the first wild-card spot in the West even with Saros playing so out of character, so you can imagine what a boost it'd be if he could return to form. Saros allowed five or more goals in a game seven times all of last season; he's equaled that amount halfway through 2023-24, and it's happened in four of his past five starts.

Dallas (24-12-5) at Chicago (12-28-2): 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Stars: Will we see Mavrik Bourque or Logan Stankoven?

Third in the Metro, the Stars certainly aren't hard up for scoring — they're second in the NHL with 3.66 goals per game and have a 23.3 per cent power play. All four lines are humming and Dallas, overall, is in pretty good shape. But Bourque and Stankoven, the Stars' first- and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021, respectively, are both crushing the AHL, where they sit 1-2 in league scoring. The Stars have the luxury of waiting — and not a tonne of cap space to spare — but we wonder if we'll see either of these players at some point over the next 41 games.

Blackhawks: When will Connor Bedard return?

There is not much worth writing about — or watching — in Chicago this dreadful season beyond what Bedard is doing as a rookie. Out with a broken jaw, the timetable for his return is six to eight weeks, but there was hope he could get back ahead of that. However, the Blackhawks, of course, won't rush it. At the moment, Bedard still holds a nine-point lead in the rookie scoring race over Minnesota's Marco Rossi and Columbus' Adam Fantilli. New Jersey's Luke Hughes, a defenceman, is right there too. That gap will tighten as long as Bedard is out, which could give us a Calder race to watch in the final weeks.

Calgary (19-18-5) at Vegas (24-13-5): 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Flames: Is Jonathan Huberdeau coming out of an extended slump?

With eight points in his past seven games, is Huberdeau finding his offensive mojo after a season-and-a-half of struggling in Calgary? The Flames sure hope so. We wouldn't expect for him to come all the way back to a 115-point pace player he was in his final season in Florida, but re-establishing himself as a consistent threat would go a long way for a Flames team that still hope it could make the playoffs, even if it's setting up to be a seller. So, is this just a hot streak of a few games, or is Huberdeau a new player?

Golden Knights: Can they get healthy and back on track again?

Vegas has fallen off Vancouver's pace and trails the Canucks by six points through 42 games. Shea Theodore has been out since November, Adin Hill since mid-December and William Karlsson since the Winter Classic. The Knights have won just four of their past 12 games, scoring at least three goals in five of those games, but really they've been drifting a bit since November. After a red-hot start — becoming the first defending champ to begin the season 7-0-0 — the Golden Knights have been 13-13-4 since Nov. 5, the day after a decisive 7-0 win over Colorado. In that time, Vegas is 24th in points percentage, 25th in goals per game, 14th in goals against, 18th in power-play percentage and 25th on the penalty kill. And don't look now, but the streaking Oilers are coming up fast.