Contender or pretender: Are these 10 NHL teams for real?

As we reach the NHL's halfway point, we should have a pretty good understanding as to where every team in the league sits. We should know which ones are contenders, which ones are pretenders and which ones are still kind of in the middle ground.

At the top of the list, we know the likes of Tampa Bay, Toronto, Winnipeg, Washington and Nashville (when healthy) are the definite Stanley Cup contenders. They are the best teams in the league, and they are going to be in the mix in May and June.

At the bottom, we know there is a pretty extensive list of teams that are probably not even close to being Stanley Cup contenders at this point for one reason or another: not enough talent, too difficult of a path or just a brutal start to the season that has pretty much already eliminated them from being playoff teams or even in playoff contention. It is a list that includes the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues.

But what about the teams in the middle? The group includes teams that have maybe exceeded expectations this season, or are right on the cusp of being a potentially dangerous team in the postseason, and teams that maybe had slow starts but have started to find their way as the season has gone on. Who among them should be considered a contender or a pretender?

Let us take a look!

Vegas Golden Knights: Contender 

Things did not start out the way the Golden Knights wanted this season, but they have turned it on after the first month. Marc-Andre Fleury has returned to form, they are still getting strong production from their top line and the addition of Paul Stastny (who is finally healthy) should help give them a second quality scoring line. They were playing better than their record at the start of the season indicated and are now starting to get the results. The Knights are still probably the best team in the Pacific Division.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Pretender 

This is a pretty good hockey team, one that should make the playoffs. Still, the Blue Jackets probably don't have the depth to compete with the rest of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and Sergei Bobrovsky has yet to show he can get it done in the postseason. There is also the question of what they do with pending free agents Artemi Panarin and Bobrovsky. Will they trade them? Will they keep them and try to take one more run? Those are big questions to ask as the season goes on.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Contender

They had a terrible start, largely due to some subpar goaltending, but as long as they have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang, all of whom are having great seasons, they are going to be a force to deal with. Matt Murray is back from injury and starting to play like the two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender he is. If he gives them even adequate goaltending, they are going to be a major factor in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.

Colorado Avalanche: Pretender

The Avs are an exciting team because they have the best line in hockey with Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. That line is incredible. It is dominant. There is not another line in the NHL that is close to it. That trio will carry the Avalanche to the playoffs. The problem for them is that it takes more than one line to win a Stanley Cup. The Avalanche have a lot going for them with that core (and perhaps a top draft pick as they own the Ottawa Senators' 2019 first-round draft pick), but they are not yet ready to go against the top teams in the league in the playoffs.

San Jose Sharks: Contender

San Jose is another team that looks great on paper that hasn't quite clicked yet this season, but I wouldn't read too much into that yet. Goaltending has held the Sharks back a bit this season, but they will be able to run out three Norris Trophy-caliber defenders on their blue line come playoff time, and that is a huge advantage. They also do not have a particularly daunting set of potential opponents in the Pacific Division. It is not hard to imagine them getting through the Pacific Division playoff rounds and making it to the Western Conference Final. Once that happens, anything is possible.

Boston Bruins: Pretender

They are very similar to the Avalanche in the sense that they have one amazing line, one great defense pairing and... not much else. I'm also not sure how much I trust the goaltending in the playoffs. Tuukka Rask is still good, but he is not what he used to be. Meanwhile, for as great as Jaroslav Halak has been at times this season, is he going to be able to sustain that if needed?

Calgary Flames: Contender

They are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season, but I'm going to go ahead and put them in the contender category. It's not only because I love the talent at the top of their lineup, but because, again, the Pacific Division is completely wide open and there for the taking. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk are great talents up front, and Mark Giordano is having a Norris Trophy type of season on the blue line. Goaltending will be the big question, but this is the team the Flames had in mind a season ago when they spent all the money in the offseason.

Buffalo Sabres: Pretender 

This season has been a huge step forward for one of the league's perpetual basement dwellers, and it looks like they are going to put an end to their postseason drought. However, the Sabres have too many question marks beyond their top line and on their defense, especially in a division where they would likely have to get through Tampa Bay and Toronto to even get to the Eastern Conference Final. They are on their way, but they have not arrived yet.

Anaheim Ducks: Pretender

This team is doing it with a lot of smoke and mirrors this season. Injuries have hurt the Ducks at times, yes, but they just give up too many shots, too many chances and do not generate enough offensively. If John Gibson sees his play regress even a little bit, this house of cards is going to collapse on itself.

New York Islanders: Pretender

After losing John Tavares in free agency, there were zero expectations for the New York Islanders heading into the season. Yet halfway through the season, the Islanders continue to find themselves in contention for a playoff spot and continue to exceed any and all expectations even the most optimistic of Islanders fans could have had for them. Still, it is probably not enough to make them a contender. 

Like the Ducks, there is a lot of "how are they doing this?" to their style of play because they rely a lot on goaltending to win, and when you're not generating a lot of chances, that is not always a great way to sustain success. They are also facing contract situations with Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson after this season. It is possible one (or all) of them could be gone before the end of the season if the Islanders decide to trade any of them to avoid losing them for nothing. They have story so far this season, and have a great franchise building block in Mathew Barzal, but they are not a contender.