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It's that time of year, again -- the quarter pole of the NHL season. The Rangers were the first to hit the mark -- officially, midway through the second period of the 21st game -- which may be the only race they win this season.
We revisited the offseason free-agent pool and rated the teams that dared to get their toes wet on a scale of 1-4 pucks:
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Adam Oates, center: A hand injury has sidelined the playmaking centerman for all but seven games. Still, three assists and a minus-5 aren't exactly what the folks at Disney had in mind.
Fredrik Olausson, defense: With just one point and at a minus-3, the Ducks must be wondering why they reeled in the 36-year-old.
Atlanta Thrashers
Byron Dafoe, goaltender: Hasn't played a minute for the mighty Thrash yet, but with Pasi Nurminen and Milan Hnilicka both well under .900 in save percentage, Lord Byron will be welcomed as a conquering hero.
Uwe Krupp, defense: One game, 16 minutes. What could general manager Don Waddell have been thinking?!
Richard Smehlik, defense: Compared with Krupp, his signing is nothing less than a masterstroke.
Boston Bruins
Bryan Berard, defense: He ain't gonna win any Norris Trophies, but the comeback has turned into a splendid story.
Michal Grosek, left wing: Big, strong, disinterested. And goalless.
Calgary Flames
Martin Gelinas, left wing: A solid pro, his 13 points manning the left side of the top line alongside Jarome Iginla and Craig Conroy has been a welcome addition.
Chicago Blackhawks
Theo Fleury, right wing: Substance-abuse issues have kept him on the sidelines all season. Without Fleury, the vast hole created by the departure of Tony Amonte to the desert has not been filled.
Jason Strudwick, defense: At least his PIMs are up there.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Andrew Cassels, center: So far, arguably the top free-agent acquisition of the summer. His 23 points are a major reason the Jackets are flirting with the .500 plateau.
Luke Richardson, defense: Will never get an audition for Stars on Ice, but he's logging close to 23 minutes a night.
Scott Lachance, defense: Is logging significant minutes at crucial times.
Colorado Avalanche
Serge Aubin, left wing: Brought in to plug holes, play around 10 minutes a game and not hurt the club defensively. So far, so good.
Dallas Stars
Bill Guerin, right winger: They were never going to get fair bang for the $45 million bucks outlayed over five years, but his offense has the power play in the top third of the league and he's taken a portion of the scoring burden off Mike Modano.
Philippe Boucher, defense: The fact he's helping out offensively should be of no great shock. That plus-10 rating and 21 minutes of ice time a night are pleasant surprises.
Scott Young, right wing: Production maybe isn't quite what had been expected, but the signs are there.
Ulf Dahlen, right wing: A solid pro, and a nice complement to the No. 1 right winger on the club, Jere Lehtinen.
Detroit Red Wings
Curtis Joseph, goal: Admits experiencing a bit of trouble fitting in early. Still, the best available replacement for the retired Dominik Hasek.
Florida Panthers
Stephane Matteau, left wing: Nobody recycles old favorites like Iron Mike. This time with questionable results.
Los Angeles Kings
Chris McAlpine, defense: With Jaroslav Modry, Mathieu Schneider, Lubomir Visnovsky, Andreas Lilja and Mattias Norstrom ahead of him, a spare part.
Montreal Canadiens
Randy McKay, right wing: The Habs coveted his size and strength but he's a long ways from those 20-plus goal season in Joisey.
Nashville Predators
Andreas Johansson, left winger: The enigmatic Swede finally seems to have found a home, in Music City, USA, strangely enough.
Clarke Wilm, center: Grit, and, say, weren't the Preds pretty well stocked with this model of forward anyway?
Brent Gilchrist, left winger: On this team, a minus-4 is fairly impressive. Considering he was minus-16 in 286 games with a defensively-sound team like Dallas, it's even moreso.
New York Rangers
Darius Kasparaitis, defense: He's minus-11 and the old chippiness has surfaced only occasionally. What, ONLY 22 penalty minutes?
Bobby Holik, center: Injuries have limited him to 10 starts. The salary-heavy Rangers can only hope he can begin to justify the massive outlay they showered on him.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Marc Bergevin, defense: Stay-at-home blueliner who can play 19 minutes a game and be even in plus-minus has to be considered at least a mild success.
Phoenix Coyotes
Tony Amonte, right wing: Counted on to ignite the offense, his meager five-goal total is a main reason the 'Yotes are floundering offensively.
Kelly Buchberger, right wing: No illusions here. Bucky provides leadership and tenacity. But at only eight and a half minutes of playing time a game, his moderate impact is on the wane.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Tom Fitzgerald, right wing: Brought in strictly for depth and his leadership ability. Has delivered both ably.
Ed Belfour, goal: Actually, the stats, outside of a .500 winning percentage, aren't bad. It's going to take a while, though, for Leafs fans to forget Curtis Joseph -- and Eddie the Eagle isn't the easiest guy on the planet to warm up to.
Trevor Kidd, goal: One win, a goals-against-average over 4.00 and a save percentage under .850. Ugh!
Washington Capitals
Robert Lang, center: Having him around makes Jags happy and the veteran Czech pivot ranks second on the team in scoring.
Kip Miller, left wing: Top-scoring left winger on the club, which isn't saying a lot but there it is.
George Johnson of the Calgary Herald is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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