SI.com's NHL 2013 midseason Crystal Ball predictions

Brad Richards :: Henny Ray Abrams/AP

Muir
Brad Richards. He's always been a player who could get lost in the weeds every now and then, but the Richards that I've seen so far this year is in way deeper than that. He's looked so disinterested that I'm surprised John Tortorella hasn't advertised for a heart donor yet. But Richie's always found his way out of slumps, so I have to believe he has a big second-half ahead of him. He has goals in two of his last three after going oh-fer-February, hinting at better times to come.

Kwak
Winnipeg Jets. A 5-8-1 start may have dampened spirits in Winnipeg this season, but the Jets have tightened up defensively over the last month and are very much within striking distance of the Southeast Division-leading Hurricanes. In the opening 14 games, the Jets had a league-worst 3.21 GAA, but have brought that average down to 2.42 since Feb. 19. And what's more, they've already gone through the most grueling parts of their season, travel-wise. Of their 22 remaining games, only nine will be on the road, and last season, the Jets were a far better team in their own building.

Cazeneuve
Chris Kunitz. The guy wasn't chopped liver in the first place -- and even chopped liver could play on Sidney Crosby's line and rack up some points by osmosis. Still, Kunitz has become a superb complement to the game's best player, amassing 37 points and a league-high +22 rating through 27 games. Those are Jari Kurri and (prime) Jaromir Jagr numbers, making Kunitz the game's elite sidekick and, at age 33, a point-per-game player for the first time in his career. Look for him to continue to excel in the second half.

Anaheim Ducks :: Debora Robinson/Getty Images

Muir
Stars in/Sharks out. I'll look ahead: There are nights when Dallas' defensive corps is exposed as a group of pro hockey toddlers, and you wonder how the puck ever gets out of their end. And then there are nights when they thrive on young legs, moxie and a world-class backstop in Kari Lehtonen, and you see the potential shining through. It's hardly a foolproof setup, but I think they might have enough to sneak into the eighth spot after four years on the playoff sidelines. If they do, it'll be at the expense of the Sharks, a team that doesn't seem to have the fight in it to win the battles down low that often lead to goals. Unless GM Doug Wilson makes a significant change to the chemistry up front, the Sharks are finished.

Kwak
Montreal Canadiens. It's tough to say which team I've been more surprised by so far: Montreal or Anaheim. But when you get down to it, the Ducks have a ton of talent and experience on their roster, and though they suffered through a dismal season last year, there were stretches that suggested this team could seriously succeed. So, that leaves the Canadiens, who are my biggest surprise of 2013. Not only did Montreal not tinker much with its pretty underwhelming roster, it let young, star defenseman P.K. Subban sit out the first six games of the season due to a contract impasse. Even more surprising, coach Michel Therrien turned it all around so quickly. Hired last summer, he is the only new bench boss who has more wins than losses this season, which is impressive considering that he did it with essentially no training camp. That said: Anyone who has bought in to the idea of a deep playoff run will likely be rudely surprised, as I think the Habs will be ousted in the first round.

Cazeneuve
Anaheim Ducks. OK, surely you knew the Anaheim Ducks were going to be this good, right? You figured the franchise had done enough re-tooling and that missing the playoffs in 2012 was just a blip on the screen. You suspected Bruce Boudreau was just the man to right the ship and that blueliners Francois Beauchemin and Sheldon Souray would be +17 after just 25 games. Had it nailed, right? Well, I didn't. And while I don't see them reaching the conference final, I do think the Ducks will be a tough playoff out, surprising those who still take them lightly and turning out to be the season's most unexpected success.

Dater
Anaheim Ducks. How many of us had the Anaheim Ducks in the top five before the season? I know I didn't. I saw a team that was too old and that had one, maybe two, good lines and a subpar defense. So maybe that call didn't work out so well for me, but I think they'll still qualify as the season's biggest surprise. Coach Bruce Boudreau should be the landslide Jack Adams Award winner for the job he's done.