The new NHL season is almost upon us, and man has it been a longer summer! With training camps and preseason games concluded, each team has submitted its final roster as they prepare for the grueling 82 games they have ahead. Only 16 of these teams will make the playoffs and of course only one will have the right to call themselves champions at the end of June.
Before the season starts we take this chance to predict where these teams are ranked. Here are the 32 NHL teams ranked worst to best.
32. Arizona Coyotes
It’s rough times in Glendale. The Coyotes still don’t have a permanent arena to call home and their days in the desert appear numbered. Sadly, their roster also reflects these negative times. Expect another brutal season for the desert dogs.
31. San Jose Sharks
Not too long ago, the Sharks were in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Penguins. Long from the star studded consistent playoff team the used to be, the Sharks will once again find themselves at the bottom of the heap this year.
30. Chicago Blackhawks
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The Blackhawks have spent all summer celebrating the drafting of Connor Bedard and for good reason. However, they failed to develop any real supporting cast for the young star and it seems likely that it takes them a few years to do so.
29. Philadelphia Flyers
The Broadstreet Bullies have become the Broadstreet Bullied. A once promising roster has fallen apart to misery the last couple years. However, there is hope for this team if their young roster can continue to develop and improve. Don’t expect that to happen this year though.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets
With head coach Mike Babcock resigning just days before training camp, Columbus is in free fall. Their roster moves don’t appear enough to fix their shortcomings and with a lack of a structured system this is going to be a rough year.
27. Anaheim Ducks
With what might be the youngest roster in the league, you’ll be hard pressed to find many recognizable names on this team. The rebuild is going in the right direction for Anaheim, but they still have a couple years before they start seeing any real payoff.
26. St. Louis Blues
Not long ago the Blues were Stanley Cup Champions. Every year since it appears the team has gotten worse. This year will be no different as this team’s roster continues to fall apart without any real sign of change.
25. Washington Capitals
All good things must come to an end. With Ovechkin at the tail end of his career, Washington’s time as a top contender appear to be coming quickly to an end. With no real answer to their woes, expect the tailspin to continue as they continue to try to rely on Ovi to carry them.
24. Montreal Canadiens
There are just too many unknowns about this team to rank them anywhere but the middle of the pack. They have a young, developing core that appears to be coming together, but will it be enough to compete in the ultra competitive Atlantic division? I think not.
23. Detroit Red Wings
Detroit at one point in time was a dynasty. After that, they were a consistent playoff team. Now, they’re neither. I don’t expect that to change this season either. Detroit has been a part of a long rebuilding process, and they most likely continue this year.
22. Vancouver Canucks
Rest easy Vancouver fans. The end is coming soon. This painful rebuilding for the boys up north has taken many years, but it appears an end is finally in sight. Maybe not this season though.
21. Calgary Flames
For a while, it seemed Calgary was just one piece away from becoming a true contender and maybe even winning a Cup. They failed to find that piece however, and last season they reaped the consequences. With solid goaltending and managing to keep part of their roster intact, Calgary can still compete, but won’t go very far.
20. Pittsburgh Penguins
How the mighty have fallen. Sixteen straight years of playoffs came to a crashing end last season and it was a long time coming. Since their back to back Cup wins, its been a grueling process as fans slowly watched them fall apart.
19. Nashville Predators
The Predators on paper have solid star power. Last season showed however, its not the same they once had, nor is it enough to carry them. With a severe lack of depth, expect Nashville to flounder around the middle of the pack again this season, maybe making a wild card spot.
18. New York Islanders
Any time the Islanders show their fans hope, they take it away just as fast. New York’s flaws caught up to them and they failed to make the playoffs last season. They might be good enough for a wild card berth this year, but don’t get your hopes up.
17. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets still boast one of the best centers and best goalies in the league. How far can that really carry them though, especially with both guys on the last year of their contracts with seemingly no interest to resign. Dark times lay ahead of Winnipeg.
16. Minnesota Wild
This team’s biggest issue is they have no idea who they are. They have the core to be a playoff team, yet consistently underperform and disappoint. With no major changes don’t expect this season to be the one where that changes.
15. Seattle Kraken
The Kraken shocked the world last season. From the bottom of the league to making the playoffs and dethroning the reigning champs, this team was a fun underdog story. Now they’ll have expectations over them and it’ll be fun to see if they can live up to them.
14. Florida Panthers
The only underdog story that outdid the Kraken, the Panthers entered the playoffs as the bottom seed and made the finals. It’s hard to believe they can recreate it though as glaring issues still remain.
13. Ottawa Senators
It’s been a long rebuild for Ottawa. Years with no real identity might finally be coming to an end as they continue to try to fit the pieces together. This team is young and hungry and are going to be a pain in the neck for anyone who plays them.
12. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are worn out and battered. Their lack of salary cap sees their roster get bled more and more every year. With no real direction to go, it’s likely they continue to slip into a rebuild. For now, they are still a solid team, if not a bruised one.
11. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings finished their rebuild far ahead of schedule to once again become a playoff team. They still need to win a series however and there are some questions heading into this season, particularly in the goaltending department. There are plenty of reasons to be hopeful in this team though.
10. Edmonton Oilers
Boasting some of the best players in the league, the only real thing that holds Edmonton back is depth and consistent goaltending. Not much has changed to fix those issues, so expect Edmonton to dominate the regular season and then fizzle out in the playoffs again.
9. Buffalo Sabres
This team has a lot to be excited about. A young core, real star power, consistent goaltending, and a system that works. Buffalo should end their playoff drought this year and they’ll be a team to watch when they do.
8. New York Rangers
The Eastern Conference’s Oilers. The Rangers boast the best goalie in the world and some real star power to boot. However, they lean on Shesterkin too much, and their lack of depth will most likely bite them again.
7. Boston Bruins
The Bruins were the best team in the league last season and broke multiple records only to lose in the first round. They lost a lot of key players in the offseason including the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Boston won’t have the firepower they did last season, but they still have a pretty good team.
6. Dallas Stars
The Stars get better and better every year. Jake Oettinger has become a stud in net and they have a high powered offense and a solid defense to boot. A deep playoff run last season will only bolster the expectations around this team, but I expect them to meet them.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas are the reigning champs. All eyes are on them. They weren’t supposed to win the Cup given their injuries but they did. It’ll be interesting to see how their goalie situation plays out, and how well they can defend their title.
4. Colorado Avalanche
Even with an outrageous number of injuries, the Avalanche still managed to win the Central Division. If they can find consistent goaltending, I would expect them to do it again. This team is stacked, and is going to be a contender for a while.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
It may be controversial to have the Leafs this high due to their lack of playoff success. However, being a consistent playoff team and consistent top 3 in a stacked division counts for something. Resigning Auston Matthews certainly helps too.
2. New Jersey Devils
This team has become a complete spectacle. Lack of playoff experience got them last season, but it most likely doesn’t again. With a young roster and players like Jack Hughes becoming stars, expect this team to make a deep playoff run.
1. Carolina Hurricanes
Man, this team is good. Carolina was missing just a few pieces to make the Cup run they wanted. They found those pieces and I expect them to build off of the deep playoff run they had last season. Carolina will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
