Which bottom dweller NHL team is most likely to make the playoffs next season?
We’re starting to see separation in the standings as we get deeper into the NHL stretch run. At the very least, we understand who the true bottom dwellers are at this point.
Among the teams eliminated already or soon to be eliminated…which one is most likely to make the playoffs next season?
MATT LARKIN: I can’t shake the idea that the Boston Bruins are playing possum. On the surface, we see a tanker team that sold off Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and others at the Trade Deadline and has since sunk to last in the Eastern Conference. But the Bruins are still committed to David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, Hampus Lindholm and, whether they like it or not, Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov long-term. They also have more than $27 million in projected cap space to play with next season. Add in a possible top-five pick…and the Bruins could reload far quicker than some people realize.
SCOTT MAXWELL: Now that the offseason hype surrounding the Nashville Predators has died down, I think they’re due to bounce back next season after an offseason of fine-tuning. As much as they disappointed this year, it does feel like the team is too talented to be this bad for more than just one season. And the numbers back that up. After a disappointing first 30 games that saw them manage just a 47.42 5v5 xGF% (24th in the league), a 2.33 5v5 xGF.60 (tied for 23rd), and a 2.59 5v5 xGA/60 (tied for 24th), since Dec. 14, that’s bounced back to a 52.68% xGF% (ninth), a 2.64 5v5 xGF/60 (tied for 10th), and a 2.37 5v5 xGA/60 (eighth). Sure, they’re still 19-24-2 in that span, but that’s due to a league-worst 0.971 PDO. It’s been a weird season for Nashville, one that started with them playing terribly and then, when they finally turned their play around, they got unlucky. I wouldn’t say these numbers make me think they’ll be the team they expected to be when they signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, but I think they’ll be more like the 2023-24 squad that had a strong forecheck and got good goaltending from Juuse Saros, competitive enough to make the playoffs. And if they can manage to land a top pick and get Michael Misa or James Hagens in the Draft, I like their chances even more with an actual high-upside center to build around.
PAUL PIDUTTI: I’m going to have faith in the Vancouver Canucks. While it’s clear they rode some good fortune to last year’s 109-point breakout season and playoff run, they’ve got a higher gear than this year’s inconsistent, distracted, injury-riddled mess. While counting on Thatcher Demko’s health might be the new definition of insanity, even a half-season of availability changes the team’s outlook. Surely, Elias Pettersson will score more than 15 goals and 45 points next season. Quinn Hughes being in and out of the lineup led to further instability, so there are some net gains there too. The loss of production from J.T. Miller and potentially Brock Boeser needs to be addressed. But I’ll trust that any front office led by free-wheeling Hall of Famer Jim Rutherford won’t sit back this summer while Hughes is at the peak of his powers. This might not be a Cup-winning core as constructed, but there’s room for a major bounceback in B.C.
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