We’re less than one week from meaningful hockey, and yes, you’ve seen a million previews. But what if I told you this one was going to be accurate?
It won’t be, for the record.Probably not even close. But what if I *told* you that? Let’s pretend that I just did.
It’s time for the annual four-division gimmick, one that’s so old it stretches back to a time when the NHL having four division was considered news. The rules have stayed consistent ever since. I get four divisions: the bottom-feeders, the middle-of-the-pack, the legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and then the teams I just have no idea about. And as I enjoy making my own life difficult, that eight-teams-per-division rule is mandatory.
Sounds simple enough.And in theory, it is … as long as we pretend that an NHL season is ever predictable. Let’s start from the bottom and work our way up.
The bottom-feeder division
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last season, one of the eight bottom-feeders made the playoffs. Also, another one of them had five more points than the playoff team but missed out on the postseason, as the NHL makes sense.
San Jose Sharks
Last season: 20-50-12, -102 goals differential, finished dead last
Their offseason in six words: Lots of churn, another top prospect.
Why they’re here: Dom’s model says they improved more than any other team in the offseason. That’s good news; the not-so-good is that they’ve got a mile to go to be competitive. You can see the long-term vision, but right now the emphasis is still on the “long.”
Chicago Blackhawks
Last season: 25-46-11, -68 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: Jeff Blashill is new, roster isn’t.
Why they’re here: Because it’s clearly where they want to be, at least for one more year. Kyle Davidson’s rebuild hasn’t been subtle and we’re still waiting to find out if it’s ultimately effective. It’s doubtful that we’ll get that answer this year,as the Hawks seem content to punt the last season of Connor Bedard’s rookie deal on yet another lottery season.
Seattle Kraken
Last season: 35-41-6, -17 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: New coach. New GM. New era?
Why they’re here: They’re on their third coach in the last three years, and Ron Francis is out as GM (but still involved). Lane Lambert and Jason Botterill both had tough first NHL stints, and both probably need this to go well if it’s not going to be their last shot. They might find that success in Seattle, but I don’t see a path to it this season.
Nashville Predators
Last season: 30-44-8, -62 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: No “offseason champions” banner this time.
Why they’re here: I’ll admit I didn’t see last year’s disaster coming, so maybe there’s rebound potential here that I’m missing, too. But the gap they have to make up is large, and Barry Trotz didn’t do a ton to start bridging it. Andrew Brunette sure feels like a guy who’ll either be a Jack Adams finalist or looking for work by t
Calgary Flames
last season: 37-39-6, -23 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: fine, thanks, no changes here.
Why they’re here: Because it’s where they seem to want to be.Dustin Wolf is a stud and could win multiple Vezinas over the next decade, but beyond that I’m not sure I see the plan in Calgary. The rest of the roster is OK.The prospect pipeline is OK. They’re not rebuilding, but also not going for it. For now, at least, the Flames seem perfectly content to hang around the playoff mix, hoping they can sneak in without ever really scaring anyone once they’re there.
Ottawa Senators
Last season: 45-30-7, +10 goals differential, lost in first round
Their offseason in six words: Lars Eller? Sure, fine, why not.
Why they’re here: As it’s pretty clear that the Senators are on the path to better things, but we’re still not sure just how high the ceiling is going to be. For now, a return to the playoffs feels like it should be the floor, and cracking the atlantic’s big three is certainly in play.
Minnesota Wild
Last season: 45-30-7, -11 goals differential, lost in first round
Their offseason in six words: Kaprizov has signed! Wait, how much?
Why they’re here: I could make a joke about how “They’re the Wild” here, wich would be tired and cliched and hackneyed and also kind of true. The reality is, after a 97-point season, they’re a lot closer to the next division than the last one.I’m just not quite sold yet, especially in the Central, even though they got rid of the Kirill Kaprizov distraction just in time.
Utah mammoth
Last season: 38-31-13, -7 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: We have a name! (and Peterka.)
why they’re here: the Mammoth landed one of the biggest prizes of the trade market in JJ Peterka, which should be enough to at least nudge them into the playoff mix. It’s hard to see a path to much more than that, though, especially in a top-heavy central. Our previews have them as the league’s 17th best team, and you can’t get much more middle-of-the-pack than that.
The NHL’s Eight Divisions: A Preseason Power Ranking
The NHL is changing. With eight divisions now in place, the league is attempting to create more parity and regional rivalries. but does it actually matter? Yes, because even in a league designed to minimize differences, some teams are still better than others. Here’s a look at the eight divisions, ranked from least to most engaging, with a snapshot of the key contenders in each.
Atlantic Division
Last season’s top teams: Boston Bruins (57-25-10), Toronto Maple leafs (52-21-9)
Their offseason in six words: Bruins age, Leafs… still Leafs.
Why they’re here: The Bruins’ success was largely fueled by a historically good season from Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Replicating that is unlikely. The Leafs, meanwhile, are still trying to figure out how to translate regular-season success into playoff wins.This division is solid, but lacks a true juggernaut.
Metropolitan Division
Last season’s top teams: carolina Hurricanes (52-21-9), New Jersey Devils (52-22-8)
Their offseason in six words: Canes consistent, Devils need more.
why they’re here: The Hurricanes are a model of consistency, but haven’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs. The Devils took a big step forward last season, but need more from their supporting cast to truly contend. This division is competitive, but lacks the star power of some others.
Central Division
Last season’s top teams: Colorado Avalanche (51-28-3), Winnipeg Jets (52-21-9)
Last season: 49-29-4, +42 goals differential, lost in first round
Their offseason in six words: Run it back? Run it back.
Why they’re here: Because nobody should overreact to last season’s early exit. Yes, they’ll have to beat the Stars to get where they want to be, and ideally they wouldn’t have to do it in the first round. This is still a stacked team, and one that probably won’t have to spend the first month of the season figuring out its goaltending this time. (Plus they’ll have Sidney Crosby after the deadline, so…)
Dallas Stars
Last season: 50-26-6, +53 goals differential, lost in conference final
Their offseason in six words: Round three? Not good enough, coach.
Why they’re here: They’re arguably the most talented roster in the entire league. No, they haven’t been able to get over the conference-final hump, and Glen Gulutzan will be under plenty of pressure to change that. But if we’re going to have eight teams in this division,finding a spot for the team that always makes the final four isn’t all that tough.
NHL Teams Most Likely to Disappoint in 2024-25
Columbus Blue Jackets
Last season: 32-39-11, -26 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: The Columbus tax is real, Ivan.
Why they’re here: Because I don’t have the heart to put them back in the bottom-dwellers division, even as I’m not sure they can hang in the middle. I’d love to eat crow here – not many have pumped the Blue Jackets’ tires as much as I have over the years – and they certainly exceeded expectations last season. Let’s just say I’m not optimistic, but I’d love to be wrong.
Boston Bruins
Last season: 33-39-10, -49 goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: Surely Tanner Jeannot will fix this.
Why they’re here: I had the Bruins in this same confusing group a year ago,but I’ll happily admit I never saw their disastrous season coming. At the absolute worst, you could have maybe talked me into a playoff miss. But tied for dead last in the conference? It wouldn’t have made sense.I’m still not sure it does.The Bruins need a rebuild, and they started that process at the deadline, so a few years of losing feel certain. But if Jeremy Swayman rebounds, is it really that hard to imagine this team being around the postseason hunt reasonably deep into the season?
Washington Capitals
Last season: 51-22-9, +57 goals differential, lost in second round
Their offseason in six words: pretty quiet. Yep. Pretty, pretty quiet.
Why they’re here: because I’ve been wrong about them for two years running, so why even pretend I can figure this team out? Caps fans will say it’s simple: They’re consistently better than I give them credit for, and I should stop doubting and get on board. They were the conference’s top seed last season, after all. what are they going to do, go from that to missing the playoffs? I kind of think they might, actually. And given my track record, Washington fans should be thrilled to hear it.
New York Rangers
Last season: 39-36-7, even goals differential, missed playoffs
Their offseason in six words: Fix this mess please, Mike Sullivan.
Why they’re here: it feels like there’s no way they can be as bad as last year. then again, they were that bad last season, and on paper the roster got worse over the summer. Sullivan will certainly help, even though I don’t think Peter Laviolette was the problem.If I had to divide up the odds, I’d say there’s about a 70 percent chance the Rangers are back in the playoff mix, and a 30 percent chance they’re bad enough that Chris Drury launches…