A guide to the competitive stage each team is at

[madmike77]

The Flames are $20 million under the cap. They’re not trying to be average. They’re tanking. They’ll be bottom -5 this year.

 

[AD1066]

"One must imagine Buffalo fans happy."

I take it back, Camus was wrong.

 

[Bizz]

The Sharks are literally a goalie and a top end RHD away from being cup favorites.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I thought this would be useful for a new NHL fan who wonders where each team is heading at currently.

Contenders - Trending up
- Colorado
- Edmonton
- Rangers
- Vancouver

Contenders - middle of the wave
- Toronto
- Florida
- Dallas
- Nashville
- Vegas

Contenders - Trending down
- Tampa
- Boston
- Carolina

Trying to stay competitive but not strong enough to contend
- Winnipeg
- Los Angeles
- Seattle

Direction of the team unclear (trying to stay average?)
- Islanders
- St. Louis
- Minnesota
- Columbus

Trending down - Should start a rebuild but aren't in a position to do so
- Washington
- Pittsburgh
- Calgary

Rebuild over and trending up
- New Jersey
- Detroit
- Utah
- Buffalo
- Ottawa

Late stages of a rebuild
- Montreal
- Anaheim

Early stages of a rebuild
- Philadelphia
- San Jose
- Chicago

Vegas seems to think NJ is a contender ahead of many of these teams.

 

[ameselare]

Vegas seems to think NJ is a contender ahead of many of these teams.

There were a lot of "NJ is gonna win the cup" predictions coming into the 23-24 season. I thought it was ridiculous considering the youth + goaltending. Key injuries and McLeod leaving screwed their playoff hopes but their team is a hell of a lot better this year than last year. Still think the young guys need a few more years to really hit their stride but if Jack Hughes can stay healthy, he's a force.

As soon as I saw Toronto in the same bracket as Florida I stopped reading

Similarly, so many people completely wrote Florida off going into 23-24 due to the injuries to Ekblad and Montour. It was very stupid.

This Toronto team doesn't seem like a cohesive unit of players at all. They'll be good but I don't think they'll be making any real progress in the post season.

 

[UED]

I think the Avs and Hurricanes just might both miss the playoffs. They have absolutely putrid lineups past their stars. The Avs start every game up 2-0 due to MacKinnon so it might just not be possible for them to miss, would be quite shocking but if anyone can do it it's them if you've seen their lineup.

 

[Barry Tallackson]

 

[Soundgarden]

Nashville should be a playoff lock, it was already hard to miss with Saros, Josi, Forsberg and Ror, it'll be even harder with Stamkos and Marchessault on our second line.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Not part of OP’s category list but I place Canes in a re-building year targeted to scale up again (commencing in ‘25).

 

[Three On Zero]

Nashville should be a playoff lock, it was already hard to miss with Saros, Josi, Forsberg and Ror, it'll be even harder with Stamkos and Marchessault on our second line.

Arguably Nashville has had the best off season so far.

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

I’d definitely rank Toronto as trying to stay competitive but not strong enough to be true contenders category.

 

[PocketNines]

The Sharks are literally a goalie and a top end RHD away from being cup favorites.

They are a mere #1D and a #1G away from being the team everyone thinks will win the Cup, you say? That is close, wow

 

[JPeeper]

Flames are clearly in year 1 of a re-build. Sold off literally half our team, traded our starting goalie, have the most cap space in the league, have multiple 1st rounders for 3 years straight (2 now after the past draft) compounded with even more picks in rounds 2-7.

We haven't even evolved into our worst iteration yet, wait until the McKenna draft when we offload Andersson, Backlund, and Coleman. Oh yes.

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

Vegas seems to think NJ is a contender ahead of many of these teams.

Sports betting by state:

 

[I am Bettman]

Bruins are trending up, not down. This isn’t an old team anymore and they found a center.

 

[newsportsfan123]

Doing this is so useless it’s like people saying that the Devils were going to make the playoffs last season and they completely shit the bed.