Which teams are bound for mediocrity over the next 5-6 years?

[Bouboumaster]

Washington
Pittsburgh
Calgary
Los Angeles

 

[I Hart Conor Garland]

Carolina.

 

[acor]

Minnesota Wild are a default answer every season in their existence...

Actually even if they had prime Gretzky, prime Lemieux, prime McDavid and prime Orr on they roster, they would still be a default answer.

 

[I Hart Conor Garland]

@Ianturnedbull & @FerrisRox are both right but only one of them seems like an apologist.

 

[squashmaple]

If Philly botches their rebuild and bets on the wrong players / doesn't acquire enough high end talent I could imagine them being stuck in mediocrity.

It does feel a little like Briere is speed running building a Tortorella-in-Columbus team. Even got the flashy short Russian winger and the offense-only RHD. Is Couturier your Foligno, a tough leader type? Do you have a Dubinsky to agitate Crosby specifically?

 

[Minnesota Knudsens]

To me, a truly mediocre team is a bubble playoff team. They may get the 8 seed in their conference by a couple of points, but they may lose out by a couple of points as well. It’s even better when they have a recent history of this as well.

That’s why the Wild and Flames come to mind, but this year, I think the Flames will be terrible. To me the answer this year would be:

Wild
Islanders
Caps
Kings
Kraken
Pens

Any of these teams might make the playoffs by a hair, but nobody would pick any of them to truly contend. I leave teams like the Leafs out because they make the playoffs comfortably and I don’t think anyone would be surprised if they suddenly won a few rounds. Annoyed? Yes. Surprised? No.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

funny enough the team they beat in the covid play in was Toronto. But if your bar is be better than Columbus/Buffalo/Utah to be a good team then I think you need to raise the bar.

Fun fact: Columbus had a 50 win season in their history before Toronto did

I think you might not understand me.

The topic is about which teams will be mediocre in the next 5-6 years.

I feel that a cynical leafs fan dropped the Leafs into this conversation. Probably because or their playoff futility. I just don't agree. They have too much talent and players signed in their prime to be mediocre for the next 5 years.

The topic isn't "fun facts about the blue jackets". If you want to bring some light on to CBJ then fine.

No team wants to aspire to be as bad as CBJ has been. Even if they beat Toronto in a play in, or won 1 other playoff series. They are bad by every measure. They could easily be the worst pro sport franchise of all time. I say that casually.

You have this thing in your pocket that trolls leaf fans by mentioning the play-in series. It's as though leaf fans were expecting a long playoff run or different results. Toronto played like garbage that year. They would have been out of the playoffs if the circumstances were normal. They had no business winning anything that year. If that win is your feather in your cap then I'll have tell you more about the bluejackets and their janky history as a franchise.

5 years into CBJ's history Toronto already made the playoffs 4 times.

Qualified twice for the playoffs in their first 15 years.

1 trip to the playoffs in their last 5 years.

CBJ wished they were mediocre. They are downright terrible.

What are they up to this offseason? Still sorting out what to do with Laine?

There is no denying that TOR have very little to show for their playoff births, but come on. At least they make the playoffs. That is one thing i don't take for granted. Before Matthews Toronto missed the playoffs a lot, and that was not fun. I can't imagine the life of a CBJ fan.

 

[Kent Nilsson]

LA is peak mediocre.

Winnipeg. Basically impossible to build anything in this market.

Detroit. What an ugly team.

Calgary. But they’re leaning more bad than mediocre.

Seattle. Mid forever.

Vancouver. They’re ok but won’t do any damage.

Washington and Pittsburgh are just bad. St Louis bad.

 

[Mr Positive]

Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Vegas, Edmonton

Don't look now but the Oilers have a decent youth movement brewing. Holloway, Bouchard, Broberg, and Savoie. There are some other interesting names too, and even if they arent the top prospects of the league, they are perhaps in the best developmental environment possible. As an Oiler fan I know that having great youth can be squandered in a losing environment. But, a team like Boston proves that cultivating a winning environment squeezes the most out of your development.

Also none of our young players need to be core players aside from Broberg (who is probably the best of the bunch anyway). They just need to be great complementary players

 

[abj]

Montreal…

Mediocrity in the next 5-6 years is what Montreal inspires to be….

I bet they can improve enough to achieve it and accomplish their goals.

Montreal have good hockey talent in squad.

 

[Mr Positive]

Montreal have good hockey talent in squad.

They are in a pile of teams with these incredible young up and coming rosters, but doubt must be seeping in at this point.

Teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit, Montreal all apply. Holy man it's in the Atlantic Division a lot. I suppose Philly and Columbus are there too.

 

[abj]

They are in a pile of teams with these incredible young up and coming rosters, but doubt must be seeping in at this point.

Teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit, Montreal all apply. Holy man it's in the Atlantic Division a lot. I suppose Philly and Columbus are there too.

What your point in the babble?

 

[Mr Positive]

What your point in the babble?

My point is in support for someone who might dare question the impending greatness of the Canadiens. I think that's pretty clear. There are lots of teams just like them and not all of them will be great

 

[Bond]

It was the Flames

 

[FerrisRox]

If Toronto is mediocre in your measure, then what is UTAH, CBJ, or BUF? CBJ have only won playoff series in their franchise history. 2 if you count the covid play in series.

It sucks that Toronto loses in the playoffs, but at least they get there.

Those are teams are bad.

But I think you already knew that, right?

 

[Crede777]

I think you might not understand me.

The topic is about which teams will be mediocre in the next 5-6 years.

I feel that a cynical leafs fan dropped the Leafs into this conversation. Probably because or their playoff futility. I just don't agree. They have too much talent and players signed in their prime to be mediocre for the next 5 years.

The topic isn't "fun facts about the blue jackets". If you want to bring some light on to CBJ then fine.

No team wants to aspire to be as bad as CBJ has been. Even if they beat Toronto in a play in, or won 1 other playoff series. They are bad by every measure. They could easily be the worst pro sport franchise of all time. I say that casually.

You have this thing in your pocket that trolls leaf fans by mentioning the play-in series. It's as though leaf fans were expecting a long playoff run or different results. Toronto played like garbage that year. They would have been out of the playoffs if the circumstances were normal. They had no business winning anything that year. If that win is your feather in your cap then I'll have tell you more about the bluejackets and their janky history as a franchise.

5 years into CBJ's history Toronto already made the playoffs 4 times.

Qualified twice for the playoffs in their first 15 years.

1 trip to the playoffs in their last 5 years.

CBJ wished they were mediocre. They are downright terrible.

What are they up to this offseason? Still sorting out what to do with Laine?

There is no denying that TOR have very little to show for their playoff births, but come on. At least they make the playoffs. That is one thing i don't take for granted. Before Matthews Toronto missed the playoffs a lot, and that was not fun. I can't imagine the life of a CBJ fan.

If the CBJ were truly the worst team, they would have multiple 1st overall picks to show for it. Instead they're routinely bad (not worst) to mediocre.

So there are definitely worse teams, but the CBJ aren't good for sure.

 

[kings11]

The Los Angeles Kings

Went from having the #1 prospect pool to being a mediocre playoff contender all in a 3 year span… Gone is the luster of a future SC contender and in its place is a team led by two past their prime HOFs, a soft, undersized defense, no goaltender, a jettisoned slacker that cost a Kings ransom, an offensive player whose the NHL’s version of Cedric Ceballos and a delusional front office.

 

[abj]

My point is in support for someone who might dare question the impending greatness of the Canadiens. I think that's pretty clear. There are lots of teams just like them and not all of them will be great

Montembeault
Slafkovsky
Caufield
Suzuki
Laine
Armia
Anderson
Matheson
Savard
Guhle
Demidov
Hage
Hutson

Good talent.

 

[Isles72]

the league should remove all the mushy middle teams and just have tear downs and true contenders

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Those are teams are bad.

But I think you already knew that, right?

Well maybe the OP needs to define it better. Mediocre can't be making the playoffs every year.

To me it's being 9th or 10th every season. Not good enough to make the playoffs, but not bad enough to be a lottery team.

 

[Minnesota Knudsens]

the league should remove all the mushy middle teams and just have tear downs and true contenders

I know this is a joke, but look at provincial rivals Edmonton and Calgary. Flames fans laughed at Oilers fans while they stunk forever. Oiler fans were in a pit of absolute despair. Now nobody even talks about the “decade of darkness” and all the Flames have to show for their commitment to making the playoffs is a couple of first round triumphs. My point is that being mediocre seems like a really dumb strategy.

Of course rebuilds go wrong and there are teams like St. Louis that sort of buck the trend, but most of the time it’s just draft high and hope to get lucky.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

Yeah, but they'll likely make the playoffs in the next 5 seasons.

IMO, mediocrity isn't necessarily missing the playoff. It could be making the playoffs with a very low probability of advancing.

 

[norrisnick]

Well maybe the OP needs to define it better. Mediocre can't be making the playoffs every year.

To me it's being 9th or 10th every season. Not good enough to make the playoffs, but not bad enough to be a lottery team.

Making the playoffs only to flame out in the first round is just as bad. Mediocre would be the teams ranked 11th to 20th. Higher than that is good and lower than that is bad.

 

[TheBeard]

Don't look now but the Oilers have a decent youth movement brewing. Holloway, Bouchard, Broberg, and Savoie. There are some other interesting names too, and even if they arent the top prospects of the league, they are perhaps in the best developmental environment possible. As an Oiler fan I know that having great youth can be squandered in a losing environment. But, a team like Boston proves that cultivating a winning environment squeezes the most out of your development.

Also none of our young players need to be core players aside from Broberg (who is probably the best of the bunch anyway). They just need to be great complementary players

Holloway and Broberg ARE the complimentary pieces, no one knows what Savoie will bring. In 5-6 years, CmD and Leon will be approaching mid-thirties, Hyman, Nuge, Kane, Ekholm will all be retired or should be, and Nurse will still be under contract.

The prospect pool isn't great either.

This team is gonna struggle down the road.

 

[MNRube]

Has anyone said the Wild? Guerin has a fetish for overpaying bottom 6 grinders to the point where I'm surprised he hasn't traded Rossi for Miles Wood.

They've been about as bad as Toronto in terms of playoff failures but nobody talks about them

F: Boldyy, Rossi, Yurov, Ohgren, Heidt
D: Faber, Buium
G: Wallstedt

Kaprizov & JEE will be like 32 in 5 years. Solid U23 core & great prospect pool. A few bottom 6ers being slightly overpaid isn’t enough to qualify