It’s almost impossible for a team to go from worst to first in the NHL. A lot must go right for a rebuilding team to take a significant leap in the standings and go from last place in the division one season to first place the next. The New Jersey Devils, in the 2022-23 season, came close to doing that (finishing in second place in the Metropolitan Division) but otherwise, a lot of fanbases are wishing on a star for it to happen.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks finished in last place in their divisions last season. Of the four teams, which has the best chance to finish in first place this time around? Let’s start with a team that is far from contention and coming off a disastrous offseason.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets are arguably the furthest team in the NHL from contention. Some of that has to do with outside circumstances, particularly, the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau, which understandably, would be hard for any team to overcome. Along with losing a star both on and off the ice, the Blue Jackets are also depleted of talent elsewhere.
They traded away Patrik Laine this offseason and are hoping for the young forwards, notably Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger, to carry the offense. The defense will improve with the Jordan Harris addition, David Jiricek developing into a regular, and Denton Mataychuk looking to do the same, but goaltending remains a weakness and the team might look to move on from Elvis Merzlikins ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline if the season is a lost cause.
The Blue Jackets have the right people to lead them back to contention with general manager (GM) Don Waddell in the front office and a new head coachin Dean Evason, two respected names who will set them up for success in the long run. The problem is that this team is a long way from contention and it will take a few seasons before they are back on track. They might finish this season with the worst record in the NHL or near the bottom of the standings which hopefully, will allow them to add young building blocks to strengthen the rebuild.
3. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks, like the Blue Jackets, are far from contending as last season showed. They went 19-54-9 to finish with the worst record in the NHL and in the process, receive the first=overall selection in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. That leads to the good news, which is that the Sharks are starting to add young players who can turn things around.
That number-one pick ended up being Macklin Celebrini, who not only is a star in the making but is joining the team this season. He joins Will Smith, William Eklund, and a handful of young skaters who are starting to make their way onto the roster and make a big impact.
On top of that, the Sharks were one of the more active teams in the offseason. They acquired Tyler Toffoli, Cody Ceci, and Barclay Goodrow, three veterans to add depth to the roster, while also making a big splash and adding Yaroslav Askarov, one of the top goaltending prospects who is ready to start in the NHL. Goaltenders are hard to develop and an unknown when they make it to the NHL but if Askarov is one of those elite young goaltenders, this team could take the league by storm.
There’s a path for the Sharks to sneak up on everyone. If the young skaters are ready and the defense is no longer a glaring weakness with Askarov helping it out, the Sharks could be one of the better teams in the Pacific Division. It’s unlikely they will finish near the top or in a playoff spot, but don’t put it past them.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard emerging as one of the best players in the NHL can lift the Blackhawks to the top of the standings. He’s the transcendent talent who can take over games by himself, yet he’s not the only reason this team looks to be great. The Blackhawks have one of the best prospect pools and skaters like Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Lukas Reichel will look to play big roles this season.
The youth movement has this team headed in the right direction and to add to that, the Blackhawks were one of the most active teams in the offseason. They added a lot of veterans to not only help with the rebuild but also push them into the playoff conversation. Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Alec Martinez are just some of the handful of skaters they added to take them up a notch and leave them with no glaring weaknesses.
Ironically, the only thing stopping the Blackhawks from a worst-to-first run are the super-teams at the top of the Central Division. The Dallas Stars come to mind as a great roster from the top down but the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets are also well-built teams that will look to compete for the division title. This leaves the Blackhawks as a team poised to make noise for a playoff spot but with a tough shot at the best record in the division.
1. Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are the rebuilding team to be the most excited about. They’ve nailed every step of their rebuild from the front office and head coaching hires to the draft selections and everything in between. They head into this season not only expected to do well but take a big step in the standings.
The top six is led by young and talented skaters with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, and Juraj Slafkovsky — all under 24 years old — carrying the offense. Then they added Laine to the wing to take them to the next level. While the offense has all the star power, the defense is what will carry the Canadiens with Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and talent from the top down. The only question mark is goaltending: They don’t have a reliable starter and the prospects aren’t ready to play at the NHL level yet. Otherwise, this roster can go up against any in the Atlantic Division.
The Canadiens piling up the wins this season wouldn’t come as a surprise. They could overwhelm a lot of opponents this season and win the division. Sure, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs are the elite teams at the top but if things go right, they can join that group.
It’s a far-fetched idea for any team to go from worst to first and a lot must go right for that to happen. That said, it’s something that can’t be dismissed completely. Sure, the teams that finished last are still rebuilding but they look to be better off this season and set to make some noise.
