It’s almost December, which means the 2024-25 NHL regular season is around 25% over. It’s never too early for overreactions– especially since they’re usually fairly accurate– but at this point, every team has played at least 20 games. That’s a large enough sample size to draw conclusions from. Every team plays poorly at one time or another, but these six teams have been particularly disappointing.
6. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers– touted in the offseason as one of the juggernauts in the Western Conference– have largely failed to live up to those expectations so far. They began the season with three straight losses, but have battled back to a 11-9-2 record. Edmonton’s offseason additions have been nonfactors: Viktor Arvidsson has two goals in 16 games played, Jeff Skinner seven points in 22 games, and Vasily Podkolzin has just one goal in 22 games. Edmonton’s penalty kill is third-worst in the league with a 70.9% success rate. The Oilers currently sit in the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but their play so far this season has been a far cry from the Stanley Cup favorite they were supposed to be.
5. Utah Hockey Club
After a busy offseason, the first-year Utah Hockey Club were generally seen as a playoff contender. Their play at the beginning of the year only furthered expectations. Utah won their first three straight games, and were 4-2 after the first two weeks of the season. Then came a four-game losing streak, and they haven’t recovered since. They currently have a record of 9-10-3, and are three points out of a playoff spot.
4. Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are five and a half years into the Steve Yzerman rebuild– affectionately named “the Yzerplan” by fans– but they don’t seem to be any closer to their goal of making it back to the postseason. Detroit is only three points out of a playoff spot, but their 9-10-2 record isn’t exactly inspiring. They have a -12 goal differential, and are 1-3 against divisional opponents. They’ve only scored 53 goals over 21 games, which is the fifth-worst in the league. They have the worst penalty kill in the league with a 68.4% success rate. It’s not impossible to overcome a slow start– the Edmonton Oilers made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2023-34 after starting the season 2-9-1– but if Detroit wants to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, now is the time to right the ship.
3. Ottawa Senators
The Senators are in a situation that is almost identical to that of the Detroit Red Wings. Ottawa hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017, and they don’t look to be on track to break that trend this season. Even after trading for a former Vezina-winning goaltender, the Senators have the 26th best team save percentage in the league. Ottawa started the season strong, but have gone 4-7-1 in the month of November. They have a record of 9-11-1, and currently sit four points out of a playoff spot.
2. Boston Bruins
The Bruins haven’t missed the playoffs since 2016, but that streak appears to be in jeopardy. They’ve scored only 51 goals through 22 games, which ranks 30th out of 32 teams. Their power play is firing at just 12.8%, which is the second-worst in the league. And Jeremy Swayman, their starting goaltender, has a .887 SV% and a 3.30 GAA after signing an eight year, $66 million dollar deal. On November 19th, after an 8-9-3 start to the season, the Bruins fired Head Coach Jim Montgomery, and are 2-1 since.
1. Nashville Predators
Something’s rotten in Nashville. The Predators, 7-12-3, have the third-worst record in the league. The only teams below Nashville are the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks, both of which are in the middle of true rebuilds. After spending $108.5 million on the first day of Free Agency, the Predators were supposed to be contenders. Their 52 goals over 22 games is the fourth-worst in the league. Here’s where it gets confusing: they have the best penalty kill in the league (90.5%), an above-average power play (12th ranked, 21.1%), and starting goaltender Juuse Saros has a .915 SV%. But their -18 goal differential is fifth-worst in the league, and their expensive offseason additions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault have just 11 and 12 points this season respectively.
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