It’s that time of the year! Since the 2022-23 season, one of the biggest pieces here at The Hockey Writers (THW) following the trade deadline is the Rebuild Rankings. This is the fifth edition of the rankings, and with it comes something new every time. There’s always more to learn about the rebuilding teams and what makes them successful, and this edition is no exception. One of those iterations to this edition is that not all the rebuilds are ranked in the same spot. Instead, teams are put into categories.
Related: NHL Rebuild Rankings: 2024-25 Preseason Edition
With some teams, it’s hard to say if the rebuild is in the rearview mirror or if they are still rebuilding. Likewise, some teams are retooling and not rebuilding (or they call it something else to avoid the taboo words but everyone knows what they are doing.) Then there’s the midseason factor, as some teams are in playoff spots at the moment but won’t be by the end of the season. The trade deadline provided a small glimpse into where teams stand as well, so some teams won’t be on this list but could be by the offseason edition.
All in all, 14 teams made the list, and there’s a good case for more to be added (even though this is the most for teams since this project began two years ago.) Since this article is long enough, let’s dive right in!
This can feel like the worst place to be as a rebuilding team. It’s when teams have to tear it down and build back up again. These four teams aren’t failing per se (ok, some of them are) as much as some are in an early phase of a rebuild. A few of these teams are in a good place because they are starting to put the pieces together and assemble a good core to build around.
The Seattle Kraken might be the worst team in the NHL that nobody talks about (or notices) and have been since their inaugural 2021-22 season. In the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, they put together a strong defense but they lacked a scoring presence in their forward unit, and it’s been a lingering issue since that’s caused them to miss the playoffs in two of their first three seasons while remaining at the bottom of the standings in the process.
The core has some intriguing players to build around, with Joey Daccord in the net and Vince Dunn on the defense but the forward unit is where the question marks remain. Kaapo Kakko was acquired in a trade earlier in the season from the New York Rangers and has looked impressive, while Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, two top-five draft selections from the 2021 and 2022 NHL Entry Drafts, are starting to hit their stride this season. However, none of those forwards have proven they can carry the team. It’s why they’ve taken swings in previous offseasons, from acquiring Oliver Bjorkstrand in the 2022 offseason to signing Chandler Stephenson in the 2024 offseason with the hope that both players could move the needle (Bjorkstrand was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning recently.)
All the issues point to a front office and a general manager (GM) who has mismanaged a team and made poor decisions. That can best describe GM Ron Francis, who has drafted and developed well but also has had a rough tenure with the Kraken. He signed Philipp Grubauer in the 2021 offseason with the hopes that he’d be the number-one goaltender. Fast forward to this season, and Grubauer was placed on waivers and, at best, is a backup (with a $5.9 million cap hit attached to him). Andre Burakovsky was signed to a five-year deal with a $5.5 million average annual value (AAV) in the 2022 offseason. He has 26 goals and 53 assists in 160 games with the team and, at best, is a second-line winger. Mark Giordano was drafted in the expansion draft, named the captain, and then traded at the deadline, all in a nine-month span.
The Kraken ownership has been patient with Francis and hoping he’d build the team up in the long run but in his fourth season, they’ve failed to take a step forward and, on the contrary, have taken some steps back. When a GM doesn’t give a team a good infrastructure to work with, drafts good players but not stars in the top five of multiple drafts, and makes multiple signings that backfire, it leaves them in a mess.
If the ownership decides to move on from Francis, it’s hard to say how much they will or should move on from the other people running the team. Specifically, head coach Dan Bylsma was hired in the offseason and has shown promise with a younger roster, making him fit for the rebuild. However, if a new GM comes in, the new leader in the front office will want to bring in their own coach to lead the team from behind the bench. It’s one of the difficulties of a team that has the right coach but doesn’t have the right GM.
The question is where the Kraken go from here. Francis provided them with a surplus of prospects and draft assets but they lack consistent contributors at the NHL level. The good news is they can let the younger players play and develop at the NHL level, hoping they work out but they eventually have to flip some prospects and picks for players who can help out the roster. It’s not that the Kraken are a mess that must be cleaned up, but they don’t have a lot to work with and it makes them the furthest team from contention that is starting from scratch.
At the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, the Buffalo Sabres had prospects on top of prospects, on top of draft assets. They did nothing at the deadline to help them snap the longest playoff drought in the league. They came one point short of making the playoffs while the Florida Panthers edged them out for the final wild-card spot, and the rest is history.
It’s that trade deadline that will continue to haunt GM Kevyn Adams, and it’s a reflection of how he’s mismanaged what was once a promising rebuild. Some people believe a good team can never have enough prospects or draft assets but the Sabres were (and still are) hoarding both while the NHL roster lacks talent. This season is where it all came crashing down as the team fell apart and is staring at potentially another rebuild after a failed rebuild (which is the worst place to be as an NHL franchise).
This season, the Sabres are the worst team in the Eastern Conference, and it’s possibly the last for Adams. He’s drafted and developed well but the next steps are where he’s come up short, and it’s clear the Sabres don’t have the right people in place to lead this team back to contention. This includes head coach Lindy Ruff, who was a questionable hire in the offseason and has led an uninspired team in the ice. Whether it’s Ruff’s fault or the roster’s is up for debate but if the team finds a new GM, he’s probably going to get the boot as well.
The good news for whoever takes over is that they have some good pieces to work with. The core has star power, something not many rebuilding teams can say, with Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen leading the forwards, defence, and in the crease, respectively while J.J. Peterka, Alex Tuch, and Owen Power are reliable pieces to help turn this team into a contender. It also helps that the Sabres have one of the best farm systems to work with, which will only get stronger this summer when they add a top-five pick in the upcoming draft to it. Sure, it’s hard to judge a team’s prospect pool based on their American Hockey League (AHL) team but the Rochester Americans are having a remarkable season and have plenty of NHL-caliber players throughout their roster.
The catch is that these prospects can only make so much of a difference. The Sabres need NHL players on their roster and a mix of both young talent and veterans willing to turn things around. Tuch is a prime example of the type of veterans they need as he grew up in Upstate New York as a fan of the team and wants to be a part of the rebuild. There aren’t many players like him but this team needs to start turning their assets into contributors one way or another to make themselves a destination for other stars to join.
The destination factor is a key obstacle for the Sabres. Their poor management and decades of failure have turned them into the opposite of a destination. It explains why players avoid signing there and why they hired Ruff and not a top coaching candidate. Adams infamously remarked that they “Don’t have palm trees, we have taxes,” during a press conference as an excuse for why it’s hard to build the Sabres into a winning team. The problem is that it’s not the location as much as the culture, and this team’s instilled a losing culture for decades, which will only turn around with better management from the top down.
It wasn’t long ago that the Chicago Blackhawks had one of the best rebuilds in the NHL. What was there not to like? They landed a generational talent in Connor Bedard, they had a great farm system, there was plenty of cap space to work with, and both the GM and head coach looked like the right people to lead them to contention.
Then came the 2024 offseason and a spending spree. The hope was that by bringing in Teuvo Teravainen, Pat Maroon, Craig Smith, Tyler Bertuzzi, Alec Martinez, and Laurent Brossoit, the Blackhawks would accelerate the time and make the playoffs at worst. This season, aside from the GM and a few young players, they look like they are starting from scratch.
Other than the mess that was the previous offseason, GM Kyle Davidson’s done a good job. He’s drafted well and turned the farm system into one of the best in the NHL. The next steps are where he’s come up short and must nail them to both keep his job and turn the Blackhawks into a great team. It starts this offseason with finding the right head coach. While Luke Richardson seemed like the great coach for a rebuild as a younger leader with more energy, he lost the locker room, and this team needs an experienced coach with a proven track record to get the most out of this group.
That group starts with Bedard. When he was developing, he was viewed as the next generational talent who could singlehandedly turn a team around. In his second season in the NHL, it’s clear that’s not the case. he can only do so much by himself, and oftentimes, he asked to do more than he’s capable of (which leads to criticism and shortcomings in his game). The Blackhawks must surround him with help while also putting him in situations to succeed, and that’s where the focus will be in the offseason.
Aside from Bedard, the Blackhawks have a few young players to build around and some top prospects to work with, including Frank Nazar and Kevin Korchinski. On top of that, thanks to the Seth Jones trade, they now have a young goaltending tandem with Arvid Soderblom starting to find his footing and the recently-acquired Spencer Knight proving he can succeed regardless of the defense in front of him. If the Blackhawks end up with a top-five pick in this draft, they might find the “Jonathan Toews” to their “Patrick Kane,” or to be specific, they might find their star to help out Bedard.
The Blackhawks have the stars to build around but they lack the depth to round out the roster. Some of the prospects will help with that in the coming seasons but ironically, this team could use young NHL talent like Brandon Hagel, Dylan Strome, and Jake McCabe, three skaters who are thriving elsewhere that the team moved on from to help them rebuild (it was a smart move at the time as it helped them rebuild the prospect pool).
This team heads into the offseason with a surplus of cap space and is eager to spend it. The question is if that’s what they should do, considering how the rebuild has gone. The Blackhawks need to give their young players time to develop and not rush things like they did last offseason. The question is if they will do that or not. There’s a lot to look forward to, especially if Bedard takes a big step next season but at the same time, recent history has proven there’s a lot to be cautious about.
There’s a good case to be made that the San Jose Sharks don’t belong in this category. They’ve started to put things together and, for the first time in a while, are moving in the right direction. Their record (which is the worst in the Western Conference) suggests otherwise. So, while they have a lot working in their favor, the Sharks are still in that teardown phase, albeit one of the best teams in that category.
The optimism starts with Macklin Celbrini. He was the top pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and has lived up to the hype. He’s not only a dynamic forward but he makes everyone around him better and is the forward the Sharks can and will build around. And build around they have with forwards William Eklund, Will Smith, and goaltender Yaroslav Askarov resembling the young core that will lead the Sharks back to contention. Askarov, acquired late last summer, particularly changes the outlook since he’s one of the great young goaltenders in the league and few rebuilding teams have a goaltender they can build around.
The right pieces in place is a reflection of a team that finally has the right pieces in place. The Sharks allowed GM Mike Grier to tear things down, and with that came some difficult seasons but now, the young players are starting to make their impact throughout the roster. “I genuinely like what Mike Grier is doing with his assets and the moves he’s made to boost his roster. I also am a big fan of Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars. Look back at 2017 and how he nailed that draft and has still seemingly been able to draft, and the stars have been able to develop. Tremendous GM,” noted one of the writers at THW who was interviewed for the rebuild rankings.
Likewise, Ryan Warsofsky was hired this summer as a younger coach who works well with the prospects and is ideal for a rebuilding team. It’s still early in his tenure to determine if he’s going to be around in the long run and if he’s the type of coach who can turn things around but the early signs are strong indicators he will do well.
The question is, what happens next? The Sharks are seeing the upside and know they have a promising rebuild in the works, led by a generational talent. However, making the wrong moves and trying to accelerate the timeline can set them back (just look at the Blackhawks.)
The good news is that the Sharks’ needs are specific: depth and defense. There are a few defensive prospects in the pipeline but they need defensemen who can anchor the unit for years to come, and it’s probably the need Grier will address at the top of the upcoming draft. As for depth, that’s where the Sharks might spend in the offseason. Yes, they can make a run for an elite talent like Brock Boeser or Brock Nelson but this team is better off spending the money to find bottom-six forwards who add a veteran presence to the roster.
The Sharks are still in the beginning phase of their rebuild but the future is bright. They might be the team that takes a significant leap next season and is no longer classified as a rebuilding team, especially if Celebrini continues to build on a remarkable rookie season.
Are these teams starting to contend, or are they starting to rebuild or retool? Nobody knows (including them), and the rosters reflect that. Some might say this category is the worst place to be as a team, worse than starting from scratch, since there’s no clear path to contending. At the same time, some of these teams are built to retool on the fly, so they might not be on this list for long.
After kicking the can for a few seasons, they are finally coming to grips with reality. The Pittsburgh Penguins need a rebuild, and the recent trades reflect a team that’s willing to start over again. The problem is that it’s hard to hit the reset button when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson (who surprisingly, wasn’t traded) are still on the team.
That leads to the first issue the Penguins have. Yes, they have a core to build around but it’s older and not good enough to lead this team to contention. Crosby is still playing at a high level, while the others, notably Letang, have tailed off. With the star players on this team in their late 30s, the Penguins have to figure out if this group can lead this team back to contention or if they must move on from them.
It puts GM Kyle Dubas in a tough spot. Trading Crosby would set the Steel City on fire but it might be the best thing for both the star, who can finish his career on a competitive team, and the team, who can tear it down and restart again. The same can be said, to a lesser extent, about the other veterans who are great yet holding this team back.
The Penguins can keep pushing to contend and try to stay competitive. The problem is that they are the worst team in the Metropolitan Division and need to change things up. One of those changes might be behind the bench. Mike Sullivan is, without question, one of the best coaches in the NHL, and the second he leaves this team, his phone will not stop ringing with offers from teams around the league. That said, he’s run his course with the Penguins, and they might need a new face to lead them as they start to rebuild.
Taking a step back and looking at the Penguins’ roster, there’s a noticeable issue with their roster build. All of their top contributors are either in their late 30s or early 20s and still developing. They don’t have a lot of players in their prime. It’s why the Jake Guentzel trade was a tough one for Dubas, as he moved a star scorer in the prime of his career for a significant haul at the 2024 Trade Deadline.
Without many players in their prime years, it’s easy to see why the Penguins are stuck in the middle. It also doesn’t help that goaltending has fallen apart in recent seasons, with Tristan Jarry sent down to the AHL this season while Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist have struggled as the duo. So, what’s the path forward for the Penguins?
The first step is for Dubas to decide one way or another on the core players and work from there. Moving on from Letang, Karlsson, and possibly Malkin would be tough decisions but necessary ones. The next step is allowing the prospects to make their mark at the NHL level. The AHL team, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, has a surplus of talent, and if the prospects are given time at the NHL level, they will develop into key contributors throughout the roster. It’s why the outlook, while bleak at the moment, may not be in the long run since Dubas has a path to pivot and turn things around.
Who would have thought the Nashville Predators would be here after being the winners of the offseason? They were a wild-card team last season and spent big in the summer, signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei to long-term deals. They entered this season as a Stanley Cup contender. Instead, they have the second-worst record in the Central Division in what has become a disastrous season.
With the way the Predators are built, they are not rebuilding. When Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, and the three veterans brought in this offseason are in their primes, this isn’t a team that can rebuild. Can they retool? Yes, and that’s the task GM Barry Trotz has in front of him.
Those six aforementioned veterans give Trotz a good base to work with. Sure, Stamkos declined significantly this season but he’s still a veteran who can be a key part of a competitive team, as he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning for most of his career. Josi and Forsberg, meanwhile, are still playing at a high level and, even in a lost season, are proving they are core parts of this roster. Then there’s Saros, who at first glance looks like he’s having a rough season but in his defense, there is no defense (in front of him that is), and he’s been overworked to the point where he no longer looks like a great goaltender.
This season has put Trotz on the hot seat, and it’s possible the Predators will clean house and hire a new GM and head coach to start from scratch. That said, for as bad as this season was for Trotz, he’s only in his second season as the GM, and his first season showed what he can do to put together a competitive team (notably when it comes to depth signings and trying to win from the net out.) It’s why he’ll probably remain in the front office but on a short leash. He must get the next coaching hire and the offseason moves right.
Speaking of which, this season has proved that head coach Andrew Brunette isn’t the right fir for the Predators. His style contrasts with the roster, and they need an experienced coach who can have this group playing disciplined, two-way, playoff hockey from the first game of the season. Ironically, this team can use a Paul Maurice type, who the Florida Panthers hired to replace Brunette in the 2022 offseason, a move that helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2024.
Since the Predators are retooling and are built to win in the short term, they don’t need to load up on picks or prospects. Instead, they need quality over quantity in their pipeline and on the NHL roster. The Predators are an older group and need young skaters who can play key roles, and they need them sooner, not later. It’s why Trotz, who enters this offseason with a surplus of draft capital, might flip some picks for NHL-ready players.
There’s a path for the Predators to be a Cup contender next season, and it’s not crazy to see it happening. A strong offseason where Trotz adds depth to both the forward unit and the defense, a bounce-back season from a handful of veterans, and a Vezina-Trophy-caliber season from Saros would have them near the top of a competitive Central Division. The problem is that a lot must go right, and if the same issues pop up next season, the Predators will be staring at a rebuild with a new GM in charge.
For the first time in Lou Lamoriello’s tenure, he sold at the deadline, or at the very least, he traded away Brock Nelson. The move signals that the New York Islanders are retooling (despite Lamoriello’s urge to avoid the word at all costs), and it’s something they’ve needed to do for a long time. The Islanders have an aging roster in dire need of a reset, and the Nelson trade gets the ball rolling (or in hockey terms, the puck dropped).
Looking at the roster, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that there is a core in place to allow the Islanders to retool on the fly. With Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat leading the forward unit, Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov anchoring the defense, and Ilya Sorokin in the net, they have five players to build around. The bad news is that the core has a limited ceiling. It can only take the Islanders so far, and they need depth to make up for it.
That leads to more bad news with the roster. The Islanders don’t have a lot of depth. They have a top-heavy roster, and when the star players leading the way are good but not great, it leaves them in this mess where they, at best, can sneak into the playoffs while, at worst, they are a NHL Draft Lottery team. Then there’s the bright side regarding the depth, which is that the Islanders have a lot of contracts coming off their books and an opportunity to add skaters in the offseason or through the pipeline.
Speaking of the pipeline, the Islanders have one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL. Sure, Cole Eiserman looks like a star — and Calum Ritchie, the forward they acquired in the Nelson trade, has a high upside — but otherwise, there aren’t many prospects who look like NHL-caliber players. Even if this team lands a top-five pick and an elite prospect, it’s not enough to assure that a youth movement is on the way to help out an aging roster.
The Islanders are in a weird spot, and it makes anyone who follows this team wonder if Lamoriello is the right GM to turn this team around. He doesn’t believe in rebuilds, and if this team is heading towards one, he won’t be the GM in charge. So, the Islanders need to find someone to clean up the mess that he created. While Lamoriello turned this team into a competitive one and kept them in contention, the clock struck midnight and it’s time for someone else to take over.
Then there’s Patrick Roy behind the bench. He’s far from one of the best coaches in the NHL and has had his highs and lows. However, one thing is clear: he can get the most out of a depleted roster. Even if Lamoriello is gone after this season, Roy has shown he can be behind the bench for a rebuild.
The Islanders enter this offseason with plenty of options. They can retool quickly and push for a playoff spot next season, or they can continue to tear things down. All in all, it leaves them in an unknown middle ground, and despite a few promising pieces, they remain a group that looks like a wild-card team at best and a bottom-feeder at worst.
The Boston Bruins not only sold at the 2025 Trade Deadline but they were one of the biggest sellers. They traded Brad Marchand, Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Justin Brazeau, sending the message that they aren’t competing this season and might be rebuilding for the first time in a decade.
The trades, while surprising, did leave the Bruins in a good spot to retool. Yes, they moved on from multiple regulars but they still can build around David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm. Throw in bounce-backs from Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Jeremy Swayman, and this team has a good group to work with.
The Bruins have the pieces but the question is, who will lead this group? GM Don Sweeney’s tenure has been a rocky one but the recent offseason stands out and for all the wrong reasons (every signing and the Swayman contract dispute that backfired.) He’s made strong signings and done well in trades but the Bruins haven’t drafted or developed well in years, and that falls on Sweeney. Along with a new GM, this team needs a new coach, someone who will last for more than a few seasons. After firing Bruce Cassidy in the 2022 offseason (who went on to win the Stanley Cup the next season), they hired Jim Montgomery, only to fire him early on this season and replace him with Joe Sacco, an uninspiring hire with an interim tag. With a revolving door behind the bench, they need stability at the coaching position, and it makes the hire the most pivotal part of this offseason.
The roster has the pieces to allow the Bruins to retool but the prospect pool is depleted of talent, and it prevents them from being a contender in the long run. This is a team that’s always had a young star in the farm system ready to take over when the veterans started to decline. It was Pastrnak and McAvoy at one point, and before them, it was Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t had that young wave of talent for some time. They added some prospects and picks at the deadline but not enough to make a difference.
The latest trade-deadline haul gave the Bruins a lot to work with. The question is if it’s enough to get this team back into contention. For years, they’ve been an aging group on the decline, and while they’ve moved on from a lot of veterans recently, they don’t have the infrastructure to rebound, at least not at the moment.
When it comes to rebuilding teams, there aren’t many where you can see the progress. However, a few teams have made significant strides, especially since the rankings started a few seasons back. So, let’s look at who is starting to put all the pieces together and might be a contender soon.
The Philadelphia Flyers have some glaring weaknesses holding them back and keeping them at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. They’re a weak team up the middle, they don’t defend well, and their goaltending is among the worst in the NHL. At the same time, their strengths make up for it.
Those strengths are Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov, two star forwards to build around. Michkov is the one star to watch as he’s shown he can take over games by himself and has done just that in only his first season in the NHL. He leads the way along with Konecny but the Flyers also have Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett, Cam York, and Jamie Dysdale, providing a strong young group to work with.
The youth movement can be credited to GM Daniel Briere who, unlike previous Flyers GMs, is patient and willing to play the long game. Sure, it’s left fans frustrated as the team remains near the bottom of the standings but they’ve started to show signs of improvement. Briere hasn’t made a ton of risky moves and has played it safe while rebuilding the prospect pool, and overall, it’s allowed the Flyers to take small steps forward.
The prospect pool is another reason for optimism. While the entire system isn’t great, there are a handful of players with clear paths to the NHL, notably Lehigh Valley forward Samu Tuomaala, a 22-year-old dynamic winger who can add to the top six by next season. If the Flyers add one or two more young skaters to the NHL roster by next season, they can easily become one of the best young teams in the league.
Briere has proven he can get the Flyers back to contention. The question is whether John Tortorella is the right coach for this team. Hiring him to help out a rebuild was a non-starter in the 2022 offseason, and while his hard-nosed, old-school approach has gotten the roster to overachieve, their success isn’t sustainable. It’s why the Flyers might move on from Tortorella in the offseason and look for a younger coach to help out the rebuild.
The Flyers have a lot of things working in their favor, and Michkov’s rise to stardom could cover up plenty of weaknesses on this roster. At the same time, Briere still has plenty of work to do before this team is competitive. He needs to add depth to the forward unit and fix the defense, which has some young and promising pieces but needs a shutdown defenseman to anchor the unit. Lastly, this team needs baseline goaltending, and if they have average goaltending after having some of the worst in the league, they can easily become a playoff team (look at the New Jersey Devils a few seasons back.)
Since the rebuild rankings started, the Anaheim Ducks have a similar story but with different names attached to it. They have young blue chip pieces to build around but they’ve added veteran players well past their prime to contrast with them. This season, those aging players are Alex Killorn (35), Radko Gudas (34), Ross Johnston (30), and Jacob Trouba (30), with Trouba being a midseason addition in a trade.
The reason the Ducks are making progress is that the younger skaters are starting to enter their prime and prove they can win at the NHL level. Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Troy Terry lead the forward unit, Jackson Lacombe and Pavel Mintyukov lead the defense, and Lukas Dostal has emerged as a great young goaltender. With more prospects on the way, the Ducks have a group that is sure to return to the playoffs soon enough, and it’s why they aren’t at the bottom of the Pacific Division anymore (not in seventh or last place, that is.)
The right pieces are in place but the people running the rebuild aren’t. Pat Verbeek was hired as GM in 2022, and while he’s put together a young core, he prevents it from reaching its potential by adding aging players every offseason. Yes, this team needs to hit a cap floor but the difference between signing a top-six forward and a bottom-six one is the difference between a prospect receiving a lot of valuable ice time and not. That leads to the primary issue with head coach Greg Cronin, who hasn’t allowed his prospects to develop and reach their potential.
It’s hard to say that both the GM and head coach will be gone by the offseason, and considering how patient the ownership has been with this rebuild, it’s likely both will stay. However, they’ve made significant progress this season, and if they don’t make the playoffs next season, both will probably be fired.
If both are gone, the Ducks are one of the best teams for any GM and coach to take over. They have a lot of potential and the right leadership can make this team a juggernaut in the Western Conference. They have the young talent on the roster and plenty more to come with a surplus of prospects and draft picks. The only glaring issues are depth and the right system to allow the young skaters to find their footing offensively but also play the 200-foot game.
The only question is how they address their lack of depth. They can either flip some of their prospects for players in their primes or sign those skaters to round out the roster but either way, it’s a good problem to have. Whether its Verbeek making the moves or not, the Ducks are on the right path and just need to put together the finishing touches.
The Utah Hockey Club had plenty of highs and lows in their inaugural season in Salt Lake City, yet they’ve shown they are making significant progress. As a team just on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, there’s a good argument that they are on the cusp of contention. At the very least, they should be a playoff team by next season and possibly a Cup contender shortly thereafter.
A few years back, the Arizona Coyotes started the teardown and built the farm system back up from scratch. They traded away most — if not all — of the talented players on their roster from Jakob Chychrun to Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Adin Hill, Darcy Kuemper, and Antti Raanta (interestingly, two of those goaltenders went on to win Stanley Cup titles.) The fire sale allowed them to load up on top draft selections and prospects, leading to a dynamic young group that leads this team now.
The core consists of Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther leading the forward unit, while offseason addition Mikhail Sergachev leads the defense. All four skaters are starting to enter their primes and while they aren’t stars who can lead a team to a Cup, they don’t need to be considering the young talent on the way for both the forward unit and the defense (plus some big additions in the offseason, something they finally did this offseason).
This rebuild reflects the vision of GM Bill Armstrong, who mapped out a successful rebuild in the long run since he took over in the 2020 offseason. The first phase was to load up on picks and prospects, which he did with the tear down. Last offseason showed he’s starting to round out the roster with offseason additions that don’t stunt the development of the young skaters but rather help take them to the next level. The same applies to head coach Andre Tourigny, who has let the kids play since he took over. While he had to wear a lot of losses and the struggles were prominent in the desert, it’s helped them out in the long run, as this team now has young skaters leading a playoff push.
Everything working in Utah’s favor makes this offseason a big one as he can make a few big signings or a splash trade to get this team over the hump. All the pieces are set for them to be a perennial playoff team — now, it’s about making the moves to get this team into the Cup conversation, for example, by getting a power forward or two and an elite scoring presence that works well with Keller and Cooley. The fact they are so close speaks to the progress this team has made in recent seasons.
Some of these teams are in playoff position and will probably make it by the end of the season. Some of these teams will just miss the cut while showing they are ready to take a big step next season. These teams are on the right path, and it gives the fans a lot to look forward to. At the same time, they aren’t Cup contenders… at least not yet.
Whether the Calgary Flames rebuilt or retooled is up for debate. Regardless, they did a great job since both GM Craig Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska took over in the 2023 offseason. They took over a team stuck in the middle and now have it battling for the playoffs with some pieces in place to make it a Cup contender.
It starts with a mix of veterans and young players that have taken on big roles and turned this team around. Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar are always associated with the Matthew Tkachuk trade, a deal that turned the Panthers into a Stanley Cup champion. However, both skaters have been integral building blocks for this roster. The same applies to Nazem Kadri, who has a hefty contract attached to him but is a key part of the forward unit. Then there’s Rasmus Andersson, one of the holdovers from the previous regimes, who remains a top-pair defenseman and one of the best players on this team.
The veterans keep this team in the middle. The young players have taken them to the next level. Matthew Coronato and Connor Zary are in their early 20s and are playing pivotal roles in the top six. Yegor Sharangovich is having a rough season but was a 31-goal scorer last season and another young skater to build around. Then there’s goaltender Dustin Wolf, who at 23 years old has established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL, one who can will a team to the playoffs (which he’s trying his best to do this season.)
The reason the Flames have looked more like a retool on the fly is a credit to the moves Conroy made. In multiple trades, he moved a veteran in exchange for young NHL players. The Tyler Toffoli trade allowed him to land Sharangovich. The Jacob Markstrom deal gave the Flames Kevin Bahl, a 24-year-old second-pair option. The Elias Lindholm trade gave Conroy a haul that included Andrei Kuzmenko, who he flipped to the Flyers this season for Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost. The trades and the prospect development turned this team around in a few seasons when rebuilds typically take years to get right.
The question is whether Huska’s style will work in the long run. He’s done a great job balancing the veterans with the youth but on the ice, they look like a one-dimensional team (albeit a dimension that has them in the playoff race.) The Flames play slow, defensive-minded hockey and win low-scoring games. If this team hopes to win the Cup, they’ll need to generate more offense, and they can’t solely rely on defense and goaltending to get the job done. Huska is coaching to the team’s strength but eventually, he must pivot to prove he can lead a team that can win in multiple ways.
Considering how well things have gone, the Flames have to look at the big picture to realize their shortcomings. They’ll be a good team but in the Pacific Division, they’ll run up against the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights. Both those teams have the elite talent the Flames lack, and it will make a difference in the playoffs. This team has a lot of good-but-not-great players and it will prevent them from making a Cup run. It’s why Huska must eventually take a big swing in a trade or keep building a team that, despite a lack of star power, can beat the Oilers and the Golden Knights. They have better goaltending but they’ll need to win with depth, and that’s where Conroy will likely look to round out this team.
The Montreal Canadiens have been a part of these rankings since the beginning and near the top of them as well. However, it’s only a matter of time before they are no longer a part of it. It’s a credit to the job GM Kent Hughes has done since taking over in the middle of the 2021-22 season and all the steps taken to get this team on the cusp of both making the playoffs and being a juggernaut in the Eastern Conference.
The forward unit is no longer led by prospects — it’s led by stars. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield are in their primes and leading the top six. Jujar Slafkovsky started the season slow but has since picked things up and proved he’s one of the best young wingers in the game. To add to the top six are Patrik Laine, who has had his slumps but is a dynamic winger, and Jake Evans, who is in the middle of a breakout season.
The defense is where Hughes has taken some criticism with some of the moves he’s made. Since he took over, he’s traded away Alexander Romanov, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Jordan Harris, three young defensemen who are playing pivotal roles on their new teams (Romanov and Kovacevic are top-pair defensemen.) However these moves are justified as they allowed Lane Hutson to come up through the pipeline and take on the top-pair role, something he’s done an excellent job of. Hutson’s two-way play has put him in the Calder Trophy conversation but he’s not the only young defenseman the Canadiens have in store. Kaiden Guhle has proved he’s a reliable blue liner in recent seasons, while Logan Mailloux, a top player on the Laval Rocket in the AHL, will likely be on the roster by next season.
Speaking of Mailloux, he’s the top player on the Rocket but just one of the many prospects the Canadiens have waiting in the wings. He’s sure to join the NHL by next season, while Ivan Demidov, a top forward playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, will likely join next season or in two seasons. The Canadiens not only have youth on their roster but more on the way, and it’s reflected in the vision Hughes had, which came with some difficult seasons but is starting to pay off.
While Hughes took some criticism for some of his moves, head coach Martin St. Louis was on the hot seat early in the season. The Canadiens were expected to take a step forward this season, and 30 games in, they were 11-16-3. Since then, the team has rebounded and is in the mix for a playoff spot, which is a credit to St. Louis getting the most out of this roster. He’s had the Canadiens playing above expectations since he was hired in the 2021-22 season, and he’s proven he’s the right coach to lead them back to contention.
The lingering question is in the net, something that’s been an issue since Carey Price left the team. Samuel Montembeault’s shown he’s a backup at best and he needs a goaltender to split starts with. Jakub Dobes is a prospect who has shown flashes in the few games he’s started at the NHL level but it’s too early to tell if he’s the goaltender of the future. Dobes has the promise to carry the team in the net but it’s an unknown and it’s why Hughes might look at the goaltending market in the offseason in case.
At this point, it’s all about the finishing touches for Hughes. The depth scoring can be addressed this summer. Likewise, they need a second-pair defenseman and must prepare for Mike Matheson’s possible departure (he’s a free agent in 2026.) The Canadiens have more clarity in the net but they don’t have an answer. It’s a sign that the Canadiens are close to contention but still a few moves away. That said, with the Bruins possibly on the decline and a few teams in limbo in their division, this team has the potential to be a top team in the Atlantic and possibly the Eastern Conference.
Among the writers interviewed for the rankings, the Columbus Blue Jackets were the team that received the best reviews and it wasn’t particularly close.
One writer at THW noted, “To see where they were last season, followed by the tragedy of the offseason, to playoff contention this year is pretty incredible. I give them a lot of credit for the way they’ve navigated everything on and off the ice.” Another pointed out, “They don’t have a ‘Star,’ but they are all pulling together. Everyone felt bad for them when they lost out on the Draft Lottery and picked third. Got a new coach that inspires them and they play well together, so much so that the GM publicly said he was not going to break up what they have going. I didn’t think they would be a playoff team this year, but they really stepped up and I think are contenders.”
What makes the rebuild so impressive is that this was a team expected to finish the season as one of the worst in the NHL. The 2024 offseason was about as bad as it could get, from the coaching change to trading Patrik Laine, a talented player who demanded his way out, to the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau late in the summer, which had the hockey world in shock. Gaudreau was a star and led both on and off the ice, yet the Blue Jackets rallied together and are in a playoff spot and have their eyes on the third-best record in the Metropolitan Division.
One of the reasons the Blue Jackets took the big leap this season is that the young elite talent finally found a rhythm at the NHL level. Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, and Kent Johnston have become regulars in the top six, while Zach Werenski’s emerged as a Norris-Trophy-caliber defenseman. Werenski always had the talent, and now, he’s putting it all together on both ends of the ice as the team’s best player.
It also helps that the veterans the Blue Jackets brought in are helping and not hurting the development of the young skaters. Sean Monahan was signed in the offseason as a top-six center, and when he’s on the ice, he helps the younger forward find open looks and makes them better. Dante Fabbro was acquired early on in the season as a stay-at-home defenseman and it’s unlocked Werenski’s game. The Blue Jackets didn’t look to make a splash addition and instead, added players who filled specific needs.
The young core doesn’t even include some of the prospects who are still on the way. Luca Del Bel Belluz is a 20-year-old center who already looks like a regular but is in the AHL for the time being. Likewise, Denton Mateychuk is the next defenseman on the rise who looks poised to make an impact at the NHL level by next season. It gives the Blue Jackets a talented roster with more help on the way, a sign that the rebuild is a successful one.
It’s a credit to the job GM Don Waddell’s done. He took over in the 2024 offseason and couldn’t have asked for a worse start. Yet, he’s managed to steer the team into contention. He turned the Carolina Hurricanes into one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and a destination and looks to do the same thing with the Blue Jackets. His strength is building from within, and it’s something this team is seeing firsthand with how they’ve turned things around in one season, going from the worst team in the Metropolitan Division to one of the best.
Waddell is the architect but head coach Dean Evason is the tone setter. He changed the culture and rallied the team from day one of training camp. The Blue Jackets went through multiple head coaches before he arrived in the summer, and he’s not only turned the team into a great one on the ice but they’ve become a tight-knit group that’s been able to rally together this season. With the season Evason has had behind the bench, it’s hard to leave him off the shortlist for the Jack Adams Award.
The first question regarding the Blue Jackets rebuild is if this season is a one-off. Did they rally behind a tumultuous offseason and become one of the biggest stories in sports for just this season, or are the improvements a sign of things to come? It’s possible they regress next season, but considering all the pieces in place, they look poised to be a contender from here on out.
The other issue with the Blue Jackets is the goaltending. Elvis Merzlikins is the type of goaltender who can split starts at best but isn’t a primary starter. He needs a backup and the Blue Jackets don’t have one. So, they’ve turned Merzlikins into a starter, and he’s struggled as a result. There are a few names in the pipeline to watch, but when it comes to goaltending prospects, it’s always an unknown how they’ll translate at the NHL level. It makes the position a glaring issue for Waddell in the offseason as he needs to find a backup and preferably finds a starter.
The Blue Jackets are a team heading in the right direction and have their eyes set on becoming a Cup contender. This is a franchise that has one playoff series victory and has been one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference in each of the past three seasons. Yet, they are trending in the right direction, and with Fantilli and Werenski emerging as star players, they suddenly look like a team that will contend for years to come.
The New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and St. Louis Blues were omitted from the rankings. All four teams have a good case to be on the list but were left off, at least for now. The Rangers and Blues particularly can make significant changes this offseason that have them back on the list, as both teams are starting to decline with age and might hit the reset button.
This is the fifth edition of the rebuild rankings, a semi-annual project that gets bigger each time. With each version, there are a few lessons about what makes a rebuild successful and what might become an extra obstacle for specific teams. A big one is ownership and the role it plays.
While a great owner can’t win a cup, a bad owner can certainly put a team in a terrible spot and set a team back. Some of the rebuilding teams have impulsive ownership that are quick to fire GMs and coaches while eager to spend big on some players in the offseason. Then there are owners who don’t care and spend minimally on the team (the Coyotes under Alex Meruelo were a prime example of that.) Awful ownership makes a team a place people want to avoid, and it explains how the Sabres have become the opposite of a destination as their NHL-long playoff drought heads towards a 14th-consecutive season.
Under the same theme of external factors, a team being in a “destination” changes how they can build. The word “destination” is often overused in the NHL, and it implies that teams in big hockey markets or in cities located in tax-free U.S States are more desirable to play in (the thing that makes a team desirable is winning but that’s not the point.) If a front office views itself as a team in a non-desirable place, they’ll build through the draft and the prospect pool more so than free agency. It’s how the Flames approached their rebuild and how the Winnipeg Jets have approached team building for years.
Which rebuild do you think is closest to contending? Let us know in the comments section below!
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