It’s hard to go from worst to first in the NHL. For a rebuilding team to make the leap from last place in a division to the top of it is almost impossible. Last season, the closest team to doing it was the Montreal Canadiens, who were the final wild card team in the Eastern Conference. Otherwise, none of the bottom feeders were close.
Related: NHL Rebuild Rankings: Which Teams Are Closest to Contention – 2025-26 Preseason Edition
The four teams that finished last season with the worst record in their divisions were the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks. They all have their cases to go from worst to first, and the question is which team can make the big leaps.
Last season was a forgettable one for the Blackhawks. They were in season two of the Connor Bedard era and expected to be more competitive. Instead, the Blackhawks took a step back and are back to the drawing board, at least when it comes to their head coach, who is now Jeff Blashill.
The good news is that the Blackhawks are building around Bedard and Frank Nazar, who should be better with another season under their belts. They also have more prospects on the way who can make an impact this season, notably Kevin Korchinski, who can be a staple on the defense.
That said, it’s hard seeing the Blackhawks in the playoff conversation, much less in first place in the division. The Central Division, particularly, is a tough one to win with multiple juggernauts at the top, so even if the Blackhawks sneak into the playoffs, they’ll be far from the first-place spot in the division.
The Sharks are the team with the most promising rebuild in the NHL. Macklin Celebrini is becoming the superstar to build around, and the rest of the young core is taking shape as well. There’s plenty of reason to believe they’ll be a Cup contender down the road.
The problem is that the Sharks are still in the early phases of their rebuild and multiple years away from contending for a Stanley Cup. They lost 62 of their 82 games last season and are still building up the core. Michael Misa, for example, might not be on the roster this season, and if he is, it’s unlikely he’s a high-impact center right away.
They’ll take a step forward. However, they’ll probably be on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.
The Flyers are a team to buy into as a worst-to-first option (interestingly, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished last season with a better record than their Pennsylvania rival). They have their question marks with center, defense, and goaltending. Plus, the Flyers are rebuilding, putting them at least one season away from a leap to the top of the standings. That said, they still have the pieces to rise in the division.
Matvei Michkov is the star to build around and already looks like a difference-maker. The Flyers also have plenty of young players on the roster, with offseason addition Trevor Zegras being a wild card. Those players and a prospect or two can join an NHL team that already has Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim as leaders of the team.
There’s also a coach who can take this team to the next level. Rick Tocchet is a retread coach who has his downsides. However, he’s known for getting the most out of his star players, especially the young stars, and the Flyers have a few of those. This is a team that’s lacked stability behind the bench for a while, and Tocchet can provide that to allow them to sneak up on the rest of the division.
For all the questions with the Bruins’ rebuild and their roster as a whole, they still look like the team that can go from worst to first. Even with how they unraveled last season and have issues at every position, they can look at last season as an outlier and make a jump in the standings.
The turnaround starts with David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy leading the forwards and the defense. Pastrnak is one of the game’s elite wingers and can end up in the Hart Trophy conversation, while McAvoy, a sure starter on the USA Olympic team, can end up as a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman.
Then, the Bruins get rebound seasons from Elias Lindholm at center and Jeremy Swayman in the net. Throw in a healthy Hampus Lindholm to help out the defense, and they can be a great team.
Which team do you think will go from worst to first? Let us know in the comments section below!
Founded in 2009, and 100% Canadian-owned, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read millions of times every month.