Hope springs everlasting in the summertime for NHL followers who have not watched their staff play since early April.
May 2024-25 be the season that one of many non-playoff groups from 2023-24 make the postseason?
In a four-part collection, we study the non-playoff groups from final season and whether or not they have improved sufficient to provide their followers hope they’re going to play past early April.
We have put the 16 groups in 4 tiers — the Lengthy Nationwide Nightmare Division, Groundhog Day Division, Scratch-off Division and our backside tier, the “Puh-leeze” Division, the place we start.
The ‘Puh-leeze’ Division
When somebody suggests one among these groups might make the playoffs, reply with “puh-leeze” and a smile.
16. San Jose Sharks | 2023-24: 19-54-9, 47 factors, thirty second within the NHL
The Sharks improved sufficient so blue-chip ahead prospects Macklin Celebrini (2024 first general decide) and Will Smith (2023 fourth general decide) aren’t strolling right into a shark tank. Plus, the additions of forwards Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Kim Klostin and Ty Dellandrea will a minimum of make the Sharks watchable.
However the Sharks, who have been comically bad final season, have a skinny protection and goaltending so suspect that one nonetheless could make a case that is the NHL’s worst staff. All this provides as much as a possible Yr 1 mulligan for brand new coach Ryan Warsofsky, who’s in his first NHL head-coaching gig.
Until Celebrini and Smith are immediately elite, San Jose will not sniff the postseason.
15. Calgary Flames | 2023-24: 38-39-5, 81 factors, twenty fourth
Calgary spent a lot of the offseason deconstructing its roster and creating roster spots for younger, promising gamers. However these guys are hardly blue-chip prospects.
Calgary added measurement and grit in defenseman Kevin Bahl (6-foot-6 and 230 kilos) and savvy in heart Ryan Lomberg, however subtracted objective scoring and objective suppression in dealing winger Andrew Mangiapane, defenseman Noah Hanifin and goaltender Jakob Markstrom. Sometimes, it is not a profitable recipe to combine getting older, struggling veterans with non-blue chip prospects and questions in objective.
