Which team is the furthest away from being a playoff team?

[holy]

Habs would need a miracle to do well for the next 3-4 years tbh. But it’s the Habs so anything is possible. That hole from a lack of Weber is the most daunting fill I think before they can actually compete. Seeing Savard try this season has left an imprint of my palm on my face.

AZ needs to fold if the Prodigal Son Matthews doesn’t end up there. Then again I think after the Panthers win this Cup this season it might change some perspectives on giving up on teams.

 

[Foxy]

I went with the Sabres. Its tough because to me they are all multiple years away from the playoffs, with Ottawa possibly pushing for a spot next year. So now you have to take into account how the GMs will do over the next couple off-season's. As a Rangers fan, I have too much faith that Gorton will re-build the right way, to me that means Montreal won't get stuck in a 10 year rebuild and go nowhere, thus won't be the last of the group to make it.

It could turn out to be any of Coyotes, Kraken, Devils or Sabres who are the last to make it in. Coyotes seem to have a decent plan in place, but its still the Coyotes. Devils have their 1C, still need to get better goaltending and they also have Lindy Ruff lol. Kraken probably just have a random year where it magically works out. So that leaves the Sabres. Already 10 years since they've made it, so until management proves they know what they are doing I'm going with them.

 

[BlueBaron]

I don't see Montreal, there is a lot of value on that roster. When the dust settles after the deadline they will still have Petry, Suzuki and Toff (he could move but not presently scheduled). They have Caulfield and Romanov who will be presumably improved. Add a top pick and numerous other players not mentioned and you have a good portion of a potentially decent team.

It should probably be Seattle but Arizona is so poorly run and bad I see little hope.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Seattle is my answer. I see no plan there.

Arizona is definitely not the furthest.
They have amassed a very impressive stock of draft picks.

For 2022:
3 - 1st round picks
5 - second round picks

Guenther, Soderstrom, Hayton, Lipkin, Macelli, etc. in the pipeline
Plus whatever they get if they do trade Chychrun

If they draft well and/or end up with a #1 or #2 pick, it may be a short rebuild.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Montreal would be in the playoff hunt with Price this year.
If Price is healthy next year - they'll be in the playoff hunt. Doesn't guarantee they make it - and if you want to argue that they're not good enough to win a cup, fine maybe. But simply playoff participation? With Carey Price, this starts next year.

Very debatable. His numbers have him in the bottom third of the league for almost half a decade now. He has short, hot spurts but it has been a long time since he's performed over a stretch.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Arizona is a complete disgrace

Sure things are bad in all the places you listed but Arizona has no place to play next season, and even if they do it's a 5000 seat arena, but you have to build lockers so really it's about 3500

 

[elitepete]

In order of who I think will make the playoffs first:
Ottawa
Buffalo
Arizona
New Jersey
Montreal
Seattle

 

[malcb33]

Very debatable. His numbers have him in the bottom third of the league for almost half a decade now. He has short, hot spurts but it has been a long time since he's performed over a stretch.

Debatable yes, probably unlikely with their division, but how many other teams on that list are one injured roster player away from even being in consideration of the playoffs? Montreal is the worst team in the league right now, and that's not debatable but they have some solid players still (see the playoffs last season) who are currently underperforming. Personally, I have a hard time believing they should be near the bottom of this list.

Recency bias is a crazy thing...

 

[NotAVacuumSalesman]

Montreal.

They're an absolute mess. They gotta do a tear down and start a proper rebuild.

 

[bobholly39]

Very debatable. His numbers have him in the bottom third of the league for almost half a decade now. He has short, hot spurts but it has been a long time since he's performed over a stretch.

The whole team plays like shit when he's not there. It's weird. Same thing happened in 2015-2016 season. First 2 months of the season, Habs first overall in league Price playing great. Price goes down to injury - Habs are last in league rest of the way. It's not just his on-ice play - it's a confidence thing too.

Toffoli was on pace for 44 goals last year - he's on pace for 22 this year. And he's probably the Habs player who looks best versus last year....just to give you an idea of how bad everyone has been lol

My argument isn't that Price would come back next year and post some crazy 940 sv % statline and will this team to the playoffs. It's just that the team plays completely different when he's around, and players who shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as they've been this year should do better. And yes - he can still play pretty great himself too.

Point is - there's a potential path to playoffs for Habs in the short term. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. In contrast - I don't think Seattle or Arizona have any real short for a few years still

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

The whole team plays like shit when he's not there. It's weird. Same thing happened in 2015-2016 season. First 2 months of the season, Habs first overall in league Price playing great. Price goes down to injury - Habs are last in league rest of the way. It's not just his on-ice play - it's a confidence thing too.

Toffoli was on pace for 44 goals last year - he's on pace for 22 this year. And he's probably the Habs player who looks best versus last year....just to give you an idea of how bad everyone has been lol

My argument isn't that Price would come back next year and post some crazy 940 sv % statline and will this team to the playoffs. It's just that the team plays completely different when he's around, and players who shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as they've been this year should do better. And yes - he can still play pretty great himself too.

Point is - there's a potential path to playoffs for Habs in the short term. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. In contrast - I don't think Seattle or Arizona have any real short for a few years still

They definitely have pieces better enabling them to be competitive. Biggest issue is they all seem to be very "short streak" type pieces.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Debatable yes, probably unlikely with their division, but how many other teams on that list are one injured roster player away from even being in consideration of the playoffs? Montreal is the worst team in the league right now, and that's not debatable but they have some solid players still (see the playoffs last season) who are currently underperforming. Personally, I have a hard time believing they should be near the bottom of this list.

Recency bias is a crazy thing...

I probably wouldn't place them at the bottom though they are in a weird place.

I am one of those (on record) who said long before the start of the season that over a regular 82 games there is no way they make the playoffs - even with everyone healthy. There's just no way they knock out Tampa, Toronto, Boston or Florida.....wild card the only hope and then have to beat out Metro. They've got to deal with Weber out and who knows about Price and his age? Have a look at Edmonton with two of the best players in the world but no goalie and no D. Not the same roster makeup obviously as Montreal has better depth but no high end. It's weird. Suzuki looks good and Caufield will likely be something if they take their time. I've been a Gorton fan for a long time so that bodes well. Hopefully he fixes their drafting and development because that has been abysmal.

 

[BlueBaron]

Seattle is my answer. I see no plan there.

Arizona is definitely not the furthest.
They have amassed a very impressive stock of draft picks.

For 2022:
3 - 1st round picks
5 - second round picks

Guenther, Soderstrom, Hayton, Lipkin, Macelli, etc. in the pipeline
Plus whatever they get if they do trade Chychrun

If they draft well and/or end up with a #1 or #2 pick, it may be a short rebuild.

With Seattle the plan is probably building through the draft which you aren't going to see most of the time.

I'm puzzled at your faith in Arizona They have been here several times before and they always drop the ball.

It would be interesting to see their pick history vs good players drafted. I doubt it would be flattering. Has so many high picks ever yielded so little?

Now they plan to trade one of their best picks ever (hoping to the Leafs). Keller and Chychrun are the best players they have ever drafted or am I missing someone?

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

. Keller and Chychrun are the best players they have ever drafted or am I missing someone?

OEL, Wheeler, Yandle?

 

[BlueBaron]

OEL, Wheeler, Yandle?

Mmm those are a bit old to reflect the current state of things but they should not be forgotten.

 

[GOALOFSSON]

I went with the Sabres. Its tough because to me they are all multiple years away from the playoffs, with Ottawa possibly pushing for a spot next year. So now you have to take into account how the GMs will do over the next couple off-season's. As a Rangers fan, I have too much faith that Gorton will re-build the right way, to me that means Montreal won't get stuck in a 10 year rebuild and go nowhere, thus won't be the last of the group to make it.

It could turn out to be any of Coyotes, Kraken, Devils or Sabres who are the last to make it in. Coyotes seem to have a decent plan in place, but its still the Coyotes. Devils have their 1C, still need to get better goaltending and they also have Lindy Ruff lol. Kraken probably just have a random year where it magically works out. So that leaves the Sabres. Already 10 years since they've made it, so until management proves they know what they are doing I'm going with them.

So the Coyotes have a "plan" and the Kraken get some random magic, so that leaves the Sabres?

 

[dukeofjive]

Habs are a tire fire stuck on a garbage ship with nobody on board.

 

[amnesiac]

Taking in to consideration the team on the ice, cap situation and prospect pool/draft picks, which team would you LEAST like to be the GM of if the goal was to win?

Personally I wouldn't want anything to do with Montreal as they are bad, they've got numerous "bad" contracts and not a great prospect pool


This has absolutely nothing to do with me being a Devil fan an I only included them as they are tied with Buffalo for points and I wanted to put the 5 lowest point totals.

Caufield, Guhle, Norlinder, Harris, Mailloux, Farrell, Mysak, the 2022 pick will surely will be top 3.... this on top of a young Suzuki and Romanov.

Its not Detroit or LA, but its top 10 if you include this summers top pick. Say what you want.

also, Gorton will be wanting to tank next year. Expect another top pick in 2023.

 

[amnesiac]

They get 1st pick this year they can’t get Bedard next year.

why not?

-- Teams cannot win the lottery more than twice in a five-year period. Wins in the lottery prior to 2022 will not be counted toward this total.

 

[PettersonHughes]

Ottawa > NJ > Montreal > Buffalo > Seattle > Arizona

Worst should be between these 3 for sure (not sure about the particular order).
Buffalo - some interesting pieces (Dahlin, Cozens, Thompson, Mittlestadt, Tuch, Quinn, Krebs, UPL) but out of those I don't know if UPL has #1 G in playoffs upside, and the depth probably isn' there yet (luckily Okposo and Skinner are doing better lately but too many depth level guys).
Seattle - mediocre, Grub hasn't panned out like Fleury did with VGK; there are good players there but just not the same level as their recent expansion brethren (probably better if they trade Gio, Jarnkrok, Johansson, Sheahan, Blackwell for future picks as UFAs)
Arizona - depends who they build around (Crouse/ Vejmelka/ Schmaltz/ Keller/ Chychrun), which UFAs they move (Kessel, Stralman, Lyubushkin...) and how they use their acquired picks, IF they develop well they could take off quickly (though their track record in that doesn't bode well).

 

[Gurglesons]

Kraken.

 

[Chainshot]

Arizona has arena and ownership issues, a stripped down roster, and measurably the second worst prospect pool of the teams listed behind the Kraken. Considering they're also rumored to be selling off their best defenseman in Chychrun... it doesn't look great for the Coyotes right now. They seem farthest away.

 

[Foxy]

So the Coyotes have a "plan" and the Kraken get some random magic, so that leaves the Sabres?

Yeah for me the Sabres management and ownership doesn't get the benefit of the doubt. They Haven't made the playoffs since 10-11, haven't won a round since 06-07, and haven't even finished with a winning record since 11-12(were .500 in 12-13). Maybe management gets their act together and the rebuild only takes them a few years, but I don't see it. More likely they mess it up somehow.

 

[Morgs]

Not gonna be easy for either Buffalo or Montreal to be a playoff team in the Atlantic. Toronto, Florida, and Tampa are set up for years, Boston will weaken with Bergeron/Marchand getting older, but will still be a good team, and then they need to get ahead of both Ottawa and Detroit who are both looking more promising. I prefer Buffalo's pieces, so I picked Montreal. AZ is a good choice too, but their division is much weaker so it's possible they could bounce back quicker. Similar to Seattle.

The 6 votes for NJ made me laugh though.

 

[GOALOFSSON]

Yeah for me the Sabres management and ownership doesn't get the benefit of the doubt. They Haven't made the playoffs since 10-11, haven't won a round since 06-07, and haven't even finished with a winning record since 11-12(were .500 in 12-13). Maybe management gets their act together and the rebuild only takes them a few years, but I don't see it. More likely they mess it up somehow.

The problem is management doesn't play on the ice so Arizona/Seattle have a lot of catching up to do. Emphasis on a lot.

Even if what you are are trying to say wasn't near 100% irrelevant, and it is since none of that currently has an impact on the topic at hand*, Arizona isn't much better and maybe even worse. Both from a management standpoint and the fact they hadn't done s*** since 2012 outside of a play-in gift recently. Seattle has no track record but they're off to a not so great start.


So you've got two teams that you can't even say are better off with their management while also having significantly less on the player side. So again how does that leave the Sabres?


* we were bad because of abysmal drafting for a decade which kept the cupboards bare and then sold literally everything of value. We had nothing on the team and decided to be bad/tank. The problem is we had so little at the start of the tank outside of picks we got, then Murray rushed (ruined) things and Botterill was almost as bad.

So the main reason we were bad for so long is a decent stretch of bad drafting, followed by an intentional implosion that was then mishandled by two GMs. None of that has any bearing on the current situation. Our U23 is stacked and our current GM hasn't showed anything yet to put him on the level of his predecessors. Being bad for so long is actually a positive when it comes to this discussion since it is why we have such a good group of upcoming players.

I've never understood the whole stance of some posters that the Sabres are magically going to be bad forever. Like what?

Worst should be between these 3 for sure (not sure about the particular order).

Nothing sure about the Sabres being one of the worst three. You can be sure about what order you'd place those three teams though.