Now that the regular season has wrapped up, let’s unfairly judge how the teams have done this season and whether or not it was a successful campaign. Team rosters vary throughout the league, from contending to rebuilding to hitting rock bottom for the first time in a while (Hello, Boston!). Some are climbing but haven’t quite made it into contender status yet, which is a good place to start, in Anaheim.
Anaheim Ducks (35-37-10, 80 points, 6th Pacific Division): B
The Ducks were better, improving 21 points from 59 points last season to 80 points in 2024-25. The young core of the team – Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, and Jackson LaCombe all took steps forward. Cutter Gauthier scored 20 goals as a rookie, and Lukas Dostal showed the ability to be a number 1 goaltender in the NHL. The Ducks still have to improve defensively and turn around their terrible special teams units, but the arrows are pointing up in Anaheim.
Boston Bruins (33-39-10, 76 points, last Atlantic Division): F
The most epic of epic fails, the Bruins were supposed to be a playoff team and instead missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman held out in the preseason and never regained the form that he showed in the playoffs a season ago. Boston fired Jim Montgomery after a lackluster first half of the season that saw Montgomery check out for the last three to four weeks of his tenure in Boston. The Bruins turned to long-time assistant Joe Sacco to be the Interim Coach, and after a quick bump in play, the Bruins returned to the mistake-filled underachieving team they had been all year leading to Boston trading their captain, Brad Marchand, as well as Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo from their leadership group as the ship was sinking. The Bruins have a flawed roster with David Pastrnak as the lone elite talent in the forward group, surrounded by an assortment of 3rd and 4th line players who try hard but don’t have the skill necessary to compete in today’s NHL. The Bruins expect to bounce back next season with a healthy defense led by Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Nikita Zadorov, a bounce-back season from Jeremy Swayman, and Morgan Geekie (and his 33 goals) riding shotgun with David Pastrnak.
Buffalo Sabres (36-39-7, 79 points, 7th Atlantic Division): D-
Should Buffalo have an F? Maybe, but it’s hard to give them an F when they consistently fail. If it happens all the time, is it failure, or is it just average performance? Well, Buffalo did regress from 84 to 79 points, spent much of the season in last place in the Eastern Conference, and had a 13-game winless streak that killed any playoff aspirations. Buffalo was expecting to make a playoff push, and the Sabres fell short. There were some bright spots – Tage Thompson had 44 goals and led the league with 33 5v5 goals, JJ Peterka had a career year with 68 points, and Rasmus Dahlin has proved to be a number 1 defenseman, but at the end of the day the Sabres missed the playoffs for the 14th straight season.
Calgary Flames (41-27-14, 96 points, 4th Pacific Division): C+
The Flames almost made the playoffs thanks to Calder Trophy finalist, Goaltender Dustin Wolf, and contributions from Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. The Flames still need elite offensive talent because their 225 goals were 6th worst in the league, and Calgary will have to give up the best of their three first-round picks to Montreal in the Sean Monahan trade. But, on a positive note, Calgary has two first-round picks, which should help the rebuild, and dynamic 19-year-old defenseman Zayne Parekh, who scored a goal in his NHL debut, to provide offense from the back end for years to come.
Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5, 99 points, 2nd Metropolitan Division): B
One thing that Carolina can’t be accused of is being boring. The Hurricanes made a huge splash before the trade deadline by trading for Mikko Rantanen and shipping out Martin Necas and Jack Drury, only to turn around and trade Rantanen to Dallas when it was clear he wouldn’t sign an extension with the ‘Canes. Since the Deadline, Carolina has had their ups and downs, but the recent addition of top prospect Alexander Nikishin has Raleigh buzzing as Carolina enters the playoffs with a chance to make a deep run.
Chicago Blackhawks (25-46-11, 61 points, last Central Division): C+
Chicago was not much better than last season on the scoreboard as the Blackhawks finished 2nd from the bottom in the NHL again. However, the roster is showing signs of improvement – Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel have shown promise, many others made their NHL debuts, and there is still Connor Bedard to build around. Being able to get out from underneath the Seth Jones contract might be the biggest coup of them all for GM Kyle Davidson as he prepares for an important off-season in the Windy City.
Colorado Avalanche (49-29-4, 102 points, 3rd Central Division): B-
If 3rd place in the Central Division feels a little disappointing, I don’t blame you, but think about the positives – a reworked roster with Martin Necas fitting in seamlessly, swapping out both goaltenders, and adding center depth at the trade deadline. At the end of the day, I think the roster is poised for a deep playoff run. GM Chris MacFarland was able to address areas of need, and the Avalanche can always look at Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and feel good about their chances.
Columbus Blue Jackets (40-33-9, 89 points, 4th Metropolitan Division): A-
It’s hard to give a team an A grade after missing the playoffs, but if there was ever a team that deserved it, it was this Columbus team. The Blue Jackets dealt with unspeakable tragedy, the death of beloved teammate Johnny Gaudreau, before the season could have cast a dark cloud over the season, but instead, the opposite happened. The resiliency of this group should be commended, and if not for a late-season slump, the Blue Jackets would have been playoff-bound. The future is bright for Columbus with great seasons from Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Sean Monahan to build on.
Dallas Stars (50-26-6, 106 points, 2nd Central Division): A-
Dallas had unrealistic expectations going into the season and just about lived up to them. You could take a few points away for not winning the division and a powerplay that was middle of the pack, but that was without Tyler Seguin for 60+ games and Miro Heiskanen for 30+ games. It’s nitpicking. They traded for Mikko Rantanen and signed him to a long-term extension. There isn’t much to complain about – this team is deep and talented without any real weaknesses. If they can get past Colorado, they are probably the favorites to win the Western Conference.
Detroit Red Wings (39-35-8, 86 points, 6th Atlantic Division): D
The Red Wings expected to push for the playoffs, but that didn’t materialize. Is the Yzer-plan working? Too early to tell. Detroit had a horrible start to the season and couldn’t climb out of the hole even after the coaching change to Todd McLellan. A late-season swoon sealed their fate, and the Wings missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season. Detroit appears to be on the road back with some positive developments – most notably Marco Kasper and Jonathan Berggren but there’s still work to do.
Edmonton Oilers (48-29-5, 101 points, 3rd Pacific Division): B-
The Oilers’ expectations were sky-high coming into the season – a Pacific Division title and possibly a Presidents’ Trophy, but that never got on track. Edmonton will be on the road against a hungry Kings team in Round 1, looking for revenge. Leon Draisaitl may have been the only player on the roster who met or exceeded the lofty expectations, but they still have the two best players in the game on their team, and it’s tough to bet against motivated Connor McDavid come playoff time.
Florida Panthers (47-31-4, 98 points, 3rd Atlantic Division): B
The defending Stanley Cup Champions had a little bit of a rocky season, dealing with injuries and inconsistency, but here they are poised for another deep playoff run. The Panthers brought in Seth Jones and Brad Marchand to provide depth and experience to defend their title, and oh, Matthew Tkachuk will probably be ready early in Round 1. The defending champs may not be firing on all cylinders like they were a year ago, but this team knows how to win.
Los Angeles Kings (48-25-9, 105 points, 2nd Pacific Division): A
The Kings’ expectations were down after three straight first-round exits, but there is optimism in L.A. The Kings tied a franchise record with 48 wins and 105 points. Los Angeles got contributions up and down the lineup with their veteran leaders showing the way, and their young players all mostly taking a step forward. The addition of Andrei Kuzmenko at the trade deadline added a spark offensively, and the Kings can rely on a stingy defense that was one of the tops in the league when scoring gets more difficult in the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild (45-30-7, 97 points, 4th Central Division): B
The Wild’s grade would have been much different if they had missed the playoffs, but they didn’t. Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal with 22 seconds left in their final game ensured that. Minnesota lost Kirill Kaprizov for 41 games, Eriksson Ek for 36 games, and Jonas Brodin for 32 games, and still managed to get to the postseason. The Wild overcame adversity and had to have some young players rise to the challenge in the absence of some of their veteran leaders. Matthew Boldy and Marco Rossi certainly responded offensively, and Brock Faber was a rock on the back end all season long.
Montreal Canadiens (40-31-11, 91 points, 5th Atlantic Division): A
The Canadiens are back, and that’s not great news for the rest of the Atlantic Division. Montreal has a young, dynamic forward group led by Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and the probable Calder Trophy winner in Lane Hutson on the backend. If you throw in recently signed prospect Ivan Demidov, this Montreal core is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the league for a long time. Montreal had a 2% chance of making the playoffs coming out of the 4 Nations break, but here we are, the Canadiens are back in the playoffs where they should be.
Nashville Predators (30-44-8, 68 points, 7th Central Division): F
Did anything go right in Nashville? On the ice, it’s hard to find any positives. Off the ice, Nashville is a great place to live, work, and go for a bachelorette party, but that’s not going to help the Predators return to the playoffs. The big free-agent signings didn’t perform up to expectations, and newly signed goalie Jussi Saros just had the worst season of his career. GM Barry Trotz has a lot of work to do to turn things around in Nashville.
New Jersey Devils (42-33-7, 91 points, 3rd Metropolitan Division): C+
The Devils are heading back to the postseason but are missing superstar Jack Hughes until next season with a shoulder injury. Expectations were high, and they did make the playoffs, but that was expected. The Devils haven’t been the same team in the second half of the season, which lowered their grade a little bit. Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier had seasons to be proud of, and with the possibility of Dougie Hamilton coming back in the playoffs, the Devils could change the narrative around the team with a deep playoff run.
New York Islanders (35-35-12, 82 points, 6th Metropolitan Division): C
The Islanders were average all year. Their grade is average, and their play was average. They finished the season at .500, and they’ll get a draft pick from the middle of the round and won’t bottom out to get a top prospect. GM Lou Lamoriello traded Brock Nelson for a good return at the deadline, which may allow the Islanders to climb out of mediocrity.
New York Rangers (39-36-7, 85 points, 5th Metropolitan Division): F
The Rangers went from being the top team in the league a season ago to being out of the playoffs. GM Chris Drury had all kinds of drama surrounding the team with his handling of the Jacob Truba situation, and then the Artemi Panarin allegations came out. It was a season to forget in New York, and it will be a long off-season as the Rangers try to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
Ottawa Senators (45-30-7, 97 points, 4th Atlantic Division): A-
Ottawa made the playoffs for the first time in eight years, which makes the season a success by itself. But, the Senators are a complete team with improved defense and goaltending. The Linus Ullmark trade with the Bruins turned a major weakness into a strength. Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson took steps forward, and Brady Tkachuk is hungry for the playoff success his brother enjoyed in Florida last season. The Senators may not win their first-round series with Toronto, but they will gain much-needed experience for a team that will be a contender for a long time.
Philadelphia Flyers (33-39-10, 76 points, Last Metropolitan Division): D+
The Flyers weren’t going to be a contender going into the season, it went pretty much according to plan. Philadelphia added some young talent, traded away some pieces, and will get another high draft pick to add to Matvei Michkov. Some things didn’t go according to plan – firing John Tortorella, their goaltending was the worst in the league, and their powerplay was almost the worst in the league. These issues will need to be addressed as the Flyers try to build their roster in the off-season.
Pittsburgh Penguins (34-36-12, 80 points, 7th Metropolitan Division): D
The Penguins finished where most people thought after a tough season last year, not enough was done to turn the team into a playoff contender. The aging core is still there, and there isn’t much GM Kyle Dubas can do about it. They won’t trade Sydney Crosby, They can’t trade Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin have earned the right to finish their careers in Pittsburgh. That doesn’t exactly scream rebuild. The Penguins were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, and a team with that veteran leadership and pride shouldn’t be that bad defensively, but they were.
San Jose Sharks (20-50-12, 52 points, Last Pacific Division): C+
The Sharks will be in contention for the first overall pick in the draft again after winning the draft lottery a year ago. Macklin Celebrini had an excellent rookie season and appears to be a potential all-star. San Jose has some fantastic young talent and plenty of good prospects in the pipeline, with another on the way in this year’s NHL Draft. The future is extremely bright in San Jose, and they’re on an upward trajectory – the question is when will they get there? The current team is still bad.
Seattle Kraken (35-41-6, 76 points, 7th Pacific Division): D+
The Kraken have some things to be excited about moving forward – Brandon Montour was amazing in his first season in Seattle, Shane Wright is finally showing the promise that made him a top-five draft pick, and Matty Beniers and Kappo Kakko developed instant chemistry after Kakko was acquired from the New York Rangers. On the negative side, the Kraken spent a ton in free agency for a quick-fix improvement to the roster, which never came.
St. Louis Blues (44-30-8, 96 points, 5th Central Division): B
The Blues were middling until they brought in Jim Montgomery in November after he was fired by the Bruins, and the Blues took off. St. Louis hit a rough patch for a while, but Montgomery continued to preach about the details, and the Blues righted the ship and made the playoffs. St. Louis ripped off a franchise-record twelve-game winning streak, which certainly helped. The offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg added depth and scoring as both players blossomed under Montgomery. The Blues have put some pieces together and have made some shrewd moves in advancing the retool, and a playoff appearance under their new coach can only help.
Tampa Bay Lightning (47-27-8, 102 points, 2nd Atlantic Division): A
The Lightning just continue to win. It appeared their window to contend was closing with Steven Stamkos shipped out, but Tampa signed Jake Guentzel, got a bounce-back season from Andrei Vasilevskiy, their elite core were difference makers, and the supporting cast rose to the occasion. Nikita Kucherov is perennially in the Hart Trophy conversation, and as he goes, so go the Lightning. He looks dangerous, and so does the Lightning.
Toronto Maple Leafs (52-26-4, 106 points, 1st Atlantic Division): A-
The Leafs won their first division title in 25 years. Toronto seemed to solve their goaltending issues with Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and they still have the elite offensive talent that will win them a lot of regular season games. Can the combination of the goaltending and the elite talent produce enough to get Toronto where they’ve been clamoring to go for years? It remains to be seen but, this is one of Toronto’s most complete teams in years.
Utah Hockey Club (38-31-13, 89 points, 6th Central Division): B-
Utah took a big step forward from a year ago when they were the sixth-worst club in hockey. There was turmoil with the potential move from Arizona, but with that behind them, the Utah Hockey Club had their best season in more than a decade. There was playoff talk leading into the season, but Utah is one of the youngest teams in the NHL, and young teams just don’t consistently win. Injuries and growing pains may have slowed the playoff push, but there is optimism in Utah with great seasons from Clayton Keller and goaltender Karol Vejmelka, and the potential of Tij Inginla on the horizon.
Vancouver Canucks (38-30-14, 90 points, 5th Pacific Division): D
Vancouver was supposed to be a contender. Instead, they were embroiled in turmoil. A rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson led to Miller getting jettisoned at the trade deadline. They dealt with injuries to many of their top players, and the season just never got on track. One has to wonder if another shake-up to the core is coming as the Canucks have underachieved with this talented group.
Vegas Golden Knights (50-22-10, 110 points, 1st Pacific Division): A
The expectations in Vegas have been Stanley Cup or bust almost since their inception, and this year was no different. Vegas lost several key players as cap casualties and this year appeared to be a year where the Golden Knights would have to retool, instead, they reloaded. The new players fit in seamlessly and have provided scoring depth up and down the lineup. Vegas is once again a Cup favorite.
Washington Capitals (51-22-9, 111 points, 1st Metropolitan Division): A
The only reason Washington didn’t get an A+ was their play down the stretch, but honestly, I think they were kind of bored. Will the dip in play bite them come playoff time? We will see, but the Capitals have been extremely good all season long. Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record which gave the Caps a little juice at the end of the season. It’s hard to imagine a team with very few weaknesses going one-and-done in the first round of the playoffs, but that’s why they play the games.
Winnipeg Jets (56-22-4, 116 points, 1st Central Division): A+
Winnipeg was expected to be a playoff team; they had 110 points a year ago, but I don’t think anyone expected they would run through an improved Central Division like they did. The Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy and the Central Division for the first time in team history. Connor Hellebuyck won his second straight Jennings Trophy, will likely win his second straight Vezina Trophy, will get votes, and may win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. With all that said, the Jets are not a one-man team; they are deep offensively and defensively, have good special teams, and are poised for a deep playoff run.
Season 4. Episode 28. A Major Announcement – Bruins Benders Podcast
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