7 2024 NHL Playoffs Teams Already in Danger of Missing the Postseason
Most NHL teams have reached the 20-game mark of the 2024-25 season, putting them a quarter of the way through the regular-season schedule. Many of last season's playoff clubs, including the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, are jockeying for position in the postseason race.
Some of last season's postseason teams, however, are off to slow starts which have them clinging to wild-card berth or sitting outside the playoff standings as of Nov. 24. Their performances threaten to undermine their chances of qualifying for the 2025 playoffs when the regular season ends in April.
One of those teams was a finalist for the Stanley Cup last season. Two others are former Cup champions. A third has won the Presidents' Trophy twice since 2019-20.
How did these teams wind up in this position? Follow along as we examine the factors behind their poor play thus far.
Do you agree with our take on this topic? Is there another club that belongs on his list? Tell us about it in the app comments below.
Boston Bruins
1 of 7
The Boston Bruins last missed the playoffs in 2015-16. Since then, they've been among the NHL's top teams, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2019-20 and 2022-23. During the latter season, they set league records for wins (65) and points (135).
Since 2019, however, the Bruins have been steadily losing quality players. Goaltenders Tuuka Rask and Linus Ullmark, defensemen Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug, and forwards Patrice Bergeron, David Krejčí, Taylor Hall, and Jake DeBrusk retired, were traded or departed as free agents.
General manager Don Sweeney has tried to fill those gaps, acquiring forwards Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha, defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo through trades and free agency. He's also promoted promising youngsters like Mason Lohrei, Matthew Poitras, and John Beecher.
However, Elias Lindholm and Zadorov have struggled to adjust to their new team this season. Meanwhile, the youngsters haven't reached their full potential.
Age seems to be catching up with 36-year-old captain Brad Marchand. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has looked off since missing training camp over his protracted contract negotiations. Superstar winger David Pastrňák and top defenseman Charlie McAvoy aren't playing to their usual high standards.
The result is a Bruins team clinging to a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, with a goals-per-game average (2.32) at the bottom of the league and a goals-against per game (3.18) among the league's highest.
That poor performance cost Jim Montgomery his job as head coach as Joe Sacco took over on an interim basis. Whether that will be enough to snap the Bruins out of their funk remains to be seen.
Colorado Avalanche
2 of 7
Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, the Colorado Avalanche have found returning to the Final challenging. The Seattle Kraken eliminated them from the first round of the 2023 playoffs, and the Dallas Stars bounced them from the second round last season.
This season finds the Avalanche jockeying for a wild-card berth in the Western Conference. Even though superstars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen sit among the league's leading scorers, it hasn't been enough to push their club higher in the standings.
A roster decimated by injuries through the early weeks of the schedule hampered their performance.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog continues his attempt at a comeback after missing the last two seasons due to knee surgeries. Center Ross Colton's red-hot start was ended after 10 games by a foot injury sidelining him until mid-December. Forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin recently returned from injuries.
Meanwhile, Valeri Nichushkin only recently returned from serving a six-month suspension as part of Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. The Avs missed the big winger's two-way contributions through the early going of this season.
Goaltending has also been an adventure for the Avalanche thus far. They have the seventh-best goals-per-game average (3.48) but their goals-against per game (3.57) is the league's fourth-highest. Starter Alexandar Georgiev has a 3.37 goals-against average and a save percentage of .874. Backup Justus Annunen's stats (2.81 GAA, .886 SP) aren't much better.
A healthier roster in front of their goaltenders has improved the Avalanche of late, winning six of their last seven as of Nov. 24. Nevertheless, they must address that woeful goals-against or risk having it come back to haunt them later in the season.
Edmonton Oilers
3 of 7
At this point last season, the Edmonton Oilers were digging their way out of the big hole they dug for themselves in the Western Conference standings. After winning just three of their first 13 games, they replaced Jay Woodcroft as head coach with Kris Knoblauch on Nov. 13, 2023.
The move worked, as the Oilers rose in the Western Conference standings. Led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they qualified for the 2024 playoffs and marched to the Stanley Cup Final before falling in seven games to the Florida Panthers.
Nearly two months into this season, the Oilers are jostling with the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche for a wild-card berth in the conference. With a record of 11 wins, nine losses, and two overtime losses, they're not floundering like they were at this point a year ago. Nevertheless, some troubling issues could derail their season.
Their goalie tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard has been erratic thus far. Their goals-against per game of 3.10 is uncomfortably close to the league's bottom third. Skinner has a goals-against average of 3.23 and a save percentage of .882. Pickard has a better GAA (2.44) but his .893 save percentage isn't great.
Defensive depth is also a concern. During the offseason, the Oilers lost Vincent Desharnais to free agency, traded Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks, and lost promising Philip Broberg to an offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues. That's left them thin beyond their top three of Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Darnell Nurse.
McDavid and Draisaitl continue to power the offense, sitting among the league leaders. However, the offense drops significantly after them. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are well below last season's production, winger Evander Kane is sidelined indefinitely, and offseason additions Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson have been disappointing.
Nashville Predators
4 of 7
The Nashville Predators made three of the biggest signings during the 2024 offseason, bringing in former 40-goal forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and puck-moving defenseman Brady Skjei. These moves were supposed to ensure the roster remained playoff competitive while transitioning toward younger players.
Instead, the Predators sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Stamkos and Marchessault aren't producing at the pace that saw them both reach 40 goals last season with their former clubs. Meanwhile, Skjei has seen top-pairing minutes with captain Roman Josi but both are struggling defensively.
It's easy to pin the Predators' woes on their offseason additions, but the warning signs have been there for some time. They've steadily declined since winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2017-18 with a franchise-best record of 117 points, including missing the playoffs in 2022-23.
The Predators qualified last season but only after going on a 20-5-4 tear down the stretch. However, they were eliminated from the opening round in six games by the Vancouver Canucks.
Barry Trotz took over as general manager from David Poile on July 1, 2023. On Nov. 5, Trotz explained that he didn't intend to stage a full roster rebuild but made his free-agent acquisitions to buy time for his promising young players to develop.
So far, the Predators haven't been that competitive. Their goals-per-game average (2.38) is among the league's worst while their 3.10 goals-against per game is among the middle of the pack in the 32-team league.
On Nov. 16, The Tennessean's Alex Daugherty observed the Predators weren't moving the puck well out of their own zone, committing too many neutral-zone turnovers and giving up too many odd-man rushes. If this continues, they'll end up in a hole in the standings too deep to climb out of.
New York Islanders
5 of 7
In 2019-20 and 2020-21, the New York Islanders seemed on the verge of becoming Stanley Cup contenders. Thanks to their strong goaltending and stifling team defense, they reached the 2020 Eastern Conference Final and the semifinals during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Since then, the Islanders missed the postseason in 2021-22. They finished seventh in the Eastern Conference during the last two seasons before being eliminated from the opening round of the playoffs.
The Islanders have undergone frequent changes behind the bench. They parted ways with head coach Barry Trotz following the 2021-22 season and replaced Lane Lambert with Patrick Roy on Jan. 20, 2024.
What hasn't changed is the Islanders relying on goaltending and defensive hockey because their offense hasn't improved. From 2019-20 to 2023-24, they were among the league's lowest-scoring teams, ranking 24th overall with a goals-per-game average of 2.86.
The Islanders have had several reliable scorers throughout that time with forwards Brock Nelson, Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, and puck-moving defenseman Noah Dobson. General manager Lou Lamoriello also brought in scorers like Bo Horvat and the currently sidelined Anthony Duclair.
However, the Islanders' goals-per-game average (2.48) once again ranks near the bottom of the league. They lack a reliable game-breaking scoring star and are among the NHL's oldest teams this season with core players like Nelson, Lee, Pageau, and Palmieri now 31 or older. Meanwhile, Dobson has had to carry the load offensively on the blue line.
The Islanders' goaltending and team defense might help them squeak into the postseason again. However, they're playing with fire if management doesn't find a way to bolster their popgun offense. As of Nov. 24, they were two points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Tampa Bay Lightning
6 of 7
From 2014-15 to 2021-22, the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoyed a dominant streak few other NHL clubs can match in the salary-cap era. They reached the Stanley Cup Final four times, winning hockey's holy grail twice. They also won the Presidents' Trophy in 2018-19 with 62 wins and 128 points.
Since 2020, however, the Lightning's roster has been steadily depleted as salary-cap constraints led to the departures of key players via free agency or cost-cutting trades. Ondřej Palát, Tyler Johnson, Alex Johnson, Carter Verhaeghe, Yanni Gourde, and Pat Maroon were the most notable to go, along with Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev last summer.
That dwindling depth took its toll over the last two seasons as they failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. This season, they're one point out of the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference with 22 points in 19 games.
Scoring hasn't been an issue for the Lightning, sitting fifth overall with a goals-per-game average of 3.58. Keeping the puck out of their net, however, is another matter, as their 3.05 goals-against per game is in the middle of the pack in the 32-team league.
Their special teams' play also needs work. They're 14th in power-play percentage (20.3) while their penalty-killing (76.3) sit 22nd overall.
On Nov. 23, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times observed the Bolts' tendency to pass up shots on net for an extra pass during the club's 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Encina called it a "familiar trap" that has proven costly against tight-checking opponents like the Stars. Lighting coach Jon Cooper said his team is overcomplicating an uncomplicated game.
The Lightning still have plenty of experienced leadership and talent in players like captain Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point to remain a playoff contender. Cooper is also a savvy coach who should be able to get his players to simplify their game. But if they don't, they could find themselves struggling to nail down a playoff berth.
Vancouver Canucks
7 of 7
After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, the Vancouver Canucks qualified for the 2024 postseason with 109 points. It was the third-best regular-season performance in franchise history, marking only the second time they reached the playoffs since 2014-15.
Led by stars such as captain Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser, the Canucks appeared to have emerged from several years of fitful rebuilding into a perennial postseason contender. However, they sit one point out of the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference with 23 points in 19 games as of Nov. 24.
One reason is the absence of starting goaltender Thatcher Demko from the lineup. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, the 28-year-old Demko has been sidelined by a knee injury since the opening game of the 2024 playoffs.
Demko hopes to return to the lineup soon, but there is still no timetable. The Canucks are making do with the tandem of Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs, but the club's 3.21 goals-against per game is the 10th highest in the league.
Another factor is their blue-line depth. On Nov. 21, Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province pointed out their need to improve their second defense pairing, observing the current duo of Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers have struggled with their puck management and defensive reads, resulting in a plus/minus of minus-eight during five-on-five play.
Inconsistent play from Pettersson and Miller and a recent upper-body injury to Brock Boeser affected their goal production. Pettersson has recently improved, but Miller is on an indefinite leave of absence while Boeser has yet to return to action.
The Canucks still have time on their side with the season barely two months old. Nevertheless, they risk falling out of contention if those issues aren't suitably addressed.
Stats and standings (as of Nov. 24, 2024) via NHL.com. Line combinations via Daily Faceoff.
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