6 NHL Teams Facing a Decline Next Season

In the not-too-distant future, everyone will be undefeated.

Once the Stanley Cup is awarded and a chaotic 2020-21 season is finally put to bed, the NHL's 31 holdover teams and its newest arrival—the expansion Seattle Kraken—will go about vying for 2021-22 glory.

And while all the records will remain 0-0 for time being, not every franchise will start from the same place.

Several of the clubs that languished near the bottom of the standings this season have reason for optimism come the fall, be it through the arrival of prospects, the signing of free agents or the healing of injuries.

Meanwhile, many of the league's super elites have the wherewithal to maintain that status, too.

But there are others for whom the future isn't quite so bright, thanks to salary-cap issues, impending departures or the collective aging of a veteran core.

The B/R hockey writing team took a look at the league from top to bottom and assembled a list of a half-dozen teams for whom decline is a significant possibility when the puck drops in October.

Take a look at what we came up with and let us know how you feel about our collection in the comments.

Florida Panthers

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Anyone who saw this season's surge coming, take a bow.

After losing the goal scoring of Mike Hoffman (six straight seasons of 22 or more) and Evgenii Dadonov (three straight seasons of 25 or more) to free agency, the general expectation was that the Panthers would have something of a lull rather than challenging for top spots in the division and league standings.

But that's exactly what happened in South Florida. The league's suburban Miami representative finished second in the Central Division and fourth overall, just three points behind Colorado and Vegas.

Whether it's sustainable for another year, though, is another matter entirely.

The Panthers had a tick more than $1.6 million in salary-cap room when their playoff run was ended by the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they've got two unrestricted free-agent forwards and three more restricted ones heading into the offseason—and that's without considering the eventual decision to be made on Aleksander Barkov, who's due for a new deal after next season. 

If GM Bill Zito isn't already pacing the floors at 3 a.m., chances are good that he will be soon.

New York Islanders

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

It's hard to throw stones at the Islanders these days.

They were among the surprise stories of the 2019-20 playoffs last summer and have already repeated the feat this season, eliminating the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in the East Division's first round and going up 3-2 through five games against the Boston Bruins in Round 2.

But there's some looming concern when it comes to keeping it all together.

New York's completely tapped out in terms of cap space at the moment and has a handful of free agents to decide upon. Most notably among those free agents are 25-year-old goalie Ilya Sorokin and 23-year-old winger Anthony Beauvillier, who are due for a pay bump.

And there's also the question of whom to make available to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft this summer.

President of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello has made a living in situations like this while building consistently contending teams, so it's hard to doubt he'll figure a way to make a good deal. Still, if his luck comes up anything less than pristine, there's a real chance his club will fall back before it moves ahead.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The debate was conclusively over. The window was certainly open.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were among the best teams in the NHL across the season's last several weeks.

They finished just five points off the pace of the Presidents' Trophy winners and won the contentious East Division and the precious top seed and home-ice playoff advantage that went with it.

And then, pffft.

The resurgent dream season ended in a six-game erasure by the fourth-seeded New York Islanders, leaving the Penguins not only disappointed but also another year closer to the end of the line for franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

They will be 34 and 35, respectively, by the time next season starts. They'll also be surrounded by four other players aged 29 and up among the team's top-nine salaried forwards for 2021-22.

And even though goaltending isn't an issue in terms of age, there is a touch of uncertainty after Tristan Jarry, just 26, posted subpar numbers in both goals-against average (3.17) and save percentage (.888) in the series with the Islanders.

Add in a penalty-killing unit in the bottom half of the league and less than $250K in maneuvering room under the salary cap and it's sure to be a trying offseason for the new regime of Ron Hextall and Brian Burke.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

OK, we know. This reeks of piling on.

The tattered remains of Toronto's would-be drought-ending playoff run aren't even cold yet, and here we are forecasting doom and gloom for the Maple Leafs come October.

Sorry folks, reality is reality.

Even the hardest hardcore fan would admit the team got a break by playing in a COVID-prompted Canadian division this season, facing a handful of talented but flawed teams and another handful of no-hopers.

And Toronto did what it was supposed to do, winning the division comfortably and beginning a first-round series with the Montreal Canadiens with three wins in four games.

We all know how it ended.

Assuming things go back to alignment normal in 2021-22, the Leafs will be in an Atlantic Division with four other teams who made the playoffs, not to mention an upstart Ottawa group that was playing far better at the end of 2020-21 than it had been at the beginning.

Complicating matters further is the absence of room between the payroll and the salary cap, and the allotment of better than $40 million of next season's money to five forwards at the top of the roster.

So, whether GM Kyle Dubas wants to keep his core intact or blow it up entirely, it's going to take come creative accounting to get it accomplished. And if he's expecting sympathy from the Bostons, Floridas, Montreals and Tampa Bays of the world in the fall, he probably shouldn't.

Washington Capitals

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The Capitals tied for fifth overall in the league and were seeded second in the East Division heading into the playoffs while seeking their second Stanley Cup in four years.

To say it didn't work out would be an understatement given a five-game, first-round elimination by the Boston Bruins. Then comes the reality that they're not exactly flush with cash heading into an offseason with a guy named Alex Ovechkin as an unrestricted free agent.

Better than $33 million is already allocated to five 2021-22 players—Ovechkin not included—so it'll be no shock if stalwarts have to be moved or the underbelly has to be softened in order to guarantee No. 8 is wearing red, white and blue when he assumes the top spot.

If GM Brian MacLellan and coach Peter Laviolette can do that without at least a slight skid, it'll be noteworthy.

Winnipeg Jets

David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Funny how quickly things have changed in Winnipeg.

The Jets stumbled into the playoffs and were seen as cannon fodder for the Edmonton Oilers, who'd beaten them seven times in nine regular-season meetings.

Instead, Winnipeg rolled through Connor McDavid and Co. in a four-game sweep and headed into a series with fourth-seeded Montreal feeling good about its chances for a league final-four berth.

Then the Canadiens began the series with three straight wins and the doom and gloom returned.

Well, at least a little bit.

While the Jets still boast as much quality forward depth as any team in the league, they also have zero wiggle room in terms of salary and a number of players entering free agency this summer. They're likely to lose at least one key piece to the expansion draft, too, and subpar five-on-five statistics probably warrant dealing from a strength to bring in some talent on the blue line.

And just like its Toronto brethren, Winnipeg will head back to a typically aligned Western Conference next season in which they'll encounter no fewer than four 2020-21 playoff teams in Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis and Nashville, not to mention last season's Stanley Cup finalists from Dallas.

Your move, Kevin Cheveldayoff.