NHL ‘Dishonor For Connor’: Who’s gunning for last?
By Mike Majeski
Which teams are racing to the bottom of the NHL standings and the top of the draft?
Every NHL team is 100 percent committed to winning the Stanley Cup this season and no one could possibly be tanking their season… or so they say. So why this focus on last place? Connor McDavid – who has already been minted as “The Next Great One” in a long line of “Next Great Ones” that have followed Wayne Gretzky.
Now that we are one week into the month of January it’s becoming clearer which teams are going to be in the mix when it is time for the draft lottery. The Edmonton Oilers will not break out of the bottom five of the NHL standings this season. Despite playing much better recently, it isn’t likely that the Carolina Hurricanes have a miracle run in them this year. The Buffalo Sabres had their fans a little worried early on in December, going as far as coming within a few points of a Wild Card spot, but that will be as close as they come to the playoffs.
With that overview out of the way, let’s get an update on the race for last by looking at five teams that are currently in the bottom five of the NHL standings and in the best position to end up with the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
(9-23-9). Previous: 30th. Edmonton Oilers. 30. team. 148. I had to double check that I didn’t read the wrong column on NHL.com when I saw that the Oilers only have nine wins this season. But there it is, January 7th and they still haven’t hit double digits in the win column. They have won a whopping three additional games since the last update. That update came back in when GM Craig MacTavish said things like firing the coach wouldn’t fix the problem in Edmonton…and then <a href=
(12-24-4). Previous: 27th. Carolina Hurricanes. 29. team. 109. The last time we checked in the Carolina Hurricanes were in 27th and looked like a team that could sneak out of the bottom five. Since then they have managed only four additional wins and racked up 12 losses (one in overtime). Once again things are looking up for the Hurricanes – they are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and started the new year off by winning their first two games. I still believe that this is a team that finishes well outside of the playoff bubble, but not in the bottom five.
The Buffalo Sabres surged in the standings earlier in the month, but have since settled back to 28th – the same spot we found them at the beginning of December. The Sabres are proving that even a team set out to tank the season can’t be as terrible as the Oilers. They also had the injury plagued Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes to contend with. The Sabres managed to win six games since our last check in, but are 1-8-1 in their last 10. I see 29th in their near future. . (14-24-3). Previous: 28th. Buffalo Sabres. 28. team. 12
You hate to see the Arizona Coyotes in this position – sure a high draft pick and a player like Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel could completely change the dynamic and popularity of the franchise. At the same time this is a team that relies on playoff revenue to break even. Fans were having a hard time showing up during the regular season when the team was good. Just imagine what the arena will look like with the Coyotes in the basement. . (15-20-4). . Arizona Coyotes. 27. team. 121
85. The New Jersey Devils sneak into the bottom five, but are another team that has shown signs of improvement – especially since the firing of head coach Pete DeBoer. The Devils are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and have won two games in a row. They are currently tied with the Flyers with 37 points, but Philadelphia currently holds the tie-breaker. . (15-20-7). . New Jersey Devils. 26. team
Teams from last month that have exited the bottom five:
Columbus Blue Jackets (29th) – The much healthier Columbus Blue Jackets are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and are now in 24th place.
Philadelphia Flyers (26th) – As mentioned above, the Flyers are tied with the New Jersey Devils with 37 points, and currently hold the 25th spot in the standings due to the tie-breaker.