NHL: The Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid sweepstakes

Which teams are racing to the bottom of the NHL standings and to 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, as well as Jack Eichel, a close runner-up.

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Now that we are past the NHL All-Star break and into the month of February, it’s almost certain 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. The same goes for the Buffalo Sabres, who really upped their game in January (well, the losing game), but more on that later.

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.

30. team. 12. The last time we checked in on the Buffalo Sabres they were in 28th place with a 14-24-3 record and giving their fans a little bit of a scare with some good performances in the month of December. Those fears were eased when they lost every single game they played in the month of January. Prior to last night’s 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, they hadn’t won a game since December 27th, 2014 (a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders). It may have taken until January, but this is the Sabres team we expected to see from the start for the 2014-15 NHL season. Get ready for them to move some players at the trade deadline to get some more draft picks and then it’s on to the draft lottery. I’m just relieved that it appears that the Oilers won’t be finishing 30th this year. . (15-33-3). Previous: . Buffalo Sabres

148. January finally saw the Edmonton Oilers break into double-digits in the win column, as the last time we checked in they still only had nine wins on the season. Don’t get me wrong, the Oilers are still a terrible hockey team, but even they weren’t able to pull off what the Sabres did in January. One could argue that the Oilers are so dysfunctional as an organization that they attempted to lose all of their games in January and still failed. Either way there is always the chance that the Oilers will win the draft lottery and still get Connor McDavid, but even a second worst finish helps them – sorry Jack Eichel. . (14-28-9). Previous: . Edmonton Oilers. 29. team

109. The Carolina Hurricanes had a strong January (7-3-2) and are 5-2-3 in their last 10 games. They look like a better team and if the good play continues, it isn’t likely that they will finish in the bottom three. Their winning record in January already pushed them up one spot in the standings. They also the majority of their games at home in March, so that could also push them up in the standings. A top pick would do wonders for this franchise in the long run, but there is no way they can be as bad as the Oilers and Sabres. . (17-26-7). Previous: . Carolina Hurricanes. 28. team

team. 121. You hate to see the Arizona Coyotes in this position – 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. With them in 27th, it looks like they won’t get the high draft pick and definitely will be missing out on the playoff revenue this year. If the Coyotes are sellers at the trade deadline, expect them to drop below the Carolina Hurricanes in the standings. . (19-26-6). Previous: . Arizona Coyotes. 27

Columbus Blue Jackets. 26. team. 113. With the Columbus Blue Jackets getting healthier it appeared they had escaped the bottom five for good. However, it appears the injury bug might be back with Sergei Bobrovsky getting hurt just before the All-Star break. The Blue Jackets are 3-7-0 in the last 10 games and are just plain mediocre. Much like the Carolina Hurricanes, they could benefit from a high draft pick this year, but there is very little chance of them actually finishing in the bottom three.. (21-25-3). Previous:

Teams from last month that have exited the bottom five:

New Jersey Devils (Last Month: 26th This Month: 24th) – The Devils were showing improvement around the time of last months rankings and while I wouldn’t go as far as saying that they are a good team, they are 6-2-2 in their last 10. With the Blue Jackets catching the injury bug again, hopefully the Devils have seen the last of the bottom five. However, with a roster full of aging players, perhaps a high pick would be better for them.

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