The squads at the bottom of the NHL standings are all but officially out of playoff contention. With one month to go, the way these teams in our Sour Rankings play could still shape their future.
The teams in these NHL Sour Rankings have one month left in their pretty miserable seasons.
Some squads, such as the Calgary Flames, were expected to be at the bottom of the NHL standings.
Other squads in the bottom 10 are contenders that fell apart, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs.
At this point, winning the draft lottery would be their biggest victory this season, because the playoffs aren't looking likely for any of them.
Let's look at what each team in the NHL Sour Rankings is playing for at this point.
Vancouver Canucks, 20-28-8, 48 Points, .364 Points Percentage
The Canucks hope to secure a top draft pick, but they must figure out who will be a part of the future. This next month is a tryout for most of the team to see who stays and goes in the off-season.
Will center Elias Pettersson recapture the great form that once made him one of the most complete players in the NHL? Can the young players acquired for Quinn Hughes – Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren – solidify themselves as impact pieces moving forward?
If they get lucky in the draft lottery, they'll get the first or second overall pick and the opportunity to select either Ivar Stenberg or Gavin McKenna.
Calgary Flames, 26-34-7, 59 PTS, .440 P%
This season has gone just about as Flames fans begrudgingly hoped.
The team has had a few bright spots from young players, but overall, this has been a season of pain.
The hope for Flames fans is the pain today will lead to promise tomorrow and potentially jubilation down the road.
The Flames moved out Nazem Kadri, the team's best forward, and MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, their best defensemen, before the NHL trade deadline. They accumulated a plethora of picks to try to build back through the draft.
The future is bright, but the struggles may persist next season.
Chicago Blackhawks, 25-30-11, 61 PTS, .462 P%
The Hawks haven't been quite as depressing as last season, and that is a massive win in and of itself.
Connor Bedard has emerged as a true star this season, and had it not been for the injury he suffered, he may have had a shot at making Team Canada.
Although the wins haven't come as consistently as they did early in the season, the Hawks are playing to prove the young core around Bedard is making strides.
This team won't roll over just because it's out of the playoff race.
St. Louis Blues, 27-30-10, 64 PTS, .478 P%
Every player on the St. Louis Blues must prove to incoming GM Alex Steen they belong on this team in the long term.
Despite Steen being an understudy to current GM Doug Armstrong, when he takes over on July 1, 2026, he'll get to put his mark on this squad.
Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Colton Parayko and Jordan Binnington were mentioned in trade buzz but stayed in St. Louis at the trade deadline. All of them have some form of no-trade clauses, so they could force Steen to work with them by staying with the Blues, considering Parayko already declined a trade to Buffalo.
But Steen can still shape the rest of his core and depth.
He might have some fresh ideas and differences in roster construction, so the final month of games will be a chance for each player to prove their worth.
New York Rangers, 28-31-8, 64 PTS, .478 P%
It has been a season full of despair in the Big Apple.
The Rangers have played a discombobulated brand of hockey this year. There haven't been many bright spots.
They let their fans know a retool was on the way. They traded star Artemi Panarin. They've lost game after game. It's been rough.
The only thing most of the players in this group are playing for at this point is pride. This 6-2-2 stretch in their last 10 games is somewhat fun for fans, since they're not worsening their draft lottery odds that much.
Hopefully for the Rangers, they can reset in the summer.
Winnipeg Jets, 28-28-10, 66 PTS, .500 P%
Has it ever been a weird year in Winnipeg?
On paper, they have a pretty decent roster.
On the ice, the product has been anything but decent.
The Jets have heavily leaned on their MVP-caliber netminder, Connor Hellebuyck, but he was hurt early in the season, and the team couldn't get back on track without him.
Despite putting up a good stretch after the Olympics, the Jets have continued to toil near the bottom of the standings. This summer is a chance for a reset, so the core pieces on this team are playing to get to the off-season. The depth players are playing for a job in Winnipeg or elsewhere.
Nashville Predators, 29-28-9, 67 PTS, .508 P%
The Preds haven't looked well since their big free agency in 2024.
They also have quality hockey players on paper, but the mix just isn't right.
The Predators have begun a soft rebuild, stocking up their prospect pool with some very solid and intriguing young players. That means nothing for the guys on the current roster, though.
This team's well-respected veterans, such as Steven Stamkos, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O'Reilly, are used to winning. They are looking to finish the year strong and play with some pride.
Toronto Maple Leafs, 29-27-12, 70 PTS, .515 P%
The perfect example of how the Maple Leafs' season has gone is what happened when Radko Gudas injured Auston Matthews, and none of his teammates went after the Ducks captain right away.
They lacked a response and didn't seem to care enough right away. That's the start and end of it.
The Leafs are playing some of the most uninspired hockey we've seen from a perennial playoff team over the past decade.
Matthews is out for the season. William Nylander seems like their only source of offense most nights. Matthew Knies and John Tavares have played as advertised, at least.
But this team is playing out the stretch and nothing more. A potential change behind the bench and in the front office could help turn things around.
New Jersey Devils, 34-31-2, 70 PTS, .522 P%
Simply put, when the Devils have Jack Hughes in the lineup, they've been a very good team. When he has been injured, they have been less than stellar.
The Devils have the potential to be much better than they are, and they've flashed it as recently as earlier this season. Unfortunately for them, this is another lost season.
They aren't playing for much at this point because they are likely too good to get into a top draft slot, but they are just a bit too far out of the playoff race.
They are in the mushy middle, which sucks for Devils fans.
Florida Panthers, 33-30-3, 69 PTS, .523 P%
The Panthers are two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. They have superstars on the squad who haven't been in the lineup consistently this season.
Florida has dealt with some bumps and bruises from their three straight final runs. At this point, they're playing to get healthy and try to get back to their winning ways next season.
The Panthers won't let an injury-plagued year hurt them too much.
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