How did these teams find themselves at the bottom of the league? Henry Thrun and Brady Tkachuk [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzOTk3MjEwNDQ5MjkwODEy/usatsi_22285260.jpg] Henry Thrun and Brady Tkachuk As we approach the NHL all-star break and every team has played over half of their season, the NHL standings are starting to take shape at the top of the league. The race for the top odds at the first overall pick in the draft – a.k.a. the bottom of the league – has also begun to solidify. The bottom five teams – or the top five in the NHL sour rankings – are a mix of rebuilding squads and teams with aspirations of taking the step into playoff contention and falling flat. The gap between the bottom five and the next group of teams is growing. There is already a seven-point gap between the Ottawa Senators (40 points, .435 points percentage) and the Minnesota Wild (47 points, .480 points percentage), which is beginning to seem insurmountable. Let’s look at how and why the bottom five teams have established themselves in a class of their own. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS, 14-34-2, 30 POINTS, .300 POINTS PERCENTAGE The only thing Chicago had going for it was Connor Bedard, and even that's been hampered by a fractured jaw. He's been out of action since Jan. 5, with at least five more weeks of recovery [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/news/without-connor-bedard-blackhawks-havent-been-worse#:%7e:text=The%20rookie%20has%20resumed%20skated%2C%20but%20still%20is%20projected%20to%20miss%20six%2Dto%2Deight%20weeks%20in%20total%20since%20sustaining%20the%20fractured%20jaw%20and%20undergoing%20surgery.] in store. Aside from their superstar rookie, the Hawks have had a rough go of things on and off the ice. They have signed a couple of veterans to contract extensions in Nick Foligno [https://thehockeynews.com/news/chicago-blackhawks-sign-nick-foligno-to-two-year-contract-extension] and Jason Dickinson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/news/blackhawks-jason-dickinson-gets-two-year-contract-extension-and-nice-raise]. The hope is those two can help build the culture for the young players coming up over the next year or two. The Hawks have been such an eclectic group of players that with Bedard’s injury, they will not have a single representative at the NHL All-Star Game despite the league’s best effort to have a representative from every team. They are tanking admirably. SAN JOSE SHARKS, 13-32-4, 30 POINTS, .306 POINTS PERCENTAGE The Sharks cemented themselves in the NHL's basement straight away in October. They have a league-worst minus-93 goal differential, which trails second-worst Chicago by 21. They received decent enough goaltending from Mackenzie Blackwood, but unless he’s putting together 40-save efforts or better, the Sharks simply have no chance. They finally eclipsed 100 goals in the season on Jan. 23, becoming the final team to do so. San Jose has had multiple double-digit losing streaks and can’t seem to string wins together. Their best stretch of play was almost .500 hockey for a few weeks in late November to mid-December, but a long losing streak followed it up. The Sharks have been terrible, but their minds are set on the future – hopefully, one with Celebrini. ANAHEIM DUCKS, 17-30-2, 36 POINTS, .367 POINTS PERCENTAGE It’s been a weird season for the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks traded young defender Jamie Drysdale, a player once thought to be a pillar for this franchise, for the chance to bring in NCAA star forward Cutter Gauthier [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/news/breaking-ducks-acquire-gauthier-send-drysdale-the-other-way]. They have had plenty of players struggle with poor performance and health. Trevor Zegras is a victim of both, playing in just 20 games with seven points to show for it. Rookie Leo Carlsson has been excellent when in the lineup, showcasing that he can be the team’s No. 1 center of the future. Still, he’s dealt with an injury on top of his team-mandated load management for development purposes. They were playing competitive hockey to start the season, but they’ve struggled to string together wins since November. It’s the perfect storm for a team looking to continue adding young talent. They’ve had stretches of solid play while also having a poor enough overall performance to secure the strength of their draft choice in June. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS, 15-24-10, 40 POINTS, .408 POINTS PERCENTAGE Although headlines often focus elsewhere, Columbus is really having a season to forget, potentially more than any other team. Coach Pascal Vincent came in to replace Mike Babcock before the latter coached a single practice, and the results suggest he's still figuring out what to do with this team. The team blends line combinations like a morning smoothie. The Jackets got close to solidifying the forward lines [https://theathletic.com/5173769/2024/01/02/blue-jackets-adam-fantilli-top-line/] in late December and early January, but they have since changed again. That time was their best chance to mesh and show they have chemistry, but it's tough to do that when the combinations keep changing. Despite star rookie Adam Fantilli thriving down the middle with Johnny Gaudreau, Vincent moved him to the wing recently to accommodate Boone Jenner on the top line. Fantilli probably would be better suited for a center role lower in the lineup, at least, but he's injured now anyway [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/injury-report/columbus-play-by-play-announcer-bob-mcelligott-reports-that-adam-fantilli-was-cut-in-game-against-the-kraken]. It feels like the more the Blue Jackets can't settle on effective lines, the more they increase their shot at the top draft pick in June. OTTAWA SENATORS, 19-25-2, 40 POINTS, .435 POINTS PERCENTAGE How did we get here? This team was supposed to be competitive this year, and they’ve been lifeless on many nights. They’ve constantly been in the headlines for the wrong reasons, including off the ice, with the NHL suspending Shane Pinto for 41 games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/players/it-broke-my-heart-shane-pinto-speaks-to-media-for-first-time-since-being-suspended] and the team having to forfeit a first-round pick for their role in an invalidated trade [https://thehockeynews.com/news/ottawa-senators-forfeit-first-round-nhl-draft-pick-for-role-in-an-invalidated-trade#:%7e:text=The%20NHL%20announced%20the%20Ottawa,either%202024%2C%202025%20or%202026.&text=The%20Ottawa%20Senators%20traded%20Evgenii,caused%20issues%20down%20the%20line.]. The Sens have already made a change at GM and coach, but they're still below .500 hockey. With D.J. Smith out behind the bench, Jacques Martin was supposed to bring structure, but their results as a whole haven't improved all that much. This team has talent – there’s no denying that. Young players, such as Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Ridly Greig, are solid pieces to build around. But with yet another year of failing to reach expectations and a diminishing prospect cupboard, the young core isn’t going to get younger any time soon. If the Senators don't take big steps forward, could some of their best players get tired of losing and lose patience in the next year or two? Time will tell what they will do to keep their journey out of a rebuild on the rails. The next five in the lottery, ranked by points percentage: Minnesota Wild (.480), Buffalo Sabres (.490), Montreal Canadiens (.490), Calgary Flames (.500) and Arizona Coyotes (.510).
