The NHL playoffs are underway with significant turnover from last year. The Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres], Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins], Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers], Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins], Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks], and Utah Mammoth [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah] all clinched spots this year after missing out in 2025. That meant some teams disappointed and missed the playoffs. However, next season will offer a clean slate for those clubs, and they will be looking to take advantage. Because of this, let's look at three U.S. non-playoff teams that should bounce back and make the post-season next year. FLORIDA PANTHERS After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] finished this season third-last in the Eastern Conference with a 40-38-4 record. Significant injury troubles were to blame for Florida's struggles this season. Aleksander Barkov missed the entire season due to a torn ACL and MCL. Star left winger Matthew Tkachuk was also out until mid-January, so the Panthers were shorthanded for much of this campaign. Other key players, such as Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Seth Jones, also missed a decent chunk of the season. In fact, nobody on the Panthers played all 82 games. And the forwards who played at least 75 games had fewer than 60 points. Carter Verhaeghe had 55 points in 77 games, while Sam Bennett put up 58 points in 76 games. The Panthers simply had rotten injury luck. It is hard to bet against them bouncing back next season if and when they are fully healthy again. NEW JERSEY DEVILS After entering this season with high expectations, the Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils] fell way below them. They finished this season seventh in the Metropolitan Division standings with a 42-37-3 record. The Devils have a strong core made up of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes. They will need to add some scoring depth this off-season and figure out what to do with defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Simon Nemec, but the Devils have enough skill to potentially bounce back next season. Jacob Markstrom will be the team's biggest X-factor, though. The 36-year-old had an .883 save percentage and a 3.07 goals-against average in 44 games. Even averaging 2.50 goals against and a .900 save percentage, which he had in 2024-25, would be enough to help the Devils bounce back. NHL Sour Rankings: What A Lottery Win Would Mean For The NHL’s Basement Dwellers [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2ae7ae54-40c3-406a-8e69-dd167f4c0442.jpeg] NHL Sour Rankings: What A Lottery Win Would Mean For The NHL’s Basement Dwellers The NHL draft lottery order is set; a lottery win for any of these basement dwellers would be franchise-altering. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-sour-rankings-what-a-lottery-win-would-mean-for-the-nhl-s-basement-dwellers] DETROIT RED WINGS The Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings] looked like a clear playoff team ahead of the NHL Olympic break, sitting third in the Atlantic Division with a 33-19-6 record. However, after finishing the season with an 8-12-4 record in their final 24 games, the Red Wings extended their playoff drought to 10 years. There is no question that frustration is at an all-time high in Detroit right now. While many Red Wings fans are pessimistic about the team's future, they still have the potential to finally snap their playoff drought next season. The Red Wings not only have a strong core of proven NHL-caliber players, such as Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, but also promising young players who could hit new levels next season. A few include Marco Kasper, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. The Red Wings do need much better center depth to improve their chances of making the playoffs, but a lot of the puzzle pieces are in place. With this, the Red Wings could very well be next year's Sabres and end a lengthy playoff drought. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/44037bd8-b683-4ea5-9969-56210b14b5b2.webp] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?_gl=1*fuv41c*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NzUzOTUwMzMkbzI5MyRnMSR0MTc3NTQwMjM3NCRqNTIkbDAkaDA.]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
