There are a handful of NHL teams stuck in the NHL\u2019s middle class, arguably a place you don\u2019t want to be when it comes to your short- and long-term prospects of winning. The 2026-27 season will be particularly interesting, as several teams could finish anywhere from a wild-card playoff spot to 12th or 13th in their respective conferences. These teams could be classified as playoff-bubble or draft-lottery-bubble teams.<\/p>\n
The fortunate news for them is that, with the new draft-lottery rules, finishing just outside the playoffs isn\u2019t as troubling as it once was. However, the draft-lottery rules have likely disincentivized teams from tanking, because there are no guarantees of a top pick. Just ask the Vancouver Canucks. It\u2019s hard to quantify exactly how much that has impacted things, but it\u2019s clear that the NHL\u2019s mushy middle is bigger than it has been in the past two decades. Let\u2019s look at the teams who could be stuck there this season.<\/p>\n
The Nashville Predators are what the kids would call \u201cmid.\u201d The Predators have finished between fourth and seventh in the Central Division for seven straight years and don\u2019t appear destined for a much better fate this season. Nashville lacks an elite young NHL-ready core and isn\u2019t likely to see much improvement from its aging veterans, but it\u2019s not bad enough to warrant a full teardown, nor should it.<\/p>\n
New general manager Chris MacFarland made some moves this offseason to bolster the core and push for a playoff spot, which the Predators should compete for. The good news for Predators fans is that they have a top-10 farm system<\/a> (or top five, depending on who you ask<\/a>), so help is on the way in the form of prospects. But they aren\u2019t ready yet.<\/p>\n If Nashville is the textbook definition of mid, the Detroit Red Wings are a close second. The Red Wings are a team whose roster and on-ice results don\u2019t seem to align. They have young stars, decent depth, and some terrific veteran forwards that would make blowing up the roster absurd. But while this roster is solid, they lack truly game-breaking offensive players and could be without some of their better offensive pieces by the time the season starts.<\/p>\n A new GM is necessary to evaluate which direction makes the most sense, but much of their future depends on how the Dylan Larkin<\/a><\/strong> and Alex DeBrincat<\/a><\/strong> situations are handled. The Atlantic Division is going to be a buzzsaw this season, and perhaps a slow start will push Detroit in the direction of a teardown. If not, they figure to be in a dogfight to make the playoffs, and it feels like they will be on the outside looking in come April.<\/p>\n Would it shock you if the New York Islanders finished the season with 75 points? What about 95 points? Either outcome would likely have fans nodding and saying, \u201cMakes sense.\u201d That\u2019s a wide variance, and one the Islanders hope to finish on the high end. The Islanders have the seventh-oldest team in the NHL, with most of their top talent either approaching 30 or already past it.<\/p>\n The lineup is too old, too expensive, and, quite frankly, too good to tear down to the studs, but it might be the appropriate thing to do in the long term. The Islanders have a foundational building block in defenseman Matthew Schaefer<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and a very good prospect system led by Kashawn Aitcheson<\/a><\/strong>, Victor Eklund<\/a><\/strong> and Calum Ritchie<\/a><\/strong>. They\u2019re well positioned for the future, but this season it feels like they will be in a battle to reach the postseason.<\/p>\n What exactly are the Seattle Kraken? They are a team with a reasonable amount of NHL-calibre talent, but no one is going to mistake them for a threat to win their division or make a playoff run. However, the Pacific Division is a weird one because it has possibly the two worst teams in hockey, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, and then a bunch of decent teams in the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n Even the top teams, Edmonton and Vegas, aren\u2019t exactly runaway favorites to win the division, making it possible that Seattle could compete for a playoff spot thanks to a weak division.<\/p>\n