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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cBill Zito and his staff have firmly established themselves as the best of the business. Their ability to build a hockey culture in South Florida is something that I thought impossible when I first started attending games in Sunrise. Eventually, the bill will come due \u2014 but for now, I\u2019m enjoying the run of President\u2019s Trophy, Cinderella run to the Finals, consecutive Cup wins, and bringing the band back for a few more cracks at more Stanley Cups and true dynasty status.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bill Zito statue better be 20 feet tall in front of Amerant Bank Arena. He saved this franchise from everlasting incompetence and obscurity. The Cats went from the joke of the league to the absolute standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe model for how a team should be run, from top to bottom Bill Zito has created a situation all teams should be emulating.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What is left to be said about the front office of the back-to-back champions that hasn\u2019t already been said? As good as some other front offices are, no other franchise is close to operating at the level of the Florida Panthers, who are the class of the league. As one commenter aptly put it: \u201cthey don\u2019t miss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Matthew Tkachuk trade stands out as the first domino from this era of dominance and it feels like the Panthers really haven\u2019t missed since. Every trade and every signing served a purpose and led them to two straight Stanley Cups. It\u2019s also led to top marks in literally everything but drafting. Given how strong the team is at building its roster out through other avenues, it\u2019s fair to give Florida a pass there.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a shame, though, because the Panthers are otherwise as close to front office perfection as you can get. It\u2019s extremely rare for a team to have a 4.9 average in any single category; the Panthers have it in four of six categories from their own fans.<\/p>\n
There are some light qualms with how the Brad Marchand contract might age, but given the window the team is in, it\u2019s a champagne problem more than anything. It feels impossible to doubt literally anything the Panthers are doing as they\u2019ve become a model franchise.<\/p>\n
The biggest complaint from the fan base: How the hell has Bill Zito not won a GM of the Year Award by now? Fair point \u2014 and maybe next year is the one that\u2019s finally rectified given the masterful way he was able to run it back with a championship core.<\/p>\n
The Panthers are back-to-back champs, and thanks to incredible managerial prowess, it feels unlikely they\u2019ll be dethroned anytime soon.<\/p>\n
2. Dallas Stars<\/b><\/p>\n
2024 ranking: 2<\/p>\n
\u201cNill is an elite GM. He has set the team up for short and long term success via a multitude of trades, free agency signings and draft selections. However, arguably, his best trait is how he treats the players and staff. His tenure, since 2013, has turned Dallas from a free agency laughing stock to a top destination amongst players.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJim Nill has shown an amazing ability to make great trades, sign high end players to affordable contracts and build rosters to make us a Cup contender every year.\u201d<\/p>\n The only current dynasty in the sport belongs to Jim Nill, the back-to-back-to-back winner of the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award. Clearly, it\u2019s well deserved as both the public and fans hold Dallas\u2019 front office in incredibly high standing, ranking the Stars as the league\u2019s second-best front office for the second straight season.<\/p>\n While there are certainly issues with some of the team\u2019s defensive depth signings, it\u2019s hard to deny Dallas\u2019 front office excellence. The Mikko Rantanen trade was a masterstroke \u2014 especially given the rivalry aspect with Colorado \u2014 and it sure seems like almost every core contract the team signs turns into excellent value. The latest one for Wyatt Johnston looks especially strong.<\/p>\n The Stars do a lot of things exceptionally well, but as usual it\u2019s the team\u2019s drafting ability that really sets it apart, with the public and fans both ranking Dallas first in the league. Dallas\u2019 ability to seamlessly transition from one era (Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, John Klingberg) to the next (Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger) to the next (Wyatt Johnston, Thomas Harley) is the blueprint all teams should aspire towards, and the draft has been a massive part of that. No team does it better.<\/p>\n 3. Carolina Hurricanes<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 8<\/p>\n \u201cDespite taking a beating in the broader public for the Rantanen trade, overall the way that Tulsky handled the situation spoke to his willingness to be flexible and roll with the punches. Overall I think his decisions will lead to the team coming out ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe philosophy and vision are so clear. They are willing to take risks, and the results speak for themselves. I fully trust that if there is a move available to make the team better, they will pursue it. Not every move will pan out as a best case scenario, but you don\u2019t win without taking swings.\u201d<\/p>\n The major theme from Hurricanes fans was \u201ctaking swings.\u201d Few teams step up to the plate like the Hurricanes do, an aggressive approach that applies to the franchise both on and off the ice.<\/p>\n Carolina has long had a need for more star-level talent and the Hurricanes have not been shy about addressing it. They\u2019ve been linked to Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Pettersson and Mitch Marner in the past. They went big on Jake Guentzel. And they swung hard for Mikko Rantanen. That\u2019s been an admirable part of their build.<\/p>\n Also admirable is the team\u2019s transparency and willingness to cut its losses. While it would have made sense to use Rantanen as a rental, flipping him for a haul showed to be the more prudent long-term strategy \u2014 as evidenced by the potential sweetheart deal the Hurricanes now have with Logan Stankoven. Many teams would\u2019ve doubled down even when Rantanen wasn\u2019t a fit, but Carolina\u2019s quick pivot (amidst intense media scorn) showed a level of flexibility that should serve the team well as it builds toward perennial contention.<\/p>\n With the Nikolaj Ehlers signing, excellent extensions for Seth Jarvis, Jackson Blake and Jaccob Slavin, and a slew of other savvy decisions, it\u2019s easy to be confident in what the Hurricanes are doing. How they handled last year\u2019s cap crunch, parlaying it into another conference finals berth, is also worth noting. And yet it feels like they\u2019re only getting started with a strong long-term vision.<\/p>\n The Hurricanes are a young team that\u2019s already arrived \u2014 and only getting better.<\/p>\n 4. Tampa Bay Lightning<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 3<\/p>\n \u201cJulian (BriseBois) is a genius most days. Yes, there have been misses \u2014 Tanner Jeannot \u2014 but this fan base has come to rely on the GM\u2019s maneuvering of the parts. Hope we keep him and Coach Cooper for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely love how aggressive the front office is. Never afraid to take a risk. Sometimes it\u2019s a swing and miss, other times it\u2019s a home run. At least they\u2019re always going for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Man, these guys just won\u2019t go away, huh? Just when you think the Lightning might stop being a threat, they go ahead and finish second in the league in goal differential off a 102-point season. Signing Jake Guentzel and reacquiring Ryan McDonagh were excellent moves, both of which kept the team intensely competitive. Add a deadline deal for Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde and the Lightning had a fairly productive season.<\/p>\n Was it enough to beat the Panthers? Well \u2026 no. But hey, it wasn\u2019t enough for any other team either. Going into next season, the Lightning feel like one of the best threats in the East against Florida and it\u2019s mostly because of what they\u2019ve continued to build and maintain over the last few years. They\u2019ve still got it.<\/p>\n The big one for the Lightning is Brandon Hagel, both in their initial acquisition of him and the subsequent contract they got him to sign. I still have no idea how Hagel became as good as he is, but man is he ever good. Trading for him and then signing him for $6.5 million (for eight years!) was pure genius and shows just how much Tampa Bay is still ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n 5. Montreal Canadiens<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 6<\/p>\n \u201cVery confident in the vision and poise of this group. Prudence and calculated risk seems to be ethos, and I\u2019m here for it. Feels like we made it out of the rebuild nicely, especially when looking at other rebuilt teams.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis front office has a clear vision for the long term build and has shown no signs of impatience towards meeting the end objective of building a roster that can compete deep into the playoffs year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n It was obvious when we last did this exercise that the Montreal Canadiens were gearing up to become a major problem. One year later, the Canadiens have moved into the top five and it\u2019s easy to see why after the young team unexpectedly made the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Canadiens look like they\u2019ll have staying power, too, and that\u2019s thanks to the savvy aggressiveness of Kent Hughes\u2019 management team. It\u2019s evident from the team\u2019s core contracts, where key players were all signed early and long with a goal of farming plenty of future excess value. It\u2019s also evident from this offseason, when the Canadiens didn\u2019t rest on their laurels, choosing to go big with the acquisitions of Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc. Both players should help the team stave off regression and make sure it can build on last season\u2019s success.<\/p>\n While the team\u2019s swings don\u2019t always pan out (Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook), more often than not Montreal is on the right side of things. That\u2019s plain to see from the team\u2019s biggest home run yet: drafting Lane Hutson. In an era where teams are going all-in on big lumbering defenders, Montreal took a bet on a 5-foot-9, 160-pound defender. And boy has it worked out.<\/p>\n One last thing to note: the sheer passion of the Canadiens fan base as the only team to garner over 1,000 survey responses. And those fans seem unilaterally thrilled with what they\u2019re seeing from the front office.<\/p>\n 6. Vegas Golden Knights<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 11<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the best front offices in the league, outside of not finding a way to keep Marchy last year. Always in the mix for the best available players, always a very good roster, always entertaining, and they win a lot. What\u2019s not to like?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways trying to make deals to make the team better and willing to let bad contracts walk instead of resigning them, even at the case of the fan base complaining.\u201d<\/p>\n Vegas\u2019 superstar ethos has claimed another mega-talent, this time landing one of the best wingers in hockey in Mitch Marner. Yeah, no wonder Vegas got an A-plus in the free agency category. The Golden Knights not only land big players, but also get them at a reasonable price. The cap management is incredible with simply no bad money on the books.<\/p>\n The vision is there, the roster is great and you won\u2019t see Vegas lose a trade often. But there\u2019s a reason the Golden Knights don\u2019t land in the top five and that\u2019s due to a dodgy draft record without much homegrown talent to show for it.<\/p>\n Considering the strength of the NHL roster year after year, that\u2019s probably much ado about nothing. Vegas keeps its wins and value where it matters: in the big leagues. No team embodies \u201cdraft schmaft\u201d better than the Golden Knights.<\/p>\n 7. Utah Mammoth<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 4<\/p>\n \u201cBill Armstrong has effectively communicated and effectively executed the plan. Looking forward to the coming-soon-day where the rest of the NHL appreciates this GM as much as Coyotes\/UHC\/Mammoth fans have.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe trade last offseason for Sergachev was an absolutely home run, and the aggressive push to be good for the long term continued with the Peterka trade. I\u2019m really interested to see how the free agent signings of Tanev, Schmidt and Vanacek turn out, but two years in, we can\u2019t complain about the job GMBA has done.\u201d<\/p>\n The summer of Mammoth Mania continues. With many expecting Utah to break out this season, it\u2019s no shock fans like what they\u2019re seeing from the front office so far.<\/p>\n Across the board there\u2019s a lot of confidence. Utah has nailed a lot of draft picks of late, the Mammoth have one of the best contracts in the league in Dylan Guenther, and last year\u2019s Mikahil Sergachev trade was a game-changer. Fans are hoping this summer\u2019s JJ Peterka deal ends up working out just as well for them.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s a nitpick to be had here, it might be with a Jack McBain contract that was a touch on the high side. Overall though, there\u2019s a lot to like here.<\/p>\n 8. San Jose Sharks<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 13<\/p>\n \u201cLove the way that Mike Grier has cleaned the cap sheet and acquired assets, still have to see what it looks like when he starts putting long term pieces in place vs stop-gap players on 1 and 2 year deals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGMMG just keeps drafting and developing well (and not just with top picks) and has moved pretty much every problematic contract and added savvy vets in short-term contracts that will help the young studs and get to the cap floor. Can\u2019t wait to see what the next few years bring.\u201d<\/p>\n I always feel wary when rebuilding teams score high. This is the easy part \u2014 it would be worrying if they weren\u2019t nailing it (cough, Chicago). Still, it\u2019s hard not to be enamored with how bright San Jose\u2019s future looks. The team\u2019s pipeline looks sterling and that should set the team up well for long-term success.<\/p>\n Beyond that, it helps that the team has cleaned up the NHL roster considerably over the last few years. There aren\u2019t any awful long-term commitments on the books anymore and any cap issues are merely stop-gaps until the kids arrive. The future cap sheet looks fairly clean, which should also position the Sharks well.<\/p>\n Beyond that, some savvy asset management has also been noteworthy. Getting a second just to take on Jake Walman and then flipping him for a first less than a year later was masterful work. So too was netting Mikael Granlund in the Erik Karlsson trade at his lowest value and turning him into a deadline haul as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n Things are finally looking up again in San Jose.<\/p>\n 9. Washington Capitals<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 15<\/p>\n \u201cChris Patrick and BMac deserve all the credit in the world. The term for Chychrun scares me a little bit but they\u2019ve earned the right to be trusted. Their A+ Drafting and developing looks primed to propel us in the post Ovi world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLast year\u2019s savvy reload turned this team into the best team in the Eastern Conference, and continued strong drafting have given me great confidence in GMCP. Only question I really have is how well the young core will develop as the team shifts to the post-Ovi era.\u201d<\/p>\n After how last offseason went and how last season turned out, it\u2019s difficult to cast much doubt on the way the Capitals run things. Everything they touch turns to gold.<\/p>\n The big shift in perception among Capitals fans now is that there\u2019s significantly more confidence in a post-Ovechkin landscape. The team Washington\u2019s front office has built around him looks like it could have some staying power, especially under coach Spencer Carbery\u2019s tutelage. Hiring him was one of the best decisions this franchise has ever made.<\/p>\n Another key decision was rolling the dice on Pierre-Luc Dubois. Buying low on a potential shutdown 1C felt like a risky gambit last year given his contract and recent performance, but Dubois finally came good on his vast potential. Combine that with how the Capitals nabbed Dylan Strome and their ability to navigate a scarce position has been excellent.<\/p>\n There are some pricey extensions on the books that give pause, but given how things usually go for this franchise, it\u2019s safe to assume those will age better than expected. Washington\u2019s front office has earned the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n 10. St. Louis Blues<\/b><\/p>\n 2o24 ranking: 23<\/p>\n \u201cDoug Armstrong has done a phenomenal job retooling the roster these last couple season(s). The Blues are now set up with a good young core, with lots of money coming off the books the next couple seasons. Perfect time to transition to Steen, who I\u2019m confident has learned a lot from Doug and will do well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cArmy\u2019s legacy is the 2019 cup, but during the last few years we were starting to get frustrated. Bringing in Monty and the offer-sheet heist put that largely behind us, he\u2019s regained complete trust even if trading Bolduc hurt. We can be a fickle lot, but for now Blues fans are happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Blues fans are extremely high on their front office compared to last year and it\u2019s hard to blame them after the season they had. The Blues made it back to the playoffs and that\u2019s thanks in large part to proactive management ready to push the right buttons.<\/p>\n The first big move was the dual offer sheets for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, which completely reshaped the roster. Whatever you thought those two would turn into at the time likely doesn\u2019t come even come close to how good they ended up being in their first season in St. Louis. Holloway looked like a legit top-line winger while Broberg proved he was a legit top-four defenseman. Both were game-changers and the Blues front office deserves a lot of credit for pulling it off.<\/p>\n The second big move was hiring Jim Montgomery. The team made it clear Montgomery\u2019s ability as a coach was simply too strong to pass up and he almost immediately made good on that promise. St. Louis\u2019 underlying numbers took a massive step forward right off the bat under the new coach, and soon after the results followed. Acquiring Cam Fowler \u2014 an incredibly shrewd addition \u2014 along the way certainly helped, but it was Montgomery who had the team running like a well-oiled machine.<\/p>\n There are still some moves from the past that sting \u2014 especially losing Alex Pietrangelo and every subsequent move to fill his shoes. But it\u2019s hard not to be confident in St. Louis\u2019 front office after last season. It made all the right moves and the Blues went back to the playoffs because of it.<\/p>\n 11. Ottawa Senators<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 22<\/p>\n \u201cStaios et al have done an amazing job dealing with the mess the last management team left them regarding cap space and a very bare prospect cupboard. Have addressed major areas of weakness (goaltending, defence), and improved the forward ranks (though they could use one more top six scoring winger).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they have been hamstrung by the mess they inherited. But there haven\u2019t been any trades, drafts, signings, cap decisions that give any indication that they are, or aren\u2019t, competent.\u201d<\/p>\n Senators fans, your patience has been rewarded. After a long time languishing outside the playoffs thanks to inept management, the Senators finally earned a well-deserved berth last season. The future is bright and that\u2019s thanks in large part to the current brain trust (though the two sweetheart deals for Tim St\u00fctzle and Jake Sanderson signed by the previous regime certainly help).<\/p>\n The big move from last summer paid off as Linus Ullmark ended up being one of the key reasons the Senators made the playoffs. That was a huge win for Steve Staios and he\u2019s since added some small wins with Fabian Zetterlund and Jordan Spence. Getting a hometown discount for Claude Giroux was great too.<\/p>\n There are other teams doing things better, which currently keeps Ottawa out of the top 10. But make no mistake, the Senators are a team on the rise \u2014 one that\u2019s making more good decisions than bad of late. If the biggest complaint from fans at the moment is the decision to draft Carter Yakemchuk \u2014 who still has a lot of time to prove people wrong \u2014 the team is in a good spot.<\/p>\n 12. Winnipeg Jets<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 19<\/p>\n \u201cI think Chevy and his staff are doing a good job overall, esp. given the fact that the Peg is not a desirable location for free agents. However their development of drafted players leaves a lot to be desired. And I don\u2019t think the Moose do a good job of promoting their players.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTheir hands are tied when it comes to free agency and trades, but it would\u2019ve been nice to be a bit more aggressive at the trade deadline. Overall, the management team does a great job icing a winning franchise in the NHL\u2019s smallest market and worst arena.\u201d<\/p>\n A Presidents\u2019 Trophy-winning season will do a lot for perception and it has the Jets knocking on the door of the league\u2019s top 10. Slowly but surely Kevin Cheveldayoff has built a legit contender in Winnipeg and that\u2019s despite operating in a difficult market to attract players.<\/p>\n Still, he managed to lock up Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi, Connor Hellebuyck and Neal Pionk to long-term deals over the last two years. Kyle Connor is next and that decision looms large over the franchise, especially after the team lost Ehlers this past offseason. How that plays out will likely determine where the Jets land next year.<\/p>\n The Jets are a hard front office to judge given the context of their market, but it\u2019s tough to deny the results over the last two seasons. Cheveldayoff and company have done a strong job here.<\/p>\n 13. New Jersey Devils<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 7<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Fitz took over in NJ it seemed like he couldn\u2019t miss and was in on every potential option to improve the team. In the past couple seasons the upward trajectory has stalled a bit as have the roster upgrades. While we are in a great place to allow the young core to grow and contend now, it does seem like the magic has run out a bit short of the ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFitz has taken the Devils from being a mostly irrelevant team to a fast, exciting team, then they took some steps backwards and got slower and less skilled. The team is short on depth down the middle after its top two elite centers and needs more secondary scoring\/checkers, but the future and the present is still very bright.\u201d<\/p>\n While the public is still pretty high on New Jersey\u2019s front office, the team\u2019s own fan base appears significantly more frustrated. It seems as if things have stalled, with the upcoming season shaping up to be fairly telling regarding the Devils\u2019 spot in the league hierarchy,<\/p>\n The Devils get high marks for the price of their core contracts, with all three of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt being on bargain deals. That creates a baseline for success that affords the Devils a strong future towards contention. Unearthing diamond-in-the-rough defensive defenders Jonas Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic has also been notable. In a league where finding true top-four defensemen is generally very difficult, the Devils having two for cheap is massive.<\/p>\n Despite that, there are still gripes. Ondrej Palat\u2019s deal is obviously the big one, but there\u2019s also New Jersey\u2019s drafting and development. While the public views it highly as the league\u2019s sixth best, the team\u2019s fan base isn\u2019t convinced, ranking it 23rd. The Alexander Holtz debacle probably colors that, but not seeing much progress (yet) out of 2022 No. 2 pick Simon Nemec also hurts.<\/p>\n The Devils are still early in their timeline and a quality season can push the team back into the top 10. But for now, they need to prove to their fans that they\u2019re building a legitimate contender. The Devils aren\u2019t there yet.<\/p>\n 14. Colorado Avalanche<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 9<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m slowly losing confidence following the Cup win. They haven\u2019t had any true A+ moves from my perspective to surround Mac(K)innon and Makar with young players on good contracts. The flat cap hurt them as much as anybody but at some point you need to develop\/acquire some good young players as your core becomes contract-inefficient and ages out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate that they have a clear vision for building a cup-contending team, and I love the aggression. But their drafting and developing is hugely lacking, and they aren\u2019t \u2018winning\u2019 trades like they seemingly used to. Have spent a lot of resources on middling players that didn\u2019t help in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n To say I\u2019m shocked with where the Avalanche landed would be an understatement. They remain one of the league\u2019s top forces year after year and clearly still have the sauce with some of their recent moves. They got a massive haul for Charlie Coyle that included dumping Miles Wood\u2019s contract. They shored up the blue line with Brent Burns at a cheap cost. The trade and extension for Mackenzie Blackwood was terrific. And they finally solved their longstanding 2C issues with Brock Nelson, though perhaps at a rather expensive price.<\/p>\n The elephant in the room, though, is obviously the Mikko Rantanen trade. While the Avalanche got a good player who fits their style back in Martin Necas, it was still a move that appeared to lower the team\u2019s immediate ceiling. That they lost to Rantanen\u2019s Stars in the first round only added insult to injury.<\/p>\n Perhaps that paints things in a negative light at the moment in Colorado. The team\u2019s drafting record during this era not being great also doesn\u2019t help. But it\u2019s still a shock to see Colorado\u2019s front office land outside the top 10 for the first time since they became a playoff team, with the fan base itself harshly putting the group 18th.<\/p>\n Whether they\u2019re right or wrong to lose confidence will be decided during this upcoming season. Either way, it\u2019s clear the front office has to earn some trust back in the eyes of the fans. Expectations are extremely high in the Mile High City and faith isn\u2019t unshakable after trading away a franchise piece.<\/p>\n 15. New York Islanders<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 rank: 32<\/p>\n \u201cThe change from Lamoriello to Darche brought the single biggest swing in my outlook in years. Under Lou I had lost faith, and honestly was even beginning to lose interest. Now, I\u2019m following every transaction again, and excited about the future. I\u2019m even willing to accept a non-playoff year or two, because I believe in the multi-year process to come and would enjoy watching younger players learn at the NHL level.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Islanders went from the Flintstones to the Jetsons when they hired Darche and moved on from Lou. The buzz around this team is something I haven\u2019t seen in a very long time and winning the lottery accelerated things for them.\u201d<\/p>\n At long last, the Lou Lamoriello era is over. He did some great things to change the team\u2019s culture, but as was made clear by last year\u2019s 32nd ranking and the team\u2019s disappointing season right after, it was time for a change. Enter Mathieu Darche, who has seemingly made all the right moves so far.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a palpable jolt of optimism on Long Island that started at the draft. It helps to have the No. 1 selection, but the Islanders also made good on the picks acquired in exchange for Noah Dobson that helped bolster the team\u2019s pipeline. In one fell swoop, the team\u2019s cupboards feel significantly more stocked than they\u2019ve been in years.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s some fear that moving Dobson could bite the team in the future (though mostly joy given his play last year), but for the most part the fan base is more than happy with the team\u2019s current direction. Adding Jonathan Drouin at a modest price was a tidy piece of business.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still work to be done to clean up Lamoriello\u2019s mess, but so far Islanders fans don\u2019t have many complaints about the start of the Darche era. There\u2019s cautious optimism in the air, and at the very least, fans know they\u2019re in better hands for the next era with 97 percent of fans feeling more confident than they did a year ago. Only one other team (Ottawa, at 90 percent) was above 80 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n 16. Columbus Blue Jackets<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 28<\/p>\n \u201cThey over promised and under delivered this offseason. The extra cap space they had wasn\u2019t the lure they thought it would be, and top free agents have traditionally stayed away from this market. Overpayments to Severson (previous regime) and Provorov (current one) illustrate the difficulty luring players here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere still aren\u2019t enough data points to truly judge this front office yet. They\u2019ve mainly played at the edges of the roster. Success will most be defined by how much of the young core they\u2019ll be able to lock up long term, while adding around them.\u201d<\/p>\n Things are really looking up in Columbus and a lot of that started with the team hiring Dean Evason last year. A legit coach can make all the difference and it showed with the leaps many of the team\u2019s young players took. Columbus\u2019 young core is finally taking shape and Evason has done well to get much more out of them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also on some great decisions made by Don Waddell, particularly in adding Sean Monahan, who was excellent as the team\u2019s top center, and claiming Dante Fabbro, a perfect addition to the top four, off waivers.<\/p>\n Columbus\u2019 rise last season has been rewarded with a move up to 16, but it\u2019s not without hesitation. The Ivan Provorov contract situation did not play out well for the Blue Jackets and they paid an exorbitant price to acquire Charlie Coyle. Things are getting better, but those are two tough blunders to look past.<\/p>\n 17. Minnesota Wild<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 24<\/p>\n \u201cBill Guerin will be judged on how the Wild perform post-buyouts, so it still feels too early to rate him accurately. But by saddling Wild fans with four years of mediocrity, our patience is running very thin to produce a contender.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see the vision, and understand the need for patience, but boy am I tired of being a middling team that always makes the playoffs but fails to show up when the time really matters. But then again, I choose to live in Minnesota and that comes with the territory.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a true ranking unless the Wild are somewhere in the middle of it. The fans, though, are seemingly tired of that placement and in relative terms are much harsher than the public on the current state of the front office.<\/p>\n While the Wild have done well in a few areas \u2014 the buyouts, the Matt Boldy contract, the Brock Faber trade \u2014 the first-round stagnation is getting to the fans. They don\u2019t like the amount of no-move clauses handed out, feel confused about the high price paid for David Jiricek and are getting antsy regarding the current Marco Rossi situation.<\/p>\n With the big buyout penalties finally off the books, ample cap space and a lot of young talent on the horizon, the Wild are in a good spot. But until the front office proves it can maximize that position, Wild fans remain skeptical it\u2019ll lead to anything more than the current situation.<\/p>\n 18. Calgary Flames<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 18<\/p>\n \u201cDrafting has improved but the Flames appear chronically unable to commit to a rebuild and still lack elite talent. I have low confidence that keeping many veteran players will deliver anything but mediocrity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstand direction may be coming from above the GM, but it feels like team has no direction. Did not utilize cap space to take on a short term bad contract to acquire picks, did not trade away Rasmus Anderson if contract talks were not close. Are we rebuilding? Are we pushing for playoffs? Are we trying to get top 10 picks? Who knows.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the big questions in Calgary at the moment regards the team\u2019s direction. Are the Flames rebuilding? Are they retooling? Are they tanking? Are they trying to be competitive? It\u2019s difficult to say after last year\u2019s surprise season and this summer\u2019s lack of activity. The Flames have a team of players who want to be there and some exciting prospects on the horizon, but are they on a contending trajectory?<\/p>\n Fans love the team\u2019s drafting ethos of betting on high skill and ceiling, and are particularly enamored by Zayne Parekh. But a clearer commitment towards rebuilding might be needed after last season. It\u2019s important not to lose sight of the ultimate goal where a championship-caliber core is built from franchise pieces normally selected high in the draft.<\/p>\n The goal should be to build around Dustin Wolf, who looks like an absolute star in the making. Goaltending can be tricky, but the Flames deserve top marks for developing him into a future stud. He\u2019s the main reason for optimism, but there\u2019s still a lot of work left to build a proper team in front of him. Having a clearer direction would help with that.<\/p>\n 19. Philadelphia Flyers<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 rank: 20<\/p>\n \u201cMany fans are impatient, and rightfully so \u2014 but Danny B\u2019s measured, patient approach to rebuilding this team slowly but surely is starting to yield results. He inherited a cap disaster and, by and large, most of the trades he\u2019s made have worked out well. Time will tell, of course, but I\u2019m more optimistic now than I\u2019ve been in a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand they had a lot to get out from under after Fletcher but was hoping the young players would have developed more last year. I have been pretty underwhelmed on their ability to get value in trades and improve through free agency. If they cannot make some positive steps forward this year, I think it could be another 5-7 years before they get good again.\u201d<\/p>\n The new era of orange is slow and steady, but fans have grown a lot more confident over the last year. Drafting Matvei Michkov and actually seeing him excel as a rookie is a big part of it, and many loved the Porter Martone pick as the next piece of the puzzle. With the need for centers still present, many fans liked the team\u2019s upside bet on Trevor Zegras\u2019s talent. He\u2019s a reclamation project, but a worthy one.<\/p>\n As things start to mold into place, it\u2019s not all peachy. Many questioned not taking Zeev Buium after the draft last summer and those questions have only heightened after his D+1 season. There\u2019s also a lack of long-term pieces acquired compared to the current stop-gap solutions that have some fans worried.<\/p>\n The best way I can describe Philadelphia\u2019s current management situation is that it\u2019s fine. It\u2019s not deplorable, but it\u2019s hardly inspiring either. A bunch of Cs on the report card feels right for now.<\/p>\n 20. Pittsburgh Penguins<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 29<\/p>\n \u201cThe first year was tough swinging for the fences with Graves and EK, those two deals blew up in GMKD\u2019s face. Jarry I give a pass because there hasnt been much in terms of goalie market the last two or three years (the devil you know situation), but since the rebuild has started in earnest, GMKD has made good decisions and really restocked the prospect pool.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPatching holes in the roster to keep the team competitive hasn\u2019t worked, so it\u2019s good to see Dubas publicly acknowledging that the team needs a rebuild and stockpiling young talent to improve from within. It\u2019s about time we recognize it\u2019s not 2018 and the team is more than one roster move away from competing for another Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n There is no larger discrepancy in perception between the public and the team\u2019s fans than with Pittsburgh\u2019s front office. The public views Kyle Dubas\u2019 work as near bottom-five, while his own fan base is significantly happier with what he\u2019s accomplished so far.<\/p>\n Things got off on the wrong foot when Dubas started his tenure with a summer to forget. The Tristan Jarry deal was a big mistake, the Ryan Graves deal turned out horrible and even an Erik Karlsson trade hasn\u2019t pan out as expected. The goal was one last hurrah of competitiveness and Dubas\u2019 work towards that goal was not good enough.<\/p>\n His work since, though, is what\u2019s caught the fan base\u2019s eye. The big thing is the team accepted its fate as a rebuilding club and their work towards that goal has given the fans a sense of hope. The Penguins have leveraged cap space for picks well and they\u2019ve done a good job restocking the prospect pipeline, too. There\u2019s a clearer vision of a post-Crosby future and that\u2019s provided some optimism.<\/p>\n Still, while the team may be one of the few trying to actually tear things down, there\u2019s a lot more work to be done (Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Karlsson) to make the Penguins a true Gavin McKenna contender. While the public isn\u2019t convinced in the current direction and the man at the helm, Penguins fans seem pretty confident that Dubas can get it done and kick-start a new era.<\/p>\n 21. Edmonton Oilers<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 25<\/p>\n \u201cLetting Broberg, but especially Holloway, walk for, let\u2019s be honest, nothing in return was a huge blunder, which set us back. Not sure what the vision was making the team older, smaller, slower after the last cup loss to Florida. To lose back-to-back was devastating, especially when this past year wasn\u2019t close.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just can\u2019t trust the Oilers because they are so Jekyll and Hyde. Two steps forward, then four steps back. Infuriating how they can\u2019t seem to claw their way out of certain holes. If they can get a goalie and trade Nurse this might land Stanley in Edmonton. Otherwise \u2026 ugh.\u201d<\/p>\n After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final berths, the Oilers have moved from 25th in front office confidence to 21st. Tough crowd.<\/p>\n Expectations are sky-high given the team\u2019s starting point with two of the best players in the world \u2014 and without a championship, it\u2019s safe to say Edmonton\u2019s brass has not met them. While the Oilers have made some good moves in the past, they\u2019ve made enough poor ones to keep them away from ultimate glory.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s offer-sheet debacle has turned into a full-blown disaster with the leaps Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg took with the Blues. It\u2019s fair to wonder whether the Oilers might\u2019ve won it all with both on their roster and while it was understandable for the team to let Broberg go at that price, it remains unbelievable that the team didn\u2019t match Holloway\u2019s paltry cap hit. Beyond that, the Trent Frederic deal doesn\u2019t inspire confidence and the team\u2019s continuing goaltending issues are also a sore spot.<\/p>\n With the best player in the world, the Oilers should have been champions by now. An upper-half management team probably could\u2019ve made that happen. Close isn\u2019t close enough anymore.<\/p>\n 22. Anaheim Ducks<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 16<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the young players seem to predate Verbeek or at least Verbeek\u2019s vision for the team. So there\u2019s some talented round pegs being slammed into square holes. Eager to see if Quenneville provides a more clear understanding for how on-ice execution aligns with roster building.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot of optimism about Pat Verbeek once he took over from Bob Murray, but that optimism has seemed to dissipate. The current stalemate with Mason McTavish is a microcosm of his tenure. He allegedly is playing hardball with player who wants to remain long-term in Anaheim \u2014 so what is the issue? Top free agents aren\u2019t choosing Anaheim as a destination of choice, so not securing homegrown talent seems counterintuitive.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ducks are this year\u2019s biggest \u201cwait-and-see\u201d team given their coaching change. With Joel Quenneville behind the bench, it\u2019s possible a lot of budding potential is finally realized this season, leading to a much rosier view of the front office. The team\u2019s definitive future between the pipes, with the big bet on the underrated Lukas Dostal, was also viewed as a plus.<\/p>\n Still, it does feel like the current build is stagnant with question marks surrounding the team\u2019s ultimate upside. Are there enough franchise pieces here? In that vein, was it wise to trade a player with Trevor Zegras\u2019 talent before seeing what he could do under a new coach?<\/p>\n There\u2019s also some concern with how Anaheim has tackled free agency. Yes, it\u2019s difficult to attract players to a bad team, but overpayments on older flawed players like Alex Killorn and Ryan Strome are part of what\u2019s kept the team stuck. The same may end up true with Mikael Granlund, pointing to questions about the team\u2019s pro scouting. Taking on the full flight of Jacob Trouba\u2019s deal without a sweetener only adds to that.<\/p>\n The Ducks look ready to take the next step, but the current regime may not be the best ones for the job.<\/p>\n 23. Detroit Red Wings<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 21<\/p>\n \u201cI am having trouble seeing the vision. For teams to get better you can\u2019t just hit on your first round picks. You need some solid acquisitions from FA, trades, waiver pickups. Other than drafting, I don\u2019t see the Wings doing well in any of those areas (DeBrincat trade aside) and I can\u2019t help but feel we are going to be stuck in the 9-15 range for the upcoming years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see the vision, and I kinda get it, but it\u2019s just not working. Still dealing with stopgaps like the Chiarot deal while we wait for prospects to improve. And if they don\u2019t improve enough, then it\u2019s more stopgaps and see if they get better next year. Meanwhile Larkin only gets older.\u201d<\/p>\n Confidence in the Yzerplan continues to dwindle with each passing year as the Red Wings once again did not have the results to show for it. While there\u2019s still some patience within the fan base after some large strides from the young core last season, it is beginning to wear thin. This season will be a massive one for understanding where this team\u2019s ultimate ceiling lies.<\/p>\n To Steve Yzerman\u2019s credit, the deals he signed for Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider last year have aged phenomenally. The two have grown into cornerstone pieces and are priced at a bargain rate, creating some confidence for the future.<\/p>\n The question is whether they will line up with Dylan Larkin\u2019s timeline as he approaches his 30s. As much as fans believe in the team\u2019s drafting and (slow) developing, some tangible results need to start appearing soon, especially as some stopgap free agents start getting pushed out. In that regard, there\u2019s still not a lot of confidence in Detroit\u2019s ability to navigate that field given recent failures in the area.<\/p>\n The one major slight that really puts a significant damper on things was the Jake Walman trade. That the Red Wings needed to attach a second-round pick to offload his money last summer was baffling at the time and looks even worse now. He was an immediate difference-maker for the Sharks, netted a first at the deadline and looked fantastic for the Oilers. That\u2019s a lot of needless value lost that limits confidence in future trades.<\/p>\n 24. Toronto Maple Leafs<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 30<\/p>\n \u201cI have concerns about the Leafs turning into a retirement home \u2014 the Leafs need to focus on a path of sustainable strength rather than burn assets on deadline moves constantly. We need a mix of young and old, similar to what Dallas has been able to achieve through strong drafting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think Treliving has improved the team depth, giving himself flexibility to get another impact forward during the season (shedding some bottom-six guys and replacing much of Marner\u2019s offence). But his dubious track record with trades in Calgary makes me wary.\u201d<\/p>\n The Leafs get top marks for how they\u2019ve retooled their goaltending, both in signing Anthony Stolarz and the bet on Joseph Woll\u2019s potential. The deals for John Tavares and Matthew Knies were great too. But while it\u2019s enough to get out of the league\u2019s bottom three, it\u2019s not enough to be viewed as an above-average front office.<\/p>\n There\u2019s two key reasons for that. The obvious one is how the Mitch Marner saga ultimately played out. The Leafs got Nicolas Roy out of a sign-and-trade, which is something but also nowhere close to Marner\u2019s on-ice value. Fault can be attributed to the previous regime, the current regime and the player himself \u2014 but it\u2019s hard to look at the end result with any sense of confidence. Getting to that point and ending the way it did was a massive organizational failure.<\/p>\n The other reason is how much the Leafs have overpaid for marginal players. David K\u00e4mpf\u2019s now-immovable contract is a prime example. But the Leafs also paid exorbitant prices at the deadline for Scott Laughton, a bottom-six center, and Brandon Carlo, a defensive No. 4\/5. When your primary competition is paying similar prices (or less) for impact players like Brad Marchand and Seth Jones, that\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n Most of all, though, it\u2019s the frustration that the Leafs are still here, almost a decade into the Auston Matthews era, without even a conference final berth to show for it. With how the Atlantic is sizing up, confidence is dwindling in regards to how far this team can go. Right now, because of mistakes from the past regime, aided by some missteps from the current one, it feels like an era wasted.<\/p>\n 25. Chicago Blackhawks<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 12<\/p>\n \u201cThe Blackhawks decision to rely on all the younger talent they have drafted and developed over the last couple years will be the clearest identifier of Kyle Davidson is on the right path, which I am happy to see on display, good or bad. At least we will know if we are in deeper trouble or there is light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe failure to add real talent is disheartening and detrimental to the progress of all of the draft picks that had been hoarded the past few years.\u00a0The methodology with their young draftees is akin to throwing your kids into the water to teach them how to swim.\u201d<\/p>\n The teardown is the easy part. What\u2019s next is the real challenge, and we\u2019re seeing that play out with the Blackhawks, who are having a very hard time coming out of their scorched-earth rebuild. It\u2019s an important reminder when it comes to grading rebuilding teams for this exercise: too often they get a free pass because they have the hope that comes with unrealized potential, but potential doesn\u2019t always pay off.<\/p>\n For Chicago specifically, last year\u2019s big free-agency misses (and overspending in general) weren\u2019t viewed favorably. While there\u2019s excitement this year towards seeing how some of the prospects perform in the majors, there\u2019s also trepidation given the environment they\u2019re being thrown into. Skepticism regarding who they\u2019ve picked (or haven\u2019t, in the case of Ivan Demidov) is also present throughout the fan base.<\/p>\n While the Blackhawks did well trading away Seth Jones for Spencer Knight and a first, plus accumulating some other picks elsewhere, there\u2019s still a sense of unease regarding where this train is going. Many fans still hold a lot of hope and Connor Bedard is an excellent starting point. But there\u2019s still unfortunately a lot of work to do and some growing distrust with the current brain trust\u2019s ability to do it.<\/p>\n 26. Vancouver Canucks<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 5<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, I was quite confident in management, but after a handful of moves like trading for Evander Kane, handling Brock Boeser\u2019s extension, handling the Miller fallout prior to the trade and failing to make future-oriented moves at the trade deadline, I\u2019m less optimistic about the outlook. I\u2019m inclined to believe that\u2019s more a reflection of ownership than management, however.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they came on board, I thought it was a step in the right direction. But now Im not so sure. Seems to be more of the same short term vision. I have no idea what the plan is here. We had a problem on defense and yes they fixed it, but now we don\u2019t have enough quality forwards. They just rearranged the deck chairs it seems.\u201d<\/p>\n After an extremely turbulent season, it\u2019s no shock the Canucks dropped further in these rankings than any other team, going from the top five to just outside the bottom five.<\/p>\n The big error in many fans\u2019 eyes was how the franchise handled the Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller feud. It\u2019s not often that a spat like that becomes public to such a high degree midseason, and it created a sideshow that distracted an on-the-rise team toward missing the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The end result \u2014 trading Miller \u2014 is also a reminder that this management group effectively chose Miller over Bo Horvat two years earlier, only to see the team move both. While the Canucks ended up with one of the league\u2019s best back ends as a result, it was at the expense of the center depth, which now looks like a major weakness. The peculiar departure of Pius Suter, given the cost, only adds to that.<\/p>\n While fans remain more hopeful than the public, it\u2019s tough to see a path forward toward contention for a once promising group. The Quinn Hughes situation also looms large, and in order to have him stick around, the team needs to start looking a lot closer to the 2023-24 version than last year\u2019s.<\/p>\n 27. Los Angeles Kings<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 31<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of Kings fans, myself included, had started to question Rob Blake\u2019s moves, and felt time had come for a change. Ken Holland steps up and says, \u2018hold my beer,\u2019 and now we\u2019re wishing Blake was still in charge. Worst free agency period I\u2019ve seen from my Kings in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBig question mark on the direction this team goes under Ken Holland. On paper, can\u2019t say I\u2019ve liked the moves so far but will have to see how the team actually plays and jells under his direction. Can\u2019t say I\u2019m optimistic so far; it\u2019s improved but time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n Kings fans learned a painful lesson this summer: the grass isn\u2019t always greener on the other side. Ken Holland put his fingerprints all over the team this summer and the result wasn\u2019t pretty.<\/p>\n The Kings lost Vladislav Gavrikov to free agency, spent that money inefficiently on Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, and then gave up Jordan Spence for good measure. The end result is a markedly different defense group, and one that looks very likely to be worse.<\/p>\n Holland did well to re-sign Andrei Kuzmenko and Alex Laferriere to reasonable deals, and there\u2019s still time to turn things around. But the first few moves have not offered a lot of confidence that the Kings are on the right track towards winning the Stanley Cup. In fact, it feels the opposite, and that\u2019s never a good sign. This team feels further from contention than it did just a few months ago.<\/p>\n 28. New York Rangers<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 17<\/p>\n \u201cDrury\u2019s ability to wipe away mistakes has been impressive, but the bottom line is that there have been too many mistakes that needed to be wiped away. The lack of development from the teams tops prospects has been infuriating. We\u2019re wasting Igor and Fox\u2019s prime\/healthy years. The Trouba trade is emblematic of what\u2019s right and wrong with this team. Even when they do something that\u2019s ultimately good for the team in the long run, they manage to fumble it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChris Drury and the Rangers squandered a lot of talent from the rebuild. Now the team is stuck in the mushy middle. I don\u2019t think the team has enough firepower up front, and I don\u2019t have much faith in the D-corps. Too much talent to be in the lottery. Not talented enough to compete for the Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n Few teams are more active than the Rangers, but that\u2019s not always a good thing when the fans don\u2019t trust how the team operates. While there have been some good recent moves made, like hiring Mike Sullivan and landing Vladislav Gavrikov, it\u2019s not enough to make up for the last year of frustration.<\/p>\n The continued lack of homegrown development remains a sore spot as shown by the team\u2019s 32nd-ranked draft and development. That the Rangers cut ties with disappointing No. 2 pick Kaapo Kakko is a brutal reminder of New York\u2019s inability to get the most out of budding young talent. The fact he immediately started scoring at a career-high pace with the Kraken feels telling. Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re failing to take a step forward last year is another sign of where things are at.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the way the team handled its veterans last year. Pulling the plug on Jacob Trouba was the right thing to do given his decline in performance and cost, but the way the team went about it left a sour taste in a lot of fans\u2019 mouths, especially after the Barclay Goodrow fiasco. The right moves done the wrong way is not going to be great for team morale.<\/p>\n Winning can cure all, but it\u2019s hard to be confident that what Chris Drury and company have built can pull it off. Not enough to win a Stanley Cup, anyways.<\/p>\n 29. Seattle Kraken<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 27<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand how a team that invests so much in talented analytics people can so consistently sign awful free agent contracts. Drafting and trades have been consistently solid, but free agency has been a wasteland of negative value. I want to read their analytics group\u2019s internal assessments of these players. Also we hear the Kraken are \u2018in\u2019 on most major trades, but aren\u2019t the ones closing those deals. When will the Kraken go all-in on an impact player?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe drafting has been great. Development is still a question mark. I like the players they\u2019ve brought in via free agency, but the contracts to get them? YEESH! They do pretty well with trades, I just wish they would take some bigger swings. Maybe they are and just can\u2019t close the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Personally, I\u2019m shocked the Kraken rank this high. Seattle currently feels like one of the most bland and directionless teams and that shows with how the club is regarded across most categories. Free agency and cap management is an especially large blight on the franchise, where seemingly every UFA deal the team signs looks immediately poor from the jump. Chandler Stephenson\u2019s and Philipp Grubauer\u2019s deals are especially weak.<\/p>\n What saves the Kraken is their drafting ability, an area that holds a lot of weight in this survey and one the fan base is still fairly confident with \u2014 relatively speaking. Seattle has some exciting young pieces on the roster and some intriguing talent in the pipeline, enough to keep the Kraken away from the bottom three. They\u2019ve also made some decent trades of late for Kaapo Kakko and Mason Marchment. But overall, it\u2019s just not enough to overlook everything else wrong with a front office seemingly devoid of a competitive vision. What exactly is the plan here?<\/p>\n 30. Boston Bruins<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 14<\/p>\n \u201cCurious choices on the UFA signings this year. Lots of bottom six but the team is lacking top 6 talent. Elias Lindholm\u2019s contract does not look like it will age well and the same can be said about Tanner Jeannot. Tough pill to swallow after setting records a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe last two offseasons\u2019 free agent signings have been very disappointing. I can see desperation leading to an overpay with Lindholm, but how many tough guys do we need when Pastrnak is the only sure bet to score 25 goals?\u201d<\/p>\n Historically, Bruins fans are far more harsh on their front office than the public. They\u2019re a proud group that holds management to a high standard. Even when things were good enough for the public, things still could\u2019ve been better in the eyes of the Bruins faithful.<\/p>\n That\u2019s changed this year as public opinion of the Bruins\u2019 front office has sunk just as quickly as the team did on the ice during the 2024-25 season. Now there\u2019s no denying what the fan base has feared even during the successful seasons: the current regime just isn\u2019t up to par. Only two teams, Nashville and Vancouver, lost more confidence in the eyes of the public than Boston.<\/p>\n The main reason for that is easily the past two summers. Last offseason the team overpaid for both Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, only to see both fail to meet the standards of their contracts in Year 1. This offseason the Bruins upped the ante with Tanner Jeannot, one of the strangest contracts in recent memory. It\u2019s hard to have faith in what the team is building, the money it is spending to do so and the overall vision under those circumstances.<\/p>\n In between were two other tough decisions on Jim Montgomery and Brad Marchand. The first arguably showed a lack of patience, and we saw just how good of a coach Montgomery still is in St. Louis. The latter arguably showed a lack of loyalty (especially given how the Bruins subsequently spent that money) but was more defensible considering it signaled the Bruins going in a new direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n The deadline sell-off in general was viewed as a step in the right direction. But there\u2019s a sense of unease within the fan base regarding whether the current front office can pull off a rebuild.<\/p>\n 31. Nashville Predators<\/b><\/p>\n 2024 ranking: 10<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n