Some NHL front offices are under the microscope for obvious reasons, and this latest look at the league’s worst-run teams puts a handful of familiar names in the spotlight. The Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken and Edmonton Oilers all drew attention for moves that have left people wondering whether the plan is actually moving the team forward.
At No. 5, the Seattle Kraken are still trying to find their footing after five seasons in the league. The comparison to the Vegas Golden Knights is part of the problem: Vegas has already reached multiple Stanley Cups, while Seattle is still searching for that level of success.
Last year’s 79-point finish underscored the gap, and the roster still doesn’t feature the kind of star that gives a team a true centerpiece. The group has useful players, but Matty Beniers needs to give them more, and the overall talent just isn’t enough to make them a real contender.
The Vancouver Canucks come in at No. 4, and the issue there is a team in the middle of a major rebuild that still hasn’t found enough offense to look comfortable with its direction. They’ve made a series of trades that have reshaped the core, but the returns haven’t matched what fans were hoping for.
Last season, Vancouver scored 210 goals, which worked out to just 2.56 per game, and Elias Petterson led the club with 51 points. That production simply hasn’t been enough, and the current approach needs to improve if the Canucks want to get back into the mix.
Detroit lands at No. 3, where the Steve Yzerman plan has run into real trouble. The idea has been to bring in talent and keep turning the roster over, but the results haven’t followed.
Dylan Larkin’s future with the organization is uncertain, and while there have been few offers for him, the Red Wings are still exploring options. Patrick Kane has already moved on, and John Gibson is in place as a solid goaltender, but the bigger picture still looks shaky.
The 2022 free agency period stands out for all the wrong reasons, especially the four-year, $28 million deal for Andrew Copp and the four-year, $19 million commitment to Ben Chiarot. Yzerman’s pattern of bringing in players past their prime, including Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, has only added to the concern.
The Kings check in at No. 2, and a big part of that frustration comes from repeatedly running into the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs. Coaching stability has been an issue, and now Los Angeles has turned to former New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette.
That move also brings him back together with Artemi Panarin, who posted solid numbers when they were together. But the decision to sign Cody Ceci and Brian Dumolin to long-term deals is being viewed as a bad bet.
Edmonton tops the list at No. 1, and the criticism starts with how little the Oilers have done to support Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. With two of the best players in the world in the lineup, the expectation is clear: more help, more depth and more balance.
Instead, the team still can’t seem to settle the goalie position or build enough depth in the bottom six. The need is for four solid lines that can contribute on both sides of the puck, but that hasn’t happened.
Edmonton did make a solid trade by moving off Darnell Nurse, then followed it by signing Trent Fredric to a big deal for a player who won’t be a major point producer. The biggest issue remains in net, where the question is whether they can get a solid season from Fredrick Anderson.
In Other News...
Canucks Finally Look Like They Have A Plan Worth Believing
After years of chasing quick fixes, the Canucks are finally operating like a franchise with a coherent direction. Under Ryan Johnson and the Sedins, the organization has leaned into a rebuild, and that matters because it changes the conversation from patching holes to actually building something durable. For a fan base that has seen plenty of short-term swings, the new approach at least gives the roster a clearer purpose and a better chance to grow into itself.
A lot will still depend on whether the pieces they have can hold up and develop, and Filip Chytil is one of the more interesting names in that mix. If he can stay healthy, he could give Vancouver real depth down the middle, which is the kind of support a young team needs when it is trying to turn a reset into a structure. The optimism is real, but so are the usual rebuild questions about development, lineup balance and whether the roster is being built to last. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Are Counting On Jamie Oleksiak For More Than Toughness
Jamie Oleksiak is the kind of addition Vancouver made with October and beyond in mind, not just the next opening night. The Canucks signed the veteran defenseman to a two-year contract to help shore up a blue line that could use more size, steadiness and a little more edge, while also leaning on him as a presence for younger players coming through the pipeline. His game has long been built around defensive reliability and physical play, and the expectation is that he can supply a modest offensive lift in the range of 10-15 points without being asked to do much more than keep things simple.
The question for Vancouver is how much of that plan holds up once the season grinds on. Oleksiak brings experience and a useful set of tools, but there are fair concerns about age and durability, especially for a player whose value is tied so closely to being available and dependable. If he stays on the ice, the Canucks have a defender who can stabilize matchups, protect teammates and set a tone. If not, the move becomes a much thinner bet, and one the team will be watching closely well before the 2026-27 season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Plans Put A Beloved Britannia Hockey Tradition In The Spotlight
Vancouvers talks with the Canucks over a planned training-facility addition at Britannia rink have put one of the citys most distinctive hockey spaces back in the spotlight. The proposal would add off-ice space but not another sheet of ice, which matters at a rink known as much for its community role as for its hockey. For more than three decades, Britannia has been home to the Women and Gender Diverse Hockey League, a program built around inclusion and a grassroots feel that has made it a fixture in East Vancouver.
Now, with the Canucks plans moving into public view, some community members are wondering what the changes could mean for that long-running league and for the other uses that have made Britannia a busy neighborhood hub. The rink has long carried a different kind of value than a typical training site, and any redesign there raises questions about balance: how to add modern hockey infrastructure without dulling the character that has kept people coming back for years. [Read more 🡒]