5 Most Disappointing NHL Teams From 2025-26 Regular Season – Hockey Writers – Commentary

The 2025-26 NHL regular season is now in the past. The playoffs brought in new teams, like the Anaheim Ducks, adding much-needed new blood to playoff hockey. But with that comes teams that missed out on the play-offs during disappointing seasons. Let’s take a look at the most disappointing NHL teams from the 2025-26 regular season.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers missed the playoffs last season. It’s no surprise that they didn’t qualify again, but the way they missed out is really disappointing. Most sportsbooks had the Rangers as the team entering the season, but they didn’t come close to being a playoff contender. They finished 30th in the NHL, with 77 points and 34 wins.

It’s not like the Rangers didn’t have talent coming into the season. Their core consisted of Artemi Panarin, JT Miller, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, and Igor Shesterkin, but their age began to show. Miller was disappointed, while Fox and Shesterkin missed significant time with injuries. The Rangers’ struggles eventually led to Panarin being traded to the Los Angeles Kings before the Olympic break.

Rangers general manager Chris Drury said this won’t be a long-term rebuild, but it’s hard to see a situation where there isn’t a long-term rebuild, even though the team played well to close the season. Their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack, finished in last place in the entire AHL. The Rangers’ prospect pool isn’t exactly overflowing with top talent, and it’s a weak free agent class. There could be dark days ahead for the Rangers if they don’t choose the right rebuild they need.

New Jersey Devils

The Rangers’ cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils, haven’t had a great season themselves. They finished with 87 points and 42 wins, falling well short of pre-season expectations; most of the sports books presented it as a team of 97-98 points. That led to the firing of GM Tom Fitzgerald and his replacement by Florida Panthers assistant GM Sunny Mehta.

Injuries were the cause of the Devils’ problems. Jack Hughes missed another 20 games from mid-November to Christmas, and that’s when the Devils fell apart. However, injury should no longer be an excuse. Their roster has been inadequate this season, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Mehta’s hiring is one of the reasons Devils fans are happy, but the Devils have played well since the Olympics. They finished with a 14-10-1 record in their last 25 games, and Hughes was one of the best players in the NHL. Mehta has work to do to improve the lineup for the 2026-27 season, but the Devils’ situation isn’t as dark as the Rangers’.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Injuries have been part of the Maple Leafs’ struggles this season, but they haven’t lived up to their preseason expectations. Their list is seriously flawed as well. They have no puck-moving defensemen, especially to the right of their blue line, and there is too much weight up front. That led to the Maple Leafs being one of the worst five-for-five teams in the NHL. They finished with an expected goal share (xG%) of 45.67 percent, ranking them 29th in the NHL, a key reason why they came out on top.

Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares are still at the top of their game, but they are not young. The Atlantic Division isn’t what it was a few years ago, either. The Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and, to a lesser extent, the Ottawa Senators have signed a potential change of guard. It will not be easy to outshine their opponents as it was before.

A disappointing season for the Maple Leafs led to some important changes. John Chayka takes over as GM, and Mats Sundin joins as senior adviser on hockey ops. Chayka’s hiring was controversial among the Leafs faithful, but that’s beside the point. What’s done is done, and he has a long career ahead of him. The Maple Leafs need to add more talent to their roster and avoid some of the grittier additions made by Brad Treliving. If they don’t, they may live in the lower Atlantic.

The Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings were a projected bubble team at the start of the season. That’s where they ended up, but the way they missed the postseason would not have been disappointing. They once held first place in the Atlantic but suffered another collapse in March, bringing their playoff drought to a top ten NHL season.

What really hurt the Red Wings was the lack of respect for GM Steve Yzerman. Additions like Justin Faulk and Ben Chiarot didn’t work out, and they gave up their first defense to get Faulk. I don’t blame Faulk for the Red Wings downfall, but he had a 43.62 expected goal percentage and a 41.38 actual goal percentage as a Red Wing. He certainly did not improve the team.

The Red Wings continue to struggle to tilt the game in their favor at 5-on-5, which is a key reason why they fell in March and ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Yzerman should revamp his pro scouting department and look to add five-of-five consistent players. If he doesn’t, the results will be the same.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks finished where most people expected them to. However, they should show more progress than they are in their rebuild. Connor Bedard has definitely improved, especially before he got injured in the middle of the season. But the Blackhawks, as a team, have not progressed to the top.

As was the case last season, the Blackhawks were one of the worst five-for-five teams in the NHL. They finished with an xG% of 42.25 percent, which ranked last in the NHL. They were also a very defensive team, allowing an NHL-high 3.02 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five.

Kyle Davidson just got a contract extension, but there should be a little heat on him. Well written. You can’t deny it, but they need to add more NHL talent around Bedard for this team to start making progress in their rebuild. Just look at what Mike Grier has done in helping the San Jose Sharks make progress in their rebuild. The Blackhawks are behind, and have been rebuilding longer than the Sharks. It is disappointing that they have not shown any signs of progress.

This will be an important season for most of these teams. For the Devils, Red Wings, and Maple Leafs, retooling to become playoff teams should be the goal. But even organizations like the Rangers and Blackhawks need to step up to be more competitive. It will be interesting to see how they attack the draft and free agency to avoid a major disappointment in 2026-27.

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