Since the NHL’s 2024-25 regular season ended, there have been six coaching changes – but only four of the teams that changed coaches have hired replacements at this point. And that brings up an intriguing question – when it comes to the four teams that have hired new bench bosses, which ones have the best chance at making the Stanley Cup playoffs next spring?
Let’s break it down below:
1. Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks came within seven points of beating out the St. Louis Blues for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but just about everything that could go wrong for Vancouver did, including coach Rick Tocchet leaving for Philadelphia at the end of the season. However, in the top-heavy Pacific Division, the Canucks could rebound next season under new coach Adam Foote and get back into the playoff mix.
Vancouver is going to have approximately $16.7 million in salary cap space to spend this summer, and while some of that will have to go to replacements for forwards Pius Suter and Brock Boeser, with the right targeted acquisitions, the Canucks could put up the additional four-to-seven wins or overtime losses that could propel them back into the post-season.
They’re going to need a couple teams in the Central Division and/or Pacific to take a step backward, but Foote’s no-nonsense approach to his new job could be just what the doctor ordered for Vancouver, and the Canucks wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows if they were back in the playoffs next year.
2. New York Rangers
The Rangers were just one win behind the eighth-place Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference this season, but the Blueshirts also had two other teams – the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings – ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers were a whopping 29 standings points worse than they were in 2023-24, and that’s why Peter Laviolette lost his job. But incoming coach Mike Sullivan is as highly-regarded as they get, and the structure and confidence he’s going to provide should get the Rangers back in the playoff hunt.
There are no guarantees the Rangers will squeeze back into the post-season next spring, as the Metropolitan Division and Atlantic Divisions both promise to be more competitive. But there will be major pressure on the Rangers to turn things around, and Blueshirts GM Chris Drury – armed with a contract extension – isn’t going to be satisfied with anything less than a trip back to the playoffs.
To be a playoff team once again, the Rangers need teams ahead of them this season to take a step back, but stranger things than that have happened. And any team with a star goalie like Igor Shesterkin shouldn’t be counted out from getting into the playoffs next season.
3. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks began and ended the regular-season poorly this year, but in between those bookends to the season, Anaheim had stretches where they were capable of above-average play. Still, the Ducks’ overall disappointing season cost Greg Cronin his job, and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek replaced him with multi-time Cup-winner Joel Quenneville.
But while we do believe the Ducks will improve on their 35-37-10 record, envisioning a series of events that ends with Anaheim in a playoff position next season requires so many things to go right for them, as well as so many things to go wrong for Pacific rivals. We just don’t see a playoff berth happening for them.
That may change if Verbeek makes a huge splash with the $38.6 million in cap space he has this summer. But as it stands, the Ducks may have to be satisfied with playing meaningful hockey down the stretch next spring, even if that ends without a playoff berth for Anaheim.
4. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers did show some promise early this season, getting off to a 12-10-3 record. But after Jan. 21, they went 12-19-4 the rest of the year to freefall through the Eastern standings and finish with the worst record in the conference. That spelled the end of the line for Philly coach John Tortorella, and although Tocchet will bring a more player-friendly approach to the Flyers’ coaching role, asking the Flyers to make the jump from 16th in the East to eighth-place or better certainly seems like a bridge too far for Tocchet and company.
To be sure, we’re not suggesting the Flyers won’t be better under Tocchet. In many regards, it would be hard to be worse. But every other team in the Metro Division is likely to be better next year, and that is going to make it exceedingly difficult for Philadelphia to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.
They have some $24.7 million in cap space to spend, but their biggest need – capable goaltending – isn’t going to be easily addressed, and imagining that their core of young talent will carry them past four Metro teams into a post-season position is a stretch indeed. Philadelphia’s rebuild likely needs another season to kick into high gear, and that is likely to lead to another year with no playoff hockey for the Flyers.
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