The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs continue to unfold as more teams head home empty.
But hope springs eternal, and a number of eliminated NHL playoff teams still have serious Cup aspirations in the near future.
With that in mind, let’s look at three teams that failed in the early stages of this year’s NHL playoffs but could rebound to go further next post-season.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche were one period away from beating the Dallas Stars in the first round. But former Avs star Mikko Rantanen went on a tear in a third-period comeback to eliminate his former team.
Somewhat lost after Colorado’s exit is that this is still an excellent team, and the Avalanche have $8.7 million to spend this summer. Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin and Ryan Lindgren are among their pending UFAs.
That means a team that has superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, as well as star right winger Martin Necas and No. 1 goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, will be even more dangerous for all of next season if it re-signs some of its trade deadline acquisitions or finds an equivalent in free agency.
‘Definitely Miss Him’: Avalanche’s MacKinnon Reflects On The Rantanen Trade In SwedenSTOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – Nathan MacKinnon was all smiles as he arrived for the 2025 IIHF men’s World Championship.
The Avalanche will be stronger out of the gate than they were this year, and that means home-ice advantage will be well within their reach.
Rantanen burned the Avalanche, but GM Chris MacFarland may have made the right choice for the franchise by dealing the star and giving his team more depth overall. That gamble will play out throughout the 2025-26 campaign, but no one should be surprised if the Avalanche go on a deeper playoff run next spring. They have the elite-level talent to do so, and they could win a Cup next year.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils were some observers’ sexy pick to go far in the past couple of seasons, but 2023-24 was a major letdown for New Jersey, which didn’t make the playoffs that year. This season, the Devils did better in the regular season, but they suffered unfortunate luck when key cog Jack Hughes was hurt late in the year and missed out on any playoff action.
It was no shock, then, that New Jersey didn’t have the firepower to contend with a very deep and skilled Carolina Hurricanes squad in the first round this year. The Hurricanes dominated the Devils, with only one of Carolina’s four wins being a one-goal game.
But New Jersey fans shouldn’t get too down on their team, even as Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has said he “won’t be bringing back the same group” next season. New Jersey will almost assuredly have the same core of top-end talent, including Hughes, his brother and Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, blueliner Dougie Hamilton and captain Nico Hischier.
Even if New Jersey’s supporting cast changes notably, there are all kinds of talent there that will make the Devils a surefire playoff team in 2025-26 – and they’ve got $12 million in cap space to play with this summer. If the Devils can lock up home-ice advantage next spring, they have the ability to shake off the disappointment of the past couple of years and get far further in the post-season.
St. Louis Blues
For the last few minutes of Game 7, the Blues looked set to eliminate the Winnipeg Jets and move on to a second-round showdown against Dallas. But then it all fell apart in spectacular fashion, with Winnipeg forcing overtime with 1.6 seconds left in regulation, then knocking off St. Louis in double overtime.
That had to be crushing to Blues fans, players and management, but it shouldn’t take away from the encouraging fact that St. Louis played and won must-win hockey for weeks at the end of the regular season just to get into the playoffs.
The Blues wisely chose not to break up their team at the NHL trade deadline, and St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong is well known for his aggressive moves to keep his team in playoff contention, year in and year out.
It doesn’t always pan out for the Blues, but with a few tweaks here and there, St. Louis can once again be a playoff team next year – and with the right bounce, they could get to the second round at least.
The Blues have only $5.9 million in cap space at the moment, but that number could rise by $6.5 million if veteran defenseman Torey Krug can’t return from what could be a career-ending injury. You have to know Armstrong will use that cap space to better his team, and although the Central Division will likely be even more competitive next season, the Blues have the experience and internal drive to get back into the playoffs. From there, it’s about being in control for just a few more minutes than they were against the Jets this time around.
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