With the 2025-26 NHL regular season over, we visited the coroner's office to diagnose the cause of death for all 16 teams that missed the postseason.
Calgary Flames
🪦 Cause of death: Regression
Did anybody really think the Flames would repeat their 96-point campaign from a year ago? This season, they met expectations relative to the talent on the roster. The outcome might've been a blessing in disguise, as it prompted Calgary to embrace a much-needed rebuild by trading away veterans Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, and Rasmus Andersson.
Chicago Blackhawks
🪦 Cause of death: Youth
A youthful spirit usually extends life, but that's not always the case in the NHL. The league's youngest team didn't stand much of a chance, even with Connor Bedard enjoying a breakout year. There just wasn't enough talent on this roster behind the 2024 Calder Trophy winner, and the Blackhawks never seriously threatened to compete for the playoffs this season. However, with a loaded farm system, Chicago's resurgence could be coming soon.
Columbus Blue Jackets
🪦 Cause of death: Dean Evason
Much has been made of Columbus' 2-8-1 finish down the stretch after Rick Bowness' tirade, but it's the way the team started the season that ultimately did it in. The hockey world largely wrote off the Blue Jackets after they started the campaign 19-19-7 with Evason behind the bench. But they climbed into the playoff picture with Bowness as head coach, going 21-11-5. If not for the poor play under Evason, Columbus would be gearing up for the postseason.
Detroit Red Wings
🪦 Cause of death: Choking
Not even the Heimlich maneuver could have saved this team from choking. With a 33-19-6 record heading into the Olympic break, Detroit held a seven-point cushion for a postseason berth and a 78.3% chance to snap its nine-year playoff drought. Given such a glorious opportunity, you'd think the Red Wings would've shown more desperation down the stretch. Instead, they went 8-12-4 in their final 24 games. General manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Todd McLellan both deserve blame, but this one's on the players at the end of the day.
Florida Panthers
🪦 Cause of death: Wear and tear
Playing 68 playoff games over the last three years took a toll on the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and Seth Jones all missed significant time with injuries, while captain Aleksander Barkov didn't suit up at all due to a torn ACL and MCL. But no one appeared to be more affected by the Panthers' grueling playoff runs than Sergei Bobrovsky, who posted his worst season with a .877 save percentage in 52 contests.
Nashville Predators
🪦 Cause of death: Lack of direction
Poor directional skills can be catastrophic if lost in the wilderness - and the same can be said in the NHL. Nashville clearly needed a functional compass this season because it had no direction. After a slow start, it seemed like the Predators were going to tear it all down. Hot stretches in December and January kept their playoff hopes alive, but they eventually came back down to earth and ultimately settled for trading only fringe players at the deadline. Whoever succeeds Barry Trotz as general manager needs a more convincing vision.
New Jersey Devils
🪦 Cause of death: Bad luck
New Jersey already fired GM Tom Fitzgerald, and head coach Sheldon Keefe is potentially next. Still, this season's outcome might have been much different had some bounces gone the Devils' way. They finished 32nd in PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) despite respectable possession numbers. Losing Jack Hughes for 21 games due to injury didn't help, either.
New York Islanders
🪦 Cause of death: Team defense
Ilya Sorokin put together a Vezina Trophy-caliber season, but it didn't matter in the end because the Islanders offered minimal support defensively in front of their star goalie. New York ranked 30th in expected goals against and high-danger scoring chances against.
New York Rangers
🪦 Cause of death: Home woes
Though the Rangers were a respectable 20-19-2 on the road, their disastrous 14-20-7 record at Madison Square Garden doomed their season. New York lost its first seven games at home while getting shut out an unimaginable five times in that span. Talk about giving fans a reason to lose hope early.
San Jose Sharks
🪦 Cause of death: Team beyond Celebrini
Most of San Jose's games came down to whether Macklin Celebrini could put on his cape and drag the team to victory. He managed to do it plenty of nights, putting together a ridiculous 115-point campaign at just 19 years old. However, the Sharks also had their depth and inexperience exposed in some contests, as no other player reached 60 points.
Seattle Kraken
🪦 Cause of death: Special teams
The Kraken were a decent five-on-five team but finished with the league's second-worst penalty kill and the 20th-ranked power play. Improved special teams could've gotten them into the playoffs in a weak Western Conference.
St. Louis Blues
🪦 Cause of death: Terminal illness
The 2025-26 Blues died a slow, painful death. They were always just outside the playoff picture, yet never fell completely out of the race to lose all hope. St. Louis hung around until the end, but it ultimately wasn't enough.
Toronto Maple Leafs
🪦 Cause of death: 18-wheeler off a cliff
Former Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke infamously described the team's collapse in 2011-12 as "an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff." That's essentially what happened 14 years later, too. Toronto entered the Olympic break on a three-game winning streak to give itself a chance at making the playoffs, but a disastrous 0-6-2 run after the Games effectively ended the club's season. Mismanagement by former GM Brad Treliving, poor coaching by Craig Berube, injuries, and a down year from Auston Matthews are all to blame for this tire fire.
Vancouver Canucks
🪦 Cause of death: Everything
It's impossible to choose just one reason why the Canucks ended the campaign in last place. They ranked 31st in goals for, 32nd in goals against as well as penalty kill, and 30th in expected goals share. You can't even use the Quinn Hughes trade to pinpoint where it all went downhill, as Vancouver posted a league-worst 11-17-3 record with one of the game's best players still on the roster. This team flat-out stunk.
Washington Capitals
🪦 Cause of death: Wrong place, wrong time
Washington's 95 points led all non-playoff teams. That total would've been enough to make the postseason in 2024-25 and would have easily qualified them this season had they played in the Western Conference. In fact, 95 points would've ranked them fourth in the West and earned them a Pacific Division title.
Winnipeg Jets
🪦 Cause of death: Lack of scoring depth
A down year from reigning Hart Trophy and Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck certainly didn't help, but the main culprit for Winnipeg's downfall was a lack of scoring depth. You can't succeed as a one-line team in the NHL, and outside of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Gabe Vilardi, no Jets forward contributed more than Cole Perfetti's 32 points.
(Analytics sources: MoneyPuck, Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)
