🏒The season is entering the home stretch, the final part is ahead. The 2024/25 regular season championship has been archived, and the playoffs are ahead. But not for everyone. Five teams that were highly hoped for had a season that could only be called a failure. No injuries, no schedule, no referees — only themselves. We analyze the main fiascos of this year.
🔵Rangers (39-36-7, 85 points)
A roster under the ceiling, superstars, a strong defense, the most expensive goalie in NHL history — and what's the result? The New Yorkers fought for the wild card until the very end, but the problems began back in October. Panarin couldn't pull it off on his own, confusion in special teams and a complete failure in the opponent's zone — all this led to elimination from the Cup race.
🔴Detroit (39-35-8, 86 points)
"Now, well, now, this is definitely our year," is the usual talk of Detroit fans before the start of the regular championships. Perhaps, it would be wrong to call the game year a failure, the team fought, but fell a little short. The resignation of the coach did not help either. Or rather, this tactical move bore certain fruit, but they still failed to make it to the playoffs.
🐅Nashville (30-44-8, 68 points)
Gathering the downed pilots, giving them solid contracts and ignoring the restructuring - a plan as reliable as a Swiss watch. It is strange that such an experienced man as Barry Trotz believed in the workability of this scheme. A disastrous season by all indicators - 30% of points scored on the road, 212 goals scored during the season, 30th place in the overall standings. Definitely not what the Tennessee fans were expecting.
🦆Anaheim (35-37-10, 80 points)
Even with 100 points from MacTavish, this would not have been a season, but a disaster. One of the worst teams in the league by key metrics: last in power play (11.8%), fourth from last in penalty kill (74.2%). It's incredible how such a roster can play so badly.
🐧Pittsburgh (34-36-12, 80 points)
The farewell tour of the "Big Three" ended in disaster. Crosby, Malkin, Letang - it still sounds cool, but time spares no one. The Penguins had a very sad season, devoid of stability. The main reason for the failures can be called weak defense. Mike Sullivan's club conceded an average of 3.6 goals per game - terrible numbers. One of the saddest declines among clubs vying for the last dance.
❌Five clubs, five stories, five collapses. Some are changing course, others are clinging to the past, and others are simply lost along the way. Meanwhile, the top 16 are already preparing for the Stanley Cup.
⭐️Many teams were left off the list. We decided not to talk about San Jose, Chicago, Philadelphia and other teams in the process of rebuilding - everything was clear with them at the beginning of the regular championship. We did not say about Boston only because our team did not believe in them back in October. Fans can only hope that the management will work hard in the summer and snag a couple of young stars in the upcoming draft. This is the only way to save the situation.
