The Haters Guide to the 2025/26 NHL Season: Debriefing

TL;DR

A sardonic breakdown of all 16 eliminated NHL teams' 2025-26 seasons, roasting their failures, collapses, and mismanagement.

Key Points

• 1.Calgary and Chicago are the clearest rebuild cases. Calgary finally accepted a full teardown — Matt Coronado led the team with just 45 points, no 20-goal scorer until April, and Dustin Wolf was hung out to dry; Chicago's Bedard had 28 blown leads around him with zero competent linemates.
• 2.Columbus and Detroit represent wasted potential and chronic collapse. The Blue Jackets blew a near-certain playoff spot from a 9-in-10 probability in late March; Detroit fell apart despite leading the Atlantic around the Olympic break, compounded by questionable moves like trading for Justin Faulk.
• 3.Florida's title defense was derailed by a historic injury crisis. The Panthers lost 541 man-games including Reinhart, Ekblad, Tkachuk, Seth Jones, and Forsling, making their elimination understandable but painful as a back-to-back champion.
• 4.Nashville and New Jersey illustrate failed roster construction at the GM level. Preds GM Barry Trotz's vision backfired without his coaching presence; Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald handed out NMCs to nearly every player, blocked trades, and lost Jack Hughes to a lacerated hand at a team dinner.
• 5.Toronto and Vancouver suffered ownership and front-office implosions. The Leafs fired Brad Livingstone mid-collapse and controversially hired a new analytics regime tied to Arizona's failures; Vancouver traded Quinn Hughes, lost the draft lottery despite the league's worst record, and owner Aquilini faces family lawsuits.
• 6.Washington and Winnipeg mark the twilight of their respective golden eras. The Capitals' Ovechkin, turning 41, showed a slowing team unable to win close games; the Jets, coming off a Presidents' Trophy, cratered with Connor Hellebuyck reportedly furious at organizational complacency and a depleted farm system.
• 7.San Jose and the Rangers sit at opposite ends of the rebuild spectrum. The Sharks jumped to second overall in the lottery with Macklin Celebrini emerging as a generational talent; the Rangers fired Chris Drury-era culture, sold Panarin for pennies, and remain a franchise 'lost at sea' heading for another top-10 pick.