Top 5 best and top 5 worst NHL teams following March
The NHL’s best teams are a treat to watch every single night for lots of reasons.
1. Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are the best team in the National Hockey League and they have been all season long. Now, they clinched the Presidents’ Trophy at the same time that they clinched the best record in their own conference.
With a superstar like David Pastrnak leading the way offensively, and guys like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand there as well, there is no shortage of greatness up front.
Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm lead an amazing defense with two very good goalies in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. They will go into the postseason as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
2. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are third in the league in points, but they enter April trailing the Carolina Hurricanes by one. They have a roster that is faster, more skilled, and competes hard every day. They are also only getting better.
Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier had breakout seasons down the middle, while wingers like Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt have scored a ton of goals.
On defense, Dougie Hamilton broke the franchise record for goals in a single season by a defenseman this year. He leads a solid group that is only going to get better as some of their top prospects start showing up.
Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Mackenzie Blackwood are all solid options in goal for them entering the playoffs.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season, but they lost Andrei Svechnikov for the year, and he might be their most dangerous forward these days.
They play a very solid team game and make it very difficult on anyone they play. When the playoffs come around, they are going to be a tough out. They will have to score goals by committee even more than usual, but they are very deep up front and on defense.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are sixth in the NHL in points, but they are the fourth-best team following March. They are solidified into the second-place spot in the Atlantic Division, which is very nice for them.
They might have the most talent out of any roster, but they haven’t been able to put it all together over the years. With Auston Matthews leading the way, guys like William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares are ready for a deep playoff run.
5. Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have been the best team in the Western Conference this season, and they are hanging onto that title by a thread. The Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and Los Angeles Kings might have something to say about it, but Vegas is there for now.
They don’t have Mark Stone because of an injury, but Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, and Jonathan Marchessault amongst others are leading the way. They are fun to watch, but the Western Conference is gaining in on them. The playoffs are going to be fun.
The worst teams in the NHL would all love to have Connor Bedard join them.
28. Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens haven’t really been a bottom-five team this season, but the recent surge of the Arizona Coyotes pushes them outside of the bottom five.
The Habs were the worst team in the NHL last season and won the draft lottery and have been better this year, but they still have a long way to go. A lot of people would say that Martin St. Louis has been a great head coach so far.
29. Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have been a little worse than people thought this season, but they have improved at times as well. With guys like Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and Troy Terry there, they have done a great job developing young forwards.
If they added a stud like Bedard, they’d be well on their way to contending very soon. Even if they have a solid draft without Bedard, the future is looking bright for them.
30. San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks traded Timo Meier away but they still have great players like Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, and Logan Couture. They haven’t completely bottomed out their roster yet, but they are getting close to doing so.
Still, they haven’t had much success when it comes to their record, so they are right there in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. It is a usually good organization, so it shouldn’t take long for them to rise back to the top of the Western Conference.
31. Columbus Blue Jackets
There is no doubt that the Columbus Blue Jackets have underachieved this season. When they signed Johnny Gaudreau in the off-season, they certainly didn’t plan on entering April with the second-worst points percentage in the National Hockey League.
They just don’t play well despite having some very good players at the top of their lineup. If they landed Bedard, he’d help them right away as their top six is ready for a player like that.
32. Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have the worst roster in the National Hockey League. The fact that they haven’t run away with the worst record in the league speaks volumes about how the coaching staff has gotten the players to play hard no matter what.
Even if they win the lottery, nobody will accuse the players of tanking. Management certainly can be accused of that, but the players have worked very hard.
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They traded Patrick Kane away which made them significantly worse. They have also seen other good players like Max Domi and Jake McCabe depart as well. No team in the league needs one of Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli more than them.