- Pro Hockey Rumors puts the Predators, Red Wings, Islanders, Kraken and Penguins in the NHL’s middle class
- New draft lottery rules took away the reward for finishing near the bottom
- Read below for why the playoff bubble is harder to escape than it used to be
The worst address in the NHL is the middle, and it is getting crowded.
Josh Cybulski of Pro Hockey Rumors put five teams in that group heading into 2026-27: the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, Seattle Kraken and Pittsburgh Penguins. Any of them could land on a wild-card spot or finish 12th or 13th in their conference.
Getting stuck there used to come with a consolation prize. The new draft lottery rules took most of that away, because missing the playoffs no longer promises anybody a top pick. Tanking lost its payoff, and the league’s mushy middle got bigger.
Nashville is the template. The Predators have finished between fourth and seventh in the Central for seven straight years, and Chris MacFarland spent the summer adding pieces to chase a wild card rather than tearing anything down. Their prospect pool ranks inside the top 10, but none of that help arrives this season. MacFarland laid out his approach in August.
Detroit’s problem runs the other way. The Red Wings have young stars and real forward depth, so blowing it up would be absurd, yet nobody on the roster breaks games open by himself. They also still do not have a general manager, and the Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat questions are waiting on whoever gets the job.
The Islanders could put up 75 points or 95 and nobody would blink. They own the seventh-oldest roster in the league and a lineup that is too expensive to keep together and too good to gut.
What they do have is Matthew Schaefer, who turned 19 on Saturday. His rookie year already reads like a franchise cornerstone: youngest Calder Trophy winner ever, plus the records for goals and points by an 18-year-old defenseman. Check out the numbers:
Seattle lands on the list almost by default. The Kraken have a reasonable amount of NHL talent without anyone mistaking them for a division threat, and the Pacific is soft enough that a playoff spot is still on the table.
Pittsburgh has been the prototype for five years running. The Penguins keep declining to rebuild while Sidney Crosby plays out an $8.7 million cap hit and keeps producing like a top center. Their goaltending is unproven and the left side of the defense might be the worst in the league, but they score too much to bottom out.
Change in Pittsburgh has come off the ice instead. Mario Lemieux sold his remaining shares last month and is out of the ownership group for the first time since he bought the team in 1999:
All five open the season with a real path to the playoffs and a real path to 13th. The lottery will not rescue the ones who miss.
