One move for every NHL team that missed the playoffs

11. New York Rangers: 39-36-7, 85 points | Move: Sign Florida forward Sam Bennett, a pending free agent

Signing Bennett will not be cheap. The Rangers must make other corresponding moves, such as a Chris Kreider trade, to make it happen. Plus, Bennett's combination of age (28) and playing style will make this a contract the team may look to offload long before it expires. In this case, though, Bennett checks a ton of boxes — he can play winger or center, does the dirty work to allow other stars to thrive, comes with championship-winning pedigree and is a skilled forward who is a menace to play against.

10. New York Islanders: 35-35-12, 82 points | Move: Sign Vancouver forward Pius Suter, a pending free agent

This exercise only gets harder the worse the teams get, but the fastest path to returning to the playoffs on Long Island is fixing their comically disastrous special teams units (31st in power-play percentage and 31st in penalty-kill percentage this season). One of the better penalty killers available will be Suter.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins: 34-36-12, 80 points | Move: Trade defenseman Erik Karlsson

In fact, trade him to the Islanders to see if he can wake up that mess of a power play. The Penguins probably aren't one move away from getting back to the playoffs, but if they could free up Karlsson's $10M cap hit, they'd get closer to making the most of the remaining time with superstar Sidney Crosby. 

8. Anaheim Ducks: 35-37-10, 80 points | Move: Hire Jay Woodcroft as coach

The roster is full of young talent, and those players continue to grow each season. Now it's time to find someone who can grow with them, such as the former Oilers coach who has spent the past few seasons biding his time following a disastrous 2023-24 campaign with Edmonton. 

7. Buffalo Sabres: 36-39-7, 79 points | Move: Trade defenseman Bowen Byram 

There's no denying the Sabres have problems, but they also have a bunch of prospects and prime-aged assets who can be turned into players with more dynamic skillsets. On the back end, adding a combination of size and speed would start with opening a spot in the lineup, and Byram is overkill in the lineup as constructed.

6. Seattle Kraken: 35-41-6, 76 points | Move: Buy out goalie Philipp Grubauer 

Without a coach in place, it's difficult to project what the Kraken could do to improve the roster. On a more general level, they could open close to $4M in cap space for the 2025-26 season by using a buyout on Grubauer following a nightmare 26-game campaign (.875 save percentage).

5. Boston Bruins: 33-39-10, 76 points | Move: Hire Rick Tocchet as coach

The Bruins aren't likely to enter a full rebuild, but it's clear the direction they are headed isn't one of immediate competitiveness. The best move might be to hire a guy known for maximizing defensive play, a trait Boston loves. By reuniting Tocchet, the former Vancouver coach, with former Canucks center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, the Bruins could return to competitiveness quicker than many expect. 

4. Philadelphia Flyers: 33-39-10, 76 points | Move: Trade for Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko

Philadelphia needs a lot of help to get back to the postseason. Nightmarish goaltending has ruined surprisingly effective 5-on-5 results for a team that lacks elite talent at premier positions. Demko's value is at an all-time low as he enters a contract year, making him an ideal buy-low candidate with a low-risk, high-reward outcome spectrum. 

3. Nashville Predators: 30-44-8, 68 points | Move: Sign Colorado center Brock Nelson, a pending free agent

Nashville is going to get a premium prospect out of their shockingly bad season, but in the meantime, it is too leveraged to start a full-scale rebuild. A top-six center such as Nelson would allow the Predators to move Steven Stamkos back to wing. 

2. Chicago Blackhawks: 25-46-11, 61 points | Move: Sign Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, a pending free agent

The two-way left-handed defender hasn't signed an extension in Los Angeles, making him easily the best defender available on the open market. Chicago shouldn't be shy about trying to get better with an overwhelming stockpile of prospects and assets — they'll need to cash those chips in eventually.

1. San Jose Sharks: 20-50-12, 52 points | Move: Win the draft lottery

After another nightmarish season, San Jose clearly is nowhere close to competing. The good news: Young reinforcements are starting to arrive. Winning the draft lottery would ensure their choice of defenseman Matthew Schaefer or center Michael Misa. They won't likely go wrong with either.