EHM The Blue Line

Hello everyone,

I have been a very quiet player of this game so you don't see me quite often on the boards. Still, I really enjoy it and one thing I really appreciate of this game is the endless amount of stories you can make in your career game. The game is so deep that you can build something up by deciding to follow a random prospect and invent a story about him, or trying to find the biggest trade tree of your game, etc.
I am now eleven years into my game and I decided to look back at what happened in the league in the last decade.

We are in June 2027, the NHL has finished its 110th year of existence.
The landscape has changed a lot since the New York Rangers won their fifth Stanley Cup by beating the Calgary Flames in 2016-17.
66 players have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame and a new generation of young stars is taking ownership of the league while legendary players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are now a thing of the past.
Star players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Carey Price, Nicklas Backstrom, Tyler Seguin and PK Subban are in the last moments of their career.
Players such as Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon and Andrei Vasilevskiy are well established stars and the newcomers are now completely created by the game.

In retrospective of that eleventh century of the league, each franchise will see its last ten years analyzed, but before that here is the list of the Stanley Cup winners of the last ten years:

17-18: Colorado Avalanche (3) beat the Tampa Bay Lightning
18-19: Colorado Avalanche (4) beat the Carolina Hurricanes
19-20: Montreal Canadiens (25) beat the Dallas Stars
20-21: Montreal Canadiens (26) beat the San Jose Sharks
21-22: Chicago Blackhawks (7) beat the New York Islanders
22-23: New York Islanders (5) beat the Winnipeg Jets
23-24: Pittsburgh Penguins (5) beat the Dallas Stars
24-25: Montreal Canadiens (27) beat the Vancouver Canucks
25-26: Pittsburgh Penguins (6) beat St.Louis Blues
26-27: Montreal Canadiens (28) beat Colorado Avalanche

Here is the list of the most unsuccessful franchise up to the most successful ones:

30. BUFFALO SABRES
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 11-14-5-3-5-15-15-16-16-15
Number of Playoff Appearances: 3
Number of Playoff Rounds: 4 (1-3)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 3
Number of Head Coaches: 4

By far the least effective team of the past decade. They had a nice three year stint between 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 while they competed well but they never were a real threat in the postseason.
Still, the managing team went all in for the championship in those year by completing transactions that would send their 2021's 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick elsewhere and a year later they traded away their 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th round pick of the 2022 draft. They also shipped away the 2023 1st round pick to the Predators in a completely head-scratching trade for aging goaltender Keith Kinkaid and a prospect names Lou Viale
who never played higher than the East Coast Hockey League. The pick ended up the third overall and the Preds selected a player named Maurizio Lemieux that is already an offensive threat for them.
The result is the Sabres had no picks in the first three rounds for 2 consecutive drafts and non in the first round for 3 straight years.
That caused a massive setback in the construction of the franchise. Since then, the Sabres finished last or second to last in the Eastern Conference every year.

Now in 2027, the Sabres had selected five players in the top 6 in the past 4 years so, if their scouting department did the job right, they should get their head out of the water soon. Their top 3 players are signed
to long-term deal, now it's just a matter of having the patience to wait for these seeds to bare fruits.

Best 3 Players: C. Jack Eichel, G. Evan Fitzpatrick, RW. Alexander Nylander

29. MINNESOTA WILD
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 13-8-10-9-14-10-13-13-8-11
Number of Playoff Appearances: 2
Number of Playoff Rounds: 2 (0-2)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 1
Number of Head Coaches: 2

You could make a case that the Minnesota Wild should be the worst franchise in the NHL because, at least, the Sabres had some success. The Wild has no clear direction and is struggling to find its identity.
More surprising, the patience of the ownership seems to be endless has Mr. Chuck Fletcher is still the architect of a team that is standing still for the past ten years. And it is not like they had a lot of success before.
Poor scouting or poor development seems to be directly the cause of this franchise debacle as there are no real bad contracts on the roster. A few good picks didn't pan out to be daily NHLers and a few trades also sent
the franchise backwards. Among them, that infamous trade in 2022 that sent Mathew Dumba in Columbus for Rasmus Dahlin and a prospect. While being a regular defenseman on the squad, Dahlin is far from having the same
influence on the game as Dumba has in Ohio.

Best 3 Players: RW. Andrei Svechnikov, LW. Christian Schmit, LW. Gustav Ollikainen

28. NEW YORK RANGERS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 3-7-14-15-15-10-16-15-10-5
Number of Playoff Appearances: 3
Number of Playoff Rounds: 5 (2-3)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 2
Number of Head Coaches: 6

The Rangers are that low in the list simply because it happened that they were forced to rebuild during the last decade after their Championship in 2017. Henrik Lundqvist retired, Ryan McDonagh was traded and many players
went elsewhere so, now, the only long-lasting Ranger is captain Jimmy Vesey. But, the Rangers being the Rangers, they didn't rebuild through the draft. Only 4 players in their current roster has been drafted by the team
and two of them were Top 5 picks (Louis-Philip Mabey, 1st in 2022 and Lionel Charmillot, 4th in 2021). Other than that, it is all trades and free agents. However, they meticulously chose the players they would sign and who
they would trade for and now they seem to have found a new life, ending a 7 years playoff drought. Their two best players, Auston Matthews and Owen Tippett, has been acquired through free agency and were still relatively
young so they really helped the franchise to turn around. Now, there are higher expectations on the Rangers so it will be interesting to see if they really are back among the top teams.

Best 3 Players: C. Auston Matthews, RW. Owen Tippett, LD. Cam Fowler

27. BOSTON BRUINS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 12-11-9-6-13-13-5-13-13-12
Number of Playoff Appearances: 2
Number of Playoff Rounds: 5 (3-2)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 4
Number of Head Coaches: 7

Probably the most instable front office in the entire league, it is fair to say that this instability is showing on the ice. The Bruins has not been great the last ten years - although they had a suprising run
in 2021 losing the their archrival Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final. They thought they finally stepped out of their mediocrity in 23-24 with a beautiful 5th place but only to fall back exactly where they
were before. The short-term future doesn't look all that great neither but the Bruins drafted a good chunk of prospects the last few years so they might get some help soon.

Best 3 Players: RW. David Pastrnak, LW. Nikita A. Popugayev, D. Jared McIsaac

26. DETROIT RED WINGS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 5-9-13-14-16-5-12-14-12-6
Number of Playoff Appearances: 3
Number of Playoff Rounds: 5 (2-3)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 2
Number of Head Coaches: 2

Thanks to a few helpful draft positions, the Red Wings have some real talent in their roster now. In January 2026, when they saw their season was going nowhere, instead of trading for picks and youth, the Wings traded
two high draft picks for veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. At the time, it was not seen as a wise move, but the pressure was so high in Detroit that they needed to make the playoffs so they prepared their team
for the 2026-27 season. And they did just that. They even surprised the powerful Maple Leafs in the first round. The problem now is that their defense group is aging. Ristolainen is 32 and the rest of the D-corps is not that
young. Add to that that Petr Mrazek is 35 and it doesn't seem to be anyone ready to step up in net and we might see the Wings fall back out of the playoff picture for the next few years.

Best 3 Players: LW. Tuomas Lindfors, RW. Sam Reinhart, G. Petr Mrazek

23. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 7-8-6-2-14-16-14-9-11-7
Number of Playoff Appearances: 5
Number of Playoff Rounds: 6 (1-5)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 2
Number of Head Coaches: 3

It looks to be the beginning of a new era for the Philadelphia Flyers who made the playoffs for the first time since 2020-2021 this year. After going all in in 20-21, they suffered a heartbreaking loss in the first round to the Cup winning Canadiens. That launched a massive reconstruction that is starting to bear fruits. They have a few upcoming prospects that should help them get back to relevancy.

Best 3 Players: LW. Matthew Tkachuk, LD. Erick Oliver, RD. Torey Krug

22. LOS ANGELES KINGS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 6-13-12-12-8-9-9-4-11-8
Number of Playoff Appearances: 4
Number of Playoff Rounds: 6 (2-4)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 3
Number of Head Coaches: 4

The LA Kings have their share of bad times, missing the playoffs in six of the past ten years. They have a very young team with extremelly solid veterans to surround them. Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli have all stick to their lifelong team through bad times and try to bring the upcoming Kings to the same heights they brought the team themselves about 15 years ago. The Kings will be a very intriguing team to watch in the next decade.

Best 3 Players: RD. Drew Doughty, RW. Tyler Toffoli, LW. Lauri Jyrkkio

21. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 2-2-4-9-9-14-11-11-14-16
Number of Playoff Appearances: 3
Number of Playoff Rounds: 7 (4-3)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 2
Number of Head Coaches: 4

After being in the elite of the NHL for so many years, the Bolts have hit rock bottom this year and finished dead last in the Eastern Conference and second to last in the entire league. They are now in the middle of a seven-year playoff drought and there is no sign it will end soon. The Big Four has sticked with the team, Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov and Vasilevskiy are all stunningly still with the team. It is not clear why the team have never decided to sacrifice at least one of these players to help them structure a reconstruction. Now, they could lose all three skaters - Vasilevskiy is locked up until 2031 - in the next two years without receiving anything for them. Although they have some great pieces in their system, it might take some times to see the Lightning back into Stanley Cup conversations.

Best 3 Players: D. Victor Hedman, RW. Nikita Kucherov, G. Andrei Vasilevskiy

20. EDMONTON OILERS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 10-4-13-14-13-13-2-8-4-10
Number of Playoff Appearances: 4
Number of Playoff Rounds: 9 (5-4)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 3
Number of Head Coaches: 5

The Oilers just snapped a 3-year stint in the playoffs. They are very strong offensively, but they need to find a NHL-caliber goalie because otherwise they will keep having trouble qualifying. They will need to go through free agency or via trade to do so because they don't have anybody in their system right now that is expected to be a #1 goalie.

Best 3 Players: C. Connor McDavid, RW. Jesse Puljujarvi, LD. Jan-Eric Tolvanen

19.NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 9-10-9-11-10-5-3-5-12-13
Number of Playoff Appearances: 3
Number of Playoff Rounds: 7 (4-3)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 3
Number of Head Coaches: 5

Except a three year stint, this has not been a successful decade for the Preds. However, they did really well during those three years and never lost in the first round of the playoffs. In 2024-25, they even reached
the Western Conference Final (where they lost against the Canucks). From their glory years in late 2010's, only Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen remain. Their roster is quite young so maybe the last two seasons were just
a stepping stone towards a brighter future. However, their biggest blow came off the ice. In February 2022, they completely robbed the Buffalo Sabres in the aforementioned trade where they shipped veteran goaltender
Keith Kinkaid for Buffalo's first overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Sabres finished 15th in the East, but their pick won the lottery and the Preds were able to speak first at the Entry Draft. With that selection, the
Preds took a young phenomen named Darryl Chaput who played for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the QMJHL. Chaput is a left winger from Winsloe, Prince Edward Island and was thought the be the piece that would be the
successor of Filip Forsberg. However, that's when things got downward. The Predators refused to give Chaput a contract, forcing him to play two other seansons in Junior where he got 159 points in 125 games. For some reasons,
he never was selected by Team Canada's brass to represent his country at the World Junior Championship.

With all that negative surrounding him, Chaput refused to sign a contract with the Preds and became a free agent at the summer of 2025. The Montreal Canadiens saw an opportunity they could not pass on and were able to
sign Chaput. Now, in his second NHL season, Chaput scored 99 points in the regular season, 26 more in 19 playoff games en route to his first Stanley Cup. He indirectly and directly change the fortune of three franchises,
but only one for the best.

Best 3 Players: RW. Bedrich Safranek, LW. Filip Forsberg, D. Tyson Barrie

18. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 16-10-10-8-4-7-7-4-9-9
Number of Playoff Appearances: 5
Number of Playoff Rounds: 5 (0-5)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 1
Number of Head Coaches: 3

It just happened, the Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to part ways with long time General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen and replaced him with the former Seattle Thunderbirds GM Cam Russell. However, Kekalainen's team,
despite some good success, failed to win a single playoff round. Now, in the past two seasons, they came up just short from the spring dance and with a new GM in place, it will be interesting to see in what direction
this team will go. Will Russell accept to make a few steps behind, put his own stamp on the team and build it slowly but intelligently? We'll soon see. Zach Werenski is still there and, at age 30 and one more year to
his contract, a decision will have to be made whether he wants to part of this or a change of scenery would be benefical. Same thing with 32 year old captain Seth Jones, who have two more years left to his contract.
They might be the perfect baits to get assets that will be valuable to a rebuild.


Best 3 Players: D. Zach Werenski, D. Seth Jones, RW. Joscha Kung

17. CALGARY FLAMES
Conference Ranking of the last 10 years (17-18 to 26-27): 11-1-6-13-9-7-7-7-9-12
Number of Playoff Appearances: 5
Number of Playoff Rounds: 7 (2-5)
Stanley Cups: 0
Number of GMs: 1
Number of Head Coaches: 4

Brad Treliving is still the General Manager, to the disbelief of the fans in Calgary. After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017, the only bright light was when they finished first in the Western Conference in 18-19.
The Colorado Avalanche were too strong for them in the second round and went on to win the Stanley Cup Final. Since then, it is mostly the same old same for the Flames. They sometimes - barely - make the playoffs and other
times - barely - miss them. There is no real sense of direction and it might not be long before Treliving's seat gets warmer.

The problem is that they are handcuffed by the four "Old Flames". Johnny Gaudreau (9.850), Sean Monahan (7.550), Dougie Hamilton (6.150) and Ivan Provorov (8.300) take for 31.850 millions from the cap space, leaving very
few for the other 19 players. Gaudreau, 33, and Hamilton, 34 will play their contract's final year while Monahan, 32, still have two years. Provorov, 30, is locked up for six more years so he is clearly in the future plans
of the team. For the other three, it might be a thougthful decision to just move on from them.

Best 3 Players: LW. Johnny Gaudreau, D. Ivan Provorov, D. Dougie Hamilton