List of ten worst positioned franchises for the future is out and it's surprising
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Vancouver sits first on Ozoon's ranking of the NHL's worst-positioned franchises.
The list is not really measuring rosters.
The Colorado Avalanche finished seventh on it after a 121-point season, the best record in the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins both reached the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and still landed fifth and fourth.
Standings do not explain that.
Decision dates do.
Every team in the top five is waiting on one player's choice, not executing a plan.
The Vancouver Canucks already got their answer, and got paid for it.
Vancouver already made the trade everyone else is postponing
Jim Rutherford said publicly he knew before the 2025-26 season began that Quinn Hughes was not re-signing in Vancouver.
The Canucks moved him to the Minnesota Wild on December 13 for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick.
That last-place finish delivered Caleb Malhotra at third overall.
Ryan Johnson is now the general manager, Manny Malhotra is the head coach, and Daniel and Henrik Sedin run hockey operations.
Vancouver rebuilt its front office and its asset base in eight months.
Edmonton and Pittsburgh have not started their clock yet
Connor McDavid's extension begins in 2026-27 and expires after 2027-28. Edmonton has two seasons to answer the question Vancouver already answered.
Sidney Crosby has one year left before unrestricted free agency and told reporters in May that he would wait and see.
Calgary belongs to the same family. Matthew Tkachuk's 2022 exit was the precedent Rutherford himself cited, and Craig Conroy has since stockpiled first-round picks, per NHL.com.
Being ranked worst is not the same as being furthest from a plan.
Sometimes it means being furthest along in one.
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