How eight Eastern Conference teams can get back into playoffs

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2022-23 season.

For the eight Eastern Conference teams that missed the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, their goal since the regular season ended has been determining how to extend their season into June, like the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche did.
So how can those teams take the next step? As training camps continue, NHL.com today examines why fans of the eight teams can hold onto their playoff hopes (teams listed in alphabetical order):

BUFFALO SABRES

Last season:32-39-11, 75 points, 25 points out of second wild card
How it ended:The Sabres started the season 7-7-2, but a 5-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Nov. 18 started a 1-9-2 skid that left them 13 points out of a playoff spot and on the way to missing the postseason for the 11th straight season.
Biggest offseason change:Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who signed a two-year contract July 13, will bring a veteran element to a position that is high in skill with Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin but short on experience. Goalie Eric Comrie signed a two-year contract July 13 to battle for playing time with Craig Anderson and top prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Why they could get in:The Sabres took a big step forward last season, led by forwards Tage Thompson (38 goals) and Jeff Skinner (33 goals), and forward Alex Tuch taking a leadership role after he arrived from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Jack Eichel trade on Nov. 4. With a potential top four on defense of Dahlin, Power, Lyubushkin and Mattias Samuelsson, and more ice time for talented young forwards Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka, the Sabres look like a team on the rise and one that should compete for a wild card this season.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Last season:37-38-7, 81 points, 19 points out of second wild card
How it ended:The Blue Jackets began January two points out of the second wild card, but a 3-8-0 skid to start the month left them 18 points back by Jan. 26.
Biggest offseason change: Forward Johnny Gaudreau signed a seven-year contract July 13, bringing an unprecedented level of energy and excitement to Columbus. He tied for second in the NHL with 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) with the Calgary Flames last season. The Blue Jackets also got tougher by signing defenseman Erik Gudbranson, Gaudreau's teammate with the Flames, to a four-year contract the same day.
Why they could get in: Offense certainly shouldn't be a problem with Gaudreau headlining a deep group of forwards that includes Patrik Laine, Jakub Voracek, Gustav Nyquist, Boone Jenner and Cole Sillinger, who had a strong rookie season in 2021-22. An improved offense should lead to increased puck possession and cut down on the 35.2 shots on goal allowed last season, second-most in the NHL (Arizona Coyotes, 35.5). With more support for goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo, the Blue Jackets could push for a wild card spot.

DETROIT RED WINGS

Last season:32-40-10, 74 points, 26 points out of second wild card
How it ended: The Red Wings were in a playoff spot Dec. 4, but they lost 15 their next 22 games (7-12-3) and missed the postseason for the sixth straight season, their longest playoff drought since missing seven straight seasons from 1971-77.
Biggest offseason change:Detroit added depth throughout the lineup, signing forwards Andrew Copp, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik, and defensemen Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Mark Pysyk and Robert Hagg. They also acquired goalie Ville Husso in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. They'll be led by first-year coach Derek Lalonde, who was hired June 30 to replace Jeff Blashill.
Why they could get in:The Red Wings saw forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider take lead roles as rookies last season, joining forwards Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi as the core of the team. Their progress encouraged the Red Wings to be one of the most aggressive teams during the offseason, with Perron and Copp, when he returns from offseason abdominal surgery, expected to add help offensively. Chiarot will supply experience and physicality on defense, and Husso will team with Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Red Wings a formidable goaltending tandem. If the young players continue to mature and the veterans are able to support them, the Red Wings could push for a wild card this season.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Last season: 22-49-11, 55 points, 45 points out of second wild card
How it ended: The Canadiens lost their first five games of the season for the first time since 1995-96, ultimately finishing with the worst record in the NHL and the third-worst points percentage (.335) in their 104 NHL seasons.
Biggest offseason change:Left wing Juraj Slafkovsky was selected with the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and could join a burgeoning young core that includes forwards Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach. Slafkovsky already has proven he can excel against older competition. He was the most valuable player of the 2022 Beijing Olympics after leading the tournament with seven goals in seven games as a 17-year-old (he turned 18 on March 30, a month after the tournament ended), and led Slovakia with nine points (three goals, six assists) in eight games at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
Why they could get in:There's optimism surrounding what the Canadiens could do in a full season playing under coach Martin St. Louis. Montreal was more competitive after St. Louis replaced Dominique Ducharme on Feb. 9, and key young players like Caufield and Suzuki saw an uptick in their production, which coincided with increased roles. The hope is they can build on that foundation with a full training camp for St. Louis to implement his systems. With Suzuki, Dach and Christian Dvorak, the Canadiens are deep at center, and there's solid firepower on the wings with Caufield, Mike Hoffman, Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher and likely Slafkovsky. A balanced top four on defense will have offensive-minded Mike Matheson and Justin Barron helped by defensive-minded David Savard and Joel Edmundson. In Carey Price's absence, Jake Allen will have to prove he can be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL again. There's a lot that has to go right for the Canadiens, but there's enough talent that for them to compete for a wild card.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Last season:27-46-9, 63 points, 37 points out of second wild card
How it ended:After a solid start to the season, the Devils lost 10 of 11 (1-9-1) from Nov. 30 to Dec. 19. That left them seventh in the Metropolitan Division, and they missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
Biggest offseason change: Goalie Vitek Vanecek was acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on July 8. The Devils needed to change something at the position after seven goalies played at least one game last season, and the only one who had a save percentage above .900 was Jonathan Bernier (.902), who didn't play after Dec. 3 because of a hip injury. Vanecek has a .908 save percentage and six shutouts in 79 NHL games the past two seasons with the Capitals. New Jersey also signed two-time Stanley Cup champion forward Ondrej Palat to a five-year contract July 14.
Why they could get in:Improved goaltending could be the biggest difference-maker for the Devils this season. They allowed 31.0 shots on goal per game last season, 12th fewest in the NHL, but their .881 save percentage was second worst (Seattle Kraken, .880). The defense in front of the goalies, led by a healthy Dougie Hamilton, remains strong. Palat brings championship experience and gives New Jersey three lines that can produce offensively. He could start as the left wing on a line with center Jack Hughes, who could be poised for a breakout season. Hughes had 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 49 games last season, and if he's recovered from shoulder and knee injuries, his play could be a catalyst for New Jersey to enter the race for a wild card or even a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Last season:37-35-10, 84 points, 16 points out of second wild card
How it ended:A 13-game road trip to start the season was punctuated by 11 straight losses (0-8-3) from Nov. 7 to Dec. 5, and an outbreak of COVID-19 left them 5-10-5 a week into December. It was too big a hole to crawl out of despite a .556 points percentage (32-25-5) in their final 62 games.
Biggest offseason change:Barry Trotz was fired as coach May 9. The Islanders had qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of Trotz's first three seasons, and reached the semifinals in 2020 and 2021. Lane Lambert, who had been Trotz's top assistant for most of the past 11 seasons with the Islanders, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators, was named Trotz's replacement May 16. It will be Lambert's first time as an NHL coach.
Why they could get in:The Islanders have most of the same core group that is one season removed from back-to-back deep playoff runs, and Lambert was on the bench as an assistant, so he knows the players well. Goalies Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin should give New York a chance to win every game, so it wouldn't be a stretch to see them pushing for a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division this season.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Last season:33-42-7, 73 points, 27 points out of second wild card
How it ended:The Senators lost 16 of their first 20 games (4-15-1) and were last in the Eastern Conference by Dec. 1. They missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, the longest stretch in their history.
Biggest offseason change:The Senators went big at forward during the offseason. They traded a first- and second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for Alex DeBrincat on July 7, and signed Claude Giroux to a three-year contract July 13. DeBrincat matched his NHL-career high with 41 goals last season, and his 78 points and 14 power-play goals were career highs. Giroux had 65 points (21 goals, 44 assists) in 75 regular-season games with the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers, and he was second on the Panthers during the playoffs with eight points (three goals, five assists) in 10 games. Ottawa also solidified its goaltending by acquiring Cam Talbot in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on July 12.
Why they could get in: DeBrincat is the kind of shooter the Senators have lacked since Jason Spezza left in 2014, and Giroux is an elite playmaker capable of elevating a group of young forwards, led by Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle. Talbot's presence should allow the Senators to continue their upward climb toward a wild-card spot.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Last season:25-46-11, 61 points, 39 points out of second wild card
How it ended:After winning eight of their first 14 games (8-4-2), the Flyers won five of their next 29 (5-18-6). That included 10 straight losses (0-8-2) from Nov. 18-Dec. 8, and 13 straight (0-10-3) from Dec. 30-Jan. 25.
Biggest offseason change:John Tortorella was hired as coach June 17, with the stated goal of changing the culture of a team that has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two straight seasons and has won one playoff series since 2012. Tortorella has said he wants players to be able to use their skills offensively while adhering to a defensive structure that makes the Flyers harder to play against. Philadelphia also acquired defenseman Tony DeAngelo in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 8 to invigorate a power play that was last in the NHL last season (12.6 percent).
Why they could get in: Injuries already have become an issue, with center Sean Couturier (upper body) out week to week, forward Joel Farabee still recovering from neck surgery and defenseman Ryan Ellis (lower body) out for the season. But there still is a talented core led by forwards Farabee, Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny, defensemen Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim, and goalie Carter Hart. A tighter defensive structure will benefit Hart, who faced 33.2 shots on goal per 60 minutes last season but had a .905 save percentage. Tortorella has a reputation to squeezing the most out of his teams, and if he can get the most out of players that underperformed last season, including Provorov and Konecny, the Flyers could compete for a wild card.