NHL Teams on the Rise: Eliminated Teams With Bright Futures

So, your team of choice got eliminated. We’ve all been there before. 

Your first order of business is deciding whether you’re one of those people who’s going to root for the team that eliminated you to win it all — the fallacy of thinking that if we got beat by the best, then it’s somehow better. Or whether you’re going to switch into hyperdrive hater mode for the next round. 

But after all that’s decided, personally speaking, I’d always go for option two, you’ll probably turn to what’s happening next season. 

Some teams that were eliminated this year are merely at the start of what could be a meteoric rise to the peak of the NHL mountains. 

Here are three of those teams whose playoff elimination stings a little less because of their bright future. For this list, I’ve shied away from the Colorados and Los Angeleses of the world, just because we already know they’re still in contention. 

NHL Teams on the Rise: Eliminated Teams With Bright Futures

1. Montreal Canadiens

As I’ve covered here before, Centre Bell has one of the best fan environments in the NHL, if not all North American professional sports. 

For too long, those fans haven’t had much to root for, but that’s likely to change soon. 

Despite getting eliminated in a series that ended in a 4-1 victory for Washington, this year’s Canadiens team was actually more of a tougher out than that score suggests. Their 6-3 win over the Caps was an opportunity for the team to flex some of their young talent. 

All of Montreal’s goal scorers in that game were under the age of 30, including young phenoms like 24-year-old forward Cole Caufield. 

Beyond all of that talent currently on the roster, they have a number of prospects still in the minors and some drafted college players, like Jacob Fowler, who’s been one of the best goalies in the NCAA in recent years. 

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis summed it up best after their final postseason game: “The pain that you feel right now is normal, but I think it’s not even close to what’s coming…the joy that’s coming.”

2. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota’s prospect group improved this week after they signed Russian forward Danila Yurov to an entry-level contract. 

Yurov was picked 24th overall by the Wild in the 2022 Entry Draft. Since then, he’s continued having stellar seasons in Russia’s KHL. Last season, he scored 13 goals and 12 assists in 46 games. 

Yurov joins a team already stacked with young talent, like defenseman Zeev Buium. Buium was drafted 12th overall by Minnesota in 2024 after he won a national championship at the University of Denver. 

Alongside this young talent is an established core that includes 28-year-old Joel Eriksson Ek and 28-year-old Kirill Kaprizov. 

The Minnesota Wild should be set for a solid window of contention for the next few seasons in a slightly thinner Western Conference Central Division. 

3. New Jersey Devils

This is a conditional ranking for this New Jersey team, given that a lot needs to go right for them to be in contention for the Stanley Cup. But they can get there. 

The Devils should be in playoff contention when Jack Hughes returns from his shoulder injury next season. The non-Hughes veteran core proved this season that while they had what it takes to hold onto a playoff spot, they didn’t have what it takes to contend without Hughes in the lineup. 

Although, in fairness, how many NHL teams can compete at the highest level without their best player?

Their number one priority this offseason is re-signing RFA Luke Hughes, whose ELC expires this summer. 

I think if New Jersey can lean into the younger core of players they have on the roster, and maybe try to go big game hunting in the free agent market, they do have a lot of expensive veteran players who could be used as trade bait. 

Another thing that could — and probably will — break in the Devils’ favor is if we can see Jack Hughes elevate to a Hart-trophy contending stratosphere in the league. I think that the ceiling is reachable for the 24-year-old center.