A rebuild in the NHL can be a grueling process. With the patience needed to develop prospects, and decide whether to add or subtract to the team and what each offseason has to offer, there aren’t many situations for a team to be in that are more stressful than this. In the Atlantic Division, there are four teams on the up-swing and looking to break into the playoffs after going through a rebuild. Here is a look at the status of the rebuild for the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings just after the mid-season point of the 2024-25 season.
How The Rebuilds Started
Before diving too deep into what each team has to offer, we have to start by looking at how each team got to this drawn-out rebuild phase.
The Sabres have missed the playoffs for 13 straight years, which is by far the longest streak in the NHL. With multiple failed attempts at taking the next step, the new management and staff have taken a slower and more patient approach. With a number of high-end draft picks, strong value in later rounds, and not swinging for the fences on free agency signings, some may feel they are being too patient, but they are in a strong position for the future.
The Red Wings spent a very impressive 25 straight seasons in the playoffs from the 1990-91 season until the 2015-16 season, and after winning four Stanley Cups and another two losses in the Final, it is hard to say those years weren’t worth the tough times during the rebuild. The Red Wings hit rock bottom in 2019-20 where they finished with just 17 wins in 71 games, but with strong drafting and a lot of free agency activity, the Red Wings have come the closest to ending their streak out of these three teams.
As for the Senators, after their Cinderella run in the 2017 Eastern Conference Final, things fell hard for them. The season after was where they landed Brady Tkachuk, and since then they have committed to a full tear-down. With former general manager Pierre Dorion being overzealous about the current state, making blockbuster trades for Alex DeBrincat and Jakob Chychrun ended up setting the team back. The new management is taking a more logical look at the state of the team and moving forward with that.
The Canadiens are in a bit of a different spot when it comes to their path to a rebuild. In the 2021 playoffs, the Canadiens upset the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, swept the Winnipeg Jets, beat the Vegas Golden Knights, and ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 5 of the Final, where the Lightning hoisted the cup, would be the end of the careers of both Carey Price and Shea Weber. A franchise-altering goaltender and defenseman disappearing from the roster would hurt any team, but the Canadiens took the opportunity to add a plethora of youth.
The Teams’ Prospect Pools
In this comparison, we will look do a ranking for each section, and in the end, have a look at which team is in the best position, starting with the prospect pools. The prospects are the backbone of a rebuild, and while a lot of the prospects have graduated from that label, these teams are still in need of the young guys stepping up and filling in the rest of the roster.
Related: The NHL’s Best Farm Systems Ranked – 2024-25 Midseason Update
The best prospect pool out of these four teams has to go to the Montreal Canadiens. With Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, and Michael Hage leading the way, the Canadiens have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL. Outside of those high-end players at each position, the depth in the pool is very strong, too. Joshua Roy, Logan Mailloux, Sean Farrell, and Owen Beck all seem to have a good future ahead of them too. Even after graduating Lane Hutson, the Canadiens have the top prospect group among these four teams.
Next up would be the Sabres. Another team with a high-end prospect pool, as a team in these positions should have, they are led by Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, Isak Rosen, and Anton Wahlberg. Like the Canadiens, there is a lot of depth within this pool. They don’t have the high-end defenseman in there like Montreal, but that isn’t factoring the slew of young players who have taken over on the back end, including Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram.
Third is the Red Wings, and they have had two graduates this year in Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper. Still, outside of them, they have two dominant goaltending prospects in Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine, and for skaters, they still have Axel Sandin-Pellika, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Nate Danielson, and others. They are certainly set up for the future, even if they rank third on this list.
There is an argument for the other three teams to take the top spot here, and it is very close. What isn’t close, however, is the Senators’ prospect pool. Carter Yakemchuk looks like he could be a legitimate top-pairing defenseman, and has a bright future, and Stephen Halliday and Blake Montgomery are having good seasons, and Leevi Merilainen has played very well in his short time in the NHL this season, but behind them, there isn’t much.
Top-Six Forwards
Red Wings Top-Six for 2024-25 (Healthy)
Kasper-Larkin-Raymond
DeBrincat-Copp-Kane
Senators Top-Six for 2024-25 (Healthy)
Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux
Perron-Norris-Batherson
Sabres Top-Six for 2024-25 (Healthy)
Peterka-Thompson-Kulich
Zucker-Cozens-Tuch
Canadiens Top-Six for 2024-25 (Healthy)
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Newhook-Dach-Laine
There is no clear-cut winner when ranking these four groups. Each team has brought in some excellent players through the draft, free agency, and trades. There is a strong first-line center on each team, a great mix of wingers, and good balance.
Getting the top spot here is going to be the Senators, but it is close. Tim Stutzle is arguably the best player among all of the ones listed, and Brady Tkachuk is there, too. A healthy Josh Norris on the second line makes a big difference, and the veteran experience from Claude Giroux and David Perron is helpful.
Second is going to be the Red Wings, and while name value brings a lot with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, they haven’t been as good as they once were. On the flip side, Dylan Larkin has been great, Lucas Raymond, along with Stutzle, could be named the best player of the bunch and is having a dominant season. On top of that, Kasper is having a great start to his NHL career.
Third is the Canadiens, but they could very quickly jump to the top of the list here. Cole Caufield started the season red-hot with goal-scoring but has slowed down a lot. Nick Suzuki is a fantastic two-way center who can produce very well, and Juraj Slafkovsky rounds out the top line as a power forward who hasn’t quite broken out offensively yet. The second like, with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach, is banking a lot on potential. They haven’t been second-line caliber players all season, but they are young and have a ton of skill. The future for them could be bright, but with Patrik Laine on the other wing, he is helping take them to the next step.
And in last, the Sabres. They have a ton of young talent leading the way with Tage Thompson and J.J. Peterka, but Dylan Cozens is having a down season. Good veterans in the group, Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker, certainly help with the development of the players, and having Kulich starting to play top-line minutes is exciting, but for the remainder of 2024-25, they have the worst top-six of the bunch.
Top-Four Defensemen
Red Wings Top-Four for 2024-25
Chiarot-Seider
Edvinsson-Johansson
Senators Top-Four for 2024-25
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Sabres Top-Four for 2024-25
Byram-Dahlin
Power-Samuelsson
Canadiens Top-Four for 2024-25
Huston-Matheson
Guhle-Carrier
Each team has a dominant first-pair defenseman, with Moritz Seider, Jake Sanderson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Lane Hutson. Those four all play a big factor in each team’s top-four, but nearly balance each other out. Behind that is where the ranking can get interesting.
First place here will go to the Senators again. Two excellent puck-moving defensemen on the left side, paired with two great shut-down defensemen on the right makes for a great balance. The Senators have been one of the better defensive teams this season, and this group has a lot to do with that.
Next up is the Canadiens. The emergence of Hutson has been great, and with Mike Matheson’s play since arriving, they make for a great top pair. Behind them, Kaiden Guhle and Alex Carrier are two strong defensive players, and with the offensive touch from Guhle, they are a very stable duo.
The Sabres are third, and with Dahlin, they have the best defenseman among these four teams. A great complimentary piece in Mattias Samuelsson, and two highly-touted youngsters finding their way with Owen Power and Bowen Byram. Power has played very well, but is still looking for the next step, and with Byram, he has a lot of potential but is taking much longer to reach it as anticipated.
Last here goes to the Red Wings. Seider and Edvinsson are great, and have been a fantastic duo when paired together, but the time they spend separated hurts both players’ performances. The other two in the top-four are rotated often, but none of Ben Chiarot, Albert Johansson, Justin Holl, or a healthy Jeff Petry are true top-four defensemen in the NHL.
Depth Players
Throughout the bottom of the lineup, the bottom-six forwards and bottom-pair defenders can play crucial roles. They aren’t the highlight-reel players, but depth can make or break a team. While every team deals with injuries, included in this are players in the mix for the roles, as well as the players currently injured.
Sabres Depth Players
Krebs-McLeod-Quinn
Malenstyn-Kozak-Benson
Greenway
Bryson-Jokiharju
Clifton
Red Wings Depth Players
Berggren-Compher-Tarasenko
Soderblom-Rasmussen-Veleno
Motte-Fischer
Gustafsson-Petry
Holl
Senators Depth Players
Greig-Pinto-Amadio
Gaudette-Ostapchuk-Cousins
Gregor
Kleven-Matinpalo
Hamonic-Bernard-Docker
Canadiens Depth Players
Anderson-Evans-Armia
Pezzetta-Dvorak-Gallagher
Xhekaj-Savard
Struble
Again, all three teams have young players in some of these roles, and mixed in are some veterans. Each team has a few standouts, but as a full group, none of these groups are too special.
The Sabres are going to take the top spot for the depth options. With young, talented players in Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs, and Zach Benson, they don’t have the traditional shut-down defensive players some other teams have throughout the whole group, but Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn do a great job of playing those roles. On defense, Jacob Bryson, Connor Clifton, and Henri Jokiharju are all solid depth defensemen and get their job done well.
Next up is the Montreal Canadiens. While most of these players aren’t as effective as they once were, Brenden Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Joel Armia all play crucial roles in the bottom-six. Jake Evans is having a great year, and no team would complain about having Christian Dvorak as the fourth-line center. On defense, there are plenty of mixed opinions about the impact of a player like Arber Xhekaj, but he plays a specific job in Montreal, and it works. Jayden Struble and David Savard have played well, and they have a strong group here.
Third is going to be the Red Wings, and having a healthy group certainly helps them. They are currently without Vladimir Tarasenko and J.T. Compher in that group, but with the offense Tarasenko brings and the strong two-way play from Compher, they play big roles. Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen, and Elmer Soderblom play quick and have a lot of skill, and can be a big burst on energy for the club. On defense is where they fall down the list. The forwards are probably better than the Canadiens here, but Justin Holl, Jeff Petry, and Erik Gustafsson are not as effective as most teams want out of their depth defensemen.
The Senators come in last, and while it is a close one for most of these teams, the lack of offense from this group is what stands out. Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto are expected to be a big part of this team moving forward. Greig is a feisty player with little offense so far, and Pinto has second-line center potential, but needs to produce more consistently. Nick Cousins, Zack Ostapchuk, Michael Amadio, and Noah Gregor are all good bottom-six pieces, but don’t bring the offense. Adam Gaudette has been a pleasant surprise with 15 goals in 49 games, but doesn’t move the needle enough. Travis Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker have struggled mightily at times, but Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo have emerged as strong third-pair options this season.
Goaltending
Goaltending is what can truly make or break a team. All three teams have struggled mightily over the past number of years finding stability and consistent goaltending.
Red Wings Goaltenders
Cam Talbot
Alex Lyon
Ville Husso
Sabres Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Devon Levi
James Reimer
Senators Goaltenders
Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
Leevi Merilianen
Canadiens Goaltenders
Samuel Montembeault
Jakob Dobes
Cayden Primeau
These are three very different goaltending trios. The Red Wings have three free-agent acquisitions, the Sabres are running with two home-grown goalies, and the Senators went big and traded for one of the top goalies in the league.
The Senators take first place with Linus Ullmark. After acquiring him in the offseason, Ullmark is by far the best goalie on this list. With a Vezina Trophy win in 2022-23 and being one of the best goalies in the league over the past three seasons, his resume speaks for itself. Anton Forsberg has had another season to forget but has bounced back over the past few games. Leevi Merilainen has made a strong argument for the backup position once Ullmark is healthy again, posting a 7-3-1 record and a .921 save percentage (SV%) in 11 games.
Second is the Red Wings, and with Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon having strong seasons, it is hard to say either team below them here deserves to be ahead. Talbot has a 14-10-2 record and a .907 SV%, and Lyon has a 8-6-1 record with a .901 SV%. Both goalies give their team a chance to win, and while they aren’t stealing many games, they have been reliable. Unfortunately, Ville Husso hasn’t been as reliable. With a 1-5-2 record and a .866 SV%, he was eventually waived and sent to the American Hockey League (AHL).
Third place will be the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault was named to Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but still isn’t having a great season. With a 17-18-3 record and an .899 SV%, he has been holding his own. At the start of the season, the Canadiens were struggling a lot, and he was keeping them in most games, but as the team improved, he didn’t retain his high level of play. For Cayden Primeau, who was supposed to be the backup this season, he has a 2-3-1 record and a .836 SV%. He was sent to the AHL and replaced by Jakob Dobes. In six NHL games, Dobes has a 5-0-1 record and a .933 SV%. Nobody expects him to keep up this pace, but he is instilling confidence in the crease, and that is what matters.
Last is the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has stolen a number of games for the Sabres this season, and while his stats don’t reflect a strong season, he has been great at times. Devon Levi is still struggling to break into the star NHL goalie he was projected to be, and James Reimer was waived and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks before being reclaimed by the Sabres again. None of these goalies are having the season they were hoping for.
Who Is In the Best Position?
Looking at the 2024-25 season and which of these teams are in the best position, it is easy to just go to the standings and see who is highest. With how close the Eastern Conference playoff push is, three of these teams have a chance this season. The Sabres are furthest away from the playoffs, sitting 12 points out as of Jan. 29. The Senators are sitting in third in the Atlantic Division but are just three points ahead of the Canadiens and Red Wings, who both sit outside the playoff picture. It is going to come down to the wire with the East, but as of now, the Senators have the best chance this season, followed by the Red Wings, then the Canadiens, and then the Sabres.
