With two-thirds of the National Hockey League season completed, there is still a host of teams vying to grab a spot in the play-offs.
The final months of the campaign are sure to be fiercely competitive, although for three of the league’s most famous teams the run-in provides a very different challenge.
Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils have all won the Stanley Cup this century, but will all be on the outside looking in when the play-offs come around.
Read on as we take a closer look at the underachieving trio’s current fortunes with their NHL rebuild.
NHL Rebuild: A Look at Three Clubs
Red Wings Face Huge Rebuilding Job
The Red Wings is the team to beat around the turn of the century. Their four Stanley Cup victories between 1997 and 2008 a measure of their quality.
Those heady days often see the Red Wings towards the top of the NHL betting markets, but for punters who visit BetEasy to wager on ice hockey in 2020 the team is now a mere afterthought.
The franchise was already on the slide when head coach Mike Babcock jumped ship to Toronto Maple Leafs nearly five years ago and things haven’t improved since then.
His replacement, Jeff Blashill, has shown a little sign of being the man who can turn around the team’s fortunes.
General manager, Steve Yzerman, has a major rebuilding job on his hands. Red Wings’ fans could be in for a rough ride for at least the next two or three seasons.
Kings Well Placed to Improve
The Kings’ fortunes have also been on the wane since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. However, they are better placed than the Red Wings to start improving.
Head coach, Todd McLellan, is an unpopular appointment for many fans but his methods have generated some improved performances.
The Kings have a solid core of veterans including Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter. However, it is their burgeoning younger talent that offers hope for a better future.
Adrian Kempe and Blake Lizotte have both shown signs that they could become stars of the future. The Kings will be eager to see them develop further.
With the franchise also boasting nine out of the top 124 prospects, Los Angeles looks well placed to kick-on next season.
Ruthless Devils in Need of Spark
Many pundits had tipped the Devils to be in contention for a play-off spot this term. However, things have not gone to plan leading to head coach, John Hynes, and general manager, Ray Shero, being sacked.
Tom Fitzgerald and Martin Brodeur have been tasked with improving the club’s fortunes. They desperately need to find something to spark things off in New Jersey.
Alain Nasreddine will be a steady pair of hands as interim coach. However, Fitzgerald and Brodeur are expected to look down a different route in the long term.
Whoever is appointed permanently to move the Devils forward will need to resolve the conundrum that is defenseman P.K. Subban.
The blueliner was expected to be a star performer after signing for the Devils last summer and will need to start delivering if he is to justify his $9 million annual salary.
