Most Disappointing NHL Teams at Halfway Point

Which teams have dropped the ball as the NHL turns to the back half of the 2024-25 season?

Jan 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) defends against a shot on goal attempt from New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) in the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The NHL season has just about reached the halfway mark with teams at or about to reach 41 games played. There’s already been a ton of ups and downs across the league, but which teams stick out as the most disappointing as the back half of the 2024-25 season arrives?

New York Rangers

As the reigning President’s Trophy winner for best record in the NHL in 2023-24, the New York Rangers have been by far one of the biggest letdowns through the first half of this season. The Rangers started the year right where they left off with a 12-4-1 record, but the last couple of months have been a disaster.

In their last 22 games, the Rangers have gone 6-16-0 and slipped all the way to last in the Metropolitan Division at one point. They’ve also traded their captain and a recent second-overall pick with hopes of sparking something.

Nothing has worked, though, and the Rangers are limping their way into the second half of 2024-25 with a ton of ground to make up.

Nashville Predators

Being offseason champions obviously doesn’t automatically mean your team will be successful, but no one saw this coming from the Nashville Predators. Barry Trotz and the Predators spent the offseason building a roster full of All-Star talent and Stanley Cup experience.

Adding Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei to an already good roster of Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, Roman Josi, and Juuse Saros seemed like a recipe for success. It’s been anything from that in Nashville.

In 40 games, the Predators have a 13-20-7 record, tied for the fewest wins in the NHL and sitting seventh in the Central Division. They’ve already started looking forward to next season, and for good reason.

Boston Bruins

After firing head coach Jim Montgomery, it seemed the Boston Bruins found their footing. It’s been another rough road since returning from the holiday break, though. The Bruins still hold a playoff spot, but a 1-4-1 record since Christmas has put the rest of their season in jeopardy.

The Bruins opened the year with an 8-9-3 record and decided they had seen enough of Montgomery behind the bench. They’ve gone 12-8-2 since Joe Sacco took over, but again, that recent 1-4-1 stretch doesn’t feel promising.

After an entire offseason of waiting to get star goalie Jeremy Swayman re-signed to a new contract, he stumbled out of the gate. In 29 games played, Swayman has a 13-13-3 record with a league-leading 83 goals against. Backup Joonas Korpisalo has better numbers in pretty much every category, but it’s not by much.

The Bruins aren’t a bad team this year and can still turn things around quickly, but so much more was expected heading into the year.

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