Well, who would’ve thought the St. Louis Blues would find themselves in a better position to snag at least the second wild-card spot in the 2025 NHL Playoffs as we approach mid-March? No, they haven’t been an exciting group, but the Blues have grown and to be in this position as the ‘down the stretch’ period arrives, it speaks volumes to how well this retooling effort has gone.
General manager Doug Armstrong may have done nothing at the NHL trade deadline, but the Blues still aren’t a true Stanley Cup contender just yet. Nor are they even close to contending for a top-three spot in the Central.
Until they are, I wouldn’t expect to see Armstrong make any bold trades. But still, earning a wild card spot would be a major step up here, and with the Blues in position, let’s power rank each Western Conference team that could end up standing in their way.
For these rankings, I’m taking every team in the West that is not yet in their respective division’s top three, and yep, that even extends to those bottom feeders. We’ll see how close those bottom feeders are to wild card contention, while zeroing in on those who will give the Blues a true test.
9 - San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are the worst team in hockey, but with a brewing core, there’s at least hope out in northern California. They will be fun to watch during the final third of the season, but they’re practically no threat to rise up and steal a wild card spot.
8 - Chicago Blackhawks
As with San Jose, there has got to be hope in the Windy City. The Blackhawks pulled off trades for Spencer Knight and Joe Veleno, adding a pair of solid pieces to that brewing core. Still, the Hawks are almost every bit as incomplete as the Sharks, and they also pose zero threat.
7 - Seattle Kraken
With the moves Seattle made leading up to the trade deadline, they made one thing clear: They’re not interested in playing any more than 82 games. The good news, from their fans’ perspective, is that you can argue they’re well above the Sharks and Blackhawks in their own rebuild. And there’s enough talent and assets there to forge something next season if they get some help.
6 - Nashville Predators
Eight months ago, everyone thought the Predators were making a playoff run this year. Now, they have a better chance of winning the draft lottery. Yeah, the talent’s there, but even if the Preds went on a winning stretch, it’s way too little, too late for this team to do any damage.
5 - Utah Hockey Club
Something’s brewing in the Wasatch Mountains, but it won’t be ready for at least another season. Utah needs to keep building through its prospects pool while adding outside talent when they see a chance, something they did last offseason. Should that continue, this team will at least stir fear in opponents starting next season. But at this point, they’re basically what the Blues were last year.
4 - Anaheim Ducks
One of the feel-good stories in the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks aren’t quite mighty again just yet. But it seems like this team’s gotten better throughout the 2024-25 campaign, and they’re just one or two steps from making a serious playoff run. If the Ducks find themselves in the same position the Blues are in this season, it wouldn’t surprise me a single iota.
3 - Calgary Flames
Another feel-good story and one I was sure would be a distant memory following the trade deadline. But the Calgary Flames have 30 wins, 70 points, and a solid record at home. No, they’re not looking great with a minus-18 goal differential, but the Flames have proven they can just go out and win when it matters. That said, they’re a team that might give Blues fans headaches down the stretch if they keep winning like this.
2 - Vancouver Canucks
Just imagine, for a second, if this team was never in turmoil. They’d have been guaranteed a top-three finish in the Pacific Division. Still, the Canucks have proven they can wade through such waters, and it’s why I ranked them No. 2 here. They may be a point outside the wild card, but talent-wise, they’re better than the Flames. Plus, heading into Monday, they have two games in hand on the Blues.
1 - Minnesota Wild
I’d be surprised if anyone caught the Wild here, so the Blues are playing for the WC2 spot. This is assuming Minnesota, a team that has lost two straight as of Monday afternoon, doesn’t collapse. But as good as they’ve been this season, I’d be ultra surprised if the Wild tanked over the next five weeks.