5 NHL front offices with the least fan confidence ahead of next season ft. Toronto Maple Leafs

By Cole Shelton

Modified Aug 08, 2024 15:39 GMT

The Athletic released their annual front office confidence rankings by fans, and many were surprised by it.

It's the ninth annual rankings list and this year’s edition saw nearly 10,000 responses from fans grading their favorite teams, and 250 responses grading every team. Each team was ranked based on six categories: roster building, drafting and development, free agency, trading, cap management, and vision.

5 NHL front offices with the least fan confidence

#5, Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets ranked 28th in the NHL, which is fifth-worst in the fan rankings.

The Blue Jackets dropped six spots from last year, however, some fans are more excited about the future with Don Waddell taking over as GM.

“With Waddell coming in, we still can’t fully excuse the roster he inherited, but it feels refreshing for a new set of (experienced) eyes to come in and shake things up as needed," per Blue Jackets fans.

Columbus hasn't made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season.

#4, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins front office ranked 29th overall and fourth worst in the NHL.

The Penguins failed to make the playoffs last season and some fans are frustrated with the team's direction after Kyle Dubas' first year as GM.

“I was excited about Dubas when he arrived, but now I am far less enthused after seeing how things stand now and where everything seems to be headed," a fan said.

The Penguins ranked 10th in last year's rankings.

#3, Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are shockingly ranked 30th in front office rankings despite making the playoffs in eight straight seasons.

However, Toronto has just one playoff series win with their core, which likely impacted the rankings.

“Overall, while the Shanahan/Treliving duo has been far from disastrous, it has proven underwhelming. A few diamonds in the rough, a few misses for sure, but more or less the same strategy of the previous regime," a Maple Leafs fan said.

Toronto was ranked 27th last season.

#2, Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings ranked 31st (image credit: IMAGN)

The LA Kings made the playoffs last season but still ranked 31st in the list.

"[Rob] Blake has made mistakes that have hampered the team’s ability to build out a proper roster. The large deal handed to [Cal] Petersen blew up in the team’s face and the PLD [Pierre-Luc Dubois] signing was a disaster. They managed to unload that contract, but it stung," one respondent said.

LA was ranked 13th last season so this is a steep decline in fans' confidence.

#1, New York Islanders

For the second straight season, the New York Islanders are ranked dead last in the front office rankings.

Some fans believe Lou Lamoriello is past his time and no longer an effective GM.

“Lou doesn’t have as much magic anymore but his era has been the most successful of my fandom so I can’t vilify him.”

“The Isles are locked into core pieces of their current roster, despite seeming to be far off from actual Cup contention. This team feels destined to finish 16th in the league and has a ceiling of winning a single playoff round. The lack of direction is unnerving,” according to a respondent.

The Islanders did make the playoffs last season but were eliminated in the first round.