NHL Worst Regular Season Record 2022-23: Coyotes and Blackhawks Race to the Bottom
Every year, there are NHL teams that go into the season with little chance to reach the playoffs. Usually, they put on a respectable show of trying to win but the end result comes as no surprise. Here are our top picks to finish with the NHL's worst record in 2022-23.
The quest for the worst record in the NHL comes with the reward of having the best odds to win the draft lottery. That holds special value this year because Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats is the presumptive first overall pick and appears to be a generational type of talent.
When Connor McDavid was coming up for the draft, there were some ugly tanking efforts, most notably by the Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres. However, the Edmonton Oilers ended up winning that lottery.
With their sights set on Bedard, some teams will offer little resistance, thanks to subpar rosters, injuries, and shaky goaltending.
Here are the top odds, picks, and predictions for the NHL's worst regular season record in 2022-23.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook.
NHL Worst Regular-Season Record Odds
| Team | FanDuel | Caesars |
| Coyotes | +230 | +250 |
| Blackhawks | +260 | +400 |
| Canadiens | +650 | +650 |
| Sharks | +1000 | +1000 |
| Flyers | +1100 | +1000 |
| Sabres | +1300 | +1200 |
| Ducks | +1600 | +2000 |
| Blue Jackets | +1600 | +2500 |
| Kraken | +2200 | +2000 |
| Red Wings | +2700 | +3000 |
| Senators | +3400 | +1500 |
Worst NHL Regular Season Record: Favorites
Coyotes, +250 (via Caesars)
The Coyotes have earned their favorite status because this is a team that is not at all worried about winning right now.
Arizona has six players with a salary cap hit of $4 million or higher. That includes left winger Andrew Ladd, who failed his physical, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who keeps popping up in trade rumors.
This is a team playing in a college hockey arena and isn't concerned with wins. Under normal circumstances, the Coyotes would seem to be a lock in this market.
Blackhawks, +400 (via Caesars)
Not so fast, Coyotes. The Chicago Blackhawks are embarking on their own rebuilding process and have begun taking the roster down to the proverbial studs.
The Blackhawks still have Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, for now. Both have expiring contracts and seem likely to get traded during the season.
Chicago’s ace in the hole for draft lottery positioning could be a goaltending tandem of Petr Mrazek and Alex Stalock. That duo combined to appear in 21 NHL games last season.
The +400 price via Caesars is tempting for one of the teams most obviously headed for a down season.
Canadiens, +650 (via FanDuel)
After finishing with the worst record in the league last season, the Montreal Canadiens secured the first overall pick and used it to take winger Juraj Slafkovsky.
Montreal’s roster is clearly better than Arizona's or Chicago's, with mostly NHL-caliber players throughout.
However, the Canadiens are also a long way from competing for a playoff spot. That means they will likely be sellers in the trade market during the season.
If the Canadiens unload a few quality veterans from a team that is already struggling, then young stars Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield won’t be enough to save them.
Worst 2023 NHL Regular-Season Record: Contenders
Sharks, +1000 (via FanDuel)
While the San Jose Sharks have a new coach and a new general manager, they have not truly embarked on a rebuilding path. They could be a bad team, but they may not be bad enough to finish with the worst record in the league.
San Jose should have enough high-end talent to keep from collapsing altogether. Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, and Erik Karlsson are the key pieces. If a couple of those guys get injured, San Jose could theoretically push the Coyotes or Blackhawks for the worst record.
San Jose’s goaltending tandem of James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen should also be strong enough to prevent the team from falling to the bottom of the league.
Flyers, +1100 (via FanDuel)
The Philadelphia Flyers finished 29th in the league with 61 points last season, six points ahead of last-place Montreal. Their response? To hire John Tortorella as their head coach and push forward rather than move toward a rebuild.
When healthy, the Flyers should be above this discussion. But defensemen Ryan Ellis looks like he may not play again, and No. 1 center Sean Couturier is dealing with an upper-body injury to start the season.
The Flyers are in a precarious enough position that a couple more significant injuries could see them plummet toward the bottom of the standings.
Worst NHL Regular-Season Record: Long Shots
Kraken, +2200 (via FanDuel)
The second-year franchise should be more likely to reach the playoffs than have the worst record in the league. The Seattle Kraken's underlying numbers were solid enough last season and were undone by league-worst goaltending.
Goaltender Philipp Grubauer can’t possibly be as bad this season as he was last season. Considering his track record, that’s a fair expectation, but if Grubauer struggles again, so will the Kraken.
Ducks, +2000 (via Caesars)
The Anaheim Ducks probably have enough talent to prevent falling to the bottom of the league. They also have a new general manager in Pat Verbeek, and he has some runway to build with a long-term plan.
If the Ducks start to stumble, Anaheim could move out a couple of veterans, like defenseman John Klingberg and possibly goaltender John Gibson. That could make the Ducks more viable as contenders for the worst record.
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