NHL Sour Rankings: Canucks Lay Claim To Bottom Spot At Quarter Mark

Tony Ferrari's NHL Sour Rankings are back with an assessment of all 10 teams that are below .500 through the first quarter of the season.As we approach the quarter mark of the NHL season, we establishing which teams are truly good, which teams are truly bad, and what the mess in the middle looks like. We have four teams who are under .400 and ten under .500 on the season to this point. Needless to say, it's been a rough start for quite a few franchises. There are a few who might be able to pull themselves out of the bottom ten, but many of these teams are going to be destined for the basement with hopes of luck when the draft lottery comes around in May. American Thanksgiving has long been the accepted answer for when you can expect teams to settle into what they are. We are less than two weeks away from that so anyone in this group who doesn’t want to be needs to kick it into high gear. Related storiesLet's take a look at the teams in the basement and whether they can escape the bottom of the standings and make a push for the playoffs. Vancouver Cancuks3-16-1, 7 points, .175 P%This season has been quite difficult for Vancouver. They've won just one game since Oct. 3 when they were 2-1-0. A brief moment of hope that this season wouldn't be as painful as it could have been. Unfortunately, 16 losses with 15 coming in regulation, has killed any hope that they may have had.The Canucks are on pace for 14.7 wins this season, and rounding up seems generous at this point. While they are close to a middle-of-the-pack scoring team, they have allowed 95 goals while no one else has allowed more than 78. The Canucks knew they'd be near the bottom, they just didn't think it would be this bad. Chicago Blackhawks5-13-1, 11 points, .289 P%Chicago started the year without their superstar captain, Connor Bedard, but after a half dozen games, he returned to the lineup and has been great for them. His 15 points in 13 games lead the Blackhawks in scoring despite his injury absence. Bedard has been setting the tone on the ice but the team's results have been underwhelming, to say the least. Outside of Bedard, the Blackhawks have largely struggled with the exception of their Russian rookie, Roman Kantserov, who leads the team in goals with nine and sits second in points behind Bedard. The Blackawks wanted to take a big step this year but they haven't seen key players take steps forward this year like they've needed. Los Angeles Kings5-10-2, 12 points, .353 P%This has been quite the disaster season for the Kings. They look lost this year and despite not putting up the kind of poor results that Vancouver has to this point, they look just as inept. Every time they seem to right the ship, they falter. Every time a player has a good game, it's followed by inconsistent play. Artemi Panarin, Brandt Clarke and Adrian Kempe have been their only bright spots to this point. Players like Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore have underperformed. Inconsistency has plagued the team at all positions. They are in tough if they want to find their way back to challenging for a playoff spot. Philadelphia Flyers5-10-6, 16 points, .381 P%While Philly has managed to lose a few extra games in overtime, they are firmly in the group with the previous teams on this list as teams with not much to be happy about. There has been a cloud over this team all season and the chatter online about one of their prized young players in Matvei Michkov possibly wanting a trade hasn't helped. The tense vibe around the Flyers has head coach Rick Toccett seemingly at the center of it all. The team lacks high end firepower on offense, sitting tied for third fewest goals for on the year. Philly is known for being a brash, in-your-face team and this year, they've just lacked any of that brand. Columbus Blue Jackets7-10-0, 14 points, .412 P%Although they've been one of the NHL's lowest-scoring teams, the Blue Jackets have managed to look decent on some nights. They need their young players to step up a bit more. Kent Johnson is a point per game player which has been nice to see but when only he and Zach Werenski are living up to expectations, they need more. Adam Fantilli returned right before the season after contract talks stalled in the summer and led to an eleventh-hour signing to make sure he didn't miss any games. He's only put up six points so far though and the absence from training camp is clearly impacting him. The Blue Jackets could get back into the mix but they’ll need Fantilli to return to form or better. Pittsburgh Penguins7-10-2, 16 points, .421 P%Pittsburgh is going to need to turn back the clock a bit. For the first time in as long as he's been around the NHL, Sidney Crosby isn't producing at a point-per-game pace with just 13 in 19 games. He isn't the reason they are losing, but he's just not been able to put the team on his back the way he has at times in recent years. The aging core and underwhelming supporting cast has them as a middle-of-the-pack team in most categories, and has left them near the bottom of the league. They can turn it around, but it's unlikely they're going to be able to get to the level of true contenders. Detroit Red Wings7-10-3, 17 points, .425 P%This season has been about what was expected from the Red Wings. Their captain, who asked out, played initially but has since been suspended. They've seen good performances from players like Moritz Seider and rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, but have struggled to find wins on most nights. Their recent five-game losing streak hasn’t made things easy, but this is what they were always going to be. Toronto Maple Leafs 8-11-2, 18 points, .429 P%The Maple Leafs have been like that meme: "Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe sh- not good." They have had a nightmare homestand which has seen them lose five straight against a good group of teams. They've also had some really strong performances from like the of Auston Matthews, Jack Roslovic, and Easton Cowan. Unfortunately, their prized off-season signing in net has been a disaster so far, as Sergei Bobrovsky looks washed. They can get back into it if they can fix what is happening in net but that’s a big 'IF'.San Jose Sharks8-11-2, 18 points, .429 P%After last season's exciting rise on the back of Macklin Celebrini, this season has been a bit more tense. There has been a player's only meeting, they've been very up and down throughout the early season, and they just haven’t been able to score at the level expected from them. Their young players are carrying them, but they need more from their back end and they need better goaltending as well. This is a team that could easily get back into the mix if things start to straighten themselves out. Calgary Flames8-10-1, 17 points, .447 P%I think it’s safe to say that the Flames would be happy with this outcome so far. They are still near the bottom of the standings which should net them a very good prospect in the draft but they’ve been able to stay somewhat relevant. When they lose, they've found some ways to look quite bad doing it but overall, sitting at the midway point and not being dead last is a win for a team that many fully expected to be a bottom three team in the league this year. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.