by Sean McIndoe of The Athletic,

So yeah, hope is hard to come by. But that’s where we come in, so let’s crank up the optimism and, in a few cases, turn off some brain cells as we try to get the NHL’s 10 worst teams into contention. We’ll start with the easiest case to make, and work our way down to the real dregs....

1. Detroit Red Wings
The rankings say: Almost 70 percent of our writers have Detroit as the favorites to win the lottery, and I’ll pause here so every Wings fan can make a sarcastic joke about the odds of that ever happening. The model is equally pessimistic. So is everyone, if we’re being honest....

So here’s what needs to happen. First, the goaltending has to be fantastic, and that might not actually be all that far-fetched. Thomas Greiss was a real nice signing, and he’s had two seasons of .925 or better in the last five years. So pencil him in for something like that, and the Wings are already a much better team.

Next, we need to improve an offense that ranked dead last. Maybe this is the year Dylan Larkin breaks through to the 80 or even 90-point tier. Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha have shown flashes, and would need to do it over a full season. A comeback year from Bobby Ryan would help. Filip Zadina arrives with a bang. Maybe Lucas Raymond too? Marc Staal rediscovers his game, Troy Stecher takes a step, and let’s even say Moritz Seider arrives ahead of schedule. Hell, while we’re at it, let’s also have it all somehow come together for Robby Fabbri.

If every single one of those things happens, the Wings are up to … what, maybe 85 points?

much more (paid)