NHL Worst Regular Season Record Odds: Sharks, Blackhawks Battling for Last

The first two months of the 2023-24 NHL season have come and gone, leaving us with a good idea of who the best and worst of the league will be.

The cream of the crop have established themselves while the race to the bottom of the league is a bit different than what was expected after the first month. An all-time worst team was looking like a reality, but the NHL can be unpredictable. There's still a race to see who will have the league's worst record.

Let's take a look at the odds for the worst regular season record, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

NHL Worst Regular Season Record Odds

San Jose Sharks (-110)

The San Jose Sharks were running away with this at one point and are still the favorites for good reason.

After opening their season with 11 straight losses, going 0-10-1, the Sharks have finally figured out how to play some sort of respectable hockey. San Jose currently sits at an 8-17-2 record, leaving them one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks but with two more games played.

The main reason that the Sharks should still be considered the favorite to take the worst regular season record is due to their continued woes on both offense and defense. Despite getting to eight wins, the Sharks still struggle to string anything together that would give us any sense of optimism.

San Jose remains the worst offensive team in hockey -- coming in dead last with a 48.86 Corsi For per 60 minutes and 1.91 Goals For per 60 minutes. They're the only team in the NHL averaging fewer than two goals a game per 60 minutes.

Their defense is right there with the offense. They're second-to-last with a 70.69 Corsi Against per 60 minutes and are allowing the most Goals Against per 60 minutes at a 3.82 clip.

There's no denying that this Sharks team is bad. And while they may have picked things up ever so slightly, they should remain the favorites with how their numbers continue to look.

Chicago Blackhawks (+240)

Sadly for the Windy City, the arrival of Connor Bedard hasn't led to instant success.

The 'Hawks are sitting at 8-16-1 -- currently owning the worst record in the NHL after their first 25 games. Now, as noted previously, the Blackhawks have played two fewer games than the Sharks have, giving them room to make up record-wise. Still, they've been at the bottom of the league in just about every category -- much like the Sharks -- making this race to a last-place finish fairly interesting.

Chicago ranks just behind the Sharks with a 52.77 Corsi For per 60 minutes and is third-to-last with an average of 2.38 Goals For. If there's any bright side to the Blackhawks' year that isn't associated with Bedard, it comes from their defense.

While ranking 26th in Corsi Against (63.16) isn't something to celebrate, it at the very least helps their case for not coming in last. That hasn't benefitted them in the Goal Against column, though, as they still rank in the bottom three in that regard (3.49), though they could be due for positive regression in that department.

There's little to be enthusiastic about for the Blackhawks in 2023-24. The reason we'd lean towards the Sharks comes down to the division. The Central isn't as strong. Chicago isn't going to beat the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars much, but from there, it's less competition than what San Jose is dealing with. That should help the 'Hawks avoid the league's worst record.

The Rest

Although it does feel like it will come down to the Sharks and Blackhawks when it's all said and done, there are still other teams down at the bottom that could prevail in this market.

The Columbus Blue Jackets (+650) are currently 8-15-5, a record mirroring that of the Sharks and Blackhawks in terms of wins. They have, however, shown to be far better than San Jose and Chicago. Columbus ranks 10th in Corsi For (61.88), but puck luck hasn't been on their side -- averaging just 2.83 Goals For. Assuming some of their luck turns around, they should be able to avoid the bottom.

Sometimes a division can create some concern, and we'd certainly agree with the Montreal Canadiens (+1300). The Atlantic Division is a beast, containing five viable playoff teams. Of the top five teams in this market, Montreal has the best current record (11-12-3), but that can change quickly with more division matchups.

There are not a lot of things going right for the Anaheim Ducks (+1400), but they haven't been as bad as the Sharks, so that helps. Currently sitting at 10-16-0, they are backed by solid goaltending via John Gibson and Lukas Dostal, which is a big help. They have other concerns -- like Trevor Zegras having just two points -- but they should be able to keep away from the absolute bottom.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.