Fifty-three days. That's all we have left until the puck officially drops on the 2024-25 NHL season. More importantly, that leaves only about seven weeks of fantasy draft prep and research to get a leg up on opposing GMs and be ready to go once names start flying off the board. In terms of this week's top-10 list, we're taking a look into some sneaky-good teams that finished on the outside looking in last season but could make some noise in the upcoming campaign as a bubble playoff team with fantasy value to be plundered. It's easy to be familiar with the top teams in the NHL, the surefire Stanley Cup threats loaded with elite fantasy options, but knowing the rosters of the clubs that underperformed last year and could be on the come up sooner-rather-than-later is a worthwhile angle to pursue.

Here's the top-10 bubble teams that could turn some heads come October.

10) Columbus Blue Jackets

Of all the teams on this list, the Blue Jackets are definitely the deepest cut in terms of making serious enough moves in the standings to be in the mix for a playoff spot next season, but that doesn't mean the future isn't bright for a Columbus organization that touts one of the deepest prospect pools in the entire league. Some pieces, like 2024 fourth-overall pick Cayden Lindstrom and 2022 12th-overall selection Denton Mateychuk are likely still another couple of seasons away from true fantasy prominence, but don't sleep on the nasty trio of talented rising Russians in Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, and Dmitri Voronkov. The Blue Jackets franchise is quickly turning into a fantasy hockey goldmine to dig into for young, raw talents that are sure to break out in the next season or two and we haven't even spoken about Adam Fantilli or Kent Johnson.

9) Minnesota Wild

We've said this before about the Wild but if front-office savant Bill Guerin could ever find another true fantasy stud to play alongside Kirill Kaprizov, this Minnesota team would be much higher up this list. A season in which the team underperformed basically across the board saw the Wild finish 20 points back of the Colorado Avalanche who claimed the third and final Central Division playoff spot but expectations for a bounce-back campaign in 2024-25 are very real in Minny. The reason we're buying into that angle mainly lies in the cage with Filip Gustavsson who is still only one season removed from looking like a legit Vezina-level goaltender and only 26 years old, with his best years ahead of him. Gustavsson is the perfect kind of goaltender with a ton of upside that GMs can nab in the mid-to-late rounds.

8) Seattle Kraken

The Kraken definitely overpaid to get Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson employed in Seattle next season, but the fact remains that they are a more-balanced group with those two pieces in their lineup. Neither of them jumps off the page with fantasy value, but Montour's steadying presence and ability to produce solid peripheral statistics adds another wrinkle to Seattle's blue line that badly needed it. Will Matty Beniers return to his Calder-level production of 55-plus points? Will Joey Daccord be relied on as heavily this year in Seattle's blue paint? Can Shane Wright make an impact at the NHL level? So many questions surround this Kraken team after falling way short on expectations this past year, but there are definitely a number of intriguing fantasy targets to be considered. A return to the postseason is far from out of the question for Seattle, if that does happen, fantasy GMs who took a gamble with some of these pieces could be ahead of the pack.

7) St. Louis Blues

Missing out on the postseason by only seven points a year ago, the Blues were in the mix for a playoff spot for most of the second half, ultimately undone by a poor road record of 18-19-4 and a lack of scoring depth that led to St. Louis sitting in the bottom-third of the NHL in overall scoring. A relatively quiet offseason with only minor moves to speak of likely leaves the Blues without the firepower to go up against the offensive juggernauts of the Western Conference, but names like Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Jordan Binnington are all at the top of the list for fantasy options. Joel Hofer in the cage and Jake Neighbours up front are two under-the-radar targets that could take major steps this season who should be highly sought after on the keeper/dynasty side of things.

6) Detroit Red Wings

If someone from the four-headed "monster" of goaltenders is able to step up and grab the reins between the pipes in D-Town next season, the Red Wings have enough weapons up front and on the blue line to be a playoff team. The real question is, which one of Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, Jack Campbell, and the supposed top option, Cam Talbot emerge as the guy? At this point in the offseason it's any hockey pundit's guess, but given the two-year deal handed to Talbot and his solid numbers last year for the L.A. Kings (27-20-6 record, three shutouts, 2.50 goals-against average, and .913 save percentage), no one will be shocked if it ends up being the 37-year-old vet. Mo Seider, Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, and Alex DeBrincat will all be names off of fantasy draft boards by the sixth-or-seventh rounds, make sure to get a piece of the Wings' rise before this team is a perennial threat.

5) Buffalo Sabres

By now, the demise of last season's Sabres has been well documented: A team that was near the top of the league in overall scoring and power-play efficiency two years ago struggled mightily on both fronts in 2023-24 which led to the team missing the playoffs for a 13th-consecutive season. Aside from the strong finish from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (UPL) that saw the young Finnish goaltender go 13-8-2 with a .910 SV% over his last 21 games, the Sabres also got shaky goaltending from Devon Levi and UPL for most of the season, so much like the Red Wings above, the Sabres' success next season is assuredly closely tied to the performance of the men in the cage. That might sound like an obvious statement that likely applies to numerous clubs in the NHL, but considering how stacked the Sabres are with young stars in their forward group and on the blue line, it really does feel that Buffalo is ready for takeoff. Expect this offensive unit to regain its form from 2023-24 and that means fantasy value across the board for the likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram on the blue line and J.J. Peterka, Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Alex Tuch up front.

4) Philadelphia Flyers

If not for the major nosedive the Flyers took over the final month of the 2023-24 campaign in which Philly lost nine of its last 11 games, John Tortorella's team would have been playing springtime hockey. Philadelphia is running back basically the exact same roster that held down a postseason spot for much of the year, so expecting them to be in the mix once again isn't exactly a bold prediction. Much like other teams on this list, the Flyers have a very enticing batch of young players to invest in that could explode this season or next in the likes of Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, and the recent seventh-overall pick from last year's draft Matvei Michkov. Don't be surprised if Philly winds up being one of the final teams standing in the Eastern Conference when the puck gets set to drop on this upcoming season's playoffs.

3) Ottawa Senators

This one is really simple: Ottawa has far too many elite-level options at both ends of the rink to be nearly as bad as they were last season. Straight up. Last season was a complete mess for this organization, both on and off the ice. When it comes to the product hitting the ice each night, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, and even the likes of Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson should have the Sens competing for at least a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Combine that with the addition of legitimate number one starter and former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark, and Ottawa will be a competitive group poised to punch a playoff ticket.

2) Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang have been, arguably, the most consistent trio to anchor a franchise over the past two decades and this might be the last kick at the silver can for Sid and the boys, so we expect nothing but another historically good season from 87. Add in other relevant fantasy options like Tristan Jarry and Erik Karlsson holding down the back end, the Pens have enough talent and more than enough experience to be a pesky team come April. One of the hottest topics in fantasy circles these days is how to handle the two biggest names in the game such as Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. As they age should a GM sell now or ride out the wave of production? In terms of Crosby, if he continues at last year's pace, the answer is quite clear: you hang onto him and wait for the drop-off. However, given the angle mentioned above with the window in Pittsburgh rapidly closing, expect one last big push from this core to get into the playoffs.

1) New Jersey Devils

Tom Fitzgerald off the top rope and the Devils are now looking like, at least on paper, a legitimate threat to not just make the playoffs, but take them by storm as a serious contender. Jacob Markstrom, Brett Pesce, and even Brenden Dillon's addition to a blue-line that already included Dougie Hamilton and two stars in the making in Simon Nemec and breakout candidate Luke Hughes make this New Jersey team a dynamo loaded with solid fantasy hockey options. In terms of the standings, Jersey is still going to have to get it done on the ice and contend with the likes of the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and even Carolina Hurricanes as the top dogs out east, but when it comes to teams on the outside looking in from last year that are now primed for takeoff, the Devils top the list.