Franchise Mode in NHL 26 allows you to take full control of an organization. You’re the GM, head coach, and the team all at the same time, giving you the reins of every major organizational facet. While you can sort of put your franchise on autopilot and just play the games in front of you, you’re also able to spend hours upon hours looking at trades, contracts, and the current roster as a whole.
When you begin your Franchise Mode playthrough, you have a few different routes to take in regard to the team you select. You can either take control of your favorite team, pick a team you know is going to dominate right away, or rebuild a team from the ground up. Many players choose the latter of those options, as it offers the extra reward of successfully completing a long and sometimes exhaustive rebuild.
If you want to try and rebuild a team in NHL 26 Franchise Mode but you’re unsure which teams fit the bill, take a look at the guide below. We’ll list five teams we think offer the best rebuilds. The list is in no particular order.
Boston Bruins
First up, we have an Original Six team that has fallen on some hard times after putting up the greatest regular season in NHL history just a few years ago. The Boston Bruins failed to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2024-25, and a rebuild is certainly in the cards for the organization. While you have stars to build around, such as David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins have also doled out some terrible contracts recently. The team also lacks a true first-line center, and the current roster doesn’t offer too many players who can fill out the first two lines.
Your rebuild with the Bruins won’t be as strenuous as it would be with other teams, thanks to the star players, but you still have quite the pickle to get out of in Boston.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been stuck in an ongoing rebuild for the past several seasons, and they don’t look to be anywhere near the end of the tunnel in NHL 26. The Blue Jackets severely lack star power following the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau. While second-year player Adam Fantilli and defenseman Zach Werenski are terrific cornerstones for the franchise, they can’t carry an entire roster on their shoulders.
Your first job as the manager of Columbus should be to find a long-term solution at goalie, as the team has one of the worst goalie rooms in the NHL. After that, focus on building around Fantilli and Werenski with solid role players and maybe another team’s disgruntled star who’s looking for a new home.
Anaheim Ducks
Our first Western Conference team is the Anaheim Ducks, another organization that simply can’t navigate its way out of a years-long rebuild. The Ducks have consistently rostered decent talent in all three areas on the ice, but they have failed to build a cohesive roster to string together wins. While the Ducks are looking slightly better in NHL 26 thanks to additions like Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider, the roster still doesn’t seem like it will compete in the Pacific Division.
To make that a reality, you’ll need to continue to develop Anaheim’s high draft picks, like Beckett Sennecke, figure out the goalie situation, and continue to stockpile veterans around the team’s young talent.
Chicago Blackhawks
Don’t you think it’s finally time for the Chicago Blackhawks to start competing again? It’s now been two years since phenom Connor Bedard made his debut, and by now, many Blackhawks fans thought they would at least be in contention for a Wild Card spot come playoff time. However, Chicago has consistently underperformed the past two seasons, and with Bedard’s third season looming, the team needs to start winning.
The Blackhawks have acquired decent veteran players in recent years, like Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Nick Foligno, but the team has a serious problem on defense. The goalie situation isn’t much better, but Chicago needs better defensemen in order to generate more offense on the other end. That should be your starting point, and from there, you can work on building around Bedard.
San Jose Sharks
Was there really another option for the last spot other than the San Jose Sharks? The Sharks have been in the thick of a rebuild for years, and they’ve been the worst team in the NHL for the majority of that time. In NHL 26, the Sharks figure to be in the middle of the bottom half of the league, which still isn’t great for a team that’s stockpiled so much young talent through the draft. Of course, it’s because of this young talent that you might want to take on the rebuild of the Sharks in Franchise Mode.
Budding stars like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith make San Jose an attractive rebuild option, but there’s still a ton of work to be done. You need a top goalie in net, some new faces on defense, and, for the love of everything holy, spend some money on players. Dmitry Orlov was a decent start for the Sharks in the offseason, but the money is there, so spend it.
And that does it for our list of the five best teams to rebuild in NHL 26? Who are you going to target with your first Franchise Mode playthrough? Let us know down in the comments below.
