10. Las Vegas Desert Dogs
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 4-14
2024-25 Season Result: Missed the playoffs
2025-26 Power Rating: -0.0703
2025-26 Playoff Odds: 43% chance to make the playoffs
11. Colorado Mammoth
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 8-10
2024-25 Season Result: Missed the playoffs
2025-26 Power Rating: -0.0913
2025-26 Playoff Odds: 37% chance to make the playoffs
12. Georgia Swarm
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 9-9
2024-25 Season Result: Lost to Saskatchewan in the NLL Quarterfinals
2025-26 Power Rating: -0.1010
2025-26 Playoff Odds: 37% chance to make the playoffs
13. Philadelphia Wings
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 7-11
2024-25 Season Result: Missed the playoffs
2025-26 Power Rating: -0.1345
2025-26 Playoff Odds: 27% chance to miss the playoffs
14. Calgary Roughnecks
2024-25 Regular Season Record: 10-8
2024-25 Season Result: Lost to Halifax in the NLL Quarterfinals
2025-26 Power Rating: -0.1544
2025-26 Playoff Odds: 23% chance to make the playoffs
I detailed how much I expect the Las Vegas Desert Dogs to improve this season based on their offseason moves in my previous article. Still, games aren’t won in the offseason and they’re still just 10th in my power rankings. Goaltending is still a big question mark that Landon Kells or rookie Caleb Kahn will need to answer. If you’re more confident than me, then a bet on Las Vegas to make the playoffs isn’t a bad one at -105 on bet365. Yet, I still think betting their championship odds at +4000 on DraftKings is the way to play a team with a high ceiling, but still low floor.
I don’t expect Colorado to be a bad team and Andrew Kew was a nice addition. I just don’t know if it is enough to get this team back to being consistently competitive with Zed Williams, Connor Robinson and Connor Kelly now gone and Eli McLaughlin still on the holdout list with firefighter commitments. They’re in the wait and see tier for me.
Now, let’s discuss the bottom three teams. Georgia is closer to Colorado than it is to Philadelphia and Calgary, but they’ll look different without Brendan Bomberry and Andrew Kew and Connor Kelly is currently on the holdout list after getting dealt to Georgia. Any team with Lyle Thompson and Brett Dobson are hard to doubt, but Georgia has been far too inconsistent its last two seasons and I think they’ll take a step back as they turn the reins over to their younger players. It’s a small bet for me, but I think there is some value on betting the Georgia Swarm to miss the playoffs at +106 on FanDuel or +105 on bet365.
Philadelphia and Calgary both lost big-name players this offseason and I’m expecting both to be in rebuild mode. These teams will still find ways to win a handful of games, but I don’t expect them to make big moves as we saw at last year’s trade deadline—which worked for Calgary but not for Philly. The Wings didn’t address their issues on defense despite re-signing Chris Corbeil and Nick Damude proved to be a downgrade of Zach Higgins. Philly’s consistently good offense will also have to cope without Mitch Jones, a free agency loss I think wil cause this offense to regress.
Calgary suffered even bigger losses with Dane Dobbie retiring and Curtis Dickson and Jesse King heading west to join Vancouver. Aden Walsh proved he’s a starter in this league and should be the Roughnecks franchise goalie for years to come, but he got a lot of help from the Vancouver defense last year and Calgary has too few established players left to make any noise this season.
I recommend betting both the Philadelphia Wings (-170 on bet365/FanDuel) and Calgary Roughnecks (-165 on bet365) to miss the playoffs.
Picks: Georgia Swarm to Miss the Playoffs, Philadelphia Wings to Miss the Playoffs, Calgary Roughnecks to Miss the Playoffs
