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These are lists of active and all-time National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season appearance, post-season series win, Stanley Cup Final and Stanley Cup droughts up to and including the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. Those teams which have never made it in franchise history are listed by the season that they entered the league, either as a new franchise or when they merged into the NHL from the defunct WHA league.

Note: These lists do not include the cancelled 2004–05 NHL season.

Among the current 30 NHL teams, 12 have never won the Stanley Cup, including one (the St. Louis Blues) that is among the five oldest expansion teams. Additionally, one of the Original Six franchises – the Toronto Maple Leafs – has a Stanley Cup drought that includes the entire expansion era (47 seasons and counting). Of the six franchises that have never been to the Stanley Cup Final, the oldest is the Arizona Coyotes (previously the Winnipeg Jets) (35 seasons), while the Maple Leafs and the Blues have even longer droughts (47 and 44 seasons, respectively). The longest Stanley Cup championship drought in history was that of the New York Rangers, broken in 1994 after 53 seasons. The second-longest was that of the Chicago Blackhawks, broken in 2010 after 47 seasons. The end of that drought was the first of three consecutive years in which one of the eleven longest such droughts was broken.

There are only two franchises that have never won a post-season playoff series (the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets), though the oldest is just 15 seasons old; two other franchises (New York Islanders and Florida Panthers) have longer win droughts (21 and 18 seasons respectively). The Panthers had not appeared in the playoffs at all for 10 seasons, the longest such streak in NHL history which ended in 2012. This record was tied by the Edmonton Oilers when they missed their tenth straight postseason in 2016.

Longest active droughts

Post-season appearance droughts

A post-season appearance drought is continued by not making the NHL playoffs after the regular season. Since the first round of the playoffs consists of 8 series (16 teams) and there are 31 teams in the NHL, there will always be 15 teams that did not make the most recent playoffs on this list.

The other 16 teams – Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets – all made the post-season for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Further information: List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks
^ Longest drought in team history
Tied for longest drought in team history
Team Last appearance in post-season Post-season drought
Carolina Hurricanes^ 2008–09 9 seasons
Buffalo Sabres^ 2010–11 7 seasons
Arizona Coyotes1 2011–12 6 seasons
Vancouver Canucks 2014–15 3 seasons
Dallas Stars 2015–16 2 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2015–16 2 seasons
Florida Panthers 2015–16 2 seasons
New York Islanders 2015–16 2 seasons
Calgary Flames 2016–17 1 season
Chicago Blackhawks 2016–17 1 season
Edmonton Oilers 2016–17 1 season
Montreal Canadiens 2016–17 1 season
New York Rangers 2016–17 1 season
Ottawa Senators 2016–17 1 season
St. Louis Blues 2016–17 1 season
1 the Arizona Coyotes last qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012 as the Phoenix Coyotes

Post-season series win droughts

A post-season series win drought is continued either by not making the playoffs in a season or by making the playoffs in a season but subsequently losing the first round series. Since the first round of the NHL playoffs consist of 8 series (16 teams), there will always be 22 teams in this list – the 15 teams that do not make the post-season plus the 8 teams that lose their first round series.

The other 8 teams – the Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets – all won a post-season series in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Team Last post-season
series win
Subsequent post-season
series losses
Post-season
series win drought
Florida Panthers^ 1995–96 4 : 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2011–12, 2015–16 20 seasons
Columbus Blue Jackets^ never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 3 : 2008–09, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18 17 seasons
Toronto Maple Leafs^ 2003–04 2 : 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18 13 seasons
Buffalo Sabres 2006–07 2 : 2009–10, 2010–11 010 seasons
Colorado Avalanche 2007–08 3: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2017–18 09 seasons
Carolina Hurricanes 2008–09 08 seasons
Vancouver Canucks 2010–11 3 : 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15 06 seasons
Arizona Coyotes1 2011–12 05 seasons
New Jersey Devils 2011–12 1: 2017–18 05 seasons
Philadelphia Flyers 2011–12 3: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18 05 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2012–13 3 : 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 04 seasons
Los Angeles Kings 2013–14 1: 2015–16 02 seasons
Calgary Flames 2014–15 1: 2016–17 02 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2014–15 2 : 2015–16, 2016–17 02 seasons
Minnesota Wild 2014–15 3: 2015–16,2016–17, 2017–18 02 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 2014–15 1: 2016–17 02 seasons
Dallas Stars 2015–16 02 seasons
New York Islanders 2015–16 02 seasons
Anaheim Ducks 2016–17 1: 2017–18 01 season
Edmonton Oilers 2016–17 01 season
New York Rangers 2016–17 01 season
Ottawa Senators 2016–17 01 season
St. Louis Blues 2016–17 01 season
1 the Arizona Coyotes last won a post-season series in 2012 as the Phoenix Coyotes

Conference Final droughts

This is a list of the team and the number of seasons since they have reached the NHL Conference Finals, introduced in 1982. This list does not include the four teams that made this round in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffsAnaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, and Pittsburgh Penguins.


Team Last appearance
in Conference Final
Conference
Final drought
New York Islanders 1993 Wales1 22 seasons
Florida Panthers 1996 Eastern 18 seasons
Washington Capitals 1998 Eastern 016 seasons
Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 15 seasons2
Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 14 seasons
Colorado Avalanche 2002 Western 013 seasons
Minnesota Wild 2003 Western 012 seasons
Calgary Flames 2004 Western 011 seasons
Toronto Maple Leafs 2004 Eastern 010 seasons
Edmonton Oilers 2006 Western 09 seasons
Buffalo Sabres 2007 Eastern 08 seasons
Dallas Stars 2008 Western 07 seasons
Carolina Hurricanes 2009 Eastern 06 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2009 Western3 06 seasons
Philadelphia Flyers 2010 Eastern 05 seasons
Vancouver Canucks 2011 Western 04 seasons
Arizona Coyotes4 2012 Western 03 seasons
New Jersey Devils 2012 Eastern 03 seasons
Los Angeles Kings 2014 Western 03 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 2014 Eastern 03 seasons
Boston Bruins 2013 Eastern 02 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2015 Western 02 seasons
New York Rangers 2015 Eastern 02 seasons
San Jose Sharks 2016 Western 01 season
St. Louis Blues 2016 Western 01 season
Tampa Bay Lightning 2016 Eastern 01 season
1 current Eastern Conference.
2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 3 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2013–14)
3 the Red Wings have since relocated to the Eastern Conference in the 2013 realignment.
4 the Arizona Coyotes were then known as the Phoenix Coyotes

Stanley Cup Final droughts

This is a list of the teams and the number of seasons since they have reached the Stanley Cup Finals. This list does not include the two teams that made the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals; the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Team Last appearance
in Stanley Cup Finals
Subsequent Conference
Finals losses
Stanley Cup
Finals drought
Toronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 5: 1977–78, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02 50 seasons
St. Louis Blues 1969–70 4: 1971–72, 1985–86, 2000–01, 2015–16 47 seasons
Arizona Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 1: 2011–12 38 seasons1
New York Islanders 1983–84 1: 1992–93 33 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 1992–93 2: 2009–10, 2013–14 24 seasons
Florida Panthers 1995–96 21 seasons
Washington Capitals 1997–98 18 seasons
Buffalo Sabres 1998–99 2: 2005–06, 2006–07 18 seasons
Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 17 seasons2
Dallas Stars 1999–2000 1: 2007–08 17 seasons
Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 17 seasons
Minnesota Wild never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 1: 2002–03 17 seasons
Colorado Avalanche 2000–01 1: 2001–02 16 seasons
Calgary Flames 2003–04 13 seasons
Carolina Hurricanes 2005–06 1: 2008–09 012 seasons
Edmonton Oilers 2005–06 012 seasons
Anaheim Ducks 2006–07 2: 2014–15, 2016–17 011 seasons
Ottawa Senators 2006–07 1: 2016–17 011 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2008–09 09 seasons
Philadelphia Flyers 2009–10 08 seasons
Vancouver Canucks 2010–11 07 seasons
New Jersey Devils 2011–12 06 seasons
Boston Bruins 2012–13 04 seasons
Los Angeles Kings 2013–14 04 seasons
New York Rangers 2013–14 1: 2014–15 04 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2014–15 03 seasons
Tampa Bay Lightning 2014–15 1: 2015–16 02 seasons
San Jose Sharks 2015–16 01 season
1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 21 seasons for Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2017–18)
2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 6 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2016–17)
1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 18 seasons for Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2014–15)
2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 4 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2014–15)

Stanley Cup droughts

This is a list of the teams and the number of seasons since they have won the Stanley Cup. This list does not include the most recent Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, nor the Vegas Golden Knights, who joined the NHL for the 2017-18 season and have yet to complete a full year in the league.


Team Last Stanley Cup Subsequent Stanley Cup
Finals losses
Stanley Cup
drought
Toronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 50 seasons
St. Louis Blues never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 3 : 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 50 seasons
Buffalo Sabres never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 2 : 1974–75, 1998–99 47 seasons
Vancouver Canucks never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 3 : 1981–82, 1993–94, 2010–11 47 seasons
Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1 : 1997–98 42 seasons
Philadelphia Flyers 1974–75 6 : 1975–76, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1996–97, 2009–10 42 seasons
Arizona Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 38 seasons1
New York Islanders 1982–83 1 : 1983–84 34 seasons
Calgary Flames 1988–89 1 : 2003–04 28 seasons
Edmonton Oilers 1989–90 1 : 2005–06 27 seasons
San Jose Sharks never (inception of franchise in 1991–92) 1 : 2015–16 25 seasons
Ottawa Senators never (inception of franchise in 1992–93) 1 : 2006–07 25 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 1992–93 24 seasons
Florida Panthers never (inception of franchise in 1993–94) 1 : 1995–96 24 seasons
New York Rangers 1993–94 1 : 2013–14 23 seasons
Nashville Predators never (inception of franchise in 1998–99) 1 : 2016–17 18 seasons
Dallas Stars 1998–99 1 : 1999–2000 18 seasons
Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 17 seasons2
Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 17 seasons
Minnesota Wild never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 17 seasons
Colorado Avalanche 2000–01 16 seasons
New Jersey Devils 2002–03 1 : 2011–12 14 seasons
Tampa Bay Lightning 2003–04 1 : 2014–15 12 seasons
Carolina Hurricanes 2005–06 012 seasons
Anaheim Ducks 2006–07 011 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2007–08 1 : 2008–09 010 seasons
Boston Bruins 2010–11 1 : 2012–13 06 seasons
Los Angeles Kings 2013–14 04 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2014–15 03 seasons
1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 21 seasons for Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2017–18)
2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 6 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2016–17)

Closest approaches without winning

Team First Round
Appearances1
Second Round
Appearances2
Conference Finals
Appearances3
Stanley Cup Finals
Appearances
Fewest Wins Short of Stanley Cup
Vancouver Canucks 26 11 3 3 01 win short : 1993–94, 2010–11
Buffalo Sabres 27 15 6 2 02 wins short : 1974–75, 1998–99
San Jose Sharks 19 13 4 1 02 wins short : 2015–16
Nashville Predators 10 4 1 1 2 wins short : 2016–17
Ottawa Senators 16 7 3 1 03 wins short : 2006–07
St. Louis Blues 33 23 7 3 04 wins short : 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70
Florida Panthers 5 1 1 1 04 wins short : 1995–96
Washington Capitals 26 14 2 1 04 wins short : 1997–98
Arizona Coyotes4 19 3 1 07 wins short : 2011–12
Minnesota Wild 9 3 1 08 wins short : 2002–03
Columbus Blue Jackets 4 14 wins short : 2013–14, 2017–18
Winnipeg Jets5 3 16 wins short : 2006–07, 2014–15
1 includes Preliminary Rounds from 1974–75 through to 1980–81 and Division Semi-Finals from 1981–82 through to 1993–94
2 includes Quarter-Finals from 1967–68 through to 1980–81 and Division Finals from 1981–82 through to 1993–94
3 includes Semi-Finals up to and including 1980–81
4 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 18 seasons for Arizona Coyotes/Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2014–15).
5 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 4 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2014–15).

a In game 7 of 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, New York opened the scoring at 11:02 of the 1st period and never relinquished the lead. The game-winning goal scored at 13:29 of the 2nd period.
b Vancouver had a 3-2 series lead in 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. In game 6, Boston opened the scoring at 05:31 of the 1st period and never relinquished the lead. The game-winning goal scored at 08:35 of the 1st period. In game 7, Boston opened the scoring with the game-winning goal at 14:37 of the 1st period and went on to win the game 4-0.

Longest all-time droughts

Post-season appearance droughts

     Active franchise streak is highlighted

Team Previous post-season appearance Next post-season appearance Post-season drought
Florida Panthers 1999–2000 2011–12 10 seasons1
Edmonton Oilers 2005–06 2016–17 010 seasons
Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils 1977–78 1987–88 09 seasons2
Carolina Hurricanes 2008–09 09 seasons
California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons3 1969–70 never 08 seasons4
Boston Bruins 1958–59 1967–68 08 seasons
Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1982–83 08 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 1969–70 1977–78 07 seasons
New York Islanders 1993–94 2001–02 07 seasons
Calgary Flames 1995–96 2003–04 07 seasons
New York Rangers 1996–97 2005–06 07 seasons
Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 2008–09 07 seasons
Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 2012–13 07 seasons
Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets 2006–07 2014–15 07 seasons5
Buffalo Sabres 2010–11 07 seasons
1 no post-season occurred in 2005, due to the 2004-05 NHL Lockout
2 includes 4 seasons for Colorado Rockies (1978–79 through to 1981–82) + 5 seasons for New Jersey Devils (1982–83 through to 1986–87)
3 franchise dissolved in 1978 in a merger with the Minnesota North Stars (current Dallas Stars)
4 includes 6 seasons for California Golden Seals (1970–71 through to 1975–76) + 2 seasons for Cleveland Barons (1976–77, 1977–78)
5 includes 4 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (2007–08 through to 2010–11) + 3 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2013–14)

Post-season series win droughts

     Active franchise streak is highlighted

Team Previous post-season
series win
Intervening post-season
series losses
Next post-season
series win
Post-season
series win drought
Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix Coyotes1 1986–87 12 : 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2009–10, 2010–11 2011–12 25 seasons2
New York Islanders 1992–93 07 : 1993–94, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2012–13, 2014–15 2015–16 23 seasons
Florida Panthers 1995–96 04 : 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2011–12, 2015–16 21 seasons
New York Rangers 1949–50 08 : 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 1970–71 20 seasons
Atlanta Thrashers / Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 02 : 2006–07, 2014–15 2017–18 17 seasons3
Columbus Blue Jackets never (inception of franchise in 2000–01) 04 : 2008–09, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18 17 seasons
Chicago Black Hawks 1943–44 04 : 1945–46, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1959–60 1960–61 16 seasons
Hartford Whalers / Carolina Hurricanes 1985–86 08 : 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1998–99, 2000–01 2001–02 15 seasons4
Calgary Flames 1988–89 06 : 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 2003–04 14 seasons
Kansas City Scouts / Colorado Rockies / New Jersey Devils never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 01 : 1977–78 1987–88 13 seasons5
Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 3 : 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18 13 seasons
1 franchise renamed in 2014 as Arizona Coyotes
2 includes 9 seasons of the Winnipeg Jets (1987–88 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons of the Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010–11)
3 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 6 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2016–17)
4 includes 11 seasons of the Hartford Whalers (1986–87 through to 1996–97) + 4 season of the Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) through to 2000–01)
5 includes 2 seasons of the Kansas City Scouts (1974–75, 1975–76) + 6 seasons for Colorado Rockies (1976–77 through to 1981–82) + 5 seasons of the New Jersey Devils (1982–83 through to 1986–87)

Longest Conference Final droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2015–16 season. The current Conference Finals format introduced in 1980.

^ Denotes active streak
Year the team joined the NHL
Seasons Team Conference Finals
appearance droughts
Subsequent appearance
in Conference Finals
31 Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix Coyotes 1 19802001 2012
24 New York Islanders^ 19942018 Active drought
22 Hartford Whalers\Carolina Hurricanes2 19802001 2002
21 Florida Panthers ^ 19972018 Active drought
17 Boston Bruins 19932010 2011
17 Buffalo Sabres 19811997 1998
17 Los Angeles Kings 19942011 2012
17 Washington Capitals ^ 19992017 Active drought
17 Nashville Predators 1999†– 2017 2017
17 Winnipeg Jets ^3 2000†– 2017 Active drought
17 Columbus Blue Jackets ^ 2001†– 2018 Active drought
15 Vancouver Canucks 19952010 2011
15 Montreal Canadiens 19942009 2010


1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 14 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2010–11); franchise renamed Arizona Coyotes in 2014.
2 includes 18 seasons for Hartford Whalers (1979–80 through to 1996–97) + 4 seasons for Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98 through to 2000–01)
3 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 5 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2015–16)


Stanley Cup Final droughts

     Active franchise streak is highlighted

Team Previous Stanley Cup Finals Intervening Conference
Finals losses
Next Stanley Cup Finals Stanley Cup Finals drought
Toronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 5: 1977–78, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02 50 seasons
St. Louis Blues 1969–70 4: 1971–72, 1985–86, 2000–01, 2015–16 47 seasons
Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80) 1: 2011–12 38 seasons1
New York Islanders 1983–84 1: 1992–93 33 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 1965–66 2: 1986–87, 1987–88 1994–95 28 seasons
Los Angeles Kings never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1: 1968–69 1992–93 25 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 1992–93 2: 2009–10, 2013–14 24 seasons
Buffalo Sabres 1974–75 2: 1979–80, 1997–98 1998–99 23 seasons
Pittsburgh Penguins never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1: 1969–70 1990–91 23 seasons
Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1: 1989–90 1997–98 23 seasons
San Jose Sharks never (inception of franchise in 1991–92) 3: 2003–04, 2009–10, 2010–11 2015–16 23 seasons
1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 21 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2017–18)
1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 18 seasons for Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2014–15)
2 includes 18 seasons for Hartford Whalers (1979–80 through to 1996–97) + 4 seasons for Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98 through to 2000–01)
3 includes 2 seasons for Kansas City Scouts (1974–75, 1975–76) + 6 seasons for Colorado Rockies (1976–77 through to 1981–82) + 12 seasons for New Jersey Devils (1982–83 through to 1993–94)

Stanley Cup droughts

     Active franchise streak is highlighted

Team Previous Stanley Cup Intervening Stanley Cup
Finals losses
Next Stanley Cup Stanley Cup drought
New York Rangers 1939–40 3 : 1949–50, 1971–72, 1978–79 1993–94 53 seasons1
Toronto Maple Leafs 1966–67 50 seasons
St. Louis Blues never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 3 : 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 50 seasons
Chicago Black Hawks2 1960–61 5 : 1961–62, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1991–92 2009–10 47 seasons
Buffalo Sabres never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 2 : 1974–75, 1998–99 47 seasons
Vancouver Canucks never (inception of franchise in 1970–71) 3 : 1981–82, 1993–94, 2010–11 47 seasons
Los Angeles Kings never (inception of franchise in 1967–68) 1 : 1992–93 2011–12 43 seasons
Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1 : 1997–98 42 seasons
Philadelphia Flyers 1974–75 6 : 1975–76, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1996–97, 2009–10 42 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 1954–55 6 : 1955–56, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1994–95 1996–97 41 seasons
1 it is common to refer to the duration of the New York Rangers' record Stanley Cup drought as 54 "years" (1940 to 1994), but that only encompasses 53 seasons (1940–41 to 1992–93).
2 the name of the team was Black Hawks for a majority of the drought (25 of the 47 seasons) before being renamed to Blackhawks in 1986.

Longest post-season droughts in team history

Updated through the 2017 playoffs.

0^0 Denotes active streak

Team Longest streak with
no post-season appearances
Seasons
Florida Panthers 2000–01 through 2010–11 10
Edmonton Oilers 2006–07 through 2015–16 010
New Jersey Devils 1977–78 through 1986–87 9
Boston Bruins 1958–59 through 1967–68 08
Carolina Hurricanes 2008–09 through 2017–18 08
Washington Capitals 1974–75 through 1981–82 08
Buffalo Sabres 2011–12 through 2017-18 7
Detroit Red Wings 1969–70 through 1977–78 07
New York Islanders 1993–94 through 2001–02 07
Calgary Flames 1995–96 through 2003–04 07
New York Rangers 1996–97 through 2005–06 07
Columbus Blue Jackets 2000–01 through 2008–09 07
Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 through 2012–13 07
Winnipeg Jets 2006–07 through 2014–15 7
Arizona Coyotes 2002-03 through 2008-09
2012-13 through 2017-18
6
Chicago Blackhawks 1946-47 through 1959-60 6
Los Angeles Kings 2002-03 through 2008-09 6
Tampa Bay Lightning 1996-97 through 2001-02 6
Pittsburgh Penguins 1982-83 through 1987-88 6
Dallas Stars 2008–09 through 2012–13 5
Nashville Predators 1998–99 through 2002-03 5
Ottawa Senators 1992–93 through 1995–96 5
Philadelphia Flyers 1989–90 through 1993–94 5
Colorado Avalanche 1987–88 through 1991–92 (QBC)
2010–11 through 2012–13 (COL)
2014–15 through 2015–16 (COL)
5
3
Minnesota Wild 2008–09 through 2011–12 4
Vancouver Canucks 1970–71 through 1973-74
1996–97 through 1999-2000
4
Anaheim Ducks 1993–94 through 2001–02 3
Montreal Canadiens 1919–20 through 1921–22
1998–99 through 2000–01
3
St. Louis Blues 2005–06 through 2008–09 3
San Jose Sharks 1991–92 through 1992–93
1995–96 through 1996–97
2

Team Longest streak with
no post-season series wins
Seasons
Arizona Coyotes 1986–87 through 2010-11 25
New York Islanders 1993–94 through 2014-15 23
New York Rangers 1949–50 through 1970-71 20
Florida Panthers ^ 1995–96 through 2017-18 21
Winnipeg Jets 1999–2000 through 2016-17 17
Chicago Blackhawks 1944-45 through 1959-60 16
Carolina Hurricanes ^ 1986–87 through 2000-01 15
Columbus Blue Jackets ^ 2000–01 through 2017-18 17
Calgary Flames 1988–89 through 2002-03 14
New Jersey Devils 1974–75 through 1986–87 14
Toronto Maple Leafs 2005–06 through 2017-18 13
Buffalo Sabres ^ 2007–08 through 2017–18 11
Detroit Red Wings 1966–67 through 1976–77 11
Montreal Canadiens 1931–32 through 1942–43 11
Nashville Predators 1998–99 through 2009-10 11
Vancouver Canucks 1970–71 through 1980-81 11
Edmonton Oilers 2005–06 through 2015-16 10
Boston Bruins 1958-59 through 1967-68 10
Colorado Avalanche ^ 2008–09 through 2017–18 10
Tampa Bay Lightning 1992-93 through 2001-02 10
Los Angeles Kings 2001–02 through 2010–11 9
Minnesota Wild 2003–04 through 2012–13 9
Pittsburgh Penguins 1979–80 through 1987-88 9
Washington Capitals 1974-75 through 1982-83
1998–99 through 2007-08
9
St. Louis Blues 1972–73 through 1979–80
2002–03 through 2010–11
8
Dallas Stars 1971–72 through 1978–79 (MIN)
2008–09 through 2014–15 (DAL)
8
7
Philadelphia Flyers 2011-12 through 2017-18 6
Anaheim Ducks 1997–98 through 2001–02 5
Ottawa Senators 1992–93 through 1996–97
2007–08 through 2011–12
5
San Jose Sharks 1995–96 through 1998–99 4

Cities/regions awaiting first Stanley Cup

This list only includes cities/regions currently hosting an NHL franchise.

City/Region Seasons waiting Stanley Cup
Final appearances
Current NHL team
St. Louis 511 1967–682, 1968–692, 1969–702 St. Louis Blues
Buffalo 470 1974–75, 1998–99 Buffalo Sabres
MinneapolisSaint Paul 433 1980–814, 1990–914 Minnesota Wild
Washington, D.C. 420 1997–98 Washington Capitals
San Francisco Bay Area 345 2015–16 San Jose Sharks
South Florida 240 1995–96 Florida Panthers
Phoenix 210 Never Arizona Coyotes
Ohio 196 Never Columbus Blue Jackets
Nashville 180 2016–17 Nashville Predators
Las Vegas7 0 Never Vegas Golden Knights
1 includes 1 season of the St. Louis Eagles (1934–35) + 50 seasons of the St. Louis Blues (1967–68 through to 2017–18).
2 all three Stanley Cup Finals appearances by the St. Louis Blues.
3 includes 26 seasons of the Minnesota North Stars (1967–68 through to 1992–93) + 17 seasons of the Minnesota Wild (2000–01 through to 2017–18).
4 both Stanley Cup Finals appearances by the Minnesota North Stars.
5 includes 9 seasons of the California Seals, Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals franchise (1967–68 through to 1975–76) + 25 seasons of the San Jose Sharks (1991–92 through to 2016–17).
6 includes 2 seasons of the Cleveland Barons franchise (1976–77 through to 1977–78) + 16 seasons of the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000–01 through to 2016–17).
7 The Golden Knights are yet to play a full season.


See also


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of NHL franchise post-season droughts. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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