NHL Droughts

To win the Stanley Cup is to be crowned champion of the National Hockey League, but winning it is very hard. Only one team can win each year, leaving all of the other teams in the ‘loser’ column. These teams have the unfortunate distinction of having records of championship droughts.

For an explanation of the NHL season and post-season, see Season structure of the NHL.

This article is a list of the active and all-time National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season appearance, post-season series win, Stanley Cup Finals and Stanley Cup droughts up to and including the 2019 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 World Hockey Association (WHA) league.

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

Among the current 31 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 (50 seasons and counting). With the Vegas Golden Knights winning the Western Conference in 2018, there are only four franchises that have never reached the Stanley Cup Finals. Of those four, the oldest is the Arizona Coyotes (previously the Winnipeg Jets) (38 seasons), while the Maple Leafs and the Blues have even longer droughts (50 and 47 seasons, respectively). The longest Stanley Cup championship drought in history was that of the New York Rangers, broken in 1994 after 53 seasons. The Maple Leafs have the current longest active Stanley Cup championship drought (and second-longest) at 50 seasons and counting. At the time the Chicago Blackhawks ended the second-longest ever Stanley Cup championship drought at 47 seasons (now the sixth-longest), which was broken in 2010. The end of that drought was the first of three consecutive years in which one of the eleven longest such droughts was broken (Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, Boston Bruins in 2011, and Los Angeles Kings in 2012).

The Florida Panthers have the longest active win drought (21 seasons). The longest playoff droughts in history were by the Panthers and Edmonton Oilers at 10 seasons, which ended in 2012 and 2017 respectively.

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 – the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets – all qualified for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Further information: List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks
Team Last appearance in post-season Post-season drought
Buffalo Sabres 2010–11 8 seasons
Arizona Coyotes1 2011–12 7 seasons
Vancouver Canucks 2014–15 4 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2015–16 3 seasons
Florida Panthers 2015–16 3 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2016–17 2 seasons
Edmonton Oilers 2016–17 2 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 2016–17 2 seasons
New York Rangers 2016–17 2 seasons
Ottawa Senators 2016–17 2 seasons
Anaheim Ducks 2017–18 1 season
Los Angeles Kings 2017–18 1 season
Minnesota Wild 2017–18 1 season
New Jersey Devils 2017–18 1 season
Philadelphia Flyers 2017–18 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 23 teams in this list – the 15 teams that do not qualify for the post-season, plus the 8 teams that lose their first round series.

The other 8 teams – the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues – all won a post-season series in the 2019 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 22 seasons
Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 4 : 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 14 seasons
Buffalo Sabres 2006–07 2 : 2009–10, 2010–11 012 seasons
Vancouver Canucks 2010–11 3 : 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15 08 seasons
Arizona Coyotes1 2011–12 07 seasons
New Jersey Devils 2011–12 1 : 2017–18 07 seasons
Philadelphia Flyers 2011–12 3 : 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18 07 seasons
Detroit Red Wings 2012–13 3 : 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 06 seasons
Los Angeles Kings 2013–14 2 : 2015–16, 2017–18 05 seasons
Calgary Flames 2014–15 2 : 2016–17, 2018–19 04 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2014–15 2 : 2015–16, 2016–17 04 seasons
Minnesota Wild 2014–15 3 : 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 04 seasons
Montreal Canadiens 2014–15 1 : 2016–17 04 seasons
Anaheim Ducks 2016–17 1 : 2017–18 02 season
Edmonton Oilers 2016–17 02 season
New York Rangers 2016–17 02 season
Ottawa Senators 2016–17 02 season
Nashville Predators 2017–18 1 : 2018–19 01 season
Pittsburgh Penguins 2017–18 1 : 2018–19 01 season
Tampa Bay Lightning 2017–18 1 : 2018–19 01 season
Vegas Golden Knights 2017–18 1 : 2018–19 01 season
Washington Capitals 2017–18 1 : 2018–19 01 season
Winnipeg Jets 2017–18 1 : 2018–19 01 season
1 the Arizona Coyotes last won a post-season series in 2012 as the Phoenix Coyotes

Stanley Cup Finals 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 2018 Stanley Cup Finals: the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals.

  Teams competing for the 2019 Stanley Cup are highlighted
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
Buffalo Sabres 1998–99 2: 2005–06, 2006–07 18 seasons
Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 1: 2017–18 18 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 05 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 2: 2015–16, 2017–18 03 seasons
San Jose Sharks 2015–16 02 seasons
Nashville Predators 2016–17 01 season
Pittsburgh Penguins 2016–17 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) + 7 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2017–18)

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 Washington Capitals.

  Teams competing for the 2019 Stanley Cup are highlighted
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
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 26 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 19 seasons
Dallas Stars 1998–99 1 : 1999–2000 18 seasons
Winnipeg Jets never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000) 18 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 13 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 07 seasons
Los Angeles Kings 2013–14 04 seasons
Chicago Blackhawks 2014–15 03 seasons
Pittsburgh Penguins 2016–17 01 season
Vegas Golden Knights never (inception of franchise in 2017–18) 1 : 2017–18 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) + 7 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2017–18)

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 20 14 4 1 02 wins short : 2015–16
Nashville Predators 11 5 1 1 2 wins short : 2016–17
Ottawa Senators 16 7 3 1 03 wins short : 2006–07
Vegas Golden Knights 1 1 1 1 03 wins short : 2017–18
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
Arizona Coyotes4 19 3 1 07 wins short : 2011–12
Winnipeg Jets5 3 1 1 7 wins short : 2017–18
Minnesota Wild 9 3 1 08 wins short : 2002–03
Columbus Blue Jackets 4 06 12 wins short : 2018–19
1 includes Preliminary Rounds from 1974–75 through to 1980–81, Division Semi-Finals from 1981–82 through to 1992–93 and Conference Quarterfinals from 1993–94 through to 2012–13
2 includes Quarter-Finals from 1967–68 through to 1980–81, Division Finals from 1981–82 through to 1992–93 and Conference Semifinals from 1993–94 through to 2012–13
3 includes Semi-Finals up to and including 1980–81
4 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 21 seasons for Arizona Coyotes/Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2017–18).
5 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 6 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2017–18).
6 Note that all figures in the table are up to date as of the end of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Columbus Blue Jackets have since beaten their record during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, which will be reflected in the table once those playoffs are completed.

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 2018–19 09 seasons
California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons3 1969–70 never (merger of franchise after 1977–78) 08 seasons4
Boston Bruins 1958–59 1967–68 08 seasons
Washington Capitals never (inception of franchise in 1974–75) 1982–83 08 seasons
Buffalo Sabres 2010–11 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
Arizona Coyotes 2011–12 07 seasons6
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)
6 franchise changed its name in 2014 from Phoenix Coyotes

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 22 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 2018–19 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
Toronto Maple Leafs 2003–04 4 : 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 14 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)

Stanley Cup Finals 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)

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 2017–18 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.

Cities/regions awaiting first Stanley Cup

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

City/Region Seasons waiting Stanley Cup
Finals appearances 		Current NHL team
St. Louis 511 1967–682, 1968–692, 1969–702 St. Louis Blues
Buffalo 470 1974–75, 1998–99 Buffalo Sabres
Minneapolis–Saint Paul 433 1980–814, 1990–914 Minnesota Wild
San Francisco Bay Area 355 2015–16 San Jose Sharks
South Florida 240 1995–96 Florida Panthers
Phoenix 210 Never Arizona Coyotes
Columbus, Ohio 196 Never Columbus Blue Jackets
Nashville 190 2016–17 Nashville Predators
Las Vegas 1 2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights
1 includes 1 season of the St. Louis Eagles (1934–35) and 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) and 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) and 26 seasons of the San Jose Sharks (1991–92 through to 2017–18).
6 includes 2 seasons of the Cleveland Barons franchise (1976–77 through to 1977–78) and 17 seasons of the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000–01 through to 2017–18).

See also

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_droughts

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