List of NHL franchise post-season droughts

These are lists of active and all-time NHL team post-season, post-season series win, Stanley Cup Final and Stanley Cup droughts up to and including the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Those teams which have never made it in team history are listed by the season that they entered the league, either as a new team or when they merged into the NHL from the WHA. These lists do not include the canceled 2004–05 NHL season.

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 32 teams in the NHL, there will always be 16 teams that did not make the most recent playoffs on this list.

The other 16 teams – the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets – all qualified for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. 

 Team Last appearance in post-season Post-season drought Buffalo Sabres  2010–11  13 seasons Detroit Red Wings  2015–16  8 seasons Ottawa Senators  2016–17  7 seasons Anaheim Ducks  2017–18  6 seasons San Jose Sharks  2018–19  5 seasons Arizona Coyotes  2019–20  4 seasons Chicago Blackhawks  2019–20  4 seasons Columbus Blue Jackets  2019–20  4 seasons Philadelphia Flyers  2019–20  4 seasons Montreal Canadiens  2021  3 seasons Calgary Flames  2021–22  2 seasons Pittsburgh Penguins  2021–22  2 seasons St. Louis Blues  2021–22  2 seasons Minnesota Wild  2022–23  1 season New Jersey Devils  2022–23  1 season Seattle Kraken  2022–23  1 season

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-seasonseries win Subsequent post-seasonseries losses Post-seasonseries 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 seasons Edmonton Oilers  2016–17   02 seasons New York Rangers  2016–17   02 seasons Ottawa Senators  2016–17   02 seasons 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 2019 Stanley Cup Finals: the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues.

 Team Last appearancein Stanley Cup Finals Subsequent ConferenceFinals losses Stanley CupFinals drought Toronto Maple Leafs  1966–67  5: 1977–78, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02  51 seasons Arizona Coyotes  never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80)  1: 2011–12  39 seasons1 New York Islanders  1983–84  1: 1992–93  34 seasons Montreal Canadiens  1992–93  2: 2009–10, 2013–14  25 seasons Florida Panthers  1995–96   22 seasons Buffalo Sabres  1998–99  2: 2005–06, 2006–07  19 seasons Winnipeg Jets  never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000)  1: 2017–18  19 seasons2 Dallas Stars  1999–2000  1: 2007–08 18 seasons Columbus Blue Jackets  never (inception of franchise in 2000–01)   18 seasons Minnesota Wild  never (inception of franchise in 2000–01)  1: 2002–03 18 seasons Colorado Avalanche  2000–01 1: 2001–02  17 seasons Calgary Flames  2003–04   14 seasons Carolina Hurricanes  2005–06 2: 2008–09, 2018–19  013 seasons Edmonton Oilers  2005–06   013 seasons Anaheim Ducks  2006–07  2: 2014–15, 2016–17  012 seasons Ottawa Senators  2006–07  1: 2016–17  012 seasons Detroit Red Wings  2008–09   010 seasons Philadelphia Flyers  2009–10   09 seasons Vancouver Canucks  2010–11   08 seasons New Jersey Devils  2011–12   07 seasons Los Angeles Kings  2013–14   05 seasons New York Rangers  2013–14  1: 2014–15  05 seasons Chicago Blackhawks  2014–15   04 seasons Tampa Bay Lightning  2014–15  2: 2015–16, 2017–18  04 seasons San Jose Sharks  2015–16  1: 2018–19  03 seasons Nashville Predators  2016–17   02 seasons Pittsburgh Penguins  2016–17   02 seasons Vegas Golden Knights  2017–18    1 season Washington Capitals  2017–18    1 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 St. Louis Blues.

 Team Last Stanley Cup Subsequent Stanley CupFinals losses Stanley Cupdrought Toronto Maple Leafs  1966–67   51 seasons Buffalo Sabres  never (inception of franchise in 1970–71)  2 : 1974–75, 1998–99  48 seasons Vancouver Canucks  never (inception of franchise in 1970–71)  3 : 1981–82, 1993–94, 2010–11  48 seasons Philadelphia Flyers  1974–75  6 : 1975–76, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1996–97, 2009–10  43 seasons Arizona Coyotes   never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80)   39 seasons1 New York Islanders  1982–83  1 : 1983–84  35 seasons Calgary Flames  1988–89  1 : 2003–04  29 seasons Edmonton Oilers  1989–90  1 : 2005–06  28 seasons San Jose Sharks  never (inception of franchise in 1991–92)  1 : 2015–16  27 seasons Ottawa Senators  never (inception of franchise in 1992–93)  1 : 2006–07  26 seasons Montreal Canadiens  1992–93   25 seasons Florida Panthers  never (inception of franchise in 1993–94)  1 : 1995–96  25 seasons New York Rangers  1993–94 1 : 2013–14  24 seasons Nashville Predators  never (inception of franchise in 1998–99) 1 : 2016–17  20 seasons Dallas Stars  1998–99  1 : 1999–2000  19 seasons Winnipeg Jets  never (inception of franchise in 1999–2000)   19 seasons2 Columbus Blue Jackets  never (inception of franchise in 2000–01)   18 seasons Minnesota Wild  never (inception of franchise in 2000–01)   18 seasons Colorado Avalanche  2000–01    17 seasons New Jersey Devils  2002–03  1 : 2011–12  15 seasons Tampa Bay Lightning  2003–04  1 : 2014–15  14 seasons Carolina Hurricanes  2005–06   013 seasons Anaheim Ducks  2006–07   012 seasons Detroit Red Wings  2007–08  1 : 2008–09  011 seasons Boston Bruins  2010–11  2 : 2012–13,  2018–19 08 seasons Los Angeles Kings  2013–14   05 seasons Chicago Blackhawks  2014–15   04 seasons Pittsburgh Penguins  2016–17   02 seasons Vegas Golden Knights  never (inception of franchise in 2017–18)  1 : 2017–18  02 seasons Washington Capitals  2017–18   01 season
1 includes 17 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (1979–80 through to 1995–96) + 22 seasons for Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97 through to 2018–19)
2 includes 11 seasons for Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2000 through to 2010–11) + 8 seasons for Winnipeg Jets (2011–12 through to 2018–19)

Closest approaches without winning

 Team First RoundAppearances1 Second RoundAppearances2 Conference FinalsAppearances3 Stanley Cup FinalsAppearances 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 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  1    10 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).

Longest all-time droughts

Post-season appearance droughts

 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   010 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

 Team Previous post-seasonseries win Intervening post-seasonseries losses Next post-seasonseries win Post-seasonseries 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

 Team Previous Stanley Cup Finals Intervening ConferenceFinals 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    51 seasons St. Louis Blues  1969–70  4: 1971–72, 1985–86, 2000–01, 2015–16  2018–19  47 seasons Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes  never (franchise entered the NHL in 1979–80)  1: 2011–12    39 seasons1 New York Islanders  1983–84  1: 1992–93    34 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    25 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

 Team Previous Stanley Cup Intervening Stanley CupFinals 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     51 seasons St. Louis Blues   never (inception of franchise in 1967–68)  3 : 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 2018–19   50 seasons Buffalo Sabres  never (inception of franchise in 1970–71)  2 : 1974–75, 1998–99    48 seasons Vancouver Canucks  never (inception of franchise in 1970–71)  3 : 1981–82, 1993–94, 2010–11    48 seasons Chicago Black Hawks2  1960–61  5 : 1961–62, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1991–92  2009–10  47 seasons Los Angeles Kings  never (inception of franchise in 1967–68)  1 : 1992–93  2011–12  43 seasons Philadelphia Flyers  1974–75  6 : 1975–76, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1996–97, 2009–10    43 seasons Washington Capitals  never (inception of franchise in 1974–75)  1 : 1997–98  2017–18  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/RegionSeasons waitingStanley CupFinals appearancesCurrent NHL team Buffalo  480  1974–75, 1998–99  Buffalo Sabres Minneapolis–Saint Paul  441  1980–812, 1990–912  Minnesota Wild San Francisco Bay Area  363  2015–16  San Jose Sharks South Florida  250  1995–96  Florida Panthers Phoenix  220  Never  Arizona Coyotes Columbus, Ohio  204   Never  Columbus Blue Jackets Nashville  200  2016–17  Nashville Predators
1 includes 26 seasons of the Minnesota North Stars (1967–68 through to 1992–93) and 18 seasons of the Minnesota Wild (2000–01 through to 2018–19).
2 both Stanley Cup Finals appearances by the Minnesota North Stars.
3 includes 9 seasons of the California Seals, Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals franchise (1967–68 through to 1975–76) and 27 seasons of the San Jose Sharks (1991–92 through to 2018–19).
4 includes 2 seasons of the Cleveland Barons franchise (1976–77 through to 1977–78) and 18 seasons of the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000–01 through to 2018–19).
 Although the Vancouver Canucks have not won a Stanley Cup in their 48 seasons of play (inception of franchise in 1970–71 through to 2018–19), Vancouver has one Stanley Cup to its credit - the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association won the Stanley Cup in 1915 prior to the founding of the NHL in 1917.
 While the current Ottawa Senators have never won the Stanley Cup in their 26 seasons of play (inception of franchise in 1992–93 through to 2018–19), Ottawa celebrated 11 Stanley Cup championships with the original era Ottawa Senators, the last one in 1927.
 While neither team called the Winnipeg Jets ever won the Stanley Cup in their combined 25 seasons playing in Winnipeg (as of 2018–19), the city celebrated three Stanley Cup championships by the Winnipeg Victorias, the last in 1902, prior to the founding of the NHL in 1917.

Related pages
List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks

Franchise post-season droughts