In reading Godd Till's 6th day of Leafmas request I was struck by two things:
- How long it's been since the Leafs played a game that actually, genuinely mattered. I'm not talking about late season nail biters to see if this team can squeak into the post-season. I'm talking about OT games with no threat of a shootout, or the thrill and tension of a game 7 where an entire season is on the line.
- How does the Leafs current five year drought (sure to be six next April) stack up against the rest of the NHL?
So I decided to look at all 30 NHL teams and their longest post-season drought since the league expanded in 1967:
I suppose the good news is the Leafs have a long way to go before they break any NHL records for futility...of note, three of these streaks are ongoing: Florida, Toronto and Edmonton.
|
Team |
Playoff Drought |
Seasons |
|
NJ Devils*** |
9 |
79-87 |
|
Florida |
9 |
01-10 |
|
Washington* |
8 |
74-82 |
|
NY Rangers |
7 |
97 - 04 |
|
NY Islanders |
7 |
94-01 |
|
Columbus* |
7 |
00-07 |
|
Detroit |
7 |
70-77 |
|
Calgary |
7 |
96-03 |
|
Pittsburgh |
6 |
82-88 |
|
Atlanta* |
6 |
00-06 |
|
Tampa Bay |
6 |
96-02 |
|
Carolina*** |
6 |
92-98 |
|
LA Kings |
6 |
02-08 |
|
Phoenix |
6 |
02-08 |
|
Philadelphia |
5 |
89-94 |
|
Chicago** |
5 |
02-07 |
|
Nashville |
5 |
98-03 |
|
Colorado*** |
5 |
87-92 |
|
Toronto |
5 |
05-10 |
|
Ottawa* |
4 |
92-96 |
|
Vancouver |
4 |
96-00 |
|
Edmonton |
4 |
92-96 | 06-10 |
|
Montreal |
3 |
98-01 |
|
Buffalo |
3 |
99-01 | 01-04 |
|
St.Louis |
3 |
05-08 |
|
Dallas |
3 |
73-76 |
|
Anaheim |
3 |
93-96* | 99-02 |
|
Boston** |
2 |
05-07 |
|
Minnesota |
2 |
00-02 | 03-05 | 08-10 |
|
San Jose |
2 |
91-93* | '95-97 |
*drought started with their first year in the NHL
** have longer droughts that pre-date 1967
*** drought occurred/is shared with previous franchise (e.g. Whalers, Nordiques, Rockies)


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