Which NHL teams have seen the most playoff action since the turn of the millennium? Jared Clinton counts them down.
It has been nearly 90 years since the Montreal Maroons played their final season in the NHL, and when the franchise shuttered in 1938, it took plenty of big-league lore with it.
For instance, did you know the Maroons were the last team to win the Stanley Cup by way of a series between the champions of the NHL and the Western League?
It’s true, and the Maroons would add another Cup to their trophy case when they swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1935 final. The Maroons also featured the first two-time Hart Trophy winner, Nels Stewart, and were the team for whom Hall of Famers Hooley Smith, Lionel Conacher and Babe Siebert made their names.
So, perhaps it’s no surprise the Maroons were one of the most dominant franchises before the economics of the day – the club fell victim to the Great Depression – resulted in their demise. That dominance shows in the league registers, too, as only the Maple Leafs and New York Rangers played more playoff games than the Maroons (46) during Montreal’s 14-year NHL tenure.
Why is that relevant today? Because even now, the Maroons’ success was such that if they were inserted into our countdown of the NHL’s most playoff-tested franchises since the turn of the millennium, they wouldn’t be at the bottom.
Which clubs would the Maroons eclipse? The nascent Seattle Kraken are the easy answer – but they’re not the only one.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
219 games played
Four Stanley Cup finals, three titles and two more East finals in the Sidney Crosby era. Greatness personified.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
213 games played
In 10 appearances, the Bolts’ Jon Cooper has overseen more post-season games than all but 13 coaches in NHL history.
3. Boston Bruins
208 games played
The playoffs have mostly brought heartbreak. See: 2019’s Game 7 Cup-final loss and 2023’s gutting first-round exit.
4. San Jose Sharks
204 games played
The Sharks circled but never feasted in the post-season. San Jose struggled to shake the aughts’ choke-artist tag.
5. Colorado Avalanche
192 games played
Past 25 years defined by a fallow period bookended by brilliance. Nathan MacKinnon is Avs’ rightful heir to Joe Sakic.
6. Dallas Stars
184 games played
The Cup came before Y2K, but well-stocked Stars positioned to take next step after repeat conference final losses.
7. Detroit Red Wings
182 games played
How steady were the Wings in the early 2000s? Enough to land seventh on this list despite no playoffs in past nine years.
8. New York Rangers
175 games played
Since 2000, no team has played more playoff games but fewer in the Stanley Cup final (five) than the Rangers.
9. Philadelphia Flyers
169 games played
Eight coaches have won a playoff game in Philly since 2000 – but none has survived four full seasons with Flyers.
10. Washington Capitals
168 games played
Capitals have finished first in their division 10 times during the Alex Ovechkin era, but 2018 was the lone Cup victory.
11. New Jersey Devils
161 games played
Devils won Cups in 2000 and 2003, but wayward for more than a decade with just one series win in past 12 years.
12. St. Louis Blues
157 games played
Peaks and valleys throughout past 25 years but ascended NHL mountaintop with Gloria-powered 2019 Cup run.
13. Anaheim Ducks
147 games played
“Game 7” was an expletive in Anaheim as Ducks lost four straight Game 7s from 2013 to ’16, three by two goals or fewer.
14. Carolina Hurricanes
146 games played
Only four teams have won more playoff games since Rod Brind’Amour took over bench, but Cup has eluded his Canes.
15. Montreal Canadiens
143 games played
Habs fans, savor those post-season goals. Since 2000, Montreal has scored third-fewest goals per playoff game.
16. Chicago Blackhawks
142 games played
Period of dominance sandwiched between deep morasses – and Hawks don’t look primed for playoff return soon.
17. Vancouver Canucks
135 games played
Steady rise to 2011 Cup final, but then not much: only five berths since, and no runs past second round.
18. Nashville Predators
131 games played
Preds are most constant contender from 2000s expansion boom but have only advanced past first round five times.
19. Ottawa Senators
129 games played
Was 2017 the ‘Sliding Doors’ moment? This season is the first playoff berth for Sens since losing in double OT of Game 7 of East final.
20. Toronto Maple Leafs
127 games played
Playoffs in eight straight seasons, but only one run past first round. Leafs haven’t seen third round since 2002.
21. Los Angeles Kings
127 games played
After two Cups in three seasons, Kings have won just seven playoff games and zero playoff rounds in past 10 years.
22. Edmonton Oilers
115 games played
With Connor McDavid at the wheel – and now with reps in Cup final – Oilers will be dangerous for years to come.
23. New York Islanders
106 games played
Long gone are the halcyon days of the 1980s. Isles didn’t win a single playoff round in the first 15 years of the 2000s.
24. Minnesota Wild
96 games played
The Wild are regular playoff combatants but usually a quick out: Minnesota has averaged 7.4 games per berth.
25. Vegas Golden Knights
95 games played
The yin to Wild’s yang, as Vegas has averaged 15.8 games per playoff berth, the most of any team in the 2000s.
26. Calgary Flames
94 games played
Total buoyed by 2004 Cup run. Flames have made it past first round just twice in the two decades that followed.
27. Florida Panthers
82 games played
Defending champs have made back-to-back finals and are set to remain among top contenders in the East.
28. Buffalo Sabres
65 games played
Extra salt in the wound for Buffalo: only San Jose has a better post-2000 playoff win percentage without a Cup win.
29. Winnipeg Jets
53 games played
The franchise’s first three and each of its past three playoff exits have been the result of four consecutive losses.
30. Utah Hockey Club (Arizona Coyotes)
46 games played
Give Mike Smith credit for one-third of these games. His 2012 playoff performance dragged Coyotes to West final.
31. Columbus Blue Jackets
41 games played
The Blue Jackets have won just a single seven-game series: their historic sweep of the Lightning in 2019.
32. Seattle Kraken
14 games played
Seattle’s only playoff had two Game 7s and plenty of goals: Kraken and foes combined for 6.35 goals per game.
This article appeared in our 2025 Playoff Special issue. Our cover story focuses on Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who looks primed for another deep playoff run. We also include features on other Cup contenders, including the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and more. In addition, we give our power ranking of the top playoff teams heading into the 2025 post-season.
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