Historical Comparable to San Jose from 2006 to 2011

[GMR]

Here are their records from 2006-2011

2006 - 11th in the league in points* (they were 8-12-4 before the Thornton trade)
2007 - 6th in the league in points
2008 - 2nd in the league in points
2009 - 1st in the league in points
2010 - 2nd in the league in points
2011 - 5th in the league in points

They did not make the Finals in any of these seasons. What other teams post-expansion missed the Finals entirely despite having such impressive consecutive regular seasons? In fact, they only made two Conference Finals during this time. They choked against Edmonton in 2006 and Detroit in 2007 when having those teams on the ropes. Two series they should have won and made two additional Conference Finals.

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[Michael Farkas]

Washington -
2008: 12th in the NHL in points, 8th in offense. Out in the 1st round.
2009: 4th in the NHL in points, 3rd in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2010: 1st in the NHL in points, 1st in offense. Out in the 1st round.
2011: 2nd in the NHL in points, 19th in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2012: 15th in the NHL in points, 15th in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2013: 9th in the NHL in points, 3rd in offense. Out in the 1st round.
2014: Missed playoffs.
2015: 9th in the NHL in points, 6th in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2016: 1st in the NHL in points, 2nd in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2017: 1st in the NHL in points, 3rd in offense. Out in the 2nd round.

Then they found a center that could carry the puck through the NZ as opposed to a winger and it opened up their whole world...

 

[tony d]

Some of those Washington teams in the late 80's early 90's were very good without making the finals.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

st louis, from keenan to quenneville

 

[CharlestownChiefsESC]

Ny Rangers 69-75. Always in the mix but never could get it done.

 

[ShelbyZ]

st louis, from keenan to quenneville

The Quenneville Blues was going to be my answer, but I held back because they really didn't have "consecutive" impressive seasons like OP was looking for.

 

[GMR]

Washington -
2008: 12th in the NHL in points, 8th in offense. Out in the 1st round.
2009: 4th in the NHL in points, 3rd in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2010: 1st in the NHL in points, 1st in offense. Out in the 1st round.
2011: 2nd in the NHL in points, 19th in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2012: 15th in the NHL in points, 15th in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2013: 9th in the NHL in points, 3rd in offense. Out in the 1st round.
2014: Missed playoffs.
2015: 9th in the NHL in points, 6th in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2016: 1st in the NHL in points, 2nd in offense. Out in the 2nd round.
2017: 1st in the NHL in points, 3rd in offense. Out in the 2nd round.

Then they found a center that could carry the puck through the NZ as opposed to a winger and it opened up their whole world...

Yeah, they were the Sharks of the West in many ways. Even so, they had more gaps where they weren't as good. San Jose was a contender every year during the stretch I posted. Washington was inconsistent at times in the regular season during those years you cited. Close enough, though. It's no coincidence their best years came in the seasons Pittsburgh made the Finals. Their historical arch-nemesis for a reason.


Some people mentioned the Blues. The Blues under Quenneville were good but not as good as Detroit, Colorado, or Dallas. They had strong regular seasons, but someone else in their Conference always seemed to be better. 2000 was the exception, but nobody really thought they were the favorites in the West when the playoffs started that year. For many years running, when the playoffs began, I thought this has to finally be San Jose's year. I don't think I ever felt that way with the Blues.

 

[reckoning]

Buffalo in the 10 seasons from 75-76 to 84-85
'76: 4th
'77: 5th
'78: 5th
'79: 7th
'80: 2nd
'81: 5th
'82: 6th
'83: 9th
'84: 4th
'85: 8th

Never were considered the Cup favorite in any of those seasons, but still a playoff disappointment. Four 1st round losses, five 2nd round losses, and one lone trip to the semi-finals in '80.

 

[Midnight Judges]

What changed with the Caps is that they never had a legitimate blue line or a good coach until 2015.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

Think the 60s Blackhawks would be a good example, although they start off with a cup win in 61 and have finals trips in 62, 65, 71, and 73, they still massively underachieved compared to their potential. Of particular note are first round knockouts in 63, 64, & 66 when they were second in the season standings, the ugly loss to the Maple Leafs in 67, and being swept by the Bruins in the effective cup final (of the O6 side of the bracket) in 1970.

Really from 62 to 73, that Blackhawks team always seemed to underachieve in important moments

 

[The Panther]

Ny Rangers 69-75. Always in the mix but never could get it done.

They made the Finals in '72.

 

[The Panther]

I submit the Calgary Flames, post 1989-Cup:

1989-90: 99 pts, 1st in division, 2nd overall
- choked in first round to a team 24 points behind them

1999-91: 100 pts, 2nd in division, 5th overall
- choked in first round to a team 20 points behind them

1991-92: season choke when Risebrough traded Gilmour/Macoun for a bag of donuts

1992-93: 97 points, 2nd in division, 9th overall
- choked in first round to a team 9 points behind them

1993-94: 97 points, 1st in division, 6th overall
- choked in first round to a team 12 points behind them... after building a 3-1 series lead

1995: (short season), 1st in division, 7th overall
- choked in first round to a recent expansion team 12 points behind them


Seriously, can you imagine if that puck off Joel Otto's skate had not been counted a goal in 1989, and then the Canucks had won the game moments later? To the above chokes, we could add the 1987 first round choke to Winnipeg and the 1988 sweep to Edmonton.

 

[seventieslord]

99-06 Senators?

 

[GreatGonzo]

I didn’t know the sharks were supposed to make the finals in 2006, 2007, or 2008....not a very accurate take, but I understand.

A weird one to do but Detroit from ‘03-‘07 is sort of reasonable. coming off of their Stanley cup in ‘02....

03: 3rd in league(110 points)
04: 1st in the league(104 points)
06: 1st in the league(124 points)
07: 2nd in league(113 points)

Only made the conference finals once. Were upset in the first round in ‘06 and ‘03 and ‘04 in the second round against Calgary.

maybe Boston after their finals appearance in 1990? From ‘91-‘96?

91: 5th in league/1st in East(100 points)
92: 9th in league/6th East(84 points)
93: 2nd in league/2nd East(104 points)
94: 6th in league/4th in East(97 points)
95: 6th in league/4th East(54 points)
96: 8th in league/5th East(91 points)

Made the Conference finals in ‘91 and ‘92 losing to Pitt. Only made it past the first round once after that.

 

[The Macho King]

Late 70s/early 80s Flyers maybe?

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Islanders 1975-1979

 

[GMR]

I submit the Calgary Flames, post 1989-Cup:

1989-90: 99 pts, 1st in division, 2nd overall
- choked in first round to a team 24 points behind them

1999-91: 100 pts, 2nd in division, 5th overall
- choked in first round to a team 20 points behind them

1991-92: season choke when Risebrough traded Gilmour/Macoun for a bag of donuts

1992-93: 97 points, 2nd in division, 9th overall
- choked in first round to a team 9 points behind them

1993-94: 97 points, 1st in division, 6th overall
- choked in first round to a team 12 points behind them... after building a 3-1 series lead

1995: (short season), 1st in division, 7th overall
- choked in first round to a recent expansion team 12 points behind them


Seriously, can you imagine if that puck off Joel Otto's skate had not been counted a goal in 1989, and then the Canucks had won the game moments later? To the above chokes, we could add the 1987 first round choke to Winnipeg and the 1988 sweep to Edmonton.

I didn't realize they were so good in the regular seasons those years. When you think early 90's, you think Pittsburgh and the Rangers. I don't think of the Flames immediately as a contender. Yeah, they're a good choice for this topic. This is before the Trevor Kidd years I assume.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I didn't realize they were so good in the regular seasons those years. When you think early 90's, you think Pittsburgh and the Rangers. I don't think of the Flames immediately as a contender. Yeah, they're a good choice for this topic. This is before the Trevor Kidd years I assume.

the flames were definitely thought to be a favourite to come out of the campbell's conference for a lot of those post-89 years. in '94, commentators were talking about the first round matchup between calgary and vancouver (who had totally underachieved and finished in the 7th seed) as the real conference finals. as in, whoever won that series was going to the finals, which ended up being correct.

 

[GMR]

I didn’t know the sharks were supposed to make the finals in 2006, 2007, or 2008....not a very accurate take, but I understand.

A weird one to do but Detroit from ‘03-‘07 is sort of reasonable. coming off of their Stanley cup in ‘02....

03: 3rd in league(110 points)
04: 1st in the league(104 points)
06: 1st in the league(124 points)
07: 2nd in league(113 points)

Only made the conference finals once. Were upset in the first round in ‘06 and ‘03 and ‘04 in the second round against Calgary.

maybe Boston after their finals appearance in 1990? From ‘91-‘96?

91: 5th in league/1st in East(100 points)
92: 9th in league/6th East(84 points)
93: 2nd in league/2nd East(104 points)
94: 6th in league/4th in East(97 points)
95: 6th in league/4th East(54 points)
96: 8th in league/5th East(91 points)

Made the Conference finals in ‘91 and ‘92 losing to Pitt. Only made it past the first round once after that.

Nobody is supposed to make the Finals, but the Sharks were a legit contender all those years. Maybe not the top favorite, but still a contender.

Funny, I didn't think of the Red Wings from 2003-2007. That's a good choice actually. I likely omitted them because they did make the Finals in 2002 with largely a similar roster as 2003. So they tasted the Finals with that group. They also made the Finals in 2008 but so did the Sharks in 2016.

The lockout is a tough one because it breaks up consecutive seasons and lots of NHL players had an exodus after the 2005 lockout. Technically, the Sharks also made the Conference Finals in 2004 but I didn't want to include that because it was pre-lockout and pre-Joe Thornton years.

 

[GMR]

the flames were definitely thought to be a favourite to come out of the campbell's conference for a lot of those post-89 years. in '94, commentators were talking about the first round matchup between calgary and vancouver (who had totally underachieved and finished in the 7th seed) as the real conference finals. as in, whoever won that series was going to the finals, which ended up being correct.

In general in their history, the Flames either make the Finals or choke in the playoffs. They had almost no playoff success between 1989 to 2004 and between 2004 to now.

 

[GreatGonzo]

Nobody is supposed to make the Finals, but the Sharks were a legit contender all those years. Maybe not the top favorite, but still a contender.

Funny, I didn't think of the Red Wings from 2003-2007. That's a good choice actually. I likely omitted them because they did make the Finals in 2002 with largely a similar roster as 2003. So they tasted the Finals with that group. They also made the Finals in 2008 but so did the Sharks in 2016.

The lockout is a tough one because it breaks up consecutive seasons and lots of NHL players had an exodus after the 2005 lockout. Technically, the Sharks also made the Conference Finals in 2004 but I didn't want to include that because it was pre-lockout and pre-Joe Thornton years.

They weren’t “legit contenders” in 2006 or 2007. Sure they should have beat Edmonton, but that same Edmonton team beat a Juggernaut of a Detroit team. We also weren’t better than Detroit the following year. We were very much a one line team for the most part. We weren’t bad, but still finding our identity. 2008 and 2009 were different stories, but even then I highly doubt we beat Detroit either of those years in the playoffs. Some look at Thornton’s peak as the years where the sharks were “contenders” but we were a playoff team still building experience. You have to remember, they were bottom dwellers of the west before Thornton got there. I doubt they would have been much better in 2007.

I admit it’s a weird choice given they won the cup between those years, but there is that factor that they were truly favorites basically every year. I mean look at the west...The Ducks, Flames, Oilers....there was a lot of upsets going on in the west those years and all 3 went through Detroit to get there, and all 3 put up one hell of a fight in the finals. Detroit was always the team to beat every year in those years in the west. The only team that was truly a talented and deep team that again Beat Detroit was Anaheim in ‘07.

The lockout is weird. IMO, you have Teams like Ottawa, Detroit, Philly, even Tampa...all legit contenders. But at the same time who knows, the 2003, 2004, and even 2006 had a lot upsets. Maybe 2005 would have played out the same.

 

[Hockeyholic]

I didn’t know the sharks were supposed to make the finals in 2006, 2007, or 2008....not a very accurate take, but I understand.

A weird one to do but Detroit from ‘03-‘07 is sort of reasonable. coming off of their Stanley cup in ‘02....

03: 3rd in league(110 points)
04: 1st in the league(104 points)
06: 1st in the league(124 points)
07: 2nd in league(113 points)

Only made the conference finals once. Were upset in the first round in ‘06 and ‘03 and ‘04 in the second round against Calgary.

maybe Boston after their finals appearance in 1990? From ‘91-‘96?

91: 5th in league/1st in East(100 points)
92: 9th in league/6th East(84 points)
93: 2nd in league/2nd East(104 points)
94: 6th in league/4th in East(97 points)
95: 6th in league/4th East(54 points)
96: 8th in league/5th East(91 points)

Made the Conference finals in ‘91 and ‘92 losing to Pitt. Only made it past the first round once after that.

They ran into a hot goalie in 03. They dominated in shots. Scoring chances. Everything. There's literally nothing else they could've done. If that series is played ten times, Detroit wins nine times. That was a sweep. But it wasn't your usual sweep where the loser is vastly outplayed.

I'm not sure they were better than Anaheim in 07. Maybe during the season. But that Ducks team was built for the postseason. There was only one team in the West that Detroit matched up poorly with. And unfortunately they ended up facing them.

In 04 and 06 they choked. There was zero excuses to lose to those teams. Some blame Joseph in 04. The man gave up like four total goals from game 4-game 6.

 

[Hockeyholic]

The Pens underachieved in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014. I think their biggest mistake was not firing Bylsma after that Flyers series. That was an inexcusable loss to a much inferior opponent.

 

[The Panther]

I didn't realize they were so good in the regular seasons those years. When you think early 90's, you think Pittsburgh and the Rangers. I don't think of the Flames immediately as a contender. Yeah, they're a good choice for this topic. This is before the Trevor Kidd years I assume.

The Flames were actually a top regular season team all the way back to 1984-85, and up to 1995!

The fanbase needed a scapegoat for all the first-round failures, so they got rid of Mike Vernon (who went on to win the Cup and Conn Smythe with Detroit). Kidd was there against San Jose in '95. That series is 'Exhibit-A' in how not to play goal!

 

[LeafsNation75]

Here is where the Maple Leafs finished from 1999 - 2004.

1999: 5th overall with 97 points, lost in the Eastern Conference Final.

2000: 7th overall with 100 points, lost in the Eastern Conference Semi Final.

2001: 14th overall with 90 points, lost in the Eastern Conference Semi Final.

2002: 3rd overall with 100 points, lost in the Eastern Conference Final.

2003: 9th overall with 98 points, lost in the Eastern Conference Quarter Final.

2004: 5th overall with 103 points, lost in the Eastern Conference Semi Final.