Ranking the Most Successful Franchises in the Expansion Era

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
Since the league expanded from just 6 teams, which teams have been the most successful?
IMO, the top 10 would be:
1. Montreal Canadiens: 10 cups; 11 finals - 82 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993)

2. Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 cups; 6 finals - 76 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, 2017)

3. Edmonton Oilers: 5 cups; 7 finals - 59 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990)

4. Detroit Red Wings: 4 cups; 6 finals - 62 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008)

5. New York Islanders: 4 cups; 5 finals - 43 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)

6. Boston Bruins: 3 cups, 9 finals - 72 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1970, 1972, 2011)
7. Chicago Blackhawks: 3 cups; 6 finals - 47 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (2010, 2013, 2015)

8. New Jersey Devils: 3 cups; 5 finals - 33 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1995, 2000, 2003)

9. Philadelphia Flyers: 2 cups; 8 finals - 48 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (1974, 1975)

10. Los Angeles Kings: 2 cups; 3 finals - 39 total team/individual awards won
Cup winning years (2012, 2014)
 
Last edited:

Sugi21

Registered User
Dec 7, 2016
3,098
2,771
The newer Stanley Cups are worth way more than those in the 60s - 80s.
Lol tell that to the warriors who one them in the 60’s-80’s!!!! Might have been less teams back then but the games were played tougher compared to today!!!
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
22,532
33,770
Brewster, NY
The thing is how you define success over that span? If you are just counting cups a team like the Isles are very high. If you go by all time winning percentage they are 21st. In contrast the Sabres have never won it all yet our all time winning percentage is 8th in league history and 4 of the teams above us (Vegas, Wild,Preds,Ducks) are relatively new. Habs, Flyers and Bruins are the other team.
 

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
In contrast, the five worst franchises in the expansion era would probably be:

Minnesota Wild: 0 cups; 0 finals - 7 total team/individual awards won
Active since 2000 (9 playoff appearances; 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 106 (2017)

Old Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes: 0 cups; 0 finals - 12 total team/individual awards won
Active since 1979 (19 playoff appearances, 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 107 (2010)

Atlanta Thrashers/New Winnipeg Jets: 0 cups; 0 finals - 2 total team/individual awards won
Active since 2000 (3 playoff appearances, 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 114 (2018)

Columbus Blue Jackets: 0 cups; 0 finals - 8 total team/individual awards won
Active since 2000 (4 playoff appearances, 0 division titles)
Peak Points Total in a season: 108 (2017)

Toronto Maple Leafs: 0 cups; 0 finals - 7 total/team individual awards won
Original Six Franchise (29 playoff appearances, 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 105 (2018)

These are also the only five teams in the expansion era to never make a cup final.
 

Volica

Papa Shango
May 15, 2012
21,391
11,074
The newer Stanley Cups are worth way more than those in the 60s - 80s.

You'd have to do a weight scale.
Like, how do you weigh pre-cap versus post-cap?

Essentially, in the 90's early 2000's, how do you even weigh those? Only the teams able to pay star players all the money are competing for cups between 95 and 2003.

Really difficult to do honestly. It'd be some kind of algorithm that also looks at team salaries and assigns a numerical percentage/decimal for the salary. It's much easier to look at it how OP did it.
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
22,532
33,770
Brewster, NY
In contrast, the five worst franchises in the expansion era would probably be:

Minnesota Wild: 0 cups; 0 finals - 7 total team/individual awards won
Active since 2000 (9 playoff appearances; 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 106 (2017)

Old Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes: 0 cups; 0 finals - 12 total team/individual awards won
Active since 1979 (19 playoff appearances, 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 107 (2010)

Atlanta Thrashers/New Winnipeg Jets: 0 cups; 0 finals - 2 total team/individual awards won
Active since 2000 (3 playoff appearances, 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 114 (2018)

Columbus Blue Jackets: 0 cups; 0 finals - 8 total team/individual awards won
Active since 2000 (4 playoff appearances, 0 division titles)
Peak Points Total in a season: 108 (2017)

Toronto Maple Leafs: 0 cups; 0 finals - 7 total/team individual awards won
Original Six Franchise (29 playoff appearances, 1 division title)
Peak Points Total in a season: 105 (2018)

These are also the only five teams in the expansion era to never make a cup final.
By win percentage the Wild are 7th, Toronto is 21st and Arizona is dead last.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GOATofGOATs1987

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
Upon reflection I'd put Detroit above Edmonton due to continued success.
Yea Detroit and Edmonton are both interchangeable at 3 and 4. NYI is tough to rank in this scenario since they won 4 cups in a row in the early 80's, and cups are obviously the most important category in any sport, but at the same time, NYI has been widely mediocre ever since.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->