NHL Teams That Have Never Won the Stanley Cup

Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have been to the Stanley Cup Final three times, but have yet to bring home the trophy. Elsa / Getty Images

There are 11 current NHL teams that have never won a Stanley Cup. All are teams that joined the league since 1967. 

The senior-most team that has not won a Stanley Cup is the St. Louis Blues, who entered the league in the 1967-68 season. The Blues showed promise early on, making the Stanley Cup finals in their first three seasons. The Vancouver Canucks, who joined the NHL in the 1970-71 season, also made the Stanley Cup finals three times, once in three different decades.

Four of the 11 teams have never made it to the Stanley Cup finals: the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise, the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise, Minnesota Wild, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

In 2018, Washington Capitals, who joined in NHL in the 1974-75 season, finally ended their Stanley Cup drought, defeating the league's newest team, the Vegas Golden Knights. The Capitals had been to the Stanley Cup Final just once previously, losing to the Red Wings in 1998

NHL Teams With No Stanley Cups

The NHL teams that never won the Stanley Cup represent most regions of the United States and western Canada. The year they joined the NHL is in parentheses.

  • St. Louis Blues (1967-68)
    The Blues represented the Western Division (consisting exclusively of expansion teams) in the Stanley Cup Finals of 1968, 1969, and 1970.
  • Buffalo Sabres (1970-71)
    The Sabres have been to the Stanley Cup Final twice, losing to the Flyers in 1975 and Stars in 1999.
  • Vancouver Canucks (1970-71)
    The Canucks have been to the Stanley Cup Final three times, losing to the Islanders in 1982, the Rangers in 1994, and the Bruins in 2011.
  • San Jose Sharks (1991-92)
    The Sharks played their first Stanley Cup final in 2016 but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 
  • Florida Panthers (1993-94)
    The Panthers have been to the Stanley Cup Final once, losing to the Avalanche in 1996.
  • Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes (1996-97)
    The Coyotes have made one appearance in the Western Conference Final, but have never played in a Stanley Cup Final. As the Winnipeg Jets (1979-1996) the team never made it further than the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
  • Nashville Predators (1998-99)
    For the first time in franchise history, the Predators won a Stanley Cup Playoff series in 2012. The team was eliminated in round two. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
  • Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets (1999-2000)
    The franchise has never won a Stanley Cup Playoff series.
  • Minnesota Wild (2000-01)
    The Wild have made one appearance in the Conference Final, but have never played in a Stanley Cup Final.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets (2000-01)
    The Blue Jackets have never won a Stanley Cup Playoff round.
  • Vegas Golden Knights (2017-18)
    The Golden Knights made it to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, losing to the Washington Capitals, who won their first Cup that year.

Longest Stanley Cup Drought Among Previous Winners

Although they have won 13 Stanley Cups, the Toronto Maple Leafs—one of the NHL's original six teams—last won the coveted trophy in 1967. That's the longest dry spell among teams that have won the Stanley Cup at least once. It's also a longer drought than any of the 11 teams that never won the NHL championship.