Every spring, 16 NHL teams fight through a gauntlet for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. Widely considered the most grueling journey to glory in American sports, hockey players are known for their indomitable spirit when the games matter most.
Every team will put up a worthy fight, but which clubs have suffered through the most to earn a chance at this trophy? Here are the four NHL teams that are most desperate to win the Stanley Cup.
Number 4: The Buffalo Sabres:
For Buffalo, the lows have simply been lower than any other team to this point. Some argue the organizational dysfunction is immensely more painful than playoff heartbreak. As a biased Rangers fan, I cannot imagine anything worse than a brutal playoff dagger.
In the last 14 years, the Buffalo fanbase has been through it all, except the playoffs, of course. In fact, that drought was the longest active drought in North American sports until they clinched a postseason berth just this month.
In their playoff absence, Buffalo watched a handful of their top draft picks leave town and immediately win championships, such as Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. In their many run-ins with the draft lottery, the Sabres also snatched first overall picks like Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, who, along with sparkplug Tage Thompson, have finally led Buffalo back to the big dance.
As things currently stand, they’ll enter an electric matchup with the Boston Bruins, who pose a significant threat to their championship aspirations.
Number 3: The Carolina Hurricanes:
Carolina is at a crossroads in terms of playoff disappointment.
Rod Brind’Amour, the head coach and a former champion as a Hurricanes player, has not led his team past the conference finals. Carolina’s past four years have included two semifinal collapses against the New York Rangers and two conference finals embarrassments against the Florida Panthers.
In this time, the Hurricanes have been dubbed an unattractive destination for star players, with the likes of Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen both refusing to sign extensions with them in back-to-back years.
As their players progress towards free agency, Carolina knows that the window for a championship is finite, and if they cannot capitalize with home ice advantage in a weaker Eastern Conference, they may begin to drift further from contention.
Number 2: The Boston Bruins:
The Bruins find themselves here for good reason. Since their last Stanley Cup win in 2011, they have been the face of some historic disappointments.
In 2013, they dropped the Stanley Cup Final to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games, and in 2019, they lost game seven of the final on home ice to the St. Louis Blues.
Unfortunately, it does not end there for the Boston faithful. Their fans enjoyed a historic 2022-23 season, where they set an NHL record with 65 wins. As soon as the postseason started, though, Boston produced a historic collapse, blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Florida Panthers, ultimately giving up a game seven overtime goal at home in TD Garden.
It almost feels pointless to note that they lost again to Florida the following year and, most recently, missed the playoffs in 2025. Boston has been tortured by the bright lights for more than a decade, and, poised for a matchup with the lovable Buffalo Sabres, most fans will be rooting against them once more.
Number 1: The Edmonton Oilers
With the best player in the world skating for you, winning should be expected. As it often unfolds in hockey, the Oilers’ playoff journey is a few unlucky bounces away from glory.
Mere minutes away from completing a historic 3-0 comeback against the Florida Panthers, they were denied by one goal. The very next year, Edmonton summited the Western Conference again, but their fate remained the same: a crushing finals loss to Florida.
With Connor McDavid’s future up in the air and Leon Draisaitl struggling with a lower-body injury, Edmonton needs to hoist a cup before this chapter is remembered solely for its misery.
If you took anything from this list, maybe your fingers are crossed for these four tormented franchises, although a dozen competitors will be fighting just as hard for glory. Whichever basket you place your eggs in, this year’s NHL playoffs line up to be one for the ages, and with the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers watching from the sidelines, the cup is more up for grabs than ever.