Of the 32 teams currently playing in the NHL, 10 are yet to win the Stanley Cup.
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The Stanley Cup is awarded to the winners of the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs every year. First created in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, it’s the oldest trophy awarded in North American professional sports.
Each year, we celebrate the winner of the Stanley Cup, but which franchises have never clinched the trophy? Read on as we list the NHL teams without a Stanley Cup win, as of the 2024-25 season.
How many NHL teams have never won a Stanley Cup?
Of the 32 teams that currently compete in the NHL, 22 franchises have lifted the Stanley Cup at some point in their history. That means 10 hockey clubs remain without a Stanley Cup win.
10 NHL teams without a Stanley Cup
Out of the 10 NHL teams that have never won a Stanley Cup, a handful of teams have been waiting more than half a century to take home the trophy. Let’s take a closer look at the facts below.
Utah Mammoth (formerly Arizona Coyotes)
After relocating to Salt Lake City in 2025, the Arizona Coyotes now go by Utah Mammoth. Not only has Utah Mammoth never won a Stanley Cup, they are also the oldest franchise without an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Since entering the NHL in 1979 as the Winnipeg Jets, the franchise’s best result was a loss in the Western Conference Finals in 2011-12.
Utah Mammoth ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2019-20, but lost in the first round to the Colorado Avalanche.
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo has reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice, first losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 before being beaten in 1999 by the Dallas Stars. Since then, the Sabres have reached the playoffs just six times, advancing past the first round on three of those occasions.
Buffalo currently holds the NHL’s longest playoff drought of nine seasons, with their last postseason game coming in 2010-11.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus are one of the NHL’s youngest franchises, joining the league in 2000 as an expansion team. After some struggles in their early years, Columbus has developed into a playoffs regular in recent years, reaching the postseason in each of the last four seasons.
They are yet to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, though, or the Conference Finals for that matter.
Minnesota Wild
Since their first season in 2000-01, the Wild have made the playoffs more often than not – they’ve reached the postseason in 14 of their 25 campaigns to date.
That consistency hasn’t been converted into titles, though, with their best result being a Conference Finals appearance in 2003.
In their nine playoff appearances since then, Minnesota has advanced past the first round just twice.
Nashville Predators
The Predators have been a postseason fixture in recent seasons, reaching the playoffs in 13 of the last 15 seasons. That run included their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2017, with Nashville eventually losing out 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They won their first Presidents’ Trophy the following year, but failed to convert that into a Stanley Cup.
Ottawa Senators
The original Ottawa Senators were one of the most famous teams in the early years of the NHL, winning 11 Stanley Cups between 1903 and 1927. The current Senators are a new franchise, though, and are yet to win the NHL’s biggest prize since their establishment in 1992.
Among 16 playoff appearances and four division titles, Ottawa’s best performance in the postseason was their run to the Finals in 2007. For more on their highs and lows, explore our guide to the history of Ottawa Sentators and the Stanley Cup.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks have been one of the best teams to never win a Stanley Cup in recent years, registering nine 100-point seasons since 2003-04. Their success in the regular season has never translated into a Stanley Cup, though.
San Jose has appeared in just one Stanley Cup Finals in their history, losing in six games to Pittsburgh in 2015-16.
Vancouver Canucks
Since joining the league alongside the Sabres in 1970, Vancouver has qualified for the postseason more often than not. It has also reached three Stanley Cup Finals – in 1982, 1994 and 2011 – losing two of those series in seven games. Along with Buffalo, the Canucks are the oldest team in the NHL without a Stanley Cup win.
Seattle Kraken
One of the newest franchises in the NHL, it’s no surprise that Seattle Kraken joins the list of teams that have never won a Stanley Cup trophy. Still finding their feet in the tournament, Kraken qualified for the playoffs in 2023, going on to play and win against the Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
Nonetheless, they were defeated by the Dallas Stars in the second round, and haven’t qualified for the playoffs since.
Winnipeg Jets
In their initial guise as the Atlanta Thrashers, the franchise reached the playoffs just once in 11 seasons. A move to Winnipeg has brought four postseason appearances in nine years, but no Stanley Cup Finals appearances. The Jets’ best result was a run to the Conference Finals in 2017-18, where they lost to Vegas.
Read more about the top franchise in the League with our latest insights: for instance, dive into the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Stanley Cup, or learn more about the rules beyond the regular season with our essential guide to how the Stanley Cup playoffs work.
Or for national statistics on where loyalties lie, read our analysis into which NHL team each state is rooting for. Follow the action with Betway Insider today.
