NHL Power Rankings: Every franchise statistically ranked all-time
By Daniel
25. Florida Panthers (1993): 0.571 Points
The NHL franchise that calls Miami home has seen a little success since joining in the early 1990s. They’ve won their division once as well a conference championship. In 1995-96 they made it to the Cup final, but lost. That year seeing rubber rats being thrown on the ice was commonplace in response to a rat that invaded the Panthers’ locker room. Pavel Bure and Olli Jokinen are among the best skaters to don Florida sweaters. They now boast Roberto Luongo at goalie and have a relatively young roster, but need a few years to build.
24. New York Rangers (1942): 0.805 Points
The lowest ranked franchise from the “Original Six” on this list is the New York Rangers. They have seen some success winning one Stanley Cup (in the modern era), two conference championships, four division championships, and two Presidents’ Trophies. But that success has been spread out between a 72 year history, since the “Original Six” was formed. It’s not an overwhelming amount of success considering their time in the league. Their current roster is really good as they were runner up in the Cup last year. Their goalie “King Henry” Lundqvist is an all-time great and their defensemen Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Ryan McDonaugh are top notch. Forwards Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash are pretty good, too. This roster goes much deeper though. Look for them to be contenders for the next few years. Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Rod Gilbert, and Jaromir Jagr are among the best players to come through the franchise.
23. St. Louis Blues (1967): 0.808 Points
The Blues have one of the most boisterous and loyal fan bases in the entire league. Yet they’ve not etched their name onto a Cup and are subsequently the lowest ranked “Second Six” team on this list. They’ve won a respectable eight division championships and one Presidents’ trophy. But St. Louis hasn’t been able to get it done in the playoffs. They’ve yet to win a Stanley Cup in their entire history (despite impressively making the playoffs every year from 1980-2004). A handful of their best all-time players are Brett Hull, Dale Hawerchuk, Al MacInnis, Joe Mullen, Adam Oates, and Brendan Shanahan to name a few. They currently have one of the best rosters in the NHL, captained by David Backes. Their stadium experience is among the best in the league and they famously feature a live organist. Look for them to climb this list over the next few years.
22. Washington Capitals (1974): 1.150 Points
The Capitals have had some successful seasons since joining the league, but overall have been lackluster as an organization. They’ve put together eight division championship seasons, but have won only one conference championship. They have won a single Presidents’ Trophy, too. Their lack of success in the playoffs, even with the league’s top scorer, has hurt their ranking significantly. Alex Ovechkin is a great offensive player, but he hasn’t gotten them over the top. They’re currently a middle of the road team in the Eastern Conference. Over the history of their franchise they’ve retired four numbers, Rod Langway, Yvon Labre, Mike Gartner, and Dale Hunter. They’ve also had Scott Stevens, Larry Murphy, and Adam Oates play for them — it’s not like this franchise has been awful. But their individual successes haven’t brought a cup to the nation’s capital yet.
21. Buffalo Sabres (1970): 1.227 Points
Buffalo has seen a significant amount of success as an organization despite never lifting the Cup. In 44 seasons the Sabres have have won three conference championships, six division championships and one Presidents’ Trophy. Their current roster has some talent in forwards Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson, and Brian Gionta among other young players. A taste of their all-time best players includes Pat LaFontaine, Gilberg Perreault, Dave Andreychuk, Rick Martin and of course goaltender Dominik Hasek. They’re currently in rebuild mode, so they probably won’t be moving up this ranking too quickly over the coming seasons.