By Krishna Bhagnathsingh, The Hockey News Intern
Despite never winning the Stanley Cup, the Winnipeg Jets have been one of the NHL’s best teams over the past decade. Here’s a look at the top 10 teams from 2015-16 through 2024-25 based on regular-season wins.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning: 462 wins
The Lightning have been dominant this past decade, punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup final four times and winning two Cups in the process. They have made the playoffs nine times in the past decade, and big-game stars such as Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy have been key to the franchise’s success.
Playoff record (2016-24): 73-47
2. Boston Bruins: 454 wins
Even though Boston hasn’t won a Cup since 2011, they have been led by franchise legends such as retired captains Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron, as well as goalie Tuukka Rask and, now Florida Panther, Brad Marchand. Boston is still in good hands with top-flight sniper David Pastrnak, linchpin defenseman Charlie McAvoy and young starting goalie Jeremy Swayman to lead the team into the future.
Playoff record (2016-24): 45-48
3. Washington Capitals: 445 wins
The Capitals, like the Lightning, have made the playoffs nine times in the past decade. Washington has seen that success thanks to the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Braden Holtby and T.J. Oshie. With all of those household names nearing the end of their respective careers, they have given Caps fans much to cheer about.
Playoff record (2016-24): 37-41
4. Florida Panthers: 426 wins
Fresh off their first ever Cup win last season, the Panthers have lots to look forward to in the future. Looking at the past decade, the focus was on building a team that could contend. They really only started to put up impressive regular-season point totals in 2021-22. But watching Roberto Luongo stop shots and Aleksander Barkov develop during the period prior must have brought some peace to Cats fans – and if it didn’t, now they’ve got the greatest solace of all – the Stanley Cup.
Playoff record (2016-24): 38-33
5. Toronto Maple Leafs: 423 wins
The Leafs have been one of the top teams in the NHL since drafting Auston Matthews in 2016. And drafting Mitch Marner and William Nylander in the previous two years has helped form a core that can rack up plenty of regular-season wins. Despite not much playoff success, Leafs fans must be proud to be a top team in the regular season since the core came together.
Playoff record (2016-24): 24-33
6. Carolina Hurricanes: 422 wins
The Canes have developed star players such as Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov, all of whom play a vital role on the team. Despite Carolina making the playoffs only six times since 2015-16, they are well on their way to a fourth consecutive season of 100-plus points. With the team’s bevy of young talent, Canes fans still have a lot to look forward to.
Playoff record (2016-24): 38-36
7. Winnipeg Jets: 422 wins
The Jets haven’t had much to cheer about – at least in the playoffs – over the past decade. As mentioned above, they haven’t won a Stanley Cup in their franchise’s history. However, Jets fans have gotten to witness players such as Dustin Byfuglien, Patrik Laine, Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor first-hand. The winning run that the Jets are on this season can hopefully give fans something to remember forever and maybe add some silverware to the franchise’s name.
Playoff record (2016-24): 18-27
8. Colorado Avalanche: 418 wins
Developing superstar players like Cale Makar and witnessing top-notch performances from Nathan MacKinnon has to make Avs fans happy. Having one of the best forwards and defensemen in the league is a big part of what makes Colorado a competitive team, especially in the playoffs. A Cup win in 2022 was proof. The Avs still have a lot of years with both MacKinnon and Makar, and it wouldn’t be surprising if another Cup is added to the shelf in Colorado.
Playoff record (2016-24): 49-31
9. Dallas Stars: 415 wins
The Stars have seen playoff hockey six times in the past decade, including a Cup final loss to Tampa Bay in the 2020 bubble. The Stars have been lucky to have Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin don the star for all (Benn) or most (Seguin) of their careers. Dallas will look to erase their misfortunes in the future with players such as Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen and youngsters Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley.
Playoff record (2016-24): 52-46
10. Pittsburgh Penguins: 414 wins
Much like Washington, the Pens have leaned on franchise superstars to propel their decade-long success. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury are at the front of a long line of Penguins legends. Those players helped Pittsburgh win back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017. The future of the Pens is unclear, given that Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Bryan Rust are the only players from the back-to-back Cup runs to still be on the team and are all on the back end of their illustrious careers.
Playoff record (2016-24): 44-38
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