Ranking the Last 10 Stanley Cup Champions
Where do the Florida Panthers rank?
The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final (again). Among the last 10 Cup champions, spanning back to 2016, where do they rank? Are they one of the all-timers of this era?
10. 2019 St. Louis Blues
The worst-to-first St. Louis Blues were the feel-good story of the 2010s. As late as Jan. 2, 2019, they had the worst record in the NHL despite spending key futures on center Ryan O’Reilly the previous offseason. It was a dreary time for a team trying to contend.
But rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington helped turn the team’s season around. From his season-opening start on Jan. 7 onward, he had a 24–5–1 record, getting the Blues into the playoffs rather comfortably (by 13 points).
The Blues had a semi-difficult road to the Cup, beating stacked San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins rosters to make it happen. They even directly lost a game because of a missed call, but they endured en route to their first-ever title.
Their roster was very well-rounded, with some superstar-level performances. O’Reilly stood out the most, winning the Selke and Conn Smythe Trophies. But overall, this team wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the others on the list. The Blues had a 16–10 record in the postseason and a 51.67% total playoff goal share—good, but falling short of best-Stanley-Cup-winner-of-the-last-10-seasons good.
9. 2018 Washington Capitals
Speaking of feel-good stories of the 2010s, the 2018 Washington Capitals certainly fit the bill. Alex Ovechkin shot them into contention a decade prior, but they were never able to get past the second round. Their previous two rosters reached the 55-win mark, but those struggles persisted, losing twice to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But 2018 marked a breakthrough, even though they saw a regular-season regression of 13 points. They again reached the second round, following a 2–0 series hole against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but faced a familiar foe: the Penguins.
This time was different. On the road, the Capitals defeated the Penguins in six games, courtesy of an Evgeny Kuznetsov overtime goal. In their first Eastern Conference Final of the Ovechkin era, they snuck past the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven. Of course, they won the whole thing just weeks later.
These Capitals were seemingly a team of destiny, but they don’t stack up entirely well against the other champions of the past decade. Similarly to St. Louis, this was a well-built roster with some superstar-level playoff performances—Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, namely. But this wasn’t prime-era Ovechkin, and the run wasn’t as adversity-free as some others on this list.
8. 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins
It’s easy to forget, but around this time, the Penguins were thought to be on the decline. From 2010 to 2015, during the prime years of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, they didn’t win a single game after the second round. They were a measly wildcard team prior to this run, losing in five games to the New York Rangers, then started off the 2015–16 campaign with a modest 15–10–3 record under head coach Mike Johnston.
But then the coaching change happened. Mike Sullivan was hired mid-season and helped Pittsburgh return to contention. The team had a .657 points percentage under their new bench boss, then went into the postseason with a purpose. They disposed of the Rangers in five, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals in six, and the defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning in seven. A Cup-hungry San Jose Sharks team was beaten in six to top everything off.
There’s nothing “wrong” with this team that puts them at eighth. But they weren’t a bulldozer on their way to Crosby’s second title, something that does apply to the higher-up teams on this list.
7. 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins
Beating out the 2016 Penguins is their 2017 selves. This team was on a roll from the jump, accumulating 111 regular-season points with the league’s top offense. With young sensation Matt Murray and future Hall of Famer Marc-André Fleury sharing the pipes, too, this team was superior to its counterparts.
Record-wise, the Penguins technically had a tougher time in the postseason—both the Capitals and Ottawa Senators pushed them to seven games. However, this team was marginally better than their last in regular-season and playoff goal share at 5-on-5. Statistically, Crosby and Malkin had better playoff runs, as well.
Ultimately, the art of the repeat is one that should be respected. The Penguins going back-to-back is naturally more impressive than the first one. The 2017 squad gets the nod.
6. 2024 Florida Panthers
Last year’s Panthers come in sixth on this list. With a plethora of superstar talent, depth, and Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, it’s certainly justified. They had a difficult road to their first Stanley Cup, but they got it done—they might’ve been higher if it weren’t for their struggles toward the end.
