Source: Unsplash
Which Teams Have Dominated the NHL in Recent Years?
The NHL is often overlooked in the American sporting landscape, with both the NFL and the NBA receiving much more airtime than the ice rink. But the rink certainly still has plenty to offer, despite it falling behind soccer in terms of Stateside viewership. In recent years, plenty of stories have developed, and former underdogs have risen to the fore while heavyweights have fallen by the wayside.
In the early years of the league, it was Canadian teams that dominated. The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs have 27 championships between them, comfortably more than the rest of the league. However, the Great White North remains without a championship since 1993, and that drought extended into yet another last season, following the demise of the Edmonton Oilers. The Alberta outfit made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since the days of Wayne Gretzky, but they ultimately fell short in their quest to take the championship north of the border.
With the NHL season set to get back underway in October, which teams are considered heavy hitters in the league at present? Here are the teams that have dominated the ice hockey landscape over the last few years.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers have experienced a remarkable transformation in recent years and they have become arguably the NHL’s most formidable team. Throughout the first 20 years of the new millennium, the Floridians were the perennial whipping boys. They reached the postseason just three times between 2000 and 2020 and were one of the leading candidates for relocation.
However, over the last four years, the Cats have become the dominant force in the league. In 2023, they reached the Stanley Cup finals for just the second time in history, as a wildcard no less. Unfortunately, that would end in defeat at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, but the Panthers wouldn’t be deterred.
They won the Atlantic Division last season before going on to reach the Championship Series for the second straight year. And this time, they emerged victorious, triumphing against Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game thriller. Their victory landed them their first-ever Stanley Cup, and now the latest odds from online NHL lines and futures providers make them the +900 second favorites to retain their crown.
Central to Florida’s success are key players such as Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. The former’s arrival in a blockbuster trade from the Calgary Flames in 2022 added a new dimension to the team and he has gone on to become the main man at the Amerant Bank Arena with his offensive brilliance and physical style of play. Finnish sensation Barkov has become the Panthers’ captain and leader, and he continues to lead by example, catalyzing the Panthers’ rise from fodder to champions.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have maintained a reputation for consistent excellence, defying predictions of decline. Despite being without a championship since 2011, the Beantown outfit has dominated proceedings in the regular season. They have won the President’s Trophy twice in the last four years, with their most recent in 2023 being a record-breaker. They finished a whopping 13 points clear of their nearest rivals, the biggest margin in history.
Unfortunately for them, however, they have also fallen victim to the President’s Trophy curse, with their postseason loss to the Panthers in 2023 being particularly disappointing. The Bruins headed into that wildcard clash as huge favorites to knock off the wildcards, especially after winning 23 more games than the Cats throughout the regular season. Unfortunately, however, that counted for little in the postseason, and it was Florida that progressed in a seven-game shocker.
Despite their postseason woes, Boston remains a heavyweight in the NHL, but that status could leave them over the next year. Last term, the Panthers flexed their muscles by not only finishing above them in the 2023/24 regular season but also eliminating them from the playoffs for the second straight year. If they fall further behind the Floridians, expect a restructure to take place shortly, as well as a complete overhaul of the roster.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s remarkable run between 2019 and 2022 saw the Florida outfit emerge as the team to beat in the NHL. The Bolts reached three straight Stanley Cup finals during those years, winning the first two against the Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens before being downed by the Colorado Avalanche while standing on the brink of history.
It had been 39 long years since a team had won three straight championships, and the Lightning looked set to emulate the success of the New York Islanders. Ultimately, they were downed in six and are still yet to recover.
Key figures like Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman have been instrumental in the Lightning’s golden era. The former’s offensive flair led him to the Art Ross trophy last season, while the latter’s defensive prowess made him an indispensable asset. Now, however, they have the unenviable task of restoring dominance before it is too late.
Tampa Bay has been eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs in each of the last two campaigns, and getting over that hurdle in the 2024/25 campaign before embarking on a deep postseason run once again remains the primary task at hand.