Top Ten Worst NHL Teams of the 2010s

The 2010s were widely dominated by the Kings (2 Cups), the Blackhawks (3 Cups), and the Penguins (2 Cups). The Bruins, Capitals, and Blues each won one Cup in the decade also.

But those are the successful teams. What about the worst teams of the 2010s? Vote for which NHL team you think was the most unsuccessful from 2010 to 2019.

The Top Ten

  1. Buffalo Sabres

    The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was established in 1970 and has made multiple playoff appearances.

    The Sabres actually had a great start to the decade in 2010, finishing first in their division but dropping out in the 1st round. From there, things quickly escalated downhill.

    In 2011 they finished 3rd in their division and were able to clinch a playoff spot but again lost in the 1st round.

    In 2012 they finished 3rd in their division again, but with no playoff appearance.

    In 2013 they finished 5th in their division, with no playoff appearance.

    In 2014 they finished 30th (last) in the league with an embarrassing 52 points.

    In 2015 they finished last in the league again with 54 points.

    In 2016 they jumped up 7 places to 23rd in the league.

    In 2017 they dropped down to 26th.

    In 2018 they fell to last place in the league once again.

    In 2019 they had an amazing start to the season but quickly lost their momentum, finishing in 26th.

    Those are painfully bad stats. They never even won a playoff series throughout the entire decade! Even now, in 2020, they're failing in their attempts to make the playoffs. They easily take #1 on this list.

  2. Edmonton Oilers

    The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League. The team has a rich history, including multiple Stanley Cup victories during the 1980s with Wayne Gretzky.

    In 2010, unlike the Sabres, the Oilers started the decade not only missing the playoffs but finishing last in the league.

    In 2011 they were again last in the league.

    In 2012 they gained one position, finishing 29th in the league.

    In 2013 they finished 24th, which is better but still horrid.

    In 2014 they finished 28th, back to the bottom 3.

    In 2015 they stayed in 28th.

    In 2016 they dropped down to 29th, got the #1 draft pick, and drafted Connor McDavid.

    In 2017, with massive help from McDavid, they launched to 8th place in the league! They also beat the Sharks in the 1st round of the playoffs but lost to Anaheim in the 2nd round. It's only because of this season that I didn't rank them worse than the Sabres.

    In 2018 they dropped back out of a playoff spot, finishing 23rd.

    In 2019 they finished 25th.

    If you calculate the P% through 2010-2019, the Oilers actually place last with a brutal 0.452%, while the Sabres place second to last with 0.460%. But I still think the Sabres were the worse team.

  3. Florida Panthers

    The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area, specifically in Sunrise, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. As of 2025, the team has won consecutive Stanley Cup championships... read more

    The Panthers did quite decently in the regular season this decade. They finished 1st in their division twice and barely missed the playoffs almost every other year. But when it came to the playoffs, they immediately lost in the 1st round. They still keep barely missing the playoffs to this day. Maybe they'll be one of the worst teams of the 2020s.

  4. Arizona Coyotes

    The Arizona Coyotes were a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They were a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was originally established as the Winnipeg Jets in 1972 before relocating to Arizona in 1996... read more

    They did pretty well the first few years of the decade (2010, 2011, 2012), and then in 2013 and 2014 they barely missed the playoffs.

    But when the 2015 season came, they turned to crap, and that lameness continued all the way until 2019, where they barely missed the playoffs again.

    The Coyotes have been a lot better than the Sabres and the Oilers but worse than almost every other team, in my opinion.

  5. Toronto Maple Leafs

    The Toronto Maple Leafs, officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often simply referred to as the Leafs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was... read more

    I didn't think I'd be putting them this high. But after looking at their stats this decade, I've noticed how bad they really were. They did make the playoffs 4 out of the 10 years, but in all 4 of those years, they were eliminated in the 1st round! I'm sure they'll do better in the 2020s.

  6. Carolina Hurricanes

    The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in 2006.

    If it weren't for their success in 2019, I would have put them a lot higher. In 2019 they beat the former Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, in the 1st round, then went on to sweep the Islanders in the second round, but eventually got swept by the Bruins in the semifinals.

    Other than that year, they didn't qualify for the playoffs a single time in the 2010s.

  7. Colorado Avalanche

    The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. The Avalanche and the Coyotes are the only two teams in the division located in the Mountain Time Zone, setting them apart... read more

    The Avs were majorly up and down this decade but mostly down. They did upset the Flames in the 2019 playoffs but lost to the Sharks in the 2nd round. Other than that, they didn't win another series this decade, and they usually ended up in the bottom 10 teams in the league. But they're looking a lot better in 2020 so far.

  8. Calgary Flames

    The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League. The team was founded in 1972 and relocated from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980.

    I'm very saddened to put them on this list. Even though they had so much talent and a very deep lineup, they failed to connect.

    They did finish 1st in the West in 2019 but got destroyed by the Avs in the first round.

    They did beat the Canucks in the 1st round of the 2015 playoffs but then got destroyed by the Ducks in the second round.

    In fact, the Flames had the worst playoff win ratio in the league of the 2010s. I hope they do better in the 2020s.

  9. Columbus Blue Jackets

    The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League. The team was established as an expansion franchise in 2000 and began play in the 2000-2001 NHL season.

    If they didn't sweep the Presidents' Trophy winners in the 1st round last year, I would have them quite a bit further up. They did make it to the playoffs 4 times this decade, but in 3 of those runs, they were eliminated in the 1st round. Not very successful at all. It's looking like they're going to suck in the 2020s as well. I'm sorry, Jackets fans.

  10. Winnipeg Jets

    The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. The current franchise was established in 1999 and relocated to Winnipeg in 2011 from Atlanta, where they were previously... read more

    They became a team in 2012, so they only played 8 years in the 2010s, and they were mostly crappy years. They did make it to the semifinals in 2018, which is quite good. But other than that, they were quite lame.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Minnesota Wild

    The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. The team was established in 2000 and plays its home games at the Xcel Energy Center.

  12. ?

    New York Islanders

    The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983.

    13. The Contenders

  13. New Jersey Devils

    The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.

    The franchise began in 1974 as the Kansas City Scouts in Missouri. It then moved to Denver... read more

    The team made the Stanley Cup in 2012, but otherwise, they've been terrible.

  14. Philadelphia Flyers

    The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. The team was established in 1967 as part of the NHL's first expansion.

  15. Anaheim Ducks

    The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Since their inception in 1993, the Ducks have played their home games at the Honda Center. The team was originally... read more

  16. Vancouver Canucks

    The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. The team was founded in 1970 and has appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals three times.

  17. St. Louis Blues

    The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. The Blues won their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

  18. Ottawa Senators

    The Ottawa Senators (French: Sénateurs d'Ottawa) are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The Senators play their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre, an 18,652-seat... read more

  19. Montreal Canadiens

    The Montreal Canadiens (French: Les Canadiens de Montréal) are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1909, they are the oldest continuously operating professional... read more

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