Can someone please explain again why Winnipeg didn't win?

[Machinehead]

They ran into a hot Vegas team they probably should have beaten back in 17-18.

That was the only season, for me, that they were really anything to write home about.

 

[Mobiandi]

The most toxic locker room in the league for about 5-6 years running

 

[Channelcat]

Too many losers. Yes, I'm being serious.

 

[Hockeyholic]

I gave a wide window of what I considered the peak of Detroit's 25 year playoff streak.

Considering a ~decade of it came before the cap existed... yeah?

BUT , you missed the entire point of my post. I made that point to discuss what it feels like to be a fan of a team. I was trying to point out how the subjective feelings of being a fan of a "Team That Should Win" (whether that is a playoff series, multiple playoff series, a Stanley Cup -- insert what you want here) don't match objective outcomes. Teams that are "worse" or "undeserving" or whatever you want to say win all the time. And teams that "deserve" to win, don't.

I agree with the overall premise. The best team doesn't always win. Otherwise, Boston would've won this year. Instead, they blew it in round one.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

17/18 and 18/19 were really the only two years they were that great IMO.

I think if anyone other than MAF was in the net for Vegas in 17/18, Winnipeg would have been in the Cup finals. They were a very, very good team. They had great depth, and some of their best players were guys still on their ELC. So they could afford to add a Stastny at the deadline and push Brian Little down to 3rd line.

Way too much turnover on the D basically crushed this team. Wasn't it 4 or 5 that left (retirement, UFA, trade) after 17/18? You simply can't recover from that.

As others have alluded to as well, winning the Stanley Cup is extremely difficult, no matter how good you are. Just look at the 22/23 Boston Bruins for proof of that.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Their defense has been bad for most of the last half decade, and while Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the world, that hasn't really translated to the playoffs outside of 2021, when they went up against an equally hot Price.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Because even when you're the best team in the league and a heavy favorite to win... You're still only a 20% favorite to win.

The field still wins 4/5 times against even the best favorites.