Current hot teams that could end up like the 2007 to 2019 Sharks? e.g. teams with dominant regular season success but unable to win a Cup?

dalewood12

Registered User
Oct 9, 2017
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Are there any teams, either currently in the early stretch of a likely dominant regular season run or in the middle to end of their dominant regular season run, that you could see having a similar trajectory to the Sharks?
 

DitchMarner

TheGlitchintheSwitch
Jul 21, 2017
11,298
8,351
Brampton, ON
Toronto?

We'll see what happens this year. They did re-tool their defense and did bring in a tougher, stricter coach. Their division also isn't very good outside of the top three. If they can't win a round or two this season, they may never have success with this Matthews-led core in the post-season.

Although it should be noted that they haven't finished first in their division outside of the 56 game season in 2021. The team's been a steady playoff team but hasn't had monster seasons like Tampa, Florida and Boston have had.
 

TheDawnOfANewTage

Dahlin, it’ll all be fine
Dec 17, 2018
13,222
19,607
I think a lot of teams are like this minus the longevity. Not sure when the Rags were supposed to win a cup, but if you depend on Panarin and Zibby for playoffs you’re gonna have a bad time.

Vancouver- won’t last long enough to be a decent comparison, but they’re another one where it feels like best case is conference finals.

Canes could end up this way, I think they’re the most 1-for-1. Toronto should be better, I feel like their star power>Sharks.
 

SladeWilson23

I keep my promises.
Sponsor
Nov 3, 2014
27,147
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New Jersey
Me the Devils fan do worry about their style in the playoffs. I defensively they're fine. Offensively their style isn't conducive to playoff success imo.
 

FerrisRox

"Wanna go, Prettyboy?"
Sep 17, 2003
21,011
14,486
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto, but I feel they can't take over a game like San Jose did.

San Jose could do it all except keep that going in the playoffs.

I don't think it's the same thing.

The San Jose teams really looked like they were legit contenders to win he Cup and those teams didn't have glaring holes at all.

The Leafs have never looked like a legit contender and their failures were utterly predictable because Dubas never did anything to address the obvious issues.

I think the Canes are a much better example. That team shouldn't be such a post-season failure, the Leafs aren't surprising anyone (other than Leaf fans) when they sputter out in the post-season.
 

KrisLetAngry

MrJukeBoy
Dec 20, 2013
19,311
5,485
Saskatchewan
leafs
Jets
Rangers
Hurricanes
Stars - most likely to win. I think they have a lot set up to win.

I think any of the above teams can win by the way. Really good teams win a cup. Sometimes it takes a few years
 
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Drake1588

UNATCO
Sponsor
Jul 2, 2002
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Northern Virginia
I like the Hurricanes and Stars more than Toronto for this one.

Both have seemed like genuine contenders for years, where Toronto always had a lot of warts. Its failures perhaps came earlier than expected, but they were not exactly upsets.
 
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DrMartinVanNostrand

Kramerica Industries
Oct 6, 2017
4,702
5,281
Tampa, FL
The Wild are this

The Minnesota Wild have never been this. The WIld are the epitome of "good enough to get to the playoffs, good enough to be competitive in the first round, never good enough to do anything more than that". The Sharks were a team that regularly made deep playoff runs, even a SCF appearance, but ultimately always fell short. The Wild never get started to begin with, "eliminated in 6, round 1" is pretty much the story of their franhcise.
 

f7ben

Registered User
Mar 25, 2018
3,044
964
The Minnesota Wild have never been this. The WIld are the epitome of "good enough to get to the playoffs, good enough to be competitive in the first round, never good enough to do anything more than that". The Sharks were a team that regularly made deep playoff runs, even a SCF appearance, but ultimately always fell short. The Wild never get started to begin with, "eliminated in 6, round 1" is pretty much the story of their franhcise.
Maybe you should reread the thread title ….it says DOMINANT REGULAR SEASON SUCCESS AND UNABLE TO WIN THE CUP

In the last 10 years the Wild have something like the 5-6 most wins and have never been out of the first round. That is the epitome of the thread title
 

DrMartinVanNostrand

Kramerica Industries
Oct 6, 2017
4,702
5,281
Tampa, FL
I like the Hurricanes and Stars more than Toronto for this one.

Both have seemed like genuine contenders for years, where Toronto always had a lot of warts. Its failures perhaps came earlier than expected, but they were not exactly upsets.

Carolina also has serious warts that weight them down come playoff time. They're a quantity > quality team, it helps them win a lot in the regular season, but with every bit of respect to Sebastian Aho, he's not a superstar on the level of those who are capable of lifting their teams in the playoffs like Kucherov or Tkachuk or certainly McDavid and Draisaitl. There's a reason they've lost - and lost rather easily - when they've come up against the Florida teams, the top-end talent simply better on the other side and that matters more in the playoffs.
 

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