A Look at the Last 10 Presidents' Trophy Failures, and the Aftermath of Each One

With the Boston Bruins' shocking first round exit in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, it now marks a full decade since a team won the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season. The Chicago Blackhawks remain the last team to win both trophies in the same year, doing so in the 2012-13 season. You would have to go back a bit farther than that to find the last team to accomplish this feat in a non-lockout season, as the Detroit Red Wings were the last team to do so, winning both trophies in the 2007-08 season. In fact, the Wings are the only team to accomplish this feat twice, as they won both trophies in the 2001-02 season as well.

As we all know, the Presidents' Trophy is awarded to the team with the best record in the NHL, and has been awarded since the 1985-86 season. The trophy has been awarded 37 different times in 38 years, but the stats are alarming. Of the 37 winners, only 11 actually reached the Stanley Cup Final, with eight of the 11 teams going on to win the Cup. Out of the 26 teams who failed to reach the Cup Final, 20 of them didn't even make it to the Final Four, and eight of those 20 actually lost in the first round. Amazing isn't it? The number of Presidents' Trophy winners who won the Cup and the number of trophy winners who were ousted in Round 1 are one in the same. It really is cursed.

However, does failing to win as Presidents' Trophy winners actually lead to success right after? Let's look at the last ten trophy fails.

2013-14: The Boston Bruins captured the President's Trophy after losing the Cup Final to the Blackhawks a year prior. They racked up 117 points, but that only resulted in a second round exit, losing to the Montréal Canadiens. The success wouldn't come to them instantly, as it would be another five years before the Bruins would return to the Cup Final. As for what happened beyond that point, more on that later.

2014-15: The New York Rangers, similar to the Bruins, won the Presidents' Trophy after reaching the Stanley Cup Final the previous year. They finished with 113 points, which is four points lower than Boston's total in 2013-14, yet they were looking to get back to the Final. They almost did, losing Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers wouldn't get this far again for another seven years.

2015-17: In back-to-back seasons, the Washington Capitals captured the Presidents' Trophy, and the 2015-16 season saw them rack up 120 points, which is seven points higher than the Rangers' total, and one point fewer than they had in the 2009-10 season--the first time they won the trophy. However, the 2016 playoffs would see them ousted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2, in six games. The following season saw the Caps repeat as Presidents' Trophy winners, but in the end, the same result: a second round loss to the Penguins, this time in seven games. To make matters worse for the Caps, the Penguins went on to win the Cup both times.

2017-18: The trend of winning the trophy after reaching the final returned when the Nashville Predators, fresh off their first Cup Final appearance, captured the trophy for the first time in franchise history. The Preds finished with 117 points, one point fewer than the 2016-17 Caps, but they would run out of gas in Round 2, which ended with the Preds losing Game Seven, 5-1, at home to the Winnipeg Jets. By the way, the eventual Stanley Cup Champions that year? None other than the Washington Capitals.

2018-19: We've played this broken record a lot since then. We know what happened here. 62 wins, which tied the league record (at that time). 128 points, which was three short of the league record (at that time). Award nominees at every turn. The Tampa Bay Lightning were supposed to be untouchable. They would be touched, though--boy, would they! Completely swept--the first Presidents' Trophy winner to not win a single playoff game. 62 wins, zero in the playoffs, and even worse, the loss was to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hadn't won a playoff series in their entire existence.

2019-20: After the league paused in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular season was deemed over, and the team who finished with the best record ended up being the Boston Bruins, who were the only team to finish with 100 points (ending up with that exact number). However, that year saw them completely fizzle in the Round Robin, losing all three games to drop to the #4 seed, which also resulted in a second round exit. The team who beat them out? The same team who badly fizzled a year prior: the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

2020-21: The shortened 2020-21 season actually saw the Colorado Avalanche capturing the Presidents' Trophy...barely. It was between the Avalanche and their West Division foes for that year, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the two teams ended up tied in points, though Colorado won the Regulation Wins tiebreaker over Vegas. As an Avs fan, I did know about the trophy curse and had known for a long time, but I figured that if anyone could beat that curse, the Avs could. After all, the Avs were one of the eight teams who won both in the same year, and considering that it was the 20th anniversary of that Cup, the fates would allow us to do it. Sadly, Vegas had other plans, as the Avalanche were ousted by Vegas in Round 2, while the Lightning repeated as champs.

2021-22: The Florida Panthers had a huge record season--58 wins, 122 points, both franchise records. The Panthers won the Presidents' Trophy that year, and I remember this well. It was down to the Panthers and the Avalanche, and regarding the Avs, we decided to...well..."tank" away that final week, because the trophy was not our goal. So Florida won the trophy, and all it got them was a series win for the first time in 26 years, but only one. The Panthers were swept badly by the Lightning in Round 2, and the Lightning returned to the Cup Final, where they were beaten by...you guessed it! The Colorado Avalanche!

Which brings us to...

2022-23: For the fourth time overall, and the third time in this stretch, the Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy. Well, it's more like they ran away with it. 65 wins. 135 points. Both league records! This team was supposed to win handily, but after going up 3-1, they ended up losing the last three games, with two of the losses being in overtime. Even crazier--the team who beat them? The previous trophy winners: the Florida Panthers.

Overall, out of the ten Presidents' Trophy fails, none of the teams reached the Cup Final, only one reached the Final Four, and two historic seasons were wasted. We are also seeing another recent trend in the NHL: Presidents' Trophy fails are leading to quick success about one or two years later. Look at the evidence. Capitals failed in back-to-back trophy seasons? Won Cup right after. Lightning had the biggest trophy embarrassment ever (until 2023)? Became the NHL's equivalent of Thanos a year later. Avalanche lost badly in a trophy season that saw them as the main favorites? Tanked away trophy a year later, and won the Cup. And now we have the Panthers. Their trophy season saw them blasted by the Bolts in Round 2, yet despite finishing 30 points worse than they did last year, they are now in the Stanley Cup Final.

It does seem like Presidents' Trophy fails are a learning experience; they instantly learn from their mistakes during those years, and end up going very far. The trophy does remain cursed, though, but let's be serious here. The main thing I like about the NHL is that it's the only league where having the best record means nothing, yet in spite of this, they're the only league who awards a trophy for having the best record. Oh, the irony.