NHL All-Decade Power Rankings: Blackhawks reign supreme

Welcome to a special edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings, which will encompass the last 10 seasons. With the new decade now underway, it's time to take one last look back at the previous 10 years and see which franchises were the class of the league.

Let's rank how each team performed in the 2010s, considering overall performance, division titles, and championships:

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (2010, 2013, 2015)
Division titles: 3
Playoff appearances: 8
Best player: Patrick Kane

The only team to claim three championships this decade is the no-brainer selection for the No. 1 spot. Even after trading a series of high-profile cap casualties in 2010, the Blackhawks were able to win two more Stanley Cups over the following five years, cementing their decade of excellence. Chicago has been disappointing recently, with no playoff wins over the past three seasons. But the team still accomplished plenty in the 2010s.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (2016, 2017)
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 10
Best player: Sidney Crosby

The Penguins were the decade's most consistently competitive club, qualifying for the postseason every year - and more than any other team - while also claiming the ultimate prize on back-to-back occasions. Only the Blackhawks won more playoff series than Pittsburgh and the Boston Bruins over the 10-year span. The Penguins won the second-most games of the decade too, with a dominant core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury and later Matt Murray leading the way.

3. Washington Capitals

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (2018)
Division titles: 7
Playoff appearances: 9
Best player: Alex Ovechkin

If the Capitals had won more than one Stanley Cup, it would be almost impossible to argue against them being No. 1 on our list. They earned the most wins in the 2010s, won the most division titles, only missed the playoffs once, and secured three Presidents' trophies along the way. Ovechkin and Co. endured a lot of criticism for their playoff futility before 2018, largely overshadowing a decade of dominance.

4. Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (2011)
Division titles: 3
Playoff appearances: 8
Best player: Patrice Bergeron

After kicking off the decade with a championship in 2011, the Bruins have been one of the league's top contenders almost every year since. Following two additional trips to the finals in the 2010s, Boston is tied with the Blackhawks for the most Cup appearances this decade (three). The Bruins have been one of the league's most consistent teams, and the club is set up well for years to come with a mix of veterans and youth.

5. Los Angeles Kings

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (2012, 2014)
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 7
Best player: Drew Doughty

For the first half of the decade, the path to the Western Conference title went through Los Angeles or Chicago. The Kings and Blackhawks traded Stanley Cups over four straight seasons, likely costing each other an additional championship in the process. With two-time Selke Trophy winner Anze Kopitar leading the team alongside Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Drew Doughty and one of the decade's top netminders in Jonathan Quick, this era of Kings hockey will be championed for generations to come.

6. St. Louis Blues

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (2019)
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 7
Best player: Alex Pietrangelo

The Blues established themselves as a consistent title contender while logging the fourth-most regular-season wins this decade, but they made just one conference finals appearance before finally breaking through. After knocking on the door for so many years, St. Louis finally won its Stanley Cup in 2019.

7. San Jose Sharks

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 9
Best player: Joe Thornton

Considered a strong contender every year, the Sharks were unable to get over the hump come playoff time. They missed the playoffs only once this decade, appeared in one Stanley Cup Final, and made the conference finals four times. San Jose is starting a new chapter following the departure of Joe Pavelski, and with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau winding down their careers.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 6
Best player: Steven Stamkos

Despite routinely falling short of claiming hockey's ultimate prize with loaded lineups, the Lightning were still one of the NHL's most competitive clubs for much of the decade. Tampa Bay reached at least the Eastern Conference Final in four of its six playoff appearances this decade, and the team made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015. The Lightning also unforgettably flopped in the first round last spring after a historically dominant regular season. But overall, they were still a model of consistency in the 2010s.

9. New York Rangers

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 7
Best player: Henrik Lundqvist

The Rangers didn't win it all, but they were among the league's best for a good chunk of the decade. New York recorded four seasons with 100-plus points, one of which resulted in a Presidents' Trophy. The Blueshirts also notched nine playoff series wins, peaking with a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014.

10. Nashville Predators

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 8
Best player: Pekka Rinne

Defense and goaltending were staples for the Predators throughout the 2010s. Rinne was one of the best puck-stoppers of the decade, and strong defense has always supported him, whether it was Shea Weber and Ryan Suter anchoring the blue line, or Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. In addition to a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, the Preds claimed the Presidents' Trophy in 2018.

11. Anaheim Ducks

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 5
Playoff appearances: 7
Best player: Ryan Getzlaf

The Ducks are mired in their second season of a rebuild, making it easy to forget how dominant they were in the 2010s. No, they didn't win a Stanley Cup, but there's nothing to be ashamed of after five straight division titles and two trips to the conference finals. This team was near the top of the league when Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were in their primes.

12. Vegas Golden Knights

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 2
Best player: Marc-Andre Fleury

A master class in expansion drafting, the most successful inaugural season in North American sports history, and two trips to the playoffs in two seasons of existence is a heck of a lot more than what many teams have accomplished this decade.

13. Montreal Canadiens

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 3
Playoff appearances: 6
Best player: Carey Price

Montreal lacked a superstar forward throughout the decade, but the team often hustled and never quit. With two trips to the Eastern Conference Final, the Canadiens went as far as their goaltending could take them, most memorably when Jaroslav Halak transformed into a brick wall against the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010.

14. Philadelphia Flyers

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 6
Best player: Claude Giroux

Philadelphia peaked at the beginning of the decade, advancing to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Blackhawks in six games. The rest of the Flyers' playoff appearances in the 2010s ended in first- and second-round exits. A lack of star forwards, lackluster defending, and inconsistent goaltending held the club back for most of the decade.

15. Vancouver Canucks

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 4
Playoff appearances: 5
Best player: Henrik and Daniel Sedin

The Canucks are on the verge of doing a full 360 this decade. From 2009-10 to 2012-13, no team racked up more points than Vancouver. The 2010-11 club that lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final may be the best team this decade to not win a Cup. There were plenty of dark times after the Alain Vigneault era ended in 2013, but a successful rebuild is churning out a promising young core featuring Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and Quinn Hughes. Now the Canucks could be one of the best teams of the 2020s.

16. Minnesota Wild

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 6
Best player: Ryan Suter

The massive free-agent contracts handed to Ryan Suter and Zach Parise in 2012 helped the Wild reach the playoffs in six straight seasons from 2013 to 2018. But Minnesota was never able to get over the hump, winning just two playoff series this past decade. Now the club is transitioning into a rebuild with Suter and Parise on the books until 2025. It's safe to say the team's championship window was missed.

17. Dallas Stars

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 3
Best player: Jamie Benn

The Stars will look back on the decade and lament not being able to muster more than a few playoff appearances and just a pair of series wins, but they've endured a tough go in the ultra-competitive Central Division. Still, the entire decade was a case of what could have been because Benn was in the fold, Tyler Seguin was around for over five years, John Klingberg was in Dallas for five of the 10 years (not including 2019-20), and Alexander Radulov was aboard for the final few campaigns.

18. Winnipeg Jets

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 3
Best player: Blake Wheeler

Making the move from Atlanta in 2011, the Jets didn't take off right away. After missing the playoffs in five of their first six seasons in Winnipeg - including a sweep in their first appearance in 2015 - the Jets loaded up at the draft and hit on a number of picks. It was a long process for hockey-starved fans in Winnipeg, but the Jets have now been one of the league's best teams over the last few seasons, and they went to the conference finals in 2018.

19. New York Islanders

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 4
Best player: John Tavares

When a team's best player of the decade is someone the fan base now despises, it wasn't a pretty 10 years. The 2010s were full of dysfunction for the Islanders. Ex-GM Garth Snow was unable to build a team around Tavares, whiffing on several high draft picks. The Islanders moved out of the aging Nassau Coliseum in 2015 and into the Barclays Center, which proved to be a disaster for fans and players alike. However, with a new arena on the way, and Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz changing the team's culture, the Islanders are entering the 2020s on a high note.

20. Detroit Red Wings

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 7
Best player: Henrik Zetterberg

The Red Wings slowly came back down to earth this decade. A perennial powerhouse throughout the aughts, Detroit is on track to miss the postseason for a fourth straight campaign, extending the team's streak of not winning a playoff series to seven years. With a rebuild in the works, the Red Wings' quest to return to relevancy will take some time over the next decade.

21. Colorado Avalanche

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 4
Best player: Nathan MacKinnon

Despite missing the postseason six times this decade, the Avalanche experienced tremendous draft success. Colorado added blue-chip forwards Gabriel Landeskog (2011), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Mikko Rantanen (2015), and defenseman Cale Makar (2017) to assemble one of the NHL's most talented core groups. Denver has become a hockey hotspot once again with the Avs likely to make a third consecutive postseason appearance this season.

22. Ottawa Senators

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 5
Best player: Erik Karlsson

The Senators have been a laughingstock over the past few years, but they did make the playoffs five times this decade, coming within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. However, it's mind-bending to wonder how far proper management could have led a core that was all 23 years old or younger at one point and featured Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, and Jakob Silfverberg, with a 26-year-old Ben Bishop in goal to boot.

23. Calgary Flames

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 3
Best player: Mark Giordano

The Flames have spent most of the decade trying to find a replacement for Mikka Kipprusoff between the pipes. From Karri Ramo to Jonas Hiller to Brian Elliott to Mike Smith and now to David Rittich, the ongoing carousel in goal is a major reason why Calgary never made the postseason in back-to-back seasons this past decade and won just one playoff series.

24. Toronto Maple Leafs

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 4
Best player: Auston Matthews

As promising as the Maple Leafs may look in 2019-20, the majority of their decade was truly ugly. From 2009-10 to 2015-16, Toronto ranked 29th in wins (225) and points (517), and if it weren't for the "Shanaplan" and the arrival of No. 34, the Leafs would likely be even lower on the list. Three straight playoff appearances to close out the decade bumped the Leafs up a few spots, but they're hoping to be much higher in the rankings when this list gets recreated heading into 2030.

25. Columbus Blue Jackets

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 4
Best player: Sergei Bobrovsky

On the bright side, this decade was far better than the Blue Jackets' first in existence. Their four-game sweep of the Lightning last spring for the first series win in club history is easily the franchise's best moment. Unfortunately, it may take a while before that upset is topped.

26. New Jersey Devils

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 3
Best player: Andy Greene

Aside from one surprise trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011-12, the Devils did a whole lot of nothing over the last 10 years. They bowed out in the first round in five games both times in their two other playoff appearances. They've finished near the bottom of the league a handful of seasons over the last several campaigns, and New Jersey will hope its stockpile of high draft picks propels the team in the right direction for the next decade.

27. Florida Panthers

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 2
Best player: Aleksander Barkov

The first half of the decade featured some forgettable teams in Florida, even including the 2012 squad, which might be the worst division-winning team of the entire decade. The second half has been better, but also a bit disappointing. After winning another division title in 2016 with a 20-year-old Barkov, 22-year-old Jonathan Huberdeau, 22-year-old Vincent Trocheck, and 19-year-old Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers have yet to return to the postseason despite an enviable core. However, the club seems to be on the right track this season through Joel Quenneville guidance.

28. Arizona Coyotes

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 3
Best player: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

The Coyotes made the playoffs three straight years to begin the decade, reaching the conference finals in 2011-12, but it was all downhill from there. Even a mid-decade name change from Phoenix to Arizona couldn't save them. However, after a long, winding rebuild, the Yotes finally look to be playoff-bound this season. If they can re-sign Taylor Hall, their outlook for the 2020s looks significantly better.

29. Carolina Hurricanes

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 1
Best player: Eric Staal

The Hurricanes ranked 23rd in wins over the decade, with only one playoff appearance to show for it. Carolina advanced to the Eastern Conference Final last spring, but the overwhelming majority of the 10-year span was largely forgettable in Raleigh. That's especially true for all five seasons before 2018-19 when the Hurricanes finished sixth or lower in their division. At least there's some hope for the future now.

30. Edmonton Oilers

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 0
Playoff appearances: 1
Best player: Connor McDavid

The 2010s began with so much promise for the Oilers. The club secured three straight first overall picks (2010, 2011, and 2012), but between Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov, only "The Nuge" remains. The Oilers' optimism grew further after selecting Connor McDavid first overall in 2015, but Edmonton still can't seem to find consistent success, largely due to a series of poor front-office decisions - primarily from Peter Chiarelli. Going through five different GMs and eight head coaches this decade best illustrates this organization's instability.

31. Buffalo Sabres

Stanley Cup titles: 0
Division titles: 1
Playoff appearances: 2
Best player: Jack Eichel

When they won only 23 games in 2014-15, the Sabres thought they had successfully tanked their way to drafting Connor McDavid. After losing the lottery and settling for the second pick, they got the next best thing in Jack Eichel. The Sabres haven't recorded a winning campaign since 2011-12, but they'll likely snap a nine-year playoff drought this season.