For the first time since 2011, there will be playoff hockey in Buffalo this spring. The Sabres just clinched a playoff berth with the Detroit Red Wings regulation loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday, ending their 14-season playoff drought.
That drought was the longest in NHL history, and it was the second-longest active streak between the four major American sports. The Sabres’ ascension was a long time coming, and it might provide some hope for the fans of other teams across all sports.
While the wait is finally over for Buffalo, more teams are still in the thick of unbearable playoff droughts. The New York Jets are in the midst of a truly miserable stretch in which they haven’t even sniffed the postseason in almost a decade, and an iconic NHL franchise now owns the league’s longest active playoff drought.
These franchises serve as reminders that no playoff berth should be taken for granted because you never no when the next one might come. Here are the six longest active playoff droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.
New York Jets (15 seasons)
Last playoff appearance: 2010 AFC Championship
One of the most miserable franchises in all of American sports, the Jets haven’t tasted playoff football since coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez led the team to the AFC title game in 2010. Their only winning season came in 2015 (10-6), and they’ve gone 45-116 over the last 10 years while going through five full-time coaches.
Unfortunately for the Jets and their fans, it looks like this drought might last for at least another year. Even after reuniting Geno Smith this offseason, New York might be destined for the bottom of the AFC East yet again.
Los Angeles Angels (11 seasons)
Last playoff appearance: 2014 ALDS
The Angels have been so bad that not even the superstar duo of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout were able to get them over the playoff hump. Since the team’s last postseason appearance in 2015, it has finished over .500 once, and that was an 85-77 campaign in 2016. In that same span, the Angels produced the AL MVP four times. That’s how bad the rest of the team has been.
Things don’t seem to be trending in the right direction either. The Angels haven’t won more than 77 games in a full season since 2018, and they’re a longshot to make the postseason in 2026.
Pittsburgh Pirates (10 seasons)
Last playoff appearance: 2015 NL Wild Card Game
Pittsburgh doesn’t have the longest active playoff drought in American sports, but it has made up for that with sheer volume. The Pirates barely snuck above .500 in 2018 (82-79), but they’ve put a miserable product on the field for most of this stretch. They have gone 669-847, which is good for a .441 winning percentage.
Moving forward, the good news for the Pirates is that they have arguably the best pitcher in baseball. The bad news is that they might not have him for too much longer if the team can’t figure out a way to build a winner around him.
Detroit Red Wings (9 seasons)
Last playoff appearance: 2016 Eastern Conference quarterfinals
In 2016, the Red Wings reached the playoffs for the 25th straight season, the third-longest streak in NHL history. They haven’t been back since. Detroit chose to start a rebuild that has been slow and painful — and it has yet to yield meaningful results in terms of playoff berths — although the team has been close to breaking through lately.
Over the last two seasons, the Wings have missed the playoffs by a combined five points. Currently, they’re tied with the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot in the East, but they don’t hold the tiebreaker over Ottawa. Detroit will either end its drought soon, or it will be yet another long offseason.
Charlotte Hornets (9 seasons)
Last playoff appearance: 2016 Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Since returning to Charlotte, the Hornets haven’t seen the postseason very often with just three appearances in 21 seasons. Four different coaches have helmed the Hornets since their last playoff berth, and the last three seasons have been especially ugly. Charlotte went 67-179 from 2022-25.
The good news is that the tide seems to be turning for the Hornets. They’re in eighth place in the East with a record of 41-36 — just 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the final guaranteed playoff spot in sixth place.
Atlanta Falcons (8 seasons)
Last playoff appearance: 2017 Divisional Round
The Falcons are nothing if not consistent. Over the course of their eight-season drought, they have won seven games five times, and have now won eight games in back-to-back seasons. The most frustrating part of that mediocrity is the fact that the NFC South winner has finished below .500 twice since 2022, yet the Falcons have been unable to sneak over that low bar.
There’s still a lot of offseason left, but it certainly appears as though Atlanta will extend its playoff drought to nine seasons. The quarterback duo of Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa carries a lot of risk, but perhaps new coach Kevin Stefanski can inject new life into a team that plays in a bad division.
