Top 10 active NHLers with no playoff experience

Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Remember when Matt Murray won his second Stanley Cup while still an NHL rookie? Dang, he must have thought pro hockey was easy.

Since going back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, Murray has seven postseason victories – with six coming in 2018. He hasn’t made a playoff appearance since the 2020 bubble playoffs, and after missing all of 2023-24 due to injuries, it’s unclear what the future holds.

That’s why you can’t take playoff hockey for granted. Even if you’ve won the Cup, you never know if you’re going to get another crack at it. Half the league misses the playoffs annually, and being on a perennial rebuilder can make life difficult.

Olli Jokinen played 1,231 NHL regular season games, but just five in the postseason. He made the most of it, though, scoring two goals and five points with Calgary in 2009. But that was it. Jokinen won a handful of medals internationally and was named to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame. But after 17 NHL seasons, Jokinen had just a week and a half run in the postseason to show for it.

And then there’s Jack Eichel. After seven years of missing out, the second pick in 2015 was one of Vegas’ most valuable players en route to a Stanley Cup victory last year. From seeing his reaction to lifting the Cup, you saw how important it was for someone who, for years, heard the background noise talking about whether it was possible to be successful with him in the lineup.

Today, we’re looking at the active leaders in games played without any playoff appearances. And, yes: the Buffalo Sabres feature prominently here. That’s what happens when you’re riding a 12-year playoff drought, a number that’s expected to expand once April 18 rolls around. Detroit (seven), Ottawa (six) and Anaheim (five) are the other teams that have missed at least five seasons in a row, with the Red Wings holding the best odds at ending that this year.

So, here are 10 players who have never made it past Game 82 – but for two of them, that’s about to change:

*Games played as of April 8, 2024

Jeff Skinner, 31 – 1,002 Games Played

Talk about bad timing. After getting drafted seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010, Skinner quickly established himself as one of the team’s better wingers. But during the summer of 2018, Skinner was moved for a trio of draft picks and longshot prospect Cliff Pu, helping the Hurricanes clear some cap space. The Hurricanes proceeded to end a nine-year playoff drought, going all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, and have made the postseason every year since. They’re even one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season. To Skinner’s credit, the Hurricanes weren’t going to become as competitive as they are now, with Skinner’s $9 million cap hit until 2027, and Skinner’s tenure in Buffalo has been anything but easy. Fortunately, he did have his best NHL season to date last year with 82 points, but he’ll likely miss the 50-point mark this time around. Skinner is the only NHLer with 1,000 games played without a single playoff appearance, and that won’t change this year. Skinner is too fun and too nice of a guy to never get a chance at lifting the Stanley Cup.

Rasmus Ristolainen, 29 – 713 Games Played

For most of 2023-24, it looked like Risolainen would finally end the drought. The Flyers held on to the third spot in the Metropolitan for a large chunk of the season, only for the New York Islanders to take the third spot just a few days ago. The Flyers are in a bit of a freefall but, at the minute, sit just one point behind Detroit for the final Wildcard spot. But even if the Flyers were to make the playoffs, Ristolainen hasn’t played with an upper-body injury since February, so there’s no guarantee he’d be fully ready to go and be impactful. Regardless of whether it was in Buffalo or Philadelphia. it’s been a tough go for the eighth overall pick in 2013.

Zemgus Girgensons, 30 – 684 Games Played

Doesn’t it feel like Girgensons has been with Buffalo since the start of the franchise? Drafted 14th overall in 2012, the Latvian forward has lived in the team’s bottom six throughout his career, serving up his talents as a defensive forward who can play a shutdown role. Through 11 seasons, he’s still chasing the 200-point mark but is two assists away from 100. Offensively, he’s in the midst of his least productive NHL season with just eight goals and 13 points, but that’s not what he’s paid to do. Girgensons broke into the NHL in 2013-14, so he knows all too well about Buffalo’s long-term struggles.

Brady Tkachuk, 24 – 435 Games Played

Given he’s one of the youngest captains in the NHL, the spotlight’s always on Tkachuk. Through thick and thin, Tkachuk has been so valuable for the Senators since breaking through in 2018-19, and he’s one heck of a fantasy hockey pickup thanks to his physicality. But Tkachuk has nothing to show for, title-wise, since winning the Hockey East championship back in 2018. Like his brother, Tkachuk is built for playoff hockey. Eventually, he’ll get a taste of what that’s like, but Ottawa needs to figure things out here.

Rasmus Dahlin, 23 – 432 Games Played

Taken first overall by the Sabres in 2018, Dahlin arrived during a promising time for the Sabres. They had Eichel, Skinner and Sam Reinhart, a group that many expected to help take the Sabres to the promised land. But history had different plans, of course. Dahlin has emerged as one of the best young defenders in the NHL, and is currently on pace to break 60 points for the second time in his career. At 23, he’s still exceptionally young with a bright future. If all goes well, Dahlin will be in his prime when the Sabres are finally a competitive team, whether that’s next year or five years down the road. His time will come.

Thomas Chabot, 27 – 427 Games Played

Chabot was still playing junior when the Senators went on their run in 2017, so he just missed out. His NHL career has been filled with ups and downs, whether it be injuries, inconsistent play or just a brutal lineup in front of him. At his best, Chabot’s been one of Ottawa’s top players for over half a decade, helping him earn a big, long-term deal until 2028. But Chabot’s name has been in trade rumors all season long as the Senators look to potentially retool this summer after another disappointing non-playoff year. Maybe moving Chabot will help bring the Sens forward next year. Perhaps it’s not in the cards and they still desperately need him eating minutes. Regardless, he’s on track to crack 500 games without a playoff appearance next year.

Filip Hronek, 26 – 386 Games Played

Finally, it’s coming to an end! Currently amid the best season of his pro career, tracking to break 50 points while playing alongside Quinn Hughes, Hronek is set to make his playoff debut with the Canucks later this month after nearly 400 regular season games played. Hronek rose to prominence with the Red Wings near the start of their rebuild, so, despite his best efforts, he never really came close to tasting success. Hronek was traded to Vancouver last year, a move that puzzled many at the time because the Canucks weren’t in playoff contention themselves. Everything changed in 2023-24, so hats off to the Czech blueliner.

Tage Thompson, 26 – 368 Games Played

Thompson did get a taste of playoff action with Rochester back in 2019 after spending most of the season in the NHL, but that doesn’t count. Thompson started his NHL career with St. Louis in 2017-18, a year before the team went the distance, and he’s never come close since with Buffalo. He has become one of the NHL’s premier big men, standing tall at 6-foot-6, but that hasn’t been enough to bully his way into the playoffs. Thompson had 94 points last year but likely won’t crack 60 this year in a season that saw him miss some time with injuries. Still, he’s expected to be a big part of the team’s hopeful revival moving forward – and I’m not sure I’d want to match up with him during a seven-game series.

Casey Mittelstadt, 25 – 353 Games Played

Like Hronek, Mittelstadt is set for his playoff debut after his trade to the Colorado Avalanche last month. It took a while for Mittelstadt to become the player many expected him to be, setting a career-high of 59 points last season. He’s on pace to tie that again this year while giving the Avalanche – one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup – a legitimate No. 2 center. If the Avs go the distance, Mittelstadt’s acquisition could go down as one of the most important of the deadline. And while he was close with a lot of Buffalo’s core, he’s probably fine with delaying the summer golf extravaganza for the first time in his pro career.

Henri Jokiharju, 24 – 343 Games Played

Yup. Another Sabre. Jokiharju got his start with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19 – the same season he won gold at both the World Juniors and the World Championship. Jokiharju was traded to Buffalo the following season, where he has built a career as someone who can bounce all throughout the lineup and play whatever’s asked of him. But like wit any long-term Sabres player, it’s been a rough go.

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