The New Jersey Devils have racked up 1,125 wins in franchise history, placing them 17th in the NHL’s all-time wins list. For a team established in 1982, that’s not a bad spot.
Earlier this month, the NHL shared a chart ranking all 32 teams by total franchise wins. On the surface, it’s fun to see where the Devils land, right in the middle of the pack, but the list doesn’t tell the whole story.
The top spots are dominated by the Original Six: the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks. Naturally, they tower over newer franchises in total wins; they’ve had decades more games to play. That’s why total wins alone are a flawed metric for comparing franchises.
While the Devils may appear “average” on this list, the reality is they’re anything but. Despite recent struggles, making the playoffs just nine times in the past 10 seasons, they remain one of the NHL’s most successful franchises since joining the league.
New Jersey has won three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003), tying them for 11th in Cup wins alongside the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s ahead of older franchises like the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres, both of whom entered the league in 1970–71 and have never hoisted the Cup. Five other franchises, the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Minnesota Wild, are still chasing their first.
This paints a far more accurate picture of the Devils’ place in NHL history. They may not crack the top tier in total franchise wins, but when measuring by championships, resilience, and impact, New Jersey stands tall among the league’s elite.
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