Study ranks Penguins as most successful NHL franchise of salary cap era

PITTSBURGH — In the era of salary cap spending, the Pittsburgh Penguins have come out on top.

A new study from The Athletic has ranked the Penguins as the most successful NHL team of the salary cap era. Dating back to the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the year they drafted Sidney Crosby, the Penguins have won the Stanley Cup three times out of four finals appearances and made the playoffs 16 years in a row. In fact, this year was the first season they missed the playoffs since 2006-07.

To determine the most successful teams of the salary cap era, The Athletic rewarded teams based on a point system for every year: 11 points for winning the Stanley Cup, five points for making and losing the Stanley Cup Finals, three points for making and losing the conference finals, and one point for making the playoffs.