Despite Perception, Red Wings Rank Top 18 in Playoff Experience Heading into Off-Season

The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives hereAlso, go to thn.com/free to subscribe.The Countdown - Mar. 20 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 9 - Jared ClintonTHERE ARE GREY-BEARDED springtime warriors – and then there’s Corey Perry.For the past 20 years, Perry has been a playoff fixture. Debuting in the post-season in 2006 as a member of the Ducks, he helped Anaheim to a Stanley Cup the following season. Since then, only three campaigns have passed without Perry in the post-season conversation.In recent years, in particular, Perry has become a focal point. He’s been to the Cup final – on the losing side – in five of the past six seasons. What began with surprising runs to consecutive finals with the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens turned into a failed attempt at helping the Tampa Bay Lightning three-peat in 2022 before back-to-back heartbreaks with the Edmonton Oilers.Last spring, he surpassed Mark Messier for third on the all-time playoff games played ledger, and Perry’s 237 playoff games are tops among active players. Put another way: Perry has seen more playoff action than the totality of the Philadelphia Flyers’ roster. However, he will still need at least two more playoff runs if he hopes to chase down Hall of Famers Chris Chelios (266) and Nicklas Lidstrom (263) on the all-time list.Still, Perry’s playoff resume is padded enough that simply acquiring him helped the Lightning leap into the second spot on our Countdown, which explores the collective playoff experience on the roster of each NHL club.*All totals are based on NHL rosters as of March 9 and include players on LTIR who have or might play this season1 FLORIDA PANTHERS1,510 GAMES PLAYEDTen Cats were present for all three Cup final runs, totalling 659 games. They alone would rank 20th on this list.2 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING1,506 GAMES PLAYEDRyan McDonagh and Victor Hedman have 366 games. The rest of the ‘D’? 115. There’s a chasm in experience.3 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS1,336 GAMES PLAYEDHe’s a forgotten man, but Brandon Saad sits above all but three Golden Knights with 111 career post-season outings.4 DALLAS STARS1,313 GAMES PLAYEDSauna culture is strong in Dallas. Among active Finns, Stars have four of the five most tenured playoff performers.5 COLORADO AVALANCHE1,276 GAMES PLAYEDAt 135 games, no active player has more playoff experience without a Cup ring than beloved blueliner Brent Burns.6 CAROLINA HURRICANES1,184 GAMES PLAYEDJordan Staal leads in playoff games. Surprisingly, next in line isn’t a top talent but depth guy William Carrier.7 EDMONTON OILERS1,161 GAMES PLAYEDConnor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and ‘RNH’ have played in every single Oilers playoff game since 2016-17.8 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS1,102 GAMES PLAYEDA deep run could see Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin cross the 200-game mark. Unlikely, but it’s not impossible.9 MINNESOTA WILD975 GAMES PLAYEDMarcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko have more individual playoff games than Wild do as a franchise.10 NEW YORK ISLANDERS948 GAMES PLAYEDThe rapid turnaround has been guided by Matthew Schaefer. He’ll be among a few Isles making playoff debuts.11 WINNIPEG JETS940 GAMES PLAYEDStark reminder that experience isn’t everything. Veteran-laden Jets took nosedive after 2025 Presidents’ Trophy.12 LOS ANGELES KINGS887 GAMES PLAYEDCaught between buying and selling, Kings exited the deadline with a more inexperienced outfit than they had prior.13 SEATTLE KRAKEN813 GAMES PLAYEDCollective push up the rankings could be in the offing, as Kraken battle for franchise’s second trip to post-season.14 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS812 GAMES PLAYEDOn a star-studded roster, bottom-six plugger Calle Jarnkrok is the Leafs’ clubhouse leader in playoff appearances.15 SAN JOSE SHARKS770 GAMES PLAYEDOf the 24 players on the roster post-deadline, exactly half have never seen a second of big-league playoff action.16 NASHVILLE PREDATORS769 GAMES PLAYEDOther than Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg, no Preds skater has played more than eight playoff games with Nashville.17 ANAHEIM DUCKS686 GAMES PLAYEDThe stunning deadline addition of John Carlson boosted the back end and gave Ducks title-winning experience.18 DETROIT RED WINGS678 GAMES PLAYEDThe lone homegrown Red Wing with playoff games to his name is Dylan Larkin. He played five in 2016.19 WASHINGTON CAPITALS665 GAMES PLAYEDRyan Leonard had only celebrated his third birthday by the time Alex Ovechkin played his first post-season game.20 NEW YORK RANGERS654 GAMES PLAYEDPending reset and possible off-season clear out could see Rangers move a great number of battle-tested talents.21 BOSTON BRUINS651 GAMES PLAYEDFranchise has had 13 players reach 100 playoff games. Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak will be next to hit mark.22 NEW JERSEY DEVILS631 GAMES PLAYEDThe current core – Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Hughes brothers – has combined to play merely 56 playoff games.23 UTAH MAMMOTH597 GAMES PLAYEDUtah overjoyed with MacKenzie Weegar acquisition, but Mammoth lost 65 games of playoff experience in the deal.24 OTTAWA SENATORS539 GAMES PLAYEDFor a dozen Sens, their lone playoff experience is last year’s six-game first-round defeat at hands of rival Leafs.Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 25 ST. LOUIS BLUES539 GAMES PLAYEDAre Blues primed to plummet down this list? As talk of teardown persists, vultures circle St. Louis’ top talents.26 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS532 GAMES PLAYEDCharlie Coyle debuted 12 years after the Jackets. He’s played three times as many playoff games as the franchise.27 MONTREAL CANADIENS472 GAMES PLAYEDWith Phillip Danault returning, six of the Habs’ skaters were present for the stunning run to bubble final in 2021.28 CALGARY FLAMES457 GAMES PLAYEDWhether you call it a retool, rebuild or ‘rebiggle,’ the message is clear: Calgary plans to overhaul roster to right the ship.29 VANCOUVER CANUCKS418 GAMES PLAYEDHard to believe Elias Pettersson’s playoff resume is just 30 games. The question is: will he play another in Vancouver?30 BUFFALO SABRES387 GAMES PLAYEDLast Sabres draft picks to skate in playoff games for Buffalo? Tyler Myers, now 36, and recent retiree Tyler Ennis.31 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS372 GAMES PLAYEDThough Teuvo Teravainen won a Cup as a Hawk, the bulk of his post-season play came during his time in Carolina.32 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS208 GAMES PLAYEDThe franchise’s reset is such that waiver-wire add Luke Glendening, at 50 games, is the most playoff-tested Flyer.Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!ImageFor action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.