As if the Jets needed another reason to remember their 15-year playoff drought during the offseason.
But now, after the Sabres officially clinched a spot in the NHL playoffs Saturday, Gang Green is all alone atop the list of longest active droughts in North American sports.
Buffalo secured a spot in the postseason tournament for the first time since 2010-11 on Saturday after the Rangers defeated the Red Wings — behind a Gabe Perreault hat trick — to snap the Sabres’ drought at 14 seasons.
The Angels hold the longest playoff drought in MLB at 11 seasons, with their most recent appearance occurring in 2014, while the longest NBA playoff drought belongs to, for now, the Hornets — who haven’t appeared in the postseason since 2016 but could change that soon, according to ESPN.
It didn’t always seem likely that the Sabres would snap their drought this season.
In December, they occupied the basement of the Eastern Conference, but after firing general manager Kevyn Adams and hiring Jarmo Kekäläinen, they embarked on a stunning in-season turnaround — while only making minor additions to their fourth line and third defensive pairing at the trade deadline — to enter Saturday night’s game with 100 points.
The Sabres’ drought, over time, had become the longest in NHL history, too — in addition to sharing that ignominious honor with the Jets for most of the year.
But now, Gang Green will have that title all to itself.
When the Jets last cracked the playoff field, it was the 2010 season, when Mark Sanchez was their quarterback and they advanced to the AFC Championship game — falling to the Steelers.
The stretch since has been filled with endless losing, coaching turnover and failed quarterback experiments, including with No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold and No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.
Geno Smith, their second-round pick in 2013 who never amounted to becoming a franchise signal-caller, was acquired by the Jets last month to serve as their quarterback for 2026, and head coach Aaron Glenn said earlier this week in Arizona that he thinks Smith will “lead us to the promise land.”
But really, and regardless of what actually happens, that can only start by snapping the drought first.
“There’s something about a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder,” Glenn said of Smith this week. “He’s proven a lot in this league, especially when you take the time when he was in Seattle. He fits exactly what we’re trying to do. … I think he’s a perfect guy to do exactly what we’re going to do, especially when we can run the ball the way that we can run it. Now, be able to add some play action. I think he’s perfect for that.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
