There are four major professional sports leagues in the United States. We know them as the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. As those leagues have grown, they've added teams, known as expansion teams.
In the past three decades, there have been close to 30 expansion teams added across the aforementioned pro sports leagues in the U.S. While a handful of those expansion teams have found success, most are still finding their way and trying to compete in their respective leagues.
The most recent expansion team is the Seattle Kraken. In just their second season, the Kraken finished with 100 points and have even won a first-round NHL playoff series, which you could have bet on at the best sports betting sites in country. The Kraken lost in the second round of the NHL playoffs to the Dallas Stars, who just fell to the Western Conference champion Las Vegas Golden Knights (another expansion team!)
With their current run in mind, here are the top expansion franchise success stories.
Las Vegas Golden Knights
The Las Vegas Golden Knights debuted in the 2017-18 season and came out with a bang. To date, they had the best inaugural season for an expansion team in pro sports history. The Golden Knights finished the year with 109 points, the most by an NHL expansion team of all time, winning the Western Conference that year.
Since that season, the Golden Knights have made the NHL Playoffs in all but one campaign. They also have four division championships in that period. Currently, the Golden Knights ended the 2022-23 season with 111 points and are now in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers.
Let's bring a #StanleyCup to this city #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/70heTjgIGV
— z - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 30, 2023
While the Golden Knights have yet to win a Stanley Cup, they are already one of the most successful expansion teams in sports history, and you can bet on their Stanley Cup odds now.
Jacksonville Jaguars And Carolina Panthers
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers were NFL expansion teams in 1995. While both teams struggled out the gate, they also enjoyed respective AFC and NFC championship game runs the following year.
While the Panthers had a six-year playoff drought following the 1996 NFC Title game loss, the Jaguars found immediate success, qualifying for the postseason for the next three seasons. This included a pair of AFC Central division titles and another AFC Championship game loss in 1999.
Both the Jaguars and Panthers have shared moderate success throughout the rest of their 28-year existence, but Carolina was the team with more overall good fortune. The Panthers have made it to, but sadly lost two Super Bowls while the Jaguars have yet to qualify for the Big Game.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins were an expansion team back in 1993. They may be the Miami Marlins now, but the team debuted as the Florida Marlins. This is a team that has had its fair share of downs, but it has also peaked in its 31 years of existence. The Marlins have only made the MLB Postseason three times, but the team has won the World Series twice -- in 1997 and 2003. The Marlins' only other playoff appearance was in 2020, where they lost to the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
If you think the Marlins can win the World Series again this season, be sure to use the best sportsbook promo codes to wager on them today.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning debuted in the NHL in the 1992-93 season. While the Lightning didn't have a lot of early success early on, the team began to turn it around at the turn of the century. In the 2002-03 season, the Lightning won their first of four division titles. Tampa Bay also made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for only the second time in team history that season, losing in the conference semifinals.
The next season, the Lighting would not only repeat as division champions, but they also hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first of three times in 2004. Since the 2013-14 season, the Lightning have been one of the most successful NHL teams. In the past 10 seasons, they've made the playoffs eight times and the Stanley Cup Finals four times, winning two of them in 2020 and 2021.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat were an NBA expansion team in the 1988-89 NBA season. In the team's 35-year history, it has qualified for the NBA Playoffs 24 times, with 16 division titles. The Heat also won three NBA Championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. While it was years after the team officially expanded the NBA's landscape, title runs with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal as well as Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh make this one of the most successful NBA franchises in its history.
While the Heat are in the midst of a 10-year championship drought, the team has made the postseason seven times since its last title. Heat fans shouldn't fret as the team is currently on another playoff run, taking on the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. You can bet on them now at the best sports betting apps, if you so choose.
