The Vegas Golden Knights have already exceeded the highest expectations of NHL expansion team fans. Not only did they advance to the NHL playoffs, but they were swept by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. As far as expansion teams go, the Vegas Knights have already secured a seat at the discussion table for the greatest first-year teams of all time. Today, we take a look at the all-time great expansion teams in professional sports history.

Comparing the Vegas Knights to expansion teams from other sports

Vegas blasts expansion of NHL teams in terms of success out of the gate. The Florida Panthers were a competitive team, but they were never a real threat to run in the Stanley Cup championship. So, to prove that the Vegas Knights are the best expansion team in history, we have to compare them to the best first-year franchise teams in other sports.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. MLB’s top first-year teams

The Los Angeles Angels were the only team to finish the season with more than 70 wins. The Golden Knights achieved a +. 7 point differential during the regular season. LA Angels were -.3. When you consider that in baseball more total points are scored per game, this statistic is even larger. Therefore, they easily beat the LA Angels as far as the best first-year team in the NHL versus the NFL.

Now for a quick rundown of other professional sports:

In the NBA, the 1967 Chicago Bulls are ranked at the top of the list of the most successful NBA expansion teams. No one has been able to surpass his 33 winning season as a first-year team. They were still well short of the 500 team and were not involved in any serious discussions of being a championship caliber team.

What was the Vegas Golden Knights’ record during the regular season? They went 51-24 with 7 OTL (overtime losses). Only the Tampa Bay Lightning (54), Nashville Predators (53) and Winnipeg Jets (52) have more wins during the regular season. Vegas has been in uncharted waters, setting historic records for expansion teams all season.

In the NFL, no team has won more than 7 games during its inaugural season. The Carolina Panthers went 7-9 in 1995. So, again, no team in football can even hold a candle to the performance of the Vegas Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights are the greatest expansion team in sports history

In conclusion, the Vegas Golden Knights run away with the “Greatest Expansion Team Award in Sports History.” The Golden Knights were a 200-1 long shot to win the Stanley Cup (Vegas prospect) early in the season. Now, they have 4-1 odds to bring home the trophy.

If the Vegas Golden Knights don’t win another game during the rest of the playoffs, they can still lay claim to being the greatest expansion team in sports history.

It’s pretty ironic that a Vegas sports team could defy such long odds to do so well. If you want to win a fan base, all the expansion team has to do is perform well and provide hope for the future. In Vegas, the future is now! Whatever happens from now on is just icing on the cake. The Golden Knights of Vegas are here to stay and their growing fan base couldn’t be more excited!