The 2026 NHL playoff bandwagon guide to all 15 teams that aren't the Sabres
It’s playoff time. For half the league’s fan bases, that means you already know what to do: Lay on the floor, rocking in the fetal position and hating everything in the world. Rinse and repeat, for roughly two to eight weeks.
The other half of us are jealous of you. That’s why some of us might be thinking about crossing a very controversial line, and hopping on the bandwagon of one of the playoff teams. Just a temporary fling, you know how it goes. Some of you would never consider it, of course. But if you would, you should at least choose wisely.
This year, it’s an easy choice: You should bandwagon the Buffalo Sabres.
Seriously, we’ve already been through this. The Sabres might be the single best bandwagon story of all-time, and when we asked their fans if they’d be OK with some outside support, they gave us an enthusiastic thumbs up. So it’s settled. This year’s bandwagon team is the Sabre, and we don’t need the annual guide to everyone else.
Unless… I mean, if everyone is bandwagoning the Sabres, isn’t that a reason to maybe look elsewhere? After all, we’re hockey fans – we can’t ever agree on anything. Not unanimously. That’s just not how this works.
So be it resolved: This year’s best bandwagon team is the Sabres. But we’re still going to do the annual guide, just in case anyone out there is feeling a bit contrarian. Buffalo takes top spot, for all the reason we laid out a few weeks ago. Today’s list is for the other 15 slots on the list.