Top candidates to receive Stanley Cup first on Oilers, Panthers
It has become tradition in the NHL for the captain of the champions to pass the Stanley Cup to a teammate whose journey to that moment holds extra special meaning. With the Panthers and Oilers set for a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final, here are three players from each team who could be candidates to receive that pass from their captains.
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It’s one of the most enduring visuals in hockey history.
Joe Sakic, passing the Stanley Cup to Ray Bourque, who, at age 41, was finally able to celebrate a championship for the first time in his Hall of Fame career.
It took Bourque 22 seasons to achieve the ultimate reward, and his Colorado Avalanche captain Sakic made sure he didn’t have to wait any longer to have his moment with the Cup.
It has become tradition in the NHL for the captain of the champions to pass the Stanley Cup to a teammate whose journey to that moment holds extra special meaning. Last year, Aleksander Barkov passed the trophy to Sergei Bobrovsky, the future Hall of Fame goalie who overcame criticisms about his long-term contract with the Florida Panthers to lead his team to a Game 7 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
With the Panthers and Oilers set for a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final, here are three players from each team who could be candidates to receive the greatest pass a captain can make.
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Watch the Stanley Cup Final on Sportsnet
With the Stanley Cup within reach, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are set to battle once again for hockey’s ultimate prize. Watch every game of the Final on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid is the face of the Oilers, but Draisaitl has been his 1A partner for a full decade now.
The duo have combined for six scoring titles and four Hart Trophies (with Draisaitl a finalist again this year) while being inseparable on and off the ice.
Entering the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid leads the playoffs in scoring with 26 points, but Draisaitl is right behind him with 25. If the Oilers win the Cup, both players will have to lead the way, and it would then only be fitting that they are the first two to lift the trophy.
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Nugent-Hopkins is the longest-tenured Oilers player and the last one standing from the club’s decade of darkness. The Oilers missed the playoffs for 10 straight years from 2007 to 2016 and selected Nugent-Hopkins first overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. The lanky forward from Burnaby, B.C., made his NHL debut in 2011-12, and 14 years later, he remains a core piece for the Oilers.
The now 32-year-old has five goals and 18 points entering the Stanley Cup Final. Seeing Nugent-Hopkins finally lift the Stanley Cup would be a symbolic reminder to the Oilers and their fans of how far the team has come from those dark days all those years ago.
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Perry is the only player on the Oilers who has won a Stanley Cup before, doing so with the Anaheim Ducks back in 2007. He’s bounced around the NHL in recent years but has consistently been an impact player on contenders. Perry has now reached the Final six times in his career, including losing in 2020 with Dallas, 2021 with Montreal, 2022 with Tampa Bay and 2024 with Edmonton.
If he and the Oilers get the job done this June, it could be the final act in a career that appears destined for the Hall of Fame. Perry turned 40 in May and has stepped up for the Oilers on this run, scoring seven goals and 10 points after netting 19 goals during the regular season. The former Hart Trophy winner certainly has shown he has more gas in the tank, but going out as a champion would be a fitting end for a guy who has won everything there is to win in hockey.
Honourable mentions: Stuart Skinner, Mattias Ekholm, Zach Hyman
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Florida Panthers
Only Barkov has been a member of the Florida Panthers longer than Ekblad, and the duo represents the most successful era in franchise history. But that partnership could come to an end after this series.
The Panthers selected Ekblad first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, one year after selecting Barkov with the No. 2 pick. Before the two of them arrived, the Panthers had only made the playoffs five times in their first 19 years in the NHL. Now the team is currently on its sixth consecutive playoff run and, of course, already has one Stanley Cup banner hanging in the rafters.
Ekblad has skated in 809 games for the Panthers (second only to Barkov in franchise history) and has been a pillar on the blue line. But he is due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and, after the mid-season trade for Seth Jones, the Panthers might not have the cap space to retain him.
If this really is the end for Ekblad in South Florida, it would make perfect sense for the two long-time partners to complete one final pass.
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The Panthers made two high-profile additions ahead of the trade deadline — Jones and Brad Marchand. Both would be worthy of receiving the Cup from Barkov first.
Jones joined the Panthers from the deep-rebuilding Blackhawks and has stepped into a major role on the blue line. Entering the Final, he leads all Panthers skaters with 24:59 of average ice time and has scored three goals and seven points.
The 12-year veteran hasn’t played in the playoffs since the 2020 bubble tournament and had never made it past the second round in his career. Winning the Stanley Cup here would be the biggest achievement of his career so far.
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Marchand arrived in Florida after a shocking last-second trade at the deadline following a 16-year career with the Boston Bruins. The 37-year-old is an unrestricted free agent this summer and had something to prove after failing to agree to a contract with the only team he’s ever known.
So far in these playoffs, he’s done just that by playing with an edge and scoring in big moments. Marchand has four goals and 14 points in the playoffs so far, including the overtime winner in Game 3 against the Maple Leafs when Florida was trailing 2-0 in the series. While he has won a Cup before, with the Bruins in 2011, Marchand has quickly found a home with the Panthers and will play a significant role if they repeat as champions.
Honourable mentions: Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell
