A change of scenery has benefitted former Nashville Predators forward Cole Smith, forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon as the trio will play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, on Tuesday to sweep their way to their third Stanley Cup Finals appearance in nine seasons.
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Smith scored the game-winning goal with 5:45 left in the game, tipping in a shot from Dylan Coghlan for his third goal of the playoffs.
Sissons and Lauzon were traded to the Golden Knights in late June for defenseman Nicolas Hague and a 2027 third-round draft pick, which was later upgraded to a second-round selection after Vegas advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Smith was dealt at the trade deadline in March for a 2028 third-round pick and defenseman Christoffer Sedoff.
Sissons has six points (two goals and four assists) in 15 playoff games, and Lauzon has played in six games. Smith has four points (two goals and two assists) in 15 games.
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While this will be Smith and Lauzon’s first trip to the finals, Sissons will return for the first time since 2017, when the Predators faced the Pittsburgh Penguins and fell in six games.
In the run to the finals, Sissons had 12 points (six goals and six assists) in 22 games.
The Golden Knights have been seen as the winner of the trade with the Predators. Hague played 62 games with the Predators this season, scoring 15 points (three goals and 12 assists) and having a plus/minus of minus-10.
Nashville also signed Jonathan Marchessault out of free agency in 2024, who had been with the Golden Knights for seven seasons. Since joining the Predators, Marchessault’s play has declined, recording 31 points (12 goals and 19 assists) in 62 games this past season.
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The Golden Knights will await the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is TBD.
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