The Carolina Hurricanes have broken through and reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since coach Rod Brind’Amour was captain of the 2006 championship team.
The Vegas Golden Knights responded to a late-season coaching change from Bruce Cassidy to John Tortorella to reach the final for the third time in the franchise’s nine years of existence. They won in their second trip in 2023.
Advertisement
The series winner will pick up the franchise’s second Stanley Cup title. Who will help get them to the top?
Here are 10 players to watch in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, five from each team:
CAROLINA HURRICANES
He had a middling season and Brandon Bussi played four more games and had 15 more wins than Andersen. Brind’Amour went with the veteran goaltender and he has turned things around with a 12-1 record and 1.44 goals-against average. Andersen was one of the first clients of Claude Lemieux after the four-time Stanley Cup winner became an agent. He said after Lemieux’s May 28 death that he wants to make Lemieux proud.
Advertisement
He’s considered a top shutdown defenseman, which he is why he was named to Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics. He was injured during the early part of the season, which explains why the Golden Knights were able to score 10 goals against the Hurricanes in two October wins. He’ll be key to helping limit a deep Vegas team.
He was the key piece in the return when the Hurricanes traded Mikko Rantanen to Dallas last season after acquiring him earlier in the season. The 23-year-old has taken a big step, recording his first 20-goal season and leading the team with nine playoff goals on the red-hot second line.
Advertisement
Hall came over in the first Rantanen trade from the Chicago Blackhawks as part of a three-team deal. The 2010 No. 1 overall pick was a Hart Trophy winner in 2017-18, but his play had dropped off before the trade. He has found his game on a line with Stankoven and Jackson Blake. Hall leads the Hurricanes with 16 points.
He has only four goals and seven points in 13 games after averaging a point per game in the regular season. The second line has been carrying the Hurricanes and they’ll need more offense from the Aho-led first line if they are going to beat the Golden Knights.
Advertisement
Others to watch: Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, K’Andre Miller, Jordan Staal.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The Toronto Maple Leafs never got out of the second round and rarely out of the first during his tenure there. He received part of the criticism. Joining the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, he’s not only in the fourth round, he’s leading the playoffs in scoring with 21 points.
Coach John Tortorella calls him the best 200-foot player in the NHL. The center was used against Nathan MacKinnon in the conference finals sweep of the Colorado Avalanche. In addition, Eichel is second in playoff scoring with 18 points and helped the USA win Olympic gold.
Advertisement
He’s tied for the NHL lead with 10 goals, with four of those coming on the power play. He’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end and due a big raise after scoring 35 and 37 goals the past two regular seasons.
The Golden Knights are so deep that the skilled Stone plays on the third line. The winger is a former Selke Trophy finalist and also has four power play goals. Injuries are a problem and he was out for part of the playoffs. The Golden Knights were much better when he returned.
He’s averaging more than 25 minutes a game, the most of any player in the series. The former Anaheim Duck leads blue liners with 11 points and has a series-high 46 blocked shots. He’ll be responsible for helping the Golden Knights escape the Hurricanes’ relentless forecheck.
Others to watch: Carter Hart, Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, William Karlsson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes, Golden Knights players to watch in Stanley Cup Final
Read the full article here
