Who gets the Cup first? NHL insiders pick likely Stanley Cup handoff heroes for each contender.
The moment every kid dreams of is the one where they hoist the Stanley Cup. Some of the most memorable moments from Stanley Cup wins is when the team captain makes the first handoff to a player who worked long and hard to finally lift up the greatest trophy in sports.
Who could forget when Ray Bourque finally won his first Stanley Cup in year 22 of his legendary career? Or when Scott Niedermayer passed the Cup to his brother Rob in 2007?
These iconic moments endure through time, creating unforgettable memories as fans witness the players who’ve represented them for generations finally achieve the ultimate glory in the sport.
With that in mind we look at all the eight current Stanley Cup Contenders and spoke with team insiders as to which player would most likely get the first handoff.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
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Winnipeg Jets – Mark Schefiele (+10000)
We spoke to both of The Hockey News’ Winnipeg Jets insiders in Carter Brooks and Julian Gaudio with the two coming to the consensus that captain Adam Lowry’s first handoff would go to Mark Scheifele, the first-ever draft pick of this era of the Jets franchise.
The 32-year-old Kitchener native has been with the team for 14 seasons and has totaled 804 points through 879 career games. Scheifele is the longest active tenured Jet and makes the most sense for the honor of getting the Cup first.
Dallas Stars – Tyler Seguin (+800)
Mikko Rantanen is putting together a solid resume for the Conn Smythe trophy if the Stars were to win the cup but would that mean he gets the Cup first? Team insider Taylor Newby believes it would be longtime Star Tyler Seguin being the first handoff.
After spending the first three years of his career in Boston, Seguin has solidified himself as a Dallas Stars legend with 688 points through 786 games over 12 seasons with the team.
He and captain Jamie Benn have been known to have a very close relationship and they are the team’s two longest tenured players and would make the most sense for them to celebrate the moment together.
Edmonton Oilers – Adam Henrique (+10000)
The Devils run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012 was headlined by several big goals by a young Henrique, who put his name on the map. Unfortunately the Devils fell just short but the now 35-year-old centre is still on the hunt for his first cup and could get a chance with the red hot Oilers.
People expect McDavid to pass it to his star teammate in Draisaitl but history shows the veterans get it first. When Sidney Crosby won all three of his Stanley Cups, none of his first handoffs were to superstar teammate Evgeni Malkin.
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Vegas Golden Knights – Tomas Hertl (+3000)
The 31-year-old forward came close to lifting lord Stanley when reaching the Finals in 2016 with the San Jose Sharks. Gaudio also covers the Golden Knights and spoke to Hertl’s character of being a positive guy and that the team would be more than happy to give him to Cup first.
Toronto Maple Leafs – John Tavares (+750)
The hometown hero has been a difference maker to Toronto’s success this season, racking up 74 points—including 38 goals, matching the second-highest total of his career. After being the Leafs captain over the last five seasons, Tavares stepped down to allow superstar Auston Matthews to take over as the leader and face of the franchise they drafted him to be.
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Johnny Toronto getting the Cup first makes as he is the third-oldest player on the team but an honorable mention is veteran Max Pacioretty, who is the oldest on the team at 36 years old.
Florida Panthers – Nate Schmidt (+1500)
The runaway favourite for the defending Stanley Cup Champions is newcomer Nate Schmidt, who has come close before when reaching the Finals in 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights.
At age 33, Schmidt has played nearly 750 games and has accrued a dominant +106 rating, which is 48th-best in the NHL since joining the league back in the 2013-14 season.
Carolina Hurricanes – Brent Burns (+490)
Hurricanes insider Ryan Henkel agrees with sportsbooks that have Burns as the overall favourite to be the first handoff for the cup.
The sure-fire Hall-of-Fame defenceman has never won before despite ranking ninth all-time in goals and 12th in points. He currently holds the fourth longest iron man streak in the NHL and is three games short of 1,500 games played.
Washington Capitals – Nic Dowd (+10000)
Washington’s pick is easy as the 34-year-old winger joined the Caps shortly after they won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and has become such an integral part of the team that many may not know, he hasn’t won yet.
Team captain Alex Ovechkin will surely spot that their second-oldest player on the roster after himself hasn’t won yet and deserves the respect of getting the first handoff.
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