The Edmonton Oilers have some different players from last season’s Stanley Cup Final, but their biggest change from 2024 is the experience of going through it before against the Florida Panthers.
‘We’ve done the press conferences, we’ve answered the question about what it’s like to be in the Stanley Cup Final, we know what to expect, we’ve seen this team before,’ Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters on Monday. ‘There’s a lot of familiar things about this.’
Last year, the Panthers won the first three games of the series, the Oilers rallied to tie it up and Florida won Game 7 on home ice. Edmonton has home ice this time.
The Oilers are relatively healthy except for Zach Hyman, who had surgery for an injury in the conference finals. Forward Connor Brown is ready to return and defenseman Mattias Ekholm came back earlier than expected.
Here are 12 players, six per side, to watch in the Stanley Cup Final:
Edmonton Oilers players to watch
Center Connor McDavid
The three-time MVP and last season’s playoff MVP is leading the league in postseason scoring again. He broke Wayne Gretzky’s single-season playoff record last season by finishing with 34 assists. His speed makes him dangerous. He would be the one to lift the Stanley Cup first if the Oilers win and he could win another Conn Smythe Trophy if that happens. He’s eligible to receive a contract extension this summer, which would restore him as the league’s top-paid player.
Center Leon Draisaitl
He led the regular season with 52 goals and is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as MVP to his team. He’s one point behind McDavid. Look for the power play to try to set him up in the right faceoff circle. He leads the Oilers with nine points on the power play. He also has drawn notice for his defensive play, finishing sixth in Selke Trophy voting as top defensive forward. He’s in the mix for playoff MVP. He has received a contract extension that would make him the NHL’s highest-paid player next season.
Forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
He was the Oilers’ No. 1 overall pick in 2011 and had a career-best 104 points in 2022-23. Though he dropped to 49 points this season, he has had a strong postseason. He had two goals and seven assists in the first four games of the Western Conference finals.
Defenseman Evan Bouchard
Bouchard has a booming shot from the point that has to be respected on the power play. He has 17 points in 16 games. He’s also prone to turnovers with 28 giveaways this postseason following 128 in the regular season. He’s a pending restricted free agent.
Defenseman Mattias Ekholm
The key member of the blue line had been out since April 11 with an undisclosed injury. He returned in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, picking up an assist. ‘Six weeks ago, I had no clue of where I was going to be at and most people didn’t think I was going to be in this position,’ he told reporters.
Knoblauch says the defenseman will be ready to play more than 20 minutes a night against the Panthers. This will be his third final. He played in 2017 with the Nashville Predators.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner
Skinner has had turnarounds in back-to-back postseasons to lead his team to the final. Last season, he sat out several games in the second round. This time, he watched as Calvin Pickard won six in a row. But he has been solid since going back in the net after a Pickard injury in the second round. Skinner’s goals-against average, which sat at 6.11 after he was pulled in Game 2 of the first round, is now at 2.53. Three shutouts and two one-goal games will do that.
Florida Panthers players to watch
Center Aleksander Barkov
The Panthers captain just picked his third Selke Trophy and second in a row. He’ll likely be deployed against McDavid or Draisaitl. He puts up points (a team-best 17) in addition to his defensive play. He had a beautiful assist in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Center Sam Bennett
He leads playoff goal scorers with 10 and is also known for his physical play. Sometimes, he’s accused of going over the line. The pending unrestricted free agent is on a line with Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe.
Winger Sam Reinhart
Reinhart scored the winning goal in Game 7 of last year’s final and was Florida’s top scorer in the regular season. He was a runner-up in Selke Trophy voting behind Barkov and is a scoring threat when shorthanded. He missed time in the conference finals after a check from Sebastian Aho but had two assists in his return.
Winger Brad Marchand
His trade from the Boston Bruins was a shocker and he has fit in well with Florida, playing on the third line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. That line was dominant in the second round. Marchand’s pesky style also fits in well with the Panthers. He’s in the final year of his contract.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad
The 2014 No. 1 overall pick is in the final year of his contract. He has missed four playoff games because of suspensions (two games of a 20-game PED ban extended into the postseason, plus two more for elbowing Brandon Hagel). Despite that, he leads Panthers defensemen with eight assists, 11 points and 27 shots.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky
He has two Vezina trophies and a Stanley Cup title to his name. And he’s playing even better (2.11, .912 save percentage) than he did last postseason. If the Panthers win again, he would be in the mix for playoff MVP.
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