Which players are most deserving of winning the Stanley Cup?
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Greg Wyshynski
One by one, the Florida Panthers skated with the Stanley Cup after winning Game 7 of last year’s Final. It was a familiar feeling for some of those who had lifted it before, such as Carter Verhaeghe. But for the majority of the roster, this was their first time touching the chalice.
One of them was Kyle Okposo. “I almost retired, and they’re a big reason why I didn’t,” he said of his teammates. “I wanted to have one more crack at it, and I just wanted to put myself in the best position to do this.”
So after 17 seasons, 1,051 regular-season games and 41 more in the postseason, the 37-year-old finally achieved his NHL dream.
As the Panthers pushed for the championship, Okposo had become the playoffs’ quintessential “Old Guy Without a Cup” whom fans rallied around. But simply having a work history and a long-ago draft year doesn’t always portend Stanley Cup worthiness. There are other factors to consider, from how those players performed in postseasons past to how close they have come to raising the Cup.
We take everything into account in our Cup Worthiness Ratings (CWR), which seek to define the veteran and in-their-prime players most deserving of raising Stanley.
We began by taking active skaters whose teams are still in the playoffs with the greatest number of regular-season games played without having won the Stanley Cup, with 850 as the cutoff. There were 21 in total at the start, and we reverse-ranked them to award points; i.e., Ryan Suter played the most games (1,526) without winning a Cup, so he received 21 points.
We did the same for career playoff games and playoff points. We then added the number of years they’ve been in the league to that score — something that also served as a tiebreaker between players with the same score.
It was Alfred, Lord Tennyson who wrote: “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” That love can also be bitter. Hence, we’re factoring into the CWR how close a player has come to drinking from the chalice.
If a player reached the conference final, they received five points for each appearance. If they reached the Stanley Cup Final, that was an additional 10 points. If they were traded by an eventual Stanley Cup-winning team (within the next two seasons) that was worth five points. (Please note that Claude Giroux‘s decision to leave the Panthers as a free agent before they won the Cup does not count.)
We wanted to factor in the prestige of a player in our rankings. Let’s face it, there’s more pressure on a star player to round out their “legacy” with a championship than there is for the rank and file. It was an issue for players such as Alex Ovechkin and Nathan MacKinnon before it wasn’t anymore. Players like Connor McDavid are now experiencing the weight of that expectation. So, to that end, we added five points to the score if that player ever won an NHL award, using that as a mark of stardom.
We also gave 10 points to any player who won the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP in a losing effort in the Stanley Cup Final. Could you imagine how heartbreaking that would be?
With that, here are the top 10 most deserving veteran players (minimum 850 games) still in the 2025 postseason based on their CWR.
Age: 34
Cup Worthiness Rating: 53
For a point-per-game player, Duchene has been well-traveled in his career, seeing playoff action with the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars. (His time in Ottawa, not so much).
The 16-year veteran would be higher in this ranking were it not for his lack of postseason action (56 games) and having had only one trip to the conference finals, last year with Dallas.
Age: 34
Cup Worthiness Rating: 57
History will judge Tavares’ decision to leave the New York Islanders for his beloved childhood team in Toronto back in 2018, and what that did to his proximity to the Stanley Cup. After all, the Islanders made the playoffs’ second-to-last round twice after Tavares left, while he hasn’t gotten out of the second round with the Leafs. But he had the fifth-most games played among those in this ranking over a 16-year NHL career.
Age: 35
Cup Worthiness Rating: 70
Few players on this ranking have had the postseason moment Henrique had in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, scoring an overtime goal to send the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in a win over the archrival Rangers. The Devils failed to win the Cup that season.
Henrique would get his second chance at the chalice with the Oilers in 2024, only to lose in Game 7 despite the team’s rally from down 0-3. Factor in 993 regular-season games, and it has been a long wait for Henrique to have his name etched.
Age: 33
Cup Worthiness Rating: 72
He might still look 23 in some photos, but Coyle has 950 regular-season games to his credit. He played in the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final for the Boston Bruins in 2019, losing the latter series to the St. Louis Blues in seven painful games. He would play 75 playoff games with the Bruins, ranking him fourth among the players on this list.
Age: 33
Cup Worthiness Rating: 72
There’s no denying Kane has put in the time (930 regular-season games in 15 seasons) and has been within reach of the chalice multiple times: three trips to the conference finals with the San Jose Sharks and Oilers, and last season’s Stanley Cup Final ride with Edmonton.
Age: 32
Cup Worthiness Rating: 75
The Nuge is another player who seems more like he was just drafted rather than being a 14-year veteran who should break 1,000 games next season (959 so far). The Edmonton lifer watched as his franchise struggled to find its way before Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl started dragging the Oilers into championship contention.
The do-everything forward is exactly the kind of player who deserves to raise the Cup: one whom fans love and the rest of us slightly underappreciate.
Age: 36
Cup Worthiness Rating: 78
Thanks to a variety of injuries, Pacioretty has played only 939 regular-season games over the course of 17 NHL seasons. But his rating was bolstered by three trips to the penultimate round of the playoffs with Montreal (2014) and Vegas (2020, 2021).
But most importantly, he earned the rare “traded away before his team won a championship” bonus points, as the Golden Knights shipped him to Carolina in July 2022 and then lifted the Stanley Cup the following June.
Age: 40
Cup Worthiness Rating: 83
The active leader in games played (1,526, which is 19th all time), Suter actually isn’t in the top 15 in playoff games for active players. His teams — Nashville, Minnesota and Dallas — didn’t get out of the first round in nine of the 15 seasons in which the clubs qualified for the playoffs.
That said, he has played more postseason games than anyone else on this ranking (135) and made two trips to the conference finals with the Dallas Stars over the past two seasons.
Age: 35
Cup Worthiness Rating: 102
The Stars captain brings a win-at-all-costs physicality to the postseason, laying his body on the line — and laying out others — during some lengthy postseason runs in this career. Benn has played 1,192 regular-season games and another 107 in the playoffs.
He has made three treks to the conference finals, one of which ended in the Stanley Cup Final. Loved by his teammates and loathed by opposing fans, he would be the first to hoist the Cup should the Stars win it during his captaincy — and he’ll be a more-than-deserving recipient.
Age: 40
Cup Worthiness Rating: 110
There’s no one else in the NHL quite like Brent Burns. He has played 21 seasons, making the transition from forward to defense and then excelling on the blue line. He’s the current leader among active defensemen in points (910 in 1,497 games) during the regular season, and fourth in the playoffs (77).
He has been to the conference finals three times, and the Stanley Cup Final once. He has a year-round playoff beard and carries around a large bag filled with many mysterious items.
If he wins the Stanley Cup, it’ll be a moment to live out a hockey dream. And more importantly, it means he can introduce the Stanley Cup to the menagerie of animals at his 420-acre Texas ranch.
So those were the older guys looking to lift the Cup for the first time. What about the ones in their prime as far as games played who have yet to skate with Stanley?
Here are the top five players who are active in the playoffs, have appeared in under 850 career regular-season games and are seeking their first Cup win:
Age: 31
Cup Worthiness Rating: 51
The Vegas forward’s 791 games were the most among the players in his ranking, amassing most of them during 11 seasons with the San Jose Sharks. He made two conference finals and the 2016 Stanley Cup Final with the Sharks, a franchise still looking for its first Cup win.
Holding him back a little in his Cup Worthiness Rating: He has only 48 points in 74 playoff games (0.64), which is a lower points-per-game average than in his regular-season career (0.69).
Age: 25
Cup Worthiness Rating: 53
The Stars’ defenseman was the beneficiary of some deep Dallas playoff runs, having made the conference finals three times and the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. So it’s less about his time in the league — 475 games over seven seasons — and more about how close he has come to a title in his relatively short career.
Age: 34
Cup Worthiness Rating: 58
An under-the-radar player as far as Cup droughts go, but one whose career has had its share of heartbreak.
Schmidt has played 741 regular-season games with the Capitals, Golden Knights, Jets and now the Panthers. He made the conference finals twice and the Stanley Cup Final once in 81 career playoff games.
But Schmidt earned valuable bonus points by being jettisoned by his team right before they won the Stanley Cup: The Capitals left him exposed in the 2017 expansion draft and he was selected by Vegas … whom Washington would then defeat for the Cup the next season. Ouch! He also was traded by Vegas before it won the Cup, but that was out of range for consideration in our scoring.
Age: 29
Cup Worthiness Rating: 66
When the Oilers falter in the playoffs, it’s never because of Draisaitl. The 11-year NHL veteran is second in postseason goals (44) behind Nathan MacKinnon (51) since 2017, which was Draisaitl’s first playoff year. Few players can say they’ve been better than a point-per-game pace in every playoff season they’ve had, but Draisaitl can. Plus, he has earned the reputation for gutting through injuries in the playoffs and still excelling.
He received a points boost for last season’s trip to the Stanley Cup Final and his Hart Trophy win. He’s worthy … but someone else he knows is a bit more worthy.
Age: 28
Cup Worthiness Rating: 74
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. McDavid is considered to be the best hockey player in the world. He has multiple scoring titles and MVP awards. But he doesn’t have a Cup.
So that puts McDavid in the precarious position that Alex Ovechkin and MacKinnon most recently found themselves in: legendary players whose lack of team success threatens to put a asterisk on their likely Hall of Fame careers.
McDavid made the conference finals in 2022 and then made the leap to the Stanley Cup Final last season, rallying his team from trailing 3-0 to nearly taking the championship. He has more postseason points than anyone in this ranking (127 in 79 games). We even had to create a special category to underscore his frustration, awarding five points to the only active player who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP in a losing effort.
One day, he’ll lift the Cup. The best ones always do. And he’s the best of the best.
We’ve covered the veteran skaters and the younger skaters. That’s a lot of skaters. There’s another position on the ice that has some Cup-worthy competitors, and that’s in the crease.
Here’s a short list of the highest-rated goalies in CWR who are still active. For the netminders, we went with regular-season games, seasons in the league, playoff appearances, postseason wins, conference finals and Stanley Cup Final appearances, NHL awards and whether they were traded right before a team won the Cup.
Age: 35
Cup Worthiness Rating: 21
Andersen made us briefly wonder if there should be bonus points for anyone who suffered through multiple playoff runs with the Leafs. Four of his 10 playoff seasons were in Toronto, all of them ending in the first round and earning him the expected blame from fans.
In the end, there are a couple of goalies who have a little more hardware and late playoff appearances that tipped the scales in the ratings system, but there are few players more worthy of raising the Cup than Andersen, both in longevity but also in having played through a variety of ailments.
Age: 35
Cup Worthiness Rating: 25
Admittedly, it’s difficult to anoint a goalie as “Cup-worthy” when he has been seen as a liability for three straight postseasons. But Hellebuyck has 21 wins in 50 playoff games, and is fifth among active goalies in games played (568).
Put it this way: Given Hellebuyck’s struggles in the playoffs, if the Jets win the Cup he’ll probably have earned it.
Age: 26
Cup Worthiness Rating: 31
Oettinger is much younger and less experienced than the other goalies on this list, to be sure. But the comprehensive evaluation and inarguable methodology of the Cup Worthiness Rating puts him first because of his postseason heartbreak.
His NHL debut was in the 2020 playoffs, appearing in Dallas’s conference finals win over Vegas and their Stanley Cup Final loss to Tampa Bay. He appeared in two subsequent conference finals as well. What Oettinger lacks in experience he makes up for by the ring having been just out of his reach. Like the rest of the Dallas Stars, he’s Cup-worthy.
There has been no shortage of excitement already this NHL offseason. Following the Florida Panthers‘ second consecutive Stanley Cup championship — and seemingly never-ending celebration — the annual period of roster modification has begun.
The 2025 NHL draft included 224 prospects finding new homes, and the weekend included trades for Noah Dobson, Charlie Coyle and John Gibson. On Monday, a slew of re-signings, and the trade of Mitch Marner, took several big names off the free agent big board.
Below you will find our continuously updated free agency tracker for 2025, featuring a list of every player signed, including average annual value of the contract in most cases. Analysis of the biggest deals can be found here.
Note that the newest deals are on top, denoted by date.
Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers
July 2
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, native Curtis Lazar is headed back to Western Canada, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Oilers.
Veteran winger Anthony Mantha has made the rounds in recent seasons, and his next NHL home is in Pittsburgh, inking a one-year, $2.5 million pact.
July 1
After a brief stint for an American-based team, Andrew Mangiapane is back in Western Canada, inking a two-year, $3.6 million AAV deal with the Oilers.
Forward Justin Brazeau has chosen the Penguins as his next NHL destination, inking a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.
The Devils continued adding to their forward depth, adding veteran scoring winger Evgenii Dadonov via a one-year, $1 million deal.
The July 1 goalie rush continues. The Mammoth are the latest team to make an addition in the crease, inking Stanley Cup champion Vitek Vanecek via a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Offensive defenseman John Klingberg is headed to San Jose, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4 million pact with the Sharks.
One of the top remaining free agents available, veteran forward Mikael Granlund has landed with the Ducks on a three-year deal.
Veteran bottom-six forward Lars Eller has chosen the Senators as his next team, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
The Penguins have extended their business relationships with Philip Tomasino (one year, $1.75 million) and Connor Dewar (one year, $1.1 million).
As part of the effort to retake the title of Florida’s best hockey team, the Lightning have inked Pontus Holmberg to a two-year, $1.55 million AAV contract.
The Wild have added Nico Sturm. The former Panther has signed a two-year, $2 million AAV contract.
The Sabres have entered the chat! The club’s first big deal of the day is inking goaltender Alex Lyon to a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.
The Kraken add to their goaltending depth, adding former Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray on a one-year, $1 million contract.
The Islanders had themselves a great draft weekend, and they continue the momentum in free agency, adding veteran forward Jonathan Drouin on a two-year, $4 million AAV deal.
The Stars are on the board. Hours after announcing the official hiring of Glen Gulutzan as the club’s new head coach, the Stars have brought back forward Radek Faksa on a two-year, $3 million AAV contract.
Earlier on Tuesday the Kings lost defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to the Rangers. To help fill that blue-line gap, they signed Cody Ceci (four years, $4.5 million AAV) and Brian Dumoulin (three years, $4 million AAV). They also signed goaltender Anton Forsberg for two years, $2.25 million AAV.
Defenseman Nick Perbix has thus far only known NHL life as a member of the Lightning. He’ll head to Nashville next, agreeing to a two-year, $2.75 million AAV deal with the Predators.
The Panthers have gone to the veteran defenseman well again, signing Jeff Petry to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
Fresh off a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, defenseman Nate Schmidt is joining the Mammoth by way of a three-year, $3.5 million AAV contract.
The NHL career of James van Riemsdyk will continue, as he has agreed to terms with the Red Wings on a one-year, $1 million deal. Separately, the Wings added Jacob Bernard-Docker on a one-year, $875,000 contract.
The Bruins add to their depth, agreeing to terms with Sean Kuraly on a two-year, $1.85 million AAV pact.
Another key member of the Panthers’ championship roster is returning. Veteran forward Tomas Nosek has agreed to a one-year deal.
After completing the 2024-25 season with the Jets, veteran forward Brandon Tanev is sticking in the Central Division, but heading to Utah by way of a three-year, $2.5 million AAV deal.
Take another goalie’s name off the big board! Kaapo Kahkonen has agreed to terms with the Canadiens on a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. In a separate deal, the club also signed forward Sammy Blais.
The winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey, defenseman Scott Perunovich has signed a one-year deal with the Mammoth.
In need of some backup goaltending depth, the Islanders agreed to terms with “Big Save” Dave Rittich on a one-year deal.
Diminutive, versatile forward Kailer Yamamoto is the latest player added by the Mammoth, by way of a one-year, $775,000 pact.
Veteran center Nick Bjugstad has made his decision: He’s joining the Blues by way of a two-year contract.
Veteran defenseman Ryan Lindgren finished the 2024-25 season with the Avalanche, and he’ll head northwest for his next NHL home, agreeing to terms on a four-year, $4.5 million AAV contract.
The Senators haven’t been able to lure any new free agents to the club yet, but their re-signing game remains strong. After re-upping with Claude Giroux, the Sens also continued their business relationship with Nick Cousins via a one-year, $825,000 pact.
Sure to be a fan favorite in Beantown, veteran forward Tanner Jeannot has agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Bruins, with a $3.4 million AAV.
A sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, winger Michael Pezzetta is going from Montreal to Toronto via a two-year, $787,500 AAV contract.
Connor Brown impressed a lot of viewers with inspired play during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. Now, he’ll bring that energy to the Devils, who have signed him to a four-year, $3 million AAV contract.
The defenseman market is one key player smaller, as the Rangers have agreed to terms with Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $7 million AAV contract.
One of the top goaltending options available is off the board, with Dan Vladar joining the Flyers via a two-year, $3.35 million AAV contract.
Veteran feisty forward Corey Perry is switching sides in the Oilers-Kings rivalry, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with salary and bonuses worth $3.5 million. Separately, the Kings also signed veteran forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal with a $2.5 million AAV.
One of the top available free agents has made a decision … and he’ll be re-signing. Brock Boeser is back with the Canucks by way of a seven-year, $7.3 million AAV contract.
Parker Kelly will continue his career with the Avalanche, agreeing to terms on a four-year contract with a $1.7 million AAV.
Veteran forward Colin Blackwell will be returning to the Stars, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.
Christian Dvorak has moved on from the Canadiens, agreeing to a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Flyers.
Noah Juulsen, welcome to Philly! The Flyers have inked the 28-year-old defenseman to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
Defenseman Ryan Johnson is sticking with the Sabres, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.
The top-rated goaltender slated to hit free agency this offseason will not make it to market; Jake Allen is back with the Devils via a five-year contract with a $1.8 million AAV.
Veteran offensive defenseman Tony DeAngelo will be back with the Islanders for 2025-26, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.
June 30
The Red Wings will be continuing their relationship with veteran forward Patrick Kane, inking a one-year, $3 million extension.
The band is getting back together. After re-upping with Sam Bennett last week, the Panthers re-signed both Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand on Monday.
Rumors of a Mitch Marner trade popped up during draft weekend, and they came to fruition Monday, as the Maple Leafs inked Marner to an eight-year, $12 million average annual value extension, then traded him to the Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy.
The Oilers will not be allowing one of their promising young players to leave via offer sheet, as they signed restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $10.5 million AAV contract.
Veteran defenseman Ivan Provorov would have been one of the most sought-after blueliners on the free agent market. Instead, he’ll be back with the Blue Jackets for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a seven-year, $8.5 million AAV deal.
George Springer had a career-high seven RBIs, including his ninth grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays celebrated Canada Day by beating the Yankees 12-5 on Tuesday and closing within one game of American League East-leading New York.
The seven RBIs are tied for the second most by any Blue Jays player in a home game, behind Edwin Encarnación (nine RBIs in 2015), according to ESPN Research.
Andrés Giménez had a go-ahead, three-run homer for the Blue Jays, who overcame a 2-0 deficit against Max Fried. After the Yankees tied the score 4-4 in the seventh, Toronto broke open the game in the bottom half against a reeling Yankees bullpen.
Springer went 3-for-4, starting the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth against Fried and boosting the lead to 9-5 with the slam off Luke Weaver after Ernie Clement‘s go-ahead single off shortstop Anthony Volpe‘s glove. Springer has 13 homers this season.
Toronto won the first two games of the four-game series and closed within one game of the Yankees for the first time since before play on April 20.
New York went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, dropping to 3-for-24 in the series, while the Blue Jays were 5-for-7. After going 13-14 in June, the Yankees fell to 10-14 against AL East rivals.
The Associate Press contributed to this report.
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