Carolina Hurricanes Win 2026 Stanley Cup
After nearly two months of playoff hockey, a winner has been crowned. On the back of a shutout effort in goal from Brandon Bussi (who made his NHL debut at 27 just eight months ago) and key goals in the opening two periods from Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to take the series in six games.
It’s the second Stanley Cup title in Hurricanes franchise history. Their first came 20 years ago back in the 2005-06 campaign. Rod Brind’Amour was a key cog on that 2006 champion as a player and now, he has his first Cup victory as a head coach.
After years of getting to the Eastern Conference Final and coming up short, GM Eric Tulsky made a pair of key additions to his roster. He traded for defenseman K’Andre Miller and then inked winger Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency. Both players played big roles for Carolina in the postseason as they swept Ottawa and Philadelphia in the first two rounds and took out Montreal in five games to get to this point.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Hurricanes were victorious this postseason without key contributions from two of their top scorers during the regular season. Sebastian Aho was limited to just a dozen points in 19 playoff games after picking up 80 points during the season. Meanwhile, Andrei Svechnikov had 11 points after notching 70 over the course of the regular season. But those diminished contributions were more than made up for with the secondary scorers picking up the slack with Hall, Blake, and Logan Stankoven all finishing with at least 16 points and finishing in the top four in team scoring. Hall becomes the first player in NHL history to be picked first overall by one team (Edmonton), win the Hart Trophy with a different team (New Jersey), and win a Stanley Cup with a different team than those two. Meanwhile, defenseman Jaccob Slavin becomes just the ninth player to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year.
Meanwhile, Jordan Staal took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The 37-year-old captain becomes the oldest player to win the trophy. Staal tied a league record with a five-game goal streak in the Stanley Cup Final while his faceoff percentage in the series sets a new Final record. This is Staal’s second Stanley Cup title and his 17-year gap between winning also sets an NHL record.
As for Vegas, their third trip to the Cup Final in their nine-year franchise history ends on a losing note. Late in a regular season that saw them underachieve throughout, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon made the surprising decision to let head coach Bruce Cassidy go with just eight games left in the regular season, replacing him with John Tortorella.
Tortorella’s addition certainly gave them a spark as they went 7-0-1 down the stretch to secure the top seed in the Pacific Division and then took care of Utah and Anaheim in six games in the opening two rounds. Their best came in the Western Conference Final, however, as they swept Colorado, the Presidents’ Trophy winner before taking two games from the Hurricanes, more than Carolina’s other three opponents combined. Now, they have another decision to make behind the bench with Tortorella only signing on for this season. Will he stay or will they make another change with well-regarded up-and-coming coach Ryan Craig waiting in the wings?
Although they came up short as a team, they had some of the best individual performances of the postseason. Mitch Marner led all playoff participants with 29 points. Meanwhile, Brett Howden had the most goals of anyone with 14 while Jack Eichel led the way with 20 assists.
With the games now over, the focus will now shift to offseason activity. First up will be the buyout window which will open up mid-week. The draft will come soon after with that beginning on June 26th while the new league year and free agency opens up on July 1st. It promises to be a busy summer ahead with activity likely to pick up in the very near future.
Latest On Golden Knights Lineup
Center William Karlsson’s season is expected to be over with an injury sustained in the last contest, and if Tortorella’s Knights can’t turn the tide on their three losses out of the last four in the series, they’ll be joining him in looking ahead to 2026-27. No longer the top goal scorer he was in the early Golden Knights days, Karlsson’s impact is still huge, as a pivot between Mitch Marner and Brett Howden who have been an extremely effective line.
Smith and Saad have 123 and 116 playoff games to their names respectively. Either Stanley Cup champion has what it takes to step up and make an impact, but truly it will be up to the Golden Knights stars and goaltending to try and prevent Carolina from hoisting the cup on the Vegas Strip tonight, 20 years after their first.
Poll: Who Will Win The 2026 Conn Smythe?
The 2026 Stanley Cup Finals could wrap up as soon as Sunday night, with the Carolina Hurricanes holding a 3-2 advantage over the Vegas Golden Knights. Both teams have been led to the finals by standout stars, building a strong pool of Conn Smythe Trophy candidates no matter who wins the Cup.
A strong performance in the Finals is the best way to stick in voters’ minds and no player has stood out more than Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal. The 38 year old has scored six goals and seven points in five games this series. That is more than Staal had scored through the entirety of the first three rounds – when he notched five points in 13 games. Playing under the lead of head coach Rod Brind’Amour – who spearheaded Carolina’s last Cup win in 2006 – Staal has found his next gear at exactly the right time.
But – Brind’Amour didn’t win the Conn Smythe in 2006, and Staal lacks scoring across the full postseason. A better standout could be playoff scoring leader Mitch Marner, who has blossomed into a playoff star in his first postseason run with the Golden Knights. He has recorded eight different multi-point games, including two four-point performances, en route to 29 points in just 21 playoff games. Marner has looked a cut above the rest for the last two months. That standing – marked by his lofty scoring – could be enough to earn Marner the Conn Smythe regardless of the series outcome. Connor McDavid was bestowed that honor in 2024, though he finished those playoffs with an incredible 42 points in 25 games. Marner’s chances would rise significantly should Vegas mount a comeback – one that would likely be led by his electric offense.
If the trophy does land in Carolina, MVP could go to any member of the Hurricanes best line: Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Logan Stankoven. The trio has clicked perfectly in the postseason. Hall and Blake lead the Hurricanes in playoff scoring with 18 points in as many games, while Stankoven ranks fourth with 15 points. Brind’Amour has leaned on this line to dig Carolina out of the defensive end and double-shift in important moments of the game. Their impact allowed the explosive styles of Nikolaj Ehlers, Seth Jarvis, and Sebastian Aho to shine. Opponents simply can’t cover all of Carolina’s top performers – and that begins with the hard-nosed impact made by each of Hall, Blake, and Stankoven.
There appeared to be a clear Conn Smythe option in Carolina’s net, before the Stanley Cup Finals. Starter Frederik Andersen was in the midst of a stellar postseason after recording 12 wins and a .931 save percentage through 13 games of the first three series. But the wheels fell off in the Finals, where Andersen recorded a .815 save percentage in 162 minutes before being pulled partway through Game 3. Rookie replacement Brandon Bussi has stood out in two-and-a-half games since. He has set a .908 save percentage and could very well end up the piece that pushed the Hurricanes over the line. That may not be enough to earn Bussi MVP consideration, though his emergence has certainly pulled down Andersen’s odds.
The top-notch, two-way impact of Mark Stone and Jack Eichel, or even the solid performances before the Finals from Vegas starter Carter Hart, could also push voters to consider their choices. A Vegas win on Sunday night could respark the debate, too, offering one more chance for players to make their case for the award. With the season set to reach its peak, who do you think will take home playoff MVP?
Who Will Win The 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy?
Golden Knights’ William Karlsson Unlikely To Return To Finals
The Vegas Golden Knights will once again have to fill in for a middle-six center. William Karlsson is unlikely to return to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals due to an injury sustained in Game 5, head coach John Tortorella told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Karlsson missed the first six games of Vegas’ postseason run with a lower-body injury that required surgery at the turn of the year.
Even if he doesn’t return, Karlsson’s 2025-26 season will carry the rare feature of more playoff games than regular-season games. His prior injury knocked him out of the lineup in late-November, after the 33 year old scored seven points through the first 14 games of the season. He continued that hot scoring under the lights of the playoffs with 10 points in 15 games so far.
A return to production coincided with a return to key lineup minutes. Karlsson has been the third piece of one of the strongest lines in the postseason, next to leading scorer Mitch Marner and breakout performer Brett Howden. The trio have outscored opponents 11-to-3 in the postseason despite getting outshot 65-to-77.
It will be that role that Vegas now has to find somewhere else. Tomas Hertl holds the likeliest chances to earn a promotion. The veteran center has redeemed a down year with 14 points in 21 playoff games. He has been an X-factor down the lineup for much of the postseason and now could give Vegas a heavy-hitting top-six. But his promotion may cause a full shakeup in the lineup, with the likeliest healthy scratch to step up being winger Brandon Saad, who filled-in for Mark Stone earlier in the playoffs. Vegas is also carrying Braeden Bowman, Trevor Connelly, and Raphael Lavoie in their reserve of black aces.
Tortorella will face a difficult decision in deciding how to replace Karlsson’s hinge role in the top-six. The balance between spreading out talent could be a deciding factor as the Golden Knights face elimination in Game 6 on Sunday.
William Karlsson Leaves Game 5 With Injury
- In last night’s Game 5, the Vegas Golden Knights suffered more than just a loss. In the second period, after being hit by Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, Golden Knights forward William Karlsson left the game entirely (Video Link). It’s a difficult blow to Karlsson, who already missed 68 games in the regular season due to a lower-body injury. He’s scored three goals and nine points in 15 games during the playoffs, but his postseason may have come to an abrupt end.
[SOURCE LINK]
- In last night’s Game 5, the Vegas Golden Knights suffered more than just a loss. In the second period, after being hit by Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, Golden Knights forward William Karlsson left the game entirely (Video Link). It’s a difficult blow to Karlsson, who already missed 68 games in the regular season due to a lower-body injury. He’s scored three goals and nine points in 15 games during the playoffs, but his postseason may have come to an abrupt end.
Afternoon Notes: Tuch, Andersson, Kraken Hires
According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Alex Tuch appears more likely to be heading to the open market.
The 30-year-old winger ended his 2025-26 season scoring 33 goals for 66 points in 79 games played with the Buffalo Sabres. In the final season of his current contract, fifth in Buffalo, the Syracuse, NY native added seven points in 13 playoff games to cap off his seven-year, $33.25MM ($4.75MM AAV) contract. Back at the Sabres breakup day, Tuch said he had an interest in returning to Buffalo, and general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen expressed that he wants him back in exit interviews. Contract talks were put on hold during the playoffs, but it appears as though things aren’t promising for a reunion.
LeBrun referenced two recent eight-year extensions in comparison to this situation with Nick Schmaltz‘s $64MM ($8MM AAV) deal with the Utah Mammoth, which will end when he turns 38, and the $85MM ($10.625MM AAV) deal with Adrian Kempe staying in Los Angeles till he is 37. He thinks the Sabres GM doesn’t see Tuch as a double-digit valued player.
Additional notes:
- Shayna Goldman of The Athletic dissected Rasmus Andersson‘s current situation and his ability to cash in. Goldman referred to other players who have a key similar attribute to Andersson, like Jacob Trouba, Connor Murphy, Andrew Peeke, Connor Clifton, Dylan Coghlan, etc; they’re right-handed. Aside from Darren Raddysh, whose 70 points in 73 games this season had a UFA defenseman’s best $14K cost-per-point, Andersson is listed as the only other shiny option among those rare options within their primes but noted that given Andersson’s lackluster Stanley Cup Final performance, he could be a risky bet for a team to pay for on the open market. His average annual market value is as low as $6.8MM and as high as $9.65MM, per Evolving-Hockey.
- The Seattle Kraken have hired two assistants to the young-franchise’s front office and bench. They announced they’re bringing on former Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin, who was a 2024 finalist for NHL GM of the Year in that role, and Pascal Vincent, who, for the last two years, has been head coach for the Laval Rocket, where he won his second AHL Coach of the Year in 2025. Allvin, 51, joins forces with current Kraken GM and Executive VP of Hockey Operations Jason Botterill. Both spent 10 years together in Pittsburgh, including a Stanley Cup victory in 2009 and back-to-back Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 while Botterill was assistant GM. Vincent, 54, was an NHL assistant coach for seven seasons, five with the Winnipeg Jets (2011 to 2016), two with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2021 to 2023), where he also served one year as their head coach in 2023-24.
Bruce Cassidy Would Entertain Any NHL Head Coach Role
Not even an electric Stanley Cup Finals has been enough to keep the Vegas Golden Knights from pushing for an advantage over the rest of the league. Amid one of the most energetic coaching wires in recent memory, Vegas is exercising their right to prevent recently-fired head coach Bruce Cassidy from interviewing for other jobs. The NHL has raised no issue with Vegas’ approach, pointing out that Cassidy would forfeit the $5MM his multi-year contract with Vegas promised him for the 2026-27 season by interviewing for another role. That money might not be an obstacle for the former Stanley Cup winner, though. In speaking with The Athletic, Cassidy shared that he simply wants to get back to work and would welcome the chance to fill any head coach role.
This will be prominent news for the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, the NHL’s only current coaching vacancies. Both clubs are in need of a leader after spinning their tires for the last few seasons. With the pressure of star-studded lineups, both clubs have also turned towards surprising ideas to try and bring in a difference-maker. Edmonton has kicked off a league investigation with their interest in former Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, who resigned from his most recent coaching role before coaching a single practice. The Maple Leafs are looking towards the other side of experience, interviewing 2024 retiree Joe Pavelski who spent last season coaching 15U hockey in Wisconsin. As shocking as both ideas are, they could each have merit, as Edmonton looks to strong-arm a Stanley Cup win while Toronto tries to kickoff a new era.
A free agent like Cassidy may be too great to ignore. The 61-year-old head coach is a two-time Jack Adams Trophy finalist and one-time winner. He has continued to stock his trophy cabinet over the last three years, winning the 2023 Stanley Cup, 2025 4-Nations Face-Off, and supporting a Silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. More than his accolades, Cassidy’s proof is in the results. After missing out despite a winning record in his first year coaching in the AHL, Cassidy has led every single team has helmed to the postseason. That includes four trips to the Calder Cup Playoffs and nine trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs – a mark that would have grown to 10 had Vegas retained his role for eight more games.
Cassidy’s clubs have made it by the first-round in eight of those 13 playoff runs. He made his first run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019, only to be disappointed by a fate-struck St. Louis Blues club. That mistake didn’t repeat itself when he returned to the 2023 Finals. Through the regular season, Cassidy has combined for a 373-173-72 record in the NHL – or an 82-game average of 50-23-9. He has reached those marks on strong Boston Bruins and Golden Knights clubs and should only reach higher heights with the strength of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl or Auston Matthews and, potentially, Gavin McKenna.
That potential should be enough to keep both Canadian clubs patient for a few more weeks. The Stanley Cup Finals will end by June 17th, at the latest, and Cassidy could choose to forfeit his promised salary in the name of a new role soon after that. He would be far-and-away the top option on a coaching market pulling in names from hockey past, present, and future.
Stanley Cup Final Reset: Hurricanes, Golden Knights Deadlocked In An Instant Classic
Eight days ago, the 2026 Stanley Cup Final was previewed in this space as the most evenly matched Final in years on paper. Four games in, the series has made that framing look conservative. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are tied 2-2 heading into Thursday’s Game five at the Lenovo Center, and they’ve gotten there via four straight games featuring multi-goal comebacks, overtime finishes, a rewritten Cup Final record book, and a goaltending twist nobody saw coming. Through three games, the series was averaging 8.33 goals per game, and Game four’s 5-3 finish barely slowed the pace. No game has been decided by more than two goals, and only an empty-netter in game four has pushed a final margin past one.
Four Games, Four Comebacks
Every game of this series has seen a multi-goal lead erased: twice the rallying team finished the job, twice the comeback only delayed the result.
Game 1: Golden Knights 5, Hurricanes 4. Carolina could not have scripted a better start. Nikolaj Ehlers scored 25 seconds into the series and added a second goal soon after for a 2-0 lead, but Vegas answered with three straight to ignite a back-and-forth finish. Tomas Hertl won it with 3:24 remaining in regulation, finishing a backhand feed from Colton Sissons.
Game 2: Hurricanes 4, Golden Knights 3 (OT). This time it was Vegas that built the 2-0 lead, with Brett Howden scoring both goals, before Carolina stormed back with three in the third period. Mark Stone tied it with 1:21 left in regulation, but Seth Jarvis ended it 3:56 into overtime, hammering a one-timer from the left circle off a Shayne Gostisbehere feed past Carter Hart. The win extended Carolina’s perfect overtime record this postseason to 6-0.
Game 3: Golden Knights 5, Hurricanes 4 (2OT). The wildest of the bunch. Hertl opened the scoring 10 seconds into the game’s first power play, then he and Mitch Marner scored 16 seconds apart in the second period, the fastest two playoff goals in franchise history. Marner completed his hat-trick in a span of 6:10 to make it 4-0, breaking a 69-year-old record for the fastest hat-trick in Stanley Cup Final history. Carolina, with Brandon Bussi replacing Frederik Andersen to start the third period, then authored one of the great failed comebacks in Final history: Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal scored three times in 39 seconds, the fastest three goals in a Cup Final game, before Andrei Svechnikov jammed home a 6-on-4 power-play goal with 1:42 left to force overtime. It took until 5:38 of double overtime for Shea Theodore, who logged a game-high 39:09, to end it on a shot that went wide, caromed off the end boards, and banked in off Bussi’s skate. The loss was Carolina’s first in overtime this postseason.
Game 4: Hurricanes 5, Golden Knights 3. With Bussi making his first career playoff start, Carolina built a 3-1 lead, watched Vegas pull even late in the second period, and then took the game over in the third. Staal scored twice, including the game-winner, chipping the puck over a diving Hart’s glove as he fell to the ice, to push his total to five goals in the Final. Ehlers sealed the win with an empty net goal. Bussi, in winning his playoff debut, became the first goaltender since 1961 to do so in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Series Previewed Vs. The Series Played
The original preview framed this matchup as a collision between Carolina’s volume game and Vegas’s finishing, with the prediction that the series would come down to which goaltender held his postseason form longer. Half of that has held up. The other half has been turned on its head.
The volume-versus-finishing contrast remains visible, just not in the way the full-game numbers suggested it would. The split has become period-based: Vegas has owned the second periods of this series, outscoring Carolina 9-1 while holding a 40-25 shot advantage, while the Hurricanes have dominated the thirds, outscoring the Golden Knights 10-3. Every Carolina comeback has come in the final frame; every Vegas surge has come in the middle one. “We’re both trying to play the same game with a few slight differences,” Jaccob Slavin said. “It’s just whoever can play their game better and more consistently.”
The goaltending prediction, meanwhile, has been blown apart. The preview was built on the premise of Andersen versus Hart, two netminders who had played every minute for their teams through three rounds. Hart has held up his end as far as remaining in net, but his numbers look grim becoming the first goalie in Cup Final history to allow four goals in each of the first four games. Andersen, on the other hand, entered the Final leading the playoffs in goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts, was pulled during Game three after Vegas built its 4-0 lead, and Bussi has taken the crease since. What was supposed to be the most goaltending-dependent Final in years has instead produced 33 goals in four games.
One preview question that has been answered emphatically is whether Carolina could finish at a rate that justified its volume. The Hurricanes have scored four or more goals in every game of the series after entering the Final with questions about whether their secondary line could carry the load alone. Staal, listed in the preview as a storyline, not a key player, has instead been their most dangerous finisher.
A Record Book Rewritten
The historic markers through four games, collected in one place:
- Marner’s second-period hat trick in Game three, completed in 6:10, broke a 69-year-old record as the fastest in Stanley Cup Final history.
- Carolina’s three goals in 39 seconds later that night are the fastest three goals in a Cup Final game.
- Hertl and Marner’s goals, 16 seconds apart, set a Golden Knights record for the fastest two playoff goals.
- Bussi became the first goaltender since 1961 to win his playoff debut in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Storylines, Four Games Later
Staal’s chase is very much alive: The 37-year-old captain has five goals in the Final and remains two wins from breaking Chris Chelios‘ record for the longest gap between Stanley Cup wins (16 years). His Game four performance with two goals, including the game-winner, was the kind of night that starts Conn Smythe conversations.
Marner has delivered on the billing: The record-setting hat trick added to a postseason in which he entered the Final leading the playoffs in scoring. The Conn Smythe race, the preview framed as Marner versus Andersen, has shifted under Andersen’s half, but Marner’s case has only strengthened.
The goaltending storyline nobody had: Bussi, who hadn’t appeared in a game in roughly two months before relieving Andersen in Game 3, is now the starting goaltender in a tied Stanley Cup Final. It took a difficult decision from Rod Brind’Amour to get there; going with the rookie for Game 4 meant sitting a goaltender who entered the Final as a Conn Smythe co-favorite. Thus far, the call has been rewarded.
What Decides It From Here
The series now reduces to a best-of-three with Carolina holding home ice, though home ice has meant little, with the teams splitting both the Raleigh and Vegas legs. The structural questions are clear. Can Vegas extend its second-period dominance across full games, and can Carolina stop spotting leads it then has to chase? The Hurricanes have trailed by multiple goals in three of the four games and still found a way to make every one of them a one-goal affair deep into the third period or beyond.
The goaltending question, meanwhile, has been turned inside out. Andersen lost the Carolina net entirely, and Hart, while still playing every minute for Vegas, has surrendered exactly four goals in each of the series’ four games. The preview’s closing line argued that whichever goaltender held his postseason form longer would probably win his team the Cup. Through four games, neither has, and the team that gets even one stellar night from its netminder may find that’s the edge this series has been waiting for.
Game 5 Thursday night in Raleigh. If the first four games are any indication, there is another must-watch night of hockey ahead.
Poll: Which Team Will Acquire Dylan Larkin?
The summer trade market got a major injection last week, with the captain of the Detroit Red Wings, Dylan Larkin, requesting a trade from the team. Given how many teams are searching for a top-six center, Larkin immediately became the top available trade target. However, thanks to the full no-trade clause in his contract, Larkin controls his destiny for the most part, and notified the Red Wings that he would only be open to a trade to the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, or Vegas Golden Knights.
The trickiest part of a hypothetical Larkin trade is what the Red Wings would want. Despite missing the playoffs the last three years, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The team is eager to jump into their competitive window, so they will likely want NHL-ready players in return. Given that all three teams on Larkin’s list are not only in their competitive windows but legitimate Stanley Cup threats, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them to trade off their roster either, so the Red Wings may have to settle for future assets or a mixture of both.
Assuming everyone is healthy to begin the 2026-27 campaign, the Panthers have little need for Larkin. They may still want him, but if Florida is going to target anything this summer, it’ll be goaltending. The Panthers already have a relatively deep center corps with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and Anton Lundell at the top of the hierarchy. However, compared to the Wild and Golden Knights, the Panthers have much more cap space to work with.
Florida could dangle the eighth overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, but it has very little to offer outside of that. It’s well known that the Panthers have the worst farm system in the NHL, so it’s unlikely the Red Wings would be interested in any prospect capital. Additionally, given that they’re in the same division, Detroit will be competing with the Panthers for a postseason spot next season, so Florida would have to overpay more than the Wild or Golden Knights. The Red Wings may aim for the Panthers to include Eetu Luostarinen and/or Niko Mikkola with the eighth overall pick, but Florida will have little appetite to move them after the injury concerns from the 2025-26 season.
Meanwhile, of all three clubs, the Wild have the biggest need for a top-six center. It was evident during the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs that this was a significant factor in their inability to advance beyond Round Two. In a recent article from Joe Smith of The Athletic, he speculated that Minnesota could offer Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel in a hypothetical trade for Larkin, but have little else to offer beyond that. The team traded some of their most enticing capital for Quinn Hughes and doesn’t have a ton left to add another All-Star talent.
However, the Wild’s potential offer to the Red Wings isn’t necessarily dead on arrival. Minnesota still has its 2027 first-round pick, although it’s expected to fall well outside of the lottery range. Would it make sense for Minnesota to offer Jonas Brodin, as well? He hasn’t completed a full season in seven years, so the team has learned to operate without him by now. Furthermore, his contract does not include any trade protection, and his $6MM salary would help create some cap space for other acquisitions this summer.
Lastly, like the Wild, the Golden Knights will have some salary cap hurdles to overcome. Still, that’s never stopped them before. Currently embroiled in a tightly contested Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Golden Knights will enter the summer with approximately $4.625MM in space, and that’s without factoring in a possible extension for Rasmus Andersson.
Given that they don’t have a pick in the first two rounds until the 2028 NHL Draft, Vegas will undoubtedly have to include prospect Trevor Connelly in any hypothetical deal for Larkin, as well as players on their roster. Unfortunately, the Golden Knights don’t have many players without trade protection in their contracts, and it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for a player to greenlight a trade to Detroit after playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
Another possibility is that Larkin ultimately remains with the Red Wings. General Manager Steve Yzerman isn’t afraid to play hardball, as he did with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jonathan Drouin many moons ago. As much as Larkin can pick where he goes due to the no-trade clause, he’s still contractually committed to Detroit through the 2030-31 season. It’s highly unlikely that Yzerman will be bullied into a bad deal, so if Larkin doesn’t expand his list, or Detroit doesn’t get an offer to their liking, they may tell Larkin they can’t wait to see him in Traverse City for training camp in September.
Now it’s time for you to pick: will Larkin be on one of the three teams on his trade list come next season, be on a different organization than those he originally listed, or with the Red Wings? Vote below!
Which Team Will Acquire Dylan Larkin?
Hanifin And McNabb Didn't Practice Today
- The Golden Knights were without a pair of defensemen at practice today. com’s Dan Rosen noted that Noah Hanifin and Brayden McNabb didn’t take part in today’s skate. McNabb’s absence is certainly understandable given that he’s only a few days removed from being taken to the hospital after taking a shot to the face but Hanifin’s absence is a little less certain, though likely for maintenance. At this point, there’s no reason to think that either player won’t be an option for Tuesday’s fourth game of the Stanley Cup Final.