A tale of third trips (to the Stanley Cup final)

The pinnacle of the NHL season has arrived.

Puck drops on the Stanley Cup final Tuesday night at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights in the best-of-seven series.

With that in mind, here’s a special edition of Dump & Chase to tee up the chase for Lord Stanley’s mug.

Fly-ing high in Raleigh

The departure of Nikolaj Ehlers from the Jets was a development that simply wouldn’t go away and seeing him advance to the final for the first time in his 11 NHL seasons is bringing mixed feelings for some of the fan base.

The Dandy Dane had his most productive points campaign (71) in his new home while appearing in all 82 games. And after playing a massive role in last year’s “Manitoba Miracle” goal by Cole Perfetti, Ehlers sits fourth in playoff scoring with the Hurricanes, chipping in four goals and nine points in 12 games this spring.

Ehlers, who signed a six-year, US$51 million contract with an average annual value of US$8.5 million last summer, is doing an excellent job on a line with captain Jordan Staal and Jordin Martinook.

The guy known as “Fly” has currently netted four goals and has five assists these playoffs — including the setup pass for Martinook’s double-overtime game-winning goal in Game 2 in the series against Ottawa.

Experience factor

The Golden Knights have reached the Western Conference final five times in nine seasons and this is their third trip to the Stanley Cup final.

Although turnover is commonplace in professional sports, there are 11 members of the Golden Knights that remain on the roster from the championship in 2023, while Brandon Saad won a pair of titles with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.

The Hurricanes are also making their third appearance in the big dance, last lifting the Cup back in 2006 when head coach Rod Brind’Amour lifted Lord Stanley’s mug for the first and last time as a player. The bench boss has been yearning to get back to the summit after playing a massive role in the culture building process in Carolina.

Only two current players of the ’Canes have lifted the silver chalice, with captain Jordan Staal achieving the feat — with Pittsburgh Penguins — back in 2009, while hard-nosed winger William Carrier was on the Golden Knights team in 2023.

Building blocks

Because the Golden Knights entered the NHL as an expansion team in 2017, the sample size is relatively small, even compared to the Hurricanes, who entered the NHL in 1997-98 after the Hartford Whalers relocated.

It’s true the Golden Knights haven’t been hesitant to move draft capital or top prospects when they identify a player they’d like to acquire, but one of the most impactful players on the roster right now is winger Pavel Dorofeyev. A third round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Dorofeyev is coming off the best regular season of his young career, recording 37 goals and 27 assists in 82 games, and boasts 10 playoff goals.

There are still four members of the Original Misfits on the roster: centre William Karlsson, defencemen Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore and winger Reilly Smith — who was re-acquired from the New York Rangers in March of 2025.

Vegas have missed the playoffs just once in nearly a decade and that season featured a roster that was decimated by injuries — and rebounded by winning the Stanley Cup the following season.

The Hurricanes have 21 players who appeared in at least one game this spring and from that group, six are homegrown players, seven were picked up via trade and eight were signed as free agents.

Andrei Svechnikov (second overall, 2018) and Winnipeg’s Seth Jarvis (13th overall in 2020) are the only homegrown first-rounders, while Sebastian Aho was a steal in the second round (35th overall, 2015).

Defencemen Jaccob Slavin (fourth round, 2012) and Alexander Nikishin (third round, 2022) and winger Jackson Blake (fourth round, 2021) fall under the category of brilliant middle-round finds by the Hurricanes scouting staff.

Shrewd trades brought K’Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, Staal, Martinook and fourth-line centre Mark Jankowski into the fold and they’ve all grown into important roles.

Ehlers and goalie Frederik Andersen are among the most important UFA signings for the organization and that list includes defencemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Jalen Chatfield.

Most importantly, Andersen has been brilliant this spring, sporting a 1.41 goals-against average and .931 save percentage — which are the best marks in each category — with just one loss in 13 post-season games.

Crystal ball

KEN SAYS: After both conference finals ended early, this series has the potential to go deep.

Speaking of deep, both teams have four lines that can score — though there are some guys that will be looking for more offence in a series it could be tougher to come by.

The Hurricanes are a relentless bunch, but it’s important to remember the Golden Knights have done an excellent job of using their defensive structure to slow down three teams that play with plenty of pace in these playoffs: the Utah Mammoth, the Anaheim Ducks and the Colorado Avalanche.

Both Ehlers and Mitch Marner — who Vegas picked up in a massive trade this season — have been rewriting the narrative around their playoff production this spring and they have the potential to have a big impact on which way this series tilts.

I was fortunate to go 2-0 last round to run my record to 10-4. This is one of the rare occasions when my preseason picks held up to be the last two teams standing and that’s part of the reason I’m going to stick to the script.

PICK: Vegas in six

MIKE SAYS: Both teams have shown a remarkable ability to suffocate their opponent, as the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens just experienced, so this should be a series where shots and scoring chances could be at a premium.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to be boring. I expect plenty of snarl to go with the obvious skill that should be on display.

My record isn’t quite as solid as Kenny this spring — 9-5 overall — but I’m confident I’m going to tie it up with this final series

PICK: Caroline in six.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe

www.winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre