For the first time since 2009, we have a Stanley Cup Final rematch. The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will meet once again on hockey's ultimate stage to play for the most historic trophy in all of sports. Lots appear to be the same when skimming through all the basic information—the same teams, led by the same stars of Connor McDavid and Aleksander Barkov.
Both leading men have the same head coaches on the bench and the same supplemental stars to aid them. For Edmonton, they have Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. Florida has supplemented the roster around Barkov with players such as Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Gustav Forsling. Of course, Aaron Ekblad has stuck around as well. The cores for both teams have been the same.
This matchup also sees the same two starting goalies on each side. On one end, you have the talented but unpredictable Stuart Skinner. On the other side, you have the veteran who loves showing up in the postseason, Sergei Bobrovsky. There are several similarities to note when it comes to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. However, unlike last year, there are important differences on both sides.
This is especially true with some of the players on both rosters and how they were acquired. There have been new additions for both teams. Let's take a look at them.
Starting with the defenseman, Seth Jones has been fully reinvigorated since arriving in South Florida. In 2021, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded away Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks. It was supposed to be a great new chapter for the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, but it wasn't meant to be. Seth's three-and-a-half seasons in the Windy City were mostly tumultuous. The native of Arlington, Texas, has seen a new role with Florida and a new life as an NHL defender.
Ever since coming to the Panthers, Jones has been impactful on both ends of the ice. In his 17 postseason games leading up to this year's Final, Jones has scored three goals and has added four assists. He's accumulated a +9 rating and has averaged nearly 25 minutes of ice time. He has been able to complete Florida's top four on the back end. He's given stability and a reliable presence to a core that lost Brandon Montour last summer.
Bill Zito, the general manager of the Panthers, was able to get Brad Marchand at the deadline as well. Marchand has fit in seamlessly on the third forward line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. Everything that he was promised to be with the Panthers has been exactly what Cats fans have seen through his play. 'Marchy's' physical style hasn't changed.
As usual, he's also shown his signature display of scrapiness and ability to show up in big games. Game 7 against the Maple Leafs was arguably his biggest showing as he assisted on two goals and lit the lamp on an empty-net tally. He also scored the overtime winner in Game 3 of that series to get Florida back in it. So far, the former Bruin has racked up four goals and 14 points, with a +11 rating.
The Edmonton Oilers made more moves over the course of the season to bolster their depth. However, those moves have been less consequential to the team. After all, one of the questions surrounding this Oilers team last year was the lack of depth they had throughout the lineup. They've addressed that. The theme of these additions has been centered around grit.
Forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson were the two most notable acquisitions that the franchise made last summer. For Skinner, after years of playing for mediocre teams in Carolina and Buffalo, he will get a taste of what the Stanley Cup Final is all about. He's only appeared in two playoff games so far, registering a goal and two assists.
He, along with Arvidsson, has struggled to crack the lineup for most of these playoffs after okay performances during the regular season. The former Predator and King have appeared in 11 playoff games up to this point. In that span, he's scored a goal and added three assists for a total of four points. The left winger has a +3 rating.
In mid-January, Edmonton signed former Dallas Stars stalemate John Klingberg to help add to the defense core. He hasn't made tons of noise and is pretty much near the end of his career. Like Seth Jones, Klingberg has been able to provide some stability to the back end as he's averaged nearly 19 minutes of ice time in 15 playoff games this year.
The grit that was touched on earlier was found in the form of Trent Frederic. He can match Florida's physical style of play and can be useful in penalty killing situations. He will usually be the fourth-line center. Jake Walman also came in at the deadline from San Jose to help add more to the defense. He has added five assists and has a +12 rating, a team high in the postseason.
Injuries Shake Up Lineups
A few injuries have been major headlines before the start of this Stanley Cup Final, particularly on Edmonton's end. The Oilers will be without Zach Hyman for the entirety of the series. Hyman has been, without a doubt, one of the best forwards on the Oilers roster. Last postseason, the left winger from Toronto was the Oilers' leading goal scorer(16).
The former Panthers draft pick has been one of the most important pieces to Edmonton's core due to his ability to be a goal-scoring threat and bring physicality to the table. Unfortunately for them, he took a hit from Mason Marchment of the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. Shortly after, it was announced that his season was deemed as done, and he needed surgery.
It is interesting to note that the Oilers didn't look affected much by Hyman's absence. They were able to win Game 5 against Dallas pretty easily. However, this loss for the Oilers is still massive and could be felt and seen by the fans throughout the Final. He was productive in these playoffs before the injury, and the ninth-year veteran led the team in hits(111). That is a decrease in physicality, which will be needed to beat the Panthers. Also, Connor Brown had an injury but will be back for Game 1.
On Florida's end, there are no injuries that will be detrimental to the team's lineup like Hyman being out for the Oilers. However, the status of fourth-line winger A.J. Greer is still up in the air. He's been dealing with an undisclosed ailment since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Greer is not expected to miss any substantial time in the Stanley Cup Final.
Still, Paul Maurice and the rest of the coaching and medical staff are monitoring the health of the Quebec native. Maurice was asked about his status by Florida Panthers TV color commentator Randy Moller during the morning press conference on June 1. There are no other players to keep an eye on for ailements heading into Wednesday's opener of the championship series.
""There will be a question mark on A.J. Greer. Other than that, everybody's ready to go now.""Paul Maurice Presser(06/01/25)