5 Former Flames Will Be Playing in the Stanley Cup Final

Finally, the Stanley Cup Final is here, and fans of the Calgary Flames are in for a nightmare matchup. The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, two teams who aren’t particularly popular in Calgary, will square off.

For different reasons, Calgary opposes both teams. Nonetheless, they are connected to the Flames because, in this series, five players have worn the Flaming ‘C’ at one point. Take a peek at all five of the players that will be competing for the Stanley Cup later this month.

Throughout the Oilers’ run this year, Derek Ryan has been in and out of the starting lineup, appearing in 14 of their 18 playoff games. Similar to his tenure in Calgary, he is dependable. mostly in a fourth-line capacity, but excels in the penalty kill. The Oilers’ success has been greatly attributed to this, as they have won two of their three series without giving up a power-play goal.

Ryan played for the Flames for three seasons, tallying 80 points and 25 goals in 192 games, before signing with the Oilers as a free agent in 2021. At 37 years old, this will be one of his last chances to win a Stanley Cup, as he has yet to accomplish it in his career.

After being chosen in the fourth round (105th overall) at the 2012 NHL Draft, Brett Kulak joined the Flames. He played in the minors for a while before making his Flames debut in the 2014–15 campaign, and he ultimately played in 101 games for the team.

Over the previous two and a half seasons, Kulak has grown to be a vital member of the Oilers’ back end. His exceptional skating ability always permits He has greater offensive instincts than he is given credit for, and he is in an excellent position when opposition teams rush into the offensive zone. He has four assists and one goal in 18 playoff games.

Without a doubt, Matthew Tkachuk is the most noteworthy Flames alumni in this series. The Flames selected the 26-year-old sixth overall in the 2016 Draft, and he quickly established himself as a key member of the team. Although many had thought he would play his whole career in Calgary, after the 2021–2022 season he ended up forcing his way out of town.

Since then, Tkachuk has been a part of the Panthers and has experienced tremendous success thus far. Although they will be hoping for greater outcomes this time around, he has assisted in leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in both of his two seasons since the transfer. Even though many Flames supporters are still upset over his departure, they are still choosing to back him. over the Oilers, their fierce rivals.

Sam Bennett is another player who divides Flames supporters a little bit. When the now 27-year-old was chosen fourth overall in 2014, many saw him as the franchise’s savior, but things never worked out as expected. He spent portions of six seasons with the Flames struggling to establish his offensive game until requesting a trade in the 2020–21 campaign.

Bennett was ultimately traded by the Flames to the Panthers in the same season. Bennett’s shift has paid off handsomely, as he has become one of the NHL’s most physical presences in addition to seeing a significant increase in his numbers.

You could have overlooked the fact that Ryan Lomberg played for the Flames, or you might not have known at all. The 29-year-old Prior to the 2015–16 season, he signed with Calgary as an undrafted free agent. He then played in the minor leagues for a few years until making his NHL debut in seven games in 2017–18. He would play four more games with the Flames in 2018–19, but in the summer of that year, he made the decision to join with the Panthers.

Similar to Bennett, Lomberg’s career has benefited immensely from joining the Panthers, as he has established himself as a mainstay in the lineup ever since. Even though he doesn’t score many goals, he is a hound on the forecheck and will cause the Oilers’ defensemen a great deal of grief whenever he is on the ice.

With the Panthers concluding their series last Saturday and the Oilers the day after, these two clubs have been off for a while. Even though hockey fans would have preferred for things to start right away, the lengthy break has only served to heighten the anticipation for what could be an excellent clash between two of the greatest teams in the league.