The 2026 Stanley Cup Final begins on Tuesday when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights.
It is Vegas’ third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the first nine years of its existence, while Carolina is back for the first time since the 2005-06 season, having finally gotten through the door it kept knocking on the past seven seasons.
So let’s take a look at the top 10 players in this series.
This is not necessarily a ranking of how the players are playing in these playoffs, or a Conn Smythe ranking. It is simply the best players over the long haul and the big picture.
Vegas arguably has the better star-power.
Carolina might have the better depth.
1. Jack Eichel, forward, Vegas Golden Knights
From the moment Eichel arrived in the NHL as the No. 2 overall pick with the Buffalo Sabres, he has been an elite offensive talent. Things just never worked out as hoped or expected in Buffalo, due to his health and the incompetence of the organization around him. He is not only still a top-tier offensive talent, he has also become one of the NHL’s best all-around forwards, a two-way force who has already led Vegas to one Stanley Cup. Doing it again might send him on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
2. Mitch Marner, forward, Vegas Golden Knights
From a narrative perspective, Marner is a nearly identical player to Eichel in the sense that he has always been an elite scorer but always faced criticism for his former team’s (Toronto Maple Leafs) failure. He is re-writing his narrative in these playoffs.
3. Mark Stone, forward, Vegas Golden Knights
The best two-way winger of this era. He might be into his mid-30s. He might miss a lot of time due to injuries during the regular season. But he still dictates the pace of play and is one of Vegas’ best impact players. A 70-80 point scorer who defends like he does is invaluable.
4. Sebastian Aho, forward, Carolina Hurricanes
There is not much that jumps off the page at you when it comes to Aho’s skillset or production. He’s not a superstar. He doesn’t score like a superstar. But he’s just simply an outstanding, rock-solid two-way player who has been the foundation of the Hurricanes organization for the past decade. He will give you 25 goals, 80 points and push play every year.
5. Nikolaj Ehlers, forward, Carolina Hurricanes
It is not often that big free-agent signings pan out and play significant roles on a Stanley Cup contender. Ehlers might be one of the few exceptions. He has given Carolina much-needed boost in terms of impact offensive play, while being a perfect fit for its style of play.
6. Shea Theodore, defense, Vegas Golden Knights
Theodore is one of the original Golden Knights and has been there through all of their success. He has also played a central role in all of it. He can drive offense from the back end and play big minutes against the other team’s best players in every situation.
7. K’Andre Miller, defense, Carolina Hurricanes
In recent years, it would have been a slam-dunk to say Jaccob Slavin was Carolina’s best defender.
And while Slavin is still excellent, the torch may have been passed over to Miller.
He has been one of Carolina’s best players from the start of the season, and that’s not coming from anybody other than head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
8. Seth Jarvis, forward, Carolina Hurricanes
If Carolina has a game-breaking goal-scorer, Jarvis is it. He has scored at least 32 goals in each of the past three seasons, and has done so in the past two seasons by missing nine games one year and 11 in the other.
9. Andrei Svechnikov, forward, Carolina Hurricanes
If there is a player on the Hurricanes roster who has a superstar skillset, Svechnikov might be the guy. He has a rocket of a shot, is not afraid to use it, and like most players on the team is an elite possession-driver. He is a little frustrating in the sense that you would like to see more goals given his talent, but he’s still outstanding.
10. Pavel Dorofeyev, forward, Vegas Golden Knights
Dorofeyev is one of only two drafted-and-developed homegrown players on this Vegas team. He is one of their biggest impact players and one of their best pure goal-scorers, scoring 35 goals in each of the past two seasons.
