Building a championship roster is an inexact science. A bit of unpredictable alchemy.
There’s a needed foundation, sure. A core of elite talent, a goaltender who can make the saves when it matters most, a coach who can push the right buttons, make the right tweaks, and get the most out of the group. But it can seem mostly a guessing game from there, teams throwing combinations at the wall and seeing what sticks — you need as much top-end skill as you can get, but depth in role players too; you need youth, and also veteran savvy; you need finesse, you need grit, you need characters. It’s a mercurial thing.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers have put all of that on display over the past two seasons as they’ve mounted back-to-back Stanley Cup Final bids, each taking a vastly different approach to winning games and series. But the 2025 iteration of this Cup Final meeting has seen one key similarity: both clubs have enjoyed game-changing contributions from their resident elder statesmen, Corey Perry and Brad Marchand.
Rewind to Game 1 and it was Perry stepping up when the stakes were highest, a deft touch from the 40-year-old setting in motion the highlight-reel overtime winner from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Next time out, it was Perry who potted the crucial final-minute equalizer to send Game 2 to overtime — and it was 37-year-old Marchand who ended it half-an-hour later. Monday night, in Game 3, it was a similar story — there was Marchand drawing first blood for Florida less than a minute into the tilt, and on the other side of the aisle, there was Perry tallying Edmonton’s only goal of the night.
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With the Stanley Cup within reach, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are set to battle once again for hockey’s ultimate prize. Watch every game of the Final on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
The pair’s collection of marquee moments on the game’s biggest stage has made clear the value of taking a swing on this particular class of player — the final-chapter superstar, once among the league’s elite in their prime, now in the twilight of their career. The vet who might not have enough juice to put up numbers over a full 82-game season, but still has enough dynamic skill embedded in their muscle memory that they can pull out a game-altering moment when it’s most needed.
These playoffs have been littered with such performances. It’s mostly been the Cup Final pair — Perry ranks third overall in post-season goal-scoring with nine through 19 games; Marchand sits tied for fourth with eight goals himself, and ranks third in game-winners with two overtime tallies to his name. Then there was Max Pacioretty’s series-clincher for Toronto, David Perron and Claude Giroux helping Ottawa avoid the sweep, and the list goes on.
It’s more than just the good story, though, more than former spotlight stars turning back the clock, getting their moment, proving they can still hang. For NHL front offices, it’s the cost of those moments that’s key. If it all goes right, it can wind up a genuine competitive advantage — elite skill, albeit only in spurts and glimpses (hopefully in the post-season, when it matters most) at a bargain. Perry earned just $1.15 million this season. Marchand was acquired by Florida for a conditional pick (which has become a first-rounder with the condition met), and the Boston Bruins retained half of his $6.13-million cap hit. Pacioretty, whose signing was more of a dice-roll, signed for just $873,770.
This was hardly the first time a couple NHL clubs took a flyer on veterans with All-Star pedigree. It’s an annual off-season tradition, one that brings mixed results across the league. But given just how impactful the decisions to bring in Perry and Marchand have been — one of the two will finish this post-season having played a central role in helping their club win a Stanley Cup — and given the NHL is a copycat league, all signs point to more swings on older impact vets this summer.
And for clubs looking to go that route to fill out their lineups, they may have some interesting names to choose from:
Brad Marchand and Corey Perry
First, there’s the matter of the two seasoned game-changers doing their thing in this Cup Final, both of whom could be up for grabs. Perry’s wrapping up a one-year deal inked with the Oilers last off-season, his two campaigns in Edmonton both ending in Cup Final runs. Unless he decides to hang up his skates after what’s been a 20-year big-league career — potentially going out on a high note if Edmonton wins it all — it’s tough to see a world in which Perry doesn’t re-sign with Connor McDavid and Co. That is, unless another contender comes along with more money to throw at The Worm — and after a 19-goal regular season and a sterling playoff run, there would surely be interest.
Marchand’s in a bit of a different boat. The 37-year-old just wrapped an eight-year deal with Boston that paid him over $6 million per year, and he’s playing out his first stint in anything other than Bruins colours. His production over the past few seasons suggests he’s still good for somewhere in the range of 25 goals and 60 points — heading into his 17th season, he’ll be more than a fringe add, financially. If it’s Florida that goes all the way, claiming the franchise’s second straight title, maybe No. 63 opts to stick with the Cats and help their hunt for the historic three-peat. If not, he’s made clear during this run why he’d be a valuable addition to any squad with realistic Cup dreams.
The three-time champ is coming off a pair of one-year deals in Detroit, the last of which carried a $4-million cap hit. Speaking with the media at the end of the Red Wings’ season, Kane spoke glowingly about his time with the franchise, and noted there’s mutual interest in him returning. But he also said he’ll take time to think about what’s best for his future as he nears the end of his career. The clock is ticking for the 36-year-old to find his way back to meaningful hockey, and two seasons in Detroit that ended without a ticket to the dance could have him looking for a move.
For potential suitors, the draw here is clear. While the Buffalo, New York product was once among the most dynamic talents in the game, a 21-goal, 59-point campaign in 2024-25 suggests he still has plenty to give. And among the Hart and Art Ross trophies on his resumé, there’s also a Conn Smythe that should be evidence enough of his ability to rise to the moment.
The Dallas Stars find themselves dealing with more tumult than they’d expected on the heels of their third straight trip to the Conference Final, given how things ended between now-fired coach Pete DeBoer and franchise netminder Jake Oettinger. But there’s also a decision to be made on captain Jamie Benn, who turns 36 in July and needs a new deal after playing out an eight-year pact that carried a hefty $9.5-million cap hit. In the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas suggested there’s a path for Benn to continue on in Dallas. Benn himself stated his desire to remain in Stars colours, too.
Still, after seeing Steven Stamkos wind up parting ways with the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer, it’s fair to assume the situation isn’t settled until a new deal is actually inked. Should Benn move on, he’d surely have options — the hard-nosed winger has slowed down, but his style is tailor-made for the playoff grind, and 50 points in 80 games this season shows he still has plenty left in the tank.
Claude Giroux
It’s a similar story for Claude Giroux, who’s now played out the three-year, $19.5-million deal that brought him back to his home province after a decade-and-a-half stateside. The Ottawa Senators reportedly want to keep Giroux in town, and the 37-year-old seems to want to stay put, too. Again, though, it’s not done until it’s done, and if a new agreement can’t be reached, Giroux is sure to be in fairly high demand. The longtime Philadelphia Flyers captain is still a premier facilitator, able to line up at centre or on the wing, with more than 100 games of playoff experience under his belt.
The Panthers already gave Giroux a spin as a veteran addition at the 2022 deadline — he put up 23 points for the Cats in 18 games down the home stretch of the regular season, and eight points in 10 post-season tilts. Coming off a 50-point campaign in Ottawa, and only a couple years removed from a dominant 35-goal, 79-point debut season with the Sens, there’s no question Giroux still has the elite touch to come up with some Marchand-esque moments on the post-season stage.
Max Pacioretty
The biggest factor determining where Max Pacioretty’s career goes next is whether he decides to continue his career at all. In the wake of a disappointing end to Toronto’s post-season, the seasoned winger said he wasn’t yet sure if he’ll return to the NHL for an 18th season. The 36-year-old has had a particularly difficult run in the league of late, enduring multiple injuries during stints with Carolina and Washington, thinking at times he would never play again, and battling more injuries this season with Toronto. Still, when the former Montreal Canadiens captain was healthy and able to suit up for the Maple Leafs in these playoffs, his impact was undeniable.
Pacioretty was a physical force, and showed enough offensively to get bumped up to the club’s top six, where he came up with a string of clutch moments for Toronto — none more so than the series-clincher that sent the Leafs on to Round 2. He’s more in the same boat as Perry than some of the still-thriving names above, having signed a bargain deal to join the blue-and-white this season. If he decides to return for one more big-league run, the form he showed in these playoffs should grant him another crack at some post-season glory.
Like Pacioretty, there was a moment, or perhaps plenty of them, where it seemed Jonathan Toews’ career was over. The three-time Cup winner last played in the NHL two years ago, missed the entire 2020-21 campaign, and stepped away from the game in 2023 to recover from chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID. In November, the former Chicago captain shared details of his journey to India and the Ayurvedic detox that helped him recover — then, last month, Toews reached out to his agent and stated his desire to return to the NHL next season.
There’s of course much to be determined before No. 19’s comeback attempt becomes a reality. There’s the matter of his health, whether his body cooperates with his hopes of a return, and what exactly his game looks like after years away from the big leagues. Still, if he looks anything like the player who earned three championship rings, a Conn Smythe, and a Selke, an NHL general manager or two are sure to roll the dice, with Toews seeming precisely the type of established veteran talent who could pull out a big play in a big moment if thrown into a contending lineup.
