Stanley Cup handoff offers many options for playoff captains
Candidates for first pass of trophy at conclusion of postseason
© Ethan Miller/Getty Images
In 2001, Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic didn't lift the Cup, but handed it to 22-year veteran defenseman Ray Bourque. In 2007, Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer handed it to his brother, Rob. Last season, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov gave it to defenseman Nate Schmidt, one season after he handed it to Sergei Bobrovsky, who became the first goalie to receive the Cup directly from the captain in 2024.
Who could get the first handoff this season? A rookie, veteran or someone who's lifted it before?
Here's a look at who could get the first pass for each of the 16 teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Anaheim Ducks: Captain Radko Gudas to forward Troy Terry
Gudas would have many options if the Ducks were to win the Cup for the first time in almost 20 years, since last doing so in 2007. Terry is their longest-tenured player at nine seasons; forward Alex Killorn is 36 and a two-time Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning; and forward Mikael Granlund is in his 14th season. The pick would be Terry, based on longevity, before the older veterans get their chance.
Second choice: Granlund
Boston Bruins: Alternate captain David Pastrnak to defenseman Charlie McAvoy
The Bruins do not have a captain, so the first question is, which alternate would hoist it first; Pastrnak or McAvoy? Pastrnak (12 seasons) and McAvoy (nine seasons) would definitely be the first two players involved either way. So the question is, who would receive it next? Defenseman Hampus Lindholm is an alternate captain and has been with the team for five seasons, but it also could be forward Sean Kuraly, who spent the first five seasons of his career with Boston from 2016-21 before returning as a free agent prior to the season.
Second choice: Kuraly
Buffalo Sabres: Captain Rasmus Dahlin to forward Tage Thompson
It's been a long, long time coming for the Sabres, but they're back in the playoffs and have played like a Cup contender. If they were to win the Cup for the first time in team history, Dahlin would give the Cup to Thompson, who's spent eight seasons in Buffalo and was their leading scorer this season. Veteran forward Alex Tuch, who grew up in Western New York, is also a top choice.
Second choice: Tuch
Carolina Hurricanes: Captain Jordan Staal to defenseman Jaccob Slavin
The Hurricanes have plenty of veterans who have been with the team a long time, which means Staal will have his choice of worthy candidates. However, expect it to go to assistant captain Slavin, who has been on the team for 11 seasons, before it gets passed to the other core players, including forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Forward Taylor Hall, a 16-year veteran, is also a candidate.
Second choice: Aho
Colorado Avalanche: Captain Gabriel Landeskog to defenseman Brent Burns
Perhaps the biggest slam dunk of them all, Landeskog could do what Sakic did and not even lift the Cup, but let Burns do the honor. The 41-year-old defenseman is in his 22nd NHL season and is still looking to win the Cup. He signed with the Avalanche prior to the season to get that chance and has played the most regular-season games among active players without winning the Cup (1,578).
Second choice: Brock Nelson
Dallas Stars: Captain Jamie Benn to forward Matt Duchene
If the Stars win their first championship since 1999, it would be a long time coming for many of them, including Benn (17 seasons with Dallas) and Duchene (17th season, third with the Stars). Defenseman Tyler Myers, a 17-year veteran who was acquired prior to the Trade Deadline, is 36 and the second-oldest player on the team behind Benn (also 36). He and goalie Jake Oettinger could be some of the first players to touch the Cup as well.
Second choice: Myers
Edmonton Oilers: Captain Connor McDavid to forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
The No. 1 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Nugent-Hopkins is the longest-tenured player on the team at 15 seasons. Sure, he's taken a back seat to McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, but the forward has been an alternate captain since 2015-16 and is one of the most important players on the team. It would only be right for McDavid to hand the Cup to him.
Second choice: Draisaitl
Los Angeles Kings: Captain Anze Kopitar to defenseman Drew Doughty
It's been 14 years since the Kings won the Stanley Cup for the first time and 12 years since the last time. Kopitar and Doughty are the two remaining holdovers from those teams. How appropriate would it be for Kopitar to retire as a Cup champion again, handing it to his longtime friend. Forward Adrian Kempe, who has spent all 10 seasons with the Kings, could also be in line.
Second choice: Kempe
Minnesota Wild: Captain Jared Spurgeon to defenseman Jonas Brodin
The Wild haven't won a playoff series since 2015 and have won only four playoff series in their franchise history. If they double that number this time around and win the Cup, Spurgeon would likely give it to his longtime teammates. Spurgeon (16 seasons), Brodin (14 seasons) and forward Joel Eriksson Ek (10 seasons) would have to touch it first, although it would be fun to see brothers Marcus and Nick Foligno receive the first pass.
Second choice: Eriksson Ek
Montreal Canadiens: Captain Nick Suzuki to forward Brendan Gallagher
If the Canadiens were to win it all for the first time since 1993, Gallagher has to get the first pass. The longest-tenured player on the team, the 33-year-old has spent all 14 of his NHL seasons in Montreal. Forward Cole Caufield, who scored 51 goals this season, and Josh Anderson are options as well.
Second choice: Caufield
Ottawa Senators: Captain Brady Tkachuk to forward Claude Giroux
Ottawa was a surprise team last season and followed that up with another playoff berth. If they were to win the Cup, Tkachuk would give it to Giroux, who has played more than 1,300 NHL games and signed with his hometown team four seasons ago. Defenseman Thomas Chabot, who has been with the team for nine full seasons, could also be a top choice.
Second choice: Chabot
Philadelphia Flyers: Captain Sean Couturier to forward Travis Konecny
There are only three players on the Flyers who were with the team during its most recent playoff appearance in 2019-20; Couturier, Konecny and defenseman Travis Sanheim. Konecny has been with the team since the 2016-17 season, and Sanheim since the 2017-18 season, so he has a slight edge, but one of these two would receive the first pass.
Second choice: Sanheim
Pittsburgh Penguins: Captain Sidney Crosby to defenseman Erik Karlsson
Crosby has lifted the Cup three times and each time he's handed off to a veteran. In 2009, it was forward Bill Guerin, who won the Cup with the New Jersey Devils 14 years prior; in 2016, it was defenseman Trevor Daley, a 12-year veteran; and in 2017 it was defenseman Ron Hainsey, a 14-year veteran who had never been in the playoffs prior. Karlsson, a 17-year veteran, would seem like the logical choice.
Second choice: Evgeni Malkin
Tampa Bay Lightning: Captain Victor Hedman to forward Corey Perry
The Lightning have won the Cup twice in the past six seasons. If they win this season, Hedman, who received the first handoff in 2020 and 2021 from Steven Stamkos, would have his choice of who to hand it off to. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forwards Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy should be in the mix, but it would have to go to Corey Perry. The 40-year-old won the Cup with the Ducks in 2007, but has lost in the Cup Final in five of the past six seasons, including in 2022 with the Lightning.
Second choice: Kucherov
Utah Mammoth: Captain Clayton Keller to forward Lawson Crouse
Keller is the Mammoth's all-time leader in assists and points through their two seasons and is second in goals. He led them in points this season and is a huge reason they clinched their first-ever playoff berth. If they were to win the Cup, he surely will hand it to Crouse, who has been his teammate for 10 seasons, going back to their time with the Arizona Coyotes.
Second choice: Nick Schmaltz
Vegas Golden Knights: Captain Mark Stone to center Tomas Hertl
When the Golden Knights won the Cup in 2023, Stone gave it to forward Reilly Smith, with the other Original Misfits Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore and William Carrier getting it next. This time around, it could go to 13-season veteran forward Tomas Hertl, who wasn't on that team. Forward Jack Eichel led Vegas in points this season after leading all scorers in 2023 during the Cup run and would again be an integral part of the team if they were to win. He would also be in consideration.
Second choice: Eichel
