The curtain fell on the 2025-26 season on Sunday night when the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes] beat the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] 3-0 to claim the Stanley Cup in six games. While it’s not much of a consolation, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] can at least say that the champions-to-be eliminated them. Carolina was an absolute force in the postseason, going 16-3, and thoroughly deserves the championship. Jordan Stall was named the Conn Smythe winner even though he only had 12 points in 19 games after scoring six goals in the Cup final alone, including at least one in the first five games of the series against Vegas. As the Canes’ players celebrated and took their lap with Lord Stanley’s Cup, three former Canadiens won their first Cup: Nicolas Deslauriers, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mike Rielly. Today In Canadiens’ History: Montreal Drafted a Hall of Fame Member [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/today-in-canadiens-history-montreal-drafted-a-hall-of-fame-member] Canadiens' Prospect Will Have Company Soon [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-prospect-will-have-company-soon] Canadiens Potential Draft Target: Maddox Dagenais [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-potential-draft-target-maddox-dagenais] Deslauriers, who spent two seasons in Montreal, is an energy player who has made his name with his fists. The Hurricanes acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline, so he hasn’t been a member of the team for long, but he was clearly very appreciated by his new teammates as he got to raise the Cup quite early last night. However, it’s worth noting that he may not qualify to have his name engraved on the Cup as he didn’t play at least 41 regular-season games with the Canes and didn’t play a single game in the Cup final, being limited to just one game in the first round, against the Ottawa Senators. However, the team can petition the commissioner for a player’s name to be engraved on the Trophy if extenuating circumstances prevented them from being available to play. Deslauriers wasn’t injured; he was a healthy scratch. As for Mike Reilly, who played parts of three seasons with the Canadiens, he was signed as a free agent by the Canes this past offseason for just one year to a contract with a $1.1 million cap hit. He skated in 42 games with Carolina during the regular season and will therefore qualify to have his name on the Cup, despite not playing a single game in the playoffs. Finally, former third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whom the Canes poached from the Habs with an unreasonable offer sheet in the 2021 offseason, also played 42 games in the regular calendar, putting up nine points, meaning he will also have his name on the priceless trophy. It’s probably not how he dreamt of winning Lord Stanley’s mug, as he has fallen out of favour with the Canes’ coach Rod Brind’Amour, but he will still be remembered as a Cup champion. Back in 2021, he was offered a single-season contract by the Canes with a $6.1 million cap hit in what looked like a retaliatory offer sheet after the Canadiens had tried to poach Sebastian Aho from Carolina with an offer sheet in the 2019 offseason. Well aware that the Finn wasn’t worth $6.1 million per season, the Canes signed him to an eight-year contract extension before the end of the 2022 season, which had a $4.82 cap hit. He even has a 10-team no-trade clause. The centerman never put up more than 43 points in a season, and there have been plenty of rumours about the Canes trying to trade him in the last couple of seasons. Still, they failed to find any takers, which was hardly surprising, given both the term and the money remaining to be paid under his contract. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Canes elected to buy him out this summer, since it was the first time in his tenure with Carolina that he wasn’t used in the playoffs. Should the Champions elect to do that, he would have a $850,000 cap hit until the end of the 2033-34 season. While no one likes to admit they were wrong, it might be time for Carolina to admit the offer sheet backfired and cut its losses. All things considered, though, the Canes’ front office hasn’t been wrong often, as last night’s Cup win proves. It was the franchise’s second championship win after raising the Cup in 2006; back then, they had eliminated the Canadiens as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
