The Senators may be long gone from the Stanley Cup playoffs, but a few familiar faces are still in the mix for Lord Stanley's extra-large mug.

At the halfway point, three former Senators remain alive in the postseason, each carrying a very different storyline into the second round.

The biggest name, of course, is former Ottawa captain Mark Stone.

Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights are facing a massive challenge against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final. Vegas may have captured the Pacific Division title, but it hardly came easy. For stretches of the regular season, the playoffs themselves were no sure thing.

They were so worried about it, they replaced head coach Bruce Cassidy in late March despite the fact Cassidy guided the franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2023. The cuddly John Tortorella has since taken over behind the bench and steered the Knights to a 7-0-1 mark to close the season.

Colorado, meanwhile, looked like a wagon all season long. The Avalanche finished with a staggering 55-16-11 record, piling up 121 points, 26 more than Vegas managed in the regular season.

But the Knights drew first blood with a 4-2 win Wednesday night in Game 1, despite not having their captain available.

Stone remains sidelined with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since Game 3 of the second round against Anaheim. Now 34, Stone remains one of the NHL’s top two-way forwards, posting 73 points in just 60 games this season and celebrating goals as hard as he ever did here.

And Sens fans, he'll be a UFA next summer.

Parker Kelly never crossed paths with Stone in Ottawa, but assuming Stone returns to action, they’ll see plenty of each other in this series.

Kelly enjoyed a breakout campaign with Colorado this season, putting up 21 goals and 35 points, totals he had never come remotely close to in the past. He finished sixth among Avalanche forwards in scoring and became an important depth player on the league’s best team.

Kelly spent the better part of seven seasons in the Ottawa organization after signing as an undrafted free agent. But in 2024, when Senators GM Steve Staios went on a shopping spree for veteran depth forwards with experience, Kelly was allowed to walk into free agency and eventually signed with Colorado.

The final former Senator still alive in these playoffs is defenseman Mike Reilly of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Reilly was part of the early stages of Ottawa’s rebuild, playing 70 games for the Senators over two seasons around the turn of the decade.

The veteran didn't play in round one against his old team and has only appeared in two playoff games so far for Carolina. But if the ‘Canes win it all, Reilly’s 42 regular-season games this year would be just enough to get his name on the Cup.

Reilly has a chance to write a feel-good NHL story. A few years after leaving Ottawa, he had some medical challenges in November of 2024 when a heart issue was revealed during concussion protocol. Reilly rallied quickly, but something like that can certainly transform your mindset about hockey and life.

And winning a Stanley Cup a year and a half after undergoing a heart procedure would be next level.

So while the Senators lick their wounds, wondering how they’ll someday get to this stage or win a Cup, a few former members of their team are still very much in the hunt.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

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