Nolan Patrick technically won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights, but may not have his name on the world's most famous trophy.
Tuesday night, the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history — just six years after the club's inception. And soon enough, many of the Golden Knights' core contributors will have their names etched onto the world's most famous trophy.
Unfortunately, former Flyers forward Nolan Patrick may not be one of the players to have their name included on the side of the Cup.
Patrick, who the Flyers selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, missed the entire 2022-23 season with what many are referring to as an ongoing upper-body injury.
But these mysterious "upper-body injuries" are nothing new for the 24-year-old center.
Patrick was diagnosed with a migraine disorder in 2019, and since the discovery of his migraine complications, he has appeared in just 77 games over a four-season span. He missed the entire 2019-20 season due to the disorder, and during the 2020-21 regular season, his play suffered as a result of the issue — he posted just four goals and nine total points in 52 games.
In 2021, the Flyers traded Patrick and Phil Myers to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Ryan Ellis. The Predators then flipped Patrick to Vegas, where he signed a two-year, $2.4 million contract just before the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Since joining the Golden Knights, Patrick has appeared in just 25 games.
Still, Patrick remains under contract with the Golden Knights. Why wouldn't his name be included on the side of the Cup?
It's a bit complicated.
When a team wins the Stanley Cup, they are allowed 52 names to be carved onto the side of the trophy. Players account for most of those names, but front office personnel (the general manager, president of hockey operations, etc.), coaching staff (head coach and assistant coaches), and any other critical non-player entities are also included in that 52-name total.
Players, in particular, must meet a certain criteria in order to have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup. For instance, players who appeared in at least 41 of the Stanley Cup-winning team’s 82 regular-season games, or at least one of the club’s postseason games, are automatic additions to the side of the Cup. Backup goalies, since they often do not play in half of a club’s regular-season games or even appear in the postseason at all, are an exception.
Patrick, unfortunately, doesn't check any of those boxes, but this doesn't mean it's an absolute guarantee his name won't be included on the Cup.
In 1998, Vladimir Konstantinov of the Detroit Red Wings had his name included on the Stanley Cup despite having his career cut short a year prior due to injuries suffered in a limousine accident. The Red Wings still considered Konstantinov a core member of the team and received approval from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to include his name on the Cup.
Compared to Patrick, though, Konstantinov had a much longer tenure with the Red Wings before his career-ending injuries, and his role with the team was far more significant as one of the team's top defensemen.
So, while there is precedent for injured players to be included on the side of the Cup, it's very rare, and it won't be surprising if Patrick's name is left off.
Patrick will become a restricted free agent this summer.