Five former Leafs facing off in Stanley Cup Finals

With their 5-0 victory over the Dallas Stars last night, the Vegas Golden Knights booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals and are set to face off against the Florida Panthers. This is the 2nd Finals berth for both teams with Florida making it back in 1996 and the Golden Knights winning the Clarence Campbell Bowl during their inaugural season.

The Panthers Cinderella run started with their upset over the Boston Bruins - after being down in the series 3 games to 1 - followed by a gentlemen's sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and then taking down the 2nd best team in the East in the Carolina Hurricanes in 4 games.

The Golden Knights were the top team in the West and 5th best overall in the NHL. They defeated the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games, took down the Edmonton Oilers in 6, and then beat the Dallas Stars in 6 - after having a 3-0 series lead.

It will be a matchup filled with star talent as the Golden Knights boast Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, and Shea Theodore among others, while the Panthers are equipped with Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Sergei Bobrovksy.


On the flip side 5 Toronto Maple Leafs' alumnus will be featured in the Finals. The Florida Panthers will be represented by Carter Verhaeghe and the Vegas Golden Knights will have Michael Amadio, Phil Kessel, Byron Froese, and Ben Hutton.

Verhaeghe was drafted by the Leafs in 2013 but was traded to the New York Islanders in a package deal that landed them Michael Grabner. He scored 42 goals and 73 points in 81 games this season and currently has 6 goals and 15 points in 16 post-season games.

Amadio signed with the Leafs on a two-way contract in the summer of 2021, he made the opening night roster, played 3 games without recording a point, and then was placed on waivers where he was claimed by Vegas. He recorded 16 goals and 27 points this season and currently has 7 points in 11 playoff games.

Kessel as we all remember was brought over in a blockbuster trade from Boston in 2009. He spent 6 seasons in Toronto where he scored 181 goals and 394 points in 446 games, including 4 30-goal seasons. He was shipped off to Pittsburgh in a package deal surrounding Kasperi Kapanen and ended up winning the Stanley Cup in back to back years. Now at the tail-end of his career he recorded 14 goals and 36 points in 82 games and has 2 assists in 4 post-season appearances.

Froese was signed by the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2015, played in 56 games where he recorded 5 points but was lauded for his defensive play by Mike Babcock but then was traded the following season to Tampa Bay in a deal that landed them Brian Boyle.

Hutton was traded to Toronto in April of 2022 for a fifth round pick. He played in 4 regular season games but did not make an appearance in the playoffs. He walked as a free agent and signed with the Golden Knights. He played in 31 games this season and scored 3 goals and 8 points and has appeared in 2 post-season games without recording a point.