Carolina Hurricanes’ 3 Stars of the Stanley Cup Final

For the first time in the “3 Stars” series, we will have a Stanley Cup Final edition for the Carolina Hurricanes. They defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to claim their second-ever Stanley Cup in franchise history. While it would be easy to list everyone on the roster, given everyone’s contributions, we had to narrow it down to three players. That said, who made the final 2025-26 edition of 3 Stars?

Third Star: Nikolaj Ehlers

When it comes to immediate impacts on new teams, look no further than Nikolaj Ehlers. Between him and K’Andre Miller, the Hurricanes struck gold – more like silver – when they added the duo last summer in free agency. Regarding Ehlers, he was everything and more after a career season in his first year in Raleigh. After finishing second in assists (45) and points (71) in 82 regular-season games, he followed that up with eight goals and 18 points in 18 playoff games.

When it came to the Stanley Cup Final, Ehlers was pretty “Fly” for Rod Brind’Amour’s side through six games, en route to a Stanley Cup. He tallied four goals and nine assists against the Golden Knights. Ehlers started the Cup Final with two goals in Game 1. He even scored the first goal of the Stanley Cup Final just 25 seconds into the game. During Games 4 and 5, he went on to record back-to-back three-point games, with Game 5 seeing him have three assists in the contest.

In terms of goals, all four of Ehlers’ goals were at even strength. However, his assists were split between three even-strength and two on the power play. He had 14 shots on goal, on 34 shots attempted. His four goals gave him a 28.6% shooting percentage through the six games. While playing on the third line and the top power-play unit, he averaged 19:31 of ice time. He even went 3-for-3 in the faceoff dot. Ehlers put the bow on the Stanley Cup Final, scoring the empty-net goal in Game 6 to make it a 3-0 game. He would have finished higher on this list, but the guy who came in second had a series to remember in the crease.

Second Star: Brandon Bussi

What else is there to say about Brandon Bussi? After setting records in the regular season and finishing with 31 wins, he had a massive impact in the Stanley Cup Final. He came in to relieve Frederik Andersen in Game 3 to make his playoff debut, and right away, there seemed to be a shift for the Hurricanes. They went on to overcome a four-goal deficit to force overtime. However, they lost Game 3 in double overtime. That said, Bussi played strong hockey and only lost on a weird bounce. After Game 3, he threw on the brakes and parked the bus in the crease in Games 4 through 6.

Bussi became the first goalie in history to start his first three Stanley Cup Final games and win them all. He also became the second undrafted goalie to earn a shutout in a Cup-clinching game. Bussi, through four games with three starts, finished with a 3-1 record, a 1.60 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage, and a shutout. Through three full games, along with the 45 minutes played in Game 3, he only gave up six goals.

Between Games 4 and 5, Bussi allowed three goals and then two before securing his first playoff shutout in Game 6. He came in and shut the door on the Golden Knights, winning three straight games and helping the Hurricanes secure their second Stanley Cup. Andersen deserves a ton of credit for getting the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final. Bussi came in and helped secure the hardest trophy in sports.

First Star: Jordan Staal

For the last time in the 2025-26 edition of the “3 Stars”, here is our final first star, and it goes to someone more than deserving to close this season out. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal had a Stanley Cup Final to remember. After scoring 20 goals in the regular season, for the first time in a decade, the 37-year-old had eight goals in the playoffs. More importantly, he had six of them in the Stanley Cup Final. He tallied six goals and seven points in six games. Two of those goals came on the power play.

On top of winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career, Staal also won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP. He had the highest win percentage at the faceoff dot (68%) in the Stanley Cup Final, while leading the Hurricanes in goals on the biggest stage of them all. Not only that, he put himself into the record books alongside Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard, and Cyclone Taylor to score a goal in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final.

When it came to Conn Smythe votes, Staal was first on 17 of the 21 ballots. He finished with 97 points, with voting based on a 5-3-1 point system. If there was someone more than deserving of playoff MVP, it was Staal, as he came up clutch more than once in the six games, leading the way to a Stanley Cup championship. There were a ton of players to choose from to make the “3 Stars” list, but it was a no-brainer to go with the captain after his performance in the Stanley Cup Final and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy.

After it’s all said and done, the Hurricanes are the 2026 Stanley Cup Champions. After 20 years, they’re back atop the mountain once again. For now, it’s celebration time for the team and fanbase, with the Championship Parade scheduled for Saturday, June 20, at 11 am Eastern in downtown Raleigh. It’s going to be a summer to remember for the Hurricanes and their fans.