It's that time of year again. The Vegas Golden Knights have some representation in this year's Stanley Cup Final. Who should fans watch for?
Ladies and gentlemen, the Stanley Cup Final starts on Wednesday. It'll be a battle of the United States and Canada.
A battle of the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference.
Canadian media as the homers for Edmonton vs. American media as the homers for Florida.
All of this will be for the greatest prize in sports: the Stanley Cup.
The two contestants will be the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. The Vegas Golden Knights are familiar with both teams, defeating both during their 2023 Stanley Cup run. However, the Golden Knights also lost to the Oilers this postseason, which makes the two clubs even.
Still, it's the most exciting time of year. Fans will watch incredible moments unfold and history being made. Last season almost had that happen as the Oilers nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit. Now that's impressive.
While the Golden Knights are thinking about Cancun and the golf course, that doesn't mean the fans can't have a rooting interest. That's what makes this fun and well, dear reader. Luckily, three names come to mind for the greatest championship series of them all.
1.) Tomas Nosek
Not many Golden Knights fans will think about Tomas Nosek. After all, he had a quiet four years with the franchise, scoring 31 goals and 34 assists. However, the Czech winger is back at it again, appearing in a deep playoff run.
This time? He's with the Florida Panthers. This season, he has a goal and eight assists. Nosek signed a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Panthers last summer, coming over from the New Jersey Devils.
The 32-year-old is primarily a depth piece, bringing a face-off winning style to the team (54% lifetime face-off percentage). However, it doesn't change the fact that he's competing for the ultimate prize.
2.) Mattias Janmark
Remember that one time Mattias Janmark helped the Vegas Golden Knights advance to the second round with a hat trick? He was a major part of Pete DeBoer's immaculate Game 7 record (9-0) that still stands today.
Well, he's playing for the Edmonton Oilers in a similar role to Tomas Nosek. The Swedish center has two goals and 16 assists this season, providing the depth that the Golden Knights saw in the second round. Plus, he has three goals and an assist this postseason.
Now it's up for debate whether Las Vegas will be rooting for the Oilers in any capacity (most likely, they won't). However, it doesn't hurt to give Janmark some love in the grandest stage of all.
3.) Nate Schmidt
If you want a more productive Florida Panther to root for, look no further than the Golden Misfit known as Nate Schmidt. The defenseman has five goals and 14 assists this season in South Beach, along with four power play assists.
Schmidt is also known for blocking shots with 936 to his name. He's hoping to put his body on the line against an aggressive Oilers team looking to dominate on the rush. Can he withstand the pressure? Stay tuned.
