The 2025 Stanley Cup Final is set, with the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, in which the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Edmonton is looking to flip the script this season, while Florida is looking to go back-to-back. However, there is a New Jersey aspect to this final as six former Devils players are looking to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time.
Let’s take a look at the former New Jersey Devils players playing in the Stanley Cup Final, representing the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
New Jersey Devils Showed the Heart of Champions Despite Five Game Series Loss
Edmonton Oilers
Adam Henrique
Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique is back in a familiar spot. This is his third trip to the Stanley Cup Final, having made back-to-back appearances with the Oilers in 2024 and again in 2025. Henrique is hoping he is on the winning side of the equation for once. He lost to the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 in six games with the Devils and then to the Panthers last year in seven games.
Henrique has a playoff clutch gene, scoring two huge overtime goals in the New Jersey Devils run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. He scored the double overtime goal in Florida in Game 7 to eliminate the Panthers in Round 1. Then he scored the overtime winning goal against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final in Game 6. Henrique spent eight seasons in New Jersey before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks as part of the Sami Vatanen deal. Edmonton acquired Henrique last year at the trade deadline, and he re-signed in the off-season. Henrique has six points (four goals and two assists) in 16 playoff games this season and 26 points (13 goals and 13 assists) in 61 regular-season games.
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Florida Panthers
Dmitry Kulikov
Now, Dmitry Kulikov had a “Cup of Coffee” with the New Jersey Devils during the 2020-21 season. He was a steady defenseman who averaged 19 minutes a night. At the time, the Devils needed NHL defensemen as they were still in the rebuilding phase, but did not want to have youth scattered throughout their lineup. They wanted some veterans in the lineup. He only played 38 games for the Devils before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers to try and help them win a Stanley Cup in the 2020-21 season.
Since coming to the Panthers, Kulikov has found a role in the bottom pairings for Paul Maurice. Not only can he play on the bottom pair, but if he needs to play top-four minutes, he can. During the 2023-24 season in Florida, where he won the Stanley Cup, he played 76 games in the regular season, recording 20 points (one goal and 19 assists), averaging 16 minutes a game. Then, in the playoffs, he played in 24 games, playing a significant role in the Panthers’ Cup win.
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This season, he played in 70 games, recording 13 points (four goals and nine assists), averaging 19 minutes a game. In 17 playoff games, he has four points (one goal and three assists), averaging 16 minutes a game. He will be a factor in whether the Panthers repeat.
Jesper Boqvist
Sometimes, you find hidden gems in free agency, and that is Jesper Boqvist for the Florida Panthers. He was initially drafted 36th overall in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils. Boqvist began to establish himself as a bottom-six forward with the Devils during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He recorded 23 points (10 goals and 13 assists) in 56 games. Those 23 points and 13 assists were a career high at the time. Boqvist followed it up with 21 points (10 goals and 11 assists) in 70 games and was a part of the Devils’ success in the playoffs in the 22-23 season.
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The Devils did not tender an offer to Boqvist and subsequently moved on to the Boston Bruins, helping them reach the playoffs during the 2023-24 season. Again, he found his role on the bottom six, but yet again he was not wanted. However, the Panthers saw something in him, and he has been perfect for their bottom six. Boqvist tied a career high with 23 points and set a career high with 12 goals to go with 11 assists in 78 games. But in the playoffs, he has shone for Paul Maurice. He scored big goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. Those goals came about because he entered the lineup due to injuries and played alongside top players, producing five points (two goals and three assists) in 11 playoff games.
AJ Greer
For the most part, A.J. Greer spent his time with the New Jersey Devils organization in the AHL. He was one of those players whom you called up from the minors in case of an injury. Greer never found a home with the Devils. He bounced around a little bit first, signing with the Boston Bruins and then the Calgary Flames. Greer posted back-to-back 12-point seasons in 22-23 and 23-24. At the time, his 13 points, six goals, and seven assists were career highs. Then he came to the Florida Panthers, where he found a home in the bottom six after some departures from a year ago. In 81 games, he scored 17 points (six goals and 11 assists), and then in the playoffs, he contributed two key goals in 11 postseason games.
Tomas Nosek
Tomas Nosek, similar to Kulikov, had a brief stint with the New Jersey Devils. He only played in 36 games with the Devils last season. Now, a year later, he is in the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in his career. If you forgot, he was on the Original Golden Misfit team (Golden Knights) that went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018. Nosek is a nice role player who can also rotate in and out of the bottom six. He only played in 59 games during the regular season, recording nine points (one goal and eight assists). Nosek has played in the playoffs seven of the past eight seasons. He has played in 10 games for the Panthers this season. Again, if there is an injury or a new look, that is where Nosek comes in. He has bought into his role and understands what he brings to the table.
Goal Scoring Still An Issue for the New Jersey Devils
Vitek Vanecek
Who would have thought Vitek Vanecek would be playing in the Stanley Cup Final after the last couple of seasons he had in the NHL? Now, to be fair to Vanecek, he helped guide the New Jersey Devils back to the playoffs during the 2022-23 season for the first time since 2018. In the 2022-2023 season with the Devils, Vanecek started 48 games, posting a 33-11-4 record, with a 2.45 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. However, he was replaced by Akira Schmid in the playoffs after not performing well in Games 1 and 2 against the Rangers.
After being traded to San Jose last year at the deadline, he did not appear in a game as he dealt with an injury. This year, with San Jose, he showed signs of his former self. But with the Panthers trading Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Seth Jones, the Panthers needed a backup goalie for Sergei Bobrovsky. Vanecek appeared in seven games, posting a 2-4-1 record, along with a 3.00 GAA and a .890 save percentage. He has not appeared in a playoff game, not even in mop-up duty. But he has a chance to be the backup and win a Stanley Cup.
A former member of the New Jersey Devils will get to hoist the Stanley Cup high and call themselves a champion.
