The Philadelphia Flyers weren’t in the Stanley Cup Final this year, but they still kind of showed up in it anyway.
By the time the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket, there were five former members of the Flyers involved in the series. Interestingly enough, it was the battle of Sean Walker, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Nic Deslauriers vs. Carter Hart and John Tortorella. Which ended with three of them being Stanley Cup Champions.
Hart & Torts come out on the losing end
Hart and Tortorella were on the losing side of the Stanley Cup Final. Hart was brought in after he was cleared to return to the NHL. As his season went on, he became the clear-cut starter for the Golden Knights. He started the majority of the games in the playoffs for Vegas and, at times, played lights out. Unfortunately, in the Final against the Hurricanes, his play fell off, and he let in four or more goals in the first five games.
As for Tortorella, he was brought in very late in the season. After the Golden Knights elected to fire Bruce Cassidy, he was hired to try to lead this team to a Cup. He came just two wins short of that, which is unbelievable considering the fact that he only coached the team for eight games before the playoffs started.
Walker, Gostisbehere & Deslauriers hoist the Cup
Carolina had three former Flyers who were on the winning side of it.
Shayne Gostisbehere is probably the one most people in Philadelphia still have a soft spot for. He had a pretty real role on that Hurricanes blue line all year, and now he’s got a Cup to show for it. You could tell early in his Flyers days he had that offensive layer to his game, and Carolina just found a way to lean into it properly.
Sean Walker was there as well. He wasn’t a Flyer for long, but during his time, he was a reliable blue-liner and gained respect from the fans. Carolina used him pretty much the same way. However, in the Hurricanes' system, he found another gear and brought out the best in him.
Nic Deslauriers was an interesting addition at the 2026 Trade Deadline. He was brought in for one reason, and one reason only. He is considered to be one of the toughest players in the league and was acquired to protect his teammates if needed. He did the same thing during his time with the Flyers. This is a very honorable role that not many players can do as well as Deslauriers can.
