Every year 16 NHL teams make the playoffs, and 16 teams get an early start on their offseason plans. Among the hundreds of players who get to battle for the Stanley Cup, many are veterans chasing their first championship or looking to cement their legacies with another trophy.
Either way, the further a team advances, the more focused the personal stories get about long-term players and their futures. Although there are many skaters worthy of being on this list, here are the top five players we could see for the final time if they win the Stanley Cup in June.
Jaroslav Halak – New York Rangers (38 years old)
Jaroslav Halak has played for seven different NHL franchises, spending most of his career in the Eastern Conference. As a starter or a backup, he’s been a solid goalie with a 295-189-69 record through 581 games. Unfortunately, he’s never won a championship despite being a two-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner.
Now at 38 years old, it would be tough for him to find a starting role amongst the 32 teams since he hasn’t played more than 30 games since 2018-19, when he split duties with Tuukka Rask in Boston. Interestingly, he’s produced a 23-22-11 record in the last three seasons, meaning his best days are behind him. As he is still chasing his first ring, he could win it with the New York Rangers and decide to hang his skates up.
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Corey Perry – Tampa Bay Lightning (38 years old)
Corey Perry is the only Hart Trophy winner on the list, taking home the league’s MVP award in 2010-11 when he achieved his only 50-goal season. After 14 years with the Anaheim Ducks, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007, he was destined to spend his entire career with the club alongside former teammate Ryan Getzlaf. Unfortunately, the Ducks didn’t renew his contract after 2018-19, and he became a free agent.
Interestingly, Perry played with the Dallas Stars, who lost in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then, during the shortened 2020-21 season, he joined the Montreal Canadiens, who lost to the Lightning in the 2021 Finals. As the saying goes, if you can’t beat’em, join’em, so in the summer of 2021, he signed with the Lightning only to lose to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Finals. Overall, if Tampa Bay wins in 2023, Perry could earn his second championship and retire as a winner.
Jonathan Quick – Vegas Golden Knights (37 years old)
Jonathan Quick should have been a member of the Los Angeles Kings for his entire career. However, even though he’s the all-time leader in almost every statistical category in team history and the only goalie to lead the franchise to a Stanley Cup title, he found himself unceremoniously traded at the recent NHL trade deadline.
Realistically, today’s best goalies are all under 30, meaning Quick finds himself in a small group of older guys still trying to hold jobs in NHL creases. Unfortunately, age has caught up to him, and after 753 games, he could help the Vegas Golden Knights win their first Stanley Cup and retire as a champion.
David Krejci – Boston Bruins (37 years old)
David Krejci has only played for the Bruins in the NHL while playing professionally in Europe when the league was on hiatus. Despite taking a year off (2021-22) to play in front of friends and family in Czechia, he recently returned to the Bruins and looked just as impressive with 56 points, his highest total since 2018-19.
Surprisingly, Krejci has been a quiet superstar for 16 seasons, silently climbing the Bruins’ all-time lists for games played, assists, and points. Even though he’s never won a single award, he’s been a key member during the team’s recent decade of success. Moreover, he’s been the leading scorer in the 2011 and 2013 playoffs, winning and losing in the Stanley Cup Final during those campaigns. Overall, if the Bruins continue their impressive season, he could retire from the NHL as a champion and return to his home country to finish his career.
Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins (37 years old)
Patrice Bergeron has worn the Spoked B since 2003 when he debuted as an 18-year-old. Since then, he’s become a first-ballot Hall of Famer with a Stanley Cup championship (2011) and is the only player in NHL history to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) on five occasions.
Although the Bruins have yet to retire Zdeno Chara’s #33, everyone in Beantown knows the current captain’s #37 will join other franchise legends in the rafters when he hangs his skates up. Ultimately, Bergeron has nothing left to prove at this point of his career, and with his courageous efforts every night, the boys in the room will rally around their leader and try to send him off as a champion.
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