The conference final matchups for the Stanley Cup Playoffs are set. The Dallas Stars will face the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch of last season's Western Conference final while the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will face the Carolina Hurricanes. Those four rosters consist of nine former Ducks.

Sam Steel

Drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL draft (30th overall), Steel had a prolific junior career in the WHL with the Regina Pats. However, his glimmers with Anaheim were few and far between and he was never able to carve out a significant role. But after latching on with the Minnesota Wild ahead of the 2022-23 season, he was able to reinvent himself as a checking forward and parlayed that into a regular bottom-6 role. He's spent the last two seasons with the Stars in a similar role and recently scored in the Stars' series-clinching victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Ilya Lyubushkin

Lyubushkin was a Duck for less than a full season, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in Aug. 2023 and then flipped at the 2023-24 deadline to the Toronto Maple Leafs. During his time with the Ducks, he was leaned on heavily in penalty killing and high-leverage defensive situations by then-head coach Greg Cronin. He was influential in guiding fellow countryman Pavel Mintyukov through most of his first season as an NHLer as well. Lyubushkin signed a three-year deal with the Stars this past summer and has played primarily with blossoming star Thomas Harley.

Jaycob Megna

Megna played sparingly this season for the Panthers after appearing in 44 games last season for the Chicago Blackhawks. But his appearance on this list speaks to his perseverance and work ethic. Drafted by the Ducks in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Megna played nearly three full seasons in the AHL (in addition to two full collegiate seasons) before making his NHL debut in 2017, coincidentally against the Blackhawks. He continued to split time between the NHL and AHL, departing the Ducks organization after the 2018-19 season. He spent the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL before returning to the NHL in 2020-21. Most of his career since then has been as an NHLer, with brief stints in the AHL. 2024-25 was the first time he had played more than 22 AHL games since 2021-22.

Frederik Andersen

The only goaltender on this list now, Andersen was drafted 87th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, the same draft class as Megna. A stellar season in the AHL in 2012-13 led to him getting the call to the NHL in 2013-14, where he was thrust into the limelight due to injuries suffered by incumbent starter Jonas Hiller. Andersen had strong regular season performances as the starter in 2014-15 and 2015-16, but a shaky series against the Blackhawks in 2015 and the emergence of John Gibson made Andersen expendable. He was traded to the Leafs in June 2016 (as a restricted free agent) for two draft picks, one of which became Steel. Funny how things work. After several seasons with the Leafs, Andersen signed with the Hurricanes and has been a rock in net for them. The major issue for him has been staying healthy, which hasn't been very often. He's already missed one game in the playoffs due to injury, but hasn't looked worse for wear since returning.

Dmitry Kulikov

Kulikov was also a Duck for less than a full season, acquired from the Wild in Aug. 2022. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins the following March for Brock McGinn and a third-round pick. As part of the worst Ducks team in franchise history in terms of points, Kulikov was Cam Fowler's most frequent defensive partner, with the duo almost forced to play major minutes because of the lack of quality on the blue line. After becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023, the 34-year-old returned to the team where he began his career, the Panthers. After helping his first team to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, he signed a new four-year deal on the first day of free agency this past July and continues to be a reliable player for the Panthers.

Adam Henrique

"Uncle Rico" joined the organization as they began their downward spiral, traded to Anaheim in Nov. 2017 with several assets in exchange for defenseman Sami Vatanen and a third-round pick. Henrique proved to be a Swiss army knife of sorts for the Ducks, playing in all situations and even shifting from center to wing at times to help open up spots for other players. One of his best moments in a Ducks sweater came against his former team, the New Jersey Devils, when he lobbed the puck over Vatanen before beating him in a foot race, muscling his way to the net and scoring. The victim of a shocking waiver placement by then-general manager Bob Murray in Feb. 2021 as a means to jumpstart a struggling Ducks team, Henrique demonstrated leadership and was well-liked by teammates and fans during his time with the Ducks. He was traded to the Oilers last season with Sam Carrick, helping them to the Stanley Cup Final. At 35 years old, he's not the top-6 option that he used to be, but he is still a dependable depth option and reliable in the faceoff circle.

John Klingberg

Klingberg was part of the same Ducks crew as Kulikov, signing a one-year, $7 million deal in the summer of 2022 in an attempt to recoup some of the value lost after he turned down a large long-term deal from the Stars prior to hitting free agency. His time with the Ducks wasn't very memorable, as he looked like a former shell of himself offensively and a turnstile defensively. Injuries have limited him from getting back to where he was previously, but he is now being relied on heavily in the playoffs by Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. After appearing in just 11 games this season due to injury, Klingberg has found himself as a fixture on the Oilers' blue line, playing mostly with Jake Walman.

Max Jones

Hailing from the era that produced draft picks like Steel, Troy Terry and Josh Mahura, Jones was selected 24th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He was part of a power forward breed that Murray wanted to form between players like Nick Ritchie, Maxime Comtois and him. A tenacious and strong player, Jones proved he could be a versatile player, moving up and down the lineup. But his inconsistent play, penchant for taking ill-advised penalties and inability to stay healthy meant that he was never quite able to gain a foothold with the Ducks. After he did not receive a qualifying offer from the Ducks last summer, he signed with the Boston Bruins but was reassigned to the AHL after just seven games played. A mid-season trade to the Oilers gave Jones another chance to prove himself at the NHL level. Though he was in the lineup regularly when several players were injured, he has now been relegated to a healthy scratch.

Corey Perry

The longest-tenured Duck on this list and by far the most well-known, Perry has had a heck of a ride since being bought out by the Ducks in June 2019. He's been to four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with four different teams and is looking to make it five consecutive appearances this season. He's been praised for his veteran leadership and his fearlessness in going to the net to create havoc. "The Worm" is at his best when he's within five feet of the crease, and he's been rewarded by playing on a line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of late. The wily veteran accumulated almost 400 goals and nearly 1,000 games played with the Ducks, helping them win their first Stanley Cup in 2007 and crafting one of the best moments in Ducks playoff history by scoring the game-winning goal in the "Comeback on Katella" against the Oilers in 2017. At 40 years old, he's proving that he's still got it.

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An interesting part of Tocchet's track record impressed the Flyers the most originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rick Tocchet’s most accomplished season as a head coach was pretty recent.

On this day a year ago, his Canucks were preparing for a second-round Game 7 against the eventual Western Conference champion Oilers. Vancouver had won 50 games in the regular season, racking up 109 points and making the playoffs for just the second time in nine years. Tocchet, in his first full season with the Canucks, won the Jack Adams Award.

But that 2023-24 season wasn’t what opened Danny Briere’s eyes when the Flyers’ general manager was deciding to hire Tocchet as his new head coach.

Instead, it was Tocchet’s work with a small-market franchise that made the biggest impression on Briere.

“It’s funny, most people would probably focus on the job that he did when he won the Jack Adams,” the GM said last Friday at Tocchet’s introductory press conference. “That was quite the turnaround in a short amount of time, what he did there, it was a really impressive year. For me, when I look at the track record, one of the most impressive parts that stood out — and it’s from watching at the time — was his stint with the Coyotes.”

Tocchet had just a .490 points percentage over four seasons in Arizona from 2017-18 to 2020-21. The Coyotes went 125-131-34 in that span. However, Arizona was considered one of the NHL’s most challenging markets. And Tocchet did some low-key good things there.

The Coyotes prevented goals and had a top-three penalty kill. Tocchet led them to 39 wins in 2018-19, a total that remains the franchise’s most since 2011-12. The next season, Arizona made the expanded playoff field and won a qualifying-round series over the Predators in the Western Conference bubble.

“I’m not trying to take it on the players, but he had a pretty depleted lineup at the time,” Briere said. “I remember the experts were saying that the Coyotes would be last in the NHL and get the first overall pick. And he made them competitive. They did make the playoffs the one year and they were in the running, playing good games. That body of work for me was probably the most impressive part of his coaching.”

Through Tocchet’s tenure, Arizona picked up at least a point in five of six games against the Flyers (3-1-2). In those matchups, the Coyotes’ power play went 6 for 20 (30 percent) and their penalty kill scored three shorthanded goals.

“They were always a difficult team to play against with limited resources,” Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones said. “So I’m really excited to see what he can do here. I think that was one of the things that really was exciting to him. Thankfully, we have the infrastructure to attract a top coach. We have ownership that spends to the limit, to the maximum; I don’t even know if there’s a limit to make sure that things are great.

“You guys have been around our practice facility and see all the tools that are at Rick’s disposal and our players’ disposal, that are there to try to make us great one day. We’re going to use everything we have and I think those things helped attract Rick and eventually had him choose us.”

More: Tocchet deserves a shot before the former Flyer narrative is thrown around

The Flyers were intrigued by Tocchet’s ability to connect with players, his blend of demanding but also lenient. Tocchet knows the coach-player relationship is different from when he laced up the game skates.

“Coaches told you, ‘Hey, do this,’ and you just did it, right?” Tocchet said. “You were scared to ask why. Now, this generation, they want to know why, they’re smart guys. They want to know why. ‘Hey, we’re doing this forecheck because of this.’ They want to know, ‘Why are we doing it this way?’

“It’s my job to make them buy into it obviously, but you have to accept that as a coach. And I enjoy that. I’m a partner with the players; it’s not a dictatorship.”

EDMONTON – Let’s get down to business.

The Edmonton Oilers steamrolled through their first two opponents, the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. However, things won’t be that easy against the Dallas Stars.

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Mikko Rantanen is on a mission to prove that the Colorado Avalanche were foolish in moving on from him. Everyone praises the depth of the Stars, and it’s hard not to be excited about your star defender coming back (Miro Heiskanen).

Some patterns emerge from the numbers. This is a very winnable series for the Oilers, especially if they continue to get secondary scoring, exploit Jake Oettinger’s weakness, and neutralize the Stars’ most significant threat.

Here are the three key things the Oilers must do to come out of the other side victorious against the Stars.

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The biggest knock on the Oilers in previous years was their inability to succeed without Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl pushing the bus. In the 2025 playoffs, that’s simply not the case.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers outscore their opponents 16-9 when their top two forwards aren’t on the ice. That is incredibly impressive.

Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, and Corey Perry have all scored two or more goals. Their continued offensive spark will be needed for the Oilers to move on to the final round.

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Exploit Jake Oettinger’s Weakness

Oettinger has been excellent for the Stars. However, like every other player, he has weaknesses.

The two locations that Oettinger has allowed the most goals from are the mid-range blocker side and right in front of the crease. According to NHL Edge data, the Oilers are above average in shots from mid-range blocker side.

They can pick their spots with Oettinger by utilizing that weakness and continuing their trend of crashing the net and generating scoring chances from in tight.

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Neutralize Mikko Rantanen

For all of the flak that the Oilers have gotten about their depth needing to step up, that isn’t the narrative for the Stars. But when you look at the numbers, it should be.

The Stars are outscored 9-18 when Rantanen isn’t on the ice (NatStatTrick) and have an advantage of 11-4 when he is.

They didn’t get to their current position through luck. However, having the NHL playoff leading scorer steamroll through the competition has given the Stars the edge. They have also gotten timely scoring from their depth.

If Brown, Perry, and Henrique can keep rolling, the Oilers can crash the net with possession, and Draisaitl can work the same magic on Rantanen that he did on Jack Eichel; the Oilers will move on to their second Stanley Cup Final in two years.

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