The 2026 Stanley Cup Final is underway, with the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights challenging the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes.
On top of the plethora of homegrown and drafted talent in their respective lineups, neither team would be where it is today without acquiring veterans from other clubs, such as the Calgary Flames.
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This season’s Final features three prominent former Flames players, including Golden Knights defensemen Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin, and Hurricanes center Mark Jankowski.
Out of the three former Calgary players in this year’s Final, Andersson had arguably the best career in Southern Alberta. He skated with the Flames for 10 seasons and 617 games, scoring 64 goals and 278 points, while serving as an alternate captain before a January 2026 trade to Vegas.
Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Originally drafted in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2015 Entry Draft, Andersson was one of only three players, with captain Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, left from the franchise’s last playoff game, a Game 5 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on May 26, 2022.
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When the Flames began to retool their roster over the past year, Andersson’s name was among the top trade chips General Manager Craig Conroy held. After months of speculation, Conroy used his veteran defenseman’s experience to acquire two draft picks (First and Second Round in 2027), plus Zach Whitecloud and Abram Wiebe from the Golden Knights on Jan. 18, 2026.
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As Andersson chases his first Stanley Cup ring, his career with the Flames ranks in the top seven all-time amongst defensemen in team history, with the seventh most games played and goals, and the sixth most assists and points.
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2026 Playoff Stats (Ahead of the Final) 16 GP – 0 G – 5 A – 6 Pts – 14 PIM – Plus-4
Hanifin came to Calgary via a trade from the Hurricanes on June 23, 2018, the team that selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft. In one of the more famous trades in team history, the Flames dealt away future Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, a prospect at the time, with Dougie Hamilton in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Hanifin.
Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Lindholm became a 40-goal scorer with the Flames, while Hanifin became a leader on the blueline, averaging 21:39 a game throughout his five and a half seasons with the team. Although Hanifin has averaged 35 points per season throughout his career, his best campaign came in Calgary during the 2021-22 season, when he tallied 10 goals and 38 assists for 48 points in 81 games, with a plus-27 rating.
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Viewed as another intriguing trade option during the 2023-24 season, Conroy dealt Hanifin to Vegas as part of a three-way deal that also included the Philadelphia Flyers. Although there were many moving parts in the transition, the Flames ended up with a conditional first-round pick in 2026, which turned into Daniil Miromanov, and a third-round pick in 2024, which they used to select Kirill Zarubin.
2026 Playoff Stats (Ahead of the Final) 16 GP – 0 G – 6 A – 6 Pts – 2 PIM – Plus-3
Jankowski was a Flames first-round selection, 21st overall, at the 2012 Entry Draft, who eventually made his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season. During the following campaign, 2017-18, he became a regular in the lineup, scoring a career-high 17 goals in 72 games.
Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
He would skate in 208 games with the Flames, tallying a total of 36 goals and 64 points with 59 penalty minutes before signing as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9, 2020.
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Despite the shortest tenure of the three former Flames in this year’s Final, Jankowski is the only one who can claim that the legendary Jaromir Jagr set up his first NHL goal.
2026 Playoff Stats (Ahead of the Final) 14 GP – 0 G – 4 A – 4 Pts – 12 PIM – Plus-3
Which former Flames player are you cheering for to win their first Stanley Cup? Let us know in the comments.
