The Florida Panthers took home the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers for a second straight season. They won Game 6 in a dominant 5-1 effort to win their second straight Cup.

While the Colorado Avalanche were unsuccessful in their bid for the Stanley Cup, there were still some familiar faces. They’ve found success elsewhere after their time in burgundy and blue.

Evan Rodrigues

Evan Rodrigues only spent one year with the Avs after they won the Cup in 2022-23. In 69 games, he scored 16 goals and 23 assists. In seven playoff games the same year, he had a goal and four assists.

He then joined the Panthers the next year and hasn’t looked back since. He equaled his point total in 2023-24 with 39, while only scoring 32 points this season. But his excellence has come in the postseason.

In 24 games last year, he had seven goals and eight assists to be one of the top scorers in the postseason. This year, he played three fewer games but still got the same amount of points with two goals and a whopping 13 assists – all without feeling the pressure.

Amidst a team full of depth, Rodrigues has found life to be pretty comfortable in South Florida. He wasn’t utilized perfectly in Colorado, but he has handled himself since then. The 31-year-old is entering the fourth year of his four-year contract, sitting nicely with a $3 million AAV.

Nico Sturm

Nico Sturm becomes a two-time Stanley Cup champion himself. He was on the 2022 Cup-winning team, where, in 21 regular-season games, he only notched three assists. In 13 games in the postseason, he had two more assists. This included a game-tying assist in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning when his shot deflected off of Andrew Cogliano. It spurred on an incredible overtime win and thriller by Nazem Kadri.

Sturm was not very utilized in this year’s Cup run, but will still get his name on the trophy for a second time. He was pointless in eight games played. He did not make an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, last playing in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

A.J. Greer

The Avs drafted A.J. Greer in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He becomes the eighth Avalanche draftee to win the Cup away from Colorado.

In three years with the Avs, he only played in 37 games, with only six points. He then moved on to play with the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames before landing with the Panthers.

He was sneakily a good bottom-six piece for Florida all playoffs long. In the regular season, he played 81 games with six goals and 11 assists. In 16 postseason games, he tacked on another two goals and an assist. He also brought tons of grit and tenacity.

This is the first time Greer has won the Stanley Cup and earned the honor of getting his name on the trophy. With all of his battles both on and off the ice, it’s a nice reward for the former Avalanche forward.

Seth Jones

Another neat connection comes across the hallway with Denver Nuggets assistant coach Popeye Jones. His son, Caleb Jones, spent the 2023-24 season with the Avs. But Seth Jones has also won the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career this year. It’s also the first time anyone named Seth will have their name on the Cup.

There was a time when several people clamored at the idea of drafting Jones instead of Nathan MacKinnon first overall in 2013. While he hasn’t played for the Avalanche – or at least not yet – his connection with his dad and the Nuggets is a unique one in Colorado.

Seth & Popeye Jones

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-06-18T03:36:05.841Z