2 Former Montreal Canadiens Playing in the Stanley Cup Final
One former Canadiens player is on the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, each competing for the Stanley Cup. Brett Kulak played in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final with the Montreal Canadiens in their Cinderella run through the all-Canadian Division. Nick Cousins only played half a season with the Canadiens.
Brett Kulak
The Flames selected Kulak 105th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He made his Flames debut in 2014 and played 30 games over three seasons. He ultimately played full-time for the Flames in 2017-18, albeit only for one season. Kulak was re-signed by the Flames for one year in the offseason but traded to the Canadiens for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev.
Kulak had a career-high 57 points in 57 games for the Canadiens in 2018-19. Marc Bergevin signed Kulak to a three-year, $5.55 million contract in the offseason after his success. The team thought Kulak could add depth, but they didn’t realize his significance.
Despite injuries and absences, Kulak performed effectively. His point production dropped following 2018-19, but he played in 13 games in 2020-21 to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Canadiens sold Kulak to his hometown Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline for William Lagesson, a 2022 second-round pick, and a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft. The 2022 second-round pick became Lane Hutson, a solid Habs robbery.
After two 15+ point seasons, Kulak reached 100 career points this season with the Oilers.
Nick Cousins
Cousins didn’t have the same impact with the Canadiens. The winger was about to set a career high with 22 points in 58 games with the Canadiens, playing his finest hockey. However, the Golden Knights called at the trade deadline to strengthen their Cup Final team.
Montreal traded Cousins for a 2021 fourth-round pick, which they sold to the Lightning for a 2022 pick. Cousins has become a force and will compete for his third Stanley Cup this season. He played in the Stanley Cup Final with the Golden Knights after the trade and with the Panthers again.
