Three veteran Florida Panthers explain what it means to play in first Stanley Cup Finals

The path to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals isn’t always linear.

For three veteran Florida Panthers in particular, the journey was a long road worth waiting for.

Forward Kyle Okposo has played 17 NHL seasons and 1,051 regular-season games heading into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson played in 14 seasons and 982 regular season games to get to this point. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has 15 years and 948 games under his belt.

They bided their time. They paid their dues. Now, the opportunity is here.

“I didn’t know if it was going to happen,” Okposo said. “It was a long time where I wasn’t close to getting to this point and I almost resigned myself to the fact that, ‘Hey it might not happen.’ I’ve had a long career and some ups and downs, but maybe I just had a good career and I don’t even get a chance.”

Ekman-Larsson and Kulikov have been part of the Panthers’ plan this season since the start, with Florida signing the veteran defensemen to add needed depth to their blue line knowing they would be without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour to start the season and knowing they needed to replace minutes lost from Radko Gudas and Marc Staal.

Okposo, meanwhile, joined the Panthers at the trade deadline, with Florida acquiring him from the Buffalo Sabres.

At 36 years old, Okposo knows his time to win the Cup is running out. He had gone seven seasons without being in the playoffs, so he understands the task at hand.

And should the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, Okposo would become the 20th player in NHL history to play more than 1,000 regular-season games before winning his first Cup.

“The expectations were laid out immediately,” Okposo said. “They were clear and concise and there was no gray area. I knew what was expected and that was phenomenal for me to hear.”

This might be Kyle Okposo’s last chance for a Stanley Cup. The Panthers have made it a ‘fun ride’

For Kulikov, the journey to his first Cup Finals is a full-circle moment of sorts. He was a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2009 and spent his first seven seasons in Florida.

Then he jumped around a lot. One season in Buffalo. Three in Winnipeg. A half season apiece in New Jersey and Edmonton. A year in Minnesota. Then off to Anaheim before being traded mid-season to Pittsburgh. And now back in Florida where it all began.

“With all the time I’ve been in the league, the journey that I’ve been on,” Kulikov said, “it would mean a lot.”

His play falls under the radar, but Dmitry Kulikov’s Panthers priority is ‘getting the wins’

And then there’s Ekman-Larsson, who just this offseason was part of the largest buyout in NHL history after two rough seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. He signed with the Panthers for the league minimum and has been instrumental in every role he has played for them, first filling in on the top defense pairing and top power-play unit when Ekblad and Montour was out before transitioning to the third pairing with Kulikov and second power-play when the team was fully healthy.

“A lot of hard work. A lot of ups and downs,” Ekman-Larsson said. “But I think at the same time, you have to go through that to appreciate this opportunity and where you’re at in life. Being in the Stanley Cup Finals, it doesn’t get much better.”

After long path led him to Panthers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson cherishing ‘unreal’ playoff run

Full list of players to play at least 1,000 games before winning first Stanley Cup

▪ Ray Bourque, 1,612 games, won Stanley Cup in 2001 with Colorado

▪ Dave Andreychuk, 1,597 games, won Stanley Cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay

▪ Glen Wesley, 1,311 games, won Stanley Cup in 2006 with Carolina

▪ Pat Verbeek, 1,225 games, won Stanley Cup in 1999 with Dallas

▪ Luc Robitaille, 1,205 games, won Stanley Cup in 2002 with Detroit

▪ Rod Brind’Amour, 1,187 games, won Stanley Cup in 2006 with Carolina

▪ Jay Bouwmeester, 1,184 games, won Stanley Cup in 2019 with St. Louis

▪ Andrew Cogliano, 1,140 games, won Stanley Cup in 2022 with Colorado

▪ Steve Duchesne, 1,113 games, won Stanley Cup in 2002 with Detroit

▪ Lanny McDonald, 1,111 games, won Stanley Cup in 1989 with Calgary

▪ Kimmo Timonen, 1,108 games, won Stanley Cup in 2015 with Chicago

▪ Teemu Selanne, 1,041 games, won Stanley Cup in 2007 with Anaheim

▪ Jack Johnson, 1,024 games, won Stanley Cup in 2022 with Colorado

▪ Steve Yzerman, 1,023 games, won Stanley Cup in 1997 with Detroit

▪ Robyn Regehr, 1,022 games, won Stanley Cup in 2014 with Los Angeles

▪ Miroslav Satan, 1,012 games, won Stanley Cup in 2009 with Pittsburgh

▪ Dallas Drake, 1,009 games, won Stanley Cup in 2008 with Detroit

▪ Alex Ovechkin, 1,003 games, won Stanley Cup in 2018 with Washington

▪ Neal Broten, 1,002 games, won Stanley Cup in 1995 with New Jersey