A look at the Stanley Cup finalists with the longest wait time to taste glory

[h2]1. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hall-taylor/4dK9PWLO/"]Taylor Hall[/a], forward, Carolina[/h2][p][b]Games played:[/b] 989[/p][p][b]Current playoffs:[/b] 15 games, 16 points (5+11)[/p][p]The 2010 first overall draft pick has had a career full of ups and downs. In Edmonton, where he spent six seasons, he never made the playoffs. In 2016, he was traded to New Jersey, where two years later he became the league's most valuable player. After that, he was average - or sometimes worse - in Arizona, Boston, Buffalo, and Chicago.[/p][embed guid="d58f8006-a31b-49db-8974-af061fd5a5f8" url="https://x.com/GinoHard_/status/2051490459944624598" social-type="twitter" /][p]But the trade to Carolina in January 2025 suited him perfectly. With the Hurricanes, he found a solid spot in the lineup, and although his average ice time in the playoffs is just over 16 minutes - far from the team's most-used player - he leads the key line and tops the club's scoring chart.[/p][h2]2. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hertl-tomas/WAU1Snrj/"]Tomáš Hertl[/a], forward, Vegas[/h2][p][b]Games played:[/b] 873[/p][p][b]Current playoffs:[/b] 18 games, 11 points (4+7)[/p][p]The only Czech player in the final has already played for the Stanley Cup once - in 2016 with San Jose, when his Sharks lost the series 2-4 to Pittsburgh. [b]"Of course I was sad, but I thought I'd get another chance in two or three years,"[/b] Hertl told NHL.com ahead of this year's final.[/p][p]But instead, the Prague Slavia youth product found out just how hard it is to even get close to the final. In the following years with the California club, he was eliminated in the first, second, and third rounds, and since 2019, the team have not made the playoffs at all.[/p][embed guid="a618b0e8-2358-4ac1-94af-abf26ce04ca8" url="https://x.com/VGKRadioNetwork/status/2062007173937541295" social-type="twitter" /][p]Hertl, who extended his contract with the club for eight years in March 2022, did not want to be part of a rebuild at his age and took the opportunity to be traded to a team that could help him reach the top. Now, he's just three wins away from that goal.[/p][h2]3. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hanifin-noah/G4XHU9OO/"]Noah Hanifin[/a], defenseman, Vegas[/h2][p][b]Games played:[/b] 829[/p][p][b]Current playoffs:[/b] 18 games, 7 points (0+7)[/p][p]An elite defenseman who, along with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/theodore-shea/zwr54Xsd/"]Shea Theodore[/a], is under contract with the team for another five seasons and is a cornerstone of their play. Even though the former fifth overall pick is still waiting for his first goal in this year's Stanley Cup run, he's the team's second-highest scoring defenseman after Theodore.[/p][image alt="Hanifin is one of Vegas's key defensemen." id="835df3e5-c442-4357-801e-940c27e6b514" credit-line="James Guillory-Imagn Images" guid="5a01c44d-e4ae-4fc5-8593-898e07b01a54" original-width="6602" original-height="4402" /][p]Incidentally, Hanifin started his career in Carolina, and between 2015 and 2018, he shared the locker room with current club faces - captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/staal-jordan/nybJM7z7/"]Jordan Staal[/a], star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aho-sebastian/dvL9PWjc/"]Sebastian Aho[/a], defenseman Jaccob Slavin, and coach Rod Brind'Amour.[/p][h2]4. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinook-jordan/0O3RdaYE/"]Jordan Martinook[/a], forward, Carolina[/h2][p][b]Games played:[/b] 797[/p][p][b]Current playoffs:[/b] 15 games, 3 points (1+2)[/p][p]A hard-working defensive specialist who started his career with the Arizona Coyotes, Martinook has worn the "A" on his jersey for the Canes for seven years now - a clear sign of his importance. He has scored just one goal in this year's playoffs, but it was a crucial one.[/p][embed guid="cd72bf0a-785d-4c43-861a-67bed3859201" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2046436602117787760" social-type="twitter" /][p]It was the game-winner in double overtime ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/carolina-hurricanes-Sx0gl0tm/ottawa-senators-noTCHmWM/summary/stats/?mid=6NDWEp26"]3:2[/a]) against Ottawa. The Canadian forward took a pass from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ehlers-nikolaj/YJ2gELK1/"]Nikolaj Ehlers[/a] in the 94th minute of Game 2 in the first-round series and sealed the win. The 33-year-old's three-year contract expires after this season, so if he doesn't stay with the team, a Stanley Cup would be a fitting way to end his stint.[/p][h2]5. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/slavin-jaccob/0Mdvk55k/"]Jaccob Slavin[/a], defenseman, Carolina[/h2][p][b]Games played:[/b] 784[/p][p][b]Current playoffs:[/b] 15 games, 3 points (0+3)[/p][p]The only player on this list who has never changed teams in the NHL. The current Olympic champion and two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner for sportsmanship was drafted by the Hurricanes in the fourth round in 2012 and has been loyal to the club ever since.[/p][p]Although he has already collected 307 points in the regular season, he's best known for his reliable defensive play. He missed most of the season due to injury, but in the Stanley Cup playoffs, he's playing at full strength - averaging 23 minutes and 12 seconds per game, making him the team's second most-used player.[/p]