Every year, many new players make their NHL debut. Some play in only a handful of NHL games, while a few are good enough to stick around for over a decade. Eventually, the fresh-faced rookies of yesteryear become the grizzled old veterans of today, who toiled season after season in the hopes of winning the Stanley Cup one day. And that day might be soon.
With the 2023 NHL Playoffs starting tonight, here is a list of the oldest player from each team in the postseason — and why we should be rooting for each of them.
Players Age 31 to 33
Being in their early 30s hardly makes either of these two players an “old man,” yet they both hold the distinction of being the oldest player on their team without winning the Stanley Cup. Both of these players likely have five or so years left in their careers — but not necessarily five more trips to the playoffs.
Jordan Eberle, Right Wing, Seattle Kraken
Age: 32
Years in NHL: 13th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 4
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: It feels like Jordan Eberle has been in the league forever — and yet he is only 32 years old. The former first round pick played seven seasons with the Oilers, but only made one playoff appearance in that time. He saw more postseason action with the Islanders, appearing in the playoffs three times, including two trips to the Conference Finals. Unfortunately, the Isles lost both times — 2020 and 2021 — to the Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup those two years.
Brayden McNabb, Defense, Vegas Golden Knights
Age: 32
Years in NHL: 11th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 5
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2018, Vegas Golden Knights)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Brayden McNabb has been a member of the Golden Knights since their inaugural season in 2017-18. That was the same season the team went on an unlikely, but impressive run to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Capitals in five games. Since then, McNabb has remained with the Golden Knights, while many of the faces around him changed over the past half-decade. It would be nice to see McNabb and the Knights finally nab — sorry, couldn’t resist — the Stanley Cup.
Players Age 34 to 36
The mid-30s is the time when NHL careers start to wind down, because not everyone can play until 48 like Chris Chelios did. You can usually count on one hand how many playoff appearances players in this age group have left.
Brad Hunt, Defense, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 34
Years in NHL: 10th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 1
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: Brad Hunt was not a member of the Avs last season, so he is the oldest player on the team this year without a Cup. His NHL career has been a steady diet of one or two-year contracts, and during his first four NHL seasons he appeared in a scant 33 games. Hunt is one of those longshot, unsung heroes that we feel extra happy for when they get to hoist the Cup.
Brendan Smith, Defense, New Jersey Devils
Age: 34
Years in NHL: 12th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 7
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: Only four players on the Devils are in their 30s, and Brendan Smith, at 34, is the oldest guy on the team. Smith was drafted in the first round by the Red Wings in 2007, but did not play for the team that season, and thus was not a member of their Cup-winning squad. Smith has never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
Marc Staal, Defense, Florida Panthers
Age: 36
Years in NHL: 16th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 10
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2014, New York Rangers)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Marc Staal has had an impressive career in the NHL and played 13 seasons for a Rangers team that probably should have been in the Finals more than once. His older brother Marc and younger brother Jordan have both won Stanley Cup Championships, so it would be great for the middle Staal brother to get to join his siblings as a champion.
Anton Stralman, Defense, Boston Bruins
Age: 36
Years in NHL: 16th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 8
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 2 (2014, New York Rangers & 2015, Tampa Bay Lightning)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Anton Stralman appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals — and was on the losing team both times. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, he left the Lighting after five seasons, only for them to win back-to-back Cups without him. At 36 years old and on a powerhouse Bruins team, this may be Stalman’s last best chance at a Stanley Cup championship.
Derek Ryan, Center, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 36
Years in NHL: 8th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 3
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: Derek Ryan did not make his NHL debut until he was 29. Let me repeat that: Derek Ryan did not make his NHL debut until he was 29. He went undrafted after four seasons of major junior hockey, then played four seasons of college hockey for the University of Alberta. After that, it was another four seasons of slogging it out in Europe before Ryan got his first NHL contract at 29. Very few Canadian University players make it to the NHL, so the fact that Ryan made it to the Show is the kind of success story we can rally around if he makes it to the Finals this year.
Ryan Reaves, Right Wing, Minnesota Wild
Age: 36
Years in NHL: 13th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 11
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2018, Vegas Golden Knights)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Ryan Reaves is an important, but underrated, player on every team he’s played on. Whenever he is on the ice, his teammates play like they are six inches taller and 50 pounds heavier, while opponents usually cut out the nonsense like running the goalie or taking cheap shots at the superstars. Reaves is the tough guy who can skate a regular shift and chip in the odd goal, and yet is surprisingly expendable; he’s been traded four times in a six-year span. Old school hockey fans love players like Reaves, and would feel happy for him if he got to win the Stanley Cup.
Blake Wheeler, Right Wing, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 36
Years in NHL: 15th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 7
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: Blake Wheeler was on the 2010-11 Boston Bruins team, but was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers before the playoffs, where the Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup without him. After that, the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg to become the Jets, and Wheeler went on to become one of the Jets’ top players. Wheeler has played over 1,100 NHL games and is closing in on 1,000 regular-season points. Wheeler may no longer be the Jets’ team captain, but no one is more deserving than him to be handed the Stanley Cup first should the team win it all this June.
Players Age 37 to 39
As they say, there’s no time like the present — because for these eight players, there may be no other time than the present for them to finally sip from Lord Stanley’s mug.
Alexander Edler, Defense, LA Kings
Age: 37
Years in NHL: 17th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 8
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2011, Vancouver Canucks)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Way back when the Canucks and Blackhawks had a heated rivalry, I misread Alexander Edler’s last name as “Elder.” To be fair, I had a student at the time whose first name was “Elder,” so it didn’t seem all that unusual of a name. But that was over a decade ago, and since then I’ve learned the right way to spell and pronounce Edler’s last name. Now, Edler is the eldest player on the Kings to not win the Stanley Cup. We would only feel happy for him if this Edler — uh, I mean elder skatesman — got to win the Cup.
Jaroslav Halak, Goalie, New York Rangers
Age: 37
Years in NHL: 17th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 7
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2019, Boston Bruins)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Jaroslav Halak has had a very good NHL career, both as a starter and as a backup. He won the Jennings Trophy twice — first as a starter with the Blues in 2012 and again as the Bruins’ backup in 2019. During the playoffs, Halak seems to be on the right team at the wrong time: he played for the Blues, Capitals, and Bruins, but not on the seasons those teams won the Cup. He came close in 2019, as the Bruins’ backup goalie when the team lost to the Blues. Halak has been a reliable backup this season on a stacked Ranges team that could realistically make a deep playoff run.
Brent Burns, Defense, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 38
Years in NHL: 19th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 9
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2016, San Jose Sharks)
Why We Want to See Him Win: There’s a lot to love about Brent Burns, from his bushy beard, to his toothless smile, to his crazy tattoos, , to the fact that he’s just overall a great dude. Burns has won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman once, was named a First-Team All-Star twice and a Second-Team All-Star once. He’s played over 1,300 NHL games and has over 800 points, but the closest he got to winning a Stanley Cup was when the Sharks lost to the Penguins in six games back in 2016. Needless to say, practically every hockey fan would feel good for Burnsie if we got to see flash his toothless smile while hoisting the Cup in June.
Joe Pavelski, Center, Dallas Stars
Age: 38
Years in NHL: 17th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 14
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 2 (2016, San Jose Sharks & 2020, Dallas Stars)
Why We Want to See Him Win: You almost feel bad for Joe Pavelski. He was on the Sharks in 2016 and the Stars in 2020, and lost in the Stanley Cup Finals both of those times. Perhaps 2023 will be the year for “The Big Pavelski.” He is signed with the Stars through the 2023-24 season with a no-movement clause. The Stars are on an upward trajectory — with young stars like Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, and Jake Oettinger in the lineup — so Pavelski may realistically have another shot at winning the Cup if this year doesn’t pan out for him.
Ryan Suter, Defense, Dallas Stars
Age: 38
Years in NHL: 18th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 13
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: Look, I couldn’t pick just one Dallas Stars player, as both Joe Pavelski and Ryan Suter are 38 years old. Pavelski is six months older, but Suter has played one more season. Suter also has winning in his bloodline; his father Bob Suter was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team — a.k.a. the “Miracle on Ice” — that won the gold medal in 1980, while his uncle Gary Suter won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989. If the Stars win the Cup in June, the youngest Suter would get to be a champion, too.
Zach Parise, Left Wing, New York Islanders
Age: 38
Years in NHL: 18th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 13
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2014, New Jersey Devils)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Zach Parise has enjoyed a long and stable career, spending his first seven years with the Devils, followed by the next nine years with the Wild. Yet, he’s only been in the Stanley Cup Finals once. The Islanders made it to the Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021, but missed the playoffs during Parise’s first season with the team in 2022. Hopefully, the Islanders can recapture some of their mojo from the “pandemic seasons” for Parise’s sake.
Brian Elliott, Goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 38
Years in NHL: 17th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 10
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 1 (2022, Tampa Bay Lightning)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Brian Elliott signed with the Lightning after their back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships. Unfortunately, a three-peat wasn’t meant to be, as the Bolts lost to the Avalanche in 2022, with Elliott looking on from the bench as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup. Elliott has played a long time in the league, appearing in 542 regular-season and 44 postseason games. He won the Jennings Trophy in 2012 in a goaltending tandem with fellow “Old Man Without a Cup” Jaroslav Halak. Elliott is a UFA in July, and the Lightning may look elsewhere for a backup next season, so it’s now or never for Elliott.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 38
Years in NHL: 9th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 6
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 2 1 (2018, Vegas Golden Knights & 2022, Tampa Bay Lightning)
Why We Want to See Him Win: Like the Dallas Stars, I could not pick just one member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as both Brian Elliott and Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare are 38 years old and pending UFAs this summer. Bellemare is that “rags-to-riches” story that we love to hear. He played three seasons in France, followed by eight years in Sweden, before making it to the NHL at age 29. We would all be happy for Bellemare if he won the Cup, considering that 13 years ago he was about as far away from the NHL as possible. He was a member of the unlikely Golden Knights team that made it to the Finals during their inaugural season, but fell short. Bellemare also was a member of the Lightning last season — a team that was looking to win its third consecutive championship, but lost to the Avalanche. There probably won’t be another chance for the fourth-line center.
39 and Up
Players in this age bracket are on borrowed time. Even if they have a year or two left on their contract, there’s no guarantee that their team will make the playoffs next year or that their health will hold up. This season, there’s only one “Cup-less” player in this age group.
Mark Giordano, Defense, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 39
Years in NHL: 17th season
Prior Playoff Appearances: 5
Prior Stanley Cup Finals Appearances: 0
Why We Want to See Him Win: Mark Giordano’s story is inspiring. He was an undrafted free agent who played two seasons with the Flames, then one year in Russia, before returning to the NHL. He was Calgary’s team captain for eight years, and the first-ever captain in Kraken history. Giordano has played in three NHL All-Star Games, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, and won the Mark Messier Leadership Award. The only thing that his eluded Giordano during his career is the Stanley Cup. If that’s not reason enough to be rooting for Giordano and the Leafs this spring, keep in mind that, at 39, he is THE oldest player on this list of “Old Men Without a Cup.”
Which of these “Old Men Without a Cup” would you like to see become the latest “Old Man WITH a Cup?” Is it a player from your favorite team, or someone else?
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