The Carolina Hurricanes' run to the 2026 Stanley Cup championship ran deep with a ton of connections with the Ottawa Senators. It didn’t just bring closure because of their first-round exit against the Hurricanes. It also brought some reflection for Senators fans as they watched from a distance.
For Senators fans, they got to watch one of their former players compete for another Stanley Cup. Unfortunately for Mark Stone, he had to sit through the Hurricanes’ celebration on the ice. It’s the kind of moment that naturally brings you back to how much has changed since that trade years ago.
A look back at the Mark Stone trade
Back at the 2019 trade deadline, Stone was basically the identity of an Ottawa team heading into a reset. The Senators shipped him to Vegas in exchange for Erik Brännström, Oscar Lindberg, and a second-round pick. Stone then signed an eight-year extension almost immediately, and just like that, Ottawa lost its top winger while the Golden Knights became a legitimate contender overnight.
Now, looking back on that deal, it is clear that the Golden Knights got the better of it. Brännström and Lindberg didn’t amount to anything, and the second-round pick was used to select Egor Sokolov. Who, as we all know, also didn’t turn into an NHL player.
Stone did eventually get his moment, captaining Vegas to a Stanley Cup in 2023. But the chase for another one ended against a Carolina team that just never really let up. He pushed through injuries again, like he usually does, but there wasn’t much room to work with. Carolina’s structure and forecheck basically took away his game below the hashmarks.
For Senators fans who still follow former players pretty closely, it’s another one of those reminders of how that era keeps circling back in the playoffs. The trade worked out for Stone in terms of team success, but the Hurricanes’ 2026 run is another example that even proven playoff players can get completely swallowed up when they are rolling.
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