Which former Predators are playing in the Stanley Cup Finals?

The Nashville Predators have a handful of Smashville alumni competing for the Stanley Cup once again.

After former Predators defenseman Seth Jones won the cup with the Florida Panthers last season, Nashville will have more of its players etched into NHL history. There is a total of four former Predators in the finals: three for Vegas and one for Carolina, meaning at least one will raise the cup.

C, Mark Jankowski, Carolina Hurricanes

Mark Jankowski scored last night to tie the game at two after being down 2-0. He was fed the puck from winger William Carrier after being tripped. Jankowski swerved around a Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson and went top cheddar. It was his first goal of the playoffs so far and second of his career. He has five points in the playoffs with the Hurricanes.

The 31-year-old was signed as a free agent by Nashville in 2022 where he would play 123 games with the club. He scored 18 goals and 36 points while maintaining a healthy 12 minutes of icetime per game. He was dealt to Carolina at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline for a 2026 5th.

C, Colton Sissons, Vegas Golden Knights

Colton Sissons was a staple to the Predators' center core, and it's become apparent that he's keeping that status in Vegas. Sissons has seven points in 18 playoff games with the Golden Knights, consisting of two goals and five assists. His most recent point came from a primary assist on Tomas Hertl's game-winner in game one of the finals. A sequence of back-and-forth passing resulted in one of the most important goals in finals history.

Sissons was drafted by Nashville 50th overall in 2012 and spent 11 seasons with the team, being a driving factor in its finals run in 2017. He scored the go-ahead goal in game six of the finals for the Predators but was waived off in a controversial way. Following the finals, Sissons set a career high 27 points the next season, one later topped in the 2023-24 season with 35 points. He scored 95 goals and 221 points in 690 games with Nashville.

D, Jeremy Lauzon, Vegas Golden Knights

Jeremy Lauzon is one of the most physical players in the NHL. He sits in third for most hits in a season in NHL history with 383. He was the previous record holder, being later surpassed by former Predators Yakov Trenin and Kiefer Sherwood. Lauzon set a number of personal highs with Nashville including points (14), penalty minutes (98), and of course, hits.

LW, Cole Smith, Vegas Golden Knights

After being dealt by Nashville at this year's trade deadline, he struggled to produce. It would take him 14 games to find the net, scoring his first goal since January. He scored another goal in April to wrap out the regular season. Heading into the playoffs, it was almost like Smith flipped a switch. In 18 games, he scored three goals and six points, his first career set of points in the postseason. He tallied an assist in game one of the finals to help get Vegas back in the game.

Coming into the league as a free agent, not too many people had Smith playing as good as he would. It would take three seasons before Smith got a real shot at ice time. He would score 17 points in his first full-time stint with the Predators in the 2022-23 season. For the next three seasons, Smith would be a reliable gritty, bottom-six forward for the Preds, scoring 23 goals and 62 in his four-year tenure.