3 former Chicago Blackhawks are vying for the Stanley Cup

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will face off for the second consecutive Stanley Cup Final. There are some Chicago Blackhawks connections.

Who knows when the Hawks will play for the Stanley Cup again, but at least the team has benefited from a deal that helped the Panthers make a return trip to defend their title.

Seth Jones is one of three former Blackhawks players skating for a championship.

Trading Jones at the deadline was a win-win for both parties. Jones got his wish to get out of Chicago and play in meaningful hockey games. The Blackhawks got goalie Spencer Knight, who slid into the No. 1 goalie spot and a first-round pick.

Jones indirectly helped the Blackhawks when he had a monster Game 7 during the Eastern Conference semifinals that bounced the Toronto Maple Leafs. That helped the Hawks move up three spots in the first round since they owned the rights to Toronto's first-round pick. Talk about a deal that just keeps on giving.

Now it will take a few more years to truly determine if the Hawks came out as a winner in the trade. Knight still has to prove he can be the long-term No. 1 netminder. The Hawks also need to turn that first-round pick into an actual prospect in the 2026 draft and then get said player to the NHL.

While Jones pouted his way out of town, the return the Hawks got makes it easier to be okay if he does get to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Gustav Forsling continues to be the player who got away from the Blackhawks

He is the other defenseman the Panthers have on their active roster. Jaycob Megna technically makes three, but he has not suited up since April.

Forsling is an example of why the Blackhawks might want to be patient with their talented young defensemen. He is also an example of making sure an ample runway is given.

He suited up in 122 games from 2016 to 2019. He produced just eight goals and 19 assists during that span.

He was dealt in the 2019 offseason to Carolina when former Hawks general manager Stan Bowman was trying desperately to keep the contention window opened. The Hurricanes were not very patient with him and put Forsling on waivers, where the Panthers snatched him up.

Forsling has gone on to carve out a nice career for the Panthers, producing 57 goals and 135 assists. He finished in the top 10 in the Norris Trophy voting last season.

Corey Perry had a brief and controversial tenure with the Blackhawks.

Perry is still proving he can put up double-digit scoring seasons at 40 years old, although it is nowhere near the days when he was winning the Hart Trophy.

He will try to help snap Edmonton's Stanley Cup drought as he has been a valuable veteran during the Oilers' playoff run.

However, his time with the Blackhawks was very brief and ended with him having his contract terminated in 2023 after an off-the-ice incident. Having Perry on the Hawks roster was always uncomfortable, given his villain status when he played for the Anaheim Ducks. The Hawks and Ducks had an epic 2015 Western Conference Stanley Cup final series, and Perry was known for taking some liberties in that series.

Perry was brought in to be a veteran presence to help Connor Bedard get acclimated to the NHL. Instead, he skated in just 16 games before the team found he had allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior during a team function involving corporate sponsors and team employees.

Perry took some time away from the ice before signing with Edmonton toward the end of last season and filed a grievance with the Hawks that the team later settled.