Mitch Marner's decision to reject a trade to Carolina and later join the Golden Knights as a free agent has significantly influenced the paths of the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup final.

<img alt="Vegas Golden Knights winger Mitch Marner skates against the Carolina Hurricanes during an October 28, 2025 NHL regular-season game in Raleigh, North Carolina." height="349" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/5eeff24f-91ba-4239-b313-8566e60c4599,1780413157561/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%2820%2C0%2C1139%2C640%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29" title="After forward Mitch Marner, pictured, declined a potential trade to the Hurricanes late last season, he joined the Golden Knights and Carolina pi...