Sticking at it: Meet the journeymen still chasing a first NHL Championship

Brent Burns

Larger than life with his massive beard, Burns remains an imposing force at 198 centimeters tall and 104 kilograms, with a cannon of a shot. He turned 39 last month and is in his second season with the Hurricanes.

This may be his best shot at the title since 2016 with San Jose, especially after Carolina acquired Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov at the trade deadline to fill needs up front. Burns provides the firepower from the back and averages nearly 22 minutes a game.

"He knows he doesn't have too many more kicks at it," said coach Rod Brind'Amour, who won the Cup in his 16th season as Hurricanes captain in 2006. "But, I think our whole group knows that. We appreciate that. We have for a while."

Mark Giordano

The Toronto Maple Leafs have nearly a full roster of players who haven't won the Cup. The oldest is Mark Giordano, who will turn 41 in October and is almost certainly in his final season.

Giordano won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2018-19, near the end of his time in Calgary. As the first captain in Seattle's young franchise history, like Pavelski, he is a hard-nosed competitor with great respect around the league.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA