Ducks in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals - Adam Henrique
The 2025 Stanley Cup finals at set! The Florida Panthers are set to face off against the Edmonton Oilers in what was a rematch of last season’s finals. The Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings (6), Vegas Golden Knights (5) and Dallas Stars (5), and the Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning (5), Toronto Maple Leafs (7) and Carolina Panthers (5) to advance back to the finals. Florida, led by Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov bested Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers in a hard fought seven games last year, with McDavid even taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy in the loss.
This year, there are some former Anaheim Ducks who are set to play big minutes in the finals. This is day one of a series that will cover who those players are, how they are playing for their current team and what they did in their time in Anaheim. Though none of Florida or Edmonton’s stars have played for the Ducks, there are some role players who will surely make an impact in the upcoming series. Today’s article is about Adam Henrique.
Adam Henrique
Closing our series with likely the most recognizable name of the bunch, both to Ducks fans and NHL fans, Henrique has had a storied NHL career thus far. Drafted in the 2008 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils in the third round, No. 86 overall, Henrique was a key contributor to the Devils winning ways in the early 2010s. After playing only one game in the 2010-2011 season, Henrique had quite the productive rookie season. Henrique netted 16 goals, along with 35 assists en route to an All-Rookie team selection and being No. 3 in Calder voting. He was No. 4 in points on a New Jersey team that would make, but ultimately lose, the finals to the Los Angeles Kings. Henrique is likely most known for his playoff overtime goal against the New York Rangers, which helped send the Devils to said finals.
Henrique was a steady presence in New Jersey, both in games played and contributions to the team. He played nearly or at least 80 games a season for a four year span from 2013-2017, tallying 40+ points in all of those seasons.
In the 2017-2018 season, the Devils traded Henrique to Anaheim for Sami Vatanen. While Henrique did have some of his best statistical seasons with the Ducks, including the 2019-2020 season with 26 goals and 17 assists, his time in Anaheim was somewhat of a disappointment. He joined the Ducks right as they began to decline record wise, with his only winning season with the team being the year of the trade. Though his time in Anaheim might be viewed as a disappointment, he still did spend seven years there, totalling 264 points and recording his first ever hat-trick in 2023 against his former team.
Henrique on the Ducks in 2024 (David Kirouac|USA Today)
After those seven years, in the 2023-2024 season, Henrique was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in a three team deal including the Tampa Bay Lightning. Henrique only played 22 games after the trade, recording nine points. This season, in his first full year with the team, he was positioned on the third line, according to DailyFaceoff.com. In 81 games played, he tallied 12 goals and 15 assists and helped Edmonton reach the playoffs. So far this postseason, Henrique has four goals and two assists, and has the chance to build on those stats in the finals against Florida. Overall, Henrique has been a storied veteran in the NHL. He has spent a majority of his time with the Devils and Ducks, having over 550 career points and being a part of one of the most famous playoff goals in recent memory. If Edmonton were to win the finals this year, it would be Henrique’s first title, one in which he has played 15 long years for.
References
New York Times. The Devils Trade Adam Henrique to the Ducks. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/sports/hockey/devils-ducks-adam-henrique-sami-vatanen.html
NHL.com. Oilers acquire Henrique, Carrick from Ducks in 3-Team Trade. https://www.nhl.com/news/adam-henrique-sam-carrick-traded-to-edmonton-by-anaheim
X.com. New Jersey Devils History. https://x.com/DevilsOfYore/status/1926500423499698564
Youtube.com. Ducks Adam Henrique Completes First Career Hat Trick vs. Devils. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49FcVbzTXY
HockeyReference.com
