PITTSBURGH — The Stanley Cup Final will be used as a referendum on the hockey world-shaking trade made last summer between the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens.

Granted, it is difficult to disregard the fact that the Predators are playing for their first championship in defenseman P.K. Subban's first season. But there is another noteworthy trade that has impacted both remaining teams.

It occurred in Philadelphia on June 27, 2014, when the Predators acquired forward James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a two-player package that included forward Patric Hornqvist.

Neal and Hornqvist have become vital members of their respective teams, and their individual contributions will help decide the Stanley Cup champion.

“Any time you get traded from a team and you move on to the next, you always want to play great against your old team," Neal said Friday. "It’d be the same for any guy that got traded. It gives you a little extra motivation, I’d say."

In three full seasons in Pittsburgh from 2011-14, Neal scored 88 goals, a total outdone by only four NHL players within that span.

Despite that success, Neal, who scored a career-high 40 goals in 2011-12, never graduated from the role of high-scoring sidekick. The Predators, who were at the start of their offensive-minded transition, immediately welcomed Neal into their leadership committee.

"I was leaned on," Neal said. "I was kind of given the opportunity to shine and to show everything I could do as a player.”

Pittsburgh was a willing trade partner because it had offense to spare. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said Sunday that the team "had enough players who could score" at the time.

“We were looking to get a different type of player,” Rutherford said. "We were looking for that type of passionate player, good team guy, good in the locker room. ... I've never met a player like (Hornqvist). He's never had a bad day."

Hornqvist, one of four 30-goal scorers in Predators history before the trade, filled that need, also providing a fearless net-front presence that the Penguins didn't have.

The Predators' seventh-round draft pick in 2005 saw an opportunity for growth playing with Penguins centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“I never had any of those centers before in my life," said Hornqvist, who could return Monday after missing the past six games with an upper-body injury. "It made me raise my level. ... It was obviously a challenge for me, but you want to be that guy who can play with those kind of guys and get that opportunity. When I got that chance, I made sure I took it.”

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There always is a rush to determine which team "won" a certain trade. In this particular case, Nashville and Pittsburgh each benefitted from making the deal, as did the players involved.

“You know what type of player, what type of person you are," said Neal, who has five goals this postseason. "You want to be at your best, and you want to show the hockey world what you can do.

"You want to continue to get better in your career. I had a chance here to do that. I’m grateful for that chance, and I hope to continue it.”

Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.

STANLEY CUP FINAL

PREDATORS vs. PENGUINS

All games start at 7 p.m. CT and broadcast on 102.5-FM

Monday: at Pittsburgh (NBC)

Wednesday: at Pittsburgh (NBC SN)

Saturday: at Nashville (NBC SN)

June 5: at Nashville (NBC)

x — June 8: at Pittsburgh (NBC)

x — June 11: at Nashville (NBC)

x — June 14: at Pittsburgh (NBC)

x — if necessary