Stanley Cup: the Canadiens are now better equipped than the Panthers

A good friend of mine said to me a few days ago: “I’d rather be a Canadiens fan than a Panthers fan, even though they’re Cup champions!”To which I replied: “Are you crazy toé c*iss? The Panthers have just won two Stanley Cups, and they’re in it for the 3-peat this year!”Except that, on second thought, my boyfriend is probably right. And not just because Matthew Tkachuk (not until 2026) and Aleksander Barkov (season possibly over) won’t be around to start the season with their teammates. The window of opportunity is closing in Florida. In just a few years, the Panthers could look like the Penguins of today. The team’s 12 regular forwards, when everyone is healthy, are 30, 27, 29, 29, 30, 37, 23, 32, 27, 26, 28 and 33. Let’s just say there aren’t many young prospects on the Panthers’ forward line…On the blue line, it’s even worse: the seven starting defensemen are 30, 29, 29, 29, 34, 29, 37 and 30 years old. With goaltenders aged 37 and 26…On the Canadiens, it’s just the opposite. The 12 forwards who will face the Maple Leafs in Toronto on October 8 are 27, 26, 24, 21, 33, 31, 24, 24, 29, 19, 22 and 22. That’s a far cry from the aging Panthers attack…