Hello Again, The Maven here with another chapter of "Ask The Maven." Today's question comes from The State Of Champions. Anton Hersch of Boynton Beach.
DEAR MAVEN: BOTH THE PANTHERS AND HURRICANES HAVE WON TWO STANLEY CUPS APIECE. WHICH WOULD YOU CALL THE BETTER TEAM OF THE PAIR?
The Maven Replies. Much as I hate – I mean HATE – to equivocate, there somes is a time and place for such a response. But before I give my answer, consider these facts:
TAMPA BAY: They had – and still have – one of the best two coaches in captivity – Jon Cooper. (The other being – no surprise – Paul Maurice for Florida.) Andre Vasilevskiy was – and still is – one of the NHL's foremost goaltenders.
Why The Rangers Can't Do What The Panthers Can
As the Stanley Cup was paraded around Amerant Bank Arena by the two-time champion Florida Panthers, a Ranger fan could not be faulted for asking: "Why not us?"
One of the Bolts' strengths was their leadership, starting with Steve Stamkos and continuing with Victor Hedman, who worked wonders with Ryan McDonough as his defense partner. Nikita Kucherov has been the big gun up front.
The depth was apparent during the Cup run with the likes of Brayden Point epitomizing the balance that enabled a two-Cup run and almost a third.
On the Panthers' side, we have seen the depth before our very eyes. The Cats won their second Cup thanks to Sergei Bobrovsky's super play. Bob's defense – led by Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad – was further augmented by the brilliant acquisition of Seth Jones at the trade deadline.
Although they don't get the same attention as Hedman of the Bolts, Niko Mikkola and Nate Schmidt are the warriors that match any that Tampa Bay offered during the Bolts' golden Cup years.
While Florida may not have a true superstar like Kucherov up front, Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe – not to mention late acquisition Brad Marchand – match the best producers on the Bolt's side.
The Maven's Conclusion: They have "Dead Heats" in racing. I call this one "The Perfect Answer." TIE!