Here are the players who appeared in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Here are the players who appeared in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final
Credit: NHL.com

Next weekend, the Canadiens will face off against the Lightning in the playoffs.

Obviously, this will be a rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. That's going to spice things up a bit, since the Habs have a history with the Lightning.

More so than with the Capitals in 2025, let's say.

When you look at it, there are only six Canadiens players left who were there in 2021 and are still with the organization. And among them are Phillip Danault, who just returned… and Brendan Gallagher, who might sit this one out.

Josh Anderson and Jake Evans are still there among the depth players. And of course, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield haven't left either.

And with the Lightning?

Nikita Kucherov, Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Erik Cernak, and Victor Hedman never left. Ryan McDonagh and Yanni Gourde, like Phillip Danault in Montreal, left Tampa Bay only to return recently.

Six guys in Montreal… eight guys in Florida… and Corey Perry, who was obviously with the Canadiens in 2021, but has spent quite a bit of time in Tampa Bay since then.

If David Savard were still playing, he'd be in the opposite position of Perry.

So there will be similarities between 2021 and 2026 (especially in Tampa Bay), but the Canadiens have a completely different team from 2021. None of the defensemen remain, and Carey Price is no longer there.

We'll see if the new generation can beat Tampa Bay, something Marc Bergevin's core failed to do in 2021.


In a nutshell

– Interesting.

– I agree.

– The playoff format isn't perfect.

– Ouch.

– Indeed.

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