2024-25
Record: 47-31-4, 3rd in Atlantic Division
Playoffs: Stanley Cup Champions
Key Losses
Nate Schmidt (D – Signed with UTM), Nico Sturm (F – Signed with MIN), Vitek Vanecek (G – Signed with UTM), and Jaycob Megna (D – Signed with VGK)
Key Additions
Jeff Petry (D – Signed via FA), Daniil Tarasov (G – Trade with CLB), and Jack Studnicka (F – Signed via FA)
2025-26 Preview
Is a Three-Peat Possible?
The Florida Panthers became back to back Stanley Cup champions after defeating the Edmonton Oilers for the second consecutive year, and making their third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. The biggest question facing the Panthers going into the 2025-26 season is, do they have enough left in the tank to go deep for a fourth straight year, and repeat as three-time champions?
One has to wonder if this could be the year that the Panthers finally falter a bit. All-Star forward Matthew Tkachuk was badly banged up after the 4 Nations Faceoff, and missed a lot of time going into the playoffs, and wasn’t healthy throughout the full duration of the Panthers Cup run. With the 2025-26 being interrupted by the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and Tkachuk playing on the US National team, one has to wonder how much the tournament could take out of him, and the others that will be going to play for their respective countries in Milano, Italy.
The Panthers will need to be hopeful that their players, Tkachuk will be joined by Sam Reinhart (Canada), Aleksander Barkov (Finland), and Uvis Balinskis (Latvia), and potentially a few others, that none of their players get banged up too much, or even worse, get injured and are not available for the Panthers for the rest of the season.
The other factor at play here for the Panthers is that they’ve played a lot of hockey over the last three seasons, and eventually that will catch up to them as we’ve seen happen to other teams with multiple deep playoff runs in the past.
Keeping the Core Intact
One of the surprises during the offseason was general manager Bill Zito’s ability to re-sign the three core free agents that helped guide the Panthers to their second Stanley Cup. Zito signed 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett to an eight-year deal
“I knew that I wanted to be here, and I was pretty confident that it was going to get done,” Bennett said. “Obviously, you never know. Things can change. It had to be the right fit for both me and the team. We obviously came to that solution. Obviously, I couldn’t be happier. Being in South Florida has completely changed my life. I love playing hockey there. I love living there. I love the team, the staff and the owners. Everything about [this place] is really the dream situation. I couldn’t pass up the chance to be back here for another eight years.”
“I’m really just grateful,” Bennett continued. “It’s been everything I’ve always dreamed of, this last year of hockey. If you would’ve asked me that five years ago, I would’ve been thrilled with just a little bit of success. I haven’t really had time to process how amazing this year’s been. I truly believe that we’re not done yet.”
Following the signing of Bennett, the Panthers made their most surprising signing when they re-signed defenseman Aaron Ekblad to an eight-year deal. Many expected Ekblad to hit the free agency market, but Zito and Ekblad made it work with the extension.
“Aaron is a pillar of our defense who has consistently excelled at both ends of the ice as one of the best defensemen in the NHL over the past decade,” said Zito. “From a Calder-winning rookie campaign to two Stanley Cup Championships, Aaron’s consummate leadership on and off the ice has been integral to our team’s success. After cementing his place in Panthers history, we are thrilled that he will continue his career in South Florida.”
“I’ve said it plenty of times over the last year that Florida, for us, my wife and I, is home” Ekblad said. “It means the world to me. Nineteen years is a long time, especially with one franchise. I have so much pride and still a lot of expectations for my career in these eight years.”
“It’s special for Aaron because this is his home,” Zito said. “He created this. He was here early. He stayed on through the transition. He was part of solution. He continued to elevate himself as a player, as a leader in the room, and where he is in the community that is the room. For the Panthers, it’s a big statement to be able to keep someone for that long, especially a player with that kind of character and personality. It’s a big deal, and it was special.”
Ekblad made it known that he wanted to be a Panther for life, and the team being like a family being a huge reason for it.
“When you’re looking at teams around the league, I don’t think there’s a better partner than Gus Forsling,” Ekblad said. “On top of that, a better group of guys, guys that we’ve won with and willing to go to battle with. That’s absolutely a driving factor, the guys on the team and the camaraderie we have. They’re friends and brothers for life.”
“There’s still a lot of expectation for my career and all of us here,” Ekblad said. “If we can continue to excel and do the right things and use the expectations and responsibility to build on it, legacy is definitely part of the conversation at that point.”
Lastly, the Panthers re-signed forward Brad Marchand to a six-year deal. Upon arriving to the lineup after being traded by Boston at the Trade Deadline, Marchand made an impact and was a key contributor to the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup.
“Instantly supplementing our lineup from the moment he arrived in South Florida, Brad has been an outstanding addition to our team,” said Zito. “He is the definition of a warrior on the ice, a critical leader for our group and a relentless competitor.”
However, one thing that could, and probably will, haunt the Panthers is the length of the contract. Marchand is 37 years old, and the likelihood of him seeing the contract to completion is slim to none.
At the end of the day, Zito kept his core together, and the Panthers remain a huge threat for the next few years.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Carter Verhaeghe –Aleksander Barkov — Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues — Sam Bennett — Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen — Anton Lundell — Brad Marchand
A.J. Greer — Tomas Nosek — Jonah Gadjovich
Defense
Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola — Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov — Jeff Petry
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
Resources
- Olive, Jameson. ‘It’s going to be a fun ride’: Bennett ready to chase more Cups with Panthers, June 28, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/panthers/news/it-s-going-to-be-a-fun-ride-bennett-ready-to-chase-more-cups-with-panthers.
- Panthers, PR. Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Aaron Ekblad on Eight-Year Contract Extension, June 30, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/panthers/news/florida-panthers-agree-to-terms-with-defenseman-aaron-ekblad-on-eight-year-contract-extension.
- Olive, Jameson. ‘It means the world to me’: Ekblad thrilled to keep building with Panthers, July 2, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/panthers/news/it-means-the-world-to-me-ekblad-thrilled-to-keep-building-with-panthers.
- Panthers, PR. Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Brad Marchand on a Six-Year Contract Extension, July 1, 2025. https://www.nhl.com/panthers/news/florida-panthers-agree-to-terms-with-forward-brad-marchand-on-a-six-year-contract-extension.
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