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The Florida Panthers made a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, getting ousted by the Colorado Avalanche in four games. The team entered into years of mediocre play and thin crowds after that, but the emergence of Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad turned their team into a President's Trophy winner. The club still didn't have what it took to compete in the playoffs, leading to Bill Zito packaging 115-point getter Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames to acquire Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers haven't looked back, advancing to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final this season. They lost to the Golden Knights last year, but get another opportunity this time around against the Edmonton Oilers, starting on June 8th. Let's look at the players making up the list of the greatest Florida Panthers ever.
The list is predictable, as there are just two memorable eras of Florida Panthers hockey. The 1996 team captured the hearts of Florida, creating traditions that still carry on today. However, the best era of Panthers hockey is the current one, as they look in a good position to win their first Stanley Cup in 2023-24.
Check out the gallery below for our top 10 Florida Panthers of all time.
10. Scott Mellanby
Scott Mellanby holds a special place in Florida Panthers history, as his elimination of a rat in the Panthers' dressing room during the 1996 season kickstarted a trend of throwing rats on the ice that still carries on to this day. He was an integral part of that finals run, but he wasn't just an exterminator, as he sits in fifth in Panthers history with 157 goals and 197 assists in 552 games.
9. Aaron Ekblad
Ekblad has been a big part of the Florida Panthers over the last decade, owning the distinction of having the most games and points by a defenseman in Panthers history. He has seen some rough times for the franchise, and injury problems hampered most of his career, but it'll all be worth it if he lifts the first Stanley Cup in Panthers' history over his head this season.
8. Pavel Bure
If Bure's Panthers career had been longer than three seasons, he would be much higher on this list. He held out from the Canucks into the 1998-99 season before Vancouver moved him to Florida. He settled in on an all-Russian line with Viktor Kozlov and eventually signed the most expensive contract in franchise history with a five-year, $47.5 million deal. Despite playing only 223 games, Bure sits 13th in franchise history with 251 points. He, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart are the only scorers in the top 20 to average over a point per game.
7. Sergei Bobrovsky
Four more wins in the 2024 playoffs could cement Bobrovsky higher on this list, as it would put him above the next guy on our list for accolades. Bobrovsky signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Panthers, which started badly after some failed postseasons. The Panthers may have been looking for a way out of the contract, especially when Alex Lyon took over the starting job at the end of the 2022-23 season. However, Bobrovsky took over the net in the first round against the best regular season team ever in the Boston Bruins, led the Panthers back from a 3-1 series deficit, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Bobrovsky has been lights out again in 2023-24, bringing the Panthers to their second consecutive final series and outduelling Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jeremy Swayman, and Igor Shesterkin along the way.
6. John Vanbiesbrouck
The Panthers have a long history of outstanding goaltenders, but their first great one was Vanbiesbrouck, who went on an unbelievable run to lead them to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. He was a three-time All-Star with the Panthers after they selected him in the expansion draft, making him their first superstar in team history. Vanbiesbrouck finished third in Conn Smythe voting in 1996 despite getting swept in the Stanley Cup Final.
5. Jonathan Huberdeau
Most people will remember Huberdeau's tenure for how it ended, with Bill Zito trading him after a 115-point season to acquire a better playoff player in Matthew Tkachuk. You can't take away Huberdeau's success as a Panther away from him, as he is second on the team's all-time scoring list. Huberdeau played in 671 games for the Panthers, tallying 198 goals and 415 assists.
4. Matthew Tkachuk
If Panthers' fans needed another reason to believe they won the Huberdeau trade, Tkachuk eclipsed Huberdeau on the top-ten list after getting the Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final. Tkachuk has been a valuable addition, recording 197 points in 159 regular season games. Tkachuk's best contributions have come in the playoffs, with 43 points in 37 games. He is still just 26-years-old, giving him plenty of opportunity to enhance his legend in the Panthers' lore.
3. Olli Jokinen
The original Finnish superstar before Barkov came along, Olli Jokinen, was one of the lone bright spots for the Panthers during their lean years. Jokinen became the captain for the Panthers before the 2003-04 season until he went to the Phoenix Coyotes. Jokinen left the Panthers as the franchise's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points.
2. Roberto Luongo
Jokinen and Luongo could be moving down this list if some names behind them bring the Panthers their first Stanley Cup this season. Roberto Luongo is one of the greatest goaltenders of all-time without a Stanley Cup, coming within one game of the feat in 2011 with the Vancouver Canucks. The Islanders drafted Luongo in 1997, and he remained with the team until 2000 when the Islanders drafted Rick DiPietro with the first overall pick.
The Islanders traded Luongo AND Jokinen to the Panthers in the trade, making it one of the most lopsided acquisitions in franchise history. Luongo broke many records over his six seasons, including the most wins in franchise history and most wins in a single season. After eight years with the Canucks, Luongo returned to Florida for his last five seasons and still works in the Panthers' front office. Luongo was the first player in Panthers history to get his number retired on March 7th, 2020.
1. Aleksander Barkov
Barkov established himself as the best Panther in franchise history, owning the franchise lead in points, goals, and assists with 266 goals and 445 assists in 737 games. No Panthers captain has been able to lead the team to the Stanley Cup, and with four more wins during the 2023-24 season, Barkov could become the first.
Despite his place in the Panthers' record books, Barkov's best trait isn't his offense, as he is now the best defensive forward in the world. He shut down Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, and Artemi Panarin in the playoffs this season and has won the Selke Trophy twice. With Patrice Bergeron out of the league, the Selke Trophy could be Barkov's to win every year for the foreseeable future.
