When the Florida Panthers take to the ice for their first game of their 2023-24 season, they will have exactly two defensemen on the roster who suited up for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final back in June.

That is a truly absurd stat, as four of the six Panthers D-men who helped the team win three rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will not be on the ice when Florida takes on the Minnesota Wild in the State of Hockey on Oct. 12.

Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad remain on the injured reserve as they continue to recover from offseason surgery. Radko Gudas and Marc Staal are no longer Panthers, moving on to the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers, respectively.

And Josh Mahura, who played in the Panthers' final game of 2022-23, a 9-3 shellacking at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, is not one the team's top six defensemen, according to Daily Faceoff.

Instead, it will be an insane five new faces on the back end when the Panthers play the Wild on Thursday. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niko Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov, Mike Reilly and Uvis Balinskis are all projected to make their debut with the team.

Paul Maurice happy with progression

Article Continues Below
More Florida Panthers News
The Florida Panthers are graded on their 2025 NHL Draft class.
Grading Panthers’ 2025 NHL Draft classTristin McKinstry ·
Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena.
Sam Bennett breaks silence on $64 million contract extension with PanthersBenjamin Adducchio ·
Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena.
Panthers’ Sam Bennett signs mammoth 8-year, $64 million contract extensionChristopher Hennessy ·
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) tends net against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden
Panthers add to goaltending room in trade with Blue JacketsChristopher Hennessy ·
Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with his teamates after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena.
Panthers rumors: ’50/50′ chance Brad Marchand re-signs in FloridaPreston Byers ·
Florida Panthers assistant head coach Tuomo Ruutu reacts with the bench during the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena.
Panthers rumors: Florida working to re-sign both Sam Bennett, Brad MarchandBenjamin Adducchio ·

But despite a completely new-look blueline, head coach Paul Maurice is happy with what he's seen from the group at training camp.

“All of the veteran players, in a 10-day block got very comfortable with what they're doing,” Maurice said this week, according to the Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson. “They picked it up. The new guys were still processing a lot and playing at the same time. The handful of guys that are left here have earned the right to be here.”

Combined, Ekman-Larsson, Kulikov, Reilly and Mikkola have 38 seasons of major league experience, with 197 goals and 577 assists, 3,484 hits and 2,484 blocked shots between them, per McPherson. Balinskis is expected to make his NHL debut this week after somewhat surprisingly making the team out of training camp.

“Everybody's so used to new guys coming in,” Ekman-Larsson explained. “I think that's the easy part, to get together and be on the same page. Obviously it's a lot of new stuff system-wise for a new guy coming in. It's a lot of new stuff that you need to pick up and learn, but overall feeling great.”

It will be intriguing to see if this new-look D-core can keep the team afloat while Montour and Ekblad continue to work towards a return.