The Florida Panthers have designs on joining the elite teams in NHL history that have won at least 3 consecutive Stanley Cup championships when the 2025-26 season comes to a conclusion. The Panthers have won the title twice in a row, beating the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals each time.
However, the third title will almost certainly become the most difficult to win, as Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov will miss the regular season with a knee injury star forward Matthew Tkachuk will be out until at least December as he recovers from surgery on a torn adductor muscle. There is a chance Barkov could return for the playoffs, but that would be a very optimistic and hopeful perspective.
The Panthers will need a new leader to step forward as a result of Barkov's injury, and they will also need an X-factor to have an impact. A player who may not have been an All-Star in the past, but one who will step up and take charge in crucial situations this year.
No coach may be more prepared to handle the situation than Paul Maurice. He knows how to prepare his team for all situations as well as any coach in the sport. He is not going to allow the Panthers to feel sorry for themselves and he is going to make sure that the culture remains positive. Maurice knows that his team will not be at its best for at least the first third of the season, but he will find a way to get the most out of his team.
He is going to find a way to get most of their starters to step up. That includes Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist among the forwards. He also has several defenseman, including Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsking and Niko Makkola.
Ekblad has a chance to serve as X-factor for Panthers
The 29-year-old Ekblad is a two-time champion with the Panthers. He won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in 2014-15 and he also made the All-Rookie team that year.
Ekblad has played 11 season season with the Panthers since he was the No. 1 draft pick in the NHL in 2014. He has been a solid all-around defenseman throughout his career, but his offensive numbers were more notable early in his career.
After scoring 12 goals and 27 assists in his rookie season, he followed that up with 15 goals and 21 assists in his second year.
Ekblad was a double-digit goal scorer in each of his first five seasons.
He has reached that level eight times in his career, but he did not come close to that level in either of his last two years.
However, that should not be interpreted as Ekblad losing his efficiency as a player. Instead, the Panthers have done a better job defensively in each of the past two seasons, and they won the Stanley Cup in both of those seasons.
Ekblad had been an outstanding defensive player and he has set the tone with both his physical play and his ability to stick handle the puck out of trouble.
The Panthers are going to have to make some changes at multiple levels without Barkov and Tkachuk. One of those changes is likely to involve Ekblad providing more of a boost from an offensive perspective. Look for him to shoot more and find the net.
He is not going to turn into Bobby Orr at this point in his career, but he could score 11-14 goals while adding 25-30 assists. He is going to change his game and become the team's X-factor.
Ekblad's role will change and he will set the tone for his team. His team will notice subtle changes in the way he plays offensively, and many of his teammates will make changes as well. However, he will be the leader when it comes to changing his overall game
Brad Marchand will become an impact player
After Marchand was traded from the Bruins to the Panthers at last year's trade deadline, he needed time to recover from his injuries before he started making contributions during the Stanley Cup run.
Marchand was clearly one of the most important players on the team as the Panthers battled successfully through four rounds of the playoffs.
Marchand had a new lease on his professional life once he started wearing a Panthers sweater. He was celebrated quite a bit for his excellent contribution last spring in which he scored 10 goals and 10 assists, including two overtime game winners
However, this is is his first full season in South Florida and he will thrive. Marchand had 23 goals in each of the last two regular seasons. The 16-year veteran has scored 30 goals or more five times in his career, and he could score 30 once again this season as his team leans on him heavily for offense.
