The Florida Panthers finally accomplished their goal last season by defeating the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup. It's been an exciting two years for the team, culminating in the ultimate victory. The Panthers will find it difficult to find negatives heading into 2024-25, as they've held on to most of their core. It looks like they could make another run at back-to-back titles. However, there are some roster concerns the Panthers will have to monitor.
The Panthers acquired Matthew Tkachuk in the 2022 offseason to become a better playoff team, which proved to be the correct move. The Panthers regressed in the 2022-23 regular season but pulled off a miraculous upset in the 2023 playoffs. They were down 3-1 in the first round to the Boston Bruins, who had just achieved the best regular season in NHL history. The Panthers rallied to defeat the Bruins, then advanced to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was a disappointing end for the team, but the Panthers knew they had the group to win. A rash of injuries to integral players caused them to falter against the Golden Knights, but they played like a Stanley Cup contender for most of 2023-24. The Panthers stole first in the Atlantic Division at season's end and dominated the playoffs.
The Panthers were about to walk over everyone as they held a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, Connor McDavid and the Oilers rallied to force a Game 7, putting the Panthers in a nerve-wracking spot. The grit and tenacity of the Panthers persevered, bringing the first Stanley Cup to the organization.
The Panthers' defense core took a hit
Florida had one of the best defensive groups in the NHL last season, headlined by Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad, and Gustav Forsling. The Panthers knew they couldn't keep their roster together due to salary cap constraints, but Montour seemed like a good bet to stay. Montour was a pillar of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final run and a blossoming superstar.
Sam Reinhart had a career year last season, which put his contract at the top of the Panthers' to-do list. The Panthers signed him to an eight-year, $69 million contract extension, filling up most of the remaining cap space. The deal made it nearly impossible to re-sign Montour, who went to the Seattle Kraken on a seven-year, $50 million agreement.
The Stanley Cup victory also earned Oliver Ekman-Larsson a four-year, $14 million raise from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The loss of two of their blue line pillars is the cost of winning a Stanley Cup and a swap Bill Zito would do every time. It's now up to him to piece together a defensive unit to do it again.
Forsling and Ekblad will lead the way for the Panthers, but Niko Mikkola and Dmitry Kulikov remain from last year's team. The remaining four defensemen are a bunch of value contracts from free agency but don't offer the same upside as the previous year's blue line.
An intriguing signing was Nate Schmidt, who the team inked for just $800,000 after his buyout from the Winnipeg Jets. He could prove to be an unsung hero for the team, but won't live up to the expectations of Montour and Ekman-Larsson.
The Panthers' defense was the reason for their Stanley Cup victory, but can this group replicate that success?
Aaron Ekblad, other expiring free agents
The upcoming season feels like the last ride for most of this Panthers core. There were rumors that Ekblad may be available in a trade this offseason to open up some salary cap and get a return on him before he walked for nothing in free agency. The Panthers may be able to retain their free agents, but they'll have around $20 million next offseason to sign some big names.
Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and Carter Verhaeghe will all need contract extensions next season. It's likely safe to say that Ekblad isn't going to take less than the $7.5 million per year he's making right now. An Ekblad deal worth $8 million or more will leave just $12 million to sign the others. These players will look to cash in on their unrestricted free agency and won't take $6 million each to stay in Florida.
The Panthers are a great organization, but some other team will come in and make an offer they can't refuse. Florida hopes that Bennett and Verhaeghe will value the no state income tax, beautiful living conditions, and familiar environment when deciding. If not, the Panthers could look much different in 2025-26 and beyond.
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