The Florida Panthers are coming off the first championship in franchise history in 2023-24. The team, led by Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, finally got over the hump and brought the South Florida fans the best season in their short history.
The Panthers have two other trips to the Final to place on this list and only ten total playoff appearances. Each of those appearances will show up on this list.
Greatest Panthers team of all time: 2023-24
The Panthers came into last season looking to capitalize off of a great run to the Final the previous year. They succeeded in the regular season, winning the Atlantic Division with 110 points. Sam Reinhart scored 57 goals in a contract year, putting together one of the most surprising 50-goal campaigns in recent memory. They started the playoffs with another series against their biggest rival.
For the first time, the Panthers beat the Lightning in a playoff series. It took five games to knock off the Bolts and force a rematch with the Boston Bruins. Just a year after their big comeback to upset the B's, the Panthers beat them again, winning in six. Another six-game victory over the Rangers brought them their second straight conference title. After going up 3-0 in the Cup Final, they almost blew it but won game seven at home to bring home the title.
#2: 2022-23
The championship season for the Panthers started with a ton of momentum from a great 2022-23 campaign. They snuck into the playoffs with 92 points, finishing fourth in their division. Tkachuk shined in his first season in Florida, scoring a team-high 40 goals with 69 assists and 109 points. He finished third in the Hart Trophy voting for MVP.
In the playoffs, the Panthers played the Bruins in the first round. They were significant underdogs after the Bruins put together one of the best regular seasons ever and took a 3-1 series lead. The Panthers fought back and won the series in seven. They beat the Maple Leafs in five games and swept the Hurricanes to win the conference for the second time in franchise history. They lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Cup Final.
#3: 1995-96
The first two seasons in Panthers history saw them miss the playoffs with sub-.500 records. They were afterthoughts in the Stanley Cup preseason odds and barely squeaked in the playoffs with 92 points. Defense was how they made it, allowing the sixth-fewest goals in the regular season. Scott Mellanby led the team with 32 goals and 70 points.
They started the playoffs by beating the Bruins in five games to advance for the first time in franchise history. They faced the division-winning Flyers in the second round and won two overtime games to upset Philadelphia. The conference final featured a matchup against Mario Lemieux's Penguins. The Panthers won games six and seven to advance to the Cup Final. The Avalanche swept the Final to end the Cinderella run.
#4: 2021-22
Before the back-to-back Cup Final appearances, the Panthers put up one of the best regular seasons in league history. Their 121 points won them the President's Trophy for the first time in franchise history. Jonathan Huberdeau had an amazing season. with 30 goals, 85 assists, and 115 points. Barkov scored 39 goals to lead the team.
They needed two overtime wins to beat the Capitals in six games in the first round. The cracks were in the armor when it was time to face the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. After scoring the most goals in the league in the regular season, they were held to just three goals in a second-round sweep.
#5: 2020-21
The 56-game season was another fantastic one for the Panthers. They finished second in the Central Division, just one point behind the Hurricanes with a .705 points percentage. Huberdeau was excellent once again with 41 assists and 61 points while Barkov led the team with 26 goals. They ended the season on a six-game win streak, including beating the Lightning twice.
The playoffs featured the first-ever postseason matchup between the Panthers and Lightning. The defending champions beat Florida in six games on their way to their second championship. While it was a disappointing finish, this season laid the seeds for their future playoff successes.
#6: 2015-16
The '15-'16 Panthers represent one of the most bizarre division titles in recent NHL history. Florida missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons before and after this great season. With 103 points, they won the Atlantic Division with 36-year-old Roberto Luongo in net and 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr leading the team in scoring.
Their first-round matchup against the New York Islanders saw them lose three overtime games in the six-game series. The Islanders won game three on a Thomas Hickey goal, game five in double overtime thanks to Alan Quine, and John Tavares potted both goals in a 2-1 double overtime win in game six. The Panthers would not be heard from again for a couple of seasons.
#7: 1999-00
The Panthers rode a Rocket Richard-winning season from Pavel Bure to make the playoffs for just the third time in franchise history. The Russian forward scored 58 goals to win his first of two consecutive scoring titles in Florida. Their 98 points were the most in franchise history to that point.
The playoffs were not the Cinderella story that they were in '96. The Devils made quick work of the Panthers, sweeping the first-round series while allowing only six goals. Bure scored one goal and added three assists to lead the team with four points.
#8: 2011-12
For over a decade after that sweep, the Panthers were consistently one of the worst teams in hockey. They entered the '11-'12 season with the worst odds to win the Stanley Cup. Everything clicked for them in the regular season, ending in a 94-point season and Southeast Division title. Tomáš Fleischmann led the team with 27 goals and 61 assists while Jose Theodore had a great season in net.
Their return to the playoffs featured another matchup with the Devils. They fared better in this series, taking a 3-2 series lead. The Panthers lost back-to-back overtime games to lose the series in heartbreaking fashion. They wouldn't return to the playoffs for another three seasons.
#9: 2019-20
While the Panthers have become a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, they were not seen as that entering the 2019-20 season. They were in the middle of the pack in the preseason odds and were in fourth place in the Atlantic Division when the season was cut short. Huberdeau led the team with 23 goals, 55 assists, and 78 points in 69 games.
The bubble was not kind to the Panthers. They faced the Islanders in the qualifying round and lost the best-of-five series in four games. This was Sergei Bobrovsky's first season with the Panthers and he struggled in the playoffs, allowing 12 goals and posting a .901 save percentage in the four games.
#10: 1996-97
The Panthers followed up their surprise run to the Cup Final with their second trip to the playoffs. Their 89 points in the regular season are the least of the ten playoff appearances in franchise history. They embodied the dead puck era with only one player reaching 60 points, with Ray Sheppard scoring 29 goals and 31 assists to reach that plateau.
They faced the Rangers in the first round and won game one 3-0. Before anyone could start dreaming of another run to the Final, they lost four straight games to end the season. John Vanbiesbrouck was amazing in the regular season and postseason, finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting for top goaltender.
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