After a surprisingly down season, many are expecting the Florida Panthers to bounce back and return to Stanley Cup contention. But will they? After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Panthers took a huge step back in 2025-26.
"Great rivalries don't have to be built on hatred. They're built on respect, on a respect for excellence."Mike Krzyzewski When the 2026-27 NHL season gets underway Tuesday, two teams that have personified excellence over the last several years will be in the spotlight.
Brady Tkachuk was back at practice on the first line Monday when the Florida Panthers held their finale practice before boarding a flight to Raleigh, N.C., for the regular-season opener.
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice will be wired for the beginning of the 2026-27 NHL campaign, perhaps more so than for some past seasons. The offseason layoff was a long one for the Panthers, vastly different from the previous two years.
Consensus opinion coming into an NHL season isn’t always common, but it’s hard to find someone that doesn’t believe the Florida Panthers will be back to their Stanley Cup contending selves in 2026-27.
The NHL has had an interesting new millennium. It was a league sans a salary cap when the 2000s started… and then the owners locked the players out for an entire season.
With the curtain about to rise on the NHL season, one thing is certain. Love them or hate them, you can’t ignore the Florida Panthers. They will be the team on the other bench when the Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup championship banner Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The Panthers announced that they have signed right-winger Nathan Bastian to a two-way deal for the upcoming season. Bastian will earn the league-minimum $850K salary if on the NHL roster and a $525K minor-league salary with a $575K guarantee, per PuckPedia.
The Florida Panthers are set to begin their new season on Tuesday, September 29. They wrapped up their preseason on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with forward Nathan Bastian, PuckPedia reported Sunday afternoon. The deal reportedly carries an $850,000 NHL cap hit.
The Florida Panthers open the 2026-27 campaign as a renewed Stanley Cup contender. Their first test to open the regular season on Tuesday is a big kahuna -- on the road against defending champion Carolina.
After a solid set of preseason games, the Cats have a good idea of how everyone looks for the season. Florida went 2-0-2 in the preseason, with the team winning both first matches against their opponents and losing the second game in a shootout.
People will talk about the “Mount Rushmore” for a franchise, which is to say the four people, usually four players, that most define the franchise. Not always the four-best players, but the four that evoke the essence of the franchise.
The Panthers have a little of everything this season: from youth to proven veterans to players coming off injuries to make another run at a Stanley Cup.
Of the players vying for very few remaining roster spots open with the Florida Panthers, forward Cole Reinhardt has stood out as the quickest study in the shortened NHL preseason.
Some good and bad news for one of the Florida Panthers‘ newest stars. On Wednesday, the Florida Panthers revealed that forward Brady Tkachuk is out with an undisclosed injury, but he’s expected to be back in action when the team drops the puck on the regular season.
Michael Andlauer must have felt the need to get his thoughts about Brady Tkachuk off his chest, noting in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that “Blood is thicker than water, and let’s just say that his father and his brother got in his kitchen.” He added, “Ultimately, the decision was made to go and play with his brother.
Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer still speaks highly of Brady Tkachuk. But three months after the former captain was traded to the Florida Panthers, Andlauer has made clear how difficult the departure was for the organization.
The Florida Panthers traded for Brady Tkachuk this summer in a deal with the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk reunited with his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, on the Panthers with this move.
Some preseason games are just preseason games; others make you sit up a little. Brady Tkachuk's first game with the Florida Panthers falls into that second category.
The Panthers announced four front-office additions on Sunday, including Swedish national team general manager Josef Boumedienne as their new vice president of hockey operations.
On Tuesday (Sept. 16), Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced at his training camp press conference that Brad Marchand will miss the start of the season recovering from offseason surgery.
Brad Marchand will begin his second full season with the Florida Panthers on the sidelines after undergoing surgery in August following an injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign.
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is in fine form, and the 2025-26 NHL season hasn’t even begun. In his media availability on Wednesday, the always personable bench boss with no bones about offering up a good sound bite gave reporters some early gold.
The Florida Panthers have an immensely talented roster up and down the lineup, with some key pieces as fixtures. They have even acquired some new pieces, which many believe will help bring them back to Stanley Cup contention.
Throughout their franchise history, the Florida Panthers have produced a variety of individual award winners who celebrated successful seasons across the spectrum of awards.
The Panthers did not need to become a completely different team. They needed their stars back, more reliable goaltending and enough depth to survive another bruising season.