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Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart celebrates his overtime game-winning goal during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Panthers Make Franchise History with 2 Selke Trophy Finalists

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Joey Ganzi | Last updated May 10, 2025 3:15 PM ET

The Florida Panthers are in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a series score of 4-1 in the first round. Currently, they are down 2-1 after winning Game 3 in overtime by a score of 5-4. They look to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, a feat that the Lightning last completed in 2020 and 2021.

On Friday, May 2, the NHL announced the finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the best defensive forward in the league. For the first time in franchise history and the first time in the NHL since 2007-08, the Panthers have two finalists for said award. That being linemates in forwards, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. The third nomination was given to Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli. This is a huge point in the team’s 31-year history, and it shows just how far they’ve come.

Reinhart Has Had a Fantastic Season

Reinhart had a fantastic regular season in 2024-25. He showed why he was given a new contract extension this recent offseason. Not only did he lead the team in goals with 39 and points with 81, but he was also tied for third in the NHL in short-handed goals with five.

That makes for nearly half of all the shorthanded goals scored by the team, with 12 on the season, making for the second-best in the league. Furthermore, he was only assessed seven penalties with a total of 27 penalty minutes (PIM) this past regular season, showing how disciplined he was as he was making plays happen on both sides of the ice.

This is also the first time in his NHL career that he has been nominated for an award. Since being traded from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021, the sky has been the limit for Reinhart. This includes scoring the Cup-winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final.

Barkov Shows Why He’s the Favorite to Win It

It seems like every season, the Panthers’ Finnish captain shows why he is almost a lock for at least a nomination for the award, with this being the fourth time he was a finalist in his career. He’s arguably the best two-way center in today’s game.

This season was no exception. He scored a shorthanded goal this season and tallied a total of four shorthanded points. His time in the penalty box was very short this season, with only 16 minutes sitting in it. Additionally, he was a phenom at the dot with a 56.5% faceoff win rate. He already has two in his career and is looking to add another piece of hardware to his growing collection.

The Nominations Show How Far the Franchise Has Come

To see not one, but two Florida players nominated for a single award is something that fans have dreamed of for many years. It seemed almost impossible to get a player nominated with their struggles in the mid-2000s and little success up until the mid-2010s.

Now, the Panthers are staying competitive for multiple seasons, and it has resulted in the team capturing the Holy Grail of hockey in the Stanley Cup last summer. The future of hockey in Sunrise, Florida, is very bright. Without Barkov and Reinhart, this wave of success may not be a reality.