#florida-panthers

#florida-panthers

Seth Jones had waited most of his life to get a Stanley Cup ring. And then he had to wait even longer before he could see it. The Florida Panthers handed out the rings from their second consecutive title on Monday, and Jones was the first person on the long list of players, coaches and staff who got the prized pieces of jewelry during the ceremony.

With its final choice of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in Nashville, the Florida Panthers selected Belarusian forward Stepan Zvyagin in the seventh round (198th overall), a pick that originally belonged to the Arizona Coyotes, from the KHL's Dinamo Minsk organization. In 15 KHL games with Dinamo during his draft season, Zvyagin netted one goal. He was much more productive against his peer group, racking up 14 goals and 33 points in 37 games with Babruysk Dinamo-Shinnik of the MHL.

As the Pittsburgh Penguins approach a fork in the road between rebuilding or making one last run at the Stanley Cup with its current core, captain Sidney Crosby's future is being called into question. Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, further ignited the debate with his borderline cryptic comments, saying "each year the team that he's playing for fails to make the playoffs, it creates a lot of speculation" and "he's not getting any younger." Meanwhile, Crosby hismelf has been generally tight-lipped, but he retains the position that while he understands how and why the rumors are created, he still sees himself in a Penguins jersey until the day he retires.

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Florida Panthers had a bit of a scare heading into the offseason. Three crucial players, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad, were set up to become free agents. GM Bill Zito had a big task on his hands and knew he had to bring them back. He also had to retool the roster in hopes of being back in the Stanley Cup finals, but was it enough?

Listen, what Florida GM Bill Zito pulled off this offseason was quite impressive. While the Panthers were basking in a second straight Stanley Cup victory, Zito managed to re-sign Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand, while also acquiring an intriguing backup goalie in Daniil Tarasov. All good ... right? Florida can't be concerned about their depth when they've kept so many key players in the fold ... correct?

I want to play until I get kicked out of the league.

The Florida Panthers concluded the 2025 NHL Prospect Tournament in Wesley Chapel, FL with an empathic 6-1 romp over the Nashville Predators at AdventHealth Center Ice. Sandis Vilmanis, Ludvig Jansson, Liam McLinskey, Eamon Powell, Cristophe Tellier and Josh Davies got the goals for the Panthers, who scored twice in each period. Powell drew the primary assist on McLinskey's marker with a great stretch pass. Gracyn Sawchyn and Jack Devine also had helpers.

Jeff Petry is 37 and needs to be insulated, but there are reasons to believe he could have a renaissance year and significantly outperform his league-minimum base salary. First, there is the expected change in workload. Petry averaged nearly 19 minutes per game (fourth among Red Wings defensemen) and was saddled with a subpar partner in Ben Chiarot. In other words, he was thrust into a challenging role that he was no longer equipped to handle.

Sergei Bobrovsky is doing all the heavy lifting here, given that the Panthers are expected to have Daniil Tarasov as their backup. Tarasov played 20 games (19 starts) for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season and had a 3.54 GAA and .881 save percentage. That means it mostly comes down to the apparently never-aging Bobrovsky, who helped the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup win last season. Bobrovsky, who turns 37 on Sept. 20,

The New York Rangers re-signed restricted free agent goaltending prospects Dylan Garand and Talyn Boyko to one-year, two-way contracts. Garand, a fourth-round pick in 2020, appeared in 39 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, posting a 20-10-8 record, 2.73 goals against avenue, .913 save percentage and three shutouts. Boyko, a fourth-rounder in 2021, spent most of last season with the ECHL Tulsa Oilers, where he went 20-8-5 with 2.66 goals against avenue, .913 save percentage and two shutouts.

Marek Vilmanis showcased impressive offensive skills during his draft season, scoring 18 goals in 40 games and ranking third in points with 32, as an essential asset for Luleå HF's U20 team.

EA Sports has named Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk as the cover athlete for NHL 26, marking a significant recognition for the player and franchise.

Florida Panthers will open the 2025-26 season on October 7, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Ottawa Senators during a three-game homestand.

The Florida Panthers will begin their 2025-26 season by raising their second championship banner and playing against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 7.