The Florida Panthers’ offseason is nearly finished, and the calendar is about to get busy in a hurry.
Sept. 1 means camp is coming soon, with the Panthers set to report in the coming weeks. Their first preseason test arrives Sept. 20, and the regular season opens Sept. 29 in Raleigh against the newly crowned Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
From there, the NHL grind runs for 10 months. Florida is hoping it’s still playing at the end of it.
This has been the Panthers’ longest offseason since 2019, the last time they missed the postseason. That summer brought major change, with Joel Quenneville hired as coach and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky leading a big free-agent haul.
The stretch since then has looked very different. Florida reached the postseason a franchise-record six straight times and made three trips to the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers won the Cup in 2024 and 2025.
The last three offseasons were brief, with little time to settle in and reset. This one has given them more breathing room.
Florida’s season ended on April 15 with an 8-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, a third straight victory to close the schedule. It still wasn’t enough. The Panthers, who entered the year as the two-time defending champions, finished 15 points out of the playoffs.
Injuries were a major reason the season went sideways. Matthew Tkachuk, Sasha Barkov, Seth Jones, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand all missed significant time.
The Panthers are expected to arrive at training camp on Sept. 17 relatively healthy, though Marchand is expected to miss some time at the start of the season after surgery in August.
For now, Florida enters September as the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup in 2027 at plus-650, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Colorado Avalanche and Hurricanes are next at +750.
In Other News...
St. Thomas Aquinas Opponent Is Now Pushing Back After Viral Backlash
The season opener between St. Thomas Aquinas and DeSoto turned into more than just an early high school football result after the pregame handshake line drew national attention. Three of DeSotos four captains declined to shake hands with the St. Thomas Aquinas players before the game, an awkward moment caught on live television and quickly spread across social media. DeSotos football program and the school district both apologized afterward, calling it a poor decision and stressing the importance of sportsmanship.
The fallout has kept the incident in the spotlight even after St. Thomas Aquinas rolled to a 38-14 win, because the conversation has shifted from the final score to what led up to that scene at midfield. DeSoto coach Claude Mathis said his team had been subjected to racist comments before the game, adding another layer to a moment that looked simple on camera but clearly carried more behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Markstrom's Return Changes Everything For Florida's New Goalie Plan
Jacob Markstrom is back in South Florida, and the Panthers are suddenly looking at their goaltending picture through a very different lens. The veteran netminder began his NHL journey in Florida before bouncing around the league, and now his return brings a full-circle feel to a franchise that had to adjust after Sergei Bobrovsky moved on.
Markstrom has built up more than 500 NHL games across multiple stops, and he made clear that the player coming back is not the one who first left the organization. His return gives Florida a more seasoned presence in net, along with the kind of experience that comes from years of handling the ups and downs that shape a goaltender over time. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Prospect Faces A Make Or Break Season For His NHL Future
Floridas prospect pipeline has a new name to watch after the club used a fifth-round pick on right wing Shamar Moses in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Barrie Colts and North Bay Battalion product has already gotten a taste of the organization through development camp and prospect tournament work, and the Panthers are clearly giving him a close look as he tries to turn junior flashes into something more lasting.
Moses still has a lot to prove before his NHL path comes into focus, though, and the clock is already part of the conversation. After a second OHL season that didnt match the momentum of his draft year, he heads into the next stretch needing a stronger showing to put himself in position for an entry-level deal and keep his future in South Florida on track before the Panthers have to make a decision on his rights. [Read more 🡒]