The Florida Panthers have put themselves in position to chase something the NHL has rarely seen: a true dynasty.
They’re already carrying the kind of résumé that demands attention. Florida won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons, beginning in 2023.
That alone plants the Panthers in rare territory. Add another title - or more - over the next few years, and the dynasty conversation stops being hypothetical.
The definition is a simple one. A team is generally viewed as a dynasty when it wins three or more championships in the same era of dominance.
The NHL has only had a few clear examples in the modern game. The Chicago Blackhawks took three Cups in six years, winning in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
The Detroit Red Wings did it with championships in 1997, 1998 and 2002. Before that came the New York Islanders’ four straight titles from 1980 to 1983, the Edmonton Oilers’ five Cups in seven years between 1984 and 1990, and the Montreal Canadiens’ six Stanley Cup wins in nine years during the 1970s.
Florida’s case is built on more than past results. The Panthers enter this season healthy again after an injury-plagued year, and the structure around them looks built for another long run. Their core is locked in through at least the end of the decade, and many of those players are in, or entering, their prime years.
That group includes Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad, Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola.
There’s also more stability coming into view. Brady Tkachuk has two years left on his contract and will be eligible to sign a new deal next summer. In goal, Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid are both under contract through the end of the 2027-28 season.
General manager Bill Zito has already shown he can keep this thing humming, and there’s little reason to expect that approach to change. The Panthers have the kind of roster security and cap flexibility that can keep them in the league’s top tier for a long stretch.
On the bench, Paul Maurice gives them an identity that travels well into spring. Florida plays a hard, physical, aggressively defensive style, the kind that becomes even more effective when the playoffs start and space disappears.
So is another championship on the way? No one can promise that. But few teams look as equipped as Florida to make the climb again.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Face A Blue-Line Question They Cant Ignore
As Florida closes in on its opening-night roster, the waiver wire is shaping up to be one of the more interesting parts of the process. Cole Reinhardt, Donovan Sebrango and Tobias Bjornfot are among the names being floated as possible cuts, a reminder that even the final roster decisions can have ripple effects beyond Sunrise as teams look to squeeze value out of the edges of their depth charts.
Bjornfot is the one to watch most closely if Florida does try to send someone down, and that makes this a situation worth tracking for anyone around the division. The Panthers are sorting through their own numbers, but the move could also intersect with Carolinas thinking on defense if the Hurricanes decide to move restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin, with internal option Charles Alexis Legault already in the mix after making his NHL debut last season and getting work under Rod BrindAmour. [Read more 🡒]
Sergei Bobrovsky Sends Panthers Fans An Emotional Message After Exit
Sergei Bobrovskys run in South Florida is over after seven seasons, and the veteran goalie made sure Panthers fans heard from him before beginning his next chapter in Toronto. Bobrovsky signed with the Maple Leafs and publicly thanked Florida supporters for the way they embraced him during his time with the team, a parting note that carried extra weight for a player who spent so long as one of the faces of the franchise.
For the Panthers, the departure closes a significant chapter in net and pushes the focus toward what comes next. Florida has already moved to reshape the position by bringing in Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid, giving the club a new look in goal as it adjusts to life without Bobrovsky. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Took A Long-Term Bet Fans Will Want To Track
The Panthers added another defenseman to the pipeline in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, taking Jonas Kemps after a season with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. It is the kind of long-view move Florida has been willing to make, especially with a player who already has a clear developmental path lined up through a WHL Scholarship and Development agreement with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Kemps is expected to spend next season in the WHL, giving the Panthers time to monitor how his game translates before he eventually moves on to Michigan State in 2027-28. For a franchise that has shown patience with its blue-line prospects, the appeal is obvious: a chance to let the player grow in stages while keeping an eye on how much ceiling he can still unlock. [Read more 🡒]