The Florida Panthers are getting plenty of love heading into the new season, but not everyone is buying the hype.
After a rough 2025-26 campaign, the expectation is that Florida will rebound and jump right back into the Stanley Cup mix. That outlook makes sense on paper.
The Panthers were hit hard by injuries last year, with captain Aleksander Barkov missing the entire season and Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand all sidelined for long stretches. Marchand is also set to miss the early part of this season.
Florida does have a healthier look now, and Brady Tkachuk is joining his brother. Still, the biggest question hanging over the team is the one between the pipes.
On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dug into whether the Panthers are actually being oversold.
“I don’t think the Florida Panthers are gonna be as good as everyone thinks they’re going to be. I’m looking at the predictions from all the experts, and 90% of them are taking the Florida Panthers to win this division…They only had 84 points last year.
Granted, Barkov wasn’t there. Tkachuk missed a chunk of the season.
They’re going to get healthier. My counterpoint to that would be, ‘Hey, they’re already missing Brad Marchand for a chunk of time.’
Health is never guaranteed for any team.
I obviously like the Brady Tkachuk add. I love that they’re going to play this Smash Mouth brand of hockey and all of this stuff, but I also keep going back to Jacob Markstrom and the duo they have between the pipes…I don’t know if that’s a duo that is the kind of goaltending that a team that’s capable of winning the Presidents’ Trophy should have.
I’m not a big Jacob Markstrom fan. I think he’s well past his prime.
He’s in his late 30s. Last year, they didn’t get great goaltending from Bobrovsky, either, and that was part of the problem….
They’ll make the playoffs. I’m pretty confident in that.
But I think it’s more likely they’re a Wild Card team than they win the division.”
Hutton echoed the concern, saying the pressure is real and that the roster fit around Brady Tkachuk is worth watching.
“Yeah, I think there’s a lot of pressure on them, right? There’s only so many seats at the table when you talk about Brady Tkachuck and the role that he’s used to playing in Ottawa.
Now, are you more of an outside guy looking in? … I think the goalie conversation is one we’re going to be circling back to a party.
Can Markstrom be the guy? Can Schmid carry the weight?”
In Other News...
Panthers Face An Early Test Of Whether This New Mix Works
Before the first puck drops, the Panthers have spent as much time talking about chemistry as they have about opponents, with a watch party giving fans a chance to see the new and returning faces together. Coach Paul Maurice, along with Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, all leaned into the idea that this group is still learning each other, which is hardly unusual in October but feels especially relevant for a team trying to carry over its identity while adjusting the mix around it.
The early schedule is the kind that can tell you a lot without waiting long, with Carolina first on the list and then a trip through San Jose and Anaheim right after. For Florida, those games are less about making declarations than about finding out quickly whether the bond building off the ice shows up when the standings start mattering, and whether the roster has settled into something that can handle a fast opening stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Open New Season With Pressure To Prove Last Year Wasn't A Fluke
Florida is kicking off its new season with plenty of questions and just as much expectation, a year after missing the playoffs and spending the summer reshaping the roster. The Panthers brought in Brady Tkachuk and Radko Gudas, additions that give the lineup more bite, while a new goaltending setup with Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid adds another layer of intrigue for a team trying to re-establish itself in a division that rarely offers any breathing room.
The first test comes immediately, with a trip to face Carolina, the reigning Stanley Cup champion, on opening night in Raleigh. For Florida, the setting is about more than one game - it is an early measuring stick for a club that wants to show last season was the exception, not the new normal, and prove these changes can translate into a return to the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers New-Look Roster Has NHL Coaches Bracing For A Problem
A leaguewide survey of NHL coaches and executives offered a clear glimpse at how Floridas revamped roster is being viewed around the sport, and it was not subtle. After a busy offseason, the Panthers have become a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup in 2026-27, with outside evaluators pointing to the kind of depth, leadership and established winning culture that has made this group so hard to handle in recent seasons.
The changes were significant enough to get the attention of rival benches, especially with Brady Tkachuk arriving to add another layer of bite and Jacob Markstrom coming in to steady the crease. Even so, not every observer is ready to hand Florida the trophy in advance, with goaltending still seen as the one area that could decide whether this reshaped roster becomes a powerhouse or simply a very good one. [Read more 🡒]