The Florida Panthers are coming off a season that never had much chance to get off the ground, and now they’re trying to turn the page fast.
Last year ended at 40-38-4 with no playoff berth, a frustrating outcome for a team that had been aiming for a third straight Stanley Cup run before injuries swallowed the season. Aleksander Barkov was hurt just 20 minutes into training camp, and the Panthers spent the rest of the year dealing with a staggering injury pileup that kept them from truly chasing that goal.
This time, Florida looks built to get back in the mix. The Panthers added Brady Tkachuk, the brother of team star Matthew Tkachuk, and that move only deepens a forward group already loaded with talent.
They also brought back Radko Gudas, a familiar piece who should help add depth on the blue line. The path forward is simple enough: get into the playoffs and see what happens from there.
There’s a lot to like about the way this roster is constructed. Florida has managed to keep a room full of big personalities and big names moving in the same direction, with Brad Marchand, the Tkachuk brothers, Sam Reinhart and Barkov all part of the mix.
Marchand is slated to be out until November, but the bigger picture remains the same. The Panthers have also done a strong job locking up most of their core to long-term deals, giving general manager Bill Zito more flexibility down the line.
And behind the bench, Paul Maurice - 181-125-22 in four seasons with Florida and 956-805-152 over 28 seasons overall - appears to be in a groove at this stage of his career.
The challenge is obvious, though. The Eastern Conference is stacked, and Florida opens with 22 of its first 35 games on the road.
Age is another factor, with plenty of nights likely to feature a lineup heavy on players 30 and older. Matthew Tkachuk will join that group in December.
Then there’s the goalie question, with Jacob Markström set to take on the job of replacing a two-time Cup winner in Sergei Bobrovsky.
Markström arrives after going 23-19-1 with a 3.07 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage with New Jersey. Akira Schmid is also in the mix after posting a 16-10-6 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage with Vegas.
Barkov is still the player to watch. He missed all of last season while recovering from an ACL and MCL tear, but he returned to the ice for Finland at the IIHF world championships in May and captained his country to a gold medal. The Panthers have long called him the most underrated star in hockey, and Barkov said the year away from wearing a Florida sweater reminded him not to take anything for granted.
Florida’s roster has plenty of familiar names, but the season will probably come down to the same two things it always does: health and whether this group can stay on track long enough to make another run.
In Other News...
Brady Tkachuks Florida Arrival Looks Bigger Than A Normal Blockbuster
Brady Tkachuks move to South Florida already had the feel of a headline-grabber when it happened in June, with the Ottawa Senators sending him to the Panthers for draft picks after he requested a trade himself. For Florida, the fit goes beyond the usual blockbuster logic, because it brings another star into a lineup built to chase the top of the league and deepens a family connection that has hovered around the story from the start.
Ottawa owner Michael Andlauer said the push was shaped by Tkachuks desire to play with his brother Matthew in Florida, with Keith and Matthew both part of that pull. Even with the rumors that surrounded the situation, Andlauer said Senators fans continued to support Tkachuk, which gives the departure a more complicated edge than a simple split between player and club. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Have A Tough Fourth-Line Decision To Make
The Panthers are getting close to sorting out their 2026-27 opening night roster, and most of the lineup already looks settled. The real questions are down in the fourth-line mix and among the scratches, where a handful of players are still trying to separate themselves before the team has to make decisions.
Cole Reinhardt has pushed his way into that conversation after a strong preseason showing, giving Florida another option to consider as the roster nears completion. With fewer exhibition games available under the new NHL regulations, there is less time than usual for fringe players to make their case, which makes these final spots feel even tighter for a team that already has most of its pieces in place. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Tkachuk's Florida Arrival Still Has Ottawa Stirred Up
Ottawa is still sorting through what Brady Tkachuk meant to the franchise, and owner Michael Andlauer made clear this week that the captains exit was about more than hockey. Andlauer praised Tkachuk for the way he led the Senators and represented the organization in the community, even as the questions around his departure kept circling back to Florida and the pull it had on him.
Andlauer also pushed back on the idea that Tkachuks move might spark a larger wave of American players looking elsewhere, calling that talk overhyped. For Ottawa, the bigger issue is trying to steady the room after losing a centerpiece player, while the Panthers keep benefitting from the kind of addition that can shift the tone of a team long before the first puck drops. [Read more 🡒]