Florida Panthers Aim to Repeat Their 2023 Stanley Cup Run

SUNRISE, FL – As the National Hockey League’s 2023-24 regular season is close to beginning, with preseason matchups currently underway, the Florida Panthers are looking to repeat their 2022-23 Stanley Cup run while celebrating three decades of South Florida hockey.

Following a slew of preseason tests for the depth of the Cats roster, including a recent 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the (newly-named) Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers will look to returning faces such as Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov to lead Florida into their potential third straight year with a Stanley Cup Playoff appearance.

So Close, But Not Enough

Florida’s 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs run was nothing short of magical.

After barely squeezing into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Panthers were matched up against the Boston Bruins, who had set the all-time points record in the regular season. Fans and analysts expected a swift series win for the Bruins, and it looked to be that way as Boston had a 3-1 series lead.

But the Panthers kept on winning. And winning. And in a Game 7 overtime situation in Boston, Carter Verhaeghe and the Cats pulled it off, stunning the NHL world.

In the second round, the Panthers faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning in their first round. Leafs fans infamously chanted “We want Florida” in the streets right after knocking off the Bolts.

“WE WANT FLORIDA!” chants in Toronto right now 🤭 pic.twitter.com/zdVa9x7HKU

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023

Indeed, they got Florida.

After handily defeating the Leafs in five games, the Panthers didn’t let up and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, which included two overtime goals by Tkachuk in Carolina, and a series-winning goal with seconds to go in Game 4. They advanced to their second-ever Stanley Cup Final in team history.

Aside from Tkachuk, credit has to be given to Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who played some of the best hockey in his long career, only allowing 16 goals in nine games against both Toronto and Carolina.

HOME MEANS NEVADA FOR LORD STANLEY’S CUP!!!! #UKnightTheRealm pic.twitter.com/cFC6Rr4scG

— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 14, 2023

Unfortunately for the Cats, they couldn’t find success against the Vegas Golden Knights, falling in five games. A multitude of reasons for why Florida struggled included injuries to Tkachuk, being unable to convert power play opportunities, and Bobrovsky’s inability to stop the Knights’ offense.

Florida will unveil their Eastern Conference Champion banners in their home opener on October 19th, but it’s ultimately not what the players and fans wanted to see.

Unrelated, but the similarities of Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final along with the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA Finals are scarily similar – barely getting into the playoffs in the first place, knocking off the best team in the Eastern Conference in the first round (Boston Bruins & Milwaukee Bucks), facing off against the best team in the Western Conference in the championship, (Vegas Golden Knights & Denver Nuggets) and ultimately losing to them in five games. It is what it is.

Thirty Years of Panthers Hockey

2023 will be the 30th season of hockey for the Florida Panthers. Through the good and the bad, hockey in South Florida has slowly but steadily grown into a major attraction, boosted by the recent success of the team.

Fans can expect to see a modernized version of the iconic leaping panther logo (featuring the return of the broken hockey stick!) above the number 30 in center ice.

Also, the hockey arena in Sunrise has a new name – Amerant Bank Arena. After being known as the FLA Live Arena, (BB&T Center prior)  Florida’s home for hockey will feature new branding and new merchandise as a result.

A closer look at our 30th Anniversary logo 🎨 pic.twitter.com/5J3tyCqzS2

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) July 26, 2023

On to the team. As mentioned earlier, some of Florida’s biggest names will be returning, such as Tkachuk, Barkov, and Verhaeghe. However, some players that won’t be coming back for the Cats are Radko Gudas and Anthony Duclair, who have both signed with the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, respectively.

In addition, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour will miss the beginning of the season with injuries suffered during the 2022 playoffs.

With a lack of leadership in defense available at the moment, the Cats looked to fix that with some offseason signings. They began with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who at one point was poised to be one of the best defenders in the league with Arizona. However, some unsuccessful seasons with Vancouver resulted in OEL becoming an unrestricted free agent and was signed by Florida.

Still, the 31-year-old has racked up 439 points in the regular season and eight in the playoffs in his career. With veteran experience and talent to boot, joining Florida might just be what Ekman-Larsson needed.

Perhaps Florida’s biggest signing so far might be Evan Rodqigues, a 29-year-old coming off a solid season with Colorado, and a Stanley Cup Championship with them the year prior. This center might be the answer for the loss of Duclair, providing solid passing and knowing when to strike if and when the puck finds his way.

Some other additions include Mike Reilly and Niko Mikkola. The latter is a 6’4 behemoth from the New York Rangers after being traded by St. Louis after just 50 games. Reilly is another veteran who’s coming off a recent stint with Boston.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this offseason has not been as flashy as when the Panthers traded for Tkachuk, but veteran leadership is always appreciated, especially for a team that was three wins away from a championship of their own.

We also saw some of Florida’s depth after a 4-2 win over Carolina, including a two-point performance by Gerry Mayhew, with a goal and assist, along with five recorded shots.

Gerry Mayhew: That guy 🫡 pic.twitter.com/qFW8Ja5Z5b

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) September 30, 2023

Also, Anthony Stolarz put up a solid performance with 28 saves on 30 shots as the Cats goalie.

The biggest issue we saw with Florida during their postseason campaign may have been their inability to convert power plays into goals. They had their opportunities, but even with an advantage like that, scoring was near-impossible, especially against Vegas in the championship.

Aside from that, the Panthers’ 100% success rate in games that went into overtime was exemplary, and Tkachuk’s performances against Carolina were nothing short of amazing.

It’s a long NHL season, but there’s a lot to be excited about with these Panthers. Their first game of the regular season will be on the road against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, October 12th at 8 p.m. Their first home game is on Thursday, October 19th at 7 p.m. against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

📸Credit: Florida Panthers