Inside look at Florida Panthers

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers are hoping to prove their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season was no fluke.

After clinching a Stanley Cup Playoff berth April 11, three days before the end of the regular season, Florida went on an improbable run to the Cup Final, defeating three of the top four teams during the regular season: the Boston Bruins, who set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135), in seven games in the first round; the fourth-place Toronto Maple Leafs (111 points) in five games in the second round; and the second-place Carolina Hurricanes (113 points) in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Panthers were not able to clear the final hurdle, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Final.

"I'm sure in a couple days, a couple weeks, even months, you're going to realize what actually happened and how far we got and how close we were to the ultimate goal that we have in this organization," captain Aleksander Barkov said in June. "... We can build on this. ... We're only going to get better. We'll learn from this and get better."

The good news is their top 10 scorers from last season will return, including forward Matthew Tkachuk, who had 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 regular-season games and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player. Tkachuk had 24 points, including 11 goals and four game-winning goals, in 20 playoff games but missed Game 5 of the Final because of a fractured sternum sustained during Game 3.

"It feels like our season just ended, but I feel like the core guys are still there and [hopefully] we can [play like] the last few months from the start of the season," Tkachuk said last week. "But we also have that sour taste and how it ended and how we got so close and how it's so hard to get there on the road. I can guarantee you guys are way more hungry after getting so close and not getting it done this year. So we're going to be definitely ready."

Tkachuk, who said he is recovering well, is looking forward to the upcoming season.

"All the things are moving in the right direction here for camp, so [I'm] excited for when camp starts," he said. "... Pretty close to feeling how I want to feel, so that's really exciting."

Florida did add several players in free agency, including defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola, and forward Evan Rodrigues. Defensemen Marc Staal (Philadelphia Flyers) and Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks), and forward Anthony Duclair (traded to San Jose Sharks) departed.

Ekman-Larsson had the final four seasons of his contract bought out by the Vancouver Canucks on June 16 and is hoping for a fresh start in Florida after signing a one-year contract July 1.

"Looking at what they did last year, going that far in the playoffs and losing in the Stanley Cup Final," Ekman-Larsson said last month. "... I want to win and I want to play for a long time during the year, so I think that was kind of the decision. Looking at their team, I think they have a lot of good hockey players plus a lot of depth on the team."

Being that close to winning the Cup also was a reason Kulikov signed a one-year contract July 1. The 32-year-old was selected by Florida in the first round (No. 14) of the 2009 NHL Draft and played seven seasons with them (2009-16).

"When I didn't play for the Panthers, it's been in my heart," Kulikov told the Miami Herald during the Panthers Summer Reading Tour in August. "I've been a Panther since Day One and now I'm back and I'm very excited.

"It just feels like it was some unfinished business."

Florida also will get a boost with the return of goalie Spencer Knight. The 22-year-old took part in development camp in July after returning from the NHL/NHL Players' Association player assistance program, which he entered Feb. 24. Knight did not play during the postseason but watched his teammates -- including goalie Sergei Bobrovsky -- throughout their incredible run and can see them playing deep into the playoffs this season.

"For Spence it's probably the best thing, and he's very lucky that he has somebody to learn from and probably the best guy at each practice just to look across the end of the ice and learn and try to copy Bob, just with his work ethic and his competitiveness and everything like that," Tkachuk said. "So I think we're very lucky to have, in my opinion, one of the best tandems in the NHL, so hopefully we can play well in front of them and they give us a chance to win every night."