FORT LAUDERDALE - A new season begins, but the mindset remains the same.
Hoist the Stanley Cup in June.
Despite entering the season with an otherworldly resume over the past four seasons - a President’s Trophy, three Stanley Cup appearances and back-to-back Cup wins - the Florida Panthers look at the upcoming season as a clean slate.
Any previous stats are not going to matter when the puck drops for the season opener on October 7 at Amerant Bank Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“We start from zero again,” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a playoff hero the past two Cup runs, said during media day at Baptist Health IcePlex on Wednesday.
After defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games in June to win their second straight Stanley Cup, the excitement didn’t end for the Panthers as they locked up key pending free agents Sam Bennett (eight years), Brad Marchand (six years), and Tomas Nosek (one year) and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (eight years).
While cores historically tend to crumble over time, Florida’s is getting stronger.
“It’s extremely exciting,” Ekblad said of the team running it back with much of the same roster as the year before. “Everyone coming back, including myself, was the goal. I’m happy to be here.”
An opportunity to join an elite and historic group, the Panthers have the chance to become just the third team to ever reach four straight Stanley Cup Finals, a very small club that only includes the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders.
The Panthers could also join the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canadiens and Islanders as the fourth franchise in NHL history to win three consecutive Stanley Cups.
“We have a chance to do something special here for a while,” said Bennett, the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and playoff goal leader (15).
While it’s special to win one Cup, and even more so to do it twice, the team’s success in recent seasons has made players hungrier rather than satisfied.
If they know they can do it, why not just do it again?
"Complacency, you don't see that in this room,” said Marchand, who tallied 10 goals and 10 assists during an unforgettable run to the Cup. “Everyone has a similar mindset. When you get a taste of it, you really, really want it again."
But while the Panthers are the defending champs, they aren’t playing defense.
The upcoming season isn’t about whether or not a team can snatch the Cup out of their claws, but rather the Panthers needing to stay ahead of 31 other teams.
Even with a target on the back, they always envision themselves as the hunters.
“It’s not about defending the Cup, it’s about winning it,” said Barkov.
Following a second straight short summer, the Panthers will start their new season’s quest and be back on the ice for the first day of training camp on Thursday.
For updates throughout camp, stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com.
