Florida Panthers’ 2020s All-Decade Team

The 2020s Florida Panthers reached a whole new stratosphere of playoff success, with three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, two of which resulted in the hoisting of the trophy. Let’s look back at the Panthers All Decade Team from the 2020s, factoring in a lineup that would be the most successful on the scoresheet based entirely on a single season body of work.

This will be the final examination of the Panthers’ All Decade Team, aiming to answer a variety of questions about which decade would be most prolific in scoring on a goal and assist front and which Panthers decade would wreak the most havoc on the rest of the league. We will also compare and definitively conclude which decade would’ve made the best team. The team will be composed of one player at each skater position, representing the best point-producing season at that position among the Panthers throughout the 2020s. The list will also include the best one-season play from a goalie across this decade.

Forwards

Jonathan Huberdeau

The left-wing pick goes to a repeat appearance on this list in Jonathan Huberdeau for his play during the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 80 games, registering 30 goals and 85 assists for 115 points, adding 54 penalty minutes along the way and finishing at plus-35.

That stretch also produced 10 playoff games, in which he had one goal and four assists. He set the Panthers’ single-season record for points and assists, and his assist total also stands as the NHL’s best by a left winger in a single season. All those factors made him the choice for this role.

Aleksander Barkov

The center choice is Aleksander Barkov, who previously appeared on the 2010s version of this same list. This time around, he played in 67 games and had 39 goals and 49 assists for 88 points, tallying 18 penalty minutes and finishing at plus-36. In 10 playoff games that year, he had two goals and five assists for a total of seven points.

By the Panthers’ record books, that season was good enough to place him 10th in team history for points in a single season. He also collected some hardware buzz, managing a third-place finish in Selke Trophy voting, a 12th-place finish in Hart Trophy voting, and an eighth-place finish in Lady Byng voting. His tremendous point production and all-around contributions made him the clear candidate.

Sam Reinhart 

The right wing nod on this list goes to a prolific goal scorer, as this position has in previous decades, but this goal-scoring season is only outmatched by one man who made two appearances here before. The nod for this decade goes to Sam Reinhart for the 2023-24 season. He played in all 82 games and scored 57 goals and 37 assists for a total of 94 points, adding 31 penalty minutes and finishing at plus-29.

Reinhart also helped the Panthers reach 24 playoff games, in which he scored 10 goals and six assists for 16 points. It stands as the third-highest single-season goal-scoring total of all time, only behind Pavel Bure, who appeared on this team in the 1990s and 2000s.

He racked up award votes too, including a 41st-place finish in Lady Byng voting, a 12th-place finish in Hart Trophy voting, and a fourth-place finish in Selke Trophy voting. His outlandish goal total and scoring pace, second only to the Russian Rocket, made him the pick.

Defensemen

Gustav Forsling 

The left-handed defenseman role on this list goes to a player not typically revered for his scoring touch but has been able to produce when relied upon for his team. The player selected is Gustav Forsling for his play during the 2022-23 season, in which he appeared in all 82 games, scoring 13 goals and tallying an additional 28 assists for 41 points. He topped that off with 40 penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating.

Forsling also appeared in 21 playoff games, where he had two goals and six assists for a total of eight points. The numbers he put up were good enough to finish 17th all time for points in a single season by a Panthers defenseman and 14th all time among Panthers defensemen for goal output. His scoring touch, defensive skill and lack of other standout candidates for the role led to him being the pick.

Brandon Montour

The right-handed defenseman selection goes to someone who had a season for the team’s history books, and that is Brandon Montour for his play during the 2022-23 season. He played 80 games and had 16 goals and 57 assists for a total of 73 points, the best single-season assist and point total by a Panthers defenseman all-time.

Beyond Montour’s scoring touch and playmaking, he also added 107 penalty minutes and finished the season at plus-9. He picked up some Norris Trophy buzz too, finishing 12th among defensemen in voting, and appeared in 21 playoff games, compiling eight goals and five assists for 13 points. Given his record-breaking output, it cements him in the role.

Goaltender

Sergei Bobrovsky

The goalie pick goes to the player who backstopped the team for the majority of the first part of this decade: Sergei Bobrovsky. In his 2021-22 season, he finished with 39 wins and seven regulation losses, a 2.67 goals-against average (GAA), and a .913 save percentage (SV%), adding three shutouts along the way. Those 39 wins stand as the best single-season total for a Panthers goaltender.

Bobrovsky also found playoff success that season, finishing with a 4-6 record, a 2.70 GAA, and a .911 SV% during the run, and placed ninth in All-Star voting among goaltenders. Given his impressive winning record and strong stats, he is the choice.

Honorable Mentions

The 2020s team had a variety of strong seasons, and thus players who warranted consideration for a place on this list. A few names that warranted discussion but were just edged out include Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Aaron Ekblad.

With the roster now selected, we need to study how it compares to the other decades of Panthers All-Decade teams.

The 2020s team finished with 155 goals and 256 assists for a total of 411 points. The final goal ranking is as follows: the 2000s finished highest with 157, second place goes to the 2020s team with 155, third place goes to the 1990s team with 125, and last place is the 2010s with 117.

As for assists, the rankings had the 2020s team in first place with 256, the 2010s team in second place with 239, the 1990s team in third with 187, and the 2000s in fourth with 168. As for total points, the 2020s come in first with 411, the 2010s come in second with 356, the 2000s come in third with 325, and the 1990s come in fourth with 312.

With the best overall placement, the 2020s All-Decade Team ranks as the strongest among the Panthers’ decade-by-decade rosters, and it would be the most difficult for opponents to face. The 2020s, in terms of winning, have been the best thus far for the Panthers, and it proves to be the most prolific in terms of total scoring output.