The Florida Panthers’ Cinderella story of a season came to an unhappy end on June 12. They lost Game 5 by a score of 9-3, giving the Vegas Golden Knights the Stanley Cup as they won the series 4-1.
But despite the heartbreak, the Panthers have a ton to be proud of. They came into the playoffs as the eighth seed and turned the hockey world upside down by upsetting the record-setting Boston Bruins in seven games, beating the second-best team in the Atlantic Division in the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games, and sweeping the best team in the Metropolitan Division in the Carolina Hurricanes. Because of that, they’ll be hanging another banner this October.
Not only should the Cats be proud of the year they had, they should be ecstatic for the 2023-24 season and beyond.
Matthew Tkachuk & Aleksander Barkov Signed Until 2029-30
The Panthers’ top two forwards are going to be in Florida for a very long time. Captain Aleksander Barkov is under contract for seven more years at $10.5 million a season. In addition, their new star player Matthew Tkachuk is a Broward County resident for seven more seasons at $9.5 million a year.
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While not his best, Barkov had another great regular season with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) in 68 games. In the postseason, he turned it on by scoring five goals and assisting on 11 others in 21 playoff games, making it the best performance he’s had in a single postseason.
Tkachuk made general manager Bill Zito confident he made the right move in his first season with Florida. He led the team in points in both the regular season with 109 (40 goals, 69 assists) and the playoffs with 24 (11 goals, 13 assists). He’s easily been the biggest addition to the team as he has helped put them back into Cup contention status.
Panthers Have a Good Amount of Spending Money This Offseason
In this upcoming free agency period, the Panthers will have some money to work with. Zito has a little more than $10 million in cap space going into the offseason. That’s enough to make a good move.
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Furthermore, a lot of pieces from around the league, such as Noah Hanafin and Alex DeBrincat, have requested a trade or are becoming free agents. With the money the team has, a decent splash in free agency can be made to bolster the roster.
Knight Will Return Next Season
Our “Knight” in shining armor has returned for battle! On June 22, Zito announced that goaltender Spencer Knight will return from the NHL Players Assistance Program and is expected at training camp in a few months.
Last season, he did not look his best. In 21 games played, 19 of them starts, he went 9-8-3 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.18 and a save percentage (SV%) of .901 with a shutout. He was sent down to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) this past season a couple of times as well. It is unknown what he was fighting, but it was clear his mental health was not in the right place as he entered the program back in February.
Knight making his anticipated return to the lineup is a huge step in the right direction for him. Additionally, it is motivational for the locker room and hockey fans across the globe. Welcome back to the fray Spencer!
Anton Lundell Has Taken a Huge Stride in His Development
One of the biggest pieces for the future is center Anton Lundell, who was drafted only three seasons ago in the first round at 12th overall. This season, he made a massive stride in his development as a player. In 21 playoff games, he scored a pair of goals and assisted on eight others. This includes a pair of power play assists and a shorthanded assist.
Furthermore, in the Cup Final, he was put on a top line that featured Barkov and Anthony Duclair. His ability has been honed enough to the point that head coach Paul Maurice sees him as a top-line player. At the rate he’s going, he could be the next face of the franchise.
The Future is Bright as the Sun in South Florida
No one expected the Panthers to have the run they had after barely sneaking into the playoffs this past April. With bargain signings in free agency, a change in coaching in Paul Maurice, slumps early in the season, constant losing streaks, and needing help from around the league just to get a shot, it seemed as if this was an off-year for the South Floridian franchise. But the team tossed that narrative into the garbage and tried to win the Stanley Cup and got close to doing so.
Every single night we battled as hard as we could. We played as hard as possible. We tried to keep things simple and it worked. I’m just proud of every single guy on this team and in this organization.
Aleksander Barkov on the Panthers in their playoff run
If this was considered an “off-year”, just imagine what a good year will do for the team. The future is brighter than the sun in Sunrise, and fans should have a ton to look forward to in the coming seasons.