David Furones: With Stanley Cup champion decided, time for Panthers to return to contention
The Stanley Cup Final was settled Sunday night. And for the first time since the Panthers watched the Golden Knights celebrate against them in Las Vegas in 2023, it wasn’t Florida hoisting the trophy.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Golden Knights in six games, and finally, the 2025-26 NHL season came to its conclusion. The long two months of playoff hockey, sans Panthers, is over.
With this injury-plagued Panthers season that fell apart amid a potentially dynastic run behind us, it’s time for this franchise to return working its way back to contention for next year’s trophy.
A returning core with championship pedigree is bound to be back in the thick of it, and oddsmakers seem well aware.
The Panthers are tied for the fourth-shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup in 2027, according to both Hard Rock Bet and DraftKings, at either 11 to 1 or 12 to 1.
The defending champion Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche are above them. One has the Golden Knights with shorter odds, the other has the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning. Both have the Edmonton Oilers, Florida’s foe for each of its past two Stanley Cup Finals victories, tied with the Panthers.
The favorites ahead of Florida can easily fall off, with the Panthers themselves possibly serving as the best example.
At the same time last year, upon sealing back-to-back championships, oddsmakers had Florida No. 2 for this 2026 Cup that was just settled, behind the Oilers. Edmonton bowed out in the first round.
The Panthers, of course, never reached the postseason, and losing forward Aleksander Barkov to an ACL and MCL tear at the start of training camp last September was the first blow to their three-peat hopes, back before another title defense even began.
Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner and one of the NHL’s best defensive forwards, never suited up last season. The initial hope was the rest of the roster could merely survive the regular season, and get a built-for-the-playoffs squad into the postseason in time for a possible Barkov return.
However, Matthew Tkachuk was already bound to miss at least the first 47 games recovering from surgery to repair a torn adductor and sports hernia. He ended up missing 51.
Brad Marchand (lower body) and Seth Jones (collarbone) missed 30 games each. Jonah Gadjovich missed 72 games with an upper-body injury. Dmitry Kulikov sat out 63 games, mostly due to an ailing shoulder, and Tomas Nosek missed 61 with a knee injury. Aaron Ekblad broke a finger late in the season. Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell were among others shut down near season’s end with the team eliminated from playoff contention.
Like when your laptop or phone are bogged down, maybe all that’s needed is a simple restart.
The offseason provides that.
The long playoff runs after the previous three seasons tacked on nearly a full extra season’s worth of games played, a lot of mileage for these athletes’ bodies. This year, the Panthers have a two-month head start on recovering for the coming season.
But before the Panthers can get back to competing on the ice, there is offseason business to settle.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky reached the other side of his seven-year, $70 million contract and is an unrestricted free agent. General manager Bill Zito has said he wants Bobrovsky back. Forward A.J. Greer is also a valuable piece due for free agency. The Panthers have the No. 9 pick in next week’s draft, making it the first time Florida has a first-round pick since 2021.
The Hurricanes, whom the Panthers faced in two of three Eastern Conference finals, just won the Stanley Cup. Carolina beat the Knights, the team that last defeated Florida in a playoff series.
That’s a tough watch for Panthers fans.
For South Floridians looking to celebrate a title in one of the four major pro sports leagues, the Panthers are still the strongest hope.
The Miami Heat? Aspirations ride on this offseason’s pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Miami Dolphins are embarking on a major rebuild.
The Miami Marlins, albeit an upstart team that has climbed back to .500, feel like they have a ceiling.
The Panthers give South Florida fans hope, alongside Inter Miami and University of Miami football.
Now that this NHL season, one in which the Panthers were unable to reach their full potential, is complete, up next is another one that might.
