Panthers say 'hunger is still there' as bid for 3-peat begins

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Aaron Ekblad stood in front of the cameras wearing his two Stanley Cup championship rings, the latest of which was presented to the Florida Panthers defenseman and his teammates at a ceremony on Monday.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Ekblad said. “It’s not just collecting rings at this point, it’s battling and grinding to get it done.”

That’s a good way to sum up what this season, which offers the chance to win the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive year, is going to be for the Panthers. They’ll start working toward that goal when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Tuesday (5 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1, TVAS).

Of course, considering their back-to-back championships, the Panthers enter this season with confidence, but they’ll be without a couple of their top players for a while. Forward Matthew Tkachuk is expected to be out until at least December after having surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle on Aug. 22. Center Aleksander Barkov is expected to be out 7-9 months after having surgery on the ACL and MCL in his right knee on Sept. 26.

Center Tomas Nosek is also out with a long-term injury according to Panthers general manager Bill Zito.

“We have to get to work,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after practice on Monday. “We’re not rolling in with a full healthy team where we think we’re a pretty good team and you manage the year as much as you coach sometimes, like: ‘We’re a little tired here, I’ll lay off. I’ll push them a little harder here.’ Here, we have to get to work every day.

“It’s cliché because we won last year, and I’d be full of it to say we aren’t a pretty good team. We have a good team but we’re missing key pieces for a long time. So, we’re going to have to deal with some things we haven’t had to deal with, maybe emotionally, for two or three years.”

The last team to win the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons was the New York Islanders, who won it in four straight from 1980-83.

So, even with the injuries, are the Panthers embracing the three-peat talk?

“I don’t think we’re embracing that. It’s more: ‘OK, it’s a new season. Even with our injuries, we have a pretty good team. What can we accomplish?’” Zito said. “We have a goal and we’ll try to do that. It’s this year’s trophy that you try to win, just like everybody else.”

Sure, but the Panthers aren’t everybody else. They’ve advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons. They’ve gone from being a team that constantly struggled to one that has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six straight seasons. They’re also one of the deepest teams in the League.

Oh, and that depth is something that they’ll lean on considering the extent of their injuries.

“Certainly, our depth is extraordinary,” Ekblad said. “It certainly won’t be easy, but the hunger is still there and the belief that we can do it. So yeah, we’re going to try to embody the grinders and find a way to get it done.”

Florida's depth only improved at NHL Trade Deadline last season, when they made two big splashes by bringing in defenseman Seth Jones, who they acquired from the Blackhawks in a deal involving goaltender Spencer Knight on March 1, and forward Brad Marchand, who they got from the Boston Bruins for a first-round pick in the 2027 or 2028 NHL Draft on March 7.

Not surprisingly, both factored heavily into the Panthers’ postseason run. Marchand had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) and a plus-17 rating in 23 games. Jones had nine points (four goals, five assists), a plus-11 rating and averaged 25:30 of ice time in 23 games.

“We feel pretty good,” Zito said. “If you look pragmatically at our team last year and you said: ‘Hey, you’re going to have Barkov and Tkachuk out, but you know what? We’re going to help you. We’re going to give you Jones and Marchand for a little while.’

“I think we’re bullish on our team and I think the biggest part of it is appreciating how hard it’s going to be. It’s not easy and the fact we know that might make that a little bit easier.”

But before all that, Monday was a time for celebration for the Panthers, who added that stunning ring Ekblad showed off to their jewelry collection. It was a night to remember all the good times from last season, all the hard work they put in and how it all came to fruition. Again.

The celebrations will end, though, after their second championship banner is raised to the rafters prior to the game on Tuesday. All that will leave the Panthers is their determination to do this again.

“I mean, we’re back in it now. The focus shifts now and we have work to do,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. “Obviously, it’s an emotional night, it’s an exciting night seeing the banner go up, but after puck drop it’s back to business. It’s back to playing our game."