Panthers season preview: Quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions begins

The 2024-25 NHL season starts Oct. 4. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the Florida Panthers.

Coach: Paul Maurice (third season)

Last season: 52-24-6; first place in Atlantic Division, won Stanley Cup

3 KEYS

1. Managing the schedule

The Florida Panthers have played an NHL-high 209 games the past two seasons, including 45 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final and defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup Final last season. Following a second consecutive short offseason to recover, finding ways to maintain the players’ energy will be essential to Florida’s repeat bid. That will be additionally challenging during a season when the Panthers travel to play the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal in Tampere on Nov. 1 and 2 and could have a chunk of their roster play in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Forwards Aleksander Barkov (Finland) and Matthew Tkachuk (United States), and defenseman Gustav Forsling (Sweden) have already been picked to play in the tournament from Feb. 12-20 with several more Panthers players expected to be selected when the rosters for Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States are completed.

2. Retooled defense

The Panthers had to plug two significant holes on defense after losing Brandon Montour (signed with Seattle Kraken) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (signed with Toronto Maple Leafs). Florida hopes Nate Schmidt and Adam Boqvist, who each signed a one-year contract, can rebound after each had the remainder of his deal bought out by the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively, following last season. The Panthers' first pair of Forsling and Aaron Ekblad remains intact, which helps, but finding the right partners for Schmidt and Boqvist will be part of the training camp agenda.

3. Forward depth

The top of Florida’s forward lineup is mostly intact, but the depth there, which helped put the Panthers over the top in the playoffs, was depleted by the departures of Vladimir Tarasenko (Detroit Red Wings), Kevin Stenlund (Utah Hockey Club), Ryan Lomberg (Calgary Flames), Nick Cousins (Ottawa Senators), Steven Lorentz (pro tryout with Maple Leafs) and Kyle Okposo (retired). Free agent signees Tomas Nosek and Jesper Boqvist will be counted on to help replace them, along with returnee Jonah Gadjovich and, potentially, rookies Mackie Samoskevich and Justin Sourdif.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

Though Gadjovich, Samoskevich and Sourdif will be among the forwards trying to earn jobs in training camp, Schmidt and Adam Boqvist could face competition on defense from returnee Uvis Balinskis, who played 26 games for the Panthers last season, and possibly Mikulas Hovorka, an undrafted free agent who signed an entry-level contract April 10. Spencer Knight is in line to succeed Anthony Stolarz (signed with Toronto) as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup in net, but he could face a challenge from Chris Driedger, who signed a one-year contract on July 1.

Most intriguing addition

Joining one of the NHL’s top teams should help Adam Boqvist after he struggled with injuries and inconsistency during his first two NHL stops with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, and Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old scored an NHL career-high 11 goals in 52 games with Columbus in 2021-22 and had an NHL career-high 24 points (five goals, 19 assists) in 46 games in 2022-23, so he has offensive potential. Boqvist could also benefit from watching Forsling, a fellow Swede who also struggled early in his career before being claimed off waivers by Florida in 2021 and emerging as one of the NHL’s best defensive defensemen.

Biggest potential surprise

Hovorka (6-foot-6, 229 pounds) is big, and it would be surprising if he started the season with the Panthers. The 23-year-old will likely get a good look in training camp, though, and could lay the groundwork for an in-season call-up by playing well before going to Charlotte of the American Hockey League to help with his adjustment to the North American game. Florida likes his raw talent. Hovorka’s plus-14 rating led Ceske Budejovice of the Czech Extraliga, and he had 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 51 games last season.

Ready to contribute

Samoskevich, the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, got his feet wet by playing seven games for the Panthers last season and appears poised to take the next step. Florida’s offseason departures at forward will give him the opportunity to prove that during training camp and the preseason. The 21-year-old overcame a slow start to lead Charlotte with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists), tied for the AHL team’s lead in goals in 62 games last season.

Fantasy sleeper

Lundell, F -- Lundell has reached 30 points in each of his three NHL seasons while playing fewer than 80 games in each of them. He has a sneaky benefit from seeing secondary power-play time with Florida and being part of a high-powered offense that had the second-most shots on goal per game in the NHL last season (33.7). Lundell has underrated value on a Panthers team that has multiple highly ranked fantasy players. -- Anna Dua

PROJECTED LINEUP

Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart

Evan Rodrigues -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Mackie Samoskevich

Tomas Nosek -- Jesper Boqvist -- Jonah Gadjovich

Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola -- Nate Schmidt

Dmitry Kulikov -- Adam Boqvist

Sergei Bobrovsky

Spencer Knight