The expectations surrounding the Florida Panthers are huge for this coming year.
That’s reflected in the chatter around the team and their off-season moves. Everyone believes they’re going to bounce back after missing the playoffs this past season.
Back to being the same team that went to three straight Stanley Cup finals and won the last two before the weight of all that extra hockey took its physical toll on superstars like Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, among other key contributors.
Back to being the juggernaut that can muddle through the regular season and flip a switch in the playoffs to become ultra-dominant again.
Back to being the team that is considered to be the villains of the NHL, partly because they hoard talent and play with a physical and at times, violent edge.
However, it's fair to believe that this team won't match all the expectations thrown at them for 2026-27 and to question the roster. Here's why.
There’s obviously plenty to like about the roster, and they somehow added Brady Tkachuk to itwithout having to subtract Anton Lundell.
But there's reason to feel uncomfortable about a defense that’s going to rely heavily on Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones, who both have a history of injuries. Not to mention veteran warriors Radko Gudas and Dmitry Kulikov, who should play more limited roles but also aren’t historically the healthiest defensemen in the league.
Let’s also not ignore that, after Matthew Tkachuk returned from injury, he didn’t quite look like himself in terms of his 200-foot game. You can argue that was because of the injuries and that the long summer off will do him good, and that's fair. But the Panthers would also like to see him get back to his borderline-MVP levels from a few years ago.
Even beyond the blueline, though, who can say with confidence that they have any idea whatsoever about the state of the goaltending?
Yes, it was horrendous this past season as the seventh-worst team by goals against above expected, according to moneypuck.com. That can absolutely be chalked up to a bunch of key players — most notably Barkov — missing the majority of the season, or all of it.
Also, Sergei Bobrovsky was the fourth-oldest goalie in the league, having played 290 games between the regular season and playoffs over the previous four seasons. The wear and tear came for everyone.
But now Bobrovsky, the ninth-worst goalie in the league by goals saved above expected at minus-12.2, is gone, and he’s being replaced by the 10th-worst, Jacob Markstrom, who registered a minus-11.9 goals saved above expected.
Furthermore, Markstrom is being backed up by Akira Schmid (minus-1 goals saved above expected), who was the third goalie on the depth chart with the Vegas Golden Knights once Carter Hart came aboard and when Adin Hill was healthy.
Are they going to make the playoffs? Almost certainly. A reset season, a healthier roster and more stability should be enough to get them over the line with ease.
For the record, BetMGM has the Panthers as favorites to win the Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup. But even if they recreate their performance from the 2024-25 regular season, finishing third in the division, we’re all going to fully believe they have another ace up their sleeve and will just start sprinting through the playoffs once again.
They’ve more than earned that level of respect.
Most predictions will have Florida written in pen for a Cup final appearance. But don’t take it as a given unless they can really show us something with Markstrom in the crease and prove all the poor play last season was just due to their spate of injuries.
This past year was such a calamity, but asking for a little proof that they’re still a juggernaut isn’t unreasonable.
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