FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Next week, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will formally hit the ice for training camp at the Baptist Health IcePlex in preparation for what they hope to be as successful of a season as the previous two. 

 

Before the big boys come together as one, the next generation of Panthers hopefuls skated at the IcePLex on Thursday morning ahead of the 2025 Prospects Showcase, which is set to take place Sept. 12-15 at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, FL.

 

When the Panthers prospects take on their counterparts from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes systems over the weekend, here’s three players I’d pay close attention to. 

 

F, Jack Devine

Of all the prospects within the Panthers’ pipeline, 21-year-old forward Jack Devine is the one Florida fans have been eager to see — and they are right. 

 

A former standout and two-time National Champion  at the University of Denver, Devine’s offensive touch — specifically his playmaking ability — is the biggest asset of his game.

 

When Devine’s collegiate career came to an end last April, he joined Florida’s AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers near the end of the regular season and stuck around for their run to the Calder Cup Final, playing in seven games throughout the postseason. 

 

“It was awesome,” Devine said of his experience in Charlotte. “The way the guys welcomed me into the team, [it] made me feel like a player from day one.”

 

Like the rest of the prospects that will be featured in this list, the biggest downside of being in the system of a consistent contending team — or in this case the back-to-back Stanley Cup winners — like the Panthers means there’s really no room for a youngster to crack the lineup. But, the process is key and Devine is tracking to be on a similar path to another American forward who went from college to Charlotte before becoming a Stanley Cup champion.

 

“I look at Samo (Mackie Samoskevich) — the year he had with us in Charlotte,” Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear said on Thursday when asked about Devine joining his team last season. “[Mackie] got to be a part of the taxi squad here [in Florida], watch the games. The hunger those guys have to have a positive impact to win in the end, it’s priceless.”

 

F, Gracyn Sawchyn

Those within the Panthers organization have high hopes for 2023 second-round pick Gracyn Sawchyn. 

 

Clocking in at 6-foot, 154 pounds, the 20-year-old’s measurements don’t exactly jump out at you. However, his presence on the ice will certainly get your attention. 

 

Before returning to the WHL last year, Sawchyn and fellow Albertan Hunter St. Martin — then both 19-years-old — stuck around at the Panthers main camp far longer than what was initially expected of the two junior-eligible players. 

 

“Every year it’s been a little bit different,” said Sawchyn, who is set to play in his third Prospects Showcase. “The biggest thing for me is just trying to play a mature game. Do that this weekend and hopefully carry that on into training camp with the big guys.”

 

His poise and confidence with the puck is as good as it gets for someone in the Panthers system. He can feather a tight-window pass to an open man, walk a defender and rip the puck — which is why he scored 30 times in 54 games last season with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

 

F, Hunter St. Martin 

Like Devine and Sawchyn, 20-year-old Hunter St. Martin is entering his first professional season and I think he’ll be just fine making the jump to the next level.

 

At the last Prospects Showcase, St. Martin stole the show, scoring in every single game before getting the call to main camp with the defending Stanley Cup champions. 

 

After a successful training camp,  he returned to the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), where he scored 39 goals in the regular season and eight more between the WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup. 

 

“The long season, the playoffs, that’s a huge experience to have,” St. Martin said when speaking of his final junior season. “Those grinding games in the finals, you’re in your 90th game of the year in the Memorial Cup. It’s just finding ways to win those hockey games… your body maybe doesn’t want to go but you have to find a way and just grind it out.

 

“I think that’s a really good experience to have heading into pro because that’s what it’s going to be like late in those seasons.”

 

Based off line rushes at Thursday’s prospects skate, expect St. Martin to start the showcase alongside Devine and Sawchyn. 

 

Prospects Showcase Schedule 

Game 1 – Friday, Sept. 12: Carolina vs. Florida, 2 p.m. ET

Game 2 – Saturday, Sept. 13: Tampa Bay vs. Florida, 5 p.m. ET

Game 3 – Monday, Sept. 15: Nashville vs. Tampa Bay, 12 p.m. ET

Games can be streamed on FloridaPanthers.com

It’s almost time for the 2025 NHL Free Agency period to open.

 

The back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers’ front office has been hard at work trying to keep as much of their team intact as possible.

 

With a few moves already made, here’s an outlook on what’s been done and what could come before the market opens on July 1.

 

Sam Bennett Ain’t Leaving

Florida’s No. 1 priority entering the offseason was to lock up Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett.

 

They were able to do that ahead of July 1.

 

Bennett and the Panthers put pen to paper on Saturday, keeping him in South Florida with an eight-year, $64M contract extension.

 

If the 29-year-old did get to market, he would have had numerous suitors lining up to make pitches. But as he made clear at the Miami night club E11VEN during the team’s Stanley Cup celebration, he “ain’t f**king leaving.”

 

“I knew that I wanted to be here and I was pretty confident that it was going to get done,” Bennett said following his extension. “Obviously you never know, things can change. It had to be the right fit for both me and the team. We obviously came to that solution.”

 

He added: “Being in South Florida has just completely changed my life. I love playing hockey there, I love living there. I love the team, the staff, the owners, just everything about it is really the dream situation. I couldn’t pass up the chance to be back here for another eight years.”

 

The past 13 months have been life changing for Bennet. In that span he’s won two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, a 4 Nations gold medal with Canada and now he’s a whole lot richer.

 

“I feel like I still haven’t really taken a step back, and looked at it and appreciated how amazing this year has been,” Bennett said. “I’m really just grateful. It’s been everything I’ve always dreamed of, the last year of hockey. If you would have asked me that five years ago, I would have been thrilled with just a little bit of success. I haven’t had time to really process how amazing this year has been, but it’s incredible and I truly believe that we’re not done yet.”

 

More Than Likely Departures

In recent years, if you wanted to rejuvenate your career, go to Florida.

 

Between guys still with the team: Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, or players who received multi-year extensions elsewhere after successful tenures with the Panthers: Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Ryan Lomberg; playing in South Florida — at least the past few seasons — has been good for the bank accounts.

 

Keeping that sentiment in mind, don’t be surprised to see defenseman Nate Schmidt become the latest Panther to receive a pay-bump, outside of Florida.

 

Schmidt, 33, signed a one-year, $800k deal with the Panthers last offseason after the Winnipeg Jets bought out the final year of his six-year, $35.7M deal.

 

A combination of a great postseason, where Schmidt posted 3 goals and 12 points in 23 games, plus a tight squeeze on Florida’s cap room, it’s likely that Schmidt will get way more money and term on the open market compared to what Florida could offer.

 

Florida acquiring 26-year-old goaltender Daniil Tarasov also means Vitek Vanecek’s time in Florida is done. Decisions on fourth-line centers Tomas Nosek and Nico Sturm — both UFA’s — also have to be made.

 

Can they keep Ekblad and Marchand?

As stated earlier, getting Sam Bennett locked up was the main priority for Bill Zito and his staff ahead of July 1.

 

Now the clock is ticking for priority No. 2 and No. 3: Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad.

 

Accounting for Bennett’s extension, Florida has $11M of projected cap space to work with, per PuckPedia. With that, they’ll need to sign Mackie Samoskevich and newly acquired goaltender Daniil Tarasov — both Restricted Free Agents — while also trying to keep at least one of Ekblad or Marchand (unrestricted free agents).

 

The Panthers want to keep both of their  pending UFA’s, but there’s substantial haircuts taken on each player’s respective contracts, so it’s likely only one can stay.

 

“I have an idea,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said when asked about trying to re-sign the pair. “If what I think isn’t accurate, and it might not be, we have a Plan B and a Plan C. But my preference, and maybe I’m hoping, is that there’s enough for guys to want to stay to be a part of this and be treated fairly and be happy. And that’s the most important thing.”

 

Marchand turned 37 in May, but the 14-year NHL veteran proved age was just a number during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played an instrumental role in helping Florida win the Cup, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 23 playoff games.

 

If a deal with Florida doesn’t get done before free agency opens on Tuesday, multiple teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, will make an attempt to lure Marchand over, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

 

A Marchand deal, regardless of where he goes, is likely to be in the ballpark of three to four years given his age.

 

Ekblad, who turns 30 in February, will likely demand a long-term deal in what should be the final near-max length contract of his career.

 

After being drafted by Florida first-overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ekblad holds nearly every Panthers’ defensemen record.

 

The six-foot-four blueliner hasn’t shied away from making it clear over the past few months that his preference is to stay in South Florida.

 

“I live and breathe for the Florida Panthers,” Ekblad said at Stanley Cup Final media day. “I bleed for the Florida Panthers. I’ve given my body and everything to this team. I want to keep doing it forever, for as long as they’ll let me keep coming to the rink.”

 

Despite his appeals to stay in Sunrise, the money to keep him just may not be there.

 

It’s a fairly weak free agency class for top-pair defenseman. If Ekblad were to hit the market, he’d be the top UFA defender available. A pay raise on his current contract that carried an AAV of $7.5M for eight years isn’t out of the question, if not expected.

 

Can Florida Move Salary?

Unless Bill Zito can pull something unexpected out of his hat — which he actually seems to do fairly often —  there’s not many moves I can envision that would help clear money.

 

Say you need to open more space to sign both Ekblad and Marchand, Evan Rodrigues’ $3M AAV is the likely casualty that would need to be moved.

 

Does Florida want to move Rodrigues, who has played a role in them winning back-to-back Stanley Cups?

 

No.

 

Do I think they would pull the trigger on a trade if it meant keeping Marchand and Ekblad?

 

Yes.

 

Getting Rodrigues’ contract off the books would give Florida about $14M of money to spend on free agents. This scenario would make it more plausible in possibly keeping Ekblad and Marchand. But even then, both players would still need to take less money than they’d get if they were to hit free agency.

 

Justin Sourdif Flipped for Draft Capital

The NHL is a hard cap league with little money to spare.

 

Florida has done a great job at locking up its core; Sam Bennett is the latest example of that. On the flip side, there will be cap casualties — both big and small.

 

23-year-old forward Justin Sourdif, who is coming off a great year with the Calder Cup finalist Charlotte Checkers, ended up being one of those cap losses.

 

The Panthers sent Sourdif, their third-round pick (87th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, to the Washington Capitals for a second-round pick in 2026 and a sixth-round pick in 2027.

 

With just four NHL games under his belt, in need of a contract, and on the outside looking in to crack the Panthers’ roster, a trade was beneficial for both sides.

 

Florida got back more value than they used five years ago to draft Sourdif, while the youngster got a two-year, $1.65M deal with the Capitals and should get more playing opportunities in the nation’s capital than he would’ve with the Panthers.

Freeze this moment, Florida Panthers fans.

Whether or not Brad Marchand and several other key players suit up again for the now two-time champion Panthers, the images of them skating the Stanley Cup around Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday night will remain indelible.

Just like Shula’s “Perfect” Dolphins and the Lebron-led Big Three Heat.

Along with joining the ranks of back-to-back champions in the major pro team sports, the Panthers cemented their place among South Florida’s greatest dynasties.

In addition, the Panthers’ three consecutive Final appearances with back-to-back titles follows on the heels of the Tampa Bay Lightning achieving the same feat.

The Lightning–Panthers handoff of dominance appears to be the first of its kind in major U.S. team sports. That is, two franchises from the same state each reaching three straight finals and each winning back-to-back titles in a span of six consecutive years.

“It’s so emotional. Because you have a childhood dream of winning the Stanley Cup. To do this back-to-back times, go to three straight finals, win two of them … I mean, we’re a dynasty,” said Matthew Tkachuk, who scored the second goal Tuesday.

The grit of this team was exemplified by Tkachuk, who revealed after game in a TV interview on TNT the severity of the injury he suffered in the 4 Nations Cup tournament that caused him to miss the last quarter of the regular season.

“I tore my abductor [muscle] off the bone and had some hernia thing, all on the same side. I wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times,” said Tkachuk, who thanked the doctors, trainers and other medical people who got him ready to play in the playoffs. “I’ve got to thank a lot of people for getting me healthy again. This is for them.”

How about a Three-peat?

While immediate attention turns to celebration and another Summer of Love with the Stanley Cup, you can be sure the thought of a three-peat is already on the mind of the man who will try to put together the pieces to make it happen, general manager Bill Zito.

That has been achieved twice since the NHL expanded from the original six teams. The Montreal Canadiens (1976-79) and New York Islanders (1980-83) won four in a row.

Zito faces another challenging offseason with eight unrestricted free agents – most notably Marchand, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad – plus one restricted free agent and insufficient salary cap space ($19 million) to satisfy all of them.

Bennett got the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs (15 goals, 22 points).

“It’s harder than I ever imagined to win the Stanley Cup once, and twice was even harder,” Bennett said.

The situation was similar last year with $20 million in cap space and a number of expiring contracts. Zito managed to sign forward Sam Reinhart to a long-term contract and add economical replacements for the players who left to get paid.

Just know that in Pantherland the motto is, “In Zito we trust.”

More discussion about the roster situation for next season below. First, more about what these Panthers have achieved.

The Panthers’ second Cup also made South Florida one of seven markets with multiple championships in the big four sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL); the Marlins won  the World Series in 1997, 2003. The others are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit.

Like the Dolphins in their second Super Bowl win, the Panthers were more impressive in claiming their second Cup, seizing it by outscoring the Oilers 10-3 in the final two games, including 5-1 in Tuesday’s clincher.

Back-to-Back Titles: Rare feat in major sports

Winning consecutive championships is unusual across the major U.S. sports leagues:

• NFL: Only 8 repeat champions since the Super Bowl era began (most recently the 2003–04 Patriots)

• MLB: Last repeat champion was the Yankees in 2000

• NBA: 14 instances, most recently the 2017–18 Warriors

• NHL: 17 back-to-back champs, including the 2016–17 Penguins and 2020–21 Lightning

What are the odds against it?

It varies by league, but here’s a rough sense of probability and rarity:

League	Odds of Repeat (Estimated)	Reasoning
NBA	~1 in 8 (12–13%)	Dominance by superstars and continuity
NHL	~1 in 15–20 (5–7%)	Depth, injuries, parity
NFL	~1 in 25–30 (3–4%)	Single-game elimination, injuries
MLB	~1 in 25–30 (3–4%)	Randomness of short series, deep playoff field

Comparing South Florida’s legendary runs

Here’s how the Panthers’ repeat compares to the multi-title runs of the Dolphins and Heat.

Miami Dolphins (1972–73)

• Titles: Super Bowl VII (1972), Super Bowl VIII (1973)

• Era: Pre-salary cap, fewer playoff rounds, 14-game regular season

• Back-to-back titles: 1972: Only perfect season in NFL history (17–0); 1973: Repeated as Super Bowl champions with a near-perfect 15–2 record

• Key Players: Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, “No-Name Defense”

• Don Shula: Legendary coaching figure

• Legacy: The 1972 team still has the NFL’s only perfect season (17–0). A dominant, run-heavy team led by coach Don Shula, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, and a stingy defense. The Dolphins’ repeat was part of an era-defining run — they went to 3 straight Super Bowls and were dominant, not just gritty.

• Impact: Set the gold standard for perfection and dominance.

• Comparison: The Dolphins had more aura and dominance. The Panthers repeat is more about resilience and overcoming modern parity.

Miami Heat (2012–13)

• Titles: NBA championships in 2012 and 2013

• Big Three: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh

• Back-to-back titles:

  • 2012: Beat OKC

  • 2013: Edged Spurs in 7-game classic

• Cultural impact: Massive media spotlight, villain-to-hero arc, one of the NBA’s defining modern dynasties.

• Legacy: The Big Three era Heat was glamorous and polarizing, but dominant. Four straight Finals was a massive achievement in a league built on superstar gravity.

• Comparison: While the Heat were expected to dominate, the Panthers built slowly, and success feels more like a validation of grit over star power.

 Florida Panthers (2024–25)

• Titles: Stanley Cup Champions in 2024 and 2025

• Back-to-back titles:

  • 2024: Defeated Oilers in seven games after winning the first three and losing the next three.

  • 2025: Defeated the Oilers in six games in a closely contested Final series that featured three overtime games.

• Legacy: A gritty, structured team led by Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sergei Bobrovsky with historic playoff performances by Sam Bennett and veteran newcomer Brad Marchand. No superstars in the traditional sense, just a deep, relentless squad built for playoff battles.

• Impact: These Panthers represent a triumph of team culture over star-centric models in a parity-heavy NHL. This is a grittier, lower-profile dynasty — less glitz, more grind.

Dynasty comparison at a glance

Team	Title Years	Key Players	Style of Play	Legacy
Miami Dolphins	1972, 1973	Griese, Csonka, Warfield, Buoniconti	Dominant, physical, run-heavy	Only perfect season in NFL history
Miami Heat	2012, 2013	LeBron, Wade, Bosh	Star-driven, fast-paced	4 straight Finals, global spotlight
Florida Panthers	2024, 2025	Barkov, Tkachuk, Bobrovsky, Bennett, Marchand	Gritty, structured, deep roster	Modern NHL repeat in parity era

Final word

While the Dolphins dominated with perfection and the Heat dazzled with star power, the Panthers will go down as South Florida’s most gritty and resilient dynasty. And in today’s NHL, that might be the toughest type of dynasty to build.

Henrik Lunqvist, TNT analyst and Hall of Fame goalie said during the second intermission, ” I haven’t seen the Panthers make a mistake. They always make the right decision. It’s a master class right now.”

These Panthers were built for playoff hockey and they never strayed from their approach in the run to their second title. They succeeded by getting production up and down the roster.

Going into Game 6, the Panthers had 11 players with double-digit points this postseason, and five players with at least 20 points: Sam Bennett (22), Matthew Tkachuk (22), Brad Marchand (20), Carter Verhaeghe (20) and Aleksander Barkov (20).

Veteran Marchand, a former Panthers adversary, was acquired at the trade deadline and fit in seamlessly on the third line with Anton Lundell (17 points – six goals, 11 assists) and Eetu Luostarinen (18 points – five goals, 13 assists).

Seth Jones, the other trade deadline acquisition, fortified the defense and was third among the team’s defensemen in points (9) and tied for first in goals (4) during the playoffs.

About next season

In his greatest act of roster wizardry, Zito was able to fit the two veterans, Marchand and Jones, under the cap with Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve, then bring back Tkachuk for the postseason when the salary cap is moot.

Will that finally earn Zito his overdue Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award? He is a finalist for the third straight year.

Twice snubbed, but now a two-time Cup winner, and still dealing.

The Panthers are projected to enter the offseason with $19 million to work with. Top priority must be re-signing Bennett, who embodies the hard-nosed playoff warrior the Panthers covet.

Afterward, Bennett, acquired in a 2021 trade with Calgary, didn’t sound like he wants to be anywhere else.

“It’s a huge honor to be a part of this group. I’m not going to take it for granted. I love being here and I love this team,” Bennett said in his postgame media interview. “It’s a remarkable team to be a part of, just from the whole staff to the players to the management, the owner, the coaches. Truly everyone is world-class here.”

As much as Marchand earned the admiration of teammates and fans over the past six weeks, it may not be feasible to retain him and Bennett. At 37, Marchand will be seeking one more star-size contract, and indications are he will have plenty of suitors. But who knows?

“We’ll see what happens here soon,” Marchand said with a grin on TNT moments after skating with the Cup for the second time in his career.

Ekblad has been a Panthers lifer and has expressed wanting to finish his career as one. He will likely have to agree to a hometown discount to facilitate that.

The other unrestricted free agents are forwards Nico Strum and Tomas Nosek, defensemen Nate Schmidt and Jaycob Megna and backup goalie Vitek Vanecek.

Forward Mackie Samoskevich is a restricted free agent and should be retained.

However Zito chooses to play his hand, the only predictable variable is that he will come up with some surprises when he plays his cards.

That approach already has two Cups in hand. Why not a third?

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Panthers, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

For a few years “Time to Hunt” was a marketing slogan used by the Florida Panthers organization, including in last year’s postseason, where the team won its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

 

This season, Florida are no longer the hunters, rather, what is the case for every reigning champion in any sport, the defending Cup champions are now the ones being hunted.

 

Who are the ones chasing them? It’s the same Edmonton Oilers team they completed the hunt against last season.

 

Same teams. Same buildings. One year apart.

 

Hungry for redemption from last season’s final, the Oilers mission was to get back to this point. And they did.

 

“We’ve been preparing for this all year long,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said at Stanley Cup Final media day.

 

If any team knows what McDavid and the Oilers are feeling headed into a second-consecutive Stanley Cup Final, after losing the previous year, it would be the Panthers. Florida returned to the Cup Final one season after losing in 2023, though, unlike Edmonton, they wouldn’t have to face the team that beat them for a second straight season.

 

“The first time, we were just excited to be there and maybe that moment might’ve been too big,” Panthers forward Sam Bennett said when asked about being in the final for a third straight year. “Just too content with just being there. Now, there’s still a job to do. We’re not going to be content until that job is done. That’s pretty much our mindset and what we’re focused on.”

 

Going into the 2023-24 season the Panthers had one goal in mind — get back to the final and finish the job. This time around the Oilers echoed a similar message.

 

“[The Panthers] have our complete focus,” McDavid said. “All of our energy is going into beating the Florida Panthers. There should be nothing else on anyone’s mind.”

 

Storylines of Edmonton getting revenge, McDavid and Draisaitl finally getting their Cup — Canada getting back the Cup, have unsurprisingly taken over this series since the rematch was set in stone a little less than one week ago.

 

But the Panthers are also looking to write another chapter in their ongoing story. Entering their third straight Stanley Cup Final (just the second team since 1984 to do so), and a chance to win back-to-back Cups, Florida wants nothing more than to ruin any happy endings for their opponent.

 

As Matthew Tkachuk took his seat for Stanley Cup Final media day, an image of him hoisting the Cup after last year’s Game 7 win was hanging next to his pod.

 

“Was that planned?” the Panthers star forward asked.

 

A reminder, both of what they’ve accomplished and what they aspire to chase.

 

“It’s why we’re here,” he added. “Playing hockey in June for the third straight year and a chance to be a part of history. We’ve had two kicks at it so far and they’ve been very different summers. So, we’re hoping for the good one.”

 

Every little kid who has laced up the skates as a hockey player dreams of winning the Stanley Cup. Most of this Panthers group has already fulfilled that dream, one only so many players in hockey history can say they accomplished.

 

The Panthers aren’t satisfied with just one.

 

“It makes you greedier,” Tkachuk said.  “It was such an incredible, life changing moment and you just want to do it again.”

 

One Panther who is looking to “do it again” is someone that wasn’t on the team last season. That’s Brad Marchand.

 

Marchand won the Stanley Cup in his first “full” NHL season with the Boston Bruins back in 2011 (played just 20 games the season before). 14 years later, with over 1,270 career games (regular and postseason) and two more appearances in the final under his belt (losing in both 2013 and 2019 with the Bruins), Marchand, now a 37-year-old veteran, is looking to get his name on Lord Stanley’s Cup again, this time with Florida.

 

“It’s a different opportunity than what I’m used to,” said Marchand, who was acquired by the Panthers at the trade deadline this season. “I was just excited to be here. With the depth that this team has and the guys — the leadership group they already have, it felt easy to kind of come in and follow suit. Watch what the guys do and just be a part of it.”