Because the Florida Panthers did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs at the end of the 2025-26 season, they were technically a Draft Lottery team, putting them in a category they hadn’t been in in more than half a decade. Although they didn’t win and eventually traded away their 9th overall pick, the club went through some significant changes this offseason, making the Bleacher Report believe it’s time to “buy big-time” when it comes to how successful the Panthers will be in 2026-27.
A healthy Panthers lineup should be Stanley Cup contenders
A few weeks ago, in a different Bleacher Report article about bold predictions, the writers believed Florida was destined for the Eastern Conference Final, a familiar spot for the franchise that played in the Final Four in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Last year, injuries depleted the lineup so much so that the Panthers finished ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.
The most significant injury that Florida couldn’t overcome was the loss of team captain Aleksander Barkov. Still, the 30-year-old Finnish center is back with a vengeance, leading his home country to a World Championship in May. Meanwhile, the entirety of the team’s core, including Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett, had an entire offseason to rest and recover.
However, not everyone will be fortunate enough to return to training camp at full health, as Brad Marchand just announced that he had surgery and will miss the start of the season. He’ll be missed, but when it’s time to return, the Panthers should be firing on all cylinders, and the 17-year veteran should slide right back into the lineup like he did when he arrived via a trade from the Boston Bruins.
New arrivals boost Florida’s confidence going into next year
After seven seasons, the Panthers are ready for their first game without Sergei Bobrovsky, who left as a free agent to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his place, Jacob Markström returns to the club that drafted him back in 2008. Although he’s 36, he’s still got a lot of hockey left and will be under a lot of pressure to help Florida get back to their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference.
He’ll be joined by a returning Radko Gudas and Garnet Hathaway, who came to the club via a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. However, these names are not in the same category as Brady Tkachuk, Florida’s big acquisition this offseason. The former Ottawa Senators captain comes to town to join his brother Matthew and is looking to show why he is worth several draft picks the team paid to acquire him.
Last year, the Panthers suffered through what felt like an endless list of injuries, but the band is back together now, and the reinforcements have arrived, making Florida an even tougher opponent to skate against.
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