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Bold prediction has Panthers returning to Eastern Conference Final

Bleacher Report believes the Florida Panthers have what it takes to make another trip to the Eastern Conference Final next season.
ByRyan Gagne|
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May 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) shakes hands with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly (R) during the presentation of the Prince of Wales trophy after the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
May 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) shakes hands with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly (R) during the presentation of the Prince of Wales trophy after the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Florida Panthers won the Prince of Wales Trophy in 2023, 2024, and 2025, going on to win the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025. Their run at three consecutive championships came to a crashing halt in 2025-26 because no one could stay healthy enough to make it through the entire season. However, with a long offseason and plenty of time to recover, the Bleacher Report thinks in their latest Way-too-Early Predictions story that the Panthers are bound to be in the Eastern Conference Final once again in 2026-27.

Although there was some roster turnover this offseason, with several Stanley Cup winners like Evan Rodrigues and Sergei Bobrovsky moving on to other teams, General Manager Bill Zito did his best to make the Panthers a more difficult team to play against, adding Garnet Hathaway and bringing back Radko Gudas and Jacob Markström. Meanwhile, the biggest transition involved bringing in Brady Tkachuk, the former captain of the Ottawa Senators and brother of Florida star Matthew.

Can the Panthers return to their former glory in 2026-27?

Adam Gretz, the author of the bold predictions piece, thinks that the only thing that held the Panthers back last year was health, and that this year will be a completely different story, especially with captain Aleksander Barkov back in the fold. After missing the entire season with a knee injury, he returned to the game in the spring, helping guide Finland to a World Championship, signaling that he’s fully recovered and ready to add to his Hall of Fame resume.

Ultimately, Florida underachieved last year, despite an all-star lineup on paper. Thankfully, most of the team’s core is back for another run at the Cup, which will keep fans coming to Amerant Bank Arena as the team hopes to return to the top of the NHL mountain. Bleacher Report believes they are destined for the Eastern Conference Final, while others may believe their ultimate destination is the Stanley Cup Final. Either way, anything short of a Stanley Cup title could be considered a failure, but the Panthers will definitely give their fans plenty to watch this upcoming season.

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