The Florida Panthers entered the 2024-25 NHL season in a position the franchise has never been in. That, of course, is their status as the defending Stanley Cup champions. Over the offseason, Florida lost some key components integral to their title-winning run last season. Brandon Montour left for Seattle. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, and Steven Lorentz moved to division rival Toronto.
Nick Cousins joined the Ottawa Senators. Kevin Stenlund took a raise with the Utah Hockey Club. Ryan Lomberg, who returned to Calgary, also did. Also, prized traded deadline acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko signed with the Red Wings. Because of those names departing, many pundits around the NHL were wondering if the Panthers would struggle with depth this season.
Everyone questioned the club's depth and claimed it would be their biggest hurdle towards repeating as champions. So far, that hasn’t been an issue. Florida had their postseason spot locked in fairly quickly and led the Atlantic Division for most of the regular season. The injuries, a 20-game suspension for Aaron Ekblad, and rest days got in the way of the Panthers winning the Atlantic for a third time in four years.
Coming into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, many were getting more comfortable in giving the Panthers a legitimate chance to pull off a feat in a normal 82-game season, since Pittsburgh had won back-to-back cups in 2016 and 2017. Still, some people were questioning this aspect of the team. Through their gentleman’s sweep against Tampa Bay and their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup against Toronto, that has not been the case.
Some of the names might be different, but the players brought in have made significant impacts throughout the postseason. It’s simple. The Panthers are in this position because of their depth, getting the job done. Some of the team’s bigger stars have chipped in. Matthew Tkachuk scored three goals in the first round.
He, along with Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett, has each registered eight points or more so far. But to say the production of the top guys has been the primary catalyst of this success would be wrong to think or proclaim.
Paul Maurice’s third forward line of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Eetu Luostarinen has been great all postseason long. The trio has accounted for 13 total goals up to this point of the playoffs. This dynamic third line has combined for seven goals and 27 total points before Game 6 against Toronto, which takes place on Friday night.
They might not be the biggest surprise for the Panthers either. If the third line hasn't been a great example of the team's depth, then take a note of the fourth line. It's been a changing cycle, but several players who have slotted in have contributed. Jonah Gadjovich scored a goal in the team's rally in Game 3 against the Leafs. Tomas Nosek assisted on that tally. They also did damage on Wednesday night.
In the recent Game 5 blowout in Scotiabank Arena, A.J. Greer scored the first postseason goal of his career. Also, Jesper Boqvist finally got rewarded, as he tallied a goal in the rout as well. It was great for him as J-Bo proved he could respond to a challenge. He was benched for Games 3 and 4 in Sunrise, following a dreadful streak of 39 games without a goal.
Evan Rodrigues and rookie Mackie Samoskevich have had their moments, despite missing a few games due to either being a healthy scratch or injuries. They have combined for seven assists. The star of the show has been defenseman Nate Schmidt. Coming over from Winnipeg as a free agent, Nate has seen a career revival in South Florida. Through four games, he’s proven to be one of the team’s most capable power-play quarterbacks, when needed.
He's played in every playoff game thus far and has added seven points. Fellow defensive partners have also contributed to Florida’s success in the playoffs so far. Dmitry Kulikov scored his second career playoff goal in the Game 5 victory over Toronto. He's added four points of his own. This year’s big trade deadline acquisition, Seth Jones, has been a huge get for their lineup.
Jones has been able to log 260 minutes of ice time throughout this hopeful Stanley Cup title run. In the 10 games he's played, the blue-liner has notched two goals, including a clutch goal in game 4 to give the Cats a lead in their miraculous late rally, which gave them a stranglehold on that series. Another d-man, big Niko Mikkola, has been his usual physical self while lighting the lamp in the Game 5 win over the Leafs.
In the Game 1 loss against Toronto, even Uvis Balinskis scored a goal to keep the team in it. This team has been getting contributions from everywhere in their lineup. That’s not even talking about the defense, too. Anybody who watches Florida on a nightly basis is not surprised as to what this team is doing to the opposition. As is the case with a Paul Maurice defensive system, Florida was able to easily neutralize Tampa’s high-powered offense.
The Bolts rarely received great scoring chances throughout the opening round series. Nikita Kucherov, arguably the league’s best player, never found the back of the net and only registered seven shots on goal. Tampa’s power-play went 2-for-18 in the entire series. That has been the same scenario that has played out in the second round against the Maple Leafs.
Their main superstar, Auston Matthews, still has yet to light the lamp heading into Game 6 on Friday night. He's been completely invisible against the Cats' stifling and suffocating defense. John Tavares, a man who has been a hindrance to the Panthers in recent years, hasn't scored since the 5:57 mark of the first period in Game 3. Mitch Marner only has one goal during the series.
Anybody can play anywhere in the lineup. The biggest example has been Evan Rodrigues seeing time on all four lines at some point. Any player can be subbed out for another on any given night, if needed. Paul Maurice has the flexibility that other coaches around the league don't have. Of course, depth is what’s needed to win and make a deep run in the playoffs. The Florida Panthers have that once again.