Although the start of the 2026-27 NHL season isn’t for another three months, ESPN is eager to start talking about it, posting their “way-too-early” Power Rankings, which saw the Florida Panthers make a significant jump.
In their last regular-season posting on April 10, the Panthers, who missed the playoffs and tumbled down the Atlantic Division standings, found themselves 26th overall, a drop from 23rd. However, so much has changed in the past two months that the writers felt the team would rebound and in a big way next season.
Last year, Florida suffered through an endless list of injuries, including going without captain Aleksander Barkov for the entirety of the year. But he recovered from his ACL and MCL injury to help lead Finland to a World Championship on May 31, a positive sign for Panthers fans who can’t wait for the former Selke Trophy winner to be back next season.
Meanwhile, ESPN pointed out that the Panthers do not have an NHL-level goalie on their roster, as Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov will be unrestricted free agents. However, the club appears linked to Winnipeg Jets netminder and former Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, so it’s obvious that players want to come to Florida, giving General Manager Bill Zito plenty of names to seek out to fill the void.
Besides, with so many players missing large chunks of the season due to injuries, an early offseason, their first in four years, gave everyone a chance to rest and recover, and the chance to come into training camp with a clean bill of health.
Right now, the Panthers core, featuring Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, Sam Reinhart, and Brad Marchand, is locked up for the next few seasons. Fans across the hockey world should expect to see Florida remain a Stanley Cup contender and continue to occupy a top-10 spot in these ESPN power rankings for the foreseeable future.
Add us as a preferred source on Google