The Florida Panthers open the season with an NHL Opening Night clash with the Carolina Hurricanes, a battle of the last two Stanley Cup Champions. There are plenty of intriguing storylines ahead of the Panthers’ season that include new additions but also some injury news. It’s set up to be an exciting season of Florida hockey as they look to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing last season.
Florida Panthers’ Storylines
The Tkachuk Brothers Unite
One Tkachuk wasn’t enough for the Panthers, so they decided to get two. Florida made a huge splash this offseason when they acquired Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators to pair with his brother Matthew Tkachuk. This will be the first time they take the ice together in an NHL regular-season game.
Brady introduced himself with the Panthers in the team’s first preseason game, as he had two goals and an assist against the Hurricanes. His first goal tied the game up at 1-1. Not only did he score the Panthers’ first goal of the season, but he took the pass from his brother, Matthew, and buried it. To no one’s surprise, Brady also had a fight. Not long after, his brother joined him in the penalty box with a scuffle of his own. If this is a preview of what’s to come, it’s going to be a fun and exciting regular season in Sunrise.
The Tkachuks being together made history, becoming the sixth pair of brothers to play for the franchise.
The Captain Is Back
Another much-anticipated season debut for the Panthers is Aleksander Barkov‘s, who missed all of last season with an injury. It was clear that the Panthers missed their captain’s presence from the start. In his last season in 2024-25, he had 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) and won his second consecutive Selke Trophy, and his third overall, on his way to back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The excitement of his return started when Barkov, after all he’s been through to get back, was able to captain Finland to a Gold Medal at the IIHF Men’s World Championship. He also scored a goal and had an assist in his first preseason game this season.
That was the clear sign that the franchise’s goal and assist leader is a full go for the regular season and ready to get the Panthers back in contention under his guidance.
Out with Bobrovsky, In with Markstrom
Sergei Bobrovsky was set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the talk all offseason with Florida was what they would do in net: re-sign him or trade for another goalie? The answer was letting Bobrovsky walk and trading for Jacob Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils.
The Panthers signed Bobrovsky in 2019 as a free agent and has been the team’s starting goaltender ever since, helping them capture two Stanley Cups in three appearances. At 38 years of age, the team decided to move in a different direction after a down year and will have a new goaltender for the first time in eight years.
In steps Markstrom, who, as mentioned, was acquired from the Devils along with Angus Crookshank for prospect Ben Steeves, Jesper Boqvist and Evan Rodrigues. Markstrom is coming off one of his worst years in the league, but the Panthers are banking on a bounce back with a better team in front of him and what he’s shown in the past. Since 2019-20, the year he finished top five in Vezina voting, he ranks top five in games played (349), time on ice (20424:38) and shutouts (22).
If Markstrom can recapture his form, which many believe he can, the Panthers will be an even more dangerous team.
Marchand To Miss Time
Another Panther is set to miss the start of a season; this time it’s Brad Marchand, who they acquired at the 2025 trade deadline from the Boston Bruins. He had offseason surgery for an unspecified injury, which caused him to miss the final 19 games of last season. The good news is that General Manager Bill Zito said that Marchand should be back early in the season.
Marchand adds another element to this team, as exemplified by his six-year, $5.25M average annual value extension with the team in July of 2025. This came after helping the Panthers win their second Stanley Cup with his 10 goals and 20 points in 23 playoff games.
Florida can survive without Marchand for the first month-plus with the talent they have.
Can Florida Get Back To Dominance?
In 2021-22, the Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy with 122 points but got eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s when they traded for Matthew Tkachuk to push them over the top. Over the next three seasons, from 2023-25, they made the Stanley Cup Final, winning back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. The team had all the makings of a three-peat last season until injuries hit, forcing them to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Now they head into the season mostly healthy, with reinforcements in Brady Tkachuk, making them one of the deepest and most talented teams in the league. Marchand is only set to miss the start of the season, which will make this team even more dangerous once he’s back.
The Panthers are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup once again, and no one would be surprised if they got back to their dominant pre-injury selves.
Main Image: Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
