Panthers, Lightning Season Previews
Florida Panthers
Last season: 52-24-6, won Stanley Cup.
COACH: Paul Maurice (869-736-99-144 over 26 seasons, 94-56-14 over two seasons with the Panthers, 1 Cup championship).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 8 vs. Boston.
DEPARTURES: D Brandon Montour, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, F Nick Cousins, F Ryan Lomberg, F Vladimir Tarasenko, F Kyle Okposo, G Anthony Stolarz.
ADDITIONS: D Nate Schmidt, D Jaycob Megna, G Chris Driedger, F Jesper Boqvist.
GOALIES: Sergei Bobrovsky (36-17-4-6, 2.37 goals-against average, 0.915 save percentage), Chris Driedger (1-1-0-0, 2.51, 0.917 with Seattle), Spencer Knight (spent last season in AHL).
BetMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 9-1.
What to expect
The back-to-back Eastern Conference champions are trying now to become back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and bring back the core of the team that won it all last June — Sergei Bobrovsky, Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Anton Lundell, Gustav Forsling, Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe and more. It’s going to take some time for the Panthers to figure out how to replace a couple of key pieces — Brandon Montour among them — and the power play is likely going to look a bit different. The Panthers play eight of their first 12 games — and 11 of their final 18 — on the road.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: Reinhart was an absolute goalscoring machine last season with 57 in the regular season — one of every four of his shots on goal went in, which is absurd — and he added 10 more in the playoffs, including the Cup clincher against Edmonton. Bobrovsky is as good as anyone when he’s on his best game, Barkov is still at his peak and Tkachuk might just be entering the start of his prime.
The not-so-good: History suggests that back-to-back playoff runs take a toll on a team’s health and the Panthers know that injuries and-or wear-and-tear will eventually be an issue. The depth will be tested, which happens. Florida rode defense to the Cup last season and might need to score a bit more in 2024-25. There’s enough firepower for certain, but it might not be realistic to expect 57 goals from Reinhart (or anyone else) this time around.
Players to watch
You know the big names: Barkov, Tkachuk, Bobrovsky and so on. Forsling and Lundell are both big parts of the team’s future. Both are absolute building blocks and will be that way for years to come. Rodrigues was so good in the Stanley Cup Final and could use that as a springboard to bigger things this year, and if one of the young kids — a Mackie Samoskevich, perhaps — gets rolling, the Panthers will be right in the mix once again.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Last season: 45-29-8, lost to Florida Panthers 4-1 in first round of playoffs.
COACH: John Cooper (525-279-75 over 11-plus seasons, 2 Stanley Cup titles).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 11 vs. Carolina.
DEPARTURES: C Steven Stamkos, D Mikhail Sergachev, LW Anthony Duclair, D Matthew Dumba.
ADDITIONS: C Jake Guentzel, D Ryan McDonagh, D J.J. Moser, RW Cam Atkinson, C Zamgus Girgensons, C Conor Geekie.
GOALIES: Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-20-2, 2.90 goals-against average, .900 save percentage), Jonas Johansson (12-7-5, 3.37, .890).
BetMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 22-1.
What to expect
Stamkos was the face of the franchise for more than a decade, and the Lightning acknowledge their long-time captain will be missed. But the expectations within a team not too far removed from making three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final — winning it twice — have not changed. The Lightning feel their championship window is far from closed. And with a star-studded nucleus of Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brayden Point augmented by talented offseason acquisitions Guentzel and McDonagh, it’s difficult to argue they don’t have everything it takes to be a legitimate contender.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: Vasilevskiy is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. With Guentzel plugged into a line with Kucherov and Point, as well as replacing Stamkos on the power-play, the Lightning figure to remain one of the league’s high-scoring teams.
The not-so-good: One of the top priorities in the offseason was bolstering the defense, which saw Hedman get a four-year, $32 million contract extension. In addition to reacquiring McDonagh, who was a key member of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup winners, Moser was obtained a trade that sent Sergachev to Utah. A lot of eyes will be on how the defense performs.
Players to watch
Kucherov had 100 assists and led the league in scoring with 144 points last season. Point scored a team-high 46 goals, so it will be interesting to see how Guentzel (30 goals, 47 assists for Pittsburgh and Carolina last season) fits that line. Hedman, entering his 16th season, takes over as captain. Vasilevskiy is healthy after missing the start to last season following back surgery.
(Associated Press)
