The Florida Panthers are 2024 Stanley Cup Champions with high expectations for the 2024-2025 season. The Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history; they waited 30 years for a championship. Panther fans are excited and ready for the upcoming season, which starts for the Panthers at home against Atlantic Division rivals Boston Bruins on October 8th, 2024.
The Panthers made some offseason moves to make some cap space room to pay their top forward Sam Reinhart, who signed an eight-year $69 million contract. Reinhart had a breakout year for the Panthers with a regular season with 57 goals, 37 assists, and 94 points. He ranks 2nd in goals, right behind Toronto Maple Leaf Forward Austin Matthews. Sam Reinhart also scored ten goals, six assists, and 16 points postseason. He scored the game-winning goal for the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Since the Florida Panthers signed Reinhart to a big contract, other star forwards, Captain Alexsander Barkov, Assistant Captain Matthew Tkachuk, and Carter Varhaeghe, are all under contract for the Panthers. General Manager Bill Zito has built a championship-caliber team in Florida and hopes to continue the momentum in years to come.
Top 5 Prospects for the Florida Panthers Future
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The Florida Panthers entered the 2024 draft with six picks. The Panthers came away from the NHL draft and were very pleased with how their six prospect picks went. Here are the top five prospects for the Panthers to play quickly and get a shot in the NHL.
- Mackie Samoskevich, F, Samoskevich was picked in the 2021 NHL Draft. He played seven NHL games this past season for the Panthers. After turning pro at the end of his Sophomore year in college, he had a slow start in the AHL but led Charlotte in points and tied Wilmer Skoog for most goals on the team. GM Bill Zito said, ” He kind of fits that Panther mold where he works, he focuses, he wants to get better.” Samoskevich is projected NHL arrival this season.
- Justin Sourdif, F, Sourdif was selected with the NO. 87 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He played three games for the Panthers in the 2023-2024 season and 58 games in the AHL (Charlotte ). Sourdif played for Charlotte as a center and winger, being matched against opponents’ top lines and sometimes playing with Mackie Samoskevich. Sourdif had 24 points (7 goals and 17 assists) in the 48 games played in the AHL 2022-23 season. Bill Zito said, ” He’s a tremendous 200-foot hockey player; he has hockey sense, grit, speed, quickness, and strength.” Sourdif project NHL arrival is this season.
- Mike Benning, D, Benning was selected with the No. 95th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He is a skilled puck-moving defenseman. He played three seasons for the University of Denver before making it to the AHL Charlotte team. He played 72 games with nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points. He is the son of former NHL defenseman Brian Benning and the brother of San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning. He is projected to make his NHL debut next season, hoping to overcome his lack in size and weight to make it to the next level.
- Linus Eriksson, F, Eriksson was the 58th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft; the Florida Panthers did not have a first-round pick since they are Stanley Cup Champions. So, in the second round, they picked Eriksson after trading up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Eriksson ranked 10th in international skaters by the NHL Central Scouting. Eriksson played for Djurgardens. GM Bill Zito said, ” When we took him, immediately people outside the organization knew him well, he’s a complete hockey player.” His projected NFL arrival is the 2026-2025 season.
- Mikulas Hovorka, D, Hovorka was an undrafted free agent on April 10th, 2024. The Panthers are excited to have him on the team. After his second season with the Motor Ceske Budejovice, they signed him to a two-year, entry-level contract. The 23-year-old will begin his adjustment to the North American game in Charlotte this season. His projected NHL arrival is next season.
Final Thoughts
The Florida Panthers are 2024 Stanley Cup Champions, but that does not mean they are not looking ahead into the future to continue improving the team. The Panthers ranked one of the best teams this offseason when it came to signing players and keeping their roster with the core players. General Manager Bill Zito made sure to sign his top guys to contracts and make the necessary changes to the roster to make room for the Panthers’ top prospects in the future. The Florida Panthers are preparing for the upcoming NHL season this year and looking to win back-to-back Cups.
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