The Stanley Cup Stays in Florida

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For the fourth time in six years, Florida hockey reigns supreme. The Florida Panthers are your 2025 Stanley Cup champions. The Panthers won the cup at home in game six over the Edmonton Oilers. Back-to-back titles don’t come easy. So, how has Florida dominated hockey? What will next year look like for them? Can Florida achieve the three-peat?

This season, the Panthers traded for Brad Marchand. They gave up a 2027 2nd-round pick to the Boston Bruins for his 1 year deal. However, that move paid off as Marchand had 20 points and a 17 +/- through the Panthers’ 23 postseason games this year.

In addition, the Panthers traded for defensemen Seth Jones. It cost the Panthers a pick swap with the Chicago Blackhawks and goalie Spencer Knight. Jones had 9 points, 48 hits, and an 11 +/- this postseason. Other roster moves included adding depth pieces such as forward Jesper Boqvist and netminder Vitek Vanecek.

For any championship team, it is difficult to keep the band together. The Panthers are no exception. Some key free agents for the Florida Panthers include Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett. Bennet narrowly won the Conn Smythe over Marchand. Bennet received 76 points while Marchand had 68 points.

The Panthers’ cap hit next season is currently 76 million with 19 million available. Florida ranks 17th overall for cap space available. Meaning they’ll be able to bring back some of their pieces, but not all. Marchand is looking for a three-to-four-year deal and is most likely not to return to Florida for the 2025-26 NHL season. The Toronto Maple Leafs may already be eyeing both Bennet and Marchand.

However, the Panthers can add some new pieces to their puzzle. They can rent out older talents looking for a cup run for a low price, such as Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, or Jonathon Toews. Or Florida can bring in some dynamic replacements, such as current Stars Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene. The possibilities are seemingly endless. As long as they don’t bring in Corey Perry and his 0-5 Stanley Cup Curse.

This season, the Panthers finished 47-31-4 which was 3rd overall in the Atlantic Division. In the first round of the playoffs, they downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. The No.1 seed Maple Leafs took Florida to seven. But Florida took game seven 6-1. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Panthers dominated the Carolina Hurricanes, taking the Prince of Wales trophy in five.

A rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup was set. This time around, three of the games went into overtime. In overtime, Florida lost two and won the third in double overtime. In the other three games, Florida dominated. Winning 6-1, 5-2, and 5-1 in game six.

The Florida Panthers look to go for a three-peat. The last three-peat for the cup came in the 80s. When the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980-1983. The last actual three-peat came in the 60s when the Maple Leafs took the cup from 1962-1964.

About Post Author

Zachary Worstell

A Marietta College Student with three years of journalism experience writing for Marietta's Marcolian Online Newspaper. He was promoted to Editor in Chief of the Marcolian in 2023. A Pittsburgh native, he covers sports from the Pittsburgh region as well as Ohio and West Virginia.

zach102803@gmail.com

https://ngscsports.com/