Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are the NHL's ultimate late bloomer. Founded in 1993 and based in Sunrise, the Panthers made an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 before fading into two decades of anonymity - the league's most forgettable franchise, playing far from downtown, struggling to draw fans, and cycling through ownership groups. The transformation has been remarkable: under GM Bill Zito and coach Paul Maurice, the Panthers assembled a roster that married skill with an old-school physical edge, reaching the Cup Final in 2023 and then capturing the Stanley Cup in 2024 behind Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and a supporting cast of relentless intensity.

The Panthers' current narrative is one of a franchise trying to sustain championship-level play with a core that is aging but still dangerous. Having lost the 2025 Cup Final to Edmonton after winning it all in 2024, Florida knows the feeling of both ultimate triumph and the sting of falling just short on the biggest stage. The window remains open but the clock is ticking, and the franchise faces the challenge of keeping its roster together under the salary cap while the Eastern Conference grows more competitive around them. Barkov's two-way brilliance and Tkachuk's ferocious compete level give the Panthers a foundation that few teams can match.

Amerant Bank Arena has been transformed from a curiosity to a cauldron, its atmosphere proof that South Florida's diverse, transplant-heavy population was always capable of embracing hockey - they just needed a reason to show up. The franchise that once symbolized the NHL's Sun Belt struggles has become one of its most compelling success stories, and the Panthers enter the 2025-26 season determined to prove that their championship was the beginning of an era, not a one-off.