6 most important decisions that led to a Stanley Cup for the Florida Panthers
It took a long time for the Florida Panthers to build their Stanley Cup championship team. These are the six most important moves.
The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions! It was a wonderful run for them to finally get it done after a few years of being elite.
There were a lot of things that led up to them becoming a great franchise in the NHL. They won the President's Trophy in 2021-22, made it to the Stanley Cup Final (but lost to the Vegas Golden Knights) in 2022-23, and finally won it all in 2023-24.
How did the Panthers get there? Solid draft picks, great trades, free agent dominance, and waiver claims all helped them build a winner.
These are the six moves that were most important in Florida finally winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history:
Sasha Barkov was a brilliant pick for the Florida Panthers at 2nd overall
At the 2013 NHL Draft, it was between Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones at the top. It always felt like the Colorado Avalanche would end up selecting Nathan MacKinnon and they did. They do not regret that decision as he is an elite player that has since won the Stanley Cup.
However, the Florida Panthers shocked the world when they didn’t take Jones second overall. They took Finnish forward Aleksander Barkov with that pick and it was a Stanley Cup winning decision.
They gave the Conn Smyth Trophy to Connor McDavid because he had an all-time playoff performance despite coming a win away from the Cup. Barkov was the second-place guy as he was the catalyst of Florida forwards in this postseason.
Barkov is now a two-time Selke Trophy winner (he won it this year) and a Stanley Cup champion. He is on a Hall of Fame track. Florida made an incredible pick despite it being the unpopular one at the time.
When commissioner Gary Bettman handed him the Stanley Cup as captain, it was the first time that a Finnish captain had the honor. He is one of the greatest Finnish players and Panthers of all time. Both he and the team should be proud of the decision that made him a Panther.
Taking Aaron Ekblad first overall in 2014 was a big key to their success
The Florida Panthers, one year after making the second overall pick, made the first overall pick in 2014. With that pick, they decided to go with Aaron Ekblad. It was a lot less cut-and-dry of a selection than it would be in most drafts.
Although Ekblad may not be a Norris Trophy guy, he has been one of the 20 best defensemen in the league for a while now. He even won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie when he came in.
Now, all these years later, he was one of the catalysts on this team. There are a few “number one defenseman” caliber guys on this team but Ekblad is the guy that they drafted and developed from scratch.
He was pivotal at different times for Florida throughout this run. He has contributed some offense here and there but the way he shuts down opposing players has been remarkable.
When you go up against guys like Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Artemi Panarin, David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid while limiting them all for the most part, you know you did your job well. Ekblad should be very proud of where his game has taken him over the years.
Landing Sam Reinhart was an underground incredible move for Florida
The funny thing about selecting Aaron Ekblad first overall in 2014 is who came after him. With pick number two, the Buffalo Sabres took Sam Reinhart.
A few years later, after a bumpy start with a questionable Sabres organization, Reinhart was traded to the Florida Panthers.
Buffalo got a first-round pick and Devon Levi out of it which is nice for them but the Panthers landed a future 50-goal man. He had 20+ in every year with the Sabres except one and 30+ in every year with the Panthers but nobody had a 50-goal year for him on their radar.
He did that in 2023-24 before winning the Stanley Cup. He even came close to scoring 60 as he had 57 on the year. Add in his 37 assists and you have a 94-point player.
When it is time to win, intelligent teams go out and get good players to supplement the young cores that they have built. Florida did that when they made a risky trade for Sam Reinhart and it worked out very well for them. He now has a Stanley Cup-winning goal on his resume.
Claiming Gustav Forsling was a major factor in winning the Stanley Cup
One of those other great defensemen on Florida is Gustav Forsling. They don't win anything without him being one of the best two-way defensemen in the entire NHL.
Forsling's path to stardom is not at all conventional. The Chicago Blackhawks traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes and then they put him on waivers after a while without ever using him in a game. He didn't play an NHL game during the 2019-20 season as he was sent to the AHL.
His development took a big step that season and it only took a little while with Florida to become a star. They figured out how to get him to what he is now which is a Norris Trophy level defensemen. With Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour around him, he fits right in.
Deciding to select Forsling off waivers and then be patient with him after that was a big key to Florida finally getting it done in the playoffs. Now, both sides get to enjoy what has become of his career.
Signing Sergei Bobrovsky for all that money was the best move made
Despite a lot of naysayers, the Florida Panthers signed Sergei Bobrovsky. He had a long stint in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets where he was elite.
As a member of the Blue Jackets, he became known as one of the best goalies in the world. He won two Vezina Trophies there and played very well in the playoffs on some mediocre teams.
That convinced Florida to outbid everyone and sign him for $10 million against the Salary Cap for seven years. Right now, that is 11.4 percent of their entire cap. There was some risk there, especially for a guy entering his age 31 season.
For a while, it looked like a contract that would handcuff them. It got even more confusing when they spent a first-round pick on a goalie with Spencer Knight.
However, Knight is developing nicely without pressure to play in the NHL because Bobrovsky has been brilliant. The team, with him as the starter, has won the President’s Trophy, been to the Stanley Cup Final twice, and has won the most recent one. It’s been a remarkable run for him.
He hasn’t won the Vezina Trophy as a Panther but there are a lot of great goalies in this league. He is a nominee this season but won’t win it because Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets was otherworldly in the regular season.
Without Bobrovsky, the Panthers would have never won the Stanley Cup. He was brilliant in all four rounds of these playoffs. To say this was a big move for them would be an understatement.
Bobrovsky didn’t win the Conn Smythe as they gave it to Connor McDavid who was on the losing team. He deserved it but the voters believed that McDavid’s historic point total was worth giving it to him.
With two more years left on the deal, he could be trash and it would still be worth every penny. It was a big key move that led to them winning it all.
Trading Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk was big for Florida
Jonathan Huberdeau was a star for the Florida Panthers. The team had a lot of success developing him and winning with him in the lineup.
After having a 115-point season and being part of a President's Trophy-winning team in 2021-22, he was traded to the Calgary Flames in a deal that brought back Matthew Tkachuk.
Florida took a risk after another year of not getting it done because they didn't want to keep running it back without improvement.
Well, Matthew Tkachuk continued being the elite superstar that he is with Florida. He had a Hart Trophy nomination in his first season with them and won the Stanley Cup in the second.
Tkachuk brings a certain level of nasty to his game while also bringing the heat offensively. The vibes completely changed around an already good Florida team when he got there.
Tkachuk wasn't drafted by Florida but he is one of the best players now. Without making this trade, there is a good chance that they never take these big steps as a team.
All of these moves had a purpose. Some of them were more recent and some of them were a long time ago now. However, all of them played key roles in Florida finally winning the Stanley Cup. They should be proud.
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