6 most important decisions that led to a Stanley Cup for the Florida Panthers

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.