The Panthers had a rough 2025-26, but it was completely understandable: Aleksander Barkov was pronounced out for the entire season before it even started, Matthew Tkachuk was out for half of it, and a laundry list of the rest of their top players were out throughout the season.
The players that weren’t injured? They were exhausted from three appearances in the Cup Final in three years, including two back-to-back wins that took two Game 7s.
They’re coming back this season with much of the same core, save for a big departure in Sergei Bobrovsky. That menacing core is finally all healthy, and now Brady Tkachuk is in the fold to make it even scarier.
Still, it’s going to be harder than it seems to jump back into the playoff race in the East. The competition is the better than it had been two seasons ago, with plenty of young, hungry talent as the Panthers get older. The key players who have missed significant time are going to need to get into playoff form fast if they want this season to end in a roar, not a meow.