Team Status: The Panthers fell victim to numerous injuries and the hangover of three consecutive deep runs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing in the 2023 Final to the Vegas Golden Knights and defeating Edmonton to win consecutive Cups in 2024 and 2025. The loss of team captain Aleksander Barkov in training camp was a fatal wound, but a myriad of other injuries weighed down Florida to the point that making the playoffs became an impossibility. GM Bill Zito pulled off potentially the coup of the summer, obtaining winger Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa for a package of high draft picks, as well as adding veteran support players like Garnet Hathaway, and Radko Gudas.
