The Florida Panthers flew across the country on Tuesday, a flight that would have seemed much longer had the Panthers not pulled off a buzzer-beating overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The evening started with the Panthers sitting quietly on their bench while the Hurricanes raised their Stanley Cup banner.
“It’s really important that teams respect each other for those achievements,” Paul Maurice said.
Tonight, the Panthers will be part of a second Opening Night — this one in San Jose against a much-improved Sharks team.
San Jose’s improvement last year was noticed around the league, but also by the Panthers. Florida found that out the hard way.
After years of dominating the Sharks, Florida went 0-2 against San Jose last season.
Although the Sharks have missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons, they were only four points out last year.
Prior to last season, the Panthers owned the Sharks, racking up 10 straight wins over five seasons.
The last loss to San Jose before last season came on December 1, 2017, when Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski were in the lineup.
The reasons for the improvement to the team are quite obvious.
Macklin Celebrini was an elite NHL player the moment he stepped on the ice as an 18-year-old two seasons back.
Last year, his 45 goals and 115 points placed him fourth in NHL scoring.
The spotlight will be on him again this season.
During the offseason he was named team captain, replacing the retired Logan Couture. He also signed a five-year contract extension, effective next season, which will make him the second-highest paid player in the NHL at $18.8 million per.
Often lost in the attention paid to Celebrini is the work of rising star Will Smith who chipped in with 24 goals last season. Smith was drafted fourth overall in 2023 after starring with the U.S. National Development Team.
Smith and Celebrini were the only Sharks’ regulars to finish with a positive +/- last season.
The newly acquired Mason Marchment, a likely first-liner with Celebrini and Smith, will add veteran presence and snarl to the line.
A dark horse at forward is 19-year-old Ivar Stenberg, the second-overall pick in the 2026 draft. The youngster appears to have made the opening night roster.
Last season the Sharks finished a woeful 30th in the NHL in defense, allowing 3.54 goals per game.
The additions of Jacob Trouba and Darnell Nurse on the blueline will add experience and toughness.
Last year’s goaltending duo of Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovicare back. They were under siege most of the season. Both finished with save percentages below .900. With a tighter and tougher defense this season those numbers should improve.
“Lots of speed. An awful lot of skill,’’ Maurice said. “I really like the additions they made to the weight of their team.”
He mentioned the two losses to the Sharks last season.
“When you get the right kind of young people then your plan speeds up,’’ Maurice continued. “When you don’t have to shelter them as much, then there’s a time to go out and get some veteran players…Credit to the young players that play the game the right way. Very creative. Very dynamic. They don’t cheat the game….They’re legit.”
The potential impact of the additions of Marchment, Trouba and Nurse can’t be ignored.
“They got bigger, they got heavier, they all play a hard game,’’ Maurice said. “[Opponents] are not intimidating any of them. That part of the game that complements skills so very well. It also will teach the level of compete that these guys have made a career on…I thought it was just incredibly thought out. Complementary pieces to the young skill.”
Coach Ryan Warsofsky will be on the hot seat this season if the team doesn’t improve to playoff capability. GM Mike Grier just rewarded him with a two-year contract extension.
It’s been a slow rebuild for the Sharks, but with an abundance of young talent and a handful of skilled veterans, the Sharks will not be fun to play against this season.
ON DECK: GAME No. 2
FLORIDA PANTHERS at SAN JOSE SHARKS