The Florida Panthers are back on home ice for the first time since their Stanley Cup triumph, but the mood in Sunrise is a far cry from last spring’s jubilation. As the team prepares to host the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers are staring down a daunting early-season challenge: they’ll be without captain Aleksander Barkov for the foreseeable future, and star forward Matthew Tkachuk won’t return until December. The stakes? Only the defense of their hard-earned championship and the hope of proving doubters wrong in a league that never stands still.
Monday’s preseason tilt against the Hurricanes marks not just a homecoming, but a pivotal test for a roster suddenly stripped of its two most dynamic playmakers. The Panthers’ opening stretch includes four exhibition games in six days—across Sunrise, Orlando, and Tampa—giving head coach Paul Maurice a crash course in recalibrating his veteran-heavy lineups. Maurice has been cautious with his core, easing them into the grind after a shortened offseason, but now the time for experimentation is over. As he put it, "They’re still trying to add things to their game. They’re coming to the rink to get better."
Yet, fans hoping to see the full arsenal of Florida’s championship roster on Monday will have to wait. Notable names like Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola, and Eetu Luostarinen will sit this one out. Instead, veterans Sergei Bobrovsky, Jesper Boqvist, Jeff Petry, A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis, Jonah Gadjovich, Luke Kunin, and Mackie Samoskevich are set to take the ice against a Carolina squad that’s also leaving its big guns—Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Andrei Svechnikov—at home.
Even so, the Panthers’ faithful have plenty to look forward to. Monday’s game will showcase the newly installed scoreboard and LED boards at Amerant Bank Arena, a reminder of the franchise’s investment in both its future and its fan experience. But the real question on everyone’s mind: can the Panthers’ depth and resilience carry them through what’s shaping up to be one of the toughest title defenses in recent NHL memory?
It’s a fair question, considering the circumstances. Barkov, who tore his ACL and MCL in his right knee, is expected to miss seven to nine months—a timeline that could sideline him for the entire regular season and possibly the playoffs. Just a week ago, Florida was the odds-on favorite to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Now, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, their title odds have slipped behind about half a dozen teams. The loss of Barkov, the reigning King Clancy and Selke Trophy winner, is a seismic blow. As Panthers forward Brad Marchand bluntly put it, "He’s the best two-way player in the game. You’re not going to replace that guy."
Barkov’s impact goes far beyond the stat sheet. While he hasn’t led the Panthers in scoring since 2018-19 and hasn’t cracked the NHL’s top 10 in points, his leadership and two-way prowess set the tone for the entire organization. Over 12 seasons, Barkov ranks 17th in points, 31st in goals, and 16th in assists among active players—a testament to his consistency and elite playmaking. Last season, he tallied 51 assists in just 67 games, on pace for 62 over a full campaign. Tkachuk, meanwhile, contributed 35 helpers in 52 games—projecting to 55 over 82 games. With both out, the Panthers lose their two most creative offensive engines, the linchpins of their attack.
And the hits keep coming. Tomas Nosek, a physical center renowned for his reliability in the defensive zone and on face-offs, is also out long-term with a knee injury. That leaves Florida’s forward corps thinner than anticipated, especially on the fourth line. The pressure now falls on the likes of Sam Reinhart (42 assists in 79 games last season), Carter Verhaeghe (33 assists), Aaron Ekblad (30 assists), and Sam Bennett (26 assists in 76 games) to pick up the slack. Reinhart, Bennett, and Verhaeghe—all solid contributors—must now shoulder the creative burden, while Marchand is being counted on to summon some of his vintage form in his age-37 season.
Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito didn’t mince words about the challenge ahead. "Look, you can’t replace this guy," Zito said of Barkov. "So, we have to do things differently. It's just going to be different. And we’re going to have to figure out ways for all of us to be better, myself included. And it’s going to be a fight. It’s going to be a battle. We’re going to have to scratch and claw."
If there’s a silver lining, it’s the depth that Zito and Maurice have worked so hard to cultivate. Last postseason, 11 different Panthers scored at least one game-winning goal—a mark that ties for the second-most by any team in NHL playoff history. Players like Anton Lundell, who’s been compared to a young Barkov, are expected to step into bigger roles. Mackie Samoskevich, now more seasoned after his rookie campaign, will also be asked to contribute more. Evan Rodrigues, a versatile forward who’s bounced across all four lines, is another name to watch as the Panthers shuffle their lineup in search of the right chemistry and spark.
Coach Maurice remains optimistic, emphasizing the need for a collective mindset. "There’s no easy games in this league and then losing Barkov makes it that much harder," said defenseman Aaron Ekblad. "That's something we’re going to have to embody, a day-by-day mindset—almost like the playoffs. Come in every day, do a job and do it together."
As for Barkov, he may not be on the ice, but his presence will still loom large in the locker room. His leadership, both vocal and by example, will be crucial as the Panthers navigate these choppy waters. Marchand summed it up best: "We know who we are. We know what our goals are and what we’re looking at doing this year. Looking down the road at winning the Stanley Cup is the last thing you want to do right now. There’s such a long road before that and there’s so many different things you need to overcome."
With the preseason home opener set for 6 p.m., Panthers fans will get their first look at a team forced to reinvent itself on the fly. The road ahead is uncertain, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. But if there’s one thing the Panthers have learned during their championship run, it’s that adversity can bring out the best in a team. The journey to defend the Cup starts now—minus their captain, but not without hope.
