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The Florida Panthers are getting set for what will be an exciting night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Tuesday when they take on the Boston Bruins. Florida will not only officially open its Stanley Cup defense tonight but will also raise its 2024 championship banner to the rafters in a special pregame ceremony.
The Panthers will feature some of their biggest names who made heavy contributions to their title run in the spring, including captain Aleksander Barkov along with forwards Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky are also back in the fold for the title defense.
However, to pretend that the Panthers won't be affected by the number of players who departed over the summer wouldn't be realistic.
Defensemen Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson left for the Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, signed a free-agent deal with the division foe Detroit Red Wings, while depth forwards Kevin Stenlund and Ryan Lomberg departed for the Utah Hockey Club and Calgary Flames, respectively.
Furthermore, backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz followed Ekman-Larsson to Toronto.
The Panthers did make a handful of additions, including depth defensemen Nate Schmidt and Adam Boqvist, along with bottom-six forward Tomas Nosek (unavailable due to injury). Additionally, forward Jesper Boqvist has joined the fold (the older brother of Adam Boqvist).
2021 No. 24 overall draft pick Mackie Samoskevich has made the opening night roster after scoring 22 goals with 33 assists last season with the American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte Checkers.
Meanwhile, defenseman Uvis Balinskis will be playing a bigger role with the Panthers after appearing in 26 games last season.
Panthers Anticipated Line Combinations
Here are Tuesday night's anticipated line combinations for the Panthers:
Forward Lines:
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Evan Rodrigues - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Mackie Samoskevich
Jonah Dagjobvich - Jesper Boqvist - A.J. Greer
Defensive Pairings:
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola - Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis - Adam Boqvist
Goaltenders:
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
The Panthers' depth took a considerable hit
Panthers general manager Bill Zito acknowledged that losing the number of key players they did over the summer was disappointing while admitting it's part of the business.
“It’s a difficult part of the job," Zito said. "It’s easy to say it’s ‘part of the job,’ but it’s really hard. They’re part of the family, all the guys. They all have a role. It’s hard. They are all people, and to be that close, to see what they did and their contribution, it was really hard. That is not a fun part of the job.’’
Due to the aforementioned departures, Florida's bottom-six forward group is noticeably weaker compared to last season, and its third defensive pairing has also taken a step backward in quality.
The Panthers have a considerable task ahead of them in trying to repeat as champions, but they still boast notable talent up front that is now armed with title experience.
