Panthers Drive For 3rd Straight Stanley Cup Despite Key Injuries

Sam Bennett (left) and Brad Marchand #will try to lead the Florida Panthers to another Stanley Cup in 2025-26. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

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All eyes are on the Florida Panthers as head coach Paul Maurice and his players attempt to join the great dynasties in NHL history by winning three straight Stanley Cup titles. During the last 60 years, the only teams to reach those heights included the Montreal Canadiens of the late 1970s and the New York Islanders of the early 1980s. The Edmonton Oilers of the late 1980s were close when they won four Stanley Cups in five seasons but never made it three in a row.

The Panthers are the big dogs in the Eastern Conference, but bringing home a third straight Stanley Cup may be even more difficult than winning the first two. The Panthers will not have superstar Aleksander Barkov for at least six months after suffering a torn ACL and MCL while driving force Matthew Tkachuk will not play until January following surgery on a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia.

The Panthers still have a terrific forechecking team that is capable of taking the puck away from opponents and forcing turnovers. They still have Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Brad Machand up front along with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky leading the defensive effort.

It won’t be easy for the Panthers, but they could be ready to play their best hockey at the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs once again.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been regular-season demons under head coach Rod Brind’Amour but have fallen short in the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons.

The Hurricanes have added forward Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman K’Andre Miller to provide more strength and depth. They also have forward Seth Jarvis, who is coming off a 32-goal season and defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who is as tough on the blue line as anyone in the league.

If there are any issues with the Hurricanes, they concern goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. Neither one has demonstrated the ability to shut the door in the biggest games.

Maple Leafs move forward without Mitch Marner

The Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping that breaking up their Core Four by trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights will not have a negative impact. The Leafs still have Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander as their offensive leaders, and that should be good enough to keep them in the top three of the Atlantic Division.

Head coach Craig Berube is hoping that the Maple Leafs have increased their toughness quotient enough to help this team overcome past postseason failures.

Head coach Jon Cooper still has a very dangerous team in the Tampa Bay Lightning. While they have fallen behind their in-state rivals in South Florida, the Lightning may have the best line in the Eastern Conference with center Brayden Point, left wing Jake Guentzel and the unstoppable Nikita Kucherov at right wing.

Kucherov led the league in scoring with 121 points and it would not be a shocker if he came close to matching his career best of 144 points set in the 2023-24 season.

As long as Victor Hedman is healthy on the blue line and Andrei Vasilevskiy is close to top form in goal, the Lightning will remain a team that is capable of winning at a dynamic rate.

The Washington Capitals were one of the biggest surprises in the NHL last season as they played a brilliant defensive game in winning the Metropolitan Division with 111 points.

Defensemen John Carlson, Jakob Chychrun and Trevor Van Riemsdyk lead the way for head coach Spencer Carbery, and goaltenders Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are a solid duo.

The Capitals also have a goal scorer by the name of Alex Ovechkin, who netted 44 goals last year and became the greatest goal scorer in the history of the NHL. Despite his presence, the Capitals could have a hard time putting the puck in the net this season.

Rangers looking at Igor Shesterkin to lead turnaround

The New York Rangers were one of the preseason favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Broadway Blueshirts had a brutal season and did not even make the playoffs.

New head coach Mike Sullivan is counting on center J.T. Miller and goalie Igor Shesterkin to turn things around in Gotham, but depth is clearly an issue for the Rangers.

The New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets both have the skill to climb in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils have plenty of speed and they are dependent on Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt to light up the scoreboard on a regular basis.

The Blue Jackets have one of the best defensemen in the NHL in Zach Werenski and a dynamic center in Adam Fantilli, but they don’t have quality depth.

After years of being near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, both the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens made the playoffs a year ago and both teams are on the upswing.

Brady Tkachuk has the toughness and drive to allow the Sens to make the playoffs and goaltender Linus Ullmark is capable of contending for the Vezina Trophy.

The Canadiens may not be ready to win their first Stanley Cup since 1993, but they are an exciting team led by center Nick Suzuki, right wing Cole Caufield and defenseman Lane Hutson. All three are capable of dominating from an offensive perspective and starting a fan frenzy in front of their home supporters at the Bell Centre.

The Boston Bruins are hoping for a bounce-back season after finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division a year ago. While most observers believe the B’s will be on the outside looking in, a return to top form by goaltender Jeremy Swayman along with healthy seasons from blueliners Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm should go a long way towards making the Bruins much tougher to score against.

They also have one of the best scorers in the league in David Pastrnak and he has great chemistry with up and coming Morgan Geekie, but the Bruins need more offensive depth.

The Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres have been attempting to climb in the Atlantic Division for years, but their struggles are likely to continue.

The New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins are likely to bring up the rear in the Metropolitan Division.