2024–25 Florida Panthers season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2024–25
Year:	2024
Team:	Florida Panthers
Division:	Atlantic
Conference:	Eastern
Record:	0–0–0
Homerecord:	0–0–0
Roadrecord:	0–0–0
Goalsfor:	0
Goalsagainst:	0
Generalmanager:	Bill Zito
Coach:	Paul Maurice
Captain:	Aleksander Barkov
Altcaptain:	Aaron Ekblad Matthew Tkachuk
Arena:	Amerant Bank Arena
Minorleague:	Charlotte Checkers (AHL) Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL)

The 2024–25 Florida Panthers season will be the 31st season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established in 1993. The Panthers will enter the season as the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Previous season

The Florida Panthers finished as the top seed in the Atlantic Division and met the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.^[1] The Panthers eliminated the Lightning in five games.^[2] They then faced the Boston Bruins in the second round, winning the series in six games.^[3] The Panthers defeated the New York Rangers in the conference finals in six games, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive season.^[4]

In the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals series matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, the Panthers initially held a 3–0 lead before experiencing defeats in the following three games. The Panthers defeated the Oilers 2–1 in Game 7 at home. This victory clinched the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship in its 30 years of existence.^[5]

Off-season

The off-season saw the Panthers lose several key depth pieces. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Vladimir Tarasenko, Brandon Montour, Kevin Stenlund, Ryan Lomberg, and Josh Mahura left in free agency. Ekman-Larsson and Stolarz both signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tarasenko with the Detroit Red Wings, Montour and Mahura with the Seattle Kraken, Stenlund with the Utah Hockey Club, and Lomberg with the Calgary Flames.

The Panthers changed their ECHL affiliate and are now affiliated with the Savannah Ghost Pirates after having been paired with the Florida Everblades.^[6]

After airing their games on Bally Sports Florida (formerly Fox Sports Florida and SportsChannel Florida) for the majority of the Panthers existence, Scripps Sports will now produce and broadcast Panthers games.^[7] The broadcasts will be free over-the-air on local channels WSFL-TV 39 in Miami-Fort, Lauderdale, WHDT-TV 9 in Stuart-West Palm Beach, and TBD in Fort Myers-Naples.^[8] Additionally, Scripps Sports will create a streaming platform to allow fans to stream the games within the broadcast region.

NHL 4 Nations Face-Off

The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off is an ice hockey tournament scheduled to take place on February 12–20, 2025. The 4 Nations Face-Off will replace the NHL's annual All-Star Game for 2025. In the tournament, teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will play each other in a round-robin format, followed by a one-game final between the two top-placed teams.

On June 28, 2024, Aleksander Barkov was named to Team Finland, Gustav Forsling was named to Team Sweden, and Matthew Tkachuk was named to Team United States.^[9] Further, Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu was named as an assistant coach to Team Finland.

The remaining roster will be selected and announced "later in the year".^[10]

Schedule and results

The preseason schedule was published on June 23, 2024.^[11]

2024 preseason game log: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0)
	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 22			Florida
2	September 22	Nashville		Florida
3	September 25			Florida
4	September 27	Florida
5	September 28	Carolina		Florida
6	September 30	Tampa Bay		Florida
7	October 2	Florida		Tampa Bay
8	October 5			Florida
Notes: Indicates split-squad. Played at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Played at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec.

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on July 2, 2024.^[12]

2024–25 game log
October: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 8 – Florida 2 October 10 Florida – 3 October 12 Florida – 4 October 14 Florida – Boston 5 October 15 Florida – 6 October 17 – Florida 7 October 19 – Florida 8 October 22 – Florida 9 October 24 Florida – 10 October 26 Florida – 11 October 28 Florida – Buffalo
November: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 1 Florida – 13 November 2 Dallas – Florida 14 November 7 – Florida 15 November 9 – Florida 16 November 12 – Florida 17 November 14 New Jersey – Florida 18 November 16 – Florida 19 November 19 Florida – Winnipeg 20 November 21 Florida – 21 November 23 – Florida 22 November 25 – Florida 23 November 27 – Florida 24 November 29 Florida – 25 November 30 Carolina – Florida
December: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 26 December 3 Florida – 27 December 5 Florida – 28 December 7 – Florida 29 December 10 Florida – 30 December 12 Florida – 31 December 14 Florida – 32 December 16 Florida – 33 December 18 Florida – 34 December 20 – Florida 35 December 22 Florida – 36 December 23 Tampa Bay – Florida 37 December 28 – Florida 38 December 30 – Florida
January: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 2 – Florida 40 January 3 – Florida 41 January 6 Florida – 42 January 8 Florida – 43 January 11 – Florida 44 January 13 Florida – 45 January 14 Florida – 46 January 16 – Florida 47 January 18 – Florida 48 January 21 Florida – Anaheim 49 January 22 Florida – 50 January 25 Florida – 51 January 26 Florida – 52 January 29 Los Angeles – Florida
February: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 3–1–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 53 February 1 – Florida 54 February 2 – Florida 55 February 4 Florida – 56 February 6 Florida – 57 February 8 – Florida 58 February 22 – Florida 59 February 25 Florida – 60 February 27 – Florida
March: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 61 March 1 – Florida 62 March 3 – Florida 63 March 6 – Florida 64 March 8 – Florida 65 March 11 Florida – 66 March 13 Florida – 67 March 15 Florida – 68 March 16 Florida – 69 March 20 Florida – Columbus 70 March 22 Florida – 71 March 23 – Florida 72 March 28 – Florida 73 March 30 Montreal – Florida
April: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 74 April 1 Florida – 75 April 2 Florida – 76 April 5 Florida – 77 April 6 Florida – 78 April 8 Toronto – Florida 79 April 10 Detroit – Florida 80 April 12 – Florida 81 April 14 – Florida 82 April 15 Florida –
Legend: Notes: Played at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland as a part of the 2024 NHL Global Series.

Awards and honors

Records

Transactions

The Panthers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2024–25 season.

Key:

Contract is entry-level.

Contract initially takes effect in the 2025–26 season.

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
			1-year	Free agency	^[13]
			1-year	Free agency	^[14]
		Boston Bruins	2-year	Free agency	^[15]
			1-year	Free agency	^[16]
			1-year	Free agency	^[17]
			1-year	Free agency	^[18]
		Chicago Blackhawks	1-year	Free agency	^[19]
			1-year	Free agency	^[20]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Term	Via	Ref
			4-year	Free agency	^[21]
			2-year	Free agency	^[22]
			7-year	Free agency	^[23]
			2-year	Free agency	^[24]
		Toronto Maple Leafs	2-year	Free agency	^[25]
			2-year	Free agency	^[26]

Extensions

Date	Player	Term	Ref
	Patrick Giles	2-year	^[27]
		1-year	^[28]
		8-year	^[29]
		1-year	^[30]
		4-year	^[31]
		6-year	^[32]

Draft picks

See also: List of Florida Panthers draft picks.

Below are the Florida Panther's selections at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 28 and 29, 2024, at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[33]

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
2	58	Linus Eriksson	C		Djurgårdens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
3	97	Matvei Shuravin	D		Krasnaya Armiya (MHL)
4	129	Simon Zether	C		Rögle BK (SHL)
6	169	Stepan Gorbunov	C		Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL)
6	193	Hunter St. Martin	LW		Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	201	Denis Gabdrakhmanov	G		Tyumensky Legion (MHL)

Notes:

Notes and References

1. Web site: NHL.com Media Site . April 17, 2024 . media.nhl.com.
2. Web site: Richards . George . April 29, 2024 . Panthers pull away in 3rd, eliminate Lightning with win in Game 5 . June 1, 2024 . NHL.com.
3. Web site: Pohoryles . Joe . May 17, 2024 . Forsling scores late, Panthers defeat Bruins in Game 6 to advance to East Final . June 1, 2024 . NHL.com.
4. Web site: Richards . George . June 1, 2024 . Panthers defeat Rangers in Game 6, reach Stanley Cup Final . June 2, 2024 . NHL.com.
5. Web site: Rosen . Dan . June 24, 2024 . Panthers recover, defeat Oilers in Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final for 1st title . June 24, 2024 . NHL.com.
6. Web site: 2024-06-17 . Florida Panthers Announce ECHL Affiliation with Savannah Ghost Pirates Florida Panthers . 2024-07-05 . www.nhl.com . en.
7. Web site: 2024-07-02 . Stanley Cup champion Panthers sign deal to move local broadcasts from Bally to Scripps Sports . 2024-07-05 . AP News . en.
8. Web site: 2024-07-02 . Florida Panthers, Scripps Sports partner on multi-year agreement to air National Hockey League team’s games Florida Panthers . 2024-07-05 . www.nhl.com . en.
9. Web site: 2024-06-28 . "First Six" 4 Nation Rosters Unveiled BLOG New Jersey Devils . 2024-07-10 . www.nhl.com . en.
10. Web site: 2024-02-02 . NHL to hold 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in 2025 NHL.com . 2024-07-10 . www.nhl.com . en.
11. Web site: Preseason Florida Panthers . 2024-07-25 . www.nhl.com . en.
12. Web site: 2024-07-02 . Florida Panthers Announce 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule Florida Panthers . 2024-07-07 . www.nhl.com . en.
13. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Jesper Boqvist on One-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
14. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Goaltender Chris Driedger on One-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
15. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward A.J. Greer on Two-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
16. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Tomas Nosek on One-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
17. Web site: July 2, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward MacKenzie Entwistle to a One-Year, Two-Way Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
18. Web site: July 2, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Nate Schmidt on One-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
19. Web site: July 5, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Jaycob Megna on One-Year, Two-Way Contract Florida Panthers . July 7, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
20. Web site: July 9, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Adam Boqvist on One-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 10, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
21. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Maple Leafs Sign Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Toronto Maple Leafs . July 8, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
22. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Ryan Lomberg signs two-year deal with Flames . July 8, 2024 . Sportsnet.ca . en.
23. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Kraken sign Montour, Stephenson to 7-year contracts NHL.com . July 8, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
24. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Utah Hockey Club Signs Forward Kevin Stenlund to Two-Year Contract Utah Hockey Club . July 8, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
25. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Maple Leafs sign goaltender Anthony Stolarz to two-year deal . July 8, 2024 . Sportsnet.ca . en.
26. Web site: July 3, 2024 . Tarasenko signs 2-year, $9.5 million contract with Red Wings NHL.com . July 8, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
27. Web site: June 28, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Patrick Giles to a Two-Year, Two-Way Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
28. Web site: June 28, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Matt Kiersted to a One-Year, Two-Way Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
29. Web site: June 30, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Sam Reinhart on an Eight-Year Contract Extension Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
30. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Rasmus Asplund to a One-Year, Two-Way Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
31. Web site: July 1, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov on Four-Year Contract Extension Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
32. Web site: July 3, 2024 . Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Forward Anton Lundell on Six-Year Contract Florida Panthers . July 5, 2024 . www.nhl.com . en.
33. Web site: 2024-06-29 . Florida Panthers Select Six Players on Day 2 of 2024 NHL Draft Florida Panthers . 2024-07-05 . www.nhl.com . en.