Florida Black Panthers 2025-26 Roster Projection – Hockey Writer – Florida Black Panthers

With Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand recently signed long-term deals, the Florida Panthers’ roster has few solidified in the coming years. They had Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe, Marchand, Ekblad, Bennett, Seth Jones and Gustav, signing all the signatures for at least the next five years. It’s an impressive level of safety that few NHL teams have achieved and it almost guarantees that the Panthers will be contenders for the foreseeable future.

This stability also makes it a relatively simple article. So far in the offseason, there have been two perimeter acquisitions, trading downtown goalkeeper Daniil Tarasov and signing veteran defender Jeff Petry. Additionally, the Panthers have some minor issues to be resolved before next season, including restricted free agent Mackie Samoskevich, a group that is several million dollars above the salary cap. However, in most cases, the Panthers will have a roster that won the 2025 Stanley Cup.

front

• Line 1: Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
• Line 2: Evan Rodrigues – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
• Line 3: Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
• Line 4: AJ Greer/Jonah Gadjovich – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
• TBD: Mackie Samoskevich

Black Panther has elite flexibility and a perfect chemical mix. Any advances in the first nine can be played on the first line if necessary. Last season, the Panthers suffered some injuries, and Anton Lundell, who averaged 19-20 minutes per night as the Panthers’ second-tier center, flourished. Despite their flexibility, they also ran in the playoffs last year to show that the lineup works well. The third line in particular played a major role as an offensive catalyst during the playoffs, making the Panthers a nightmare for opponent coaches.

The fourth line is perhaps the only little flux, as Samoskivich needs a new contract. However, the four players listed on line 4 are currently in team-friendly deals and prove that they can provide a lot of time in a limited role.

Defense matching

• One-on-1: Gustav Fork – Aaron Eckbrad
• One-Pair 2: Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
• Pair 3: Dmitry Kulikov – Jeff Petry
• Extra: Uvis Balinskis

Related: Black Panther Signs with Jeff Petry to Get Senior Bargain

The only change in the Panthers’ defensive core since last season was the loss of Nate Schmidt (three-year contract with Utah Mammoth) and Petry. The Panthers’ defense is a great blend of offensive contributions, especially after getting Jones in the mid-season and defensive reliability.

goalkeeper

• Starting: Sergei Bobrovsky
• Backup: Daniil Tarasov

Bobrovsky will enter the final year of his $10 million annual contract with no signs of slowing down. Even at the age of 36, he is still a stable, stable regular season goalkeeper who can improve his game and come to playoff time.

Last year, some fluctuations occurred in the backup location. Spencer Knight made a mid-season deal, with the reserve team last season being replaced by Daniil Tarasov. Tarasov is an interesting young goalkeeper with a lot of size and athleticism and will get the first chance to play in front of a high-end defense.

Overall impression

For a team that has played in the Stanley Cup final with back-to-back titles, the Panthers are excellent in keeping their core. Outside of some minor adjustments, Florida will be similar to last season’s roster. While it is impossible to predict the twists and turns of the long campaign, in this lineup, they should be a Stanley Cup favorite again in 2025-26.