FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said he’s never had a group that’s been more fired up for a regular season.
The Cats’ frontman, now in his fifth year in charge, said he will look to take the team to the Stanley Cup for the fourth time.
Panthers come in to this season ready to take care of some unfinished business.
“There’s a real focus, but the focus is on the playoffs,” said Maurice. “But we know we’ve got work to do, we worked our asses off.”
Last season, the Cats suffered injuries to several key players and missed the playoffs after three consecutive Stanley Cup runs, where they won back-to-back cups.
The captain, Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov, missed all of last season after he suffered a severe knee injury on the first day of training camp.
But after an extensive rehab, Barkov said he is now ready to go.
“I feel great, excited to be back and just to see my teammates and get it going again with them,” he said. “Now we have a great chance to bounce back after last season, so we’re all concentrated on that.”
The Cats now come in almost fully healthy and re-energized.
A key offseason acquisition was Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk’s brother Brady, the former Ottawa Senators captain.
“For me, a new environment, new team, new group of guys, so, yeah, there’s going to be differences from past to present, so, for me, it’s just the most important thing that I’m focusing on is, of course, the on-ice, the work ethic,” said Brady.
“Let’s face it: How often do people get to play in the NHL with their brother? Like, that in itself is making this already — we haven’t even played a game yet — just the best experience ever,” said Matthew.
Jacob Markstrom is set to replace Sergei Bobrowski as the Cats’ new starting goaltender after Bobrowski signed with Toronto in the offseason.
This is Markstrom’s second tour of duty with the Panthers, the team that drafted him in 2008.
“I’m a completely different person and completely different goalie from when I was, you know, more than a decade ago, but it’s a special place, for sure, and a lot of good memories, and I’m hoping to create a lot more,” said Markstrom.
This Panthers, with its core players back, are considered one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
“The team’s done a pretty good job of pushing all that outside noise away and not really paying attention to that,” said Panthers forward Sam Bennett. “Whether we’re the favorites or the underdogs, it’s never really mattered for us, and we play every game the same way,” .
While the team is nearly fully healthy, forward Brad Marchand is expected to miss the first month of the season as he rehabs from an off-season surgery for what is believed to have been a lower body injury.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.