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2025-26 Florida Panthers Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/24/2025

Florida Panthers predictions Sam Reinhart

The Florida Panthers finished the season with 98 points, one ahead of Ottawa for the final guaranteed spot in the Atlantic Division. After narrowly securing this guaranteed spot, the Panthers dominated Tampa Bay in the first round. They eliminated the Lightning in five games while boasting a +7-goal differential. After that, they took down Toronto in seven games and then made quick work of Carolina in the conference finals. Florida won the Stanley Cup Finals in six games over Edmonton for the second year in a row.

The offense struggled over the course of the regular season. They averaged just 3.00 GF/G while their special teams were not much better. They scored on 23.5% of their power play chances which ranked 13th in the league while their 80.7% PK% ranked 10th. Sam Reinhart led the team with 81 points while his 39 goals were by far the most on the team. Aleksander Barkov finished second on the team with 71 points and he was joined by Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sam Bennett as the only other Florida players to reach the 20-goal mark. Aaron Ekblad led all Florida defensemen with 33 points despite playing in just 56 games.

The strength of this Florida team was their play in the blue paint. They ranked seventh in the league after allowing 2.72 GA/G while their .905 SV% also ranked inside the Top 10. Sergei Bobrovsky appeared in 54 games, and he posted a 33-19-2 record, and he allowed just 2.44 GA/G. Spencer Knight allowed 2.40 GA/G in 23 appearances before being traded to Chicago. Vitek Vanecek was the third Florida goalie, and he appeared in just seven games.

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Florida Panthers in 2025-26:

Florida Panthers Key Additions/Losses

The losses are minimal for Florida as they worked hard to keep their championship caliber roster together. The biggest losses are Nate Schmidt who tallied 19 points last season and Vanecek who appeared in just seven games for Florida.

The additions include Daniil Tarasov who appeared in 20 games for Columbus, though he struggled as he allowed 3.54 GA/G. Jeff Petry agreed to a one-year deal to add some depth to this Florida team after finishing with eight points in 44 games with Detroit. The biggest addition for Florida was Luke Kunin who notched 18 points in 63 games with the San Jose Sharks.

Florida Panthers X-Factors

Depth- The core is aging. Though they have done their job by bringing in two Stanley Cups in as many years, the team is older. Barkov is 30, Marchand is 37, Bobrovsky is 37, and Verhaeghe is 30 and while there is a lot of good hockey left in those skates, one has valid reason to wonder whether or not the production can be continued again this year. Aside from those aging stars, the depth is full of unproven skaters who are looking to step into some big shoes and keep Florida in their winning ways. Tkachuk has dealt with injuries and is out until at least December, and the health of the other Panthers becomes an increasingly important storyline to follow with the aging core and depth concerns.

Florida Panthers Goalie Outlook

As mentioned before, Bobrovsky is soon to be 38 as he enters his 16th season in the league. He has started over half of the Panthers games since joining the team back in 2019 and his numbers continue to reflect that he is still one of the best and most consistent goalies in the NHL. He has 11 shutouts over the last two seasons and has 69 wins over that span as well. Tarasov is going to be relied on to back up the aging netminder and he will need to improve on his numbers in order to keep Florida in the mix. An injury to Bobrovsky would derail any championship aspirations for the Panthers. If Bobrovsky can stay healthy and dominate despite his age, Florida is set. If not, they are in big trouble.

Grade: B-

Florida Panthers Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +650

Conference Winner: +320

Division Winner: +170

Hart Trophy- Matthew Tkachuk: +8000

Hart Trophy- Aleksander Barkov: +6500

Vezina Trophy- Sergei Bobrovsky: +1900

Florida Panthers Prediction

Despite winning the Stanley Cup over the last two seasons, I expect Florida to take a step back this season. While they still have the pieces in place to win in the playoffs, I do not expect this team to reach 100 points during the regular season. If last year was any proof, Florida doesn’t need to reach a triple digit point total, they just need to stay healthy and get going at the right time. They will hit the under on the point total, but like last year there is a lot to like about a deep run due to the top heavy, star-studded roster. Depth will keep them from continuing the repeat, so don’t be enticed by the +650 odds as there is better value elsewhere.

Under 105.5 Team Total Points

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