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The 5 Biggest Themes from the Panthers Coach and GM at Media Day

What came out of availability with Bill Zito and Paul Maurice as training camp starts
Ethan J. Skolnick|
Ethan Skolnick

FORT LAUDERDALE -- The Florida Panthers held their annual media day Wednesday, in advance of a condensed training camp, in an odd position:

Challengers not champions.

For the first time in three years, the Panthers are not coming off a Stanley Cup title. They aren't even coming off a playoff appearance, having missed the postseason in 2025-26 due to a rash of injuries, that began with Sasha Barkov shredding his knee on the first day of camp.

Now Barkov is back, fully back, the roster is fortified -- especially up front -- and the Panthers are coming off a long offseason which gave them more time to get rested and ready.

Here are five of the most important things that came out of the media availability with general manager Bill Zito and coach Paul Maurice, who have reached three Stanley Cup finals together during their partnership:

Barkov... back

The low-key captain addressed this after Zito and Maurice finished their sessions.

"Going into this camp tomorrow, I feel totally normal," Barkov said.

That, he said, was not just physically but mentally -- now that he won a gold medal at Worlds for Finland, and was at times his old dominant self in the tournament.

Zito and Maurice seem convinced of the same. Maurice said that he still believed the Panthers could make the playoffs last season after Barkov went down -- but only before nearly everyone else of consequence got hurt too.

"But when I say he makes everyone better, he makes the coach better (too)," Maurice said. "I missed being able to call his name."

Some Humbling Was Needed

While neither Zito nor Maurice expressed that the team had become complacent last season, both did acknowledge that missing the playoffs gives the team new urgency and energy.

"We have to be ready," Zito said. "We didn't make the playoffs last year."

Maurice referenced the vast improvement of the East over the past few years -- no soft underbelly like before, and now with another new champion in Carolina.

"I'm excited about the regular season this year," Maurice said. "And I haven't felt that way in three or four years.... It's on."

It's Nice to Have a Second Tkachuk

The acquisition of Brady Tkachuk, to join his brother Matthew, has been energizing for them. (Sam Reinhart later joked that it's like having a podcast in the locker room).

Maurice said that he will challenge Brady, "who is good at so many things" to try to simply "be great at two or three."

And he reiterated that he will be playing Brady on Barkov's line, and not with his brother, at least not regularly at the start, and not except for on special teams at times.

"We talk about Sasha Barkov and how good he is," Maurice said, "but he has never played with a big man like (Brady) who can control the puck."

He thanked Zito for getting him someone who fits ideally into the Panthers culture and play style.

No Going Easy

With everyone coming in healthy, with the exception of Brad Marchand -- whom Maurice said would be back "early in the regular season" -- and a shortened camp, Maurice said he will push the veterans hard at the start, and then shut them down for a few days before the season starts.

The Panthers open the preseason on Sept. 20 and 22 against Carolina, with a home-and-home.

The Jokes Are Still Coming

It's not Maurice's style to be tight, and that won't change, apparently.

When asked about playing the Tkachuks together with fellow irritant Bennett, he quipped:

"They'll be in jail before the puck drops."

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan is the CEO of Five Reasons Sports Network, based in South Florida and manages the OnSI sites for the Florida Panthers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks. Previously, he wrote for all the major newspapers in South Florida as well as Bleacher Report, and was an afternoon drive radio host. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University.

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