Panthers Secure Chance to Defend Stanley Cup

The Florida Panthers became the latest team to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, making their championship defense official.

Mar 30, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) reacts from the bench after the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Florida Panthers are officially set to defend their Stanley Cup championship. With some help from some Eastern Conference teams, the defending champs clinched their spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs despite losing their most recent game.

The Panthers are now set to embark on a difficult path back to the Stanley Cup Finals. It begins with the Atlantic Division still shaking out. The Cats could claim the division title, but the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs hope to disrupt that pursuit. The three teams have been jockeying for the first-place position for the entire second half of the regular season. Now all three have clinched a spot in the postseason and have legitimate chances to win the whole thing.

Chasing more.

We’re heading to defend our title! pic.twitter.com/wXL1C2yHRr

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 6, 2025

The scary thing about the Panthers is they are playing without their full lineup. Star winger Matthew Tkachuk has been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off with an upper-body injury. Top defender Aaron Ekblad is still serving a lengthy suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Bottom-six center Nico Sturm is battling back to the lineup as well.

If the Panthers can get healthy, they have a real shot to repeat as champions. With starting goalie Sergei Bobrovksy still holding down the crease and a forward group led by one of the best two-way players in the game in Sasha Barkov, the Panthers have a dangerous team that knows how to win in the biggest moments.

The one question mark for Florida is their big trade deadline acquisition, winger Brad Marchand, They acquired the former Boston Bruins captain in a shocking in-division trade, but the expectation was for him to help spread the scoring in the the top three lines.

So far, Marchand looks like he’s still getting his footing in Florida. He has a single assist in four games, but has played at least 15:42 minutes of ice time per game in that stretch. With the Bruins, he recorded 21 goals and 48 points in 61 games and the Panthers need him to bring that scoring and grit to the Panthers' imminent playoff run.

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