The Florida Panthers were the unanimous No. 1 in NHL.com’s latest Super 16 power rankings. Here’s what senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke had to say about the Cats:
1. Florida Panthers
Total points: 208
“The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions return virtually intact from the team that steamrolled through the playoff field last season, capped by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the Final for the second straight season. Somehow, the Panthers were able to keep all their key contributors aside from defenseman Nate Schmidt, who was replaced by veteran Jeff Petry. Will they be the best team in October? On paper yes, but they will have to navigate the physical and emotional baggage associated with playing deep into June for three straight seasons. But, one thing we know about this squad, coached by Paul Maurice, is they are at their best when it matters most. There were 10 teams better than Florida during the 2024-25 regular season, but nobody could touch this team in May and June. Expect more of the same.”
In another piece of Panthers-related news, Sam Reinhart’s contract was ranked fourth-best in The Athletic’s NHL’s 10 best contracts, 2025 edition ($) article.
4. Sam Reinhart
Contract: $8.6M x seven years
Surplus Value: $37M
Positive Value Probability: 96 percent
Of all of Florida’s deals that make non-Panthers fans scream “come on” in unison and blame state taxes, this one remains the most infuriating. For Panthers fans, it’s yet another substantial win.
Fresh off a year where Reinhart scored 57 goals and finished fourth in Selke voting, the Panthers seemingly got to pretend that season never happened during contract negotiations. Reinhart’s $8.6 million cap hit makes a lot more sense based on what he was after his 2023-24 season, and not based on the seismic leap he took in 2024-25.
Was regression likely? Yes. But not to the degree that Reinhart ended up making $3 million less than his contemporaries such as William Nylander and Elias Pettersson. If that was the market for a 90-point forward, Florida went way under it. Those savings probably afforded the Panthers the ability to trade for Brad Marchand — and the rest is history.
What adds further salt to the wound is that Reinhart is not only cheaper than Nylander and Pettersson but also probably better. That’s because of his defensive game, which has finally received the respect it deserves over the last two years. While Reinhart’s production did predictably regress last season, his defensive game took another step — enough to finish second in Selke voting behind teammate Aleksander Barkov.
Over the last two seasons, Reinhart has cemented himself as one of the league’s best players. For the next seven years, he’ll be an absolute steal.
A little surprised that Gustav Forsling’s deal didn’t make the cut… Here’s the rest of the list:
- Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)
- Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers)
- Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
- Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
- Dylan Guenther (Utah Mammoth)
- Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings)
- Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild)
- Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators)
Panthers prospect Linus Eriksson will be in action this afternoon when Sweden takes on United States, which has combined its previously split rosters. at 2 p.m. at the World Junior Summer showcase in Minneapolis. Eriksson has centered Sweden’s second line in the first two games, both wins, of the showcase. He is still looking for his first point.
Enjoy your Wednesday!