Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers: History, Stats and Everything You Need to Know

The Florida Panthers spent three decades as one of the NHL's most overlooked franchises. Then, in 2024, they finally broke through — and followed it up with a repeat championship in 2025, cementing themselves as the league's newest dynasty.

Quick Facts: Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers History

The NHL announced the Panthers as an expansion franchise in 1993, and the team took the ice for its first game later that same year. Remarkably, the young club set the record for most points by an expansion team in its debut season, and by 1996, it had already reached the Stanley Cup Final, though the Colorado Avalanche swept them in four games.

After that early flash of success, the franchise then spent nearly two decades as one of the league's least relevant teams. Businessman Vincent Viola changed that in 2013, when he paid $250 million to buy the club and immediately set a clear goal: bring a Stanley Cup to South Florida. The turnaround took over a decade, but the Panthers finally delivered.

Back-to-Back Champions

The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final again in 2023, this time falling to the Vegas Golden Knights. The very next year, though, they went all the way: Florida beat the Edmonton Oilers in a dramatic Game 7 to capture its first-ever Stanley Cup in 2024. The Panthers then repeated the feat in 2025, defeating Edmonton once more to become back-to-back champions.

• A 30-year wait, finally over: The 2024 title ended three full decades of frustration for a franchise that had made the playoffs just once between 2000 and 2013.
• Individual accolades: Beyond the championships, captain Aleksander Barkov has anchored the roster as one of the league's premier two-way centers throughout the run.

From worst to dynasty: Under Vincent Viola's ownership, the Panthers transformed from a franchise most fans overlooked into back-to-back Stanley Cup champions — a turnaround few teams in NHL history can match.

2025-26 Season and What's Next

Florida missed the playoffs in 2025-26, finishing 40-38-4 and seventh in the Atlantic Division after captain Aleksander Barkov went down with a season-ending injury. Even so, the front office moved aggressively that offseason: on June 23, 2026, the Panthers acquired star forward Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators, signaling their intent to get right back into championship contention.