Offseason plans for the Oilers after consecutive Stanley Cup defeats

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers had to triumph the Stanley Cup, and past they had to win different one, due to the fact that it's the eventual mode to infuriate everyone who isn't the Florida Panthers.

They're the astir antagonistic trash-talking bullies successful the National Hockey League. Opponents decry their actions and fans of different teams outright loathe them. It took 29 years, but the franchise made celebrated for having rats thrown connected the ice besides present has the astir celebrated rat connected the crystal successful winger Brad Marchand -- a statement he has accepted. Being the past squad lasting isn't conscionable a tribute to their elite preparation, execution and talent. It's delivering connected the committedness of their endless taunting.

"It's the bad-boy mentality. They embody it. They deed you and past they basal implicit you and archer you however overmuch amended they are than you. And past they archer you that you're going to beryllium beaten, by immoderate means necessary," 1 existent NHL subordinate told ESPN. "They're going to bash everything they tin to embarrass you, not lone physically but connected the scoreboard."

It's the provocation from players specified arsenic Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk. It's their quality to crockery it retired and gleefully instrumentality it, specified arsenic erstwhile big-bearded Jonah Gadjovich stuck retired his lingua astatine the Edmonton Oilers aft having been bloodied successful a combat with Darnell Nurse.

It's the opposing goalies with whom halfway Sam Bennett has collided with a plausible deniability of guilt. It's their quality to gully penalties but not instrumentality them. "They look to get distant with it much than we do. It's pugnacious to find the line," Oilers winger Evander Kane lamented during the Stanley Cup Final.

Marchand responded to Kane: "Sometimes we get distant with things. You can't telephone everything each the time."

The much nefarious parts of the Panthers' crippled are a feature, not a bug. Their antagonism and swagger are the sweeteners for 1 of the champion recipes for occurrence the league has seen cooked up: Offensive domination, antiaircraft suffocation and astir a twelve players that ever look to emergence to the occasion.

Florida has precocious to 3 Stanley Cup Finals nether caput manager Paul Maurice. They're the archetypal squad to bash truthful successful 3 consecutive afloat NHL seasons since the Edmonton Oilers from 1983-85. (The Tampa Bay Lightning won 2 Cups and mislaid successful their 3rd travel to the Final during the season-altering COVID-19 pandemic.)

Like the 80s epoch Oilers, the Panthers mislaid successful their archetypal trip, getting eliminated successful 5 games against the Vegas Golden Knights, and past won back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Panthers are the seventh squad successful the past 40 seasons to triumph consecutive Cups.

No 1 other successful the NHL tin lucifer their depth. Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, some finalists for the Selke Trophy arsenic champion antiaircraft forwards successful the NHL, connected their apical line, deployed with frequence against Oilers prima Connor McDavid. Bennett, starring each playoff scorers successful goals, and superstar winger/agent of chaos Tkachuk connected the 2nd line. Marchand, redeeming the champion playoff bid of his beingness for the Stanley Cup Final, cementing an unmatchable 3rd enactment with criminally underrated forwards Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell.

Two antiaircraft pairings -- Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling, arsenic good arsenic Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola -- that were superb successful the postseason. When each other failed, Sergei Bobrovsky was the perfect past enactment of defence successful goal.

The Panthers were the champion roadworthy squad successful NHL playoff history, tying the grounds for wins (10) and obliterating the grounds for goals scored distant from home: 61, oregon 12 much than Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings scored successful 1993 (49).

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Sam Reinhart nets 4 goals successful Game 6

Sam Reinhart scores 4 for the Panthers successful Game 6 against the Oilers.

"Anybody that knows hockey is successful awe of what they've been capable to accomplish," said Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier, a subordinate of 2 abstracted back-to-back Cup winners successful Edmonton, who is present an expert for ESPN.

Messier doesn't spot the Panthers arsenic a squad defined by their villainy.

"They tin play immoderate benignant that you want. They person specified underrated endowment astatine galore positions," helium said. "You don't get the close players astatine the close stages of their careers each the time. This is simply a precise sophisticated, talented, driven team."

Someone other that doesn't privation the Florida Panthers defined solely arsenic agitating bullies?

The Florida Panthers themselves.

"I conscionable don't spot wherever we're these large carnal sons of b----es," wide manager Bill Zito said.

The Panthers reason that the on-ice antics others person utilized to specify them successful these 2 Stanley Cup title runs aren't indicative of who these players are disconnected the ice. That perceptions of their villainy shouldn't overshadow the chemistry, civilization and camaraderie that are the existent foundations for these championships.

"We don't speech astir it. That's not our style. That's not what we speech astir earlier games," Tkachuk said. "We privation to play accelerated and physical. We privation to instrumentality up for each different erstwhile it's there."

Are the Florida Panthers really the friendliest "rats" to ever to triumph the Stanley Cup twice?

"At the extremity of the day, you're consenting to bash things connected the crystal that aren't emblematic of you arsenic a idiosyncratic disconnected the ice," Marchand said.

THERE'S PROBABLY NO GREATER denotation that the Panthers frustrate opponents than the passionateness with which opponents curse that the Panthers bash not, successful fact, frustrate them.

"[Agitation] is portion of their DNA. It's what they do," Oilers halfway Leon Draisaitl said during the Stanley Cup Final. "I'm not going crazy. I don't deliberation anybody's going crazy. It's an affectional time. They're bully astatine what they do. But nary one's going brainsick here."

Kane said the Panthers' estimation for agitation is simply a spot overstated.

"You cognize what? I deliberation they get a small excessively overmuch recognition for however brainsick they thrust teams. I don't deliberation it's Florida driving america brainsick astatine all. We've done a large occupation of not letting them get successful our heads," said Kane, who had much punishment minutes successful the archetypal 5 games of the Stanley Cup Final (20) than helium had successful his erstwhile 15 playoff games combined (12).

Playing the Panthers tin beryllium exasperating. Not lone successful the things they do, but successful however they get distant with the things they do. Such arsenic erstwhile Bennett keeps colliding with opposing goaltenders.

It happened astatine slightest 4 times successful this playoff run, astir infamously erstwhile Bennett concussed erstwhile teammate Anthony Stolarz of the Toronto Maple Leafs successful Game 1 of the 2nd round. Stolarz wouldn't instrumentality to the playoffs. Bennett wasn't penalized, and determination were nary repercussions with the NHL Department of Player Safety. But Toronto fans and media were outraged, adding this Bennett incidental to a database of others successful his vocation -- including erstwhile helium concussed Leafs guardant Matthew Knies by throwing him to the crystal successful May 2023.

"I've seen each deed that Sam Bennett's thrown since helium was 12 years aged connected TV this morning," Maurice said the time aft the Stolarz incident. "There was a deed 2½ years agone that [the media has] shown 4,000 times. There was a parking summons 7 years agone that I deliberation made the video."

In the 2025 playoffs, Bennett would besides collide with Carolina's Frederik Andersen, and had 2 instances successful which helium toppled into Stuart Skinner's crease against the Oilers.

"Obviously, you don't similar erstwhile guys are purposely falling into your goaltender," Kane said.

For galore opponents, the Panthers are Team "They Just Can't Keep Getting Away With It" successful the NHL.

"It's annoyingly frustrating," 1 existent NHL subordinate said. "When you play them, you're like, 'They figured it out.' They're being smart, successful quotation marks, erstwhile it comes to that benignant of stuff. But it's each wrong the rules."

Defenseman Nate Schmidt hated facing the Panthers earlier signing with them past offseason. "I've got to archer you that playing against them is nary fun," helium said. "I bash bask playing with them versus being connected the different broadside of things."

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Fight breaks retired betwixt Panthers, Oilers

A large brawl erupts arsenic tensions boil implicit betwixt the Panthers and the Oilers successful Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Panthers weren't ever arsenic provocative arsenic they are now. Back successful 2022, Florida won the Presidents' Trophy with the league's champion grounds (122 points) and its champion discourtesy (4.11 goals per game) nether interim manager Andrew Brunette, who took implicit aft caput manager Joel Quenneville's resignation. Their starring scorer was winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who had 115 points successful 80 games, tied for 2nd wide successful the NHL.

But aft the Panthers were swept successful the 2nd circular by the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, it was evident that their regular-season occurrence didn't construe to the postseason aft "an in-depth introspection of each aspects of our team," arsenic Zito termed it astatine the time. On June 22, it was announced that Brunette was done and that Paul Maurice would beryllium the caller caput coach.

That hiring wasn't universally praised -- Maurice had been down NHL benches since the mid-1990s with the Hartford Whalers, with lone 1 travel to the Stanley Cup Final successful 2002 to his credit. But Zito said the Panthers' alteration successful cognition "starts with Paul."

The Panthers had 842 punishment minutes successful their Presidents' Trophy season. They accrued to 998 successful Maurice's archetypal season, and past 1,116 successful his 2nd season, erstwhile Florida won the Stanley Cup.

One period aft Maurice's hiring came different landmark moment, and an adjacent much shocking one: Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar were traded to the Calgary Flames for Tkachuk.

The Panthers had present entered their Swagger Era.

"I hatred Edmonton, but I hatred Tampa much now," was the declarative connection from Tkachuk astatine his introductory quality conference. The Lightning had eliminated the Panthers successful consecutive postseasons. It is possibly nary coincidence that Florida is 2-0 against Tampa Bay and Edmonton since the Tkachuk trade.

"I bring a definite swagger that volition truly assistance this team," Tkachuk said astatine the time. "I person a bully confidence. It's not a cockiness. I deliberation immoderate of these teams successful this league that person had occurrence person that. I person to assistance with that."

A large portion of that swagger comes from Tkachuk's willingness to accidental thing oregon bash thing to win, arsenic anyone who watched the first USA vs. Canada game successful the 4 Nations Face-Off nary uncertainty recalls. But Zito said that Tkachuk is the personification of wherefore the Panthers are misunderstood arsenic the NHL's existent reigning bullies -- their agitation simply comes from however hard it is to play against him.

"He has a nuanced crippled that combines elite hands and hockey consciousness with a level of compete. When you look crossed the league astatine the players who person that, beauteous overmuch to a man, they're agitating," Zito said.

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Matthew Tkachuk fired up aft padding Panthers' lead

Matthew Tkachuk lights the lamp to pad the Panthers' pb successful the archetypal period.

This is wherever the Panthers cull the premise that they're the king rats of the NHL.

"I deliberation our estimation is conscionable guys that play hard. We don't similar giving abstraction connected the ice, and that leads to a batch of confrontation and a batch of collisions and worldly similar that," defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "And it's not needfully that we're being bullies, we're conscionable trying to play arsenic hard arsenic we perchance can."

Zito agreed.

"Bodychecking is portion of the crippled of hockey. When you play the crippled the close mode and wage attraction to each the details, checking is going to beryllium portion of it. It's not to intimidate. It's not to injure. It's virtually truthful that you can't get into the play if I bump into you," Zito said. "It's conscionable chess, but with clip and space. So it's effective."

Marchand has present been a portion of 2 of the astir hard teams successful the NHL to play against: The Boston Bruins, with whom helium won the Stanley Cup successful 2011, and the Panthers, with whom helium lifted 1 connected Tuesday.

Both teams were called "bullies" -- it's hard to hide the representation of Marchand delivering a bid of blows to Daniel Sedin's caput successful the Stanley Cup Final against Vancouver. But some teams, according to Marchand, conscionable played the mode you request to play to past successful the postseason.

"Obviously, the high-end accomplishment crippled and finesse, it gets you here, but it takes a full antithetic crippled and level to instrumentality you far," helium said. "That's evidently what we had for a precise agelong clip successful Boston. What Florida's done a large occupation astatine is gathering a squad that's pugnacious to vie against this clip of year. So that's the benignant of crippled that you privation to beryllium portion of."

Marchand has personally experienced the villainous broadside of the Panthers. Bennett gave him a gloved punch successful past year's playoffs that near Marchand concussed and forced him retired of their series.

"I didn't clasp a grudge. I cognize however this game's played. I played a akin mode and it's thing that we gag astir now," said Marchand, present Bennett's teammate. "I've been successful positions wherever I've done things similar that to guys that I extremity up being teammates with. Things hap connected the crystal and you determination past it."

That's hockey, according to Marchand.

"I can't talk for different sports, but our civilization is wherever you could combat a feline and conscionable up afterwards and laughter astir everything. That's conscionable however it is," helium said. "You're doing a occupation erstwhile you're connected the ice. That's all."

Which is to accidental that disconnected the ice, the Panthers are antithetic people. And that chemistry is the existent crushed wherefore they've skated the Cup for a 2nd consecutive time, according to them.

"They're hard connected the ice. They are. And astir of that is driven by however they consciousness astir each other. They don't privation to fto the different feline down. There's a caring astir them," Maurice said. "These guys are different."

IF MARCHAND HAS learned thing with the Florida Panthers, it's that integrative rats wounded erstwhile your teammates are slap shooting them astatine you.

In 1 of the playoffs' astir memorable caller traditions, Panthers players would take turns shooting rats, tossed connected the crystal by fans, astatine Marchand aft victories.

"They spot my household connected the crystal and privation america to beryllium together," Marchand deadpanned. "They're conscionable bullying me. They're shooting to wounded now."

Besides being their astir ascendant scorer successful the Stanley Cup Final, Marchand was besides the fulcrum for the Panthers' merriment aft coming implicit from the Bruins astatine the commercialized deadline.

"Marchy and I bounce disconnected the walls rather a bit. It's bully to person idiosyncratic other to bash that with," Schmidt said. "One bouncy shot is fun. When you bang 2 of them together? It's a small spot much fun. So I've enjoyed his clip here."

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Brad Marchand scores 56 seconds successful to springiness Panthers aboriginal lead

Brad Marchand flicks it successful done a assemblage of defenders to springiness the Panthers an aboriginal pb vs. the Oilers.

The bouncing astir during the pregame. The rat-shooting. The now-legendary poker games connected cross-continent flights. The squad tract trips to Dairy Queen, and the consequent disorder astir whether Marchand was eating a Blizzard betwixt periods of a playoff game.

(Spoiler: It was honey, thing Marchand has enjoyed since helium was a kid feeding it to his stuffed Winnie the Pooh doll. "It's what we bash successful Halifax. We provender teddy bears honey," helium said.)

"There's a cardinal things that hap down the scenes that fans don't see," Marchand said. "Those are small things that marque it a small spot easier and let you to get your caput disconnected immoderate of the stress. I deliberation you tin spot erstwhile we're together, we're conscionable similar large kids. Behind closed doors, everyone's ever joking astir and having fun."

There's a democratization of drama successful the Panthers' dressing room. The players accidental nary 1 is spared from the punchlines, nary substance their wage oregon crystal time. It's the byproduct of the team's wide mindset. When Tkachuk says "nobody cares who scores," they mean it.

"It can't beryllium overstated, the quality and ... I don't cognize if it's the close word, but the grace of each guy. If you came into the repast room, you wouldn't ... cognize ... who's ... who," Zito said, pounding his hands connected the array for emphasis. "You didn't cognize who scored the winning goal. You didn't cognize who didn't play. I deliberation that, arsenic overmuch arsenic anything, is simply a testament to those guys and their character."

Every offseason, Maurice does a "culture survey" for his team. Last offseason, 1 of the players reported that erstwhile they walked into the Panthers' dressing country for the archetypal clip "it felt similar I'd been determination for 10 years" with the team.

"That country that we person is truthful welcoming. Your property fits astir nary substance what it is. The much antithetic your personality, the much you're going to acceptable successful our room," Maurice said. "As agelong arsenic you bash those 4 oregon 5 things you request to do, everybody gets to beryllium themselves."

What makes that chemistry work?

"That's each Barkov, truly," Maurice said.

"[Barkov] is similar a magnet. You conscionable find yourself gravitating towards him," Schmidt said. "You spot what Cap does and it conscionable benignant of trickles its mode each the mode done the lineup. There's conscionable nary different mode to bash it. It's not similar he's not a vocally imposing person. It's just, you request to bash it due to the fact that it feels similar you person to bash it for him."

Zito likened Barkov to a satellite with "all the vigor that comes from him" arsenic a leader.

"It starts with Sasha," the GM said. "Paul's talked astir this. I've talked astir it. The players person talked astir it. The lone idiosyncratic who doesn't [get] talked astir it is Sasha. How caring helium is arsenic a quality and arsenic a teammate. He makes you privation to beryllium a amended person. So past it's casual to person the affirmative aspects of your property travel through. It's similar helium pulls it retired of you."

Barkov has learned from his teammates, too. Marchand successful particular, since helium arrived astatine the commercialized deadline.

"He's evidently precise old, but helium inactive works hard and wants to beryllium better," said Barkov, 29, of the 37-year-old Marchand. (See? Everyone gets clowned on.) "It's amusive to see, and it's contagious. You privation to enactment arsenic hard arsenic him."

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Panthers spell up 3-0 connected Sam Reinhart's 2nd goal

Sam Reinhart notches his 2nd extremity to springiness the Panthers a 3-0 pb successful the 2nd period.

Every incarnation of the Panthers during their three-year reign arsenic Eastern Conference champions has seen turnover connected the roster. Eric and Marc Staal, arsenic good arsenic Radko Gudas, were connected the 2023 team. Brandon Montour, Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Vladimir Tarasenko were connected the Stanley Cup victor past season. This play saw Marchand, Schmidt, Seth Jones and A.J. Greer articulation the roster, among others.

"You conscionable effort to acceptable in, travel successful and not disturb anything, not alteration anything. Just seamlessly trying to blend successful and adhd a small spot of your spice, I conjecture you'd say," said Greer, who signed arsenic a escaped agent.

"Coming into a radical who had conscionable won the Stanley Cup, I was conscionable trying to inject a small spot of energy. They had a agelong season. Sometimes that tin get to you mentally and physically of course. So I travel successful and benignant of replenish that energy, bring successful a caller look and conscionable beryllium myself, personality-wise," helium said. "The guys welcomed maine very, precise well. Those guys that are each astir the locker country and that's a large crushed wherefore they won."

To perceive the stories of humility and familial warmth from wrong the Panthers remains successful stark opposition with the squad that often emerges connected the ice. They are the epitome of "a subordinate you emotion to person connected your squad and hatred to play against," a time-tested hockey cliché that Marchand utilized to picture Bennett recently. They frustrate opponents during games and propulsion each different to play similar champions down the scenes.

"This is thing astir hockey civilization that makes it peculiar and unique," 1 existent NHL subordinate said. "Some of the guys that are the biggest pieces of s--- connected the crystal are the top radical disconnected the ice."

Maurice was precocious asked astir that dichotomy.

"I'll inquire you 2 questions that mightiness beryllium personal. You don't person to answer. Have you ever shotgunned a beer? And person you ever been to church?" helium began.

"Now, would you shotgun a brew if you're successful church? No, you wouldn't, and that doesn't marque you a hypocrite. There's a discourse successful that spot for each things."

Maurice hated facing Tkachuk erstwhile helium was coaching successful Winnipeg and Tkachuk was successful Calgary. His swagger connected the crystal informed Maurice's sentiment astir him arsenic a person, which was rapidly dispelled erstwhile the 2 were agreed successful Florida.

"You conscionable him and you're like, 'Oh my god, what a fantastic quality being,'" Maurice said.

Same with Marchand. Same with Bennett, who is "a canine connected a bone" connected the crystal but raises wealth to assistance find adoptive homes for canines successful his spare time.

The Panthers aren't conscionable what they are connected the ice. They aren't conscionable what they are disconnected the ice. But the sum of those parts -- the harm and the harmony -- combined to marque them back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.

"They're each really, truly bully people," Maurice said of his team. "Then the puck drops."