How the Florida Panthers Built an Unbeatable Team

i want you to go back to 2020 the NHL was in a bubble the world was on pause and the Florida Panthers they were stuck in the same place they’d been for years irrelevant they had talent sure or was underrated hubedo was flashy but they couldn’t win when it mattered no identity no edge just another team floating in the middle now fast forward 5 years the Panthers are the most feared team in hockey three straight trips to the Stanley Cup final back-to-back championships and a roster that’s looked like it was built in a lab for playoff hockey fast physical relentless and completely miserable to play against this didn’t happen by accident it started the moment Bill Zo took over he wasn’t afraid to tear it all down he traded the stars brought in guys with bite and took swings that nobody else would kiran Paul Murray signing gritty veterans flipping the entire team culture in less than a season while other teams chased regular season highlights the Panthers built a machine built for May and June and now they’re not just good they’re dominant this is how the Florida Panthers built an unbeatable team like I said we really have to go back to 2020 to fully understand the rise of the Panthers because none of this happens without the hiring of Bill Zitto at the time it didn’t seem like a franchise altering decision zitto wasn’t a big name he’d spent most of his career as a player agent and then moved into the Blue Jackets front office under Yarmokinan florida brought him in to replace Dale Talon and right away Zitto made it clear he wasn’t there to tweak the edges he wanted to build something that could last something that could win in the playoffs his first season in charge was the 2021 shortened pandemic year most GMs would have taken that as a grace period not ZTO he got to work immediately reshaping the roster with smaller under the radar moves that added up fast at the time the Panthers had a strong record of 2612 and 4 which was essentially a lock for the playoffs so Zitto made the call he was going to be a buyer at the deadline florida had the talent to make a run and now is about reinforcing the structure and filling in the gaps he didn’t chase superstars but instead made targeted tactical moves to build out depth first he picked up Gustaf Forsling from Wavers where Chicago dropped him and then at the 2021 trade deadline Zitto brought in defenseman Brandon Montour from Buffalo for a third round pick montour was known for his skating and puck moving ability and while he wasn’t having the best year statistically Zitto saw potential and a need he also acquired Sam Bennett from Calgary in exchange for a second round pick and prospect Emil Hineman bennett had never really fully clicked with the Flames but he had playoff experience a physical edge and a kind of high motor game that thrives in a postseason setting in Florida Bennett found new life he slotted into the top six role and he immediately started producing and gave the Panthers a nasty in-your-face forward that they’d been missing for years individually none of these moves really made headlines but together they showed exactly what Zita was doing quietly building a deeper harder team to play against piece by piece the moves paid off as the Panthers clinched a playoff spot and looked like a legitimate threat heading into the postseason in the first round they were matched up against the defending Stanley Cup champions the Tampa Bay Lightning it was a fast physical and at times chaotic series but Florida ultimately came up short losing in six games tampa would go on to win the Stanley Cup for a second year in a row making the Panthers look like their Florida little brothers but it wasn’t going to stay that way for long the summer of 2021 marked another strong offseason for the Panthers after a competitive year and a first round exit Bill Zito continued to tighten the roster he traded a first- round pick and a goalie prospect Deon Levi to Buffalo for Sam Reinhardt a dependable top six forward who had led the Sabres in scoring that year reinhardt brought consistency vision and a scoring touch all things Florida’s forward group could use more of zitto also resigned Brandon Montour Carter Rahee and Gustaf Forsling three players who had become important parts of the lineup montour gave them mobility and edge on the back end verhigi added scoring and speed and Forsling had developed into a reliable two-way defenseman and the next season everything came together the Panthers they were unstoppable they led the league in scoring rolled four dangerous lines every night and overwhelmed teams with speed skill and relentless pressure they finished the year with the best record in the league 58 wins 122 points and they clinched the first President’s Trophy in franchise history jonathan Hubedo put up 115 points barkov continued to be one of the best two-way players in the league and Sam Reinhardt fit in perfectly the team looked like a legitimate cup contender but all that regular season dominance didn’t really translate to playoff success they got past the Capitals in six games their first series win since 1996 but they were then completely shut down by Tampa Bay in the second round the Panthers managed just three goals in four games and they were swept out of the playoffs by their in-state rival for the second straight year it was a harsh reality check the offense had dominated all year but it dried up in the playoffs and the flaws were exposed winning in the regular season was one thing winning in the playoffs was something else entirely and that summer Bill Zoto responded again he followed up the embarrassing second round sweep by firing interim head coach Andrew Brunett who had just led them to a President’s Trophy and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award the move caught a lot of people offguard brunette had taken over mid-season after Joel Quenville’s resignation and guided Florida to the most successful regular season in franchise history but Zitto wasn’t really interested in the regular season results anymore he went out and he hired Paul Maurice as Brunette’s replacement a veteran coach with 20 years of NHL experience maurice had recently stepped down from the Winnipeg Jets saying the team needed a new voice well Zitto believed that he could be the right voice for the Panthers maurice didn’t have a Stanley Cup on his resume and the hire raised plenty of eyebrows especially after a 122 point season but Zitto wasn’t looking for Flash he wanted structure and someone who could actually bring discipline playoff composure and an edge when the game slowed down and got physical it was a bold move but Zitto wasn’t finished because just weeks later he pulled off the biggest trade of his career and maybe the most important trade in franchise history zitto sent Jonathan Hubo Mackenzie Weaguer prospect Cole Schwint and a first round pick to Calgary in exchange for Matthew Kachchuck then he immediately signed Kachchuck to an 8-year deal $76 million just like that one of the flashiest most skilled teams in the league flipped its identity overnight hubo had just put up 115 points weer was a top pairing defenseman but Zitto didn’t hesitate he wasn’t building a team for the regular season anymore he was building a team for the playoffs and in Kachchuck he got exactly that a 24-year-old superstar coming off a 104 point season physical fearless clutch a nightmare to play against and most importantly a guy who wanted to be the centerpiece of a team the next season the 2022 2023 season was a roller coaster for the Panthers it was a big step back from their President’s Trophy run the year before and they barely made the playoffs as the second wild card in the East and things did not get any easier for them in the first round where they had to face the Boston Bruins the Stanley Cup favorites who were coming off a record-breaking regular season with the most wins and points in NHL history florida they fell behind 3 to1 in the series and look like they might be done for but then they flipped the script the Panthers won a close game five then blew out Boston in game six and they forced a game seven final game of the series went to overtime after they tied it in the last minute and Florida pulled off the win with a clutch goal from Carter HGY it was one of the most surprising comebacks in NHL history and it gave the Panthers the confidence boost they needed to keep rolling they then took down the Maple Leafs in the second round and the Canes in the Eastern Conference final and then booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup final the first time they’ve made it since 1996 sure they ended up losing to Vegas in the final but the Panthers run was still unreal it showed how tough and gritty this team really was no one expected them to get that far but they proved that they could hang with anyone in the league that playoff run wasn’t just fun to watch it felt like the moment Florida really arrived as a legit team in the NHL the next season was when everything finally clicked together for Florida they rolled to a 52- win season racking up 110 points good enough to edge out Boston for the top seed in the Atlantic reinhardt exploded with 57 goals and 94 points while Bararkov set the franchise record for career points and won his second Selki trophy but it wasn’t just the offense that came together the defense came together as well as they ranked near the top of the league in goals against and Sergey Babrovski was a Vzna finalist then when the playoffs started Florida ran through the East they swept Tampa they beat Boston in six and then they took down the Rangers in six to reach the Stanley Cup final again they jumped out to a three- nothing lead over Edmonton nearly blew it but closed things out in game seven at home to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup barkov became the first Finnish captain to lift the cup and Paul Maurice finally got his ring after 30 years behind the bench the Panthers followed up their Stanley Cup win with another strong season finishing with 47 wins and locking up third in the Atlantic Division sam Reinhardt put up 39 goals and 81 points bararkov continued his elite two-way play and brought home another Silky trophy and Barowski stayed solid in net with 33 wins at the trade deadline Florida made a splash by acquiring veteran forward Brad Marshand a move that raised many eyebrows at the time but it turned out to be one of the most impactful trades of the year in the playoffs everything came together florida started by taking down Tampa Bay in five games then taking out Toronto in a back andforth sevengame series and then followed it by a dominant fivegame series win over the Carolina Hurricanes to reach the Stanley Cup for the third straight year and they would be playing Edmonton for the second straight year they held their ground through a hard-fought series and ultimately closed it out in six games with a 5-1 victory in game six reinhardt exploded with four goals in that final game bennett led the playoffs in goals and earned the Kon Smith trophy and Brad Marshand had 20 points in 23 games and proved to be one of the best deadline acquisitions of all time with back-to-back cup wins secured Florida has firmly cemented itself as one of the best teams in the salary cap era at the end of the day the Panthers success didn’t happen overnight bill Zito came in with a plan to build a team that’s strong skilled and tough to beat in the playoffs and that’s exactly what he did whether it was trading for key guys signing important pieces or bringing in Paul Maurice as the coach everything was done with a clear goal in mind and the result of all that back-to back Stanley Cups the Panthers showed what can happen when you’re patient smart and committed to building something that lasts and honestly it feels like this is just the start of something special

The Florida Panthers went from irrelevant to unstoppable. Three straight Finals. Back-to-back Cups. And a roster that bleeds playoff hockey. But this wasn’t luck — it was a masterclass in team-building. From Bill Zito’s bold trades to Paul Maurice’s leadership, here’s how Florida built the NHL’s most dominant machine, and why their dynasty might just be beginning.

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40 comments

  7. I remember how Tampa ripped my heart out when they swept us, thinking we were never going to make it over the hump, especially being the President’s Trophy winners. The relocation rumors didn’t help either.

    That was only 3 years ago, they ended up making it to the finals every year since then. What a turnaround.

  10. That 2017-2020 stretch was lowkey more painful than 2002-2012. Just textbook mediocrity, bubble playoff team that couldn’t win late in the year. Reminds me of the 2000-present Miami Dolphins lol. In 2018-19 the year before Covid I believe we had a 36-32-14 with a 75 year old Luongo (no disrespect I love you dude) in net and an atrocious defense led by Mr. pylon himself Keith Yandle (again no disrespect we love you now), a offense first Ekblad and Weegar, followed by depth D-Men that had no business being on an NHL roster, poor Luongo dude. The tenacious Barkov we know today full of talent but was a timid underrated player, Huberdeau was a flashy playmaker but when the going got tough he tends to pout and feel sorry for himself. And surround those 2 core players were a bunch of one dimensional role players. Don’t get me wrong their forward group was actually pretty damn good and produced very well, Barky, Huby, Mike Hoffman (36 Goals), Evgeny Dadonov, Vinny Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad, Franky Vatrano, and Jared McCann all in their prime I mean they had a nice looking squad. But when it came to grit, tenacity, will to win, it just wasn’t there at all. Not to mention the non existent depth on the roster, for crying out loud Brian Boyle was in the starting lineup and others you wouldn’t even remember played in the show. And of course we can’t forget about Bob Boughner possibly the worst coach in Panthers history if we’re not including that one time Tom Rowe decided to hire himself as the interim head coach 💀💀💀. Anyway this current team is friggin night and day and we all owe it to Mr. Bill Zito. What a legend.

  11. Congrats to everyone except ratchuck Bennet and ekblad they are scum of the earth. They’ve made me forgive marchand. MARCHAND. Absolutely disgraceful what these sleeze bags got a way with, they are basically the 80s pistons they don’t want to play the game they want to hurt you. Karma is a lie.

  14. Opinions are just that and mine is this team will be the second dynasty since the salary cap in the early 2000s the first and this might be a little bias since Chicago is the team I support but the 2010 Chicago team is the first dynasty chicago had ever seen it’s also the first one since the salary cap and again in my opinion the best team that chicago the franchise has ever seen, the way everything lined up from getting towes then kane the year following, getting saad, Bickel, Crawford, dunken Keith, Dave bolland, David bufflen, like the list just keeps going and going that team honestly was a special team and I know it changed up threw out those couple years right but the main core was always there and it held the team together but these cats man I swear there a good team, I said it back in there first finals they reached that it was coming and now they have back to back, I won’t be surprised if they go for 3 honestly and even if they don’t and they win another one if a year or two, they will have cemented that team as a dynasty and I think it will just like how no one seen the hawks doing it, no one will see the cats but a ever few, I was going for Edmonton just bc I Am Canadian but hey I knew from when they beat the lighting in 5 that they was gunna win 😂and Toronto just made it even more true

  18. To be honest, the scariest thing about this team is the fact that if they bring back at least 2 of Bennett, Marchand and Ekblad, they probably could win one or two more Stanley Cups considering the lack of elite competition in the rest of the NHL. Just to think they won the Cup and they didn’t use Mackie Samoskavich, who scored 15 goals, shows how incredibly deep they are. A future dynasty!

  19. Even if they still had Jonathan huberdeau they still would have gone back to back they just needed the right spark the past 7 years have shown that you need the right players to win the cup and I say this as a Vegas fan and a hockey fan for almost 20 years it takes the right players to win the cup not just the best players

  20. This is how you win stanley cup according to the panthers:

    1) concuss their opponent goaltender
    2) concuss their opponent backup goaltender
    3) concuss and injure their opponent star players

  21. Unbeatable is a big word. For sure they are the deserved champion, they played the best hockey and played most consistantly in the playoffs. But i don't think its that black and white. when you look at the headlines after each game in the final this is complete borderline, first hyping one team than the other. In the end there are only smaller thinks and a bit of luck that makes the difference.

  22. People gonna say covid cups don't count just salty their team didn't win in an even playing field on a miserable setting with no fans, yeah congrats you didn't get stanley cups lmao

  23. As a Panthers fan merely liking this video isn't enough, loved it.

    Also thanks for your content. Seems to be getting better each video -b

  28. People in Florida don't even care about hockey its rigged Canada deserves a cup bullshit 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

  29. Let see Edmonton, Carolina ym. Carolinas Aho, need other players, they must take many steps, Dallas stars, and Rantanen, Robertson was good with Hinz, but they have to take many steps too. Edmonton was good game one—– game four, but what happend, Edmontons plyers were lazy team, Florida eat Edmontons lunch, Mc David need oyher players wiht. Sorry my english isnt good. Must write Finnish.

  31. Bennett was insane these playoffs. Leading scorer in the playoffs with 15 goals. McDavid had 7. Draisaitl had second most goals with 11.

  33. Speaking on Barkov, i think those years playing with Jagr had a profound effect on his development as a player and a captian

  37. I’m going to say it. The ones who are blaming FLA income-tax are the ones who kept glazing McFraud and the German. I never want to hear how “Drai and McDavid are the best in the entire league.” No they are not. Bennett proved them wrong, so did Marchand and the Fins. FL proved and exposed what happens when you rely on “the 2 best players in the league.” Talk about ass whipping.

  40. Everyone will complain and cry about tax. Florida hasn’t had tax in years and no one flocked there. The tax is a cherry. People want to play there because it’s beautiful real estate, there are hardcore fans but the media isn’t toxic like Canadian markets, and they win. Period. If Florida was trash and didn’t have tax no one would go there. Keep crying Canadians.

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