For years, people called the Florida Panthers the “sleeping giants” of the NHL, where once that giant woke up, nobody would stop it. Once the Panthers learned how to build a contender and attract talent,

Indeed, the teams with the two best records reached the Cup semifinals (or conference final) the same time in just six of these past 36 tournaments.

The Jets continue to move chess pieces in order to win a Stanley Cup championship. The club signed Morgan Barron to a contract extension.

The Golden Knights won free agency by acquiring the only 100-plus point-scorer on the market and one of the best wingers in the league for the better half of the decade in Marner. They resolved a hole in the lineup on the wing, and it's no surprise to see them back in the Cup conversation.

Veteran forward Jeff Skinner joined the San Jose Sharks after signing a one-year, $3 million contract last week, following a Stanley Cup Final run with the Edmonton Oilers.

The “Stanley Cup Hangover” seemed to zap many teams until 2025. The Florida Panthers ended a long drought by winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and '25, becoming the first team to repeat since the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Before that, no team had done it since the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.

As Sam Bennett was surrounded by the media on the ice at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday, the Florida Panthers forward was more focused on the team trophy he had just won rather than the individual one.

The back-to-back champions play at 5 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7 to lead off an opening night tripleheader, the league announced Monday. Florida defeated Edmonton in the teams' Cup final rematch and is aiming for the NHL's first threepeat since the New York Islanders' dynasty from 1980-83.

The Carolina Hurricanes have made the NHL playoffs every season since 2019, with all but one of those appearances including the conference semis or finals. As consistently good as they have been, they have missed that one player who can help put them over the top and cash their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.

It has been four years since Jeff Petry last made an appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was a memorable postseason, with Petry and the Montreal Canadiens making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 before ultimately falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Edmonton Oilers are revamping their goaltending approach after parting ways with coach Dustin Schwartz. Instead of a direct replacement, the team