2023–24 Florida Panthers season

The 2023–24 Florida Panthers season was the 30th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established in 1993. They entered the season as the defending Eastern Conference champions, having lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals.
On March 28, 2024, the Panthers clinched a playoff berth for the fifth straight season following the Detroit Red Wings' 4–0 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. On April 16, the Panthers clinched their third Atlantic Division title and fourth all-time division title following the win against the Toronto Maple Leafs alongside a Boston Bruins loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Panthers averaged 18,632 fans in attendance this season. This mark is the highest average attendance in team history.
The Panthers met the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers and Lightning previously met in the playoffs twice, with Tampa Bay winning both series. The Panthers eliminated the Lightning in five games. They faced the Boston Bruins in the second round, winning the series in six games. The Panthers defeated the New York Rangers in the conference finals in six games, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive season. In the finals against the Edmonton Oilers, the Panthers led the series 3–0 before losing the next three games. The Panthers recovered in game seven, defeating the Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
==Previous season==
After barely clinching a wild card spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Panthers were set to face the Boston Bruins, who had set the NHL record for most wins and points in a season. After being down 3–1 in the series, the Panthers came back and won the series in overtime in Game 7 to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NHL history. The Panthers would then upset the Toronto Maple Leafs to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 27 years. Subsequently, the Panthers would sweep the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1996. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Panthers were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Coupled with the Miami Heat's defeat one night earlier in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets (which was also decided in five games), South Florida had two teams lose their respective sport's finals on consecutive days.
==30th anniversary celebrations==
In July 2023, the Florida Panthers announced celebrations for their 30th Anniversary season including the unveiling of the club's 30th Anniversary logo. The Panthers celebrated thirty years of Panthers hockey with a theme night honoring each decade. On January 11 as the Panthers hosted the Los Angeles Kings, fans celebrated the birth of the franchise in the 1990s. On March 7 versus the Philadelphia Flyers, the 2000s were spotlighted and on March 28 versus the New York Islanders, game presentation and in-game themes highlighted the 2010s into the current era.
==Standings==
===Divisional standings===
===Conference standings===
==Schedule and results==
===Preseason===
The preseason schedule was published on June 23, 2023.
2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)	2023 preseason game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap
1 	September 25 	Nashville 	0–5 	Florida 	 	Knight 	6,160 	1–0–0 	
2 	September 25 	Nashville 	2–5 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	6,365 	2–0–0 	
3 	September 27 	Florida 	1–4 	Carolina 	 	Knight 	15,368 	2–1–0 	
4 	September 29 	Carolina 	2–4 	Florida 	 	Stolarz 	8,869 	3–1–0 	
5 	October 1 	Florida 	2–4 	Ottawa 	 	Knight 	4,926 	3–2–0 	
6 	October 3 	Florida 	0–2 	Tampa Bay 	 	Bobrovsky 	16,802 	3–3–0 	
7 	October 5 	Florida 	6–3 	Tampa Bay 	 	Stolarz 	12,924 	4–3–0 	
8 	October 7 	Tampa Bay 	4–2 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	13,780 	4–4–0 	
Notes:
 Indicates split-squad. 	
Notes:
 Indicates split-squad. 	
Notes:
 Indicates split-squad. 	
Notes:
 Indicates split-squad. 	
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Notes:
 Indicates split-squad. 	
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 Indicates split-squad. 	
Notes:
 Indicates split-squad. 	
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 Indicates split-squad. 	
Notes:
 Indicates split-squad.
===Regular season===
The regular season schedule was published on June 27, 2023.
2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log 	2023–24 game log
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October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)	October: 4–3–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Pts 	Recap
1 	October 12 	Florida 	0–2 	Minnesota 	 	Bobrovsky 	18,976 	0–1–0 	0 	
2 	October 14 	Florida 	4–6 	Winnipeg 	 	Bobrovsky 	13,410 	0–2–0 	0 	
3 	October 16 	Florida 	4–3 	New Jersey 	 	Bobrovsky 	15,023 	1–2–0 	2 	
4 	October 19 	Toronto 	1–3 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	19,288 	2–2–0 	4 	
5 	October 21 	Vancouver 	5–3 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	16,991 	2–3–0 	4 	
6 	October 24 	San Jose 	1–3 	Florida 	 	Stolarz 	16,142 	3–3–0 	6 	
7 	October 28 	Seattle 	2–3 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	16,780 	4–3–0 	8 	
8 	October 30 	Florida 	2–3 	Boston 	OT 	Bobrovsky 	17,850 	4–3–1 	9 	
===Playoffs===
2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 	2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs
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Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1	Eastern Conference first round vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Florida won 4–1
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Series 	Recap
1 	April 21 	Tampa Bay 	2–3 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	19,356 	1–0 	
2 	April 23 	Tampa Bay 	2–3 	Florida 	OT 	Bobrovsky 	19,484 	2–0 	
3 	April 25 	Florida 	5–3 	Tampa Bay 	 	Bobrovsky 	19,092 	3–0 	
4 	April 27 	Florida 	3–6 	Tampa Bay 	 	Bobrovsky 	19,092 	3–1 	
5 	April 29 	Tampa Bay 	1–6 	Florida 	 	Bobrovsky 	19,750 	4–1 	
==Player statistics==
===Skaters===
Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	82	57	37	94	+29	31
 	80	26	62	88	+19	88
 	73	23	57	80	+33	24
 	76	34	38	72	+17	36
 	69	20	21	41	+17	100
 	80	12	27	39	+26	34
 	79	10	29	39	+56	43
 	78	13	22	35	+19	46
 	66	8 	25	33	+1 	46
 	80	9 	23	32	+10	76
 	82	12	15	27	+1 	26
 	76	1 	19	20	+15	63
 	51	4 	14	18	+27	50
 	82	3 	14	17	+11	69
 	81	11	4 	15	−10	62
 	69	7 	8 	15	+1 	64
† 	19	6 	8 	14	0 	0
 	30	0 	9 	9 	−2 	20
 	75	5 	2 	7 	−1 	80
 	39	2 	2 	4 	0 	104
 	26	1 	2 	3 	0 	8
 	38	1 	2 	3 	−9 	10
 	26	0 	1 	1 	+2 	16
 	7 	0 	0 	0 	−3 	0
‡ 	2 	0 	0 	0 	−2 	2
† 	3 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
† 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
† 	6 	0 	0 	0 	0 	2
Playoffs
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	24	8 	14	22	−1	8
 	24	6 	16	22	0 	31
 	24	11	10	21	−5	20
 	24	3 	14	17	+8	12
 	24	10	6 	16	−2	12
 	24	7 	8 	15	+6	4
 	19	7 	7 	14	−1	12
 	24	4 	9 	13	+9	12
 	24	3 	8 	11	0 	12
 	24	5 	4 	9 	+4	2
 	24	2 	6 	8 	+2	22
 	24	2 	4 	6 	+1	24
 	24	1 	5 	6 	+4	16
 	24	2 	2 	4 	+4	22
 	16	2 	1 	3 	−1	0
 	24	0 	2 	2 	−1	16
 	17	0 	2 	2 	−1	10
 	24	0 	1 	1 	−3	8
 	12	0 	1 	1 	−1	20
 	8 	0 	0 	0 	−2	10
===Goaltenders===
Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	58	58	3,414:14	36	17	4	135	2.37	1,584	.915	6	0	2	4
 	27	24	1,506:27	16	7 	2	51 	2.03	684 	.925	2	0	2	2
Playoffs
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	24	24	1,419:32	16	8	55	2.32	583	.906	2	0	1	0
 	1 	0 	34:50 	0 	0	3 	5.17	19 	.842	0	0	0	0
==Awards and honors==
===Awards===
Aleksander Barkov won the Frank J. Selke Trophy.
===Milestones===
Sam Reinhart became the second Florida Panthers player in history with a 50-goal season.
===Records===
==Transactions==
The Panthers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.
Key:
 Contract is entry-level. Contract initially takes effect in the 2024–25 season.
=== Trades ===
Date	Details 	Details 	Ref
 	To San Jose SharksAnthony Duclair 	To Florida PanthersSteven Lorentz5th-round pick in 2025	
 	To Ottawa SenatorsConditional 4th-round pick in 20243rd-round pick in 2025	To Florida PanthersVladimir Tarasenko 	
 	To Pittsburgh PenguinsLudovic WaeberConditional 7th-round pick in 2025 	To Florida PanthersMagnus Hellberg 	
 	To Buffalo SabresCalle SjalinConditional 7th-round pick in 2024 	To Florida PanthersKyle Okposo 	
===Players acquired===
Date	Player 	Former team 	Term 	Via 	Ref
 	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	Vancouver Canucks 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Dmitry Kulikov 	Minnesota Wild 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Niko Mikkola 	New York Rangers 	3-year	Free agency	
 	Mike Reilly 	Boston Bruins 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Kevin Stenlund 	Winnipeg Jets 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Anthony Stolarz 	Anaheim Ducks 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Will Lockwood 	New York Rangers 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Evan Rodrigues 	Colorado Avalanche 	4-year	Free agency	
 	Alexander True 	Seattle Kraken 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Rasmus Asplund 	Nashville Predators 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Jonah Gadjovich 	San Jose Sharks 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Tobias Bjornfot 	Vegas Golden Knights	 	Waivers 	
===Players lost===
Date	Player 	New team 	Term 	Via 	Ref
 	Evan Fitzpatrick	Syracuse Crunch (AHL)	1-year	Free agency	
 	Radko Gudas 	Anaheim Ducks 	3-year	Free agency	
 	Alex Lyon 	Detroit Red Wings 	2-year	Free agency	
 	Givani Smith 	San Jose Sharks 	2-year	Free agency	
 	Marc Staal 	Philadelphia Flyers 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Aleksi Heponiemi	EHC Biel-Bienne (NL) 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Connor Bunnaman 	Oulun Kärpät (Liiga) 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Max Gildon 	Adler Mannheim (DEL) 	1-year	Free agency	
 	John Ludvig 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	 	Waivers 	
 	Mike Reilly 	New York Islanders 	 	Waivers 	
===Signings===
Date	Player 	Term 	Ref
 	Lucas Carlsson 	1-year	
 	Grigori Denisenko	2-year	
 	Gerald Mayhew 	1-year	
 	Eetu Luostarinen 	3-year	
 	Josh Davies 	3-year	
 	Uvis Balinskis 	2-year	
 	Gustav Forsling 	8-year	
==Draft picks==
Below are the Florida Panthers' selections at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which will be held on June 28 and 29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Round	# 	Player 	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
2 	63 	Gracyn Sawchyn	C 	 	Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
4 	127 	Albert Wikman 	D 	 	Färjestad BK (J20 Nationell)
5 	159 	Olof Glifford 	G 	 	HV71 (J18 Nationell)
6 	191 	Luke Coughlin 	D 	 	Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
7 	1983	Stepan Zvyagin	LW 	 	Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
=== Notes ===
# The Florida Panthers' first-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on March 16, 2022, that sent Ben Chiarot to Florida in exchange for Ty Smilanic, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Montreal will receive a first-round pick in 2023 if Florida's first-round pick in 2022 is outside of the top ten selections – was converted when the Panthers qualified for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 3, 2022.
# The Florida Panthers' third-round pick will go to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a trade on July 13, 2022, that sent Brent Burns and Lane Pederson to Carolina in exchange for Steven Lorentz, Eetu Makiniemi and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – San Jose will receive the lowest of the Flyers', Hurricanes', Rangers' or Panthers' third-round picks in 2023 – was converted when Florida advanced to the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, ensuring that their third-round pick would be the lowest, on May 24, 2023.
# The Arizona Coyotes' seventh-round pick will go to the Florida Panthers as a result of a trade on July 26, 2021, that sent Anton Stralman, Vladislav Kolyachonok and second-round pick in 2024 to Arizona in exchange for this pick.
# The Florida Panthers' seventh-round pick will go to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the result of a trade on July 8, 2022, that sent a seventh-round pick in 2022 to Florida in exchange for this pick.
==References==
Category:Florida Panthers seasons
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
Category:Eastern Conference (NHL) championship seasons
Florida Panthers
Category:Stanley Cup championship seasons