After the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, Brad Marchand sent a message to the New York Rangers. 

Marchand took a photo of many of his Panthers teammates and thanked opposing NHL teams for essentially giving up on certain players and allowing them to come to Florida. 

That includes Niko Mikkola who once played for the New York Rangers. Marchand posted a picture of Mikkola with a caption that read “THANKS @NYRANGERS.”

Mikkola was traded from the St. Louis Blues to the Rangers in February of 2023 and he played in just 31 games for the Rangers. 

A few months later during the offseason, Mikkola signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract and has helped the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cups. 

Why The Rangers Can't Do What The Panthers Can As the Stanley Cup was paraded around Amerant Bank Arena by the two-time champion Florida Panthers, a Ranger fan could not be faulted for asking: "Why not us?"

Through the Panthers’ 2025 playoff run en route to winning the Stanley Cup, the 29-year-old recorded three goals, three assists, and six points while averaging 20:13 minutes per game.