Rejuvenated by the Tkachuk brothers' reunion and a new starting goaltender, the Panthers look to rebound. Discover which stars offer elite value and which carry significant risk.
Puck drop is nearly here, and with training camps opening across the league, it's officially fantasy draft season. It's been a busy offseason, full of blockbuster trades, big-name signings and roster overhauls that are only just starting to settle.
We're going team by team to help you prepare, flagging a sleeper worth stashing, a breakout candidate ready to take off, and a bust that might not be worth the price you'll pay to draft him. Next up: the Florida Panthers.
Florida's season fell apart in dramatic fashion, with the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions finishing 40-38-4, seventh in the Atlantic Division and missing the playoffs entirely, 15 points behind the final wild-card spot. Injuries were the story throughout, and the wear of three straight trips to the Cup Final, a stretch that saw Florida play more games than any team in a three-year span in NHL history, appeared to finally catch up with the roster.
The offseason brought real change in net and up front, as longtime goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky departed after his worst statistical season in years, with Florida turning to Jacob Markstrom, acquired from New Jersey, to take over the crease.
Up front, the Panthers added another marquee name to an already stacked group, acquiring Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa to reunite him with older brother Matthew. With Barkov, Tkachuk and the rest of the core expected back healthy after a full offseason to recover, Florida enters the year looking to prove last season was an aberration rather than the start of a decline.
Sleeper: Carter Verhaeghe
It's hard to say what version of Verhaeghe you'll get when drafting him towards the back half of most drafts this season, as most outlets have him ranked around the 150th overall pick, with average draft position pushing him as early as 130th.
Over his last five seasons, Verhaeghe has essentially been two different players, surpassing 70 points twice in 2023 and 2024, but settling into the 55-point range in 2022 and each of the past two seasons. The case for the near point-per-game version of Verhaeghe returning centers on the strength of an improved Panthers lineup, with Florida making the blockbuster addition of Brady Tkachuk this offseason and getting back captain Aleksander Barkov after he missed all of last season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Verhaeghe will likely line up with his usual center in Sam Bennett, joined by either Matthew Tkachuk, a trio that logged 180 minutes together over 24 games last season, scoring 10 goals but also allowing 13 against, or Sam Reinhart, if Tkachuk instead slides to the second line.
Either way, it represents a clear upgrade for Verhaeghe over last season, when he largely played alongside an aging Brad Marchand. Adding another marquee name to the top six should ease the burden on Marchand and give Verhaeghe a real chance to benefit.
Breakout: Seth Jones
Florida's most offensively gifted defenseman is looking to bounce back after missing 30 games last season. He'll have a full offseason to recover and returns to a revitalized Panthers group that got stronger on the top power-play unit, with Jones continuing to quarterback from the blue line alongside both Tkachuk brothers, the returning Barkov, and lethal shooter Sam Reinhart rounding out the unit.
The power play, and the offense as a whole, should be significantly improved with Brady Tkachuk and Barkov both back in the lineup, and if anyone on the blue line stands to benefit, it's Jones. The 31-year-old Texan has surpassed 50 points twice in his career and was on pace to do so for a third time last season before injuries intervened.
If he can stay healthy for a full slate, Jones carries 50-point upside and could push as high as 60 points in a career year.
Bust: Brad Marchand
At 38 years old, fantasy players are still taking Marchand toward the end of drafts, with the future Hall of Famer holding an average draft position of 145th overall. That comes even with Marchand opening the season on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and when he does return, he may find himself the odd man out in Florida's top six, with Brady Tkachuk likely taking his old spot.
That would leave Marchand centered by either Anton Lundell or pending free agent Eetu Luostarinen, an arrangement that could actually work out reasonably well for him. Still, there are far more exciting sleeper options available in the range he's currently going, and combined with the injury risk that comes with his age, Marchand isn't worth the cost on draft day.
He's better suited as a name to monitor and potentially add off the waiver wire once his role becomes clearer.
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