Florida opens its 2023-24 season on Thursday night in Minnesota

It was a fast summer for the Florida Panthers.

The team’s shortened offseason was their own fault, after advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Getting back to work at the Coral Springs Ice Den last month, the Panthers are still a team that is going to fly under the radar.

Their playoff run seems to be viewed on the outside as more as an aberration than anything else.

Combine that with top defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour missing the start of the season and, yeah, Florida being underestimated rings true.

Don’t tell that to the group on the ice, though. They went hard for a second straight camp under head coach Paul Maurice and have a strong understanding of what it will take to succeed in his systems.

The Panthers will get their season started on Thursday night when the open a three-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild.

Ahead of the season opener, here are a few things we learned about the Panthers during training camp:

Third year center Anton Lundell bulked up during the summer. He looks bigger off the ice and stronger on the ice. Don’t be surprised if he takes a big step forward this season.

The same can be said about Eetu Luostarinen. Both he and Lundell have stood out for all the right reasons over the past several weeks.

Offseason addition Evan Rodrigues has a great work ethic. He’s often one of the last players on the ice during practices and has put an ton of work into perfecting his shot. It was also clear during the preseason that he was striving to master Florida’s systems and know where he should be on the ice at all times. There was a lot of communication on the ice and Florida’s bench.

Justin Sourdif is pretty far along in his development. The 21-year-old seemed to get better as camp went by, and whether or not he’s earned a regular NHL spot this season, he’s right on the cusp.

Defenseman John Ludvig has some real NHL qualities. He’s a shot-blocking machine and is good at throwing around his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame.