Panthers to travel second-most miles of all NHL teams next season

Getting the short straw in the schedule department is nothing new to Florida

I sure hope the Florida Panthers are getting their rest this summer.

After playing 106 combined regular season and playoff games, taking the Edmonton Oilers to a deciding Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final and traveling a further distance than had ever been traveled during a Cup Final before, the Cats are going to be logging quite a bit of miles again this coming season.

According to TJ Stats, the Panthers will travel the second-most miles of all 32 NHL teams next season, with only the Dallas Stars going farther.

Not coincidentally, it’s the Panthers and Stars that are traveling to Finland for a pair of regular season games in November, which surely plays into Florida and Dallas being at the top.

The Panthers are always going to have tough travel schedules just based off their location on the map and proximity to other teams; there is a team inside Florida’s division that is 1,624 miles away from Sunrise.

Still, this has to sting a little, especially coming off the franchise’s first Stanley Cup victory.

We’ve already looked at Florida’s 82-game regular season schedule and discussed how it’s a little wonky in some areas, which can be read about by clicking here.

The Panthers open their title defense campaign on Oct. 8 at home against the Boston Buins.

Afterwards, they play nine of their next 12 away from Florida, including the pair in Tampere.

Considering how the Panthers have done things over the past couple seasons (see: 2-1 filthy), it only seems appropriate that their post-Cup calendar would be laid out like this.

See you in October. 

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