Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola speaks after practice on April 12,. Brandon Montour has one thing on his mind right now. The veteran defenseman is about to complete his third full season patrolling the Florida Panthers blueline, and much like the rest of the team, Montour is hungry to complete the journey they started almost exactly a year ago. It was last June when the Panthers made an incredible run to the Stanley Cup Final, ultimately losing in five game to the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite the heartbreaking result, there was plenty of confidence that Montour and the Panthers would be able to run it back this season. While the team has maintained that level of performance, spending much of the year widely considered a Stanley Cup contender, the road has been a little bumpier for Montour. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] An extended recovery from offseason shoulder surgery caused Montour to miss training camp, though he was able to skate off to the side with a group of injured players and keep his body in as good of shape as possible. Montour made his 2023-24 debut on Nov. 17 in Anaheim and has remained in the lineup ever since. “I feel good. I’ve played about 60 games now. The confidence is getting built back and now I’m just tidying some little things up to be ready to go for Game 1 (of the playoffs).” A year ago at this time, Montour was preparing to enter the postseason coming off of the best and most productive year of his NHL career. Things are a little different this time around. The 30-year-old pending unrestricted free agent had a comparatively down season while working his way back to form. In a conversation with THN Florida this week, Montour said he’s feeling great and focused on making sure his body is as prepared as possible for the battles to come. “I think it's just one of those things where you try to be the best you can be on the ice coming towards Game 1, and we’ve got a week to do that,” he said. “Just make sure the body is right, body is healthy. We experienced how long and grueling the playoffs can be, so for me it's just a big thing of making sure my body is right, taking care of it, and helping to not create any issues for the playoff run.” It's a mentality that is shared throughout the Panthers locker room. Montour was only one of several Florida players who were left battered, bruised and in some cases, broken, after fighting their hearts out for a chance at ultimate hockey glory. Florida came up three wins short of hoisting the Stanley Cup. This year, Montour feels they can finish the job and are better prepared for the obstacles to come. “Each series is going to be completely different than last year,” Montour said. “We'll take that experience from last year and use that to our advantage, but this is a whole new year. Last year is out of the window now and we’ll look towards Game 1, whoever we may play, and focus on that team. We’ll use our experience that we had as a group last year and our depth from this year – the new players are great, great guys, and they know how to play, and how hard to play, and how to win for this team – so it's going to be exciting.” While Montour has kept his focus and attention on the task at hand, it hasn’t been lost on him that whenever this season’s journey comes to an end, he’ll technically be out of a job. Not that he has to worry about finding work next season, but for now, he’s locked on to the task at hand. “I think at this point, it's full focused on what we’ve got ahead of us,” Montour said. “I’ll focus on that after the season. I think this is for Florida Panthers playoffs here. I told everyone I want to stay here, and both sides are interested in that, and it’s just matter of…we’ve got one goal in mind and that's that trophy at the end. That should be everyone in this locker room’s focus, and for me, that's my full focus right now.” Montour isn’t the only Panthers player who came into the season on an expiring deal. Florida’s 54-goal scorer Sam Reinhart is also approaching free agency, while the Panthers locked up previously pending UFA Gus Forsling to an eight-year extension last month. It was back in 2021 that Montour signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal with Florida after being acquired at that season’s Trade Deadline. He’s settled into his new surroundings nicely in the time since. Montour married his wife Ryian during the summer of 2022, and the couple welcomed their first son, Kai, into the world between Game 1 and Game 2 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final. Ideally, the family would love to continue growing their roots in South Florida for the foreseeable future. “This is long term where I want to be, whether we got a deal done earlier on in the year or whenever it may be, it's it is what it is,” he said. “The relationship is great on both ends, my family likes it here, our first baby was born here and we’ve got another one on the way and hopefully that one is born here as well. “Our goal is to be here. We love it here, we want to be here, we look forward to the future here. 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