Amerant Bank Arena before a first-round playoff game against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2023-24 season

The 2023–24 Florida Panthers season was the 30th season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) franchise that was established in 1993. They entered the season as the defending Eastern Conference champions, having lost in five games to the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

in the

2023 Stanley Cup Finals The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2022–23 season and the culmination of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Eastern Co ...

. On March 28, 2024, the Panthers clinched a playoff berth for the fifth straight season following the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

' 4–0 loss against the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

. On April 16, the Panthers clinched their third Atlantic Division title and fourth all-time division title following the win against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

alongside a

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

loss to the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

. The Panthers averaged 18,632 fans in attendance this season. This mark is the highest average attendance in team history. The Panthers met the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

in the first round of the

2024 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2023–24 season. The playoffs began on April 20, 2024, and concluded on June 24, 2024, with the Florida Panthers winning their first Stanley C ...

. The Panthers and Lightning previously met in the playoffs twice, with Tampa Bay winning both series. The Panthers eliminated the Lightning in five games. They faced the

in the second round, winning the series in six games. The Panthers defeated the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

in the conference finals in six games, advancing to the

Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...

for the second consecutive season. In the

2024 Stanley Cup Finals The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals was the Stanley Cup Finals, championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2023–24 NHL season, 2023–24 season and the culmination of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

series matchup against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, the Panthers initially held a 3–0 lead before experiencing defeats in the following three games. The Panthers defeated the Oilers 2–1 in Game 7 at home, averting a possible reverse sweep, which would have made Florida the first team to suffer this fate since Detroit in the

1942 Stanley Cup Finals The 1942 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the 1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs season, Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1941–42 Detroit Red Wings season, Detroit Red Wings. After losing the first three games, the Maple Leafs won th ...

. This victory clinched the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship in its 30 years of existence.

Previous season

After barely clinching a wild card spot in the

2023 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2022–23 season. The playoffs began on April 17, 2023, three days after the end of the regular season, and concluded on June 13, 2023, with t ...

, the Panthers were set to face the

, who had set a NHL record for most wins and points in a season. After being down 3–1 in the series, the Panthers came back and won the series in overtime in Game 7 to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NHL history. The Panthers would then upset the

to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 27 years. Subsequently, the Panthers would sweep the

to advance to the

for the first time since

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Panthers were defeated by the

in five games. Coupled with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

's defeat one night earlier in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

(which was also decided in five games),

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

had two teams lose their respective sport's finals on consecutive days.

30th anniversary celebrations

In July 2023, the Florida Panthers announced celebrations for their 30th Anniversary season including the unveiling of the club's 30th Anniversary logo. The Panthers celebrated thirty years of Panthers hockey with a theme night honoring each decade. On January 11 as the Panthers hosted the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

, fans celebrated the birth of the franchise in the 1990s. On March 7 versus the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

, the 2000s were spotlighted and on March 28 versus the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

, game presentation and in-game themes highlighted the 2010s into the current era.

Standings

Divisional standings

Conference standings

Schedule and results

Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 23, 2023.

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on June 27, 2023.

Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

Awards and honors

Awards

Aleksander Barkov Aleksander Aleksandrovich "Sasha" Barkov (; born 2 September 1995) is a Finns, Finnish professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and Captain (ice hockey), captain of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Barkov wa ...

won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. This is Barkov's second career Selke win.

Milestones

Sam Reinhart Samson Reinhart (born November 6, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reinhart was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL entry draft. Reinhart ...

became the second Florida Panthers player in history with a 50-goal season.

Records

Transactions

The Panthers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season. Key: Contract is entry-level.
Contract initially takes effect in the 2024–25 season.

Trades

Players acquired

Players lost

Extensions

Draft picks

Below are the Florida Panthers' selections at the 2023 NHL entry draft, which was held on June 28–29, 2023, at

Bridgestone Arena Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena, and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1996, it is the home of the Nashville Predat ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Notes

# The

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

' first-round pick will go to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

as the result of a trade on March 16, 2022, that sent Ben Chiarot to Florida in exchange for

Ty Smilanic TY or Ty may refer to: People * Ty (given name), includes a list of people with the given name or nickname * Ty (surname), a list of people * Zheng (surname), spelled Ty in the Philippines * Ty (rapper) (1972–2020), Nigerian-British hip-hop ar ...

, a conditional fourth-round pick in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Montreal will receive a first-round pick in 2023 if Florida's first-round pick in 2022 is outside of the top ten selections – was converted when the Panthers qualified for the

2022 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2021–22 season. The playoffs began on May 2, 2022, one day after the regular season ended, and concluded on June 26, 2022, with the Colorado ...

on April 3, 2022. # The

' third-round pick will go to the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

as the result of a trade on July 13, 2022, that sent

Brent Burns Brent Burns (born March 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted as a right wing (20th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, he wa ...

and

Lane Pederson Lane Pederson (born August 4, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Pe ...

to Carolina in exchange for

Steven Lorentz Steven Lorentz (born April 13, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Carolina Hurricanes selected him in the seventh round, 186th overall, at the 2015 NHL Entry D ...

, Eetu Makiniemi and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – San Jose will receive the lowest of the Flyers', Hurricanes', Rangers' or Panthers' third-round picks in 2023 – was converted when Florida advanced to the

, ensuring that their third-round pick would be the lowest, on May 24, 2023. # The

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

' seventh-round pick will go to the

as a result of a trade on July 26, 2021, that sent Anton Stralman,

Vladislav Kolyachonok Vladislav Anatolevich Kolyachonok (also Uladzislau Anatolevich Kalyachonak, ; born 26 May 2001) is a Belarusian professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by th ...

and second-round pick in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

to Arizona in exchange for this pick. # The

' seventh-round pick will go to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

as the result of a trade on July 8, 2022, that sent a seventh-round pick in

to Florida in exchange for this pick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 Florida Panthers season Florida Panthers seasons

Eastern Conference (NHL) championship seasons Stanley Cup championship seasons 2024 in Broward County, Florida