The Florida Panthers became back-to-back Stanley Cup champions after a 4-2 victory over Canada’s Edmonton Oilers on June 18. Having defeated the Oilers in the previous year’s Stanley Cup, the Panthers’ players will go into the 2025-26 campaign knowing they could write themselves into National Hockey League (NHL) history by becoming the first team in the expansion era to win three consecutive Stanley Cups.
The Stanley Cup has only been won in three straight seasons five times, but not since the start of the expansion era. The Montreal Canadiens won five in a row from 1955-56 to 1959-60, then four consecutive cups from 1975-76 to 1978-79. Another Canadian outfit, the Toronto Maple Leafs, enjoyed a Stanley Cup three-peat between 1946-47 and 1948-49, and again in 1961-62 to 1963-64. The New York Islanders are the most recent team to win three straight Cups between 1979-80 and 1982-82.
Although the 2025-26 NHL regular season does not begin until October 7, and a lot can happen during a four-month off-season, the best Stanley Cup bets revolve around the Florida Panthers becoming NHL champions for the third consecutive season. Winning one Stanley Cup is an incredible achievement. Securing two in a row is phenomenal, but lifting hockey’s most coveted trophy in three straight seasons is legacy-defining.
The Florida Panthers’ Early Days
The Florida Panthers first played in the NHL during the 1993-94 season, and their debut was nothing to write home about. They finished fifth in the Atlantic Division with 83 points from 84 games. The lockout-affected 1994-95 season was equally mediocre, with the Panthers’ 46 points from 48 games resulting in another fifth-place finish.
After finishing third the following season, the Panthers navigated to the Stanley Cup but did so too soon. They were ill-prepared for the Colorado Avalanche, who swept them in four games.
Over the next couple of decades, the Panthers slipped away into relative obscurity, punctuated by mid-table finishes and the occasional division title. It wasn’t until the 2021-22 regular season, the first since COVID-19-related lockdowns were lifted, that the Panthers began to look like an elite-level hockey team. They finished with a league-best 122 points from 82 games, and everyone connected to hockey truly believed this was the Panthers’ year. However, despite their excellent regular season form, the Panthers lost 4-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs’ second round.
Three Consecutive Stanley Cup Appearances
Although the Panthers earned 92 points during the 2022-23 regular season, they finished fourth in the Atlantic Division. It was enough for another playoff place, but the Boston Bruins, who finished 65-12-5 and with 135 points, awaited them in the first round. Trailing the Bruins 3-1 after four games, the Panthers emerged 4-3 victors, thanks partly to two overtime victories.
Having beaten the Stanley Cup favorites, the Panthers were full of confidence, and it showed with a 4-1 series win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and a 4-0 sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes; the latter set the stage for an exciting final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Unfortunately, the Golden Knights were far too strong for the Panthers, and they ran out 4-1 winners.
In 2023-24, the Panthers topped the Atlantic Division with 110 points before embarking on another playoff run. They made light work of the Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1), the Boston Bruins (4-2), and the New York Rangers (4-2) before facing the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Panthers raced into a 3-0 lead and looked set to sweep the Oilers. However, the Oilers won the next three games, setting up an all-or-nothing Game 7 in Florida. A thrilling encounter went the Panthers’ way, with the Florida team winning 2-1 on the night and 4-3 over the series.
This season, the Panthers’ 98 points were only enough to secure third place in the division, leaving them with a more challenging playoff run. A 4-1 series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was followed by a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and a 4-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Just as they had done in the previous season, the Edmonton Oilers awaited the Panthers in the final. The Panthers emerged victoriously 4-2, wrapping the title up with a convincing 5-1 win in Game 6. Sam Reinhart scored four goals to become the first player since 1957 to score four in a Stanley Cup Finals game.
Can The Florida Panthers Rewrite Hockey History
Ordinarily, you would say that any team winning three consecutive Stanley Cups was a pipe dream, but this Florida Panthers team looks more than capable. The roster mixes seasoned veterans and youthful exuberance and is littered with top-tier hockey stars.
Reinhart, mentioned above, is playing some of the best hockey of his career, while alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk seems to improve with each additional season under his belt. Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett give the Panthers’ attack more bite when required.
Then there’s Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers’ talismanic captain, the first Finnish-born captain to win the Stanley Cup, and the first European to captain multiple Stanley Cup-winning teams.
If general manager Bill Zito can keep this team’s nucleus together and head coach Paul Maurice can continue to squeeze every ounce of performance out of his team, this Panthers team could dominate the NHL for the next few seasons. The team has found a way to get over the line even when the odds are stacked against them, and when they are all singing from the same hymn sheet, the team’s attacking prowess is a sight to behold.
So, what’s the answer to the question this article posed? Can the Florida Panthers win three consecutive Stanley Cups? Yes is the resounding answer. It wouldn’t be outside the realms of possibility for them to enjoy a four-peat!
