The Florida Panthers are once again the Stanley Cup champions. After winning it all in 2024, they somehow got better, or at least it looked that way in the playoffs as they dominated the competition, culminating in a six-game Cup Final victory against the Edmonton Oilers.
Related: Panthers Close Out Oilers in Game 6 to Win Second-Straight Stanley Cup
It’s easy to look at the Oilers, fresh off their loss, and say they must make significant changes to close the gap. That’s not the case. The same applies to the other three teams the Panthers defeated in the playoffs. The Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs are close to knocking them off their pedestal and winning a title of their own, as crazy as that seems right now.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are the one team in the group that’s in trouble. It’s because they have a top-heavy roster with glaring weaknesses and no solutions. They’ll be a playoff team next season with Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and a strong core playing at a high level but inevitably run into the Panthers and lose in a series that won’t be close.
The problem is that they have no path to snap out of this slow decline, and they are on track to become the next Pittsburgh Penguins if things don’t change. The Lightning tried to patch up some issues with the Jake Guentzel signing but ultimately, they must rebuild the farm system to compete with the Panthers again. It’s what helped them become a juggernaut earlier in the decade and will make them a team to beat again.
Oddly enough, the Lightning are a mini-preview of what the Panthers might become over time. They were the model franchise in the NHL before the Panthers arrived, winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 while appearing in the final four times in eight seasons. However, their decline started once they paid their core or star players, and that’s something the other team in South Florida must eventually address.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
If the Panthers are the team to beat in the NHL, the Hurricanes are the team to beat in the Metropolitan Division. They reached the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three seasons and are a well-built organization, but the problem is they are no match for the Panthers, who swept them in the 2023 Eastern Conference Final and took care of them in five games this time around.
The good news for the Hurricanes is that the talent is there, aside from goaltending (which, depending on which Frederik Andersen shows up, isn’t a weakness either). Head coach Rod Brind’Amour will be their bench boss for a while and will keep the team competitive but the question is if he’ll adjust his style or system to beat a team like the Panthers. Over time, he might and it’s what will allow the Hurricanes to get over the hump.
2. Edmonton Oilers
While the 2024 Final went the distance and the 2025 Final only went six games, the Oilers closed the gap with the Panthers. They were right there with the Panthers until the end, and then everything fell apart, starting with the collapse in Game 3. There’s a good argument that if Zach Hyman — knocked out of the playoffs in the Western Conference Final with a fractured wrist — would have been in the lineup and the Oilers found the few goals needed to flip Game 2 (which they lost in overtime), it would have made series tighter or possibly helped them pull off the upset.
The bottom line is that the Oilers didn’t have a response to the Panthers’ forecheck and relentless pressure. They also couldn’t beat Sergei Bobrovsky in the final two games, which is where Hyman’s injury comes into play. It’s only a few things that the Oilers can address to close the gap.
The Oilers are a few pieces away and notably need more depth and potentially a reliable goaltender to defeat the Panthers. This team is older and making a third-straight deep playoff run will be a tough task, but if they can find the handful of players to move the needle, they can eventually win the Cup and allow Connor McDavid to hoist the trophy.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs were the one team that gave the Panthers all they could handle. They had a 2-0 series lead and a lead in Game 3 but losing that game in overtime flipped the series and allowed the Panthers to take over. The Maple Leafs still took them to seven games, and while Game 7 was a blowout, they went toe-to-toe with the eventual champion.
More importantly, the Maple Leafs have the goaltending to give the Panthers problems. The case can be made that if Anthony Stolarz was healthy for the Round 2, they would have won the series, especially the close games where the Panthers scored a few goals against Joseph Woll that Stolarz would or could have stopped.
The Maple Leafs match up well with the Panthers. Under head coach Craig Berube, they play the 200-foot game, forecheck, defend, and are still capable of winning with offense. This season was the closest the Maple Leafs were to winning the Cup, and it sets them up for a big 2025-26 ahead.
The Irony of The Maple Leafs & Oilers Being Close
The Maple Leafs and Oilers are both set to make significant changes this offseason. So, despite being the two teams best suited to beat the Panthers, they will likely take a step back next season.
The Maple Leafs will likely lose Mitch Marner in the offseason. Sure, his playoff production, or lack thereof, won’t be missed but replacing his offense will be tough. The Maple Leafs might also lose John Tavares unless he’s willing to take a team-friendly deal to give the team room to work with, especially since they must re-sign Matthew Knies who is a restricted free agent (RFA).
The Oilers run the risk of losing Evan Bouchard, who is an RFA as well, and will have a tough time replacing his production at the point if another team gives him a significant offer sheet. The Oilers also must prepare for a McDavid extension, which everyone in Edmonton will wait with bated breath to see if a deal is done this summer ahead of the final season on his current deal.
Which team do you think is closest to defeating the Panthers? Let us know in the comments section below!
