2025 Stanley Cup Champions

After Stanley Cup Parties, Florida Panthers Getting Back to Work

Published

3 hours ago

August 10, 2025

Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov enjoys his day with the Stanley Cup on Saturday in Finland. // Photo courtesy @FlaPanthers

FORT LAUDERDALE — The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are two months away from opening up their new season and, despite the short offseason, are already back to work.

Aaron Ekblad said he began skating last month, Carter Verhaeghe joining him last week.

The Panthers are the champions, and by the sound of things, they want to remain the champions.

Although the Panthers parties with the Stanley Cup in the days following their second straight championship have become legend, as the summer comes to a close, so, too, has the partying.

Even the individual days with the Stanley Cup have been toned down this year.

Ekblad, for one, had a huge party with the Cup in his hometown last summer but has plans for a quiet, private day this time around.

Captain Sasha Barkov brought the Stanley Cup to a packed arena in his Finnish hometown last year.

On Saturday, Barkov had a much smaller event.

“It’s over for us, in a sense,’’ Ekblad said on Friday morning at the IcePlex. “We won, and that’s great. I am happy we won, but that is over and it is not the most important thing in our lives.

“Now, it’s on to the next one. Hopefully we’re going to do it again.’’

Ekblad and Verhaeghe were part of ABC’s Good Morning America visiting the IcePlex on Friday morning.

The two came up to the set fresh off a nice workout in the Panthers’ gym.

When they did their national TV hit, they joined former teammate Vladimir Tarasenko and a handful of other NHL/AHL players for an on-ice workout.

“Last year was so hectic. I didn’t even chance to sit down and think about what had happened. Now I have,” Barkov said Saturday according to NHL.com.

“Last year there was some sort of feel-good mentality, I felt like I don’t even have the energy to practice. Now it’s totally different. No need to [force] myself to practice, I’m doing it because I want to be a better player [than] I was last season. I have a feeling all our players have already started to prepare for the upcoming season.”

Florida’s lead-up to its second straight Stanley Cup seemed more businesslike than it did last year and, aside for the week after winning it, this summer has felt different as well.

The Panthers were able to keep their three key free agents in Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand with their sights set on keeping a championship train on track.

With that in mind, the Panthers seem to be taking this dynasty thing seriously.

“We have won the Stanley Cup twice and we still have a long window to win more,” Ekblad said. “Whether it is or isn’t next year, it is just as likely the following year. And the year after that, and the year after that. It’s really cool to be in this position.”

Florida has 10 players signed through 2030 with Sergei Bobrovsky and Niko Mikkola likely joining them soon enough.

Although Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss the first 2-3 months of the season once he has surgery, the Panthers do not expect to skip a beat despite a third straight short offseason.

Ekblad and the Panthers seem to thrive on the short summers.

“It is way better because you never get out of shape,” Ekblad said. “You have to start working out again within a week or two of the season ending. If you want to build any muscle, you need that amount of time. Right now, I feel great. I feel like I could start the season tomorrow.

“If you have four, five months off and start your offseason right away, you hit a plateau early and begin to hate the training. We never end of hating it, because there is not enough time for us to do that.”