Welcome to Florida: Stanley Cup Champion Panthers Have New Faces

The Florida Panthers open training camp on Thursday morning in Fort Lauderdale with coach Paul Maurice and his staff welcoming a number of new players.

Florida, the defending Stanley Cup champions, will look a little different this coming season after salary cap restrictions cost the Panthers a couple of key players.

When camp starts, there will be a few roster battles to keep a close eye on — but the next couple of weeks will also be used to try and help create some chemistry as the old mixes with the new.

How different will the Panthers look?

Well, most of your favorites are still here — and, most of them are locked down for the foreseeable future.

General manager Bill Zito has made sure to lock down the core of the Panthers although players such as Brandon Montour, Ryan Lomberg, Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Stenlund, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson moved on for better deals elsewhere.

That means changes to the blueline, Florida’s bottom-6, and in goal.

Let’s meet some of the new guys:

• F Matt Luff, Detroit Red Wings (PTO)

Luff is the latest player to join the Panthers, coming into camp on a professional tryout per Zito.

The 27-year-old has played in over 100 NHL games and mostly plays on the right side.