Meet the Panthers’ 2025 Opening Night roster as they begin three-peat quest
The Florida Panthers’ roster for Opening Night is set.
The Panthers have finalized their 23-man roster — 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders — ahead of their 5 p.m. season-opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.
Now, let’s get the big-picture stuff out of the way.
The roster doesn’t include forwards Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk or Tomas Nosek, all of whom have already been placed on injured reserve.
It does include five newcomers from last season’s team that won the club’s second consecutive Stanley Cup: forwards Luke Kunin, Cole Schwindt and Noah Gregor, the latter of whom signed a one-year, two-way deal on Tuesday; defenseman Jeff Petry; and goaltender Daniil Tarasov.
Here is a quick look at each player on Florida’s initial roster, separated by position and then listed alphabetically by last name.
Forwards
Sam Bennett
Expected to be Florida’s top-line center in Barkov’s absence, Bennett is coming off a Stanley Cup playoffs to remember. He won the Conn Smythe trophy as the postseason MVP after scoring 15 goals and tallying 22 total points during the Panthers’ Cup run. Since being acquired by the Panthers at the 2021 trade deadline, Bennett has logged 196 points (95 goals, 101 assists) in 289 regular-season games and added another 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) in 77 playoff games.
He signed an eight-year contract extension in the offseason.
Jesper Boqvist
Boqvist showcased his versatility last season and set a career high in games played (78) and goals (12) while tying a career-best mark in points (23). He turned that into a two-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2026-27 season.
Jonah Gadjovich
A fourth-line enforcer entering his third season with the Panthers, Gadjovich has twice as many fights (16) as points (eight) in the past two regular seasons.
A.J. Greer
Greer set career highs in points (17), assists (11) and penalty minutes (130) while tying his career high in goals (six) during his first season with the Panthers.
Noah Gregor
Gregor earned his way onto Florida’s roster after going through training camp on a professional tryout. The 27-year-old has played in 293 career games with 70 points (36 goals, 34 assists) to his name.
Luke Kunin
The 27-year-old forward signed a one-year deal in August and will start the season as Florida’s fourth-line center with Nosek sidelined. He has played in 434 career games and adds another bit of physicality to an already rough and rumbling fourth line with Greer and Gadjovich.
Anton Lundell
Known affectionately on the team as “Baby Barky,” Lundell has 157 points (60 goals, 97 assists) in 295 career regular season games and has 46 points through 77 playoff games. A reminder: He just turned 24 years old.
Eetu Luostairnen
The 27-year-old forward has thrived the past three years since moving from center to wing. He is paramount on Florida’s penalty kill and has 94 points over the past three years.
Brad Marchand
Acquired from the Boston Bruins in the most surprising deal of the trade deadline last season, Marchand instantly fit into the Panthers’ dressing room and became a valuable veteran during the Cup run. He had 10 goals in the playoffs, including six in the Cup Final, and isn’t going anywhere. He signed a six-year extension at the start of the offseason.
Sam Reinhart
Reinhart has evolved from an offensive juggernaut — he has scored at least 30 goals all four years with Florida, including 57 in the 2023-24 campaign — to becoming one of the league’s top two-way wingers. He finished runner-up to Barkov last season for the Selke Trophy given to the league’s best defensive forward. He also had a team-high-tying 23 points in the postseason, including a four-goal barrage in the Cup-clinching Game 6 against Edmonton.
Evan Rodrigues
Rodrigues’ versatility has been on display his entire Panthers tenure. He has played wing on the top line. He has been a grinder on the fourth line. Now, because of Barkov’s absence, he is moving back to center. He can produce in whatever role needed. He has 71 points in two Panthers seasons, plus another 30 in the two playoff runs.
Mackie Samoskevich
Samoskevich showcased his high-end offensive talent during his rookie season, scoring 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) while eventually carving out a top-six role. He’s slated to start this season on the third line and knows he has to improve defensively.
Cole Schwindt
A former Florida third-round pick in 2019 who was sent to Calgary as part of the trade for Tkachuk, the Panthers claimed Schwindt off waivers last week. He played 42 games for the Vegas Golden Knights last year in his first extended NHL action.
Carter Verhaeghe
The speedy winger has scored at least 20 goals and put up at least 50 points each of the past four seasons and has been unbelievable in clutch situations in the playoffs (13 game-winning goals in 84 playoff games with the Panthers).
Defensemen
Uvis Balinskis
Balinskis was a diamond-in-the-rough signing two offseasons ago from the Czech league and has shown he is a capable NHL defenseman with offensive touch. However, with Florida’s depth, he’s likely still their No. 7 player.
Aaron Ekblad
Ekblad is Florida’s longest tenured defenseman, entering his 12th season in the league. He has played 732 games with 380 points (118 goals, 262 assists) and he defense has taken a notable jump under Maurice. He’s here long-term, signing an eight-year extension that should take him to the end of his career.
Gustav Forsling
Forsling is one of the major success stories under Zito. He went from a waiver wire claim to getting top-pair minutes to becoming arguably one of the NHL’s top defensive defensemen.
Seth Jones
Florida picked up Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks in a March 1 trade and he instantly shored up the Panthers’ second defense pair when he started working with Niko Mikkola. The two provide a strong balance of responsibility in the defensive zone and scoring touch in the offensive zone.
Dmitry Kulikov
Kulikov’s second stint with the Panthers has seen him win two Stanley Cups and reach the 1,000 game milestone. He is a staple on Florida’s third defense pairing but can move up the lineup if needed.
Niko Mikkola
The big-bodied Mikkola set career highs offensively last season in goals (six), assists (16) and points (22) while still being a menace defensively. He recently signed an eight-year contract extension.
Jeff Petry
The newcomer of the group, Petry brings 15 seasons of NHL experience to Florida’s roster and is set to pair with Kulikov on Florida’s third defense pair. He is set to play in his 1,000th career game this season.
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Bobrovsky is Florida’s backbone on the back end. He could feasibly climb as high as No. 6 in the NHL’s all-time goaltender wins column this season as he looks to backstop Florida to a third consecutive Stanley Cup. The 37-year-old is also in a contract year, so that’s worth monitoring this season.
Daniil Tarasov
The Panthers traded for Tarasov in June. He has a connection to Bobrovsky, with the both hailing from the same hometown in Russia and Bobrovsky idolizing Tarasov’s father growing up. Tarasov has good size (6-5, 203 pounds) and range of motion and has the chance for his career to take off while working with Bobrovsky and goaltending coach Robb Tallas.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 9:47 AM.
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