Panthers know tank talk is out there. That’s not their focus to end the season
The Florida Panthers understand the conversation surrounding their team as a lost season whittles down to its final days. They’re fielding a roster that’s a shell of its normal championship-caliber self, the cost that comes with more than a dozen key players sidelined due to injury.
Yet here are the Panthers, still putting out maximum effort each night.
They ha’ve won back-to-back games, including a 6-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and a 3-2 win against the New York Rangers at home on Monday.
“Everyone’s trying to stay in the fight,” forward Cole Reinhardt said, “and do the right things.”
And the Panthers (39-38-4) will continue to play that way going into their regular-season finale against the Detroit Red Wings (41-30-10) on Wednesday (7 p.m., Scripps Sports).
It might end up costing them a couple spots in the draft lottery — or, in the worst-case scenario, outright losing their first-round pick in the 2026 Draft (Florida only keeps its pick if it’s in the top 10 following the draft lottery) — but the Panthers aren’t focusing on that. They can’t, as much as fans wish they would.
(For those wondering, Florida can finish anywhere from sixth to 10th in the lottery odds at the end of the season depending on their result against the Red Wings on Wednesday coupled with results from the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken over each of their final two games.)
“You can’t get involved in that,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of the idea of the team tanking down the stretch. “It’s not right for the game. It’s not right for the culture of our room.”
And the players who are actually able to take the ice can’t afford to think that way.
Consider this: Outside of forward Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Gustav Forsling, basically every player taking the ice for the Panthers in a way is auditioning for his next job, whether it’s in Florida or elsewhere.
Forwards A.J. Greer, Cole Schwindt, Vinnie Hinostroza, Tomas Nosek, Luke Kunin, Noah Gregor and Nolan Foote are all unrestricted free agents once the season ends, as are goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov. Defensemen Tobias Bjornfot, Donovan Sebrango and Mike Benning plus forwards Mackie Samoskevich and Wilmer Skoog are restricted free agents.
The slew of rookies playing for Florida right now — forward Skoog plus defensemen Benning, Marek Alscher and Ludvis Jansson — are looking to show they can be regulars in an NHL lineup.
Reinhardt, who scored twice on Monday and sealed the win against the Rangers with 1:50 left in regulation, is trying to use this month-plus with Florida since being picked up on waivers in early March to show that he can contribute next season. He’s under contract through the 2026-27 season. Jesper Boqvist, who has just 13 points this season and is also under contract through next season, needs to show he’s worthy of regular playing time as well when the Panthers have a full lineup.
“It’s in the back your head,” Reinhardt said. “You want to make a good impression when you come in and try to play the right way and be in the lineup.”
It’s how the Panthers want their players to operate, regardless of what the results of their games mean in the grand scheme of the season.
“We’ll let the kids that hit the ice play as hard as they possibly can,” Maurice said, “and we’ll worry about where it gets to when we’ve got to.”
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