The 5 Best Season Performances by Florida Panthers Players
The Florida Panthers celebrated its 30th season in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 2023-24. While the team has yet to win the Stanley Cup, it has played in the Stanley Cup Final twice, including in its third season, and made the playoffs in each of its last five seasons. The team has also had numerous great players who have produced memorable moments and had impressive individual statistics.
Here's a look at some of the best individual seasons in Florida Panthers history.
1. Jonathan Huberdeau (2021-22)
Jonathan Huberdeau set the Panthers franchise record for points in a single season with 115 (30 goals, 85 assists) during the 2021-22 season. His 85 assists that season is 16 more than Matthew Tkachuk, who ranks second in that category with 69 assists during the 2022-23 season. Huberdeau’s performance that year also earned him top-10 rankings in other categories, including plus/minus (35), goals created (39.1), game-winning goals (7), and short-handed goals (3). He was an All-Star for the second consecutive season in 2021-22 and finished fifth in voting for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the MVP of the NHL.
Drafted third overall by the Panthers in the 2011 NHL Draft, Huberdeau won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2012-13 and recorded 613 points (198 goals, 415 assists) in 671 regular season games through 10 seasons in Florida. Despite his historic season in 2021-22, the Panthers traded him in the off-season to the Calgary Flames in a deal involving Tkachuk, who had told Flames GM Brad Treliving that he didn't intend to sign a contract extension.
"It was my second home," Huberdeau said of Florida following the trade. "My family, we used to spend every Christmas, three weeks, since I was a baby. So I was fortunate to play there for 10 years, and I knew the area before, playing there, living there. It just felt like home. The first two weeks after the trade, you think about all that and are a little sad, but then you think, 'Life goes on,' and you have to worry about what’s ahead."
Huberdeau had just 55 and 52 points in his first two seasons with the Flames, while Tkachuk has been a great addition to the Panthers.
2. Matthew Tkachuk (2022-23)
Tkachuk immediately proved his value to the Panthers, recording a career-best 123 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in his first season with the team. He made the All-Star team for the second time in his career and finished third in Hart Trophy voting. His 40 goals rank fifth in Panthers history for most in a single season, while his 69 assists is second only to Huberdeau's 85 in the 2021-22 season. Moreover, Tkachuk was on the ice for a record 157 Panthers goals that season.
A 26-year-old winger selected sixth overall by the Flames in the 2016 NHL Draft, Tkachuk followed up his impressive 2022-23 season with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists) in 2023-24.
3. Aleksander Barkov (2018-19)
Aleksander Barkov, the captain of the Panthers, recorded a career-best 96 points (35 goals, 61 assists) in the 2018-19 season. That is the third-most points recorded by a Panthers player in a single season. He also won the Lady Byng that season and finished fifth in voting for the Selke Trophy, given to the league's top defensive forward. Barkov won the Selke in 2020-21 and 2023-24.
A consistent two-way player, Barkov has recorded at least 52 points in each of his last nine seasons with the Panthers. He has 711 career points (266 goals, 445 assists) in 737 regular season games through 11 seasons with the team since being selected second overall in the 2013 NHL Draft.
4. Pavel Bure (1999-00)
"The Russian Rocket" Pavel Bure only played two full seasons with the Panthers but made the most of his time in Florida. He led the league in goals with 58 in the 1999-00 season and scored a league-leading 59 goals the following season. However, his 1999-00 season is slightly more impressive as he played in eight fewer games and recorded more points (94 compared to 92). He also led the league that season in even-strength goals (45), game-winning goals (14), and shots (360). His 14 game-winning goals is also a Panthers single season record.
Bure recorded 251 points (152 goals, 99 assists) in 223 games over parts of four seasons with the Panthers. He also played for the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers.
5. Sergei Bobrovsky (2023-24)
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky holds the top two positions for most wins in a single season by a Florida goaltender with 39 and 36. Although he won three fewer games, his 2023-24 season stands out as his best in five seasons with the Panthers. Not only did he record his best single season goals-against average (2.37) and save percentage (.915) during his Florida tenure, but he also led all goaltenders with six shutouts. He had just five shutouts combined in his prior four seasons in Florida.