The Florida Panthers closed the book on a difficult 2025-26 season at their end-of-season press conference, with head coach Paul Maurice, captain Alexander Barkov and star forward Brad Marchand each reflecting on what the year meant for the franchise, and why they believe the best is still ahead.
Maurice set the tone, refusing to label the season a lost one. "It's only a lost year if we allow it to be a lost year. We will decide that this will be a really, really important year for us because it got us right back to our soul," Maurice said.
Barkov echoed his coach's sentiment, pointing to the culture the organization has built as the foundation that held the team together through a season defined by injuries and adversity. "That's the most important thing. Like, we have built a great culture here. Team just stuck. Stuck together. Like, kept working hard, kept working the right way," Barkov said.
Marchand said the experience of playing for the Panthers gave him a perspective that is easy to lose sight of during a tough season. "Just being on the ice and being part of this team and this organization, it's an honor and a pleasure. And I think that's what sometimes gets overlooked. You know, you realize when you're in an organization like this how special it is and how lucky and how honored we should be. It's not like this everywhere. We're very fortunate to play this job and do what we do and play a game for a living, meet great people, travel to great places, and live out a dream," Marchand said.
Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs, Marchand said the season was far from a failure. "It's unfortunate that we didn't win. But when you look back on the year, it was a hell of a year," Marchand said.
The Panthers, who won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and appeared in three straight Stanley Cup Finals before this season, are expected to return a fully healthy roster for the 2026-27 campaign.
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