Panthers Prove There’s Still Room for Bullies…If You’ve Got Everything Else

When the Florida Panthers were entering the NHL as an expansion team in the 1993-94 season, their first general manager was an NHL legend, a Hall of Famer that had transformed the game with his combination of skill and physicality. A Bully. 

Yes, one of those Bullies. The first general manager of the Florida Panthers was none other than Bobby Clarke.

Now 50 years after Clarke and his fellow Bullies claimed back-to-back Stanley Cups, the expansion franchise where he was the first GM now has back-to-back Cups of their own. And they did it with a team that had many qualities of the old-school Flyers.

Starting at the Top

To build a championship team, you need to have the right people at the top of the operation. Following the 2019-20 season, and the COVID bubble, the Panthers took the chance on sports agent turned executive Bill Zito to replace Dale Tallon.

In his first year as GM, Zito orchestrated trades that acquired Brandon Montour, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart. In 2022, he made a blockbuster deal with Calgary, acquiring Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar. 

At the trade deadline in 2024, he acquired Vladimir Tarasenko. At the 2025 deadline, he acquired Seth Jones and Brad Marchand.

Each move has proven to be a perfect fit for the Panthers. Some of those pieces have only played a role in one of the two titles, but each has made their mark.

Hall of Fame Resumes

Adding Marchand at this year’s deadline was just the icing on the cake of some Hall-of-Fame resumes that are part of the Panthers. With back-to-back Cups, Zito is well on his way as an executive. Marchand’s Hall-of-Fame credentials are only further certified by a second Stanley Cup – he won with Boston in 2011.

Aleksander Barkov has been with the Panthers since 2013, the second overall pick of the draft that year. With two Stanley Cups and 782 points in 804 regular-season games, and just 29 years old, Barkov has solidified his Hall-of-Fame resume. 

There is one additional lock for the Hall of Fame (more on him in a moment), and there could easily be two or three more, pending how Tkachuk or Reinhart finish their careers.

But the other key addition came in 2022, when the Panthers hired Paul Maurice. Maurice had 24 seasons of head coaching experience upon taking the Florida job. He now has 1,930 games behind the bench as an NHL head coach. His 916 wins are third all-time. Without a Cup, Maurice had a Hall of Fame case. But finally, in 2024, after 25 years on the wrong end of results, Maurice got his first Cup. Now he has a second.

From the Net Out

Another Cup for the Florida Panthers, another season of success for Sergei Bobrovsky. The goaltender who started his career with the Flyers now has only enhanced his own Hall-of-Fame resume. A two-time Vezina winner. Now a two-time Cup champion. Still getting it done at age 36.

At this point, any discourse over Bobrovsky’s past with the Flyers needs to be pushed aside. The Flyers were in win-now mode when they traded Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky was still finding his way, but didn’t want to be stuck in a backup role. He wanted out of Philadelphia and the Flyers made that happen. Even then, Bobrovsky was not an immediate success story in the postseason. 

It’s been 12 years since that trade was completed. Could things have been a lot different in Philadelphia if Bobrovsky was the guy and amounted to the same career? Sure. But hindsight is 20-20. It will go down as one of the worst trades the Flyers ever made, but don’t lose sight of the situation that led to the trade either.

For Florida, Bobrovsky has been the x-factor. In other series, they may have been closer in forward depth or talent, or in defensive depth. But even going into the Stanley Cup Final, goaltending was the obvious place where they had the edge. That was on full display, and it wasn’t even close.

It remains the most critical position. Build from the net out. The Panthers did a long time ago when they committed long-term to the Panthers. It has been beyond worth it.

The Mentality of a Bully

The Panthers had the goaltending. They had the defensive play to silence two of the game’s best players in the Stanley Cup Final when it mattered most. They had the offensive depth. And when you have everything, you can afford to have a little bit of snarl too. Or a lot.

Look no further than the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. Sam Bennett led the playoffs with 15 goals, including 13 on the road. Brad Marchand had 20 points. Tkachuk was tied for the team lead with 23 points. And each one of them brings an element of physicality, grit, and toughness that is meant for the playoffs.

It’s much like the Flyers of old. They had their fighters, their tough guys. But they also had plenty of skill. And when it came down to it, they had the goalie that wasn’t going to let anything in when it mattered most.

It’s a copycat league, and people will look at the Panthers as a way that old-school hockey can still be alive and well. But don’t overlook the foundational pieces that have been tried and true for more recent champions than just the Panthers. Goaltending. Defense. A balanced offense. Depth. It all matters. And when you have those, you can have a little bit of bully in you too.