Florida Panthers News

Bobrovsky was unspectacular in the Panthers' season-opening 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday but was good enough to secure the victory, saving 24 of 28 shots (.857 SV%). The 36-year-old Bobrovsky is coming off his best season in nearly a decade, finishing third in Vezina-trophy voting and posting a solid 2.37 GAA and .915 SV% in 58 games (36-17-4). Bobrovsky will return to the crease for the Panthers on Thursday in a matchup against the Ottawa Senators, where they are -133 road favorites.

Entwistle was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks for the first four seasons of his NHL career and will likely begin his 2024-25 campaign with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) after being sent down on Wednesday. In 193 career games, all with the Blackhawks, Entwistle has 35 points (15G / 20A).

Driedger served as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky in the Panther's 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday but will return to the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) with Spencer Knight being recalled to back up Bobrovsky. The 30-year-old Driedger spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, where he posted an excellent 2.26 GAA and .917 SV% in 39 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (24-7-7).

Knight played 53 games for the Panthers between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons (28-17-6), posting a 2.95 GAA and .905 SV% but spent the entirety of last in the AHL. The 23-year-old Knight posted a 2.41 GAA and .905 SV% in 45 games with the Charlotte Checkers (25-14-5). He will likely see a more prominent NHL role this season, serving as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky.

Verhaeghe has established himself as one of the premier goal scorers in the NHL and has been rewarded with an eight-year, $56 million contract extension. Over the past two seasons, in addition to some clutch playoff performances, the 29-year-old Verhaeghe has tallied 145 points (76G / 69A) and 521 shots in 157 regular-season games. He is currently suiting up on the top line and top powerplay unit for the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Boqvist took a clearing attempt to the face while the Panthers' were on the power play in the first period of Tuesday's game vs. the Bruins. This is a tough break for the often injured Boqvist, who had a great opportunity starting on the Panthers' PP1 to open the season. Aaron Ekblad took over for Boqvist on that unit.

Nosek suffered an upper-body injury in a September preseason contest and remains week-to-week. Nosek signed a one-year contract with the Panthers in the offseason after spending last season with the New Jersey Devils, scoring six points (2G / 4A) in 36 games.

Fresh off their first Stanley Cup championship, the Panthers will likely turn to Bobrovsky between the pipes in their season opener against the Boston Bruins, a rematch of their second-round playoff matchup. Last season, Bobrovsky touted an impressive 2.37 GAA and .915 SV% in 58 games (36-17-4), his best totals since the 2018-19 season as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Panthers enter the action on Tuesday as -147 home favorites against the Bruins. That said, Bobrovsky boasts an ugly 3.62 GAA and .891 SV% in 21 career games against the Bruins (4-11-4), his lowest totals against any club.

Fresh off their first Stanley Cup championship, the Panthers will likely turn to Bobrovsky between the pipes in their season opener against the Boston Bruins, a rematch of their second-round playoff matchup. Last season, Bobrovsky touted an impressive 2.37 GAA and .915 SV% in 58 games (36-17-4), his best totals since the 2018-19 season as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Panthers enter the action on Tuesday as -147 home favorites against the Bruins. That said, Bobrovsky boasts an ugly 3.62 GAA and .891 SV% in 21 career games against the Bruins (4-11-4), his lowest totals against any club.

Schmidt signed with the Panthers in the offseason but will begin his tenure with his new club as a healthy scratch in their season opener. Schmidt had 14 points (2G / 12A) in 63 games while also racking up 66 hits and 76 blocked shots in the 2023-24 season. Uvis Balinskis will draw in on the third defensive pair for the Panthers.

Samoskevich has been dealing with an upper-body injury since the beginning of training camp but was cleared to join practice on Wednesday. Head coach Paul Maurice said he expects Samoskevich to be full contact by Friday and make his pre-season debut on Saturday. If he's healthy, Samoskevich is expected to open the season on the Panthers' roster and skate on the third line next to Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

Samoskevich has been dealing with an upper-body injury throughout training camp but was a limited participant on Tuesday. Samoskevich was penciled in to start the season on the Panthers' third line at the start of the preseason but it's unclear if he'll be ready for the start of the regular season until he's cleared for contact.

Florida has officially had its first preseason injury causality after it was announced Tuesday that Tomas Nosek will be out week-to-week after suffering an upper-body injury in Nashville on Sunday. It is an unfortunate start to the 32-year-old's time in Florida after signing a one-year, $775,000 contract in the offseason. In 36 games with New Jersey in 2023-24, he had two goals, six points, 38 SOG and a -11 plus/minus.

Boqvist was the No.8 overall pick in 2018 and was a key part of the return for Seth Jones in 2021. In three seasons with the Blue Jackets, Boqvist saw his games played decline in each season, most recently posting just 10 points (1G / 9A) in 35 games. With the Panthers, expect him to start in the AHL but be one of the first defensemen called upon when they need reinforcements.

Megna started the 2023-24 season with the Seattle Kraken organization but was claimed off waivers by the Blackhawks in January. He went on to play 44 games with Chicago, tallying two assists, 60 hits and 87 blocked shots while logging 17:31 ATOI. With Florida, look for him to start the 2024-25 season in the AHL.

Lundell was a massive piece in Florida's first-ever Stanley Cup victory with 17 points (3G/14A) in 24 playoff games and has earned himself a six-year extension worth $30.0 million ($5.0M AAV). The 22-year-old was Florida's 2020 1st round pick (12th overall) and has 112 points (43G/69A) in 216 career games played in three seasons.

Driedger had two outstanding seasons with the Panthers in 2020 and 2021 before being claimed by Seattle in the expansion draft. While with the Panthers, he was 21-8-4 with a 2.07 GAA and .931 SV% across two seasons. However, he had a 2.93 GAA and .900 SV% in 29 games (26 starts) with the Kraken and played in just two NHL games during the 2024 season. With Anthony Stoalrz now in Toronto, Driedger will battle with Spencer Knight for the role of Sergei Bobrovsky's backup in 2025.

After three years in Winnipeg, Schmidt was bought out this summer and lands with the Panthers on a one-year deal. He reconnects with former head coach Paul Maurice, who was behind the Jets' bench in 2022. Most recently, Schmidt had 14 points (2G / 12A) in 63 games while also racking up 66 hits and 76 blocked shots.

Entwistle will return to Chicago for a fifth season after signing a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Blackhawks on Tuesday. The 24-year-old has yet to surpass 12+ points in any of his four NHL seasons but had five goals, 11 points, 47 PIMs and a -29 plus/minus in 67 games played in 2023-24.

Florida continues to fill out its bottom six after signing Jesper Boqvist to a one-year deal on Monday. The 25-year-old has five years of NHL experience under his belt but struggled to produce in his first season in Boston in 2023-24 with just six goals and 14 points in 47 games played.