Few teams in NHL history have proved themselves in the face of their doubters more than the Florida Panthers of the past few seasons.

After getting humiliated as a Presidents' Trophy winner in 2022 -- swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning as their historic offense was mostly silenced -- Florida rebuilt its identity under Bill Zito and Paul Maurice, traded for toughness with Matthew Tkachuk , leaned into defense and the goaltending of Sergei Bobrovsky , and turned those lessons into a championship blueprint: three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, back-to-back titles and a bona fide dynasty .

But when one team proves so much, it doesn't leave much room for others to do the same. So in many ways, this NHL season will be defined by the teams outside of South Florida that need

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