NHL Eastern Conference preview: Can Panthers make another Stanley Cup Final run in loaded East?

Florida made it to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final as a No. 8 seed, but the team will face stiffer competition this season

By Chris Bengel Oct 3, 2023 at 10:00 am ET• 7 min read

The start of the 2023-24 season is right around the corner, and it comes with a large amount of excitement.

Last season, teams like the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to contend for the Stanley Cup coming out of the East. However, both teams ran into the buzzsaw known as the Florida Panthers, who made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for just the second time in franchise history. Florida returns the bulk of its roster in 2023-24, so another postseason run could be in the cards. On the other hand, the East is extremely deep heading into the upcoming campaign.

Here's a breakdown of the Eastern Conference as we enter the 2023-24 season.

Atlantic Division

Can the Panthers make another deep Stanley Cup run?

The Panthers did the unthinkable as they reached the Stanley Cup Final despite barely making the postseason. It was the coming out party for star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who registered a career-high 109 points (40 goals and 69 assists). It was a performance that made Tkachuk a Hart Trophy finalist, and he could've taken home the award if it wasn't for a superhuman year from Oilers star Connor McDavid. 

The Panthers return the majority of their core from a season ago, including Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett. The biggest question mark will be in net as Sergei Bobrovsky will look to put a complete season together. If Florida gets a strong year from Bobrovsky, it's extremely possible the franchise can make another Stanley Cup charge.