Browsing: Panthers

The beleaguered Dallas Cowboys defense gave up 410 yards of offense and 30 points to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the main ingredient in a loss that moved them to 2-3-1 on the season.

While the team’s offense continues to play well, the defense has been arguably the worst in the NFL, and cornerback Trevon Diggs knows it.

“Yeah it’s very frustrating,” he told reporters after Sunday’s 30-27 loss. “It’s all these points (given up), the receivers are running wide open down the field, too many busted coverages. It’s a lot. I feel like we’re all over the place and we really don’t have no identity.”

The lack of identity part of those remarks feels like a veiled indictment of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, though head coach Brian Schottenheimer publicly supported him after the loss.

“Matt’s a great coach,” he told reporters. “Everywhere he’s ever been he’s had good defenses. It’s not just Matt by himself. Matt’s trying. The players are trying. This is not a lack of effort.”

He added that whether or not the players believe in Eberflus’ scheme is the “bigger thing. I would hope so. I would think so.”

Something is certainly lacking, whether that’s the scheme, execution or simply the talent on the defensive side of the ball (trading away an elite pass-rusher in Micah Parsons certainly hasn’t helped). The Cowboys have now allowed 30 or more points in five straight games, and were it not for Dak Prescott and an offense that has scored 30 or more points three times and 40 or more points twice, the team’s record would be far worse.

The Cowboys now face the Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals before a Week 10 bye. If they don’t figure out their defensive woes soon, a few heads may roll come the bye.

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It was a good opening week of the season for the Florida Panthers.

After picking up a pair of one-goal victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers to kick off their 2025-26 campaign, Florida welcomed the Ottawa Senators to Sunrise on Saturday and earned a resounding 6-2 victory over their divisional rivals.

Despite going into the season without several key players due to injury, the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions have continued humming along, playing their physically challenging brand of hockey while receiving contributions from up and down the lineup.

Florida has also gotten off to an excellent start on special teams. Weâ€ll see if all this success can continue once they hit the road next week.

For now, letâ€s get to the takeaways from Florida capping off a perfect 3-0-0 homestand:

POWER PLAY SUCCESS

The Panthers have scored power play goals in all three of their games so far this season.

Overall, theyâ€ve cashed in five times out of 12 opportunities, good for a 41.7% success rate that will be incredibly difficult to sustain over the course of an entire season.

All kidding aside, there are several reasons why Floridaâ€s power play has been so formidable, as they can throw two very unique units at you that each feature some potent offensive players.

They’re also keeping things relatively simple and leaning on the foundational pieces they began installing early in training camp.

“Weâ€re not overcomplicating it,†said Panthers defenseman Seth Jones. “Obviously we have new units this year, so we did a lot of work in the preseason to try to get everyone in the right spots and everyone understand what the plays are, and just being direct. It really ties into our five-on-five game, there’s nothing crazy about it.â€

STEADY ON PK

Just as Floridaâ€s power play has been a major source of strength, their penalty kill has been equally reliable.

Through three games, the Panthers†PK has killed off each of the seven power plays its been called upon to extinguish, allowing only seven total shots against while down a man.

As Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice pointed out, this yearâ€s killers have done well to replicate the success they found last season and, similarly to what Jones said about the power play, are doing so by keeping things simple.

“I don’t think that they’ve changed much,†Maurice said. “We look a little different on it because of the personnel that’s out, but the structure of it (looks the same). Those defensemen have done a really fine job of being able to play off of different forwards, and we’ve run a lot of different combinations. The D have done a nice job in that structure.â€

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL OVER

Florida has scored 11 goals over their three wins, with nine different players lighting the lamp.

The overall points have been spread evenly throughout the lineup as well.

Four of Floridaâ€s defenseman have multiple points (Seth Jones, Jeff Petry and Gus Forsling each have two assists), and representatives from all four of the Panthers forward lines have scored goals.

“It’s going to be the critical piece,†Maurice said of the teamâ€s depth scoring. “We going to have more nights of two and three (goals), like the first two games, than we will like tonight, so you need to have as many people as you can coming to the rink believing they can get score, that they have that positive feel. I think each line has generated enough that they’re feeling positive about their game, so they don’t really need to change it.â€

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Photo caption: Oct 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Mackie Samoskevich (11) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

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The Florida Panthers appear to be holding out hope their captain could step on the ice this season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the “Saturday Headlines” segment of Hockey Night in Canadathat the defending champs have not asked for full-year long-term injured reserve for Aleksander Barkov following knee surgery at the end of September.

The 30-year-old tore his ACL and MCL during practice two weeks ago and was ruled out for seven to nine months, effectively ending his 2025-26 campaign before it even started.

Despite that, the Panthers have opted not to place Barkov on LTIR, according to Friedman, thus forgoing the full cap relief they could gain on his $10 million AAV for this season.

It appears the move was made in case the centre can make a faster-than-expected recovery, as under the new CBA rules, if Barkov were placed on full-year LTIR, he’d no longer be eligible to return at any point during the 2025-26 season, including the playoffs.

Friedman referenced the Vegas Golden Knights’ decision to place Alex Pietrangelo on full-year LTIR when making that point, while also noting Florida “could change their minds later, if they wanted to, but right now Aleksander Barkov is still eligible to play this year if he’s ready to do it and the Panthers don’t get full (cap) relief.”

The reigning King Clancy and Selke trophy winner put up 71 points (20 goals and 51 assists) through 67 regular-season appearances last season, while logging 22 points (six goals and 16 assists) in Florida’s run to a second consecutive title.

Despite the absence of their captain, the Panthers have managed to open their season with a 2-0 record.

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The Florida Panthers paid tribute to one of their former Stanley Cup Champions.

On Saturday, Florida welcomed the Ottawa Senators to Sunrise.

Current Senators forward Nick Cousins spent two seasons with the Panthers, from 2022 to 2024.

Both years, the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final, claiming victory during their second trip.

Cousins played a total of 33 games during those two playoff runs, contributing two goals and eight points while racking up 36 penalty minutes.

His biggest postseason moment with the Cats came during the second round in 2023, when Cousins scored the overtime winner in Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs that sent the Panthers to the Eastern Conference Final.

During his time with the Panthers, Cousins value to the team went well beyong his on-ice contributions.

Over the past several seasons, Florida has cultivated one of the best, tightknit locker rooms in the NHL, and Cousins was a big part of growing that camaraderie.

Cousins, along with former Panthers Ryan Lomberg and Brandon Montour, were some of the most vocal guys in that room and helped create the vibe that remains incredibly strong in South Florida.

During the first TV timeout on Saturday, the Panthers played a tribute video for Cousins on the scoreboard above the ice.

Cousins stood up and saluted the crowd as they gave him a loud ovation, then turned toward the Panthers bench and gave his former teammates a nod.

You can check out the tribute video, and Cousins’ reaction, in the X post below:

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SUNRISE, Fla. — Fans of the Florida Panthers cheered the Stanley Cup. Cheered the banner going to the rafters. Cheered the return of the back-to-back NHL champions.

And cheered the opposing goaltender.

Yes, some Panthers fans still shout “Knight†during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner†before each game, even though Spencer Knight — the former Florida goalie whose name is on the Stanley Cup as part of the 2023-24 championship squad — no longer plays for the team. Knight was traded to Chicago last season and started against the Panthers in the season opener for both teams.

Knight made 34 saves, but Florida won 3-2.

“Honestly, I didnâ€t know if they still did or not, but thatâ€s cool,†Knight said in advance of the game. “And again, I think that goes through, top to bottom, the whole community around here, the people. Everyone was just very nice, kind and very appreciative. So, Iâ€m really thankful that I was able to start here. And I hope that I gave some people good memories.â€

The Panthers gave Knight a video tribute at the first TV timeout of the first period. Many of the Blackhawks looked up to watch, and when it was over Knight gave the fans a wave as many in the crowd rose for a standing ovation.

“I was playing the game,†Knight said. “I saluted the crowd, but I was there to play hockey.â€

The Panthers took Knight, the onetime Boston College star, with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He went 44-25-7 in parts of four seasons with Florida, plus 1-1 in a pair of playoff starts he got in 2021.

He was the primary piece that the Panthers gave up in a trade last season that brought defenseman Seth Jones from Chicago to Florida. Knight went 5-8-2 in 15 games with the Blackhawks after the trade last season.

“Itâ€s a special little connection there,†Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of seeing Knight again. “For me, as a player, it was always his explosiveness. Heâ€s just an incredible athlete. And his ability to get from one side of the net to the other under control with strength … I think heâ€s going to be a great goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks for a lot of years.â€

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SUNRISE, Fla. — There are a couple of minor dings these days in the Stanley Cup, including one right near the spot where the names of the 2024-25 Florida Panthers are etched in commemoration of their latest title.

Such things happen during championship celebrations. No worries, they’ll be fixed soon.

And the Panthers are hoping for the chance to put a few more dings in the trophy next year.

A new season for the now back-to-back Stanley Cup champions started Tuesday, with the Panthers all gazing toward the top of Amerant Bank Arena to watch another championship banner hoisted to the rafters. It’s basically the same as last year’s — white background, red lettering — with the only change being the year, 2025 instead of 2024.

“This is a new year and it’s a new opportunity for us,” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said. “And when it starts, it’s time to turn the page and start working toward a chance to hopefully do it again.”

The banner swayed over the end of the ice the Panthers defended twice Tuesday in their 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. By the next home game Thursday, it’ll take its more permanent place over the team bench alongside the team’s other banners for division and conference titles.

“You kind of look back at what you achieved but at the same time you’re proud of the achievement,” Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. “But it gives you more hunger to do it again.”

Fans lined up for one more picture with the Cup outside the doors of the arena Tuesday afternoon, many of them arriving long before the unusual 5 p.m. weekday start time — one that accommodated being part of a nationally televised tripleheader. Once they came inside, the new scoreboard over center ice displayed a compilation of moments from the third period of Game 6 of last season’s Stanley Cup Final, just in case anyone forgot how that season ended.

And after all the warm-ups were complete, just as they did in June 2024 and June 2025 — the Panthers finished off those Cup championship runs by beating the Edmonton Oilers on home ice — the fans roared when the trophy was brought onto the rink. Assistant captain Aaron Ekblad did the honors this year, carrying the trophy onto the ice, then hoisting it before placing it onto a stand next to the spot where the banner was being unfurled and raised.

“Incredible, coming out in front of our fans and being able to hoist it one more time,” Ekblad said.

Once the banner was raised, the players raised their sticks in a salute to the fans.

“We want three! We want three! We want three!” the fans chanted back.

Said Marchand: “It’s great to see their expectations are there. We obviously have the same ones, but this is going to be harder than the last two. … It’s a long road ahead.”

Opening night capped a two-day celebration for the champs; the Panthers’ players and coaches got their championship rings in a private ceremony Monday night.

“Last night was a little bit of a nice reminder for them what the payoff for all that hard work is,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “And it kind of lifts everybody’s spirits and gets them excited about tonight.”

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It won’t be an easy road for the Panthers this season. Captain Aleksander Barkov is going to miss several months and potentially the entire season with two torn ligaments in his knee, an injury suffered 20 minutes into his first practice of training camp. And forward Matthew Tkachuk is out until likely December while recovering from offseason surgery. Barkov and Tkachuk, dressed in street clothes, watched the hoisting from the Florida bench.

“It’ll be up there forever,” Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said of the banner. “This is a special group. And it’s a celebration, but at the same time, it’s a turning of the page. It is a new chapter.”

The Panthers know how rare this opportunity is. They could be the first back-to-back-to-back NHL champion since the New York Islanders won four consecutive Cups from 1980 through 1983.

“The great thing about sports is you don’t know, and there’s a reason we play the games, and it’s about the stories that can be generated,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “And this is going to be an interesting story. Two of the biggest stars on the team are injured. How well they come back, how resilient the team is without them, that’s going to be a great story to see unfold. This is an organization, a team, that’s been well put together. [General manager] Bill Zito deserves an enormous amount of credit. My guess is this team is going to give it all to make it happen again if they can.”

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Bookmakers across the sportsbook marketplace don’t see a consensus Stanley Cup favorite as the Florida Panthers gear up to attempt a very rare NHL three-peat.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers are the co-favorites (+800) at ESPN BET, with the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Panthers at +900, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at +1000. However, no major American sportsbook has the same combination of solo or co-favorites, with Florida and Vegas taking the top billing at some shops.

“The way I look at it, there’s no real clear-cut, short favorite,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN. “This year, it’s more wide open at the top, and then you have a whole second tier of teams that are in that 20-to-40 range. There’s another 10 teams there. Could the Stanley Cup winner come from there? Absolutely. But the top tier has eight teams that we believe will contend for the title.”

The last preseason Stanley Cup favorite to win it all was Colorado (+600) in the 2021-22 season.

The Panthers opened as one of the favorites to win the Cup immediately following their second straight championship. They were +600 solo favorites by mid-September following offseason contract extensions for Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett — despite offseason surgery for superstar Matthew Tkachuk, who is expected back before the new year.

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However, a training camp knee injury to captain Aleksander Barkov, which is expected to keep him out for the entire regular season, if not longer, derailed Florida’s Stanley Cup lines at most books. Several operations immediately dropped the team’s championship odds, with ESPN BET briefly lengthening them to +1000.

Still, action on the Cats has remained robust, with ESPN BET reporting its highest portion of bets (17.1%) and handle (21.4%) backing them to three-peat, while BetMGM says the team’s 13.8% handle is the second-highest in the market. Some bookmakers, such as Karry Shreeve, the head of hockey at Caesars Sportsbook, refused to even dethrone the Panthers as favorites, noting that Barkov and Tkachuk’s injuries have more effect on the team’s regular-season odds.

“We’re not ready to drop them in price significantly, at least for the Stanley Cup, just because I’m not convinced who’s going to fill their spot [in the playoffs],” Shreeve told ESPN. “So long as Florida’s getting into the playoffs again, as far as right now, not knowing anything else, they’re still, to me, the favorite. Not by a lot, but still a favorite, and not a team we’re willing to push out in price just yet.”

Several sportsbooks, including DraftKings and ESPN BET, are instead high on the Hurricanes, even though bettors are backing them at a relatively low clip in terms of both the number of tickets and money wagered.

“Carolina is one of the most consistently dominant teams we have seen in recent years, having recouped some talent over the summer as they look to make another deep run,” ESPN BET senior director Adrian Horton said by email. “Patrons will likely have their postseason struggles in mind, but it took the Panthers at full steam to eliminate them. We fully expect Carolina to be back battling in the playoffs.”

In the favorites tier, bettors are more focused on the Avalanche, who have garnered the third-highest handle at BetMGM and ESPN BET. Beyond the first tier, many patrons are keying on the Toronto Maple Leafs (+1600), who have taken the most tickets and money at BetMGM.

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It’s very difficult to three-peat as champion in any major professional sport, but especially in the modern era of the NHL. The league has not seen any team win at least three consecutive Stanley Cups since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980 to 1983; since the salary cap was implemented in 2005, only three teams have even repeated as champions.

Thus, the two-time reigning champion Florida Panthers will look to become the first three-peat Stanley Cup winners of the salary cap era and sportsbooks, at least initially, liked their odds to do so, as they were co-favorites (+700) to win the 2026 title immediately following their 2025 win, per ESPN BET odds.

Those odds only improved over the summer after the Panthers locked in team-friendly extensions with Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, making them +600 solo favorites approaching the end of September. Even offseason groin surgery for superstar Matthew Tkachuk couldn’t stop Florida’s momentum, as ESPN BET senior director Adrian Horton noted a “large influx of Panthers action,” with bettors understanding that the injury will not keep him out the entire season.

Then it got worse: On Sept. 25, captain Aleksander Barkov went down with a knee injury that required surgery and almost certainly rules him out for the entire regular season, possibly longer. Several books immediately lengthened Florida’s Stanley Cup odds, with ESPN BET raising them to +1000, sixth on the odds board.

And yet, the action backing the Panthers remains robust. ESPN BET reports its highest share of Stanley Cup bets (17.1%) and handle (21.4%) backing the Cats, with BetMGM reporting 13.8% of handle, second-best in the market.

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ESPN BET has since shortened Florida back to +900 (tied for second-best) and some shops, like Caesars Sportsbook, never dethroned the team from favorite status at all. The sportsbook’s head of hockey, Karry Shreeve, said that while his oddsmaking team took Barkov’s injury into effect for markets like President’s Trophy winner and team point total, he believes that they’re always a threat to win the Stanley Cup if they can just get to the playoffs.

“They’re really tricky. For us, it’s definitely dependent on what the market is. So those injuries, in my opinion right now, really just affect the regular season and everything that comes with that,” Shreeve told ESPN. “But we’re not ready to drop them in price significantly, at least for the Stanley Cup, just because I’m not convinced who’s going to fill their spot [in the playoffs].”

“Last season they faced a full gauntlet in the playoffs, eliminating tough opponents in Tampa, Toronto, Carolina, and Edmonton on their way to a second title,” Horton said over email. “Even if they struggle during the regular season, they’ve proved over the last two years that they need to be considered a favorite when gearing up for the postseason, especially if Barkov can return.”

See more: Preseason power rankings | Stanley Cup odds | Fantasy hockey draft guide

Crowded field of Stanley Cup challengers

Of course, the Panthers are far from the only team vying for the Stanley Cup and there is a bevy of contenders at the top, with seven teams showing odds of +1000 or shorter at ESPN BET.

The logjam of favorites sporting +800 odds include the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, the Cup runners-up two years running. Just beyond that lie the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Panthers at +900, with the Tampa Bay Lightning coming in at +1000.

The odds fluctuate greatly from book to book, with BetMGM, for one, installing Vegas as a favorite alongside Edmonton, while DraftKings has Carolina as the solo favorite. ESPN BET priced the Hurricanes competitively, seeing this as potentially the year its talented core finally breaks through.

“Carolina is one of the most consistently dominant teams we have seen in recent years, having recouped some talent over the summer as they look to make another deep run,” said Horton. “Patrons will likely have their postseason struggles in mind, but it took the Panthers at full steam to eliminate them. We fully expect Carolina to be back battling in the playoffs.”

The Canes have not attracted such significant public attention, with BetMGM ranking them fifth (6.5%) and ESPN BET ranking them seventh (5.7%) in Stanley Cup bet share. Instead, bettors are largely backing the Avalanche and Golden Knights in the favorites tier.

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But outside of the top contenders, American bettors are largely turning their attention north of the border. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been unequivocally one of the most-bet teams for the Stanley Cup across the sportsbook marketplace, taking a leading 10.6% of tickets and 15.0% of handle at BetMGM, who lowered them to +1600 from +2000 at open. They aren’t the only Canadian team attracting public attention.

“After a late season surge last year there is also betting interest in the Canadiens,” BetMGM senior trader Matthew Rasp said in a release. “We expect Montreal to take another step forward and for liability to grow on the team.”

To that end, Toronto has garnered the most bets (17.4%) to win the Eastern Conference, while Montreal has gotten the most handle (20.1%) in the market at the sportsbook.

In general, though, bookmakers aren’t sweating Canada’s Stanley Cup drought finally ending after 33 years, with the exception of possibly Edmonton getting it done. Shreeve said he is “comfortable” with the price he is offering on the Leafs despite the action, while DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello is expecting the winner to come from the cluster of favorites.

“The way I look at it, there’s no real clear-cut, short favorite,” Avello told ESPN. “This year, it’s more wide open at the top, and then you have a whole second tier of teams that are in that 20-to-40 range. There’s another 10 teams there. Could the Stanley Cup winner come from there? Absolutely. But the top tier has eight teams that we believe will contend for the title.”

The last preseason Stanley Cup favorite to win the title was the Avalanche (+600) in 2022.

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Can money buy his Hart?

The 2025-26 NHL season will mark the 100th awarding of the Hart Memorial Trophy to the league’s most valuable player, so it could be fitting that a multi-time winner of the award who is well on his way to becoming an all-time great comes into the campaign as a huge favorite.

Oiler captain Connor McDavid is +200 at ESPN BET, holding a relatively large lead over Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (+475) and Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (+650), former Hart winners themselves.

While McDavid’s preseason odds aren’t unprecedented — he was actually shorter to open the previous two seasons — they are significant given the hockey world is watching him on and off the ice. On the eve of Opening Night, McDavid signed a two-year, $25 million extension to stay with the Oilers beyond this season, following much free agency speculation after the team’s second straight Cup Final defeat.

“With McDavid, it just helps that he’s inherently already going to be the favorite for a lot of these awards,” Shreeve said. “So just because of who he is already … we don’t have to make him even more of a favorite.”

Speaking of new contracts, Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov signed a record-setting eight-year, $136 million deal at the end of September, which may have generated some buzz around him in the Hart betting markets. The winger has garnered the most wagers at ESPN BET and BetMGM, also attracting the most handle at the former (17.6%). He shows +1200 odds at ESPN BET, fifth on the board.

Bettors are also buying into the idea that a goalie could repeat for the Hart Trophy after Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck took home the hardware last season. Bookmakers at BetMGM, DraftKings and ESPN BET all report liabilities on goalies like Hellebuyck (+3000), Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (100-1) and the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (100-1).

Shreeve sees that happening as “unlikely” and the numbers certainly back him up there: Out of the Hart’s 99 awardings, only nine have gone to goalies and just once in repeat years — both to Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998.

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Kirill Kaprizov’s top plays from last season

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Calder betting: Get to know the name Ivan Demidov

The betting market for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s rookie of the year, can be a strange one.

Shreeve notes that the overall handle for Calder winner is relatively small compared to other NHL future markets, likely owing to unfamiliarity with the names in question. “We just don’t know as much about these guys as we would in the NBA or NFL because we don’t grow up with these guys,” he said. “A lot of them are European, a lot of them just playing in leagues we’re not familiar with.”

Thus, the markets often end up with a situation where one flashy name rises above the rest to be the preseason favorite. Sometimes it results in the favorite going the distance — such as Connor Bedard (-135) in 2023-24 and Auston Matthews (-130) in 2016-17 — and sometimes it doesn’t, for mitigating circumstances or otherwise, such as when McDavid came into the 2015-16 season at +130, but lost the award to Artemi Panarin (+2200) after sustaining an injury.

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This year, the name is Ivan Demidov of the Canadiens, who is an overwhelming +165 favorite at ESPN BET; the next closest players — Oilers forward Isaac Howard, San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa and Wild defenseman Zeev Buium– are in a three-way tie for second at +1200.

Because of the lack of name recognition, bookmakers chalk up Demidov’s status as the favorite to bettor activity rather than on expert consensus. At ESPN BET, Demidov holds a whopping 73.1% of the handle to win the award, and he also has the most tickets and money at BetMGM.

“Demidov is an interesting case as he made a splash at the end of last season and is still eligible for the Calder this year,” said Horton. “The media frenzy around his debut is a leading factor in the early opinion of him to be a standout favorite.”

The only other name garnering any sort of notable attention is Blackhawks defenseman Sam Rinzel (+2500), who Avello notes has become a liability at DraftKings due to his long odds.

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The Florida Panthers are the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions, but they aren’t the preseason favorites to take home the title during the 2025-26 NHL campaign.

That honor belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Carolina is the favorite at +750 (bet $100 to win $750). That puts it just ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers, the latter of which faced the Panthers in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals.

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Some might be surprised to see anyone but the Panthers atop the list.

After all, they took home each of the last two Stanley Cups and had a successful offseason that saw them bring back Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand.

However, injuries are a significant concern for the team with forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek expected to miss the start of the season and Aleksander Barkov potentially out for the entire campaign after suffering a torn ACL and MCL.

That could open the door for another team, and the Hurricanes are potentially positioned to take advantage of the situation.

Carolina lost to the Panthers in last year’s Eastern Conference Final and has made the playoffs in each of the last seven years. It advanced to the Eastern Conference Final three times during that span and will look to take the next step this season.

Sebastian Aho is set to lead a dangerous offensive attack that will also have to deal with the formidable Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference as well.

Still, the Panthers are champions until someone eliminates them and will surely be a factor once again come playoff time.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Seth Jones had waited most of his life to get a Stanley Cup ring. And then he had to wait even longer before he could see it.

The Florida Panthers handed out the rings from their second consecutive title on Monday, and Jones was the first person on the long list of players, coaches and staff who got the prized pieces of jewelry during the ceremony.

But the Panthers have a rule: Nobody opens the box until everybody can open the box together. So, Jones — who joined the team midway through last season — had to wait … and wait … and wait … before he and everyone else got to see the new shiny bauble.

“Awesome,” Jones said. “It’s a collection piece for the rest of my life.â€

Among the highlights of the ring: A play on the speeches that Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett gave at the Stanley Cup parade, where they both gleefully pointed out that they apologize to no one for the Panthers being the Panthers. That phrasing is etched on the inside of the ring, which has more than 250 diamonds and rubies and is created out of white and yellow gold.

On the sides of the players’ rings: Their name and number on one side, along with the team logo and “back-to-back champions†on the other.

“It’s just a little bit bigger than last year,†Panthers forward Sam Bennett said as he gazed down, with the two rings on one of his hands. “You got the two Cups on there, which is unbelievable. They definitely outdid themselves, for sure.”

The Panthers did the ceremony in private, with the players all in dark suits and red ties. The celebration for fans comes Tuesday, when the team will raise the banner before its opener at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The ownership group — Vincent and Teresa Viola and their families — presented their rings to one another, and then the word finally came to open the boxes.

“I never believed that owning a sports team could be as invigorating, as heart-touching, that you’d care about the players when they get hurt,” said Teresa Viola, the wife of team owner Vincent Viola said. “You want to run down there like a mom and just go, ‘My goodness, are you OK?†This team has shown me the spirit of togetherness, family, everything that I hoped it would be.â€

All the trophies from last season were on a table near the stage. There were the two won by captain Aleksander Barkov — the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward and the King Clancy in recognition of his leadership and humanitarian work on and off the ice. There was the Conn Smythe Trophy, the one Bennett got as MVP of the playoffs. There was the Prince of Wales Trophy, which the Panthers have won in each of the last three seasons as Eastern Conference champions.

And, of course, there was the Stanley Cup. The Panthers have taken it everywhere for the better part of the last 3 1/2 months — hospitals, fire houses, fishing trips, even eaten meatballs out of the thing — and now start the quest toward trying to win it again.

The rings have been handed out. The banner goes up on Tuesday. There will be reminders along the way, like taking a ring to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Stanley Cup Final rematches with Edmonton, rematches of playoff matchups. But the Panthers know it’s time to turn the page to what awaits.

“Dealing with that and not living in the past is very important,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “But also, we want to make sure that weâ€re not mandating that. Itâ€s OK to enjoy tonight. And itâ€s OK when we have to do other things that bring us back. Weâ€re just not having a reunion every day that we come to the rink.â€

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