Some thoughts and takeaways from the 2025 Stanley Cup Final in which the Florida Panthers repeated as champions…
1. That was the most lopsided a six-game series with multiple overtime games can feel
Yes, the Edmonton Oilers managed to take the Florida Panthers to six games, but it never felt particularly close. Of those six games, the Oilers’ “Time Spent Leading” was at a breath over eight per cent of the total game play, while the Panthers played with the lead for 255:49 (over 61 per cent), an all-time record in the Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton came back in Game 1 despite trailing by two in the second period after Florida took their foot off the gas, then won in overtime. And they came back from a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to again win in the extra frame.
Other than that, it felt like any time the game was tied and the Panthers needed to pull away, they could, even if they failed to hold those leads twice. They closed by winning Games 5 and 6 by scores of 5-2 and 5-1, and in the process they tied the record for “most games scoring five-plus goals in a single Stanley Cup Playoff” with 13. Only two other teams have ever done that.
There are a few empty netters in there, but they scored 28 goals in the six-game Cup Final, an average of 4.5 per. The Oilers, like Florida’s other opponents, just had no answer.
2. Taxes aside, teams win by becoming a destination. Both these teams prove that, for different reasons
I’m sick of the word “taxes” at this point when discussing Florida, but “no state taxes” is a flower that belongs to a bouquet of reasons why players find that organization desirable. Teams can earn that label a variety of ways, but in the end, this final was a reminder about the value of making your organization a place with a great reputation.
The Buffalo Bills are a team players want to play for because their quarterback Josh Allen is a superstar, the team wins a lot, and the fans care. The Buffalo Sabres lose a lot because the team is generally unserious and the management is not cream of the crop. Players are drawn to one of these teams, and repelled from the other. It’s only after those differences are evaluated do things like weather and taxes start to add up for players considering teams.
But this series was such a stark reminder of why making your organization first rate is so important, because look at the players who were on the teams in the Cup Final. Say what you will about taxes and weather, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl work for Edmonton like Josh Allen does for Buffalo, in that players have chosen to go there to play with stars when they could’ve gone elsewhere. That includes playoff standout Corey Perry, who wanted another chance to win a Cup.
The Panthers were a great fit for players who might’ve said “no thanks” if the team was a disaster, but instead the likes of Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand allowed themselves to get dealt there. However you do it – a new building, a star player, whatever – you have to show a bright future.
3. Matthew Tkachuk deserves more credit
A lot of players play through injury in the playoffs, to the point where we barely even respect it any more, it’s just assumed they will. (In fact, there was a weird phase where the online world got mad at the NHL for “glorifying” this reality, that somehow averting our eyes from the truth and not honouring the athletes’ commitment was somehow better? Guys put themselves in the line of fire, and there’s nobility in that.)
Tkachuk playing through an “adductor torn off the bone and a hernia,” is crazy. I can’t imagine even trying to do that with nobody else on the ice. And while he was a much quieter version of himself than a healthy Tkachuk can be, he was still a contributor. So, a tip of the hat to that level of devotion.
4. Real “culture and chemistry” shows up in the numbers
A funny online debate about stats used to be from the more old-school types saying that culture and chemistry matter way more than whatever the stupid numbers say. And in kind, with the Panthers winning again, there are some pointing to those true intangibles as to why the Cats have had success. Grit, grind, effort, chemistry, leadership, not Corsi!
And I agree…with both the culture folks, and the numbers folks. Because those things matter a ton, but when you have them, they show up in the numbers.
With their backs against the wall in Game 6, the Oilers mustered seven slot shots on net to the Panthers’ 20. High danger chances were 21-11 Florida. Turnover scoring chances were 14-5 Florida, who also led in possession time.
So in sum, all those intangibles matter of course, but the point is just that when a team truly has them, the data acknowledges as much. We can see that, again, this Panthers team seems to be worth more than the sum of its parts.
5. I’d be wary of buying any one of the Panthers’ UFA stars in isolation. Why would they leave anyway?
The Panthers are going to be up against the cap pretty good, what with having to re-sign Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad, all three of whom will be coveted league-wide. But I do think pulling any one of them out of the situation they’ve got in Florida and asking them to re-spawn a replica of the Panthers’ culture and success, like a splice of a tree meant to grow another, is a big ask that’s unlikely to yield the outcome you want. Sure you could add them to something already good and close, but I don’t think these are the guys for the lottery teams of the league.
The Panthers are a great team, but I’d be wary of buying just a part of it.
That said, if those guys can stay, they will. I mentioned the bouquet of reasons to stay in Florida, and these days Florida looks like a full meadow in spring.
6. Where do the Oilers go from here?
When you fall just short twice in a row, everything gets a close review. Yes, the Oilers went to the Cup Final, but they didn’t look particularly close to the Panthers. It feels like they need a goalie (well, they do need a goalie, full stop), more depth up front, and it’s worth asking if that D-corps is bound to consistently give you great post-seasons.
But it also calls into question things that seem good, at least for a once-over look. Did Kris Knoblauch do enough? In talking about the success of the Panthers, Connor McDavid said they were “Never really able to generate any momentum up the ice. Kept trying the same things over and over again, banging our heads against the wall.” That’s not exactly a glowing review. (That quote could use more context, as he’s mostly talking about Florida.)
Will McDavid re-up on July 1? Skinner makes back-up dollars anyway, so can they find a starter out there to play ahead of him?
7. We talk a lot about parity and how hockey is a game filled with luck for a league where the good teams consistently prevail
Over the past 17 seasons, only five teams have won the Stanley Cup and not win it again. That leaves another five teams to share the other 12 Cups.
Chicago: 3
Pittsburgh: 3
Los Angeles: 2
Tampa Bay: 2
Florida: 2
Boston: 1 (with two other trips to the Cup Final)
Vegas: 1 (with another trip to the Cup Final)
Colorado: 1
Washington: 1
St. Louis: 1
Even the “one and done” list is filled with consistently great, competitive teams. It’s crazy that in a league where your biggest stars are on the ice for just a third of the game, and you can’t guarantee they’ll get the puck in the biggest moments, we see less parity than we have in the NBA over the past five seasons.
Of late, the tight cap has made adding players and changing rosters hard for the chasing teams, which will likely open up in the years ahead.
8. The NHL’s best team won, and that’s the way it should be
My Dad’s Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups (and went to five straight finals) in the early ’80s, and during this year’s Final he twice texted me “They remind me a lot of us.”
Brian Burke has talked about how a team has to be able to win a variety of ways, and both of those two men have seen success in the league. The Panthers have it all, and have answered every question. They can play it any way. They’re the best team in the league, no doubt, and they’re now back-to-back champions.
I’ll leave you with this tweet from our own JD Bunkis, because it’s worth considering: If all our recent Cup champions were to play and play and play in some simulation where they could all be healthy and prime-aged, who would come out on top?
