One of the few players who have tabulated over 500 Games as a Florida Panther, Defenseman, Paul Laus was known for his rugged and tenacious blueline play.  The Beamsville, Ontario native was also known for his toughness and was a large part of Florida’s 1996 Stanley Cup playoff run.  All of Paul Laus’ 530 Games in the NHL were played with Florida.

From Russia, Dmitry Kulikov is a well-travelled defencman whose shut down skills would always find a home in the NHL.  

Drafted 14th Overall in 2009, Kulikov debuted for the Panthers while still a teenager, and found solid time at the blue line over the next few seasons, peaking with a 28-Point output in 2011-12.  Kulikov was traded to Buffalo in 2016, and he would later played for Winnipeg, New Jersey, Edmonton, Minnesota, Anaheim and Pittsburgh before resigning in 2023 with the Panthers as a Free Agent.

It was a great move for Kulikov, who helped Florida win their first Stanley Cup.  He is still with Florida going into 2024/25 and his veteran presence could help them repeat.

A Florida Panther for 199 Games, Defenseman, Bryan McCabe followed up on hi s run with the Toronto Maple Leafs to become the prime blueliner in Miami.  McCabe would have over half a point per game as a Panther, an excellent record for anyone who spent this many games and more than worthy for this list.

Aaron Ekblad did as much as you could ask for in his rookie year, as the number one pick from the Barrie Colts scored 39 Points and won the Calder Trophy.  Ekblad never slowed down, showing exemplarart two-way hockey and a helathy Plus/Minus on a team that for the most part has not been usually on the winning side of the ledger.  

Entering his ninth season of professional hockey, Ekblad is slghtly over a .5 Point per Game player, a great number for a blueliner in the modern era.  Ekblad has now gonw to two All-Star Games and is certainly capable of a third, as he showed by his 2021-22 career-hugh of 57 Points with a sixth-place Norris vote.  He has it in him, and it does not hurt that the Panthers have been getting better, and even if he doesn't, he is still a phenomenal choice to crack the top two on this list.

The winner of the Calder Trophy in 2013, Jonathan Huberdeau would nlt only become the prime offensive weapon for the Forida Panthers, but also one of the premier Left WIngs in Hockey.

Huberdeau, who was a former Third Overall Pick (2011), would have back-to-back 50 Point years (2014-15 & 2015-16), and likely would have had a third had he not been held to only 31 Games the year after. Since that time, his scoring touch has continued to evolve, peaking with 115 Points in 2021-22.  A Second Team All-Star in 2020-21 and 2021-22, Huberdeau has averaged over a Point per Game in his last five seasons, as a Panther, but depsite his 2021-22 year (where he also led the NHL in Assists with 85, and finished fifth in Hart voting), the Panthers were frustrated by their inabilty to get past the second round.

Florida made a blockbustr trade, trading Huberdeau to the Cakgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk.  WHether or not Florida won the trade is to be determined, but he left the Sunshine State with 613 Points in 671 Games.

The 10th overall draft pick form the 1995 Draft, Czech born forward, Radek Dvorak was young but he helped the Florida Panthers reach their first ever Stanley Cup.   Dvorak would prove to be a good two way player and decent on the shorthanded side of the ice, and was productive in both of his Florida runs.

While concussions turned Rob Niedermayer into a more defensive forward early in his career, he was still a productive two way player; especially considering that “early” in his career was all with the Florida Panthers.  Niedermayer was a large part of that Stanley Cup run and he was an instant leader with the Panthers.  He is one of the few players to log over 500 games for the South Florida franchise.

A member of the Florida Panthers for the majority of his career, Nathan Horton would have three seasons with Florida where he would have 50 Points plus, two of which would have 62 Points.  This run would also see Horton eclipse the 20 Goal mark four times as a Panther.

A trade to the Florida Panthers would eventually place Viktor Kozlov on a line with his countryman, Pavel Bure.  Kozlov would enjoy the best success of his career with the Panthers as he had three seasons scoring over 50 Points including a 70 Point campaign where he had over 50 Assists.  The playmaker was also known for his clean play, never exceeding 30 PIM in a aseason over his Panthers run.  Of the 537 Points that the Soviet-born player had, 291 was as a Panther.

Arriving from the Philadelphia Flyers via the Expansion Draft, Gord Murphy brought a steady blueine presence to the Florida Panthers.  Murphy was never an All Star, but he was the type of player that elevated the game of those around him and was a big part of the Panthers first Stanley Cup appearance.

A somewhat unheralded player due to his lengthy time in Florida, Stephen Weiss still holds (as of this writing) the franchise record for Assists and Games Played.  Weiss actually played 637 Games with the Panthers before he finally played in his first post-season game.  He would have two seasons over 60 Points for Florida and over his career would receive a sprinkling of votes for both the Lady Byng and the Frank J. Selke Awards.

The very respected Scott Mellanby has an important place in Florida Panthers folklore.  It was the rigged Right Winger who scored the first goal in franchise history and it was there where the “Rat Trick” was born.  In the locker room, Mellanby killed a rat with his hockey stick and scored a goal later that night.  It made for a good story and that season Florida went to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time and the fan-favorite would see plastic rats litter the rink when the Panthers scored a goal.  Mellanby’s only two 60 Point Seasons were as a Panther.  If this list ever gets based solely on popularity, Mellanby would always be in the top five.

The career of Tomas Vokoun as a Florida Panther is not as celebrated nearly as much as it should be.  Perhaps it was because he led the NHL in Losses twice as a Panther and that he is known for the blooper clip of being injured by his own teammate who meant to slash the goal post in frustration (but hit Vokoun instead).

In his first season as a Florida Panther (2011-12), Brian Campbell made history as the first Defenseman in over 50 seasons to win the Lady Byng Trophy.  Campbell scored over 50 Points that campaign and would receive Norris Trophy votes in three of his five seasons as a Panther.  Campbell returned to Chicago as a Free Agent in 2016, which is where he finished his career.

One of the best pure skaters in the game, Defenseman, Jay Bouwmeester has the ability to cause damage on the offensive rush as good as anyone.  Drafted 3rd Overall in the 2002 Draft, Bouwmeester played his first seven seasons of his career with the Florida Panthers.  Bouwmeester would eclipse 40 Points three times with Florida and was an All-Star twice.  With the Panthers, Bouwmeester scored 203 Points.

Pavel Bure may not be ranked #1 on this list of all-time Florida Panthers but there is a case to be made for him isn’t there?

Playing for the Florida Panthers for 8 of his 9 NHL seasons, blueliner, Robert Svehla is as of this writing without question the greatest Defenseman in Panthers history.  The Slovakian star would represent Florida in the 1997 All-Star Game and had four seasons where he would exceed 40 Points.  He was also a large reason why Florida would make the Stanley Cup Finals in the 1995/96 Season.  WIth the Panthers, Svehla had 290 Points.

Olli Jokinen is known for having gone the longest in NHL history before tasting the NHL playoffs.  That stint largely took place when he was with the Florida Panthers, his longest tenured team by far over his career, and for his first two seasons in South Beach, he wasn’t helping the team much in any capacity and was largely viewed as a bust.

Can it be argued that the first pick of the Florida Panthers Expansion draft could not have gone any better?

After his rookie year with the New York Islanders, Roberto Luongo was traded to the Florida Panthers with Olli Jokinen in what can be best described as one of the most lopsided trades in favor of the Panthers in their history.  Luongo played more in his first two years in Florida, gradually, acclimating to the faster-paced game and he would ascend to the upper-echelon of NHL netminders.

During the entirety of Luongo's run in Florida, the Panthers were not serious contenders, and much of the success that they did have was thanks to Luongo.  We will argue that his breakout season was in 2003-04, where even though he did not receive any Vezina votes, he led the NHL in Goalie Point Shares (14.4).  Luongo was not to be denied in terms of recognition the season after, as he led the NHL in Saves (2,303) and Goalie Point Shares with a whopping (20.9).  He was awarded a Second Team All-Star and was third in Vezina voting with a sixth-place finish for the Hart.  The year after was almost as good, again leading the NHL in Saves (2,275) and for the third year in a row, GPS (18.5).  Not many Goalies can say that.

Due to contract issues, the Panthers traded Luongo to Vancouver, and as a Canuck, he was still one of the best Goalies in the game and would take them to a Stanley Cup Final.  Seven years later, Luongo was traded back to Florida, and while he was older, he was still competent.  Luongo would have two more seasons with the Panthers where he finished in the top ten in Vezina voting.

Luongo retired after the 2018-19 season, and while he had a losing record as a Panther, Luongo was by far the best Goalie that the Panthers ever had, and one of the best ever.  The Panthers retired his number 1 in 2022, and he received the call from the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022 in his first year of eligibility.