Florida Panthers Quarter-Century Teams unveiled

The NHL is celebrating the best of the past 25 years by revealing Quarter-Century Teams for each of the League's 32 franchises and the Arizona Coyotes.

Each club will be represented by a First Team and Second Team of six players -- three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie -- who played for the franchise after Jan. 1, 2000. The first and second teams were selected by broadcasters, national, local and NHL.com writers who have covered the respective teams, in addition to select former players.

The six players voted to each First Team will be on the ballot for the NHL All Quarter-Century Team that will be chosen via a fan vote that will start in February.

We continue today by revealing the First and Second Quarter-Century Teams for the Florida Panthers.

Players are listed in alphabetical order:

FLORIDA PANTHERS QUARTER-CENTURY TEAMS

First Team

Forwards

Aleksander Barkov

Jonathan Huberdeau

Matthew Tkachuk

Defensemen

Aaron Ekblad

Gustav Forsling

Goalie

Roberto Luongo

Forwards: Barkov and Tkachuk are probably the two most impactful forwards in Panthers history. Barkov is Florida's all-time leader in regular-season goals (277), assists (468) and points (745) in 766 games in 12 seasons since debuting as an 18-year-old rookie in 2013. Barkov is also the Panthers' leader in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in assists (40) and points (59) and is third in goals (19) in 71 games and captained them to their first championship last season. Tkachuk helped change the culture in Florida after he was acquired in the trade that sent Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames on July 22, 2022. In three seasons with the Panthers, he has 232 points (79 goals, 153 assists) in 193 regular-season games for an average of 1.20 points per game that is first in team history among players to play at least 20 games. Tkachuk is third in Panthers history with 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 44 playoff games and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two seasons. Huberdeau is second in Panthers history in goals (198), assists (415) and points (613) points in 671 regular-season games between 2013-2022.

Defensemen: Like Barkov and Tkachuk, Ekblad and Forsling were key members of the Panthers' Cup-winning team last season. Ekblad is their all-time regular-season leader among defensemen in goals (117), assists (250) and points (367) in 715 games in 11 seasons since debuting in 2014. Ekblad also is third in franchise history among defensemen with 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 64 playoff games, the most games in team history at his position. Forsling has emerged as one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL and a cornerstone piece for the Panthers since being claimed off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021. Although Forsling is known for his defense, he is seventh in Florida history among defensemen with 148 points (43 goals, 105 assists) in 314 regular-season games, and his 26 playoff points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 61 games rank second among defensemen in team history behind Brandon Montour's 27.

Goalie: Luongo was one of Florida's biggest stars prior to its championship era. After being acquired in a trade with the New York Islanders in 2000, he played 11 seasons with the Panthers over two stints (2000-06, 2014-19). Luongo, who retired in 2019 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022, remains the Panthers' goaltending leader in games (572), wins (230) and shutouts (38). He had a 2.62 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in the regular season with the Panthers, but played in only one playoff series with them, a six-game loss to the Islanders in the 2016 Eastern Conference First Round, when he was 2-4 with a 2.05 GAA and .934 save percentage.

Second Team

Forwards

Pavel Bure

Olli Jokinen

Sam Reinhart

Defensemen

Jay Bouwmeester

Robert Svehla

Goalie

Sergei Bobrovsky

Forwards: Although Bure's tenure with Florida was brief (1999-2002), it was spectacular, including 118 goals and 198 points in 184 regular-season games during the 2000s. The 2012 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee is the only Panthers player to lead the NHL in goals with 58 in 1999-2000 and a team-record 59 in 2000-01. Bure's average of 0.64 goals per game is best amongst Panthers players in the 2000s. Reinhart, the lone skater on the second team from the 2024 Cup squad, is a distant second in averaging 0.51 goals per game and has 288 points (143 goals, 145 assists) in his 281 regular-season games since joining the Panthers in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres in 2021. Reinhart fell two short of Bure's Panthers' single-season record with 57 goals last season. Jokinen is third in Panthers history in regular-season goals (188) and points (419) and fifth in assists (231) in 567 games during seven seasons from 2000-08.

Defensemen: Bouwmeester was a workhorse during his six seasons with Florida from 2002-09, averaging 24:49 in ice time in 471 games. His 203 points (53 goals, 150 assists) rank third among Panthers defensemen in the quarter-century. Svehla's time with the Panthers began in 1995 (he helped them reach the 1996 Stanley Cup Final) and lasted until he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002. He was reliable during his 210 regular-season games with Florida in the 2000s, averaging 25:04 in ice time and getting 85 points (18 goals, 67 assists).

Goalie: Signing Bobrovsky in 2019 was a significant step in the Panthers' climb toward becoming an annual Cup contender. He has been everything they hoped in the regular season (158-79-19, 2.82 GAA, 12 shutouts) and holds their playoff goaltending records in games (60), wins (34) and shutouts (three) while compiling a 2.68 GAA and .908 save percentage.