It’s time for the defending Stanley Cup champions on NHL Saturday as the new season has gotten underway in North America. The Florida Panthers came into being for the 1993-1994 as the league continued to expand significantly in the 1990s. Despite making only 10 postseason appearances overall, the organization has made three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, including the successful one this past spring.

No. 10: Stephen Weiss, C—37 PS (2002-2013)

The No. 4 pick overall in the 2001 Draft, he really never did much—as his PS total reflects; it’s probably the lowest we’ve seen in this miniseries for a Top 10 franchise player. And then you realize just how long he played for the organization, too (654 games). Do the math: ouch. He did have three seasons (2009, 2010, 2012) where he finished with at least 6.0 PS, but that doesn’t leave much to spread around the other years.

No. 9: Sergei Bobrovsky, G—41 PS (2019-present)

Then there’s this guy, who joined the Panthers for his age-31 season after many successful years in Columbus. He’s posted a 145-73-19 record with the organization, as the team has reached the postseason in all five full seasons he’s been with it. That’s the impressive part, as he posted 10.9 PS last season as the team won its first NHL championship. He also topped his peers with 39 victories during the 2021-2022 season.

No. 8: Olli Jokinen, C—43 PS (2000-2008)

The No. 3 overall pick in the draft once by Los Angeles, he came to Florida for his age-21 season and played decently for seven seasons. He posted 20.6 PS combined over back-to-back seasons (2005-2006, 2006-2007), but the Panthers never made the postseason during his time with the organization. Alas, he never made an All-Star team during his career, overall, so you could say he was a disappointment on all levels.

No. 7: Róbert Švehla, D—50 PS (1995-2002)

Not quite an original Panther, he was a fourth rounder who did pretty well for himself: two Top 15 finishes in the Norris voting (1997, 2000). He posted 32 PIMs in the team’s postseason run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, and he managed 603 PIMs in 573 regular-season games with the franchise. Overall, he compiled three seasons of 8-plus PS with the team, too (1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1999-2000). Good return on the pick.

No. 6: John Vanbiesbrouck, G—50 PS (1993-1998)

In just five seasons with the team, from his age-30 season to his age-34 season, he was a steadfast anchor in the defensive zone. Four straight years (1994-1997), he was a Top 7 vote getter for the Vezina and helped the team to legitimacy pretty quickly as an original Panther. His 2.25 GAA and .932 S% certainly helped the team reach the Finals in 1996. His best season was his first as he posted 15.2 PS for a 33-win expansion team.

No. 5: Tomáš Vokoun, G—59 PS (2007-2011)

Arguably the best goaltender in franchise history, he posted a 101-108-30 mark for four bad teams, while racking up a pretty impressive PS total. Oddly, he led the league in losses twice while with the Panthers (2008, 2010), but he still posted a winning record in 2008. He also topped his peers that season with 16.1 PS in net. Florida never made the postseason with him on the roster, but that certainly was not his fault at all.

No. 4: Jonathan Huberdeau, LW—65 PS (2012-2022)

Sadly, he left the team before its greatest seasons, but the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 Draft did his duty in getting the team back to respectability: a two-time All Star (2020, 2022) who won the Calder vote in 2013. Plus, he topped the NHL in assists (85) during his last season with the organization. The Panthers made the playoffs during his final three seasons with the franchise, so we consider his tenure to be a successful one.

No. 3: Aaron Ekblad, D—66 PS (2014-present)

Who recalled he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2014? We did not. Shame on us? He won the Calder vote in 2015, while making the All-Star team in his first two seasons (2015, 2016). But his career highlights sort of end right there: he’s never topped the league in anything, really, and he’s not a big scorer (350 points in 685 regular-season games), and he’s been relatively quiet in the postseason, too (2o points in 64 games). Huh.

No. 2: Aleksander Barkov, C—79 PS (2013-present)

The No. 2 overall pick in 2013, he has enabled the Panthers to take advantage of some bad seasons with some sharp drafting. He’s never been an All Star, but he’s won two Frank Selkes and one Lady Byng—which is nice. In 2017-2018, he topped the league in shorties (5), too. With 59 points in 71 postseason games, he’s been serviceable in the postseason as the franchise has reached two straight Stanley Cup Finals. But … meh.

No. 1: Roberto Luongo, G—124 PS (2000-2006, 2014-2019)

A big part of the team’s resurgence in recent years, he also started his time with the team at a young age (21). The No. 4 overall pick by the New York Islanders, he was dealt after his first NHL stint to Florida. He had two Top 7 Vezina vote finishes (2004, 2006) in his first era with the Panthers; he added two more Top 9 Vezina vote finishes in his second stint (2016, 2018). With a 32-31 postseason record, he did his part well.