A Florida Panthers minority owner has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL.

Doug Cifu, who owns a minority stake in the team and is listed as vice chairman, partner and alternate governor, was suspended on Monday night from any participation or involvement with the team.

The news was first reported by the Toronto Sun.

“The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu’s X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate,” the league said in a statement posted by the Sun. “As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL.”

The decision came after Cifu posted a series of messages on social media Sunday evening that could be considered vulgar and offensive.

Responding to a post from a user on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter, Cifu was commenting on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

In his messages, Cifu also referred to Canada as the 51st state, something first brought up by President Donald Trump that did not resonate well with Canadiens, and understandably so.

Cifu has since deleted hit account. Screenshots of the interactions can be seen in the embedded posts below, which are from the account Cifu was interacting with.

Panthers owner tilted LFG 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/qhk0DFCYOg

— Dr. Grizzo (PhD, MD, BA, MBA, 7'4 240 IQ) (@mrgrozz) May 12, 2025

LMFAOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/Q33jRFHM2P

— Dr. Grizzo (PhD, MD, BA, MBA, 7'4 240 IQ) (@mrgrozz) May 12, 2025

The back and forth came after Florida’s 2-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series.

This is not an isolated incident, as Cifu has had an active social media presence, often not holding back when making his opinions known.

On this occasion, though, it appears his verbiage was enough to warrant the league to step in.

There will an in-person meeting between Cifu and the NHL at a later date, the league has said.

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As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for Game 5 against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, head coach Craig Berube doesn’t appear to be losing sleep over the end-of-game antics that spilled over in their Game 4 loss, or the shenanigans from Matthew Tkachuk directed at William Nylander.

At the end of the game on Sunday, a video surfaced showing Tkachuk appearing to talk from the Panthers bench towards Nylander as the game wound down, seemingly saying, “I’m going to get you,” in what looked like an effort to rattle the Leafs forward.

Good luck with that.

And if the Panthers forward was attempting to get into the star winger's head, Berube isn’t convinced it worked. The Leafs coach seems to remain confident in Nylander’s ability to block out the noise, something he’s previously acknowledged, letting the 29-year-old do his thing and “leave him alone” rather than be overbearing. That mindset hasn’t changed.

“He probably didn't even hear him. He doesn't hear me,” Berube quipped after Tuesday’s optional skate. 

“They've been doing it all series. We've been doing it all series. That's playoff hockey,” added teammate Max Domi.

I am not @Jomboy_, but to me, I see Tkachuk saying to Nylander “I’m going to get you.” *wink* “I’m going to get you.”

Thoughts?

pic.twitter.com/Kgu3GbcMFV

— Evan Doerfler (@evandoerfler) May 12, 2025

The interaction capped off a fiery ending to Game 4, which saw Max Domi level Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov with a hit just before the horn. A scrum ensued, tempers flared, and Domi was fined $5,000 by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday for the play.

Despite all the fireworks and potential carryover, Domi and the Leafs insisted on Tuesday that their focus remains squarely on bouncing back in Game 5. From a bigger picture, winning two of the next three games in what has become a best-of-three series.

“Just looking forward to the next game,” said Domi.

'The Kulikov Hit On Marner Was 10 Times Worse': Maple Leafs' Max Domi Fined After Boarding Panthers' Aleksander Barkov In Game 4Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube didn't mince his words when reflecting on the final minutes of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 loss on Sunday to the Florida Panthers.

Speaking to the possible pushback from the Panthers, Berube echoed that sentiment when asked how his team will handle spillover from Game 4.

“What are they going to do? I mean, they can go after him, but Max has been around. Yeah, I get it. Some emotions, your emotions get high, and things happen. That's part of the game. And we all know that he's going to be fine,” said Berube. 

“You can't worry about if there's going to be a reaction. You just got to go and play. I don't know. I don't think there will be a reaction, but I don't really have a whole lot to stay on it,” he added.

'Just Talking. That's What He Does': William Nylander And Matthew Tkachuk Chirp After Panthers' Game 4 Win Over Maple LeafsChaos erupted as the final buzzer went in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday in Game 4 of the series.

Instead of engaging with the extracurriculars, the bench boss wants his group to keep their cool and stay out of the penalty box, something that was a problem in Game 4. Toronto took five penalties in the loss, including four in the first period alone – in which Florida capitalized on.

There is a fine line between playoff-style hockey and costly penalties – a difference between playing hard and playing undisciplined. Simply put, don’t expect the Leafs to do anything reckless.

“We went to the box five times. It's lots. We talked about that today. We can't go to the box that many times. Especially four in the first period, it's like it takes your momentum away. It takes certain guys out of their rhythm on the bench and overusing other guys. So it's not a good recipe. You've got to be more disciplined,” said Berube.

“Like the stick ones aren't good. You've got to control your stick. We all know that. Those are the ones, in my opinion, that hurt you. I get there's physical penalties and hits and things like that, and you're going to go to the box at times, but that's playing the game hard,” he added.

'We Don't Need To Take Those': Maple Leafs' Discipline Issues In Game 4 Killed Momentum In Loss To PanthersThe Toronto Maple Leafs managed to do what no team had done throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs until their 2-0 Game 4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday... They took four penalties in the opening 20 minutes of the game.

It’s no secret that tensions are rising. 

There have been numerous questionable hits and outcomes from both sides through four games. Discipline will be a key factor moving forward, with potentially three more games in this series.

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There are no certainties when it comes to the Buffalo Sabres this summer, and the speculation regarding defenseman Bowen Byram may simply result in a short-term bridge deal and the 23-year-old walking to unrestricted free agency in 2027, but if that chatter regarding the Sabres potentially trading him is true, the question before GM Kevyn Adams is what do you get back for him.

Byram scored a career-high 38 points last season, an impressive feat since all but three of those points came at even strength. The former fourth overall pick is capable of greater offensive output, especially if he is utilized on the power play, making him extremely attractive to teams looking for a top-pairing blueliner and power-play quarterback.

Adams must be looking to make the same hockey deal he made when he acquired Byram from the Colorado Avalanche in March 2024. The deal in exchange for center Casey Mittelstadt bought Buffalo more time before having to decide on a long-term deal. A team interested in Byram will be looking to extend him long-term, but his status as an RFA should not affect his overall value in a trade, since he is arbitration-eligible and there s no chance of a holdout. 

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The important part of any potential deal is what Adams can get back in return. Ideally, the Sabres are looking for someone comparably aged, and under control on a contract, or because he is on his entry-level or second contract. The issue that continues to affect the blueline is the preponderance of left-handed defensemen, so logically, Buffalo would be looking for a right-handed complement for Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power. 

Byram was connected to his hometown Vancouver Canucks in rumors during the season, but that was connected to the chatter of them trading Elias Pettersson and that does not seem realistic after the Canucks sent JT Miller to the NY Rangers. Names that might be a fit the criteria are blueliners Brandt Clarke of the LA Kings, Jamie Drysdale of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Simon Nemec of the New Jersey Devils.  

Clarke was rumored to be possible trade fodder before the deadline, in spite of filling in nicely for the injured Drew Doughty and scoring 33 points in his first full NHL season. Drysdale finally shook off injury issues that plagued him the last two seasons and played 70 games for the Flyers this year, while Nemec – the Devils 2022 second overall pick – is growing frustrated in New Jersey after splitting time between Newark and AHL Utica for the second year in a row.  

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