Niko Mikkola has played a crucial role in the Florida Panthers' recent success, putting the league on notice during the playoffs, yet his value to the organization can still be considered underrated.
When the Panthers are at full health, Mikkola is the team's second-best left-handed defenseman after Gustav Forsling. He's also widely considered the third-best defenseman defensively and possibly the fourth or fifth-best defenseman offensively. It's because of this that Mikkola flies under the radar, but if given the opportunity or if it presented itself through injuries, Mikkola could very likely step into a larger role and thrive.
Prior to joining the Panthers, the 29-year-old was considered nothing more than a stay-at-home physical defenseman. With the St. Louis Blues and briefly with the New York Rangers, Mikkola thrived as a hard-hitting blue liner who blocked shots and killed penalties. While he continues to do so at a high level for the Panthers, he's shown that he can contribute in other ways.
In the playoffs, particularly, Mikkola demonstrated the offensive game that hasn't been tapped into at the NHL level. On multiple occasions, Mikkola fearlessly jumped into the playoff offensively, showcasing puck skills to make plays, a quick release to beat goaltenders and skating abilities to blend it all together. He finished the 2024-25 playoffs, averaging 20:13 of ice, scoring three goals and six points.
NIKO MIKKOLA SNIPE SHOW 🎯
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 25, 2025
WHAT A RUN FOR THE D-MAN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/q9YM2sCgZ4
Although he demonstrated that he has more to offer, he still is best suited for the role he currently plays, as the team's No.4 defenseman, but the Panthers can feel at ease that if they do run into injury issues, the Kiiminki, FIN native can seamlessly step into a large role and do so comfortably.
The Panthers have built their success on depth and complete buy-in from each and every player, and there are very few players on the Panthers roster who exemplify this better than the 6-foot-6 defender.
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