The Florida Panthers have won back-to-back Stanley Cups, becoming the third team in the last decade to do so, joining the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Known for their physical defensive style and depth, the Panthers have decimated every team in the playoffs since losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 Stanley Cup finals. Their depth this season was highlighted by key contributions from their bottom defensive pairing and their fourth line, which included former Golden Knights players Nate Schmidt and Tomas Nosek. 

Schmidt signed a one-year contract with the Panthers in the previous offseason after becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1 following his buyout from the Winnipeg Jets. The 33-year-old fit perfectly into what the Panthers were looking for. He played in all but two regular-season games, scoring five goals and 19 points. In the playoffs, Schmidt added another three goals and 12 points in 23 games. 

During his time with the Golden Knights, Schmidt was loved for his vibrant personality and his outstanding performances on the ice. He scored 21 goals and 97 points in his three seasons with Vegas, routinely showing off his skating ability. The undrafted defenseman has defied a lot of odds in his career, and Golden Knights fans seem proud to watch their former breakout stud win his first Stanley Cup. 

Nosek has also added his first Stanley Cup to his resume. He, too, has had a difficult past few years, struggling to hold down a spot on several teams, but his performances in the playoffs changed everything this season. He skated in 59 regular-season games and wasn't in the lineup for the Panthers' first seven games of the playoffs, but his addition started the run against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round. He recorded three assists in 16 games in the postseason, serving as the Panthers' fourth-line center. 

After Captain Aleksander Barkov lifted the trophy, the first player he handed the Stanley Cup to was Schmidt. He handed it to another first-time winner Seth Jones, before he passed the honors to Nosek. 

The former original misfits were unable to win the cup with the Golden Knights but finally fulfilled lifelong dreams.

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Ryan Bowness didn’t stay on the market for long.

The former Ottawa Senators executive landed on his feet this week with the New York Islanders, who named him Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel.

Bowness joins the Islanders after three seasons in Ottawa’s front office. Originally hired by former Senators GM Pierre Dorion in 2022, the up-and-coming young executive served as Assistant GM for two seasons before being promoted to Associate General Manager in 2024-25. The 41-year-old was also GM of the AHL's Belleville Senators.

The Senators did not issue an official statement regarding his departure in May or the reasons for the front-office change.

Report: Ottawa Senators Shake Up Front Office, Parting Ways With Associate GM Ryan BownessFor a team that’s only five days into its off-season, the Ottawa Senators aren’t wasting any time preparing for next season. On Monday, GM Steve Staios signed RFA defenceman Nik Matinpalo to a two-year extension. On Tuesday, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the team parted company with associate GM Ryan Bowness.

Last month, Staios hired 52-year-old Matt Turek to take over at least part of Bowness’ portfolio, most notably as GM in Belleville. Staios and Turek worked together on Michael Andlauer's OHL team in Hamilton. Most recently, Turek was the club's GM, now located in Brantford.

The Islanders also did some recent executive house cleaning, replacing 82-year-old Lou Lamoriello with new GM Mathieu Darche. With the appointment this week, Bowness becomes one of Darche's first hires in a similar role to the one he had here.

Prior to Bowness' stint in Ottawa, the Halifax native spent six seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins scouting department, including a stint as Director of Pro Scouting. He won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017.

Before that, Bowness worked in the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers organization for seven years, holding a variety of roles including Pro Scout, Manager of Hockey Operations, and Manager of Player Development.

Communications Shift: Senators Now Play It Close To The Vest Under StaiosIf the past week’s events have taught us anything about Steve Staios’ stewardship of the Ottawa Senators as general manager, it’s that he is incredibly guarded.

Bowness was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2001 NHL Draft. He played junior hockey in the OHL with the Brampton Battalion and Oshawa Generals, then continued his playing career at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.

Ryan is the son of Rick Bowness, a longtime NHL coach who previously served as head coach of both the Islanders and Senators. In fact, Rick was the first head coach in modern Senators history when they returned to the NHL in 1992.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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The Florida Panthers just won their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final, but the odds are already live at sportsbooks for which team will hoist the Cup next year. 

The Panthers won 5-1 on Tuesday night in Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers in a Stanley Cup rematch, but the Oilers are actually the early +650 favorites at BetMGM to win it all next season.

Florida has the next-best odds at +750, as the team looks to return to the finals for the fourth straight season and win its third straight title. The Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

The Colorado Avalanche (+800), Dallas Stars (+850) and Carolina Hurricanes (+900) are the other teams with better than 10-1 odds.

There isn't a consensus favorite among sportsbooks for next season, as some books have the Oilers as slight favorites, while others have the Hurricanes favored and some have a three-way tie atop the odds board between Edmonton, Colorado and Florida.

The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks have the longest odds to win next year's Stanley Cup at 500-1 odds at BetMGM.