Category: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
TORONTO — The experience of returning to Florida as members of the Maple Leafs has been starkly different for the three former Panthers players the second time around compared to the first.
Last November, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, and Steven Lorentz travelled back to Fort Lauderdale in blue jerseys and were greeted with a display of precious stones matching that hue. They also saw yellow sapphires, 37 of them, and 16 red princess-cut rubies, symbolizing each victory on the path to their 2024 Stanley Cup victory. These colourful gems, forming the Florida Panthers logo, were set among 554 diamonds on a 14-karat yellow gold band.
At the Panthers` new practice facility in Fort Lauderdale that day, the ex-Panthers were surrounded and applauded by their former teammates. Each received an impressive ring as a reward for their contribution to the franchise`s first championship.
Following this brief but emotional presentation, the current Maple Leafs literally added championship rings to the room`s collection.
This moment took place just a short 10-minute drive from the famous Elbo Room bar, where Matthew Tkachuk famously poured beer from the Stanley Cup into the mouths of fans below. It was also close to the Atlantic Ocean, where Lord Stanley received its “southernmost baptism,” and a quick Uber ride from A1A, the street where Ekman-Larsson, Stolarz, and Lorentz had celebrated like rock stars before leaving the team as free agents once the celebrations subsided.
“Whether I get to see them here today or get to see them on the ice, you’ll lock eyes and there will be a little smile and a flood of memories,” their former coach Paul Maurice commented that sentimental November morning.
“What an incredible time. You get to keep that. You don’t walk around all day thinking about that stuff. But then, every once in a while, you get this surprise reminder. You get this 30-second warm bath that you slip into about how nice that was last year.”
A few hours after receiving that priceless memento, the current Panthers decisively defeated their old teammates and the Maple Leafs with a 5-1 score.
Their second visit to the city where their careers peaked felt much less like a reunion.
In early April, these divisional rivals were preparing for their seemingly unavoidable playoff encounter in very different ways.
Maurice`s Panthers had shifted into a mode focused on resting players and preserving health, prioritizing readiness over securing a higher seed or home ice advantage.
The Maple Leafs, conversely, were determined to finish the regular season strongly (goal achieved!), secure a potentially weaker first-round opponent (goal achieved!), and postpone confronting their daunting opponents from the Sunshine State until the second round (goal achieved!).
Toronto`s focused and businesslike approach, which was evident in the team`s restrained celebration after their first-round victory over the Senators on Thursday night in Ottawa, had already been firmly established.
Steven Lorentz, known for his cheerful demeanor, still has numerous friends playing for the Panthers. He made a conscious decision to avoid meeting or speaking with any of them before their final regular-season game.
“I mean, I wouldn’t hold it against a guy if he’s going to see someone on the other team. But, at this time of year, I want to keep everything internal,” Lorentz stated on April 8. “You want your group to be as tight as possible.”
“It’s a battle right now. It’s a new season. So, we’re trying to win.”
