3 Florida Panthers Not Expected Back Next Season

The Florida Panthers were so close to winning the Stanley Cup this season. Nobody saw their magical run coming and it was a wonderful effort from the Panthers to even reach the Cup final. There's no doubt going to be some changes to their roster as we look at three players who are not expected back next season:

Marc Staal

It will be one and done for Staal in Florida as don't expect to see the Panthers re-sign the veteran defenseman. After 82 regular season games and 15 points, Staal appeared in 21 playoff games and didn't record a point. While he's known for his defensive game anyways, Staal's footspeed was exposed at times and look for the Panthers to get more mobile on their back end in 2023-24. We wait to see what the future holds for the 36-year-old Staal.

Alex Lyon

Lyon is a pending unrestricted free agent who will draw some attention from rebuilding teams. The San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks are all likely to have interest as he'll be a cheap option to eat up some minutes. Lyon will get stuck behind Spencer Knight next season and Florida will head in a different direction this summer. Lyon appeared 15 regular season games, posting a .914 Sv. %. The success didn't spell over to the playoffs, as he posted a .888 Sv.% in four playoff appearances. The 30-year-old Lyon has 39 career NHL games under his belt and may have to settle on a two-way contract this summer.

Radko Gudas

While the Panthers are in good shape cap wise for next season, Radko Gudas could be priced off the team. He's an unrestricted free agent who if he hits the open market July 1, will be receiving a slew of contract offers from other teams. The bruising blueliner is someone who other teams adore as his in-your-face style is hard to come by. Gudas doesn't do much offensively but he's aggressive and a better skater than people give him credit for. The 33-year-old will likely settle for a two-to-three year contract at the most this offseason. Just don't expect it to be in the sunshine state.

Photo credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports