Florida Panthers clinch first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history

The Florida Panthers are officially the 2021-22 winners of the Presidents’ Trophy.

The Panthers clinched the award on Thursday night with a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators and a 5-4 shootout loss from the Colorado Avalanche against the Nashville Predators. The Panthers win the award with two days left of games on the NHL schedule to spare, although the second day on Sunday is just between the Winnipeg Jets and the Seattle Kraken, two teams well outside the playoff spot, with the game only occurring due to a rescheduling.

The Presidents’ Trophy is awarded to the team who finishes the season with the most points in the regular season and also guarantees the winner home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. It was introduced in the 1985-86 season, and has been won by 17 different teams over the course of 35 seasons. Eight teams have won the award and gone on to win the Stanley Cup, the most recent winner being the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks. However, seven teams have won the award and gone on to lose in the first round, the most recent team being the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

This is the first time the Panthers have won the award in its history. The only other times the team was close to winning the award was the 2020-21 season, where they finished three points behind the winner, and the 2011-12 and 2015-16 seasons, when the team won its division.

At this time, the Panthers’ 58 wins ties them for third amongst Presidents’ Trophy winners, and their 122 points put them in fourth. They have one more game on Friday night against the Montreal Canadiens to potentially move into sole possession of third in wins and tie for third in points.