NHL Teams Unveiled: Surprising Grades for the 2024-25 Season's Highs and Lows – The New York Times
Florida Panthers (47-31-4): B
Could the regular-season portion of Florida’s title defense have gone a little more smoothly? Sure. In a perfect world, they’d be preparing to play a wild-card team in Round 1. Injuries and inconsistency happen, though, so the defending champs (plus Seth Jones, Brad Marchand and with a rested Matthew Tkachuk on the way) have to worry about Tampa Bay. Try not to feel too bad for them. — Sean Gentille
Los Angeles Kings (48-25-9): A
Considering many expected the Kings to embark on a slow slide toward the mushy middle after a third straight first-round playoff exit, a season in which they tied the franchise record of 48 wins and 105 points deserves high marks. A division title or No. 1 seed would have pushed it to an A+. Their veterans continued to get the job done, their youngsters leveled up and all their additions since last spring have been key contributors. They’ve got to win in the playoffs, but the 82-game performance is a victory lap for coach Jim Hiller and much-maligned general manager Rob Blake. — Eric Stephens
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