SHOCKING:Florida panthers have lost a top veteran to…

FLORIDA PANTHERS Three veteran Florida Panthers explain what it means to play in first Stanley Cup Finals  Florida Panthers right wing Kyle Okposo (8) takes to the ice with his teammates before playing against the New York Rangers in Game 6 during the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs at the Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla.

MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com The path to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals isn’t always linear. For three veteran Florida Panthers in particular, the journey was a long road worth waiting for.

Forward Kyle Okposo has played 17 NHL seasons and 1,051 regular-season games heading into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson played in 14 seasons and 982 regular season games to get to this point.

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has 15 years and 948 games under his belt. They bided their time. They paid their dues. Now, the opportunity is here. “I didn’t know if it was going to happen,” Okposo said. “It was a long time where I wasn’t close to getting to this point and I almost resigned myself to the fact that, ‘Hey it might not happen.’

I’ve had a long career and some ups and downs, but maybe I just had a good career and I don’t even get a chance.” Ekman-Larsson and Kulikov have been part of the Panthers’ plan this season since the start, with Florida signing the veteran defensemen to add needed depth to their blue line knowing they would be without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour to start the season and knowing they needed to replace minutes lost from Radko Gudas and Marc Staal. Okposo, meanwhile, joined the Panthers at the trade deadline, with Florida acquiring him from the Buffalo Sabres.

At 36 years old, Okposo knows his time to win the Cup is running out. He had gone seven seasons without being in the playoffs, so he understands the task at hand. And should the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, Okposo would become the 20th player in NHL history to play more than 1,000 regular-season games before winning his first Cup. “The expectations were laid out immediately,” Okposo said.

“They were clear and concise and there was no gray area. I knew what was expected and that was phenomenal for me to hear.”

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FLORIDA PANTHERS This might be Kyle Okposo’s last chance for a Stanley Cup.

The Panthers have made it a ‘fun ride’ MAY 30, 2024 3:56 PM May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) and Boston Bruins center Jakub Lauko (94) battle during the third period in game four of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Bob DeChiara USA TODAY Sports For Kulikov, the journey to his first Cup Finals is a full-circle moment of sorts.

He was a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2009 and spent his first seven seasons in Florida. Then he jumped around a lot. One season in Buffalo. Three in Winnipeg. A half season apiece in New Jersey and Edmonton.

A year in Minnesota. Then off to Anaheim before being traded mid-season to Pittsburgh. And now back in Florida where it all began. “With all the time I’ve been in the league, the journey that I’ve been on,” Kulikov said, “it would mean a lot.”