Panthers Olympic callups bring pride, and also concerns

Friday's roster wave made it official, the Panthers are sending serious star power to the 2026 Winter Olympics. The IIHF list alone has Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart for Team Canada, with more Florida names spread across Europe.

For Marchand, it's another career stamp at 37, and it still feels like a fresh chapter because this is his first Olympic shot. The former Bruins third rounder, taken 71st in 2006, has always played like every shift is personal.

Reinhart's selection lands differently, but it hits just as hard for Panthers fans because he is right in his prime. He was the No. 2 pick in 2014, and Florida leans on his clean, repeatable scoring habits more than most people realize.

Matthew Tkachuk is already coming off offseason surgery and still hasn't played this season, so his Team USA selection feels like playing with fire if extra best-on-best games aggravate anything.

Seth Jones is just as critical, he's averaging about 24 minutes a night with 24 points, and Florida leans on his clean exits and matchup work, so any Olympic wear-and-tear would hit the Panthers' blue line hard.

The pride part is easy, you want your guys wearing their flags on the biggest stage. The nervous part is also easy, one awkward collision in February can change a whole spring in Sunrise.

It's not paranoia, it's math, best on best hockey is fast, heavy, and it punishes mistakes. Every Panthers fan has seen a harmless looking play turn into weeks of missed games.

I love the honor, but my stomach tightens every time I picture a blocked shot or a bad edge catch in a medal game.

Here's the part Florida fans keep circling, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola all made Team Finland's roster. Gustav Forsling is on Sweden's team too, and that is four more Panthers miles, more Panthers minutes, more Panthers risk.

Lundell and Luostarinen are the kind of two way pieces coaches trust when a game turns into a grind. Mikkola and Forsling are the kind of defenders who erase rushes, then move the puck before the next wave arrives.

The silver lining is Florida's room has lived through pressure, and those experiences can sharpen a group instead of draining it. Still, the Panthers season will not pause emotionally, even if the NHL schedule does.

If the Cats come out of Milano Cortina healthy, the confidence boost could be massive, and the next milestone is simple, get everyone home, intact, and ready for the stretch run.