Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt has played well and energized Florida through the playoffs and into the Stanley Cup Final.

It was one of Nate Schmidt’s first preseason games with the Florida Panthers. He tried something on the ice, but it didn’t exactly work as planned. He returned to the bench, and in no uncertain terms,

Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt has four assists through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Edmonton Oilers.

As the Florida Panthers prepare for a Stanley Cup defense, we look at the three best destinations for pending free agent Nate Schmidt.

In between a 6-1 rout and a multiple melees at the end, the Florida Panthers set several records in their Game 3 Stanley Cup Final win over Edmonton.

The Florida Panthers will have a different defensive look than they had during last year’s Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. The additions of Seth Jones and Nate Schmidt to replace Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson called for some adjustments in the defensive alignments but,