It takes a special team to throw around the “d” word in sports.

But the Florida Panthers have a strong case to be the NHL’s next dynasty.

The Panthers became only the third team since the turn of the century — and since the salary cap was put in place in 2005 — to win their second straight Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Final on Tuesday.

Florida joined the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning as the only teams since 2000 to go back-to-back.

“Watching these guys interact with each other, that’s been the gift of this place,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “That’s been the best thing for me.”

The Golden Knights have at least played some role in Florida’s success.

The Knights are the last team to defeat the Panthers in a playoff series, as they obliterated them 9-3 in Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final to win their first championship.

Original Misfits Nate Schmidt and Tomas Nosek, who were both selected in the 2017 expansion draft, also got to lift the Cup for the first time Tuesday after joining Florida in the offseason.

Defining a dynasty

The Panthers seemed to take some lessons from their loss to the Knights. Florida has since been one of the NHL’s best teams of the modern era.

The Penguins, in addition to their back-to-back titles, lost the 2008 Stanley Cup Final to Detroit and then won a rematch a year later.

The Chicago Blackhawks won three titles in six years from 2010 to 2015, while the Los Angeles Kings lifted the Cup in 2012 and 2014.

Then came the Lightning, who broke through in 2020 in the bubble playoffs after years of coming up short. Tampa Bay followed up that championship with a second one after a shortened 56-game season.

The Lightning made it to their third straight Stanley Cup Final in 2022, but lost in six games to the Colorado Avalanche. The team hasn’t made it past the first round since.

What Florida has done is arguably more impressive than what its in-state rival did. The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final in three straight 82-game seasons and won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022.

Florida reached the 2023 Final despite entering the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. No one but the Knights has stopped the Panthers since.

Florida will be forced to make tough decisions this summer. The Panthers have several key unrestricted free agents like center Sam Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, right wing Brad Marchand, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Schmidt. Money will be tight given the team only has $19 million in cap space.

But count Florida out at your own peril.

Schmidt, Nosek raise Cup

Schmidt and Nosek both helped the Knights reach the 2018 Stanley Cup Final against the Washington Capitals, but didn’t stick around long enough to win it all with the franchise in 2023.

Schmidt spent three seasons in Las Vegas before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2020. Nosek played four years with the Knights and then signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent in 2021.

The two were in for a special surprise when they finally got to lift the Stanley Cup on Tuesday, however.

The Panthers made sure the players that weren’t part of their first championship a year ago got to lift the trophy first. Schmidt was the first skater to get a victory lap with the Stanley Cup after captain Aleksander Barkov.

Schmidt handed it to defenseman Seth Jones, who then gave it to Nosek.

“It’s amazing to be able to be here,” Schmidt said to Sportsnet on Tuesday night. “I felt like I had a chance when I was in Vegas, but we fell short. You just never know when you’re going to be back. You grind for a lot of years. … It’s amazing. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

Schmidt, 33, had 12 points in 23 playoff games for the Panthers. Nosek, 32, had three assists in 16 games. The center is also a pending unrestricted free agent.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.