"Enjoy it while it lasts" – Paul Bissonnette fires warning shot at Panthers as he predicts Atlantic Division rivals to win 2026 Stanley Cup

Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette fired a warning shot at the Florida Panthers as he predicted their Atlantic Division rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, to win the 2026 Stanley Cup.

The Panthers secured their second consecutive championship on Tuesday with a dominant 5-1 Game 6 win over the Edmonton Oilers. This victory makes Florida just the third team this century to achieve back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

Bissonnette congratulated the Panthers on Twitter, writing:

"Incredible celebration. Congratulations to the @FlaPanthers on an incredible run. Nothing else like the Stanley Cup.Doing it back to back is remarkable. Enjoy it while it lasts. Next year’s our year. #LeafsForever"

As a Leafs fan, Bissonnette believes Toronto will end its Stanley Cup drought next season. The Leafs were eliminated from this year's playoffs by the Panthers in seven games in Round 2.

The Leafs have not reached the Stanley Cup Final since 1967.

Fans react to Paul Bissonnette's prediction of 2026 Stanley Cup champion

Paul Bissonnette stirred things up with a bold prediction that the Toronto Maple Leafs will capture the Stanley Cup in 2026. This sparked mixed reactions from hockey fans on social media.

Leafs fans, in particular, were fired up and full of hope — one fan even posted:

"Just waiting for biz “we took the cup champs to 7 games”

Another fan wrote:

leafs took em to game 7, with a backup goalie - next year is our year!! sign bennett or marchand, or go all in on trading for mcdavid this summer #LeafsForever

"Should’ve been this year but refs helped them in game 7" a user commented.

However, fans of other teams were quick to poke holes in Bissonnette's prognostication.

"Uh…ok.. is the leafs have got to work on advancing in the playoffs past the first and second rounds. You guys gotta forget about a finals run until you guys are able to do that" one fan wrote.

"Good start to this tweet. Poor finish, just like the Leafs." another fan wrote.

"Bro your whole fan base wants to nuke the whole franchise and start from scratch" another user wrote.

Paul Bissonnette successfully ignited debate and conversation among passionate hockey fans. Whether his bold prediction comes true remains to be seen.