SUNRISE — Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito made two trades in rapid succession, bringing back fan-favorite defenseman Radko Gudas from the Anaheim Ducks and acquiring goaltender Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of free agency opening Wednesday at noon.
The Gudas deal sends the rights to forward A.J. Greer to Anaheim. Gudas, 36, spent three seasons with the Panthers from 2021-23 and helped the club reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 — its first appearance since 1996 — recording seven points in 37 postseason games. He served as Anaheim’s captain from 2024-25 to 2025-26 and posted 13 points and a team-leading 164 hits among defensemen in 56 games last season. The 6-foot, 208-pound Prague native has appeared in 885 career NHL games across five franchises.
The Schmid acquisition cost Florida its own third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. “Akira is a talented and athletic goaltender who has shown poise in high-pressure moments,” said Zito. “We are excited to welcome him to our organization.”
Schmid, 26, went 16-10-6 with two shutouts in 34 games with Vegas last season. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Bern, Switzerland, native owns a career 32-28-10 record with three shutouts across 82 NHL games split between Vegas (2024-25 to 2025-26) and the New Jersey Devils (2021-22 to 2023-24). His postseason résumé is striking: a .924 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average in 10 playoff games, the second-highest save percentage and fourth-lowest goals against average among goaltenders with at least 10 playoff appearances since 2022-23. He became the fifth rookie goalie in NHL history to post a shutout in a Game 7 and the 10th to record multiple shutouts in the same playoff series, both with New Jersey against the New York Rangers.
Schmid represented Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina and earned a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, posting a perfect 3-0-0 record with a .946 save percentage and 0.86 goals against average. Originally selected by New Jersey in the fifth round (136th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, he was named USHL Goaltender of the Year in 2020-21 after leading the league in goals against average (2.01) and save percentage (.921) with the Sioux City Musketeers.
Both Greer and Gudas will become unrestricted free agents Wednesday at noon unless they sign with their new clubs before then. Should Gudas sign, the Panthers would have seven NHL defensemen under contract, potentially setting the stage for further roster moves. Niko Mikkola’s name has surfaced in various trade scenarios ahead of the draft, and restricted free agent Donovan Sebrango still needs a deal.
Panthers Development Camp opens next week at the IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, with the preseason beginning Sept. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes.