FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers traded for Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk and overhauled their goaltending this offseason, aggressive moves by general manager Bill Zito to reclaim a playoff spot after the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions missed the postseason for the first time under his watch.
Florida Hockey Now graded the Panthers’ offseason an A, reporting that Zito acquired Tkachuk without surrendering a current roster player — though the deal cost three first-round picks sent to the Senators and required trading forward Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle to assemble the package. The Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup championship in 2025 but suffered almost 550 man-games lost to injuries last season, with stars Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Seth Jones, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand all missing significant time.
The goaltending overhaul may prove the riskier bet. Zito moved on from Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed with Toronto as a free agent, and backup Daniil Tarasov, who went to Detroit. In their place, the Panthers acquired Jacob Markstrom from New Jersey and Akira Schmid from Vegas. Markstrom struggled last season with the Devils, and new New Jersey GM Sunny Mehta was eager to shed his contract, but the Panthers believe Markstrom is positioned for a rebound and that Schmid will carry a heavier workload than Florida’s backups have in recent years.
Beyond the headline acquisitions, Zito reinforced the blue line by bringing back defensemen Radko Gudas — acquired from Anaheim in a deal that also sent forward A.J. Greer out — and Alexander Petrovic from Dallas. Veterans Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway were added to bolster the fourth line. The Panthers also signed center Eetu Luostarinen to an eight-year contract extension and brought back defenseman Donovan Sebrango and forward Cole Schwindt after declining to make either a qualifying offer.
The departures were substantial. Along with Bobrovsky, Tarasov and Greer, the Panthers parted with forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Nolan Foote, Noah Gregor, Luke Kunin, Tomas Nosek, Vinnie Hinostroza and Ben Steeves. Rodrigues, Boqvist and Steeves went to New Jersey in the Markstrom trade.
Five of eight Atlantic Division teams made the playoffs last season, and the conference has only gotten tougher with Buffalo and Montreal emerging from rebuilds and Tampa Bay still a factor. The Panthers open the 2026-27 NHL season at the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. on ESPN, with the home opener against the Minnesota Wild set for Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. Training camp begins in Fort Lauderdale in early-to-mid September.