FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers head into NHL free agency without a single goalie with league experience under contract, a glaring vacancy that general manager Bill Zito must address with roughly $5.8 million in salary cap space and difficult roster decisions looming.
Free agency opens Wednesday at noon, and the Panthers’ goaltending situation tops a short but consequential to-do list, Florida Hockey Now reported. Free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are the candidates to return, but signing either — or both — will require the Panthers to shed salary from a roster already pressed against the $104 million cap ceiling.
“We have mechanisms to create cap space if we need it,” Zito said Friday night. “We have so many ‘what-if’ scenarios that it’s hard. … We can modify the available cap space readily. There’s a myriad of different transactions we could pursue.”
The math is tight. Forward Cole Schwindt and defenseman Donovan Sebrango still need contracts as restricted free agents, cutting further into that $5.8 million. Without moves, Florida could have roughly $3 million to fill both goalie spots — far short of what the market demands. Evan Rodrigues, who carries a $3 million cap hit, has been rumored as a trade candidate since last summer. Eetu Luostarinen, also at $3 million, and Jesper Boqvist at $1.5 million are additional candidates to move, all in the final years of their deals. Zito said he expects to “wrap that up Monday or Tuesday” and “make some final decisions” before the free agency window.
The roster picture is otherwise encouraging. Captain Sasha Barkov and Anton Lundell looked sharp leading Finland to gold at the World Championship. Aaron Ekblad said his broken finger has healed, and Sam Reinhart said time away from the lineup has brought him back to full health. Zito said Brad Marchand, believed to have dealt with lingering hip and sports hernia problems, has not required surgery and is on track for training camp in September.
Head coach Paul Maurice said he plans to slot newcomer Brady Tkachuk on the top line with Barkov and Reinhart — a combination that pairs the elder Tkachuk brother alongside his sibling Matthew Tkachuk, who will skate on the second line with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers added six prospects during Day 2 of the NHL draft, which wrapped up Saturday.
The Panthers’ development camp opens Monday at the IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, with preseason play scheduled to begin Sept. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes.