SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers landed among just four NHL teams to receive an overall grade of “A” or better in The Athletic’s annual front office confidence poll, buoyed by blockbuster trades and back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025.
The survey, conducted by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, drew over 10,000 responses from fans grading their own favorite team and nearly 500 responses grading every team across the league’s 32 franchises. Fans evaluated front offices in six categories: roster building, cap management, drafting and development, trading, free agency and vision.
President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito drew the highest marks from general NHL fans in free agency (A+) and trades (A+). The trade grade was driven in part by Zito’s acquisition of Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators — a deal that reunited Brady with his brother Matthew Tkachuk, whom Zito acquired in a blockbuster shortly after he was hired in 2022.
Brady Tkachuk, a former fourth-overall pick who made his NHL debut in 2018, had led the Senators in goals (213), assists (463) and points (463) before the trade. “When a player of Brady’s stature, ability and, most importantly, character becomes available, you do what you can to try and acquire players like that and fit them into the group,” Zito said.
Zito has also locked up key players including Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling to long-term contracts designed to keep the Panthers in championship contention.
“Bill Zito is the embodiment of what makes a great GM today,” one fan wrote in the poll. “Never complacent and always willing to make a move.”
The Panthers topped the front office rankings in both 2024 and 2025. This year’s edition marks the 11th annual version of the project, with voters split between general NHL fans and fans of each specific team.