FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers are watching from the sidelines as NHL contracts shatter records this summer, but the franchise’s turn to open the checkbook is approaching fast — with Brady Tkachuk likely to become the first Panther to break the $10 million-per-season barrier.
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar became the league’s highest-paid player Friday, signing an eight-year deal averaging $20.4 million per season, Florida Hockey Now reported. That figure is more than twice what the Panthers pay their top earner, captain Sasha Barkov, who signed an eight-year, $10 million-per-season deal in 2021 — still the largest contract in franchise history. Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson holds the biggest average annual value for this season at $18 million after Philadelphia’s matched offer sheet, followed by Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov at $17 million. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini also signed north of $18 million per season.
The Panthers have instead built their roster through depth, locking 13 players through the 2029-30 season. Behind Barkov’s $10 million, Matthew Tkachuk earns $9.5 million, Sam Reinhart $8.65 million, Sam Bennett $8 million, and Carter Verhaeghe and Seth Jones $7 million each. “Florida has done a great job of spreading the wealth and locking down their key players,” Florida Hockey Now noted.
Brady Tkachuk, acquired from Ottawa in a trade that cost the Panthers Mackie Samoskevich and three first-round picks, arrives with two years remaining on his $8.2 million AAV contract signed with the Senators in 2021. He will be eligible to negotiate a new deal next summer and will be 29 when a new contract would begin for the 2028-29 season — squarely in his prime.
The financial runway is there. The Panthers are pressed against the $104 million salary cap this season, but next summer the club is expected to have roughly $9 million in space with few roster holes to fill. By the 2028-29 season, the cap is projected to climb to approximately $123 million, and the Panthers would have about $40 million available to complete their roster — enough to sign Tkachuk and address their goaltending future.
Beyond Tkachuk, a larger reckoning looms in 2030, when Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell, and Jones are all due for new contracts as the cap continues its upward trajectory.
Panthers training camp opens Sept. 17 in Fort Lauderdale, with the preseason beginning Sept. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes and the regular season opener at Carolina on Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. on ESPN. Florida’s home opener is Oct. 10 against the Minnesota Wild.