Schwindt, Petrovic among large group signed by Panthers
The Florida Panthers were hard at work signing some depth on the opening day of free agency.
On Wednesday, the Florida Panthers signed defenseman Alex Petrovic and forward Cole Schwindt to two-year contracts. Sam Laferty later signed a one-year deal with the Panthers worth $850,000, while also adding forward Lars Eller and defenseman Donavan Sebrango on one-year contracts.
It’s Schwindt’s first multi-year contract in the NHL since his entry-level contract that he signed with the Panthers back in April 2020. He is back after the first season of his second stint with the team. Just before the beginning of the 2025-26 season, he was put on waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights, with the Panthers claiming him. Due to injuries, including a broken arm, the 24-year-old only managed to appear in 29 games with Florida, scoring five goals and seven points.
In 78 career NHL games, the 26-year-old has scored six goals and nine assists for 15 points, and appeared in one Stanley Cup Playoff game with the Golden Knights in 2025.
This will also be Petrovic’s second stint with the Cats. He was drafted by the team in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, and spent parts of the first six seasons of his NHL career in Florida. He was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers late in the 2018-19 season. He bounced around for a couple of years before settling into the Dallas Stars system. The 2025-26 campaign was the 34-year-old’s first full-time season in the league in seven years, as he posted two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 54 games. He appeared in just one of the Stars’ games in the first round, which saw the team be eliminated by the Minnesota Wild.
The veteran Eller is on the move once again. After stops with the Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, and a quick return to the Washington Capitals, the Danish forward was with the Ottawa Senators last season. In 68 appearances, he scored five goals and 15 points, helping the Sens reach the postseason for the second year in a row. He failed to post a point as Ottawa was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
In 1,184 regular-season games in the NHL, Eller has posted 193 goals and 246 assists for 439 points, with another 50 points in 116 postseason appearances. He won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.
Sebrango is heading into his second season with the organization. He started last year with the Senators, but was claimed by the Panthers off waivers in mid-October. He ended up playing 40 games for Florida, the most in a single season in his NHL tenure, registering eight points. The 24-year-old didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the team, but signed on for another year regardless.
In 44 NHL games, Sebrango has just eight assists. In 220 American Hockey League contests, he has posted 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points, with another three points in seven Calder Cup Playoff contests.