What will the Panthers do in net next season?
The 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers look poised to take another serious run at the Cup in 2027.
With Brady Tkachuk now united with his brother Matthew after a blockbuster trade with Ottawa, the Panthers have a forward unit that is the envy of the entire league.
The defense, led by Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones, is seemingly set as well, leaving just one big question mark on the roster between the crease.
Veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and he turned in a subpar performance on the whole this past season. General manager Bill Zito can and will find a solution, whether it comes through free agency or via a push to trade for another American Olympic gold medalist in Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period to discuss what Zito’s plan to add a Cup-caliber goaltending option to next year’s roster might be.
Carter Hutton: Now, I start to look at this Florida Panthers team, and in my experience around the NHL, if you don’t have a goalie you don’t have much of a team here. With $7 million in cap space, Bobrovsky, the number he wants. What does that mean for Bob and the Panthers as we look at this team and we look at the way they’re structured now, Dave?
David Pagnotta: Well, Hutts, if he’s looking for a five, six year contract at $5-6 million per, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to be an option for the Florida Panthers. As of now, it sounds like he’s going to be taking his game elsewhere, and there will certainly be interest in him. You look at where Bob’s at, at 38 years old, I get he wants the longevity and the security. You look at Marchand, how come he got a six year deal, and why can’t I? But the money would have to certainly drop. If that’s the case, then maybe there’s a pathway, and there’s a lot that can change between now and July 1… But for them, they’re going to look to see what other options are available to them. I’ve touched on this before that they kicked the tires on Connor Hellebuyck, but that was before they made the Brady Tkachuk deal. I don’t see a scenario where now without having that ninth overall pick to add to a package would work for Florida. I’m not necessarily saying it’s completely done, because the Panthers always seem to find a way lately, but that one would surprise me. I think they’re going to pivot and go in the direction of, say, a Jordan Binnington with one year left on his deal out in St. Louis. I could definitely see that being a target.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…