The Florida Panthers (40-38-4) had a rough time trying to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, a barrage of injuries hurt their chances at a three-peat.
It started with Aleksander Barkov, who tore his ACL in the preseason, forcing him to miss the entire 2025-26 season. The injury bug also struck down Dmitri Kulikov, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and Seth Jones, among others. The Panthers are hoping that better injury luck will lead them to being a formidable team in 2026-27, but there are still some questions they need to answer in the offseason.
Do the Panthers re-sign Sergei Bobrovsky?
It felt like a forgone conclusion that the Panthers would extend Bobrovsky a season ago. His contract expires this offseason, and he would be 36 years old by the start of his new deal, but he led the Panthers to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances. That faith was enough for the Panthers to trade budding goaltender Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones deal.
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However, that faith might’ve put the Panthers in a quandary with Bobrovsky. He struggled this season, with a .877 save percentage and a 3.07 goals against average. Knight played better than Bobrovsky this season, and if Knight were still on the roster, the Panthers could’ve easily moved on from Bobrovsky.
They could still decide to do that. Daniil Tarasov is still young enough to grow into a starting goaltender at 27. However, he was below average last season as well, with a .895 save percentage and 3.05 goals against average. Tarasov is also a UFA after this season.
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Will the Panthers re-sign Bobrovsky? They’d probably like to agree on a lower average annual value than his last contract ($10 million), but if Bobrovsky tests the market, he should be the top goaltender in another very weak market.
What will Mackie Samoskevich’s contract look like?
The other big free agency decision will come with RFA Mackie Samoskevich. He’s definitely going to earn a tender from the Panthers after putting up 12 goals and 20 assists last season.
However, his contract talks will be very interesting. He didn’t take a step in his development like Panthers fans thought he would last season, but the 23-year-old right winger still has a lot of time to grow.
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A good example of what his contract could look like comes from Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn. Quinn came off of a 2024-25 season with similar numbers (15-24-39) to Samoskevich. The Sabres gave him a bridge deal worth $6.75 million over two seasons.
That could be the same term Samoskevich could ask for, and that wouldn’t be an overpay for his services. The Panthers don’t have the cap space right now, but they should, with the league’s salary cap rising to $104 million next season.
What will the Panthers do with their pick?
There was almost a major caveat in the Seth Jones deal. The Panthers traded their 2026 first and Knight for Jones back in the 2024-25 trade deadline, but their first from this season is top-10 protected.
However, the Panthers are locked in at the No. 8 odds in the 2026 NHL draft, and the lowest they can get is pick No. 10. As a result, they’re in no threat of losing that pick. However, since they’re presumably in win-now mode, that pick could easily be used for another asset.
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The Panthers may need a replacement for Bobrovsky, and there are probably a few teams looking to tank by moving their goaltender. They could dangle the No. 10 pick for a high-end goaltender if they go that route.
The pick could also be used for their farm system. They currently have one of the worst in the league, and if they wanted to grab a player that could compete for a roster spot for their current squad, that’s an option too. OHL left winger Ethan Belchetz would be a good option. He scored 34 goals and notched 25 assists through 57 games.
Right-shot defenseman Daxon Randolph should be available too. He had an absurd 78 points in 68 games as well. Regardless, the Panthers are at an advantageous position with this pick. They just need to recover over the summer so that they remain healthy in the 2026-27 season.