Panthers Swing Big After Missing Playoffs in 2025-26

Florida missed the playoffs for the first time in three years, finishing seventh in the Atlantic at 40-38-4. General manager Bill Zito responded with urgency, acquiring Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa in a blockbuster and replacing Sergei Bobrovsky with Jacob Markstrom. The moves address real needs, but the goaltending remains uncertain and the defense largely unchanged.

Last season in review

The Panthers scored 251 goals, middle of the pack, and allowed 276. Sam Reinhart led the team with 29 goals and 61 points, while Sam Bennett added 26 goals and 58 points. Tkachuk, acquired in June, put up 22 goals and 59 points in his final season with the Senators. The real trouble was in net. Bobrovsky posted a .883 save percentage before Florida moved on, and the team's goals-against total reflected it. The Panthers were competitive but lacked the margin for error that defined their Stanley Cup years.

Ins and outs

• In: Brady Tkachuk (acquired from Ottawa)
• In: Jacob Markstrom (acquired from Calgary)
• In: Akira Schmid (acquired from New Jersey)
• In: Angus Crookshank (acquired with Markstrom from Calgary)
• In: Lars Eller (signed as a free agent, one year)
• In: Alexander Petrovic (signed as a free agent, two years)
• In: Emil Pieniniemi (acquired from San Jose)
• Out: Sergei Bobrovsky (traded to Vegas)
• Out: Multiple draft picks (sent to Ottawa and Seattle in trades)

According to nhl.com, Florida sent a package including a 2026 first-round pick to Ottawa for Tkachuk on June 21. The Markstrom trade, reported by floridahockeynow.com, sent Bobrovsky to Vegas in a three-way deal on June 30. Schmid came from New Jersey in a separate move on June 29, per nhl.com. Eller signed a one-year deal on July 1, and Petrovic returned on a two-year contract the same day, both confirmed by nhl.com.

The big question

Can Markstrom bounce back? He posted a .905 save percentage last season in Calgary, better than Bobrovsky but hardly elite. Schmid is unproven as a full-time starter, and the Panthers need one of them to stabilize a crease that cost them a playoff spot.

X-factor

Brady Tkachuk. He brings physicality and a 22-goal floor, but Florida needs more than that. If he clicks with Reinhart or Bennett and pushes toward 30 goals, the Panthers have a legitimate top line. If he settles in as a complementary scorer, the offense may not improve enough to offset the defensive question marks.

Bold prediction

Florida finishes fourth in the Atlantic and returns to the playoffs. Tkachuk and a steadier Markstrom give them just enough to edge a wild-card spot, but they will need everything to break right.

The outlook

Zito acted quickly after a disappointing season, adding a franchise forward and addressing the goaltending. The moves show ambition, but the Panthers are not the dominant team they were two years ago. They open September 29 at Carolina with a retooled roster and plenty to prove. If Markstrom holds up and Tkachuk delivers, they are back in the mix. If not, another long spring awaits.