Panthers realistic but not 'quitting on anything,' GM says

DETROIT -- The Florida Panthers probably won’t make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, let alone win the Stanley Cup for the third year in a row. They’re just too worn down and beaten up.

But they have what it takes to contend for the Cup again next season. That’s why they made modest moves ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday -- and why they will consider resting players down the stretch.

“I don’t think we’re quitting on anything,” general manager Bill Zito told reporters in Fort Lauderdale, “but we’re also realistic.”

Two years ago, the Panthers added forwards Kyle Okposo and Vladimir Tarasenko ahead of the deadline, and they won the Cup for the first time. Last year, they added defenseman Seth Jones and forward Brad Marchand, and they went back-to-back.

This situation was different.

Florida appeared in the Stanley Cup Final the past three seasons. Many key players also participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off last season and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. That’s a lot of hard hockey.

The Panthers entered the season without two of their best players: forward Matthew Tkachuk, who had offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor and sports hernia, and captain Aleksander Barkov, who had surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his right knee in training camp. Tkachuk missed 47 games before returning Jan. 19. Barkov is still recovering.

The injuries kept coming. Forward Tomas Nosek (knee) missed 60 games before returning March 3, and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder) missed 57 before returning March 1. Forward Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) has missed the past 53 games; Jones (upper body) has missed the past 23.

The good news?

“We know we have pieces that make us better and stronger that’ll eventually come back into the fold, whether it’s this year or the start of next year,” coach Paul Maurice said before facing the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Friday.

Florida held the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference on Dec. 30 but hasn’t been in a playoff spot since.

The Panthers were three points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card Jan. 25, but they went 2-9-0 afterward and were 10 points behind the Bruins for the second wild card at the deadline.

It was notable when the Panthers scratched forward A.J. Greer and didn’t play goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in a 4-2 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Each can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“You always listen,” Zito said. “When the phone rings, you answer it, because you don’t know what could happen.”

In the end, nothing happened with them, though. Zito said he wants to re-sign them, and both played at Detroit.

Bobrovsky had an .873 save percentage at the deadline, the worst in his 16 NHL seasons, and he will turn 38 on Sept. 20. But Zito called him part of the core.

“Maybe perhaps his stats are lower, but I’m not sure that ‘decline’ is the word I’d use,” Zito said. “I think he’s fine. He’s had a hell of a workload. He’s a consummate professional, and I want Sergei to stay, and I’m looking forward to having him back.”

The Panthers traded defenseman Jeff Petry to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft Thursday, giving the 38-year-old a chance to chase the Cup. He was a pending UFA who wasn’t part of their championship teams.

They acquired forward Vinnie Hinostroza for future considerations in a trade with the Wild and claimed forward Cole Reinhardt off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. Hinostroza is a pending UFA; Reinhardt is signed for one more season.

Basically, Petry was easy to subtract, and Hinostroza and Reinhardt cost nothing to add. The Panthers can see if they fit for the future and, most importantly, use them for depth for the stretch run.

The Detroit game came at the end of a four-game road trip. Zito said when the team returns, he will meet with the coaches, the medical staff and the sports science staff to evaluate each player and figure out “the most prudent way to move forward.”

“We’ve been managing a bunch of injuries here,” Maurice said. “We’ve got guys out, but we’ve got guys playing [with injuries], and those are the ones that I think are more difficult for us to manage.

“Some of these guys are probably going to have to get some rest. We don’t want to have an injury that’s been nagging for two months that gets worse in the last week that sets a guy back two months in his rehab.”

Missing the playoffs wouldn’t be the worst thing for Florida under the circumstances. Really, it would be for the best. A long offseason of rest and rehab could be just what the doctor ordered. The Panthers roster remains loaded, their identity remains intact, and they’d add an intangible. 

“I think the future’s bright,” Zito said. “And I’m excited and, I can tell you, hungry.”

Florida? Healthy and hungry? Uh-oh.

“If it means that we start resting and recovering in April, then that will be our job, and we’ll make full value of that,” Maurice said. “I can tell you there’s a bunch of men in there that it would be very good for, and then they get to train harder. But … you have to rebuild it every year.

“Now, you have the pieces, but the commitment goes so far beyond the talent of the individual players or even of your team. That has to start in training camp. We’ll play hard here [the rest of the season], try to make sure that we adhere to our style of game as we can with the players that we have, and then we will deal with that day when it comes.”