Matthew Tkachuk Expected To Miss Start Of Season
- Friedman also provided an injury update on Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who revealed after winning the Stanley Cup that he had been playing through a torn adductor muscle throughout the postseason. Friedman shared his belief that Tkachuk will miss a big chunk of the regular season, but sees a path for him to be ready for the Olympics next winter. “I think (the Olympics) is a huge deal for him. But I do think he’ll miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that,” he said. Tkachuk, and his brother, Brady Tkachuk, played a huge role in the 4 Nations Face-Off and are expected to be a focal point of the U.S team at the Olympics if healthy.
Panthers Sign Tobias Bjornfot
The Panthers have signed restricted free agent defenseman Tobias Bjornfot to a two-way contract, per a team press release. He’ll earn a $775K salary in the NHL and a $450K salary in the minors this season, according to PuckPedia.
Bjornfot was a first-round pick by the Kings in 2019 out of the Djurgarden program in his native Sweden, but he and L.A. decided to move his development to North America immediately after he was drafted. In hindsight, that was a hasty decision for a mobile but raw stay-at-home defender who played most of his draft year at the under-20 level in Sweden, and he never pieced together a career as a full-time NHLer as a result.
Florida is Bjornfot’s third NHL organization. He ended up being claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights in January 2024 before the Panthers snagged him off the wire two months later. He’s remained in the organization since, successfully passing through waivers at the beginning of 2024-25 and spending most of the season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Last season saw Bjornfot regain some stability after suiting up for five different NHL and AHL clubs in 2023-24. He made 50 regular-season appearances for Charlotte, posting a 5-13–18 scoring line and a plus-six rating. He also added seven points in 14 AHL playoff games and made 14 NHL appearances for the Panthers as an injury replacement throughout the season, going without a point and logging a minus-three rating while averaging 13:06 of ice time per night.
He’s a fine No. 8 defender at this stage of his career, and while he doesn’t have the current pedigree nor ceiling that his draft position indicated, he’s still an experienced and reliable call-up option that benefits a Panthers club that lost some of its organizational defensive depth this summer following its second straight Stanley Cup championship. Bjornfot, 24, will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights again next summer.
Panthers Sign Wilmer Skoog To Two-Way Deal
Jul. 17th: Florida confirmed Skoog’s new contract in a team announcement.
Jul. 16th: The Panthers have agreed to terms with one of their restricted free agents. Irfaan Gaffar of the Down To Irf podcast first reported the Panthers were re-signing center Wilmer Skoog to a two-way deal, with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adding it carries a $775K NHL salary and a $100K AHL salary.
Skoog, 25, is now entering his third professional season. Florida signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Boston University in 2023, and it first looked like a great pickup. He started the season with eight points in 20 games with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades before being bumped up a level to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, where he went on a shooting tear to finish the year with 22 goals in 49 games – a 32-goal pace over the AHL’s 72-game schedule.
The former Terriers standout couldn’t keep the momentum rolling into 2024-25, though. He scored just nine goals while playing in all 72 appearances for the Checkers, taking on more of a checking role with 24 points and 63 PIMs with a -10 rating.
Skoog, a 6’2″, 196-lb native of Sweden, won a Hockey East title at BU and had a pair of 30-point seasons to end his collegiate career. While he’s been hot-and-cold offensively since turning pro, he’ll get added runway here to serve as a valuable depth contributor with Charlotte and, with a resurgence, potentially work his way up toward an NHL recall.
Skoog will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer in the likely event he doesn’t play 80 NHL games in 2025-26. Florida now has 43 of its 50 contract slots filled for the season.
Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal
The Panthers have re-signed restricted free agent winger Mackie Samoskevich to a one-year contract, per a press release from the team. It is a league minimum, one-way contract, according to PuckPedia.
Samoskevich was ineligible to sign an offer sheet as a 10.2(c) player with less than three years of professional experience after signing their entry-level contract at age 20. The Connecticut-born forward will now look to cash in as an RFA again next summer after what he hopes will be a step forward in 2025-26.
The 24th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Samoskevich was a full-time roster player last season after spending most of his first professional campaign in 2023-24 between the Panthers and AHL Charlotte. He finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year, finishing ninth on Florida in scoring with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 72 games.
Samoskevich was a lineup fixture later in the regular season, particularly as a top-six replacement for the injured Matthew Tkachuk down the stretch. However, the return of Tkachuk and Brad Marchand to the lineup in the postseason meant he saw just four games of playoff action in Florida’s second straight Stanley Cup championship, as he was passed over for fourth-line duties in favor of more experienced players like Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, and A.J. Greer.
While it may be surprising to see Samoskevich settle for such a cheap deal after a strong regular season, he had virtually no leverage in negotiations thanks to his 10.2(c) status. With Florida over the salary cap, they were presumably only willing to sign him to a one-year, league minimum deal to give him a chance to earn more in talks in 2026. While his NHL salary is cheaper than his qualifying offer afforded him, it does guarantee his full salary, something a two-way QO would not have done.
The 22-year-old’s deal was the last pressing piece of business for the Cats – they still have a few unsigned RFAs in the organization, but they’re all destined for waivers in the fall if they re-sign. Now, general manager Bill Zito’s focus can be fully on getting the two-time defending champs cap-compliant for opening night.
Florida is $3.725MM over the upper limit with a full 23-player roster after signing Samoskevich, according to PuckPedia. They could kick the can down the road using long-term injured reserve if a player with a cap hit greater than $3.725MM won’t be ready to start the season, or they can offload a salary via trade.
Versatile top-nine forward Evan Rodrigues, who carries a $3MM cap hit for two more seasons, has been an oft-speculated candidate. Samoskevich could realistically replace his role outright, too.
But just clearing Rodrigues won’t open enough space for Florida – they’d have to waive a player as well, likely a depth forward like Gadjovich, Greer, or Tomas Nosek – and operate with just one extra skater to finish the job. Notably, Samoskevich is no longer exempt from waivers, so the Panthers would need to expose him to the wire to send him to the minors, a highly improbable outcome.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Zac Dalpe Announces Retirement
Longtime minor-league forward Zac Dalpe, who appeared in parts of 12 NHL seasons with numerous clubs over the past two decades, has announced his retirement via an open letter published on the Charlotte Checkers’ website.
Dalpe, 35, scored 16 goals, 16 assists, and 32 points with a -37 rating in 168 career regular-season games with the Blue Jackets, Panthers, Wild, Canucks, Sabres, and Hurricanes, who drafted him No. 45 overall back in 2008. He made 16 playoff appearances, 13 of which came in Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023.
The versatile center/winger spent more time in the AHL with Charlotte than anywhere else, including as their captain for the last four seasons while under contract with the Panthers. They were also the Hurricanes’ minor-league affiliate when he was in Carolina’s system. He scored 131 goals and 238 points in 362 games there across seven campaigns, sitting third in franchise history in goals.
“Pulling that Checkers sweater over my head and walking through the redline club on the way out to the bright lights will always be stapled in my head,” Dalpe said in his letter, which is truly worth a full read. “It started here and now it shall end here. I’m proud of what I got to do, but more importantly, I’m so proud of who I got to do it with. I appreciate every single person that was along for the greatest ride of my life. A Canadian kid got to be a hockey player for 15 years.”
While Dalpe never won a Stanley or Calder Cup, he was a two-time AHL All-Star and was part of the league’s All-Rookie Team back in 2010-11. He finishes his career with 220 goals, 172 assists, and 392 points in 574 AHL games. Only seven players have spent more seasons in the league than Dalpe’s 16.
Before turning pro, Dalpe was a star at Ohio State, where he scored 70 points in 76 games in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. He was a CCHA First Team All-Star in his second and final collegiate season.
All of us at PHR wish Dalpe the best in the next phase of his life and career and congratulate him on such a lengthy run of high-end play in the pros.
Image courtesy of James Guillory-Imagn Images.
Panthers, MacKenzie Entwistle Agree To Two-Way Deal
The Panthers and forward MacKenzie Entwistle have agreed to a two-year, two-way deal to keep him in the Florida organization, the team announced. The contract carries a $775K NHL salary and a $450K AHL salary each season, per PuckPedia.
Entwistle initially joined the Cats on a two-way deal last offseason after being non-tendered by the Blackhawks, who drafted him in the third round in 2017. Florida tendered him a qualifying offer earlier this week, making him a restricted free agent.
The deal amounts to a do-over between the 6’3″ winger and the Panthers. Entwistle, who turns 26 later this month, didn’t see NHL ice at all in 2024-25 and was limited by an injury to just seven games with AHL Charlotte, scoring a goal and an assist. He managed to return later in their run to the Calder Cup Final, scoring two goals and an assist in eight playoff games.
A power forward at his core, Entwistle once looked like he could be a full-time NHLer. He may have more seasons ahead of him with top-level games, but he’s topped out as a fourth-line piece at best. He scored 15 goals, 20 assists, and 35 points with a -55 rating in 193 NHL games over four seasons with Chicago, averaging 11:12 per night.
He’ll be destined for waivers again in the fall and, if he clears again, will look to be more effective and healthy for Charlotte. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have filled 41 of 50 contract slots for this season.
Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.
Boston Bruins
F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
Buffalo Sabres
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Calgary Flames
D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release
Carolina Hurricanes
G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Chicago Blackhawks
F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years
Colorado Avalanche
F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release
Dallas Stars
D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level
Edmonton Oilers
D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
Florida Panthers
F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
Los Angeles Kings
F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens
F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils
D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27
New York Islanders
F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release
New York Rangers
D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Ottawa Senators
F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN
Philadelphia Flyers
F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia
San Jose Sharks
F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release
St. Louis Blues
F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia
Utah Mammoth
F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks
F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
Winnipeg Jets
F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet
Panthers Sign Jeff Petry
The Panthers have signed defenseman Jeff Petry to a league-minimum contract for 2025-26 with performance bonuses, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.
Remarkably, Petry has turned the worst season of his professional career into an agreement with the defending Stanley Cup champions. Although he was limited by injury during the 2024-25 campaign, Petry finished with one goal and eight points in 44 games with a -2 rating, which averages out to an 82-game average of two goals and 15 points.
His value appears even less favorable when examining some of his advanced metrics. Petry finished with a 43.2% CorsiFor% at even strength, which was the lowest of any defenseman on the Red Wings during the 2024-25 campaign. According to MoneyPuck, Petry had the lowest Expected Goals Creation on the Detroit team last season, indicating that the worst performances occurred when he was on the ice.
Nevertheless, he’ll be tasked with far less responsibility in Sunrise. The Panthers are retaining every member of their Stanley Cup-winning team, aside from Jaycob Megna, and Petry will immediately become the team’s seventh option. Petry will become the third right-handed defenseman on the team behind Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, and he could fill in on occasion if they want to balance out their handedness.
At any rate, Petry’s numbers should improve in limited ice time, simply by being on a better team. Still, he’s a far cry from the defenseman he used to be during his prime with the Montreal Canadiens.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Panthers Sign Daniil Tarasov
The Panthers have signed recently acquired RFA netminder Daniil Tarasov to a one-year, $1.05MM contract, according to PuckPedia. The deal walks him to unrestricted free agency next summer.
Florida now has their new backup goalie officially in tow after acquiring his rights from the Blue Jackets for the No. 160 overall pick in last week’s draft, which Columbus used on OHL Oshawa center Owen Griffin. They’re taking a flyer on a younger, higher-ceiling option in Tarasov after clearing cap room at the trade deadline by trading top prospect Spencer Knight to the Blackhawks in the Seth Jones trade and replacing him with veteran stopgap Vitek Vanecek down the stretch. The latter won’t be back with the Cats and will hit the open market after making seven regular-season appearances and seeing no postseason action behind star starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
Tarasov looks to get his development back on track with Bobrovsky as his mentor after an inconsistent few seasons as Elvis Merzlikins‘ primary backup in Columbus. This past season was particularly difficult for the Russian, who managed a .881 SV% and 3.54 GAA with a 7-10-2 record in 19 starts and one relief appearance. He allowed 4.4 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. That diminished his trade value, but his resume in Columbus on the whole is more acceptable – a .898 SV%, 3.44 GAA, one shutout, and a 19-34-6 record in 65 career appearances over the past four years.
The signing also means Florida is officially over the cap after also getting new deals registered for Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, and Tomas Nosek in the last 24 hours. PuckPedia has updated its roster projections to reflect a “full” 21-player roster, although they’re $2.175MM in the red and will need to replace a mid-tier salary, potentially forward Evan Rodrigues‘ $3MM cap hit, with a league-minimum one in a trade to be cap-compliant to start the year if they have no LTIR-eligible injuries.
Panthers Sign Brad Marchand To Six-Year Extension
July 1: The Panthers have confirmed the six-year deal for Marchand while not disclosing financial terms. The exact cap hit is $5.25MM, per PuckPedia.
June 30, 6:20 p.m.: Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Marchand’s new contract is heavily frontloaded. He’ll make just $1MM in base salary each year, and the rest will be paid out in signing bonuses. For trade protection, LeBrun indicated that he’ll get a full no-movement clause for the first four years before transitioning to a modified no-trade clause in the final two years.
4:13 p.m.: The Panthers are signing winger Brad Marchand to a six-year extension “just under” $32MM in total, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The cap hit will be roughly $5.3MM.
Shockingly, after reportedly agreeing to a new long-term contract with defenseman Aaron Ekblad earlier today, the Panthers were able to retain all three of their prominent pending unrestricted free agents. For Ekblad and Marchand, Florida re-signed both on extremely team-friendly deals, in terms of their salary.
Still, it’s difficult not to question the terms of Marchand’s new contract. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is entering his age-37 season, meaning he’ll be 43 upon expiration. It’s quite uncommon for a player of Marchand’s age to sign a deal of such length. Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins could be the only recent comparable, signing a six-year extension beginning in his age-35 season.
In Marchand’s defense, he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. Since turning 30 years old ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, Marchand has scored 198 goals and 521 points in 498 games with a +104 rating, averaging 19:02 of ice time per game. He’s received multiple votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy and Frank J. Selke Trophy in that time.
His postseason performances have been equally impressive. In that same time frame, Marchand has scored 45 goals and 98 points in 96 postseason contests between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers with a +23 rating. His playoff excellence came to a head a few weeks ago, finishing second place in Conn Smythe Trophy voting behind teammate Sam Bennett after the Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
Now, by keeping Marchand for the foreseeable future, the Panthers will not only have a formidable top-six to stagger opposing teams, but will continue to have a third line that few teams will be able to match up against.
It’ll be interesting to see how General Manager Bill Zito fits the rest of Florida’s group with nearly $20MM doled out to Bennett, Ekblad, and Marchand. There will be more clarity on the Panthers’ salary cap picture tomorrow. They’ll need to find space for new deals for forward Mackie Samoskevich and netminder Daniil Tarasov. Still, they can rest easy knowing all the key players from their most recent Stanley Cup championship team are returning next season.