Panthers Reassign Mikulas Hovorka
The Panthers reassigned defenseman Mikulas Hovorka to AHL Charlotte on Sunday, according to a team announcement. He had played in Florida’s last two games in place of Dmitry Kulikov, who suffered a broken nose last Tuesday against the Senators. With Kulikov back in the lineup today for the second half of the Cats’ back-to-back against the Penguins, Hovorka comes out of the lineup and will head straight back to Charlotte after the Checkers recently clinched a playoff berth.
Hovorka’s appearances last week were the second and third of his NHL career. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut in a one-game call-up back in February before returning to Charlotte. Across all three outings this season, the 6’6″ righty has a -3 rating with three hits while averaging 13:30 of ice time per game.
Florida signed Hovorka as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia’s HC Motor Ceske Budejovice in 2024. Over nearly two full seasons in Charlotte, the Prague native has a 7-19–26 scoring line with 77 penalty minutes and a +23 rating in 113 outings.
While the mammoth rearguard has shown good defensive instincts in the minors, he couldn’t carry those over into his brief NHL trials this season. The Panthers have been outshot 18-8 and outchanced 20-12 with Hovorka on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. He was also on the ice for a goal against in under two minutes of cumulative shorthanded ice time.
Florida may be eliminated from playoff contention, but they’ll still take any help they can get from their veteran players who can push through lingering injuries or make early returns. Even with Kulikov back in the fold, they’re without nine lineup regulars, including Uvis Balinskis, Aaron Ekblad, and Niko Mikkola on defense. None of them will play in the four games remaining on the Cats’ schedule after today.
Maple Leafs Linked To Sunny Mehta For GM Vacancy
The Maple Leafs have Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta on their initial list of desired candidates to succeed Brad Treliving in the GM’s chair, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on last night’s “Saturday Headlines.”
Mehta, 47, has long been a prominent face in advanced analytics. The Michigan native has had quite the long and winding road through his professional life – from earning a master’s degree in data science to becoming a professional poker player and bestselling author – before he got into online analytics blogging in the early 2010s. After quickly gaining acclaim in that sphere, he did some consulting work for the Coyotes before being hired as the Devils’ director of analytics in 2014, heading up the league’s first dedicated analytics department.
He remained in that role with New Jersey through 2018. He then did some freelance work with the Capitals and several Major League Baseball teams before getting brought into the Panthers’ front office by then fresh-faced GM Bill Zito in 2021. Mehta served as the team’s director of hockey strategy and intelligence for two years before Zito promoted him to his inner circle as an AGM, a role he’s stayed in since the Cats’ first of three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 while also serving as their director of analytics.
Keith Pelley, the president of the Leafs’ parent company, made clear in his media availability at the beginning of last week that his GM hire would be “data-centric.” There’s perhaps no individual more fitting of that description than Mehta. He’s played a key role in Florida’s successful acquisition of under-utilized depth pieces like Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola over the past few years.
Latest On Nashville’s GM Search
The Predators are no longer the only team currently in the market for a new general manager after Toronto fired Brad Treliving earlier this week. That said, given that current GM Barry Trotz gave notice of his intention to step down just over two months ago, Nashville is much farther along in their search for a replacement.
To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Preds are believed to be nearing the in-person stage of their interviewing process, if they’re not there already. He added that he believes Bill Scott (Oilers), Scott White (Stars), Brett Peterson (Panthers), and former Arizona GM John Chayka will be part of that process. Additionally, the team reached out to Win Hockey Agency’s Matt Keator to assess his possible interest but it doesn’t appear he is in the next round of interviews. Meanwhile, Friedman added that Predators assistant GM Jeff Kealty could still be in the mix as well.
Scott has held various roles in Edmonton dating back to 2010 when he first joined the team as GM of their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City. Since then, he has also held the title of Director of Hockey Operations (including Director of Salary Cap Management) and has been an assistant GM for the Oilers since the 2022-23 campaign.
As for White, he has been with Dallas even longer, dating back to the 2005-06 season when he joined AHL Iowa as their Director of Hockey Operations. Before that, he had spent the past ten years coaching in either college of the ECHL. Since then, White worked his way up to being assistant GM of their AHL squad (now in Texas) and has been an assistant GM with the Stars since 2016.
Peterson, meanwhile, has held an AGM title with Florida since 2020. He also has some international experience, having worked with USA Hockey for the last two World Championships and will serve as the GM for their entry into next month’s tournament as well.
Chayka is the one candidate on this list who is well-known going back to his time with the Coyotes. After just one season as an assistant GM, he was promoted to the top job for the 2016-17 campaign and executed a data-driven approach. Along the way, he brought in several players of consequence (including Derek Stepan, Taylor Hall, and Nick Schmaltz, among others) while utilizing his cap space to add assets for taking on burdensome LTIR-bound contracts. He abruptly resigned from the team in July 2020, just before the ‘bubble playoffs’ started, and hasn’t worked in the NHL since then.
Kealty is certainly the longest-tenured person in this group; he has worked with the Predators since 2001. He started off as a scout, working his way up to Director of Amateur Scouting, then Director of Scouting (professional and amateur). Kealty added the assistant GM title back in 2018 and has held the dual role ever since.
With Trotz staying in his role until a successor is found and the draft still a little more than two months away, there is still plenty of time for the Predators to pick their next general manager. But it appears they’re a step closer to doing so now that they’ve entered the next phase of their search.
Panthers Assessing Injuries To Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov
The Florida Panthers have even more injuries to sort through after Tuesday night’s win over the Ottawa Senators. Defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov were both injured in the matchup. Ekblad sustained a broken finger after blocking a shot with his right-hand, while Kulikov sustained a broken nose after a puck deflected into his face per George Richard of Florida Hockey Now. Ekblad will be reassessed in 10 days – just three days before the end of Florida’s season – while Kulikov may only need to miss Thursday night’s game against the Boston Bruins, head coach Paul Maurice told Richard.
Ekblad could join a long list of Panthers stars declared out for the rest of the season. Florida’s list of injuries includes Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, and Niko Mikkola – all set to miss the final eight games of the season. Ekblad has filled a heavy role in the wake of their injuries, averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time each night through 15 games in March. He scored five points and a plus-four in those minutes, helping the Panthers piece together a 6-9-0 record despite their heap of star absences.
Ekblad has been one of Florida’s few consistent lineup pieces this season, so far only missing two games to injury. But that consistency didn’t help him avoid the down year that hit many Panthers. Ekblad has racked up just 26 points and a minus-five in 72 games this season. That is the second-lowest scoring pace (0.36) of Ekblad’s 12-year career in the NHL, behind the 2023-24 campaign that saw him score 18 points in 51 games (0.35). The 29 year old still filled a crucial role on the Panthers blue-line all season long and should continue to hold a core role, even if his season ends with Tuesday’s game.
Kulikov has been much more limited this season. He has only appeared in 17 games on the year thanks to a hip injury that required surgery, and a five-month absence, sustained in Florida’s second game of the season. He was out of the lineup from October 10th to March 1st. Kulikov hasn’t managed any scoring in his few games this season, to go with a minus-five and eight penalty minutes. He has two years remaining on his four-year, $4.6MM contract signed with Florida in 2024. That should help ensure that Kulikov has a chance to return to his bottom-pair role with some more consistency next season. He will face lineup pressure from Donovan Sebrango, who scored four points in 32 games while helping to fill-in for Kulikov’s absence. Sebrango also left Tuesday’s game early due to injury but is expected to be okay, per Richard.
Florida sits well outside of a playoff spot with only a few games left on their schedule. Their disastrous season continues to face blows in the form of star injuries. Kulikov is expected to begin playing through his injury as soon as Saturday. He will be a part of a handicapped Panthers lineup attempting to pull together a few more wins before the year comes to an end.
Panthers Recall Tobias Bjornfot, Mikulas Hovorka
The Florida Panthers need more depth with two additional defensemen out with injury. According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, the Panthers have recalled Tobias Björnfot and Mikulas Hovorka from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Florida later confirmed the transaction.
It’s expected that both defensemen will be in the lineup tomorrow against the Boston Bruins. In the same report, Richards shared that Aaron Ekblad, who is dealing with a hand injury after blocking a shot, and Dmitry Kulikov, who took a puck off the face, are both being held out.
That will leave Seth Jones and Gustav Forsling as the only two defensemen who played on opening night this season to be in Florida’s lineup tomorrow. That’s without factoring in the multiple injuries to the forward corps, as the Panthers are also expected to be without Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, Jonah Gadjovich, Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart, and Anton Lundell.
It’s been the overarching theme of the 2025-26 season for Florida. Injuries have prevented the Panthers from achieving any success this year and will also prevent the team from defending their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
At any rate, it allows a pair of defensemen who haven’t played much for the team this season. Björnfot, 24, has scored two goals and one assist in 11 games for the Panthers this season, averaging 11:33 of ice time per night. Meanwhile, Hovorka, 24, has only one game of NHL experience under his belt, skating for 11:27 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 5th.
Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov Suffer Injuries
Florida Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov each suffered injuries in yesterday’s win over the Ottawa Senators, head coach Paul Maurice announced postgame. Per team reporter Jameson Olive, both defensemen “sound like they could miss time” with these injuries.
Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues Out For Season With Broken Finger
Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues is undergoing surgery to repair his broken finger and will not return this season, head coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday (via George Richards of Florida Hockey Now).
Rodrigues hasn’t played since March 26 against the Wild. He left that game after his first shift with the fracture and didn’t return. Maurice said he assumed Rodrigues’ season was over after the fact, but was still awaiting confirmation of whether he’d need surgery.
With nothing left to play for, there likely wasn’t any hesitation to opt for surgery on both ends. The Panthers aren’t mathematically eliminated from playoff contention yet, but sitting 15 points out with nine games to go, while on a three-game losing streak, their season will end in April for the first time since 2019.
Injuries were really the only storyline in Sunrise this season. Rodrigues’ year will end with a comparably respectable 69 games played that could still very well end up being top 10 on the team when all is said and done. The 32-year-old did his part to step up in the absence of multiple top-six names, putting up an 11-20–31 scoring line. That goal output is his lowest at face value since the 2020-21 campaign, but his 0.45 points per game is right in line with his career average and a step up from last season’s 0.39, his worst as a Panther.
Rodrigues will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1. He will be entering the final season of the four-year, $12MM contract he signed with Florida as a free agent in 2023.
Panthers Sign Tyler Muszelik
The Florida Panthers have signed 2022 sixth-round draft pick Tyler Muszelik to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Muszelik recently saw his college career come to an end after two years at the University of New Hampshire and two years at the University of Connecticut. It was not indicated if Muszelik will sign a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season.
Florida moved goaltender Kirill Gerasimyuk from the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers roughly an hour before signing Muszelik, which may create a crowded goalie room in the AHL.
Muszelik moved to the college level immediately after two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He split starts with Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine at the NTDP and managed a middling stat line: a 15-13-4 record and 0.880 save percentage in 34 USHL games. A quiet junior career and early start in college led Muszelik to a backup role for his underclass seasons in New Hampshire. His time with the Wildcats was fairly quiet, marked by a 9-10-2 record and 0.879 save percentage in 21 games.
Seeking more, Muszelik moved to Connecticut for his junior season in 2024-25. He moved straight into the starting role vacated by Nashville Predators’ prospect Ethan Haider and Calgary Flames’ prospect Arsenii Sergeev. Muszelik was quickly successful with routine ice time. He posted a 12-6-3 record and a .912 save percentage in 23 games. His performance was strong enough to help UConn push to the Hockey East championship game, where they lost to the University of Maine. Not to be deterred, Muszelik managed to improve on his strong numbers this season. He posted a 19-11-5 record and .926 save percentage in 35 games and again led the Huskies to the Hockey East championship, only to lose to Merrimack College.
Even with a pair of conference championship losses shadowing over him, Muszelik’s upperclass seasons were shining performances. He showed an impressive layer of athleticism and focus – and seemed to only get better the more frequently he took the starter’s crease. On the back of heavy minutes this season, Muszelik could get a chance to take an early break in preparation for his first pro season.
If he instead signs a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season, Muszelik would get a chance to compete with Gerasimyuk and Cooper Black for pro minutes. Black has held a firm grip on Charlotte’s starting role this season, marked by 24 wins and a .903 save percentage in 39 games. Gerasimyuk has recorded eight wins and a .904 save percentage in 17 AHL games. The pair of goaltenders will be Muszelik’s competition through the first year of his entry-level contract.
Panthers Reassign Jack Studnicka
3/29/26: The Panthers announced they have reassigned Studnicka back to AHL Charlotte. Studnicka skated in 7:32 time on ice in the Panthers’ loss to the New York Islanders yesterday, his lone NHL game of this one-day recall.
With Greer now eligible to return against the Rangers, Studnicka’s services were no longer required on the Panthers’ NHL roster. He’ll return to Charlotte, but it is unclear at this time whether he’ll be able to play in the Checkers’ game this evening against the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The logistics are in his favor: the Checkers are on the road in Hartford while the Panthers have been in New York for their two-game swing against the Islanders and Rangers.
3/28/26: The Panthers recalled forward Jack Studnicka from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on Saturday morning, according to the AHL’s transactions log.
With A.J. Greer not eligible to return from his three-game suspension until tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Rangers, Studnicka will dress for today’s matinee against the Islanders. Evan Rodrigues sustained a broken finger in Thursday’s loss to the Wild and is out for at least four weeks, head coach Paul Maurice said postgame, ending his season.
Rodrigues’ injury brings Florida’s injured list up to 10. Six of them – Uvis Balinskis, Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, Niko Mikkola, and Rodrigues – have effectively been shut down for the year. Jonah Gadjovich, Sam Reinhart, Mackie Samoskevich, and Cole Schwindt are all day-to-day and could be options in the next week, but for now, the Cats will need to dig even further into their AHL depth.
Studnicka, 27, was recalled in December after Eetu Luostarinen was sidelined following burns sustained in a home barbecue grill accident. He played a routine fourth-line role in the six weeks that followed but was held pointless in 18 games, posting a -6 rating before being waived and returned to Charlotte in January.
Once a top prospect for the Bruins, those games earlier this season were Studnicka’s first in the NHL since getting a look with the Sharks down the stretch in 2023-24. The 6’1″ center/right-winger has settled in as a top-six name in the minors but hasn’t demonstrated the offensive utility to seriously contend for an NHL job. In 34 games with the Checkers this season, he has an 8-14–22 scoring line with a +7 rating.
There’s a chance Studnicka could be on his way to his sixth organization in five years this summer. He only landed a one-year, two-way deal with the Cats last offseason and will be an unrestricted free agent again in July. He was traded from the Bruins to the Canucks in 2022, flipped to San Jose in 2023, and signed a two-way deal with the Kings in free agency in 2024 before landing in Florida.
Bennett Out For An Undisclosed Reason
- The ever-growing absence list in Florida just got longer. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today including Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that center Sam Bennett won’t play tonight against the Islanders. He’s dealing with an undisclosed issue although Maurice added that it’s not concerning. Bennett has had a career year offensively, recording 25 goals and 29 assists in 70 games this season, with a career-best ATOI of 18:29 as well. His absence justifies the recent promotion of Jack Studnicka, who was recalled earlier today.