Free Agency Notes: Marchment, Mikheyev, Bobrovsky, Glendening
Back in February, a few months after acquiring him, the Columbus Blue Jackets pivoted toward signing Mason Marchment to an extension, rather than trading him at the deadline. However, an extension was never agreed to, and Marchment is expected to reach free agency in one week, where he will likely have a very robust market.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, several teams will be interested in signing Marchment should he reach free agency on July 1st. However, LeBrun added that the Blue Jackets are still holding out hope they can sign him to an extension, with an 11th-hour final push on the horizon.
It was a tale of two seasons for Marchment. The 31-year-old winger struggled with the Seattle Kraken, scoring four goals and 13 points in 29 games. However, after the Kraken traded him to the Blue Jackets, he went on a tear, registering 15 goals and 32 points in 39 contests to close out the regular season. There’s little expectation that Marchment will continue to be a point-per-game player, but he has proven to be a quality secondary scorer for the past five years, and would be one of the better forward options on the free agent market.
Additional free agency notes:
- It’s been known for the last few weeks that winger Ilya Mikheyev would not be signing an extension with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks pivoted toward shopping Mikheyev’s signing rights to interested parties, but it turns out they didn’t get much traction there, either. According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago is preparing to lose Mikheyev on the market for nothing next Wednesday. The middle-six forward has spent the past two years with the Blackhawks, scoring 38 goals and 70 points in 157 games with a +6 rating, averaging 16:32 of ice time per game.
- According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, General Manager Bill Zito hasn’t closed the door on signing netminder Sergei Bobrovsky to one last contract. Florida is in a similar situation to last offseason, when they were set to lose one of three key players in Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, or Aaron Ekblad. Somehow, the Panthers managed to keep all three. However, the situation is far different with Bobrovsky, who is nearly 38 years old, coming off the worst season of his professional career, and is reportedly seeking a six- to seven-year deal in the $42MM range.
- Although he’s not a huge priority for the Philadelphia Flyers, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported that the team is interested in retaining veteran center Luke Glendening for the 2026-27 season. Glendening, 37, played admirably for the Flyers after they claimed him off waivers at last year’s deadline, scoring two goals and five points in 18 regular-season contests, with another goal through 10 games in the postseason.
The Panthers Next Move After Brady Tkachuk: Address Goaltending
The Florida Panthers shook the NHL yesterday.
When it was believed that their big move on Sunday, June 21, would be sending Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle for the 25th overall pick in 2026, they took that draft pick, plus their own ninth selection, and a few hours later, packaged more picks to acquire Matthew Tkachuk‘s brother, Brady Tkachuk.
The Panthers, who originally entered the offseason with $15.7MM in cap space to work with, now have around a little above $7MM in cap space this summer after assembling arguably the NHL’s most stacked forward group it will see next year. Despite having that intrigue, as well as a solidified veteran defensive corps, Florida remains without a goaltender between the pipes to start the 2026-27 season. Both 37-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are set to hit the free agent market on July 1st. If those options aren’t in the cards for Florida, they need to look elsewhere, and they have a few avenues to go down.
The Big Fish: Connor Hellebuyck
Brady was one way Florida elevated themselves in a reboot back after ending this past season out of the playoffs, but how to replace the stellar goaltending Sergei Bobrovsky used to provide? Connor Hellebuyck would check those boxes. The 32-year-old is the third-highest-paid No. 1 goaltender in the NHL. That doesn’t come without reason. The three-time Vezina trophy winner as the league’s best goaltender, and 2024-25 league MVP, makes $8.5MM per season and will earn $59.5MM by the time he’s 38 years old in 2031. It would require a contract dealt away to make this happen.
He posted a 2.86 goals against average and a 0.895 save percentage, the SV% chalking up to the worst of his 11-year NHL career. After three consecutive seasons of 30+ goals saved above expected, he ended 2025-26 stopping -0.3, his worst in that category since 2016-17. All of this culminated in a 23-23-11 record in 57 games started for the Jets.
At the Jets’ end-of-season press conference, he had expressed that the Cup was the only milestone missing from his resume, which might not be attainable in Winnipeg. Plus, added seasoning from Chris Johnston of TSN, who said teams are calling based on his disappointment, signs could be pointing to Hellebuyck packing his bags away from the Jets, who ended with a 35-35-12 record, good for 7th in the Central Division after eight playoff appearances in the last ten seasons. In a year where he won a gold medal with the USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, a triumph that saw a dropoff from being a part of the league’s best team for the President’s Trophy just a year ago, and was three wins away from a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2018, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’d want to be back in that window.
Low-risk change of scenery
If the Panthers want to stay within their cap space and not spend all the way up to $7MM, they’re going to have to get cute and maybe take a chance on a goalie with a lesser pedigree.
A few names have been circling the goalie trade market that Florida could consider dealing for. New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom could potentially be available out of the Devils, according to Kevin Weekes of NHL Network. The 31-year-old is entering a two-year, $12MM ($6MM AAV) deal and could use a change of scenery from a 3.07 goals-against average and .883 save percentage campaign in 44 games. Perhaps former 2019 Stanley Cup Champion Jordan Binnington, who enters the last year of a six-year, $6MM AAV contract at age 32 with the Blues, would suffice for the regular season and shine in the big moments of playoff hockey. How about a gamble with the Red Wings on 23-year-old Sebastian Cossa? Despite a late-season fall-off in the AHL, he could present as a low-risk, high-reward pickup considering his status as a former first-round pick from 2021.
Free Agency
If all comes to pass, GM Bill Zito could always just sign a free agent he sees fit for the team. This is also where you could find a budget baller in between your pipes for this season and beyond.
Maybe 27-year-old Stuart Skinner wants to be a cup-contending goalie again. The former Oilers goaltender lost twice to Florida in the finals, but if you can’t beat them, why not join them? If that doesn’t come to pass, Frederik Andersen might want to stay in the warmth of the American southeast. If the reigning Cup champs in Carolina don’t have him back, Florida would enjoy his services of a .910 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average in 16 playoff games, replicated if possible. That’s just two of 14 goaltenders available, where none aside from former Panther Bobrovsky, made above $5MM last season; those guys would ideally consider Sunrise as a great destination if the Panthers were to call.
Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
NHL Announces General Manager Of The Year Finalists
The Jets’ Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Stars’ Jim Nill, and the Panthers’ Bill Zito are the three finalists for this year’s Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the league announced today.
Unlike most other major league awards, GMOTY honors take playoff performance into account. Voting for the award is also done by a jury of their peers – all 32 NHL GMs, plus a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media, comprise the voting, which takes place after the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs concludes.
Cheveldayoff is the relative newbie of the trio in terms of being included among the finalists. It’s his second time making the cut – he previously finished second in GMOTY voting after Winnipeg had its then-best season in franchise history in the 2017-18 campaign. That club had 114 points, a mark this year’s Jets beat by two en route to winning their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. This year’s notable moves included promoting Coach of the Year finalist Scott Arniel to the head role last offseason following Rick Bowness‘ retirement as well as acquiring winger Brandon Tanev and defenseman Luke Schenn at the deadline.
His nomination stems more from identifying his core and sticking with it through ups and downs. Most of Winnipeg’s driving forces – namely Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Josh Morrissey – have been there for years and were all drafted under Cheveldayoff.
Nill, meanwhile, is going for a three-peat. He’s already one of just two GMs to win the award twice, alongside former Islanders boss Lou Lamoriello. While he’s wholly responsible for the Dallas core that’s now advanced to three straight Western Conference Finals, his in-season moves may have him well-positioned to take home the honors yet again.
Playoff performance will be a factor here – after Nill traded for and signed Mikko Rantanen to a massive eight-year, $96MM extension at the deadline, he’s returned the favor as the Conn Smythe favorite so far with a playoff-leading 9-11–20 scoring line through 14 games. His draft record among mid-to-late first-round picks in recent years, highlighted by Wyatt Johnston, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson, is arguably the biggest reason they’ve been able to enter their lengthiest contention window since winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.
As for Zito, he’d have won one by now if not for Nill’s reign. He’s a finalist for the third year in a row and the fourth time overall during his stint at the helm of the Panthers. His offseason work, with depth pickups like Nate Schmidt performing well in lieu of big-name players who left in free agency following last year’s Stanley Cup win, already had them well set for a repeat. Acquiring stars Brad Marchand and Seth Jones in separate pre-deadline deals, both of whom have been among the Cats’ best postseason players, is the main reason he finds himself on this year’s list, though.
NHL Announces General Manager Of The Year Finalists
The Canucks’ Patrik Allvin, the Stars’ Jim Nill and the Panthers’ Bill Zito were named finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award today, the NHL announced.
Voting for the GM of the Year award is conducted among the GMs themselves, in addition to a select few NHL executives and media members. Unlike other awards, votes are sent in at the end of the second round of the playoffs, not at the end of the regular season.
None of the nominees are particularly surprising. Allvin earns his nomination after putting together some incredible work in last summer’s free agency period, bringing in depth forwards Teddy Blueger, Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter on one-year deals. All were incredibly impactful value signings, including Suter, who scored the game-winning goal late in the third period of Game 6 against the Predators to give Vancouver its first series win in four years.
He also picked up solid depth defenseman Ian Cole in free agency last summer and swung trades for center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the Flames throughout the season, both of whom were some of their best playoff performers. Vancouver took the Oilers to Game 7 before bowing out in the second round despite an early injury to Vezina finalist Thatcher Demko.
Nill is gunning to become the second-ever back-to-back winner of the award, joining the Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello. His signing of Matt Duchene to a one-year, $3MM contract was arguably one of the best moves of last summer, as he maintained solid top-six production in the regular season with 65 points in 80 games. He also scored the overtime winner to send the Stars to the Western Conference Final, beginning tonight at home against Edmonton. He also picked up high-end shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev from the Flames ahead of the trade deadline without parting with a first-round pick.
Zito has now earned a nomination for GMOTY in three of his four years at the helm of the Panthers’ hockey ops department, but he’s yet to be crowned the winner. The Panthers won their second division title in the past three years this season, avoiding an expected lull to begin the season without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour available while recovering from offseason surgeries. His signing of goaltender Anthony Stolarz to back up starter Sergei Bobrovsky remains one of the most under-the-radar moves of last year’s free agency period – Stolarz led qualified netminders with a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA this season.
The winner will be announced before a Stanley Cup Final game on June 10.
Panthers, Bill Zito Agree To Multi-Year Extension
The Panthers have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with general manager Bill Zito, the club announced Monday. Zito has also been named the team’s president of hockey operations as part of the deal.
Florida handed Zito the keys to their front office in September 2020, weeks after they were eliminated by the Islanders in the Qualifying Round of the 2020 bubble playoffs. The club was cycling through periods of mediocrity at the time, and the last big splash by previous GM Dale Tallon, a seven-year, $70MM contract for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, had failed miserably in its inaugural season. He made his first splash less than a month after being hired, acquiring winger Patric Hörnqvist from the Penguins in exchange for depth forward Colton Sceviour and defenseman Mike Matheson, followed up by drafting Anton Lundell 12th overall in 2020 and inking future top-six fixture Carter Verhaeghe to a bargain-bin two-year, $2MM deal in free agency.
Immediately, the Cats roared to life. They finished second in the modified Central Division during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, and their 37-14-5 record would have been their best in franchise history by a country mile over an 82-game campaign. The following year carried a mixed start – they began the season with a 7-0-0 record, but head coach Joel Quenneville abruptly announced his resignation in late October after meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss his involvement in addressing a 2010 incident as head coach of the Blackhawks when video coach Brad Aldrich allegedly sexually assaulted prospect Kyle Beach during that year’s playoffs. Zito kept his corresponding move internal, promoting assistant Andrew Brunette to the interim head coach role. Under Brunette, the Panthers finished the season 51-18-6, won the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history, and won their first playoff series since 1996.
Zito’s biggest move came in the summer of 2022 after they were swept in the second round by the in-state rival Lightning. In the first true sign-and-trade in league history, Zito dealt reigning assists leader Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Flames, along with other assets, for All-Star winger Matthew Tkachuk with an eight-year, $76MM extension in tow. While Weegar has been a solid piece for the Flames, Tkachuk has vastly outperformed Huberdeau since the swap and costs $1MM less annually on his extension. With Paul Maurice now behind the bench after Zito opted not to make Brunette the full-time bench boss, Tkachuk played an integral role as Florida struggled through the regular season but upset their way to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, knocking off the 135-point Bruins in the first round in the process.
Bobrovsky rebounding to Vezina-level form has given Zito a considerable amount of help, but he’s still displayed incredible skill at picking up low-risk, high-ceiling targets. Waiver claim Gustav Forsling has exploded as one of the best two-way threats in the league and just received a fair-value eight-year, $46MM extension from Zito. Picking up defenseman Brandon Montour from the Sabres for a third-round pick in 2021 has paid heavy dividends, and other low-cost trade or UFA pickups like Sam Bennett, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Anthony Stolarz have Florida positioned yet again as a Stanley Cup contender without much dead money or bloated long-term commitments on the books.
Zito’s most significant offseason might be this upcoming one. Roughly half of Florida’s NHL-rostered skaters are on expiring deals, and Montour and winger Sam Reinhart will be among the top options available at their respective positions should they head to market. Getting them signed or letting them walk will be his biggest task this summer, as well as debating an extension for Aaron Ekblad, who has one season left at a $7.5MM cap hit but has had a sharp decline over the past few seasons while dealing with injuries.
Before joining the Panthers, Zito was with the Blue Jackets for seven years as their associate general manager, earning a promotion to VP of hockey operations and alternate governor later on is his tenure.
Team USA Fills Out Management Group For 4 Nations, 2026 Olympics
USA Hockey has announced the remainder of the management group that will complement Wild GM Bill Guerin for next season’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Rangers GM Chris Drury, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and Panthers GM Bill Zito have been named assistant GMs to Guerin. Wild director of player personnel Chris Kelleher will occupy the same role for the national team as he does under Guerin in Minnesota.
Guerin was confirmed as the GM of both squads in February. Earlier this season, he was reportedly the subject of an internal investigation “following a human resources complaint by an employee who alleged verbal abuse in the workplace,” per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The investigation later determined he did not commit a fireable offense.
This is Drury’s fifth time holding a management role with Team USA. All his previous national team managerial experience came at the World Championship, where he served as AGM in 2016 and 2017 and GM in 2019 and 2021. Drury-managed teams have only medalled once, capturing a bronze medal in ’21.
As a player, he was no stranger to helping out the national team. In fact, he was quite well-decorated internationally, representing the USA at three Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010), three World Championships (1997, 1998, 2004), and the 1996 World Juniors. He took home two Olympic silvers and one Worlds bronze in that time and was eventually inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, shortly after taking a director of player development role with the Rangers. He was promoted to AGM and later GM and president of hockey operations ahead of the 2021-22 season.
This is Fitzgerald’s first managerial experience with the national team. He’s held front-office roles in the NHL dating back to 2007 and was named GM of the Devils midway through the 2019-20 season. As a player, he suited up for Team USA at the 1987 World Juniors and in the 1989 and 1991 World Championships.
Zito returns to managing Team USA after GMing their World Championship squad in 2018, back when he was an AGM for the Blue Jackets. It’s his first national team nod since being named GM of the Panthers in 2020, since overseeing the most sustained period of success in franchise history.
Like Fitzgerald, the 49-year-old Kelleher has no international managerial experience, although he did have a cup of coffee as a player with Team USA at the 1995 World Juniors. He predates Guerin with the Wild by a decade, first joining Minnesota as a pro scout in 2009. He’s steadily worked his way up the ranks, earning a promotion to director of pro scouting in 2019 before being named their director of player personnel in 2022.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Florida Panthers
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Florida Panthers.
Who are the Panthers thankful for?
Tkachuk has not been himself thus far this season, but it is hard to fault him after he suffered a broken sternum in game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals in June. He valiantly tried to play in game 5 but could only take a few shifts before he had to shut himself down. He went through rehabilitation and recovery in the summer and although he was ready for training camp, it’s hard to believe that he had a full summer of his regular training regimen.
Tkachuk hasn’t been bad this year, he just hasn’t lived up to the level of play he’s shown over the past few seasons when he has been regularly in the conversation for league MVP. The 26-year-old has just five goals and 15 assists in 27 games thus far this season but has continued to be a dominant force at even strength. Although his goal numbers aren’t what they’ve been the last two seasons, he continues to drive the play and is snake bit by a career-low shooting percentage of 4.8%. Tkachuk is a career 12.7% shooter, meaning that he should see a surge here in the coming months unless his broken sternum is still a cause for concern. That doesn’t appear to be the case though as Tkachuk continues to play with reckless abandon this season, as his hitting numbers are up considerably from last year.
Tkachuk is not only the on-ice leader of the Panthers, but he is also the heart and soul player that teams covet desperately. Many thought the Panthers had given up too much to acquire the Scottsdale, Arizona native from the Calgary Flames, but a year and a half after the trade it looks like an absolute heist by general manager Bill Zito.
What are the Panthers thankful for?
Pro Scouting.
Over the last few years, not every trade the Panthers have made has worked out, but the bulk of them have been good, and several of them have been home runs.
As was mentioned earlier, the Tkachuk trade was an absolute thing of beauty for the Panthers, It was high profile and high risk, but some of their sneakier trades are almost as impressive.
Acquiring Sam Bennett from the Calgary Flames for Emil Heineman and a second-round pick was another well-crafted trade that ended up one-sided in favor of the Panthers. Another key move was the trade with the Buffalo Sabres to acquire Sam Reinhart who currently leads the team in scoring this season with 17 goals and 20 assists in 27 games. That trade could go either way though as Reinhart is a free agent at year’s end and Devon Levi has shown glimpses of being a star in the making, despite his struggles this season.
But one of Panthers’ best moves was a different trade with the Sabres. One in which Florida acquired Brandon Montour for a 2021 third-round pick. Montour has started slowing this season with just two assists in 11 games, but like Tkachuk, he is returning from a severe injury. Montour was a key catalyst for the Panthers last season as he put up career numbers with 16 goals and 57 assists in 80 games. To cap it all off the 29-year-old had eight goals and five assists in 21 games during Florida’s surprise run to the Stanley Cup finals this past spring. His acquisition remains some of the Panthers’ best work the last few years, and credit goes to the team’s pro scouting who continue to identify diamonds in the rough.
What would the Panthers be even more thankful for?
A few contract extensions.
The Panthers are headed into a summer of uncertainty as they do have a number off key free agents who could be difficult to get under contract long-term.
As mentioned earlier, Reinhart has been terrific this season. He is on pace for a career year and could eclipse 50 goals and 100 points for the first time in his career. The timing could not be better for the 28-year-old as he is just over six months away from hitting the open market. If he gets to market there is no telling how high the cap hit could be on a lucrative long-term deal, especially with the salary cap rising substantially for the first time since before the pandemic. The Panthers are the only team that can offer Reinhart an eighth year, but they do have other extensions to consider and may not be willing to go as high as they need to get a deal done.
Montour is another pending unrestricted free agent, and his negotiations are complicated by the wild variance in his play in the last few seasons. After having a career year last season, he has started slowing this year and may give the Panthers pause when it comes to negotiations. Florida might want to see more from Montour before locking him down long-term. However, he was invaluable to them last year, particularly during their playoff run, and if he can replicate that success this year, he may price himself out of Florida.
Lastly, Gustav Forsling is also just over six months away from being able to sign with any team in the league, and while he hasn’t matched the pace he set last year offensively, he is still a key driver of play and can play in all situations. Forsling remains one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, but that could change with his next contract. While he currently is playing under a deal that pays him just over $2.6MM annually, he should be able to double his cap hit on his next deal.
At 27 years old Forsling likely has a lot left to give and should be a priority for the Panthers. He blocks shots, kills penalties, can chip in offensively, and is terrific at even strength. The Panthers would be hard-pressed to replace the minutes he plays in free agency and will likely look to lock him up long-term.
What should be on the Panthers holiday wish list?
A depth defenseman.
It really goes to show you how good this Panthers team is that their big need is a depth defenseman. An argument could be made that they use another center, but with Kevin Stenlund providing a decent defensive presence as the fourth line center, we can table talk about the forwards and focus on the Panthers’ back-end.
Uvis Balinskis has filled in admirably on the Panthers third defensive paring as the 27-year-old rookie has played okay in heavily sheltered minutes for the team alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Despite his decent play in a supporting role, the Panthers will likely need to improve their depth if they hope to make another deep run in the playoffs. Balinskis does have a physical element to his game but isn’t overly big and can be pushed off the puck. He also appears uncomfortable playing on his offside, something he will probably have to do to remain in the Panthers lineup long-term.
Florida would do well to grab a depth right-shot defenseman, who can fill in for Balinskis on occasion, or takeover from him should he begin to falter as the season goes on,
NHL Announces Jim Gregory Award Finalists
The NHL has announced this year’s finalists for the Jim Gregory Award, otherwise known as the General Manager of the Year award. Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins, and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers are the three candidates to take home the 2023 award.
Unlike most other awards, voting is not solely conducted among members of the media. All NHL GMs, as well as a spattering of league executives, are included in the process, and voting is conducted after the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Under Nill’s management, the Stars recorded their highest regular-season point total since 2015-16 and have advanced to the Western Conference Final for the second time in four years, although their stay there appears to be nearing an unceremonious end. Undoubtedly, Nill’s key move last offseason was bringing in head coach Peter DeBoer, who has now brought his NHL-record fourth franchise to the third round of the playoffs in his first year with the team.
Nill also made a number of impactful free-agent signings, including left wing Mason Marchment and defenseman Colin Miller. He also locked in short-term extensions for core pieces Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson and acquired Evgenii Dadonov, Max Domi, and Nils Lundkvist via trade.
His recent drafting has also been crucial to the team’s success, namely 2021 first-round pick Wyatt Johnston, who became the youngest player in NHL history to score a series-clinching goal in a Game 7.
Sweeney oversaw an absolutely record-breaking season for his team. Already with the 2019 edition of the award in his pocket, Sweeney’s moves contributed heavily to Boston’s league-dominating 65-12-5 record, setting an NHL all-time high with 135 points.
Under the leadership of head coach Jim Montgomery, whom Sweeney hired in the offseason, Boston never once slipped out of the Atlantic Division lead, becoming only the fourth team in the post-expansion era to accomplish this feat. The Bruins set multiple records, including a remarkable 14-game home winning streak from the beginning of the campaign.
Sweeney bolstered his roster by re-signing center Patrice Bergeron, bringing back former center David Krejčí from overseas, and making strategic trades to acquire center Pavel Zacha, right wing Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. The signing of David Pastrnak to a long-term extension further solidified the team’s future.
Sweeney’s moves this season didn’t come without some justified controversy, however. Back in November, Sweeney opted to sign free agent defense prospect Mitchell Miller, whose draft rights were given up by the Arizona Coyotes after a 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate became public. Miller was sent away from the team within days of the signing.
Lastly, there’s Zito, who has the Panthers on the verge of their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history. Zito started a pivotal 2022 offseason by securing the services of head coach Paul Maurice, a move that’s panned out well despite some public hesitance at the time. Zito then orchestrated a blockbuster trade to acquire and extend left wing Matthew Tkachuk, who has consistently been the team’s best player and emerged as a Hart Trophy finalist this season.
Other significant offseason moves, including signings of Nick Cousins, Alex Lyon, Eric Staal, Marc Staal, and Colin White, have mostly all contributed at points during Florida’s storybook playoff run. Zito, a finalist for the second time in his three years as a general manager, is hoping to secure his first win after finishing third in voting during his inaugural season at the helm of the Panthers.
Florida Panthers Sign Uvis Balinskis
The Florida Panthers have made an interesting free agent addition, signing Uvis Balinskis to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal is for the 2023-24 season, since he would not be eligible to play for them this year.
General manager Bill Zito released the following:
Uvis is a productive defenseman who has proven his impressive two-way skillset at an elite level in Europe. We look forward having a player of his caliber in our system.
Balinskis, 26, has been linked to the NHL for years now. In 2017, when Dan Milstein was hired as his agent, he said that the “NHL is next” for the Latvian defenseman after an impressive performance at the World Championships.
A contract in North America never materialized, and he kept playing in the KHL and then the Czech pro league for the next several years. While suiting up for Liberec Bili Tygri HC this season, he scored 35 points in 50 games. He also took part in the Olympics last year for Latvia, and is a very experienced puck-mover.
Whether he can crack an NHL lineup remains to be seen. The undersized defenseman will have his work cut out for him, though there will be some opportunity in Florida. Radko Gudas, Anthony Bitetto, and Marc Staal are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency, impacting the team’s depth chart.
It seems like a longshot, although it is a very low-risk one. The Panthers will lose a contract slot and a few hundred thousand dollars for the chance to see if Balinskis can make a smooth transition to North America.
Florida Panthers Extend Josh Mahura
After struggling to make an impact at the NHL level for years, Josh Mahura seems to have found a home with the Florida Panthers. The team has rewarded his play with a one-year contract extension, locking him up for 2023-24. CapFriendly reports that the one-way deal is worth $925K. General manager Bill Zito released a short statement on the young defenseman:
Josh joined our club just prior the start of the season and we felt his positive impact on our defensive group immediately. He brings consistency and energy to our blueline.
A third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2016, it looked like Mahura would quickly climb what was (at the time) a loaded depth chart. His post-draft junior seasons went extremely well, and he showed well in the AHL immediately. But then, it just never clicked for him at the NHL. He would see seasons of 17, 11, 13, and 38 games, failing to ever really establish himself as an everyday NHL defenseman.
But this year, after the Panthers claimed him at the start of the season, he has settled in as a third-pairing regular. He has suited up 54 times, nearly matching his total from years with Anaheim, and is averaging just over 14 minutes a night. He’s not asked to do much, but he’s done his job well enough to earn the trust of the organization and some financial security with this new deal.
That’s not to say his spot is safe for this year. The Panthers could use an upgrade on the back end, which would ultimately push Mahura either further down or off the lineup card completely. Next season though, there should be minutes to go around. Radko Gudas and Marc Staal are both scheduled for unrestricted free agency, leaving room for someone like Mahura to take another step forward. At worst, he’ll serve in the same role he is this year, providing value as a low-minute defenseman that can do a little bit of everything.