Fort Lauderdale – The Florida Panthers are ready to do another run.
With an already formidable roster strengthened, the defending Stanley Cup champions made several key moves before the NHL’s annual trade deadline to strengthen their depth.
Overall, they completed five different transactions before the 3pm deadline on Friday.
They may have also made the biggest surprise splash.
Ending her week and dealing with the exclamation point, the Panthers sent shockwaves through the hockey world when they bought Brad Merchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
If he plays at least 50% of Florida’s playoff games, the pick will evolve first.
Merchand is currently injured and is one week a week, so it’s not a perfect fit right away.
“His records speak for itself,” said Bill Jeet, president of the hockey business and general manager. “We’re excited to get him on board, and we’ll see where it goes. He’s injured. I think it’s a few weeks. Obviously, we’ll take the doctors about it. We had some conversations.”
Packed with punches at the age of 36, Merchand spent his entire 16 seasons of NHL career as one of the Boston Staples, publishing 976 points (422 goals, 554 assists) in 1,090 games.
This season he ranked second for the Bruins with points with 47 points, including 21 goals.
After many intense matches against the Panthers, Merchand now finds himself in line with his former rival, including facing the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons.
He got off to a head start in the four-country showdown last month and played for the line with Panthers Center Sam Bennett.
“If you saw four countries, he was pretty effective,” Zito said. “I think he still has gas in the tank. He’s a dynamic player. He’s a multi-faceted attack. That’s his skating, his grit, his skill, his sense of hockey, his will to win, his competition.”
Although Marchand was the last, he certainly wasn’t the first business for Zito and his staff.
On March 1, the Panthers strengthened their defense by getting defensive man Seth Jones in the 2026 NHL Draft for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Blackhawks also held about 25% of Jones’ contracts that last until 2029-30.
“If you look at the NHL standards, this is it,” said Jones, a former round pick and five-time NHL All-star. “The way they play, I keep saying the style of hockey, it’s physical, it’s on your face, it’s offensive, it’s all pinching everything. Everyone is working hard on both sides of the pack, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
Before the trade, Jones led the Chicago Blue Liners with goals (7), assists (20), and points (27).
In two games since joining the Panthers, the early results were impressive.
Average ice time per 20:40 games, including 2:20 in penalty kills – the 30-year-old Real Guard recorded four shots, two hits, four block shots, and a +1 plus/negative rating.
According to Naturnstattrick.com, Jones was on the ice with a 5-5 finish at 32:43, with the Panthers on the ice.
“He’s going to be a great player for us for a long time,” coach Paul Maurice said.
On Wednesday, the Panthers filled the void left by the Knights’ departure in exchange for goaltender Vitek Vaneckek.
An experienced veteran as a back-up for Sergei Bobrovsky’s season, Vanecek appeared in 181 career NHL games between San Jose (2024-25), the New Jersey Devils (2021-22-2023-24), and the Washington Capitals (2020-21-2021-22), saving 94-52-2020 except for 94-52-203. Average and 9 shutouts.
There are no strangers in the spotlight. He is also suitable for 10 career playoff games.
Already making herself at home, Vanecek changed her mask with a Panthers sticker.
“Vitek is the guy who plays regularly this year,” Zito said. “We thought it was important to give ourselves extra (experience) and perhaps to solidify that position a little more. He was the guy we’ve faced in the past and he did a pretty good job with us.”
On Thursday, the Panthers made a pair of moves.
The Panthers first went outside and first won the 2027 seventh round pick from the Sharks in exchange for the 2026 four-round pick.
“This is probably the best scenario for me,” said Sturm, who was able to make his debut on Saturday, as the Panthers round out their homestands in a fight with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Stanley Cup champions in the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 recorded 13 points (7 goals, six assists) in 47 games against San Jose before being shipped to South Florida.
However, his greatest strength lies in the dots.
Of the NHL skaters who have at least 250 draws this season, Sturm, who should have an impact on both a 5-5 and a penalty kill, is number one with a 62.7% Faceoff Win percentage.
“It’s huge,” Maurice said of Sturm’s tricks on getting a draw. “You look at the top 16 (teams) and have a power play where each person can win a series. You have that talent, you don’t make the playoffs. It’s one or two showdowns that can make a difference for you.”
Second, the Panthers added another insurance policy to their goaltending pipeline by acquiring Capo Kakonen from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Chris Dreiger.
Expected to be the third option between Florida pipes, Kahkonen competed in 140 career NHL games between Colorado Avalanche (2024-25), New Jersey Devils (2023-24), Sharks (2021-22-2023-24), and Minnesota Wild (2019-20-20220-2022222 records. 3.34 goals – average and four shutouts.
The Panthers also engraved former round pick Jesse Prujhalvi into a two-way contract.
No one is surprised, but we can see that the Panthers are listed as “winners” in almost every post-deadline article.
That being said, the only thing I’m worried about is winning the second straight Stanley Cup.
“I understand,” Jeet said with a smile. “I said that a few days ago. You don’t need the additional assets and total value that determine who wins. It’s a team. I think they’re the characters. We try our best we can and this is everything. That’s because that’s everything.”
