The Florida Panthers were a team of rats before this off-season even began.

Now, a couple of trades before NHL free agency have them looking even tougher – and more annoying – to play against.

Let's look at that, as well as updates on Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Matias Maccelli and Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, in this latest edition of Screen Shots.

Let's get to it.

The Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers pulled off a notable trade Monday. The Ducks acquired the negotiating rights to left winger A.J. Greer, and the Panthers picked up the negotiating rights to defenseman Radko Gudas.

Gudas has not signed a new contract yet and could still test free agency, but if he rejoins the Panthers for a second stint, Florida could easily be the NHL's most-hated team to play against.

If Gudas signs an extension with Florida and joins fellow new acquisitions Brady Tkachuk and Garnet Hathaway and veterans Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, the Panthers are going to be absolutely loathed by fans of other teams.

Gudas only played 56 games this past season and still ranked second among Ducks players in hits, with 164, and penalty minutes, with 67.

He also drew the ire of opposing fans for his knee-on-knee hit that knocked Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews out for the season and, before that, for hitting Sidney Crosby at the Olympics, which kept Canada's captain out for the rest of the tournament.

Brady Tkachuk, meanwhile, didn't fight as much this past season because of a hand injury, but he piles on hits, gets in the dirty areas around the net, chirps at opponents and drops the gloves.

Then there's Hathaway, who delivered the ninth-most hits in the NHL this past season despite playing in 66 games and averaging 10:24 of ice time.

In an Atlantic Division that's already seen a slew of notable roster changes this summer, the Panthers now have the backbone and the grit to get under the skin of any opponent.

The Panthers still need to address their goaltending, with veteran Sergei Bobrovsky a pending UFA. Acquiring Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday likely addresses the backup spot, since Daniil Tarasov is also hitting the market.

But Florida GM Bill Zito has focused on improving his team's skill and snot, and the Panthers now have to be seen as being as corrosive a force against opponents as the NHL has to offer.

The Maccelli experiment could be over in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs choosing not to give the right winger a qualifying offer and making him a UFA.

A qualifying offer for Maccelli would have been $4.1 million for one season, which was ultimately not worth it for Toronto.

Maccelli had a few solid games for the Leafs this past season, posting 14 goals, 25 assists and 39 points in 71 games. That was better than his 2024-25 output of eight goals and 18 points in 55 games with the Utah Mammoth, which traded him to Toronto for a third-round pick a year ago.

But Maccelli still produced far less than he did in his first two full NHL seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. In 2023-24, he had 40 assists and 57 points in 82 games, and in the year before that, he generated 38 assists and 49 points in 64 games. 

If Maccelli's production with the Leafs was closer to those peak numbers, a $4.1-million qualifying offer would be well worth it to retain his signing rights.

But at the right price point, there will be at least a few teams willing to give Maccelli a chance. At 25 years old, he's still got some room to grow his game.

Finally, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke about Larkin's trade request over the weekend.

Yzerman confirmed that Larkin officially wants to be dealt out of town. However, the GM also said he's acting with the best interests of the Wings in mind.

"I cannot make any guarantees, and I did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met," Yzerman told reporters.

That could make things extremely awkward come training camp if Larkin hasn't been traded.

That said, we don't expect it to get to that uncomfortable point.

The market for high-end centers is going to be robust this summer, and even if Larkin – who controls his destiny with his no-trade clause – chooses only a few teams he'd be willing to join, Yzerman still should be able to get something of consequence for Larkin's services that keeps them competitive. It will just take some time to craft the best trade possible for the Red Wings.

You can't have a cynic in your dressing room, and that's what Larkin now is if he's requesting a trade. So Detroit must find the best trade for him this summer, completely cut its ties with Larkin and try picking up the pieces as they push for a playoff spot next season.

Larkin gave it a long try in Motown, but things haven't worked out, and there's no longer any good reason to keep him around.

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