Panthers keep Greer and discuss extension with star goalie Bobrovsky, prioritizing future core over deadline deals.
Another NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone.
For the Florida Panthers, this year’s deadline was far less eventful than in recent seasons.
That’s not terribly surprising considering this is the first time in several years that Florida is not poised to enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an eye on competing for a championship.
The Panthers were viewed as sellers, with pending unrestricted free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and A.J. Greer garnering the most interest.
Ultimately Florida decided to stand pat on both.
Bobrovsky, who is wrapping up the seven-year, $70 million deal he signed with the Panthers in 2019, is reportedly looking to sign an extension to seemingly finish his career in South Florida.
It’s something that the Panthers would also be interested in exploring, according to GM Bill Zito.
"Sergei is a part of our franchise, a part of our core, and we want to try and keep him,” he said. “He’s a consummate professional. I want Sergei to stay. and I’m looking forward to having him back.”
Bobrovsky will be 38 years old on Opening Night next season.
As for Greer, Florida received interest right up until the 3 p.m. deadline.
That’s also not a surprise as Greer is enjoying a career season, setting new highs in goals (11) and points (22) through just 61 games played, and he’s nine shots on goal away from a new career high in that department as well.
“I think with almost any player, and I say this a lot, you always listen,” said Zito. “When the phone rings, you answer, because you don’t know what could happen.”
Now the Panthers will head into the final 20 games of the season knowing that while this season did not go anywhere near how they’d hoped, there is still plenty to be excited about beyond 2025-26.
That starts as soon as this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. Florida’s 2026 first-round pick is lottery protected, meaning if the Panthers do not make the playoffs, they’ll be entered into the NHL Draft Lottery and the pick will remain theirs.
With 20 games left, Florida is next-to-last in the Eastern Conference. They’re 10 points back of the final Wild Card spot and would have to climb over seven teams to obtain it.
Impossible? No.
Improbable? Quite.
So odds are, Florida will end up with a first-round pick for the first time since 2021. Not a bad asset for a team as set up to ‘win now’ for the foreseeable future as the Panthers are.
“You'd love to say you could be strategic, but you can’t,” Zito said of the draft pick. “The team will play as hard as they can every single night, and whatever happens, happens.”
Once the season comes to an end and Zito can assess exactly where his team and his players are, the decisions can be made regarding how to move forward with the high-end asset.
“We’ll react once the season is over, and we know (where we stand),” Zito said. “But we're playing for both scenarios.”
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Photo caption: Jun 14, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer (10) celebrates with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) after the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game five of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)