Heading into the 2026 off-season, the Florida Panthers have eight players who are eligible for arbitration.
Arbitration is a tool that exists in sports that players and front offices of organizations aim to avoid.
While it does help find a middle ground in contract discussions, it results in a GM having to explain to a player why he isn’t worth the money he wants.
In the NHL, salary arbitration is a legal mechanism that resolves contract disputes between a team and its restricted free agents. If both sides are unable to agree on a salary, a neutral third party evaluates statistics, comparable player contracts, and performance, and sets a salary for one or two seasons.
This season, the Florida Panthers have eight players eligible for arbitration.
It is very unlikely that all eight players file for arbitration.
The eight players eligible for arbitration are Mackie Samoskevich, Donovan Sebrango, Ben Steeves, Wilmer Skoog, Mikulas Hovorka, Tobias Bjornfot, Mike Benning, and Cooper Black.
Most of these RFAs will likely sign two-way deals, allowing them to move freely between the NHL and the AHL.
But one player who could find himself dealing with an arbitrator is Samoskevich.
The 23-year-old signed a league minimum deal last season and was hoping to begin producing at a high rate. That didn’t happen, as he finished the season with 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games despite an increase in minutes and role.
Although he hasn’t hit the level he was hoping to be at, there is still reason to believe he can, and he could be interested in signing a contract that reflects that potential. The Panthers’ forward group, when healthy, is fairly full, but only Samoskevich and Anton Lundell are under the age of 25.
Prolonging their window of competing would mean signing Samoskevich and finding a way to give him a middle-six role.
In addition to possibly dealing with arbitration, the Panthers could be at risk of Samoskevich signing an offer sheet with another team. In this case, the Panthers could match whatever offer he signs, or let him go to that team and receive compensation.
Depending on the dollar amount, the Panthers would receive draft picks in return.
While Sebrango, Bjornfot, and possibly even Benning could file for arbitration, it’s likely that the two sides will agree to a contract before then.
Either way, the Panthers have plenty of business to handle this off-season.
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