Florida bolsters its roster depth by reuniting with two former draft picks, securing a versatile bottom-six center and a veteran shutdown blueliner to fortify the two-time champions' lineup.
The Florida Panthers signed a pair of familiar players to a new contracts on Wednesday.
Despite not qualifying him as a restricted free agent, the Panthers announced they have signed forward Cole Schwindt to a new two-year deal.
Florida originally drafted Schwindt in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
He was included in the summer 2022 trade that brought Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers. Florida than claimed him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights in October of last year.
Schwindt played 29 games with the Panthers last season, logging five goals and seven points.
He’ll likely be viewed as a candidate to center Florida’s fourth line next season after taking a career high 115 draws last year, winning 44.2% of them.
“Cole has developed into a well-rounded two-way forward who fits seamlessly with our team,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said in a statement released by the team. “He competes hard every night and we are pleased to have him back as a part of our strong forward group for the next two seasons.”
Florida also announced a new, two-year deal with former Cats defenseman Alexander Petrovic.
The veteran blueliner has played 10 seasons in the NHL after being selected by Florida in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft.
He played parts of seven seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in December of 2018 in exchange for Chris Weidman and a third-round pick.
In the eight years since the trade, Petrovic has played 60 games in the NHL and another 341 in the AHL.
Of those 60 NHL games, 54 came last season with the Dallas Stars.
“Alex is a stalwart shutdown defenseman who brings size and depth to our blueline,” Zito said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome him back to our organization.”
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Photo caption: Nov 13, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Cole Schwindt (79) celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
