A protected pick offers a surprising lifeline as we discover how a past trade could reshape the Panthers' draft future amidst their injury struggles.
Some interesting new details have emerged regarding a past Florida Panthers trade.
This newly revealed development puts an interesting spin on the injury-filled season the Panthers have been attempting to battle through.
According to hockey insider Frank Seravalli, the 2026 first-round pick that Florida sent to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the trade for defenseman Seth Jones is actually top-10 protected.
What that means is that if the first-round pick that would belong to the Panthers in the upcoming draft ends up being in the top 10, they would keep the pick, and instead, their 2027 first-round selection would go to Chicago.
That would also mean that Florida’s 2028 first-round pick, which they actually still own at current time, would then go to the Boston Bruins, because Boston would be losing out on the 2027 first-round pick that they acquired from the Panthers in the Brad Marchand deal.
Of course, that domino effect could topple to 2029 if Florida GM Bill Zito makes a move at this year’s Trade Deadline that includes the Panthers’ 2028 top pick, but such a move could also potentially impact Florida finishing in the bottom nine of the league as it would likely include a dynamic player, bolstering an increasingly formidable lineup.
That’s one way to guarantee a top-10 pick before the lottery: finish among the worst nine teams in the league, since a team outside the top 10 winning the lottery would bump the teams behind it back a spot.
All 16 teams that fail to make the playoffs qualify for the NHL Draft Lottery, with the worst team having the best statistical chance of winning the lottery, the second-worst team having the second-best chance, and so on.
Currently, the Panthers hold the tenth-worst record, or the tenth-best chance of winning the lottery.
Obviously there is a lot that can and possibly will change between now and the end of the regular season.
On one hand, Florida is standing at the foot of a steep mountain to climb.
They currently sit eight points behind the Boston Bruins, who hold the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, with five teams in-between them to also leapfrog and only 25 games to do so.
On the other hand, barring any setbacks in Italy, the Panthers are expected to come out of the NHL’s Olympic break with as deep of a roster as they’ve had all season.
If ever there was a team that could make that kind of run, it’s a healthy Panthers squad.
But…at least now we know that if the Cats can’t pull it off, there’s a potential silver lining.
Unless of course they pull a Miami Dolphins and finish outside of the playoffs AND the top ten draft order.
Fingers crossed Zito and Co. find a way to avoid that scenario.
We shall see.
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Photo caption: Dec 20, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) moves the puck against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)