There is no denying Florida Panthers are one of, if not the deepest team in the NHL. As they enter the 2025-26 season, Florida will be looking to become the league’s first back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions since the New York Islanders in the early 1980s. Panthers General Manager Bill Zito went to work this summer with the intention of keeping the band together and seeing if this elite squad he’s built has what it takes to become the NHL’s next dynasty. It was quite remarkable that he was able to retain a trio of high-end unrestricted free agents – Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand – while also extending Tomas Nosek, acquiring Daniil Tarasov and signing Jeff Petry. But all those moves, along with giving a one-year extension to restricted free agent Mackie Samoskevich, has left the Panthers in a bit of a pickle. Currently, Florida is over the over the NHL salary cap, which rose to $95.5 million this summer, by $3.725 million, according to PuckPedia [https://puckpedia.com/team/florida-panthers]. Matthew Tkachuk, who played through a torn hip abductor and a hernia during Florida’s run to their second straight Stanley Cup, may still end up having surgery, which he said following the playoffs was a 50-50 option. Now that he’s gotten married and had his day with the Stanley Cup, perhaps that surgery could be forthcoming. If that’s the case, Tkachuk’s contract carries a $9.5 million average annual value (AAV), all of which would be removed from Florida’s total under the cap if he were to be placed on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). One of the rumors that has floated around in recent weeks was that Evan Rodrigues could be a casualty of Florida’s salary cap situation. Rodrigues has two years remaining with a $3 million AAV on his deal. In his latest edition of 32 Thoughts [https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/], NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman gave some insight into Florida’s roster situation, and specifically the Rodrigues rumors. “I don’t believe that’s going to be happening,” Friedman said of a potential trade, adding that Florida considers Rodrigues a “really important player.” Friedman went on to say that Tkachuk is expected to miss the start of the season, but should be back in time for the Winter Olympics in February. That kind of timeline implies that Tkachuk will be placed on LTIR. Friedman did not, however, say what Florida will do to get under the salary cap when Tkachuk does come off LTIR. Eventually, Zito and the Panthers are going to have to address the issue, but it doesn’t sound like Friedman, or anyone else outside the organization, has gotten wind of what Florida’s plan is. Time will tell. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Joined By Brother And Father On Deluxe Edition Of EA Sports NHL 26 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-matthew-tkachuk-joined-by-brother-and-father-on-deluxe-edition-of-ea-sports-nhl-26] Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist brings Stanley Cup to hometown in Sweden [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-forward-jesper-boqvist-brings-stanley-cup-to-hometown-in-sweden] Florida tan: Panthers name engraved onto Prince of Wales Trophy for third straight season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-tan-panthers-name-engraved-onto-prince-of-wales-trophy-for-third-straight-season] Matthew Tkachuk featured on cover of NHL 26, first Panthers player selected since John Vanbiesbrouck [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/matthew-tkachuk-featured-on-cover-of-nhl-26-first-panthers-player-selected-since-john-vanbiesbrouck] Would Panthers' Aleksander Barkov Need to Reach 100 Points To Receive Hart Trophy Consideration? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/would-panthers-aleksander-barkov-need-to-reach-100-points-to-receive-hart-trophy-consideration] Photo caption: Mar 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) looks on in warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)
