Panthers ‘not done’ after trade for Brady Tkachuk, GM says 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers are “not done” after acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators, general manager Bill Zito said Tuesday.

The blockbuster trade on Sunday wasn’t simply about uniting the 26-year-old forward with his older brother Matthew Tkachuk in Florida, which intends to be Stanley Cup contenders again after its run of three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances, including winning back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025. The Panthers (40-38-4) were unable to overcome a rash of injuries this season and missed the playoffs.

Zito said he feels “great” about how the roster looks after adding the former Senators captain, but he made clear there are more moves to come.

“We have all the (pro scouts) in town actually a little early,” Zito said. “Every day we sit back there and play fantasy hockey trying to figure out ways to improve, and we'll continue to do that. We're not done.”

Florida could try to be active at the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Saturday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN), though it does not have a first-round selection after including the No. 9 pick and No. 25 selection (acquired from the Seattle Kraken for forward Mackie Samoskevich) in the Tkachuk trade. The Panthers will also have opportunities to upgrade through free agency beginning July 1.

“We'll be very focused and very thorough in how we evaluate each position moving forward,” Zito said. “And as you add more and more pieces, the cap shrinks more and more, so your margin of error is gone -- and we have to get it right.

“So, it's a little bit of a daunting task. It's actually a lot of fun. And kudos to our scouts for the jobs that they've done to be able to identify players and keep the train going.”

The main area the Panthers still need to address is goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are each on expiring contracts and can become unrestricted free agents.

Bobrovsky, who signed a seven-year contract as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019, was an integral part of the Cup-winning teams. But the two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie (2013, 2017) turns 38 on Sept. 20 and went 27-23-1 with a 3.07 goals-against average, a career-low .877 save percentage and four shutouts in 52 games (51 starts). Tarasov, 27, played a career-high 33 games (31 starts) but had a 3.05 GAA and .895 save percentage.

Although Bobrovsky appears headed for unrestricted free agency, Zito said re-signing him hasn’t been ruled out.

“Until a door is closed, you never know,” Zito said. “‘Bob’ is a guy that has done so much for our organization, and we continue to evaluate every single day, just like I just said, and try to get better. There are no doors closed here ever.”

The trade for Tkachuk made it clear, however, that the Panthers intend to remain aggressive in chasing another Stanley Cup championship after sending the Senators two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, a first-round pick (conditional) in the 2029 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Even without that deal, Florida appeared poised to be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference if it can remain healthy. The Panthers were already loaded at forward with Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, and a strong defense corps headed by Seth Jones, Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Niko Mikkola.

“We want to win; that's our job, that's our mission,” Zito said. “Winning is paramount, and the manner in which we've been empowered to do it is to pursue excellence. (Owner Vincent Viola and family) allow us to spend to the cap, to do everything we can to be as good as we can be.

“And when a player of Brady's stature, ability, and, most important, character becomes available, you do what you can to try to acquire players like that and fit them into the group.”