SUNRISE, Fla. – School is back in session in South Florida, and the Panthers are already receiving high marks.
On Thursday, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn released findings from his annual survey that grades out the confidence level that fans have in each of the 32 front offices in the NHL.
In the poll, fans are asked to grade each front office in six categories to give an all-encompassing view: roster building, cap management, drafting and development, trading, free agency and vision.
Voters are also split into two categories: general fans of the NHL and fans of each specific team.
“This is the 11th annual version of this project, with this year’s edition seeing over 10,000 responses from fans grading their own favorite team and nearly 500 responses grading every team,” Luszczyszyn wrote. “The contrast between the two is always fascinating.”
One of just four teams to receive an overall grade of “A” or better in this year’s poll, the Panthers, who topped the rankings in 2024 and 2025 on the heels of their back-to-back Stanley Cups, once again garnered high praise from both the public and their own fans.
Under the guidance of President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito, the Panthers were praised most by general NHL fans for their work in free agency (A+) and tremendous trades (A+).
After turning heads with a blockbuster deal to acquire Matthew Tkachuk shortly after he was hired in 2022, Zito made another massive splash this summer by trading for Matthew’s brother, Brady.
Since making his NHL debut in 2018, Brady Tkachuk, a former fourth-overall pick, had led the Ottawa Senators in goals (213), assists (463) and points (463).
“When a player of Brady’s stature, ability and, most importantly, character becomes available, you do what you can to try and acquire players like that and fit them into the group,” Zito said.
For those that have been paying attention, the trade shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Ever since he took the reins in South Florida, Zito has been a headline-making machine.
In addition to making a habit out of pulling the trigger on big trades, he’s also locked up key players like Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Gustav Forsling and many other key players to long-term contracts that will keep the Panthers in championship contention for the foreseeable future.
“Bill Zito is the embodiment of what makes a great GM today,” one fan wrote of the Panthers. “Never complacent and always willing to make a move.”
To read more on the Panthers and review the full front-office rankings from The Athletic, click HERE.
