Advertisement

What are the chances Panthers trade into first round of NHL draft?

sam sklar, south florida sun-sentinel
·4 min read
4

The NHL draft is just days away, but the Florida Panthers will likely have to wait until Day 2 to add to their prospect pool.

That’s because for the second year in a row, the Panthers are slated to not have a first-round pick. And they will have to get comfortable with it, as the Panthers don’t have a first-rounder until 2026.

But, there is always the chance they wheel and deal their way up from pick No. 63 in the second round and into Wednesday’s first round.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito was asked about that possibility last week, not completely shutting down the chances.

“The moving up part is probably a draft day function in this instance,” Zito said, “where if we have somebody rated very, very high, and they’re slipping, they’re slipping, they’re slipping, I don’t know if he’s going to get into the, to the 60s or 70s or wherever, maybe we do give something up because this is too valuable to pass up here.”

Montreal holds Florida’s first-round pick at No. 31 due to the Ben Chiarot trade made in March 2022. Philadelphia holds Florida’s conditional pick in 2024 due to the Claude Giroux trade. Montreal also possesses Florida’s 2025 lottery-protected first-rounder via Calgary from last summer’s trade that brought Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.

Mackie Samoskevich was the last Panthers’ first-rounder, the No. 24 pick in 2021 who recently signed his entry-level contract after two years of college hockey at Michigan. The franchise has never gone two consecutive seasons without a first-round pick.

History shows Zito has been aggressive in trades since taking the job three years ago, but it hasn’t been for the acquisition of draft capital. In fact, he hasn’t traded for anything higher than a fourth-round pick.

Related Articles

“You don’t know what could happen and maybe we do end up with a first-round pick or two,” said Zito, who is a finalist for GM of the Year, said. “We just don’t know.”

The talent at the top of the draft is stacked. It would take a lot of assets to move into, say, the top 10.

And no, the Panthers will not be moving up to No. 1 to take electrifying top prospect Connor Bedard.

If they were to enter the first round, it would likely be in the back half given the price. Perhaps teams with multiple first-rounders could look to move one of their picks. Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia St. Louis, Nashville, San Jose and Montreal all qualify.

Detroit could be a team that makes sense as it primes for a return to the playoffs. Anthony Duclair has been rumored to be available for trade. He only has one year remaining on his contract at $3 million.

“Our amateur scouts, it’s really hard,” Zito said. “I think they have the toughest job in the organization because they’re literally traversing the world trying to find the best talent. And then they’ll rank it and they’ll be ready wherever we go to take advantage if it’s possible.”

However, all of it circles back to the Panthers’ needs. Their most glaring one right now is on defense. Only four Panthers defenseman are currently signed, with Radko Gudas and Marc Staal unrestricted free agents. Plus, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour may not be ready for the start of the season.

What seems more likely is a free-agent signing or trade to bring in defensive help — even with the Panthers prospect pool not overflowing with top-end elixir. The Panthers’ need is immediate, with the Stanley Cup window open right now.

Calgary’s Noah Hanifin could be a trade option, a 26-year-old left-shot defenseman who has one year remaining on his contract and an eight-team no trade list.

The Panthers could also trade up and draft a defenseman, but that won’t address their urgent need.

For Zito, it will all boil down to value. But again, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

“There could always be trades,” Zito said. “You never know until that phone rings.”