It’s been an offseason of limits for the Florida Panthers and general manager Bill Zito.

After not having a first- or second-round pick in this year’s draft due to trades, Zito had to work with the fourth-lowest cap space in the league. As of Tuesday, the Panthers had just $744,166 in cap room going into free agency, making it difficult to add much to a team that won the Presidents’ Trophy.

As a result, Florida lost two of its biggest contributors Wednesday in forwards Claude Giroux and Mason Marchment. The two combined for 21 goals and 70 points for the Panthers last season. They also lost defenseman Ben Chiarot, who scored two goals and put up six points.

Giroux, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Philadelphia Flyers, signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Ottawa Senators while Marchment, coming off a breakout season, got a four-year, $18 million deal with the Dallas Stars.

Chiarot, a trade acquisition from the Montreal Canadiens, landed with the Red Wings on a four-year, $19 million contract.

“It’s really difficult,” Zito said of the players that left. “They are, of course, people first. So, you get to know people and Mason was a guy that I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done for us. We just don’t have the cap space. A lot of times you’re limited by the rules and by what you have.

“So, we wish him nothing but the best of luck, the same with [Giroux] and [Chiarot] and the other players who are exiting. It’s hard, it’s a hard thing to do and it’s a part of life in the National Hockey League, but it’s never easy.”

In terms of what the team brought in, Zito and his team focused on how they could use their finite cap space efficiently as possible, adding pieces that not only had the right price tag but that also fit in to their play style.

Instead of changing the play style, or even completely replacing the production lost, he sees the new members of the organization as players capable of weaving their individual traits into the fabric of the what’s already been built.

“I don’t think that [they] play differently. I just think that each one of the players brings a unique skill set,” Zito said. “And, individually, they were people that we thought were pieces that could fit into our puzzle.

So far, the Panthers have signed forwards Nick Cousins and Colin White; defensemen Anthony Bitetto, Marc Staal and Nathan Staios (entry-level contract); and goaltender Alex Lyon.

Staal, 35, is a proven veteran with over 1,000 games in the league. While with Detroit last season he scored 16 points (3-13-16) and ranked second on the team with 94 hits.

Cousins, 28, comes from Nashville on a two-year deal and has the second-most most NHL experience among the new additions with 444 appearances. He scored 22 points last season for the Predators and will look to help bolster Florida’s second and third line.

“He’s a guy when you play against him, you notice him,” Zito said of Cousins. “You don’t like him sometimes, but there’s with a guy with sandpaper, again, who can play center and wing. So, there’s flexibility in his game on what he brings, high energy, high tempo. So, we think he’ll fit right in.

In addition to the free agent signings. the Panthers also have a nice stable of young talents that can help soften the blow of the departed players.

Youngsters like the recently re-signed Eetu Luostarinen (26 points) and 20-year-old Anton Lundell (44 points) both proved last season that they have the talent to take on larger roles and will have the ability to do so come this fall, according to Zito.

“I think that the young players would be excited about coming in,” Zito said. “Since the day I got here all the jobs are available. Best players are going to play.