Missing the playoffs after having made three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances and winning back-to-back championships did not sit well with the Florida Panthers. General manager Bill Zito is doing everything he can to help get the team back on top.
Zito's first move was acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators on June 21, a move that unites him with older brother Matthew. Eight days later, he obtained the rights to veteran defenseman Radko Gudas and added goaltender Akira Schmid in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Bet on NHL futures at FanDuel and earn $350 in bonus bets if you bet $5 for 7 days:
Believing the Panthers still needed a netminder who is more established than Schmid, Zito went out the following day and got Jacob Markstrom in a five-player trade with the New Jersey Devils. This move came on the eve of free agency, where the GM attempts to strengthen the club even more.
After Zito united the Tkachuk brothers, Florida's odds to win the Stanley Cup in 2027 shortened dramatically at the major sportsbooks. Following his latest moves, the Panthers now are considered the favorites or co-favorites to capture the championship for a third time in four years.
PANTHERS' ODDS TO WIN 2027 STANLEY CUP
Before Tkachuk trade | +1100 | +1300 | +1200 | +1100 |
After Tkachuk trade | +850 | +800 | +800 | +800 |
After Markstrom trade | +750 | +700 | +700 | +700 |
The Panthers are the favorites at BetMGM Sportsbook, with the Colorado Avalanche the second favorites at +750 and the reigning champion Carolina Hurricanes third with +800 odds. Florida is the co-favorite with Colorado at FanDuel Sportsbook and Carolina at DraftKings Sportsbook but is second at Caesars Sportsbook to the Avalanche, who are priced at +600.
Adding four-time All-Star Brady Tkachuk to a roster that includes his brother, the ageless Brad Marchand, perennial 20-goal scorer Sam Reinhart, 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe instantly put the Panthers back in the discussion for another Stanley Cup championship. Throw in the return of captain Aleksander Barkov, who missed the entire 2025-26 season with a knee injury but helped lead Finland to the gold medal at the 2026 IIHF World Championship last month, and the team certainly is a top contender.
If Zito can get Gudas - who becomes an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday - under contract, it gives Florida a huge physical presence on the blue line. The 36-year-old Czech, who spent three seasons with the Panthers before signing with Anaheim in July 2023, was second on the Ducks with 164 hits last campaign and has registered at least 230 nine times during his 14-year career.
Addressing Florida's goaltending situation was a major priority for Zito, as two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky and backup Daniil Tarasov both are set to become unrestricted free agents Wednesday. Bobrovsky will turn 38 years old in September and most believe Tarasov isn't the answer to replace him, so an overhaul in the crease was expected this offseason.
Zito got the job done in a period of less than two days. The 26-year-old Schmid made his NHL debut with New Jersey in 2021-22 and was traded prior to the 2024-25 campaign to Vegas, where he went 16-10-6 with two shutouts and a 2.59 goals-against average in 34 games - 29 starts - last season.
The Swiss netminder will be a solid backup to Markstrom, who was selected by Florida in the second round of the 2008 NHL Draft and made his league debut with the team in 2010-11. The 36-year-old Swede made only 43 appearances over three-plus seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks during the 2013-14 campaign. He had his greatest success with the Calgary Flames as he was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 2022 after going 37-15-9 with a league-high nine shutouts, 2.22 GAA and .922 save percentage.
Markstrom owns a 264-231-64 record with 25 shutouts, a 2.73 GAA and a .907 SP in 578 NHL games with the Panthers, Canucks, Flames and Devils. Winning the Stanley Cup in his return to the team with which he began his career would be a fantastic way for Markstrom to go out, and he may just be the final piece to the puzzle Zito needed in order for Florida to regain possession of Lord Stanley's Cup next June.
