Panthers' 2024 Free Agents, Draft Targets, Offseason Guide After NHL Final Win

The Florida Panthers have officially redeemed themselves from last season's Stanley Cup Final loss.

Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers hefted the Stanley Cup after a Game 7 win over the Edmonton Oilers, capping off a two-season run as one of the most dominant defensive teams in the NHL.

While the players look forward to the championship parade, the Panthers front office might already be considering a few major free agency questions they have to address this offseason.

Can the Panthers run most of this championship squad back next fall, or will a few key players walk in order to cash in on their Cup run with other teams?

Here's a look at some of the decisions the reigning Stanley Cup champions will need to make this summer.

Unrestricted free agents: Nick Cousins, Ryan Lomberg, Steven Lorentz, Kyle Okposo, Sam Reinhart, Kevin Stenlund, Vladimir Tarasenko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov, Brandon Montour, Anthony Stolarz

Restricted free agents: Anton Lundell, Josh Mahura

Contract information from CapFriendly.

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The Panthers have core players including Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling and Sergei Bobrovsky locked in through next season.

That doesn't mean this offseason will be full of easy decisions. More than half of the 2023-24 roster is entering free agency this summer.

The Panthers' most pressing decision will involve Sam Reinhart, who took advantage of a contract year by putting together the best season of his career.

Earning minutes on the Panthers' top line and power-play unit helped Reinhart record a personal-best 94 points through 82 regular-season games.

During the regular season he trailed only the Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews for the NHL scoring lead with 57 goals, and led the league with 27 strikes on the power play.

Reinhart's previous career-high was 33 goals, and he led the NHL with a 24.5 shooting percentage last season, so his ability to repeat his totals from last season are in question.

But he's been a consistent boost to his linemates, including Barkov, who gave credit to Reinhart for contributing to his 2023-24 Selke Trophy win.

Combined with his dominant regular-season and playoff contributions, that contribution has likely earned him a raise from the $6.5 million he made in 2023-24.

The question is whether or not the Panthers will be able to offer it, or if Reinhart will accept an offer from a scoring-needy team willing to pay up in the hope that he can similarly elevate their own first line.

The Panthers also have a key decision to make with Brandon Montour, who led the team's skaters in ice time this season and served as a central reason Florida allowed just 27.8 shots against per game, the third-fewest in the NHL, during the regular season.

Montour was also a key part of the Panthers' penalty kill and a reliable playoff producer, a performance that could potentially have priced him out of the Florida's budget.

Another significant pending UFA is backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who put together a strong campaign behind Sergei Bobrovsky with a .925 save percentage and 2.03 goals against average through 27 appearances (24 starts.)

There is a chance that campaign could have made Stolarz too pricey too keep, especially considering the Panthers have already committed $10 million to keeping Bobrovsky as the team's starter for two more seasons.

Other free agency questions surround veterans like Vladimir Taranseko, who has played for four teams in the last two seasons and could move again this summer; Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who finished out his one-year deal on the Panthers' third pairing; and Kyle Okposo, the former New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres winger who joined Florida for the playoff run.

Likely to walk is Nick Cousins, who was in and out of the lineup during the Panthers' postseason.

The Panthers also have restricted free agency negotiations to consider with Anton Lundell, the team's third-line center and a strong contributor throughout the playoff run.

Overall, it will be a busy offseason of free agency negotiations for the Panthers. How many of these players the team retains will shape the rest of their decisions in the draft and free agency.

Stanley Cup contention comes at a price.

The Panthers traded away the majority of their picks in the 2024 draft in order to build their Cup team.

Here's a look at the depleted stock Zito and the Panthers are bringing to Las Vegas this June.

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Panthers 2024 draft picks

Round 1: No picks (lost in Claude Giroux trade, 2022)

Round 2: No picks (lost in Anton Stralman trade, 2021)

Round 3: 1 pick

Round 4: No picks (lost in Vladimir Taranseko trade, 2024)

Round 5: 2 picks (acquired extra in Claude Giroux trade, 2022)

Round 6: 1 pick

Round 7: No picks (lost in Kyle Okposo trade, 2024)

Draft information from PuckPedia.

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The Panthers aren't likely to draft until the third round in June, so Florida will need to search for later-round finds in order to pad out their prospect depth.

Florida's prospect pool is currently headlined by goaltender Spencer Knight, who returned to the AHL after enrolling in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program last year. Winger Mackie Samoskevich made his NHL debut last season and seems likely to get another call-up in the fall.

Other than those two, the Panthers don't have many prospects guaranteed to get a shot at the NHL next season, so Florida could benefit from targeting the best available player at any position when their number comes up in the third round.

Perhaps worth noting is that only four players on the Panthers' Cup team were drafted by the organization. This is a club mostly built through trades and signings, so the team's lack of draft capital shouldn't concern fans too much heading into the 2024-25 season.

What the Panthers do in free agency hinges largely on how many of their own free agents they are able to retain.

It feels certain that Florida will not be able to re-sign everyone. Stellar performances from players like Reinhart, Montour and Stolarz will likely make at least some of their next contracts too expensive for the Panthers to retain.

Luckily for Florida, the Panthers have historically found success in free agency. The Cup Cup/Cup Final squad found success with free-agent additions like Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Sergei Bobrovsky.

If Reinhart walks in free agency, the Panthers will need another top-line winger to flank Aleksander Barkov.

The Carolina Hurricanes' Jake Guentzel will be an appealing target who could potentially be slightly less expensive than 57-goal-scorer Reinhart next year. Guentzel succeeded alongside top-line centers in Sidney Crosby and Sebastian Aho last season and could prove to be a similarly successful partner for Barkov.

If Stolarz cashes in on another contract with a new team, Florida will need a reliable backup to play behind Bobrovsky.

Given that Bobrovsky is heading into his age-36 season, the Panthers won't want to overwork him and will likely be looking for a netminder who can make at least 25 regular-season starts.

For that role, the Panthers could potentially consider the New Jersey Devils' Kaapo Kähkönen or Nashville Predators' Kevin Lankinen.

Kähkönen, 27, could be an affordable option after several tough seasons behind the porous San Jose Sharks' defense. He could potentially find success similar to his early seasons as a backup with the Minnesota Wild behind a stronger Florida blueline.

Lankinen, 29, put up an 11-6 record and 2.82 goals against average in 24 appearances for the Predators last season and could continue to be a reliable backup for Bobrovsky next fall.

Given the chance, the Panthers would likely like to keep their 2023-24 core together as much as possible. But if key players choose to seek more money elsewhere, Florida will have plenty of opportunities to rebuild the roster in free agency— and likely plenty of players willing to sign in a tax-friendly state with a franchise good enough to make back-to-back Finals appearances.