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As the Florida Panthers prepare to defend their Stanley Cup crown against the Edmonton Oilers, they soon will need to prepare for the offseason. The Panthers have multiple big-name free agents this offseason. Still, they will also need to address other key contributors. One of those is defenseman Nate Schmidt. We look at the three best destinations for Schmidt this NHL offseason.
Schmidt is finishing a one-year deal he signed with Florida in the offseason after being bought out by the Winnipeg Jets. Schmidt was undrafted but signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals in the 2013 offseason. He would make his NHL debut in the 2013 campaign and spend parts of four seasons with the Capitals. It was then off to Vegas in the 2017 Expansion Draft as the defenseman was picked up by the Vegas Golden Knights. After three years in Vegas, he would be traded to Vancouver for the 2020-21 season. The Jets would then make a trade for him going into the 2021-22 season, and Schmidt would spend three seasons there.
Schmidt is coming off a solid season with the Panthers after signing a one-year contract with them. He played primarily with the third pairing, seeing a decline in his ice time compared to years past. Still, he played in 80 games this year, the most of his career. The blueliner also added five goals and 14 assists, good for 19 total points, a jump up from his 2023-24 campaign.
A return to the Panthers
While Florida's primary focus in winning another Cup, soon they will need to focus on the offseason. First, the Panthers are projected to have just $19 million in cap space this offseason, according to Cap Wages. Further, they have eight unrestricted free agents and one restricted free agent. This includes Sam Bennett and fellow blue line player Aaron Ekblad potentially hitting the market. While keeping their core together with Bennett and Ekblad would be desirable, both are expected to command large contracts this offseason.
Re-signing Schmidt may allow the Panthers to keep some stability, but also lose Ekblad. Florida has Seth Jones under contract, and he has been a top-pairing defender before in his career. He could replace Ekblad on the top line while having Dmitry Kulikov move to the second pairing. This would place Schmidt with a young defender on the third pairing. Further, Schmidt has been highly productive in the playoffs. He has three goals and four assists, placing him second among Panthers defensemen in points. With a projected cost of just under $3 million this year, the Panthers could keep some consistency, while also saving some money by bringing Schmidt back.
The Blackhawks grab a veteran presence
The Chicago Blackhawks could need a veteran presence as they try to improve their roster this offseason. At the blue line, the Blackhawks already have a potential future star in Alex Vlasic. He will be turning 24 this month and heading into his third full season in the NHL. This past campaign, he also took a massive step forward. Vlasic scored four goals while adding 26 assists, both career highs. Further, he became a key contributor on the power play. At the end of the season, the Blackhawks paired him with Sam Rinzel for the final nine games. Rinzel is just 20 years old and was solid in his nine games.
Further, multiple other young defenders made contributions for the Blackhawks this past season. Kevin Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, and Nolan Allan all appeared in multiple games for Chicago this year. All four defensemen are also under the age of 25 years old. The two veteran presences on the squad are TJ Brodie and Connor Murphy. Murphy could be traded this offseason, though. Schmidt could fill the need for a veteran on the blue line, while also saving Chicago over a million next season.
Nate Schmidt comes home, signs with Wild
The Minnesota Wild have plenty of needs this offseason, including determining the future of pending restricted free agent Marco Rossi. Still, a homecoming for Schmidt could work out for both sides. The blueliner was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, just an hour away from Minneapolis, where the Wild play. He grew up playing high school hockey for the St. Cloud Cathedral and then played college hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. From 2006 until joining the Hershey Bears at the end of the 2012-13 season, Schmidt had played just one season outside of Minnesota, playing a year for the Fargo Force of the USHL.
While the homecoming is a nice story, Schmidt could also make a run at a Cup here as well. He is currently hoping to win his first Cup with the Panthers this year. The Wild have also made the playoffs in 11 of the last 13 seasons. Further, Minnesota has a solid top-four defensive core. This is led by Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon, and each of their top four blueliners are under contract for the next two years. Declan Chisholm is a restricted free agent, while Jon Merrill is an unrestricted free agent.
The Wild have over $22 million in cap space, and even if they bring back Rossi and Gustav Nyquist, plus find a goalie to replace Marc-Andre Fleury, they will have enough space to upgrade their bottom two defense pairing. Schmidt would be an upgrade over both Merrill and Chisholm, making him a wise potential signing for the Wild.
