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For much of the 2022-23 NHL season, the Florida Panthers seemed like they were going to be one of the more disappointing teams in hockey. After winning the President's Trophy the year before and swinging a massive trade for star winger Matthew Tkachuk in the offseason, the Panthers were fighting just to make the playoffs.
Eventually, though, they did make and that was all they needed. Florida entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and managed to catch fire at just the right time. The Panthers overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the record-setting Boston Bruins, then made quick work of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. Even if their run ended in a dud in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, it still remains one of the more impressive runs in recent memory.
This offseason, Florida has made quite a few tweaks to its roster. The Panthers brought in some notable free agents, including center Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larson. On the other hand, they also parted ways with some key players like winger Anthony Duclair and defenseman Radko Gudas.
While the Panthers would probably like to be done for the offseason, they likely have to make at least one more move. While they are technically under the salary cap with LTIR relief, they are roughly $1 million over without it. With both their LTIR candidates, defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, likely coming back early in the season, they'll have to shed some additional salary.
With that said, here are three trade candidates for the Panthers ahead of the new season.
3. Josh Mahura, D
From a financial standpoint, the Panthers don't get a ton of benefit from trading Mahura. He's in the final year of his deal, and with a cap hit of $925,000, they'd still need to shed more salary.
However, Mahura is probably the most replaceable player on the Panthers' blue line. So, if they were to bring someone in via trade, Mahura could be someone who goes the other way.
Mahura was a decent enough piece in his first year in Florida, scoring four goals and 16 points in 82 games. He's still young at 25, and he has still yet to reach his potential, so there would definitely be interest. Probably not an offseason move, but if the Panthers are looking to buy at the deadline, Mahura could easily find himself with a new club.
2. Sam Bennett, C
The top two players, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, are on this list are on here for similar reasons beyond just their shared first name. Both players are nearing the end of their deals, and a variety of factors could mean they won't be back afterwards. Those factors include other key players needing new deals, as well as the rise of Anton Lundell up the depth chart.
Of the two, Bennett seems less likely to be traded for a couple reasons. First, he has an additional year on his deal and makes around $2 million per year less. Secondly, his gritty style of play fits well with the Panthers' identity, and he pairs especially well alongside Tkachuk.
Since coming over from the Calgary Flames, Bennett has been a great addition for the Panthers. He has scored 50 goals and 104 points in 144 games, all while being a premier agitator in the league. In a league with no cap, the Panthers would do everything in their power to keep him around. Unfortunately, the cap may force their hand in this regard.
1. Sam Reinhart
As mentioned previously, Reinhart's situation is very similar to Bennett's, but a few factors put him ahead.
By reading the previous entry, you can probably guess what those factors are. Reinhart costs around $2 million more than Bennett ($6.5 million vs. around $4.45 million), and is a free agent in 2024 instead of 2025. The fact that he will also make more on his next contract than Bennett also doesn't bode well for his chances of staying in Florida.
The fact that Reinhart may not stay in Florida doesn't mean he's been bad for the Panthers, quite the opposite actually. In two seasons with the Panthers, he has scored 64 goals and 149 points for nearly a point per game. He also came up big in this year's playoffs, scoring eight goals including an overtime winner against Toronto. The fact that the Panthers may not be able to retain Reinhart is very unfortunate, but that's just the reality of the NHL at times.
