Assessing the Florida Panthers Free Agent Signings

Heading into the opening day of 2025 NHL Free Agency, the Florida Panthers have already completed the business they needed to get done. Bill Zito was able to get extensions done for Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. With their top guys locked into new deals, the Cats didn't enter Tuesday afternoon with the need to address any major needs or make big splashes.

Still, the front office was busy, trying to improve the roster around the margins. A couple of important pieces to last year's Stanley Cup-winning squad have left for new chances with other teams. The biggest departure up to this point was defenseman Nate Schmidt signing a new three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth.

With that in mind, the team was able to sign several new veterans to small contracts, which will help boost the overall depth of the club. In total, Florida signed seven players to new deals on Tuesday afternoon. Three of the new faces are forwards and goalies, while the other is a blueliner.

The most notable signees are the first three at the top of the chart above.

Firstly, the club was able to retain the services of veteran center Tomas Nosek. Nosek had a productive 2024-25 season as the Panthers' fourth-line center. He's not the biggest name on the roster, sure, but he was vital to the penalty kill last season. He also did a good job at winning draws, even though he struggled in the faceoff dot at times during last year's playoffs.

Some people have been turned off by the new deal, mostly because of his infamous gaffe in overtime of Game One of the Stanley Cup Final, which led to one of Edmonton's two wins in the series. If you're one of those people, just get over it, as it's a completely childish mindset to have. It is nice for Florida to have some stability at that spot, considering that Kevin Stenlund left the summer before. When looking at the bigger picture, there is nothing wrong with keeping him around for another year.

Next is former Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Daniil Tarasov, who was originally acquired in a trade last week. The fellow Russian will be Florida's new backup goalie behind Sergei Bobrovsky. This spot was one of the bigger question marks heading into the offseason, as it was unclear whether the team would keep Vitek Vanecek. Now, we have the answers to what the plan is here, as Vanecek signed a one-year deal with Utah.

Tarasov has spent the last four years in the Columbus organization. He gradually got more playing time as his years progressed. In 2020-21 to 2021-22, he spent most of his time with the club's AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Beginning in 2022-23, he started to become a regular on the Jackets roster as he played in 17 games that year.

Tarasov has been able to put up respectable numbers in each of his three full seasons as an NHL goalie. Particularly, in 2023-24, he posted a .908 save percentage in 24 appearances. Last season was rough for him, evidenced by the .881 save percentage that was posted across 20 games. However, that could be said for Elvis Merzļikins, who is Columbus' starter.

He posted an .892 save percentage and a 3.18 goals against average. However, a goalie is only as good as the team in front of him. The Blue Jackets were one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL last season, allowing 267 goals. That was bad enough to rank 25th in the league. It was the same scenario when Florida acquired Vanacek at the trade deadline from San Jose.

Albeit he only played in one game, Vanecek seemed rejuvenated to join the team, as Florida is a franchise that provides opportunity. Tarasov will flourish with the Panthers, and this situation is pressure-free for him. He'll mostly be on the bench the whole season, seeing action either when 'Bobby' needs to get pulled, needs an extra day of rest, or on the second half of a back-to-back.

The last of the major signings from day one is Jeff Petry. Petry is a longtime veteran defenseman who played in Detroit last year. Over the previous two seasons, he played for the Red Wings and accumulated 32 points in 117 games. However, last season saw Petry appear in just 44 games due to injuries.

Before his stay in Detroit, the native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, started his career with the Oilers. After playing in Edmonton for the first four and a half years of his career, he was traded to Montreal. With the Habs, Petry made himself noticed as one of the top 'Swiss army knives' of defenseman. He proved to be valuable on both the power play and penalty kill.

The veteran also got better as he aged, just like wine. From his age 30 season in 2017-18 to his age 33 season in 2020-21, Petry racked up 170 points, 61 of those on the man advantage. He may be turning 38 in December, but he can still be useful for a team like the Panthers. He still is a solid two-way player who can move the puck at a quick rate.

As far as what fans can expect of him on the team, you'll most likely see him in a reduced role. The Jeff Petry that Montreal got will not be the same on this team, and that's perfect. With the roster being as stacked as it is, Petry will see less ice time and with it fewer responsibilities. You will see him more on the penalty kill as he'll be further down the depth chart.

With Aaron Ekblad, Seth Jones, and even Gustav Forsling already on the roster, they will take control of the power play duties. Now, you could see Petry on the unit anyway, as Paul Maurice is never hesitant to make a small lineup change here and there. Maybe if someone is out for some time, Petry can fill in. He'll still block tons of shots, throw the body, and be a good complementary piece with Kulikov on the bottom pair.

The other four signings are minor deals and additions to help bolster the team's overall depth. The front office signed career minor leaguer Brandon Bussi to be the third-string goalie and the starter for the AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers. After going undrafted out of Western Michigan University, Bussi moved to the pro ranks with the Bruins.

During his time with the Boston franchise, Bussi spent almost all of his time in the AHL playing for the Providence Bruins. Over the last three seasons, the 27-year-old from Sound Beach, New York, has put up good numbers in the AHL. His best year was his first, as in 2022-23, he posted a .924 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average. Last year, he won 15 of his 33 games while posting a .907 save percentage and recording five shutouts.

When it comes to depth, Florida also signed a couple of forwards. The first is center Jack Sutdnicka, who'll help bolster the middle. With Florida's depth chart of Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, and Tomas Nosek as the top four centers, Studnicka will also see time in the minors. He is set to turn 27 years old next February. Last season with the L.A. Kings AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, Studnicka amassed 45 points(16-29-45) in 72 games.

The forward is 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, who has 107 games of NHL experience across five seasons with Boston, Vancouver, and San Jose. In that time, he has produced 16 points(6-10-16). His big frame will allow him to throw the body and contribute defensively on the bottom-six if given the opportunity.

Nolan Foote also signed a two-way deal. Once again, this is an addition that'll bring more depth to the roster. Foote is the son of former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote. Nolan was once a first-round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2019. However, he's struggled to find his footing in the NHL. He's only appeared in 30 career games from 2020 to 2025, all with New Jersey.

He's 24 years old, so there is still potential to carve out a full-time role in the league, but those chances are slim. Also, being on a team with a loaded roster will keep Nolan in the minors. Similar to Studnicka, Foote had a big body, especially for a winger. He's 6-foot-3 and over 200 pounds, which will be useful for delivering some big checks.

Lastly, the team finally signed one of their prospects to an entry-level deal. Kirill Gerasimyuk, Florida's fifth-round draft choice in 2021, will come over to North America after several years developing his game in... Russia. That's a major surprise, right? Gerasimyuk is now 21 years old and is coming off impressive years in the Supreme Hockey League(VHL).

Last season, Gerasimyuk posted a .933 save percentage, three shutouts, and a 1.75 goals against average for Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk in 24 appearances. He also played eight games with his hometown team, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (VHL). He posted a 5-1-1 record, a .924 save percentage, and a 2.52 goals against average.

The 6-foot-2, 179-pound native of St. Petersburg, Russia owns a 14-14-9 record over four seasons in the VHL with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (2020-21, 2022-23 to 2024-25) and Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk (2024-25). He is known for being an extremely calm individual, just like Florida's starting goalie. He is great at controlling rebounds, has a strong glove side that's hard to score on, and is quick-witted.

Prospects take a while to develop, especially goaltenders. So, don't expect to see Kirill anytime soon. However, he'll have a chance to make the AHL roster in Charlotte and be a potential backup for Brandon Bussi. He has great potential to be a great NHL goalie in the future.