The Florida Panthers are coming off their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Fort Lauderdale Beach was packed on Sunday afternoon as the team held its parade, allowing fans and the entire Florida organization to enjoy the team's accomplishments. While South Florida has been partying over the last few days, the NHL is already moving on with business.
The offseason is already upon us, and the first event to look forward to is the NHL Entry Draft. This is the night when young prospects from around the world will have their professional hockey dreams come true. For the Panthers, they will be busy on draft day, even though they do not have any high-round draft choices. Here are all the picks that Bill Zito will use, as well as some refreshers on the picks he dealt away.
Firstly, here are all the basics on how you can catch the 2025 NHL Entry Draft:
- Location: Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California
- Round One: June 27, 7:00 PM ET on ESPN & ESPN+
- Rounds 2-7: June 28, 12:00 PM ET on NHL Network & ESPN+
Now, when it comes to the selections the Panthers have, they hold the rights to six total draft picks. However, none of them come until the fourth round. The reason is that Bill Zito traded each of his picks in the top three rounds to form the nucleus that has won two Stanley Cup titles.
There is nothing to worry about, as all these picks will be at the bottom of each respective round because of the Cats' success. Let us refresh you, just in case you forgot where those picks went.
The first of these picks was dealt away back on July 22, 2022. That is the day Zito traded this selection, as well as a few other assets, in a blockbuster deal to acquire Matthew Tkachuk. There are no qualms about this deal now. Tkachuk is the key ingredient that has transformed the franchise's culture. He has ascended to superstar status and is one of the biggest faces of the team.
The Panthers dealt away this year's second-round pick for another second-round pick in last year's draft. They used the 58th overall pick on Swedish forward Linus Eriksson. Eriksson is still unsigned to a contract, but is only 19 years of age. The youngster is known to be a two-way playmaking center, similar to Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell. He's 6-feet, 190 pounds, and is known for being a great leader as well as being strong on the puck and creating separation on puck retrievals.
This past season, Eriksson spent time with the Djurgårdens IF organization of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden. He played 18 games with the big club and also had a cup of coffee with the junior team. He was also loaned to Timrå IK of the SHL, where he appeared in 18 games, scoring a goal, and added an assist. Lastly, he played with Sweden's U20 team in international competition.
Zito traded this third-round pick away to the Ottawa Senators at the 2024 trade deadline. The move got the Panthers' veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko. The Russian was a vital acquisition as he helped Florida win their first Stanley Cup title that year. Although he left last summer to play in Detroit, there is no doubt his impact was felt.
In the 19 regular-season games he appeared in, Tarasenko scored six goals and tallied 14 points. In the postseason, he scored five goals and added four assists for nine points. His biggest moment was arguably Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final, where he scored the winning goal to get Florida back in the Stanley Cup Final.
These are the picks Florida has in this year's Draft:
Round | Pick |
|---|---|
4 | 112(from Calgary) |
4 | 128 |
5 | 129(from San Jose) |
5 | 160 |
6 | 192 |
7 | 224 |
Now, as far as what you can expect from Florida in the Draft, the picks will be used everywhere. The Panthers don't have the option to be choosy. They haven't had a first-round pick for four straight years. Being a consistently good team means that you will sacrifice having a deep prospect pool. The Panthers have had one of the more underwhelming prospect pools in recent years.
Once their shining top prospect, Mackie Samoskevich, has fully evolved into a full-time NHL skater. The winger from the University of Michigan played in 72 games in the 2024-25 regular season. He scored 15 goals and got a taste of postseason action, appearing in three games against Tampa Bay and Game 2 against Toronto.
With him coming up, Florida's top prospect now is former third-round selection Justin Sourdif. Along with him are fellow forwards Jack Devine, Hunter St.Martin, and Gracyn Sawchyn. However, beyond them, there is not much that'll get fans excited. The future for the defense is looking thin. The most notable defensive prospect for the Panthers is Evan Nause, who's coming off a promising season in the ECHL for the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
Also, the goaltending needs another addition for the farm system. This past trade deadline, the Panthers traded Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks in the deal that got them Seth Jones. The aftermath of the trade was great for obvious reasons. The most notable goaltending prospects are currently Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk from Russia.
With a thin prospect pool, the Panthers need to select the best and most talented players available. That is the only way that the Cats will bolster their depth in the farm system. A big win for the Panthers will be to get another goaltender, preferably in the fourth round, as well as a defenseman or two. Florida will be everywhere, drafting players to improve each part of their pipeline. They need a boost at every position.