On the eve of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Florida Panthers made another trade on Thursday, and no, it was not for a goalie. Instead, General Manager Bill Zito beefed up the bottom six by acquiring Garnet Hathaway from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
We have acquired forward Garnet Hathaway and a sixth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft from Philadelphia in exchange for our fifth-round pick in 2026 and fourth-round pick in 2027.
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 25, 2026
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In Hathaway, the Panthers have acquired a gritty bottom-six right-winger who had 252 hits last year with the Flyers, which ranked ninth overall in the NHL. After a productive season in 2024-25 with 10 goals and 21 points, he only had three points with one goal and two assists in 66 games in 2025-26.
Initially undrafted, Hathaway made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames in 2015-16, while also skating with the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins. In the past 11 seasons, Hathaway has collected 2,181 hits, which ranks seventh among players. Interestingly, the top hit collector in the league since 2015-16 is former Panther Radko Gudas with 2,747.
When discussing the trade, Zito mentioned, “Garnet is a physical and highly competitive player who will complement our group well... We’re excited to add his veteran presence to our group for the upcoming season.”
Ultimately, Florida didn’t acquire Hathaway to score goals and be a game breaker; they already have plenty of those. They went and got a gritty forward who can chip in the occasional goal and point in a limited role, but makes the team more difficult to play against.
To compete for the Stanley Cup, teams need shutdown players and others who grind down opponents. Hathaway may never win the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward, but he’ll be a physical presence up and down the ice.
Last season, soon-to-be free agent A.J. Greer led the Panthers with 203 hits and was the team’s top hitter in 2024-25 with 222. Interestingly, when Florida won the Stanley Cup in 2024, Niko Mikkola led the team in hits with 124, a drastic step down from Gudas’ 312 in 2023.
For comparison, the reigning Stanley Cup champion, the Carolina Hurricanes, had seven players with more than 100 hits last season, with the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Jordan Staal, finishing second with 166. During their playoff run, he added 86 to finish fourth.
As exciting as it is to watch Matthew Tkachuk score goals and Aleksander Barkov make great plays, it takes a team to win hockey games, and Hathaway brings a new dynamic to the team, one that will make visitors dread games in South Florida.
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