Florida Panthers fans who live close to the Baptist Health IcePlex have a chance to go to the team-hosted 2026 NHL Draft Party. As exciting as that sounds, the fans in attendance could have seen the club make the 9th overall pick, their first round pick in three years.
However, the Panthers' draft plans went up in smoke on Sunday, and in a good way, as the club acquired Brady Tkachuk, brother of star forward Matthew, in a blockbuster deal with the Ottawa Senators, which saw that 9th overall pick go north.
You won't want to miss this 👀
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 24, 2026
Ekky, Reino, and Bill Zito will be our guest speakers on our pre-draft panel at our #NHLDraft watch party this Friday!
More info » https://t.co/aqhWp3RroD pic.twitter.com/16ztHEQdWE
But, just because the team doesn’t have a first-round draft pick and won’t make a selection until Saturday at 40th overall, it doesn’t mean fans eager to attend the party won’t have anything to do.
According to the team’s social media post late Wednesday afternoon, there will be plenty of activities to celebrate one of hockey’s biggest nights, which will include guest speakers like General Manager Bill Zito, former first overall pick Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Reinhart.
Moreover, there’s a Facebook page dedicated to the event, allowing fans to sign up, confirm their attendance, and have a chance to meet the team’s mascots, Stanley C. Panther and Viktor E. Ratt.
Since Panthers fans will have to wait until Saturday to celebrate a new draft pick, they could be front row to a potential blockbuster trade to acquire a new goalie or a simple one to trade up and shake up their draft rankings.
Barring any changes, Florida will pick at 40th and 48th overall in the second round, then make their next selection at 98th overall in the fourth round. They go back on the clock in the fifth round at 136th, with another pick in the sixth round at 168th overall, and finally one in the seventh round at 217th overall.
Last year, the Panthers had six selections, including Linus Eriksson (58th overall), Matvei Shuravin (97th), Simon Zether (129th), Stepan Gorbunov (169th), Hunter St. Martin (193rd), and Denis Gabdrakhmanov (201st).
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