On Sept. 29, 1994, the Florida Panthers traded for Robert Svehla, who would go on to become the team’s first true top defenseman. Initially drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round of the 1992 Draft, the native of Martin, Czechoslovakia, made his NHL debut with the Panthers and played 573 games over eight seasons. Let’s revisit the trade that brought Svehla to Florida and the impact he had on the team’s record book.
Svehla rewrites the Panthers record book
The Panthers acquired defensemen Robert Svehla and Magnus Svensson in exchange for a third-round pick in 1996 and a fourth-round pick in 1997, which turned into Ryan Ready. More than a year after the deal, Svehla made his Florida debut on Apr. 20, 1995, scoring a goal in his second contest two days later. He played only five games that season, but became an NHL regular at the start of the 1995-96 season.
At 27, Svehla scored eight goals and added 49 assists for 57 points, a franchise record unmatched until Keith Yandle scored 62 points in 2018-19. Eventually, Brandon Montour would break those records, with 73 points in 2022-23.
As an Ironman-type player, Svehla missed one game during the 1995-96 season, three during the 1997-98 campaign, and just two more in 1998-99. From 1999 to his final game in a Panthers sweater at the end of the 2001-02 season, he played in over 300 consecutive games.
When the Panthers traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2002, Svehla left Florida as the team’s all-time games-played leader with 573 and ranked second behind Scott Mellanby in points with 290. Heading into the 2026-27 season, he remains the club’s 11th-highest scorer all-time, while ranking behind Aaron Ekblad for most points by a defenseman.
In 1996, Svehla was part of the Cinderella Panthers team that lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. During the team’s run, he played in all 22 games, picking up six assists and 32 penalty minutes.
Other parts of the Panthers-Flames deal in 1994
Meanwhile, Svensson, a 12th-round pick of the Flames in the 1987 Draft, made his NHL debut at 31 in 1994-95, skating in 19 games and scoring seven points. Overall, he would play 46 games with Florida over two seasons, scoring a total of four goals and 18 points. Despite his limited NHL career, Svensson enjoyed considerable success in Elitserien, now the SHL. Internationally, he won an Olympic Gold Medal and a World Championship representing Sweden.
Eventually, the Flames selected Ready as the 100th overall pick in the fourth round of the 1997 Draft. He never played for the organization and made his NHL debut in 2005-06 with the Philadelphia Flyers. In only seven NHL games, he had one assist. Like Svensson, Ready had a solid professional hockey career outside of the NHL in the AHL and the German DEL.
Considering the Panthers only sacrificed two draft picks in this trade with the Flames in 1994, little did they know they’d land a franchise legend, someone who left his mark on the ice and the record book. Even today, it’s hard to talk about the Panthers teams of the late 1990s without mentioning Svehla and the impact he had on the franchise.
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