The Panthers’ biggest remaining offseason question: Who will be their goaltender?
The majority of the Florida Panthers’ roster for the 2026-27 season appears to be set.
But one glaring hole remains.
The Panthers do not have a goaltender under contract at the NHL level for next season with both Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov set to become unrestricted free agents when the market opens at noon Wednesday. They need two before the season starts.
And Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito is sorting through every option available to him as he looks to put the final touches on a roster that looks all the parts of a Stanley Cup contender at every other position.
“I guess it’s a question to never answer until it’s completed,” Zito said Saturday of how things are going with their pursuit of goaltenders. “It’s a process. We work through it. I think it’s a little easier for me, having been an agent, understanding the process and combining that experience with being a GM and knowing that if we have these resources and these assets, what’s the best way to build a team? That’s a never-ending evaluation that we go through every day.”
Until things are finalized, until deals are signed, Zito will run through all the hypotheticals — some more realistic than others — to find out how to maximize his roster.
With that in mind, let’s run through some of those hypotheticals that Zito will be facing — and has been facing — as free agency looms.
Do the Panthers have enough capital they’re willing to give up to trade for a starter?
The Panthers have been connected in trade rumors with the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, the St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Adin Hill. The Nashville Predators’ Jusse Saros even was brought up.
But now that the 2026 NHL draft has passed and considering the majority of Florida’s top players have no-movement clauses, it might be tough to Florida to swing a deal for a bona fide netminder.
Florida doesn’t have a first-round pick it can dangle to teams through the 2029 draft. Among players the Panthers could deal, center Anton Lundell is going to be at the forefront of requests from opposing teams, but that seems like a non-starter from Zito’s perspective.
So who might they deal in a hypothetical trade?
From the NHL roster, forwards Eetu Luostarinen, Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist would like the top options. All three are entering the final year of their contracts. Luostarinen would be the one of the three Florida would be least inclined to trade because of how valuable he is with Lundell on Florida’s third forward line and as one of the Panthers’ top penalty killers. Rodrigues and Boqvist are versatile options who can play up or down the Panthers’ lineup but are more expendable now following Florida’s trades for Brady Tkachuk and Garnet Hathaway.
Defensemen Dmitry Kulikov, Uvis Balinskis and pending restricted free agent Donovan Sebrango could be options, too.
Beyond them, NHL-ready prospects in forwards Sandis Vilmanis and Jack Devine as well as defensemen Mike Benning, Ludvig Jansson and Mikulas Hovorka could be possibilities to enhance deals.
Who are the veterans available in free agency?
The free agent goaltender class is on the lighter side compared to the above trade options, but Florida could still find some value when the market opens on Wednesday.
Among the top options: Frederik Andersen, Stuart Skinner, Connor Ingram and Cam Talbot.
Andersen, who turns 37 in October, hasn’t started more than 35 games in any of the past four seasons. He was part of the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup championship team this season but struggled to the tune of a 3.05 goals against average and .874 save percentage in the regular season. He was much better in the postseason, with a 1.89 GAA and .910 save percentage with two shutouts in 16 starts, but was benched in Game 3 of the Cup Final against Vegas due to a knee injury. Andersen made $2.75 million last season.
Skinner, 27, has started at least 50 games each of the past four seasons. He boasts a career 2.77 goals against average and .902 save percentage. He is also postseason tested, having started in net for three lengthy postseason runs with the Edmonton Oilers, including reaching the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025 — only to lose to Florida both times. Skinner, who was traded from Edmonton to Pittsburgh in the middle of last season, is coming off a three-year deal that had an average cap hit of $2.6 million. Whether Skinner is looking for a long-term deal or a shorter bridge-type deal remains to be seen.
Ingram, 29, was Edmonton’s primary goaltender down the stretch last season, posting a 2.60 goals against average and .899 save percentage over 32 games (30 starts). He’s coming off a three-year deal that had an annual cap hit of $1.95 million.
Talbot, 38, has played in 567 career games (533 starts) over 14 NHL seasons. He went 12-9-6 with a 3.19 goals against average and .883 save percentage in 34 games (25 starts) last season for Detroit — the first time he had a goals against average above 3.00 since 2018-19 and second time he had a save percentage below .900 in that span.
Can the Panthers create more cap space to swing a bigger move?
Florida right now has about $5.8 million in cap space. The Panthers could add space under the cap if they trade any of the players mentioned above whether for a goalie or otherwise. Both Rodrigues and Luostarinen have $3 million cap hits, while Kulikov is at $1.18 million and Boqvist $1.5 million.
Could Sergei Bobrovsky return?
Zito hasn’t fully ruled out a potential Bobrovsky return.
“Until a door is closed,” Zito said, “you never know. Bob has done so much for our organization, and we continue to evaluate every single day, just try to get better. There are no doors closed here, ever.”
But unless Bobrovsky, who turns 38 in September and whose seven-year, $70 million deal with Florida just came to an end, lowers his ask what will almost assuredly be his final contract, it might be tough for a reunion to materialize.
The number that has been circulating around Bobrovsky’s aim for his final deal is $42 million over six or seven years.
Meanwhile, a reunion with Tarasov shouldn’t be ruled out either. While he went 13-15-3 with a 3.05 goals against average and .895 save percentage as Bobrovsky’s backup, he is respected on the team and could be a relatively cheap option to fill one of the team’s two goaltender spots.
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