Hathaway fits the Panthers’ mold and is ready for chance to chase a Stanley Cup
Garnet Hathaway knows what it’s like to play the Florida Panthers — and let’s just say the veteran forward is glad he doesn’t have to face them this season.
“For a lot of years now, I’ve hated playing against the Panthers,” Hathaway said. “You realize that they’re winners in how they compete, how they prepare, and in how they play throughout the season. They play playoff hockey every night.”
Hathaway, an 11-year NHL veteran, now goes from loathing seeing the Panthers to being one of them. Florida acquired him on Thursday from the Philadelphia Flyers for a fifth-round pick in the just-completed 2026 NHL Draft and a fourth-round selection in the 2027 draft. Florida also received a 2026 sixth-round pick in return, and Philadelphia is retaining half of Hathaway’s $2.4 million salary, meaning he is just a $1.2 million cap hit for the Panthers.
The 34-year-old is a physical presence. He’s known for big and consistent hits, evidenced by his five consecutive seasons with at least 250 hits. He will be a bruising winger primarily on Florida’s fourth line but has shown he can provide the occasional scoring touch, as seen in his four seasons with at least 10 goals scored.
Does that makeup sound familiar?
It’s similar to that of A.J. Greer, who Hathaway will essentially be replacing on Florida’s roster after Greer had a breakout two seasons with the Panthers (49 points and 425 hits while also winning a Stanley Cup in 2025) and is due a significant pay raise as a pending free agent.
“He’s a well-known player in the league and somebody who we had targeted,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said of Hathaway. “I really think he’s going to fit in a number of different ways in our group — foremost as a person, as we always talk about. We did our homework there. He’s got speed. He’s got energy. He can kill penalties. He plays with certain physicality and enthusiasm that I think he’ll fit right into our crew, and he does have the ability to play up and down the lineup too. So it’s exciting.”
What’s also exciting for Hathaway: The potential to contend for a Stanley Cup. He has skated in 39 career playoff games but has never advanced past the second round.
Now, he’s on a team that reached the Cup Final in three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025, winning it in 2024 and 2025 before missing the playoffs last season after a nonstop stream of injuries ravaged the roster.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for that,’’ Hathaway said. “Going to a place that has that culture built in and is ready and is prepared and is going to hit the ground running to do so. That’s what I want to be a part of. It’s crazy in this league and pro sports — professional hockey — where in a phone call you can change your allegiances so quickly. … Such big dreams to win a Stanley Cup in Philly, and now I don’t want that at all. I want to be in Florida, and I want to be raising the Cup with my teammates.”
And Hathaway already has a connection with a few of his new teammates. His career began in Calgary, where he overlapped for a few seasons with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. He also closed the 2022-23 season with the Boston Bruins, where he played with Brad Marchand.
Hathaway’s style of play — gritty, aggressive, antagonizing — fits the mold that those former teammates have carried over to Florida.
“I know their personalities,” Hathaway said. “I know how dedicated they are to their craft, to their teammates and to winning. So, it’s not a surprise for what I’m going into and knowing those guys on a personal level just highlights the day in and day out stuff that they take a lot of pride in.”
Considering Florida’s forward depth, which was bolstered even before getting Hathaway when the Panthers acquired star Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators, Hathaway will almost assuredly be on the Panthers’ fourth line.
Who joins him there remains the main question. The Panthers have plenty of options.
Assuming the top three forward lines are as expected — with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell the centers, with both Tkachuk brothers, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen on the wings — the Panthers’ options for the fourth line among guys under contract include Hathaway, Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, Cole Reinhardt, Cole Schwindt (a restricted free agent) and prospect Sandis Vilmanis.
“I’m excited for going into each game preparing like it’s the most important game of the year,” Hathaway said, “because I think that’s how they’ve played at least the last few years, and they’ve been very successful doing it. I’m working my hardest this summer to be a fit and to learn from those guys and see what they know and what’s made them successful and trying to make it as seamless as possible because they already have a great group and they know how to win.”
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