What was expected to be a busy week for the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft got off to an early start.
On Sunday, with many celebrating Father’s Day, the Panthers made a pair of significant moves.
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First, Florida traded young forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick (25th overall) and a conditional 2027 second-round pick.
The condition on the pick is that Florida will receive either Columbus’ or Winnipeg’s second rounder, via Seattle, depending on which one ends up being a higher selection.
That leaves the Panthers with two first-round selections and two second-round selections at this week’s draft, which is pretty remarkable for a team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 and that still features a loaded roster full of talent locked up to long-term, team-friendly deals.
With his newfound riches in the form of draft capital, Panthers General Manager Bill Zito turned around and swung a blockbuster.
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Florida sent both 2025 first-round picks, along with a 2029 first-round pick and a 2030 second-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for their captain Brady Tkachuk.
The deal was first reported by Pierre LeBrun.
Tkachuk is under contract through the 2027-28 season, making an average annual value (AAV) of $8.2 million.
This teams Brady up with his older brother Matthew in South Florida.
Over the past several years, the Tkachuk brothers have gradually but increasingly received a taste of what being teammates would be like, starting with the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in Sunrise.
After the experience the two shared at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off in February of 2025, followed by helping the United States win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, it started to feel like the brothers teaming up as professionals was a foregone conclusion.
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The two elite forwards will only add to the Panthers incredibly talented and deep roster that includes Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Gus Forsling, Aaron Ekbald, Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones and Anton Lundell, just to name a few.
Following the trade, Florida now has 13 forwards and six defensemen under contract for next season, not including any players like Sandis Vilmanis, Marek Alscher or Jack Devine, all of whom played in the NHL last season and are on two-way deals.
After acquiring the younger Tkachuk, the Panthers will be left with just over $7 million in cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia.
They still need to sign a pair of NHL goaltenders and any depth pieces they’d like to add, so we’ll see how things play out for Zito and his staff in the coming days.
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The NHL Draft is set for this Friday and Saturday from Buffalo, with the new league year and free agency arriving a few days later on July 1.
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Photo caption: Apr 18, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) reacts against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
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