Three Players The Florida Panthers Risk Losing Through NHL Waivers

With NHL pre-season beginning in just less than a week’s time, the excitement for the 2026-27 NHL season is at an all-time high.

With pre-season, fans receive a glimpse of what possible line combinations could look like when the season starts, and they are also provided with an opportunity to watch young players and prospects who could don their team’s colors in the near future.

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But with all the positives, there are still some downsides. As roster cuts begin, NHL teams risk losing players on the waiver wire. Besides players on entry-level contracts, any player who is sent to the AHL, and in the Panthers’ case, the Charlotte Checkers, must clear waivers.

Waivers are a 24-hour period during which the other 31 NHL teams could place a claim for any player on waivers. If successful, they would acquire the player and his contract.

With that being said, here are three players the Panthers risk losing on waivers this season.

Cole Reinhardt is an obvious risk to be lost on waivers for several reasons, but most notably because the Panthers acquired him from the waiver wire.

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The 26-year-old joined the Panthers late in the 2025-26 season and looked every part of an effective bottom-six winger. He had the speed to generate offense off the rush and was reliable enough in his own end to play some defensive minutes. With the Panthers’ forward group looking relatively healthy, aside from Brad Marchand, Reinhardt is left on the outside looking in.

Although Reinhardt is more skilled than Jonah Gadjovich and Garnet Hathaway, they bring physical elements he doesn’t. With a strong pre-season, Reinhardt could find himself as the 13th forward, but competing with Sam Lafferty and Cole Schwindt is a tough task. Lafferty brings more NHL experience, and Schwindt has the positional value as a center.

If Reinhardt does end up on waivers, it wouldn’t be surprising to see multiple teams place claims.

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Donovan Sebrango found himself playing in far more games with the Panthers than he likely expected, which is why he received a contract extension. Despite that, the Panthers went out and signed Radko Gudas, taking away Sebrango’s role as the seventh defenseman.

Gudas slots in on the bottom pairing with Dmitry Kulikov and pushes Uvis Balinskis into the seventh defenseman role that Sebrango was occupying.

Like Reinhardt, the Panthers claimed Sebrango off waivers. With the never-ending need for NHL-caliber defensemen, Sebrango is certainly a risk to be claimed when the Panthers make their final cuts.

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Tobias Bjornfot has spent the past three seasons with the Panthers, providing excellent relief during injury crises. Last year, he played 19 games, scoring two goals and four points while averaging 14:11 of ice time.

With the Checkers, Bjornfot has blossomed into a leader and vital piece of their blueline, which is why the likelihood of him passing through waivers has decreased.

The 25-year-old has proven to be capable as a replacement-level defenseman and, like Sebrango, is on the outside looking in for an NHL role within the organization. Passing through waivers would be critical to maintaining the Panthers’ organizational depth.

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