Panthers Make Decision On Tkachuk, Set Themselves Up For Another Trade

The Florida Panthers pulled off a big trade acquiring Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Spencer Knight. Draft picks were included, but what is important is that the Blackhawks retained $2.5 million AAV on Jones' deal for the next five years and cleared $4.5 million AAV by moving Knight.

After acquiring Jones, the Panthers placed Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and called up Chris Driedger. This opened up $8.7 million for Florida to still work with, according to PuckPedia, and if Tkachuk is out until the playoffs, the Panthers aren't done making moves in pursuit of a Stanley Cup repeat.

The #TimetoHunt put Tkachuk on LTIR

After completing the Jones trade, FLA added Tkachuk to LTIR, then called up Driedger.

They now have $8.7M Cap Space remaining in LTIR with 21 active players (12F/7D/2G)https://t.co/Fn8YPUBPNG
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) March 2, 2025

It is a huge loss that Tkachuk is out, but if he comes back for the playoffs, the Panthers are in good enough position that they can make the postseason and get one of their best players back. There is a lot that the Panthers can do with $8.7 million if they are willing to. Sergei Bobrovsky is going to lead the Panthers in net, so I don't expect any upgrades there this season, and the defense was just addressed, so that means adding up front is the most likely.

There have already been a number of good forwards traded this season, but there are still a lot left. With Tkachuk out, there is a big hole to fill. It doesn't have to be filled by someone of his caliber or a similar type of player as him, but it makes a whole lot of sense if it is filled regardless. The Panthers are a powerhouse and with another chance to go on a deep playoff run, taking advantage of cap space is the only logical solution.

Top-6 forwards like JJ Peterka, Brock Boeser, Rickard Rakell, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Alex Tuch could all be fits. We'll see what else GM Bill Zito has in store for the reigning Cup champs.