Panthers Recall Tobias Bjornfot
The Florida Panthers have recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from the AHL. This move comes after Dmitry Kulikov was injured in the first period of the team’s Sunday loss to the New York Islanders, after getting wrapped up on Islanders forward Anthony Duclair. This marks Bjornfot’s second call-up as a member of the Panthers organization, after spending 20 days on the NHL roster in January. He stepped into eight NHL games on the recall and managed no scoring.
Bjornfot has otherwise spent the rest of the season in the minors. He’s amassed 16 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a plus-one in 43 games with the Charlotte Checkers, good for third on the team’s blue-line in scoring. It’s just his third full season in the NHL since making his professional debut in the 2019-20 season. He spent the bulk of that year with the AHL’s Ontario Reign where he recorded 19 points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-13 in 44 games. Bjornfot received the first three games of his NHL career in the mix of those minor league minutes, and earned a hardier shot at the Los Angeles Kings lineup over the next two years. But he only managed 14 points through the first 106 games of his NHL career, prompting a return to the minors for the start of the 2022-23 campaign. Bjornfot scored 12 points in 50 AHL games that year.
Bjornfot followed another middling year in the minors with a winding journey last season. He appeared in games for Los Angeles, Vegas, and Florida throughout the 2023-24 season – and moved between each team through two separate waiver claims. Ultimately, Bjornfot couldn’t find his footing in any of his new destinations – and managed no scoring through 11 NHL games or five AHL games on the season. He’s returned to the scoresheet through the first half of this year, but still hasn’t found a consistent stride.
There’s been no indication as to whether Kulikov will be available for Florida’s Thursday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’ll vacate a top-pair role if he does have to sit out, opening the door for Bjornfot to earn modest ice time as Florida mends an already-weakened blue-line. Bjornfot has averaged 13:24 in ice time through his eight NHL appearances this season. A lineup nod would give Bjornfot another chance to earn his first point as a member of the Florida Panthers – and his first NHL point outside of the Los Angeles Kings organization.
Panthers And Sam Bennett Have Resumed Extension Talks
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last night on Saturday Headlines that the Florida Panthers and pending UFA center Sam Bennett have re-started contract talks. Bennett is in the final season of a four-year $17.7MM contract that he signed back on July 26th, 2021, just three months after the Panthers had acquired Bennett from the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick in 2022 and Emil Heineman. The trade was a massive win for Florida as Bennett had never lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him in Calgary, but has developed into a strong two-way play driver with the Panthers.
The $4.425MM AAV has been a huge discount for the Panthers as Bennett signed the deal when the NHL was in a very different economic landscape and Bennett had yet to become the player he is today. Bennett had never topped 40 points in a season in Calgary but has done so in every season since joining Florida and is currently on pace for a career year with 22 goals and 23 assists in 65 games.
More importantly, Bennett has shown an ability to elevate his game when it matters most, evidenced by the Panthers’ last two playoff runs to the Finals and Bennett’s performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Holland Landing, Ontario native has 12 goals and 17 assists in 39 games over the last two playoff runs with the Panthers and was a crucial part of their Stanley Cup Championship last season.
Bennett’s contract negotiations will be tough as he will likely be looking for a salary in the range of $7MM-$8MM annually on a seven or eight year deal. Top six centers usually get an AAV in that range in July, but Bennett is a unique case given that his career offensive numbers don’t necessarily scream top six. However, Elias Lindholm received a $7.75MM AAV last summer from the Boston Bruins, and with a rising salary cap, Bennett will be looking for similar money and could certainly get it on the open market. Whether or not the Panthers will match that remains to be seen, they will have some tough decisions to make this summer as Aaron Ekblad is also a pending UFA and Anton Lundell appears ready to take on a bigger role in Florida’s top six.
Panthers Move Jones To Top Powerplay Unit
Due to the recent 20-game suspension to Florida Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the team needed a new first-line powerplay quarterback and top-pairing defenseman. As expected, that distinction will go to newly acquired defenseman Seth Jones.
Update On Brad Marchand’s Injury, Extension Negotiatons
Much of the buzz around TD Garden this morning came from Brad Marchand‘s return to the ice in another team’s jersey. The Boston Bruins recently traded their former captain to the Florida Panthers just before the trade deadline for a conditional 2027 second-round pick.
Seeing Marchand practice in Panthers’ garb firmly cemented the reality of the trade in the minds of Bruins’ fans. However, as much as Marchand’s first game with Florida may have a similar emotional impact, it’s still far off.
The Panthers’ head coach, Paul Maurice, spoke to reporters after practice today, illustrating the team’s hope that Marchand will return to the ice before the end of the regular season (Tweet Link). Marchand’s recovery timeline from his upper-body injury is still considered week-to-week.
The upper-body injury prohibited Marchand from participating in Boston’s final three games before the deadline, effectively ending his 16-year career with the team on March 1st. Primarily because the injury limited Marchand to only three shifts in his final game with the Bruins, his last point with the team came on February 25th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe asked if that would be his final game as a Bruin by questioning if that chapter of his career had fully closed during Marchand’s media availability. Ryan dictated Marchand, saying, “I don’t know, I guess is how I would respond to that. I don’t know what the future brings. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially. But I don’t know where that goes.”
Extension negotiations between Boston and Marchand had been a talking point for much of the regular season. A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in late October suggested that Marchand was close to signing a three-year extension with the Bruins, only to have the report refuted by Marchand himself. Similarly, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan shared one day after the trade that the Bruins had offered Marchand a three-year extension after offering him a two-year deal for much of the year, only to have Marchand disagree about the salary.
While the negotiations were taking place, Marchand and Bruins’ general manager, Don Sweeney, were fairly open with the media about their desires to agree on a contract extension. Although that may have been true for much of the season, the failed negotiations, the trade, and Marchand’s comments today don’t suggest he’ll return to the team a few months after they traded him.
NHL Suspends Aaron Ekblad 20 Games For Performance Enhancing Substances
Panthers star defenseman Aaron Ekblad will miss the remainder of the regular season and first two games of the postseason after being suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the league announced today. The suspension is without pay is accompanied by “mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.”
Suspensions for PEDs are quite rare in the NHL, but based on previous precedent, the length is to be expected. Nate Schmidt, now Ekblad’s teammate in Florida, was the most recent player to be suspended under the program while he was with the Golden Knights in training camp in 2018. He was also handed out a 20-game ban to begin the regular season, during which time he inked a six-year extension with Vegas.
Ekblad is just the sixth player to be suspended for PEDs since the 2012 lockout. Unlike in Schmidt’s case, where he testified he “could not have received any performance enhancement benefit from the trace amount that inadvertently got into my system,” Ekblad will not appeal the suspension and released the following statement (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman):
The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel. I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.
The 29-year-old will not carry a cap hit for the remainder of the regular season, PuckPedia confirms, although that’s somewhat moot with the trade deadline now in the rearview. He ends his regular season on a six-game point streak (seven assists, plus-three rating) and has 3-30–33 in 56 games on the year, a raucous return to form for the veteran. He’d seen his point totals drop steadily in the past few years as his power-play opportunities dwindled, bottoming out with a career-low 18 points in 51 games last year before Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup. He’s reclaimed top power-play minutes this year after Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour left in free agency, though, and his performance (and ice time) have benefitted as a result.
His top-pairing minutes alongside Gustav Forsling will now presumably go to fresh trade pickup Seth Jones down the stretch. The Cats still have plenty of meaningful games remaining as they try to battle out the Maple Leafs and Lightning for the Atlantic Division title and secure home ice through the first two rounds of the playoffs, simultaneously avoiding having to play both powerhouses in Tampa Bay in Toronto in back-to-back rounds as they attempt to gain a third consecutive Eastern Conference Final berth. Jones, who’s averaged 21 minutes per game since the trade while quarterbacking the Panthers’ second power-play unit, is still looking for his first point in a Florida uniform.
It’s worth noting Ekblad, the Panthers’ franchise leader in games played among defensemen, may have ended his regular-season tenure in South Florida on a sour note. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and could head elsewhere on the open market in July.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Panthers Acquire Brad Marchand From Bruins
The Bruins are shipping out captain Brad Marchand to the Panthers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports the trade is happening, pending league call. Boston is receiving a 2027 second-round pick that will upgrade to a 2028 first-round pick if conditions are met, per John Buccigross of ESPN. The Bruins will retain 50 percent of Marchand’s $6.125MM cap hit, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, alleviating any cap concerns Florida would have.
Both sides have made the deal official. The conditional second-round pick will upgrade to a first-round pick if Florida wins two rounds of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Marchand appears in at least half of the team’s playoff games.
Marchand is currently injured. He is expected to miss the next “couple of weeks” with an upper-body injury, Panthers general manager Bill Zito told media including David Dwork of The Hockey News. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told Connor Ryan of the Boston Globe that Marchand should miss three-to-four weeks.
Just days after swapping top young goaltender Spencer Knight for top-four defenseman Seth Jones, the Florida Panthers are taking another swing at landing the blockbuster deal of the Trade Deadline. They’re able to take on Marchand’s reduced $3.0625MM cap hit after placing star winger Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve. Tkachuk is expected to likely miss the remaining regular season after suffering a lower-body injury at the 4-Nations Face-Off.
Marchand will fill Tkachuks’ role of getting under opponents’ skin perfectly. Tenacious forechecking and high scoring have been the defining attributes of Marchand’s 16-year career with the Bruins. He ranks fourth in Bruins franchise history in goals (422), games played (1,090), and penalty minutes (1,113). Marchand also ranks fifth in all-time points (976). Those are impressive records for a career-long player on an Original Six club, and they shape Marchand’s standing as one of the best Bruins of the 2010s.
Marchand’s legacy in Boston runs deep. The Bruins originally drafted him in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft and awarded him with his NHL debut four years later. Marchand didn’t break out in 20 regular season games to start his career, but did explode as a high-
impact, top-six forward as Boston entered the 2011 postseason. He recorded 11 goals, 19 points, 40 penalty minutes, and a plus-12 in 25 games of Boston’s playoff run, ultimately supporting the team to their first Stanley Cup win since 1972.
That postseason performance stapled Marchand to Boston’s top-six, and he didn’t give the team a chance to second-guess. He scored 21 goals and 41 points in 77 games in his first full NHL season. He went on to average 23.2 goals and 45.4 points each season through the first five years of his career. But Marchand had plenty more in store. He broke out with 37 goals and 61 points in the 2015-16 season, the start of seven-year streak of rivaling or breaking the 30-goal mark. Along the way, Marchand posted a career-high 100 points in the 2018-19 season – on the back of a dangerous duo with Boston’s David Pastrnak.
Marchand continues to produce into this season. He has 21 goals and 47 points on the year, good for second on the Bruins in goals and points – and an 82-game pace of 28 goals and 63 points. But his eight-year contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and Boston has opted to net assets for him while they can rather than let him walk in free agency.
The headache of playing against Marchand could only get worse for his opponents around the Atlantic Division. This move sends him to the reigning Stanley Cup champions, where the role of a top-line grinder and scorer is clearly carved out. The Panthers rank second in the Eastern Conference with a 39-21-3 record this season. They also rank eighth in the NHL with a 3.25 goals-per-game average – just over 1.5 goals more than Boston has averaged this season.
Moving to an improved offense, and likely set to fill a role next to superstar Aleksander Barkov, should give Marchand a major scoring boost. He managed 29 goals and 67 points last season, and could quickly rediscover those totals as the Panthers look for a hard-nosed finisher in front of the net.
While the Panthers work to make the most out of Marchand’s first move away from Boston, the Bruins will work to find a reasonable top-line replacement. Boston acquired forward Casey Mittelstadt from the Colorado Avalanche earlier on Deadline day, which could open up a chance for Elias Lindholm or Matthew Poitras to push for the top left-wing role. If not a converted center, Boston will likely need to turn towards spot scorers like Morgan Geekie or Riley Tufte.
The Bruins could also use this as a golden chance to recall top prospect Fabian Lysell. Lysell ranks third among active Providence Bruins in scoring with 30 points in 46 games this season. He received his NHL debut earlier this season, but was reassigned after one outing without any scoring. Many fans have yearned for Lysell’s call-up throughout most of the last two seasons – though it seems Boston is still wanting him to find another gear before they promote him full-time. Lysell scored 50 points in 56 AHL games last year – good for fourth on Providence in scoring.
Marchand took over Boston’s captaincy after star Patrice Bergeron retired in 2023. Dealing him away will be a monumental shift for the Bruins lineup, that will likely take years to fully heal from. The potential for a 2028 first-round pick will support that process, though Boston could still end up a top name in buyer’s markets to come as they look to redefine their future. Meanwhile, Florida will inherent Marchand’s expiring contract. The 36-year-old winger could reasonably sign a short-term deal this summer to round out the end of his career, but that interest could be gauged by how long of a postseason run Florida is able to achieve. The Panthers added two top-of-the-lineup pieces in Marchand and Jones, bolstering a roster that was already ranked near the top of the NHL. They’ll be a formidable foe as the postseason rolls around.
Panthers Place Evan Cormier On Waivers
G Evan Cormier (Panthers) – Cormier’s inclusion on waivers presumably means the Panthers have signed the netminder to an NHL contract. Florida has had plenty of moving parts between the pipes recently, and Cormier gives them additional depth should they need it. The 27-year-old goaltender has yet to debut in the NHL, spending the last several years in the ECHL. Cormier has managed a 14-9-2 record in 27 games for the Savannah Ghost Pirates this season with a .881 SV% and 3.56 GAA.
Panthers, Jets Swap Chris Driedger, Kaapo Kähkönen
The Panthers and Jets have swapped third-string goaltenders. Both teams announced Chris Driedger is heading from Florida to Winnipeg after being assigned to the AHL earlier today, while Kaapo Kähkönen is heading south to the Cats. Neither player was on their team’s active roster.
It’s an act of goodwill on both teams’ behalf, trading underperforming veterans in hopes of fresh starts in more familiar environments. Driedger heads back to his hometown in the deal, while the Finnish Kähkönen gets to serve as the No. 3 for the league’s most Finn-heavy team.
Driedger was briefly a bona fide backup option with Florida around the turn of the decade, erupting for a .931 SV% and 2.07 GAA in 35 games during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. That got him claimed by the Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft and subsequently signed to a three-year, $10.5MM deal, although injuries and poor play derailed his tenure in Seattle from the start. He’s only logged two NHL appearances in the last three years, both coming last season in Seattle.
He hoped to get his career back on track last summer by returning to Florida on a cheap $795K contract, but he lost the training camp battle to be Sergei Bobrovsky‘s backup to youngster Spencer Knight. While he’d been a strong minor-league option for the Kraken when healthy, the same can’t be said for his performance with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate in Charlotte this year. The 30-year-old has struggled to the tune of a .878 SV% and 2.97 GAA in 20 outings for the farm club. When Florida traded Knight to the Blackhawks last weekend in the Seth Jones deal, they moved to acquire Vítek Vaněček from the Sharks to serve as their backup down the stretch instead of giving Driedger a long-term promotion.
Driedger and Kähkönen will now replace each other as veteran options for Charlotte and Manitoba down the stretch. Kähkönen has been an NHL fixture for a few years but, like Driedger, lost a training camp battle for a backup spot after signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg. After being passed over for Eric Comrie, he landed on waivers and was claimed by the Avalanche. He lasted about a month in Colorado before landing on the waiver wire again, upon which the Jets re-claimed him and sent him directly to the minors.
Despite posting a pedestrian but respectable .898 SV% in 140 career NHL games, Kähkönen’s underperformed that mark in Manitoba. He’s got just a .885 SV% and 3.29 GAA in 22 games with the AHL’s Moose, yielding a poor 6-14-1 record as a result. He may get a chance to backup Bobrovsky down the stretch if Vaněček underwhelms, but for now, he’ll bide his time in Charlotte.
Coincidentally, Vaněček and Kähkönen now end up in the same organization after being traded for each other at last year’s deadline in a deal between the Devils and Sharks.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to report the deal.
Panthers Acquire Nico Sturm From Sharks
The Panthers have acquired center Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Sharks, per announcements from both clubs. Florida had a pair of open roster spots after reassigning goaltender Chris Driedger this morning. The Sharks receive Florida’s 2026 fourth-round pick in return.
Sturm, 29, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Wild out of Clarkson University in 2019 and has since emerged as a reliable bottom-six forward. He played at the tail end of that season but spent most of 2019-20 with AHL Iowa before emerging as a full-time piece in Minnesota’s lineup during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. He ended up posting 20-16–36 in 111 games for the Wild, averaging 11:16 per game, before they traded him to the Avalanche ahead of the 2022 deadline for former top-10 pick Tyson Jost.
He wasn’t a fixture in Colorado’s playoff lineup that year after he was limited to three assists in 21 games down the stretch. He did, however, add a pair of assists in 13 playoff contests as he got a Stanley Cup ring. An unrestricted free agent that summer, the Avs opted not to re-sign him and he instead inked a three-year, $6MM contract with the Sharks.
The beginning of his tenure with the Sharks was great. He stepped into a top-nine role on an understaffed San Jose forward group, averaging 14:44 per game and posting a career-high 14-12–26 scoring line in 74 games. His -13 rating was respectable considering the Sharks had players in the -30 territory that year, and he was their top faceoff man with a 55.8% win rate.
Sturm hasn’t been quite as effective since then, but he remains a serviceable fourth-line piece who’s been absolutely elite in the dot. Here in 2024-25, his 62.7 FOW% leads players with at least 100 draws taken. Offensively, he’s posted 7-6–13 in 47 games for the Sharks between injuries while averaging a reduced 10:08 per game. He’s factored in less at both even strength and the penalty kill than earlier in his San Jose tenure, but he’s still reliable shorthanded and has posted a decent 46.1% shot-attempt share at even strength on a Sharks team that controls only 46.2% overall.
A pending UFA, San Jose will recoup a mid-round pick for his services while Florida gets an upgrade over what Tomáš Nosek has brought as their 4C this year. Nosek has just one goal in 50 games, and while fine in the dot at 51.4%, Sturm is a better option with better relative possession impacts. It won’t be surprising to see Nosek, who signed a league-minimum deal with Florida last offseason, shift to the wing down the stretch or head to the press box entirely with Sturm taking over his previous duties.
Panthers Reassign Chris Driedger, Place Matthew Tkachuk On LTIR
March 6: Driedger is back down to the minors today, according to the AHL’s transactions log. He backed up Sergei Bobrovsky for just one game before Florida traded for Vítek Vaněček to serve as their new No. 2.
March 2: The Florida Panthers have recalled goaltender Chris Driedger from the minor leagues. He will fill the Panthers’ backup goalie role after the squad dealt Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. To clear cap space for the move, Florida has also placed star Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, per PuckPedia.
Tkachuk sustained his injury in the second game of Team USA’s 4-Nations Face-Off tournament. It is believed to be a groin injury, though specifics haven’t been revealed. Tkachuk sat out of Team USA’s final round-robin game then made an effort to appear in the championship game against Team Canada, but only played 6:47 of the overtime loss. He has missed four games since Florida returned from the break. He was getting second opinions on his injury as recent as last week, but will now need to miss at least a month – per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
Florida has won three of their four games back from break – but Tkachuk’s absence still leaves a glaring hole on the top line. He has continued to dominate across the board for the Panthers, with 22 goals, 57 points, 54 penalty minutes, and 84 hits in 54 games. He ranks second on the team in goals and points, behind Sam Reinhart in both categories.
The Panthers have promoted Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues to hardier roles in Tkachuk’s absence. Rookie winger Samoskevich has found his stride as of late, with seven points in his last 11 games. That burst has brought him to 19 points in 52 games this season – a number that could soar with expanded minutes. Rodrigues had continued his consistent two-way impact on the other side, with 27 points in 61 games putting him on pace to just miss the 39 point mark he’s posted in each of the last two seasons.
The promotions continue through the offense and into the net. Driedger signed a one-year deal with Florida this summer and has spent the entire year in the minor leagues. He narrowly leads the Charlotte Checkers with 20 games played, one more than fellow pro veteran Ken Appleby. Driedger has posted the worst stat line of the two, with a .878 save percentage and 10-6-4 record.
Despite that, it was hard to imagine Florida would turn towards anyone else to fill their backup spot. Driedger has 67 games of NHL experience, with the bulk coming between 2020 and 2022 in tenures with Florida and Seattle. He has a stout .917 SV% and 31-24-5 record on his career. Florida will hope he can rediscover those numbers quickly after a down year in the minor leagues.