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Jun 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) puts a rat on the stick after the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Panthers Have Some Options to Free Up Cap Space

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Joey Ganzi | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 11:15 AM ET

The Florida Panthers are in their celebration phase this summer. They’ve won their second straight Stanley Cup, becoming the second team to do so since the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished the task in 2020 and 2021.

Before free agency even began, the front office had a tough task ahead of them: they needed to figure out how to keep their key free agents of Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. It was speculated that at least one member of that trio was going to hit the market. In an unexpected move, general manager (GM) Bill Zito got the job done and signed extensions for all three.

As a result, they need to allocate some more cap space. Currently, the team is nearly $3 million above the cap. However, they are not without options to get the job done; these include placing forward Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), or trading away forward Evan Rodrigues in the form of a cap dump.

Putting Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR

Last season, Tkachuk missed the second half of the regular season and returned for the start of the playoffs. After winning the Cup again, he revealed that he suffered from a torn adductor completely off the bone. To say “ouch” is a bit of an understatement. That is quite the injury for the forward and shows just how much hockey players put their bodies on the line for a shot at Lord Stanley’s holy grail.

It is unknown if Tkachuk is going to go under the knife. But if he were to do so, he could be put on LTIR, as it looks as if he is going to miss an extended period of time. If he were to go that route, it would free up $9.5 million in extra cap space. Not only would it give them a decent chunk of money to sign their young restricted free agents (RFAs), but it would also keep the team cap-compliant to start the season.

Dealing Away Evan Rodrigues

The forward in Rodrigues currently carries a cap hit of $3 million. At the start of the upcoming season, he will be in the second-to-last year of that contract. But with the young forward, Mackie Samoskevich, showing he deserves a roster spot, they may already have a plan in place to get cap relief while finding a good replacement.

Anyone who wants Rodrigues will be lucky to have him. Over the last two seasons, he’s honed a plus-22 rating. In the last two postseasons, he’s piled up 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists). In addition, Florida could try and get some draft picks out of it, so it’s more than just freeing up money.

When Will a Move Happen?

With how tight their space is, and some players across the league beginning to file for arbitration, a move to free up space could happen much sooner rather than later. There are other moves that could come out of nowhere, but it seems like the two above make the most logical sense given the circumstances.

But Zito has been in this situation many times before, and it’s safe to say he’s earned the trust of the fans and the front office. There’s a reason this team has won back-to-back Stanley Cups.