There might be questions about the goaltending, but thanks to a busy first day of free agency, the rest of general manager Bill Zito’s roster is deeper than the freakin’ Mariana Trench.
The Panthers started Wednesday morning off by signing pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Radko Gudas to lengthy, yet affordable six-year deal that carries an average annual value of $1.5 million. Florida had acquired the negotiating rights to “The Butcher” from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the rights to A.J. Greer. Both of the expansion cousins were able to convert their sides of the trade. Disco!
Next up, valuable middle-sixer Eetu Luostarinen inked an eight-year contract extension worth $40 million. Luostarinen’s new deal will kick off at the start of the 2027-28 season. This past season, Luostarinen produced 33 points (11G/22A), the second-most in one season in his career, and led all forwards with 139:53 total shorthanded time on ice and blocked 57 shots.
Keeping it in house, up-and-coming forward Sandis Vilmanis received a two-year, one-way contract extension with a $925K AAV that will begin in 2027-28. There might not be a full-time spot on the roster this season for Vilmanis, but his time is coming. He played his first 19 NHL games in 2025-26 and put up three goals and two assists, while also impressing for Latvia at the Olmypics.
After returning Gudas to the fold, the Cats brought back former defenseman Alex Petrovic on a two-year, one-way contract to add depth to the blue line. Originally drafted by the Cats in 2010, Petrovic appeared in 54 games (2G/8A) with the Dallas Stars last season.
Florida finally added a player without any previous ties to the organization when they signed unrestricted free agent center Lars Eller, who will likely anchor the fourth line. The 37-year-old Eller spent the 2025-26 season with the Ottawa Senators, finishing with 15 points in 68 games.
Although he wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer, forward Cole Schwindt decided the grass was greener in South Florida and stayed with the Panthers by reportedly signing a two-year contract. The Cats claimed Schwindt. another former draft pick. on October 2, after he was placed on waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights. He produced five goals and seven points in 29 games in 2025-26.
Like Schwindt, defenseman Donovan Sebrango did not receiver a qualifying offer, but remained with the organization, reportedly inking a one-year contract. Sebrango appeared in 40 games and collected eight assists in 2025-26.
Tweener defenseman Tobias Björnfot also decided to stay with Cats, signing a new one-year, two-way deal worth $850K at the NHL level. Björnfot played 19 games with Florida and 33 games with the Charlotte Checkers last season.
The Panthers closed the day by taking further care of the Checkers, signing forwards Sam Lafferty, John Beecher and Bokondji Imama and defenseman Casey Fitzgerald to one-year, two-way contracts, providing even more quality depth.
Whew!