Report: Florida Panthers Open to Trading 2026 1st-Round Pick

Despite losing a huge part of their operation in Sunny Mehta joining the New Jersey Devils, don't be surprised to see the Florida Panthers have one of the more active offseasons in the NHL.

The Panthers missed out on the playoffs and pulled off one of the best tank jobs ever, sitting out the majority of their regulars for at least a few games down the stretch. The Cats fell lower and lower on the standings and now are in line for a top-10 first-round pick. 

Bill Zito will certainly be busy this summer as he looks to get the former back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions back on track. Zito has one first-rounder and two second rounders to play with in June, and it's very likely the first gets moved. 

Elliotte Friedman: Florida's a team...everybody wants to play there; if you told me they took a 9, 10 or 11 [overall 2026] pick and they sent it somewhere for a really good active player, I would not be surprised at that at all - 32 Thoughts (4/17)

The only major roster decision that's looming for the Panthers is in their crease, as Sergei Bobrovsky is a pending unrestricted free agent. The team approach Goalie Bob ahead of the trade deadline and he reiterated his desire to stay in Florida past this season, which was one of the main reasons he wasn't traded ahead of the deadline, when Zito knew the team wasn't getting into the postseason.

For now, look for Bobrovsky to sign a short-term extension ahead of the draft, and don't be surprised to see Zito pull off a huge trade using their draft capital as part of the assets.

Photo credit:   Sam Navarro-Imagn Images