Panthers Come To Terms With New Goaltender

There will be no arbitration hearings in the NHL this summer. All 15 cases have now been successfully resolved ahead of time. The last pending case was new Florida Panthers goalie Akira Schmid. The two sides agreed on a two-year, $2M AAV deal.

Akira Schmid avoids arbitration with the Panthers and has signed a two-year, $4M deal, the team announced ✍️ pic.twitter.com/ITJD68OsJM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 24, 2026

"We are excited to sign Akira for the next two seasons in South Florida," said GM Bill Zito. "He has the size, athleticism and competitive drive that fits the identity of the Florida Panthers, and we're looking forward to watching him succeed with our group.” 

The 6-foot-5 netminder appeared in 34 games with the Vegas Golden Knights this past season. He posted a 16-10-6 record with an .893 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average. 

But Schmid steps it up to another level in the playoffs. The 26-year-old has appeared in 10 postseason games and sports a .924 save percentage, 2.26 goals-against average and two shutouts. As the Panthers noted in their release, that is the second-highest save percentage and fourth-lowest goals-against average among all goaltenders with at least 10 playoff appearances since 2022-23. 

Schmid is one half of a whole new goaltending tandem in Florida this coming season, and he'll probably start the year as the backup to Jacob Markstrom.