Litter Box Cats
Your Florida Panthers Colossus Since 2008
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Panthers add six prospects in 2026 NHL Draft
The Florida Panthers added six players to its prospect cupboard on Saturday at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, NY. Los Gatos selected four forwards, a defenseman and a goaltender. After sitting out Friday night’s first round, the Panthers startedf off by nabbing forward Simas Ignatavičius early in the second round with the 40th overall pick. Ignatavicius is a physically advanced teenager with good size that’s an identity match with how Florida wants their forwards to play the ga...
Florida Panthers 2026 NHL Draft Day Two Thread
There was no drama at the top of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo as the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Penn State foward Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick with top European prospect Ivar Stenberg going to the San Jose Sharks in the second slot. After trading two first-rounders to Ottawa for Brady Tkachuk, the Florida Panthers took the night off as its first-round pick (9th overall) was used by the San Jose, who took defenseman Keaton Verhoeff from the Unive...
Panthers slated to make a half dozen picks at the 2026 Draft, but none tonight
The first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft will take place tonight at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Day 1 of the draft begins at 7 p.m. with ESPN doing the broadcast honors in the United States. Rounds 2-7 will take place tomorrow with NHL Network broadcasting the Day 2 coverage starting at 11 a.m. After sending two first-round picks to Ottawa to bring Brady Tkachuk south earlier this week, general manager Bill Zito isn’t slated to make his first selection until early in tomorrow’s seco...
Panthers acquire Garnet Hathaway from Flyers
The Florida Panthers have acquired veteran forward Garnet Hathaway and a 2026 sixth-round pick (181st overall) from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick (136th overall) and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Philadelphia will retain half of Hathaway’s $2.4M salary. He will be an unrestricted at the conclusion of the upcoming season. The 34-year-old forward had three points (one goal, two assists) in 66 regular season games with the Flyers this past season and two poi...
Five intriguing players for the Panthers in the second round
At this time last year, the Florida Panthers collection of picks for 2026 NHL Entry Draft was looking rather bare. The Cats had just won their second Stanley Cup in a row and were already busting out the terms “three-peat” and “dynasty.” Success in the season to come seemed like a forgone conclusion. However, Florida’s struggles during the 2025-26 campaign resulted in the return of a top-10 protected first round pick that nobody thought would come back to the Cats. In late June, the Cats also ...
Wednesday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
The Floria Panthers ninth overall pick, used as part of the package to acquire Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators, helped net another high-end forward as the Senators flipped it to the San Jose Sharks for William Eklund on Tuesday. Ottawa also received forward Kasper Halttunen and the rights to forward prospect Brandon Svoboda. Eklund just completed his third full NHL season with the Sharks, producing 15 goals and 53 points in 78 games. Florida’s division rival in ...
Tuesday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
The Florida Panthers dominated the hockey headlines on Monday after their stunning trade for Brady Tkachuk. As we steam towards Friday’s draft and the opening of free agency on July 1, there is one glaring hole on the Cats roster and that’s between the pipes. With the younger Tkachuk finding a new home in South Florida, The Athletic published its revised 34-man NHL offseason trade board 3.0 , which contains five stoppers. Let’s take a look as the Panthers could end up with one or pos...
Zito strikes again! Panthers acquire Brady Tkachuk from Senators
Brady Tkachuk is heading south to join his big brother, Matthew, in Sunrise after the Florida Panthers acquired the Ottawa Senators captain for three first-round picks and a second-rounder in a stunning trade that sent shock waves across the NHL on Sunday. After acquiring the 25th overall pick in Friday’s draft by sending restriced free agent Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken earlier in the day, Florida’s general manager extraordinaire Bill Zito bundled that pick with the selection...
Panthers deal Samoskevich to Kraken for 25th overall pick in 2026 Draft
In a bit of a surprise. the Florida Panthers have dealt forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken for the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and a second-rounder in 2027. Samoskevich is a 23-year-old who put up career-highs in assists (20) and points (32) this past season after a painfully slow start offensively. He will be reunited with Kraken center Matty Beniers, a college teammate at the University of Michigan in 2021-22. Florida now has two selec...
Sunday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
In The Athletic’s Every NHL team’s worst value contract in 2025-26 writer Harman Dayal tabbed defenseman Aaron Ekblad as the Florida Panthers example with “honorable” mention to forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe. Florida’s Most Inefficient Contracts in 2025-26: Aaron Ekblad Net Rating : -0.4 Cap Hit : $6.1 million Years : 7 Sam Bennett Net Rating : 5.1 Cap Hit : $8 million Years : 7 Carter Verhaeghe Net Rating : 3.7 Cap Hit : $7 million Years : 7 Aa...
Saturday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
Kristen Shilton ponders what a Florida Panthers trade for Dylan Larkin could look it in ESPN’s Trades we’d like to see during the 2026 NHL offseason article. Florida Panthers get: F Dylan Larkin, 2026 seventh-round pick (CGY) Detroit Red Wings get: F Anton Lundell, F Mackie Samoskevich, 2026 second-round pick (WSH) Why it works: It’s not as if Detroit GM Steve Yzerman wants to be backed into a corner — but he sort of is when it comes to Larkin. Gi...
Friday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
We are exactly one week away from the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, so let’s take a look some Florida Panthers related content from around the hockeyverse. ESPN’s 2026 NHL draft: Every team’s biggest prospect pipeline need article is of the opinion that the Cats are likely to move the ninth overall pick. The Panthers don’t need futures while on the back nine of their Cup contention window. Instead, they need a player who can immediately step into the lineup and play. After a season riddled w...
Thursday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
Our division rivals in Buffalo made a trade yesterday. The Sabres sent defenseman Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in next week’s NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday for the 20th overall selection. The 26-year-old Kesselring spent just one season in Buffalo and appeared in only 34 games due to injuries and repeated stretches as a healthy scratch. After meeting with over 25 candidates, the Toronto Maple Leafs and new general manager John Chayka brought back a fa...
Wednesday Florida Panthers Offseason Caterwaul
The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman’s Six realistic offer-sheet candidates NHL teams should target this offseason included Florida RFA forward Mackie Samoskevich, saying the following: Not every offer-sheet candidate is in those top two compensation tiers. In some ways, it’s harder for a team to swoop in and steal players at this level because their extensions are generally more affordable and easily matched. AFP Analytics only projects Mackie Samoskevich’s next deal to carry a $3.08 million ca...
Bussi blanks Golden Knights, Hurricanes win second Stanley Cup
Brandon Bussi stopped all 22 shots to backstop the Carolina to a 3-0 Game 6 decision over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena as the Hurricanes won their second Stanley Cup in dominating fashion, finishing the postseason with a stellar 16-3 record. Taylor Hall got behind the defense and fired the puck by Carter Hart from the left circle after receiving a stretch pass from Jaccob Slavin 3:47 into the first period to put the Hurricanes in control. Jackson Blake, who had the seco...
Carolina Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights Game 6 Thread
Andrei Svechnikov finally broke out with a pair of power-play goals, and Brandon Bussi delivered a 23-save performance as the Carolina Hurricanes doubled up the Vegas Golden Knights by a 4-2 count at Lenovo Center, leaving them one win away from capturing the franchise’s second Stanley Cup. Captain Jordan Staal became the first player in sevenety years to open a Stanley Cup Final with goals in five-straight games when he tipped in Nikolaj Ehlers’ pass for his sixth of the series at 11:46 ...
Five defensemen the Florida Panthers could target with the ninth pick
The advantage of holding a top-10 pick is that the Florida Panthers are guaranteed to get one of the best young hockey players on their organizational draft board. The disadvantage is trying to predict which of those young players will be available by the time the ninth overall pick is up for selection. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is likely to feature several defensemen selected in the first 10 picks, but there are some names we can cross off the list of availability. Top blueline prospects Chase...
Five defensemen the Florida Panthers could target with the ninth pick
The advantage of holding a top-10 pick is that the Florida Panthers are guaranteed to get one of the best young hockey players on their organizational draft board. The disadvantage is trying to predict which of those young players will be available by the time the ninth overall pick is up for selection. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is likely to feature several defensemen selected in the first 10 picks, but there are some names we can cross off the list of availability. Top blueline prospects Chase...
Mr. Svechnikov powers Hurricanes to 4-2 win over Vegas in Game 5
Andrei Svechnikov broke out with a pair of power-play goals, and Brandon Bussi delivered a 23-save performance as the Carolina Hurricanes doubled up the Vegas Golden Knights by a 4-2 count at Lenovo Center. The Hurricanes are now one victory away from capturing the franchise’s second Stanley Cup. Carolina captain Jordan Staal became the first player in seventy years to open a Stanley Cup Final with goals in five-straight games when he tipped in Nikolaj Ehlers’ pass for his sixth of the se...
Carolina Hurricanes vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 5 Thread
Jordan Staal notched his second goal of the game at 6:32 of the third period to put the Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their back-and-forth 5-3 Game 4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Moblie Arena that evened the highly-competitive Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece. The 37-year-old Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the Final and the ninth overall in NHL history. Carolina got first period goals from...
Staal shines in Hurricanes 5-3 Game 4 win over Golden Knights
A stretched out Jordan Staal notched his second goal of the game 6:32 into the third period to put the Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their back-and-forth 5-3 Game 4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, evening the highly-competitive Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece. The 37-year-old Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the Final and the ninth overall in NHL history. Carolina got firs...
Staal shines in Hurricanes 5-3 Game 4 win over Golden Knights
A stretched out Jordan Staal notched his second goal of the game 6:32 into the third period to put the Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their back-and-forth 5-3 Game 4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, evening the highly-competitive Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece. The 37-year-old Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the Final and the ninth overall in NHL history. Carolina got first period goals from Logan...
Carolina Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights Game 4 Thread
The Vegas Golden Knights gagged up a four-goal third period lead to the Carolina Hurricanes, but still managed to win Game 3 when Shea Theodore’s one-timer from the right point caromed off the end boards and went in off goaltender Brandon Bussi 5:38 into the fifth period. After a scoreless opening frame that saw visiting Carolina largely carry the play, Mitch Marner turned the second period into his own personal highlight reel. Marner drew the second assist on Tomas Hertl’s power-play goa...
Former Panther Bussi may hold key to Carolina Cup win
His stay in South Florida was only a brief three months, but Florida Panthers fans are left to ponder what could’ve been had the Cats decided to go with Brandon Bussi as the backup to Sergei Bobrovksy instead of pending unrestricted free agent Daniil Tarasov. Signed to a one-year, two-way deal on July 1, 2025, the Panthers tried to slip the 27-year-old through waivers to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, only to see him get claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes on October 5. Finally given a...
Lucky bounce gives Vegas 5-4 double-overtime win over Carolina
In one for the ages, the Vegas Golden Knights gagged up a four-goal third period lead to the cardiac Carolina Hurricanes, but still managed to take Game 3 when Shea Theodore’s one-timer from the right point caromed off the end boards and went in off goaltender Brandon Bussi 5:38 into double overtime. After a scoreless opening frame that saw visiting Carolina largely carry the play, Mitch Marner turned the second period into his own personal highlight reel. Marner drew the secondary assist...
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