In the 12th of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers brought in three new players. They were forward Luke Kunin of Chesterfield, Missouri, defenseman Jeff Petry of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and goaltender Daniil Tarasov of Novokuznetsk, Russia. Let us take a look at this trio who are joining an organization that has won the last two Stanley Cup Finals.
Luke Kunin
Kunin signed a one-year deal worth $775,000. He is projected to be on the Panthers fourth line alongside Jesper Boqvist of Falun, Sweden, and Tomas Nosek of Pardubice, Czech Republic.
The Panthers are Kunin’s fifth NHL team after previously playing with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets. Kunin had 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 75 games. He was a -28 with 55 penalty minutes, 112 shots on goal, 186 faceoff wins, 77 blocked shots, 187 hits, 12 takeaways and 30 giveaways.
Jeff Petry
Petry also signed a one-year deal worth $775,000. He is projected to be on the Panthers third pairing on defense alongside Dmitry Kulikov of Lipetsk, Russia. This is a veteran pairing as Petry and Kulikov are a combined 71 years old.
The Panthers are Petry’s fifth NHL franchise as he was previously with Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. In 44 games this past season in the Motor City, Petry had one goal and seven assists for eight points. He was a -2 with one power-play point, one game-winning goal, 33 shots on goal, 77 blocked shots, 51 hits, 16 takeaways, and 51 giveaways.
Petry’s only goal of the season was a game-winning goal and came in a 4-2 Red Wings win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 14. Petry scored from J.T. Compher of Northbrook, Illinois, and put the Red Wings up 3-1 at 1:51 of the third period.
Daniil Tarasov
Tarasov signed a one-year deal worth $1.05 million to backup fellow Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky of Novokuznetsk, Russia. Tarasov played the last four seasons with the Blue Jackets. In 2024-25, he had a record of seven wins, 10 regulation losses, and two losses in extra time, with a goals against average of 3.54, save percentage of .881 and one shutout.
Projected Grade
The Panthers took a minor step back when it came to goaltending as Tarasov is not as strong as Vitek Vanecek. Petry is not as reliable as he once was, and Kunin was a -28. Panthers management deserve praise in bringing back Stanley Cup champions Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad. That is why they get an offseason grade of B.
