The Panthers are back at the top of the class.
In The Athletic’s annual front office survey for 2026, Florida earned an “A” grade and landed among just four NHL teams to hit that mark or better. The poll, put together by Dom Luszczyszyn, measures confidence in each of the league’s 32 front offices across six areas: roster building, cap management, drafting and development, trading, free agency and vision.
This year’s version drew more than 10,000 responses from fans grading their own team, along with nearly 500 responses grading every club. Luszczyszyn called the split “always fascinating,” and once again the Panthers came out looking strong in both buckets - from general NHL fans and from their own supporters.
Florida’s biggest applause from the broader hockey public came for two areas in particular: free agency, where the Panthers earned an A+, and trades, where they also scored an A+. That’s been the story of the Bill Zito era.
Since taking over as president of hockey operations and general manager, Zito has made the Panthers one of the league’s boldest front offices, and the results have shown up in these surveys before. Florida finished first in 2024 and 2025 after its back-to-back Stanley Cups, and it stayed near the top this time around.
The latest example came this summer, when Zito pulled off another major move by trading for Brady Tkachuk. It followed the blockbuster deal that brought Matthew Tkachuk to South Florida after Zito was hired in 2022, and it reinforced the Panthers’ reputation for swinging big.
Brady Tkachuk arrived with plenty of production on his résumé. Since his NHL debut in 2018, the former fourth-overall pick had led the Ottawa Senators in goals with 213, assists with 463 and points with 463.
“When a player of Brady’s stature, ability and, most importantly, character becomes available, you do what you can to try and acquire players like that and fit them into the group,” Zito said.
The trade fit the larger pattern. Zito has built a reputation for making aggressive moves, but he has also worked to keep the core intact by locking up Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Gustav Forsling and others to long-term contracts.
That combination - the big swings and the long-term commitment - is why one fan summed it up this way: “Bill Zito is the embodiment of what makes a great GM today,” one fan wrote of the Panthers. “Never complacent and always willing to make a move.”
In Other News...
One Panthers Veteran Is Suddenly Tied To Torontos Biggest Questions
Torontos offseason has already turned into an exercise in accountability after a disappointing follow-up to its playoff run, with the usual spotlight landing on the players who shape the ceiling and the blame. Morgan Riellys defensive issues have become part of the conversation, Auston Matthews remains the face of the results, and the front office has clearly signaled change with new management, a new head coach and the first overall pick of Gavin McKenna.
One familiar name from the Panthers recent past has now been pulled into that conversation, too, because the questions in Toronto are no longer limited to what went wrong last season. The debate now stretches to whether a veteran presence the Maple Leafs once had reason to study closely can still be part of the answer, or whether his uneven regular-season track record means Toronto will keep looking for a different kind of stability as it tries to reset. [Read more 🡒]
Former Panthers Still Loom As Bill Zito Weighs Final Depth Moves
Bill Zito has already done plenty of familiar business this summer, bringing back former Panthers Jacob Markstrom, Radko Gudas and Alexander Petrovic as Florida edges toward another season with a roster that still has a little room to maneuver. The cap situation is tight, but there is still a sense the front office could add a few more pieces before training camp, and the names still floating around the market help explain why the Panthers have kept an eye on the veteran pool.
Several ex-Panthers remain in different stages of limbo, from players who have already moved on to others whose next NHL stop is far from settled. Vladimir Tarasenko is the most prominent of that group, while Reilly Smith, James Reimer, Jeff Petry and Mike Reilly also remain without a clear landing spot as the league inches closer to camp, leaving Floridas old connections very much in play even as the roster picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Marchand Is Already Stirring Up A Rivalry Panthers Fans Love
Brad Marchand is already finding ways to stay in the middle of the conversation, even while he deals with a recent surgery that could leave his availability for training camp uncertain. The veteran winger has long made a habit of getting under opponents skin, and this latest bit of offseason theater fit right into the reputation he built over years of hard-edged hockey.
Marchands latest target was Toronto forward William Nylander, whose offseason strength-training photo drew a sarcastic social media response and added another small chapter to a rivalry that has already had plenty of bite. The Panthers will not see the Maple Leafs until December 3, but if Marchand is healthy by then, Florida fans already know the tone he tends to bring when the two sides finally line up again. [Read more 🡒]