The Florida Panthers have locked up the final arbitration case of the offseason, reaching a two-year agreement with goaltender Akira Schmid worth $4 million, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal carries a $2 million annual average value, and the hearing that had been set for August 1 is now off the table.
Schmid, 26, steps into a reshaped Panthers crease that looks very different heading into the 2026-27 season. Florida leaned on Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov last year, but the results didn’t meet expectations. Now the club is set to move forward with Jacob Markstrom and Schmid as its new tandem.
For now, Schmid is expected to open the season as Markstrom’s backup, unless something changes dramatically. He’s coming off the busiest season of his NHL career, posting a 16-10-6 record in 34 games with a .893 save percentage and a 2.59 goals-against average in his second year with the Vegas Golden Knights.
That season came with unusual circumstances. Vegas waited several weeks for Carter Hart to make his debut, and Adin Hill was sidelined for a long stretch with a groin injury, which pushed Schmid into a larger role than he had seen before.
Before his time in Vegas, Schmid spent his NHL years with the New Jersey Devils, where he mostly worked as the team’s third-string goalie. He finished his Devils stint with a 14-18-3 record in 43 games, along with a .899 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average.
Even with the backup label attached to him right now, Schmid’s role in Florida isn’t locked in stone. Markstrom is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career and is no longer getting younger. If he stumbles early the way he did last season with New Jersey, the Panthers could quickly hand Schmid a bigger opportunity in goal.
In Other News...
Brady Tkachuk Is Already Embracing The Panthers Physical Identity
Brady Tkachuk is wasting no time leaning into what Florida wants to be. The forward has added MMA work to his offseason routine, a sign that he is preparing for the kind of aggressive, physically demanding hockey that has long defined the Panthers when they are at their best. It is a familiar fit for a player who has built his reputation on edge and contact, even if the way he delivers that edge has shifted a bit over the years.
What makes the training stand out is who Tkachuk has been working with, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov. The sessions underscore how seriously he is approaching this next chapter, and they also come at a time when his fighting frequency has dipped compared with earlier seasons. For Florida, the encouraging part is less about the optics of the workouts and more about what they suggest he is trying to bring back to his game. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Add Two Forwards As One Charlotte Battle Takes Shape
The Charlotte Checkers added a pair of forwards this week, bringing in Riley Hughes and Philip Tresca on AHL contracts as they continue to shape the roster around players who can handle both depth minutes and the grind of a long season. Hughes, 26, is back in familiar territory after previous AHL and ECHL experience, giving Charlotte a player the staff already knows well as it sorts out its forward mix for 2026.
Tresca brings a different kind of intrigue. The 24-year-old Harvard graduate is stepping into pro hockey for the first time, and his path could start in the ECHL before he gets a chance to push for an AHL job. For a Panthers organization that leans on Charlotte to develop and evaluate options, the battle for those roster spots is already taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Just Reinforced A Crucial Part Of Their Prospect Pipeline
The Panthers quietly strengthened an important part of their development ladder by extending their ECHL affiliation with Savannah for three more years, keeping a familiar landing spot in place for players who need pro minutes and a clearer path up the organization. Savannah has already become a useful stop in Floridas system, and the partnership gives the Panthers more stability as they continue sorting out how to move prospects from junior hockey and college into the pro game.
For a team that leans heavily on pipeline depth, that kind of continuity matters almost as much as any headline move. Savannah has already hosted several Panthers prospects, and the extension ensures that the organization can keep using that affiliate as a place to evaluate young players, build habits, and bridge the gap between development and the NHL chase. [Read more 🡒]