On June 24, 2000, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Torey and New York Islanders GM Mike Milbury completed a draft-day deal that would shape both franchises for years. Florida landed Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen, two young players who became central figures in the Panthers’ next era.
Luongo was the headliner. The 21-year-old goalie had been taken fourth overall by the Islanders in the 1997 draft, and Florida got him as the key return in the swap.
In his first Panthers stint, which ran from the 2000-01 season through 2005-06, he played 317 games and started 304 of them. He won 108 games and finished with 154 losses, 41 ties and overtime losses, along with a .920 save percentage, a 2.68 goals-against average and 26 shutouts.
He also chipped in seven assists and 12 penalty minutes.
His early years in Florida brought award recognition, too. Luongo finished ninth in Calder Trophy voting in his first season with the Panthers.
He placed third in Vezina Trophy voting in 2003-04 and seventh in 2005-06. That same 2003-04 season, he also finished sixth in Hart Trophy voting.
His impact on the franchise stretched beyond that first run. The article notes his first stint, his second go-around as a player and his current role in the front office as all part of the mark he has made on Panthers hockey.
Before becoming a pillar in Florida, though, Luongo’s time with the Islanders was brief and quiet. Drafted by New York, he played just 24 games for the club as a rookie, making 20 starts and going 7-14-1. He posted a .904 save percentage and a 3.25 goals-against average.
Jokinen also arrived in the deal after starting his NHL path with the Kings and then landing with the Islanders. The third overall pick in the 1997 draft by Los Angeles eventually spent one full season with New York before moving to Florida. With the Panthers, he became one of the defining forwards of the 2000s.
Across seven seasons in South Florida, Jokinen played 567 games and produced 188 goals and 231 assists for 418 points. He finished at minus-58 with 597 penalty minutes and averaged 19:34 of ice time per game. He was selected for one All-Star Game in 2002-03, finished eighth among center votes for the 2006-07 All-Star Game and came in 83rd in Lady Byng voting in 2007-08.
His Islanders stint was far shorter. Jokinen played a full 82-game season with New York, recording 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points, along with 44 penalty minutes and a zero plus-minus.
Florida sent two players the other way in the deal, starting with Mark Parrish. Before the trade, Parrish had already played 154 games for the Panthers, scoring 50 goals and adding 31 assists for 81 points.
He finished at minus-5 with 64 penalty minutes. During his time in Florida, he placed fourth in Calder Trophy voting in 1998-99 and had two 20-goal seasons.
He averaged 14:01 of ice time with the Panthers.
Parrish went on to produce heavily for the Islanders over parts of five seasons. In 345 games, he scored 118 goals and had 96 assists for 214 points. He finished minus-34 with 122 penalty minutes and was selected for one All-Star Game in an Islanders uniform.
The other player heading back to Long Island was Oleg Kvasha. He played 332 games for the Islanders, collecting 60 goals and 96 assists for 156 points. He finished minus-13 with 250 penalty minutes and averaged 15:02 of ice time per game.
Kvasha spent two seasons with the Panthers, appearing in 146 games and putting up 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points. He finished plus-8 with 79 penalty minutes and averaged 12:04 of ice time per game. The article frames his biggest contribution in Florida as helping bring in two of the franchise’s most important players.
More than anything, the trade is remembered in Florida for delivering Luongo and helping launch a new chapter for the Panthers. The draft-day move in 2000 altered both rosters and left a lasting imprint on each team’s path.
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