The moment the final buzzer sounded, you could feel it — relief, joy, maybe a bit of disbelief from the Florida Panthers bench. Back-to-back Stanley Cup wins mean more than banners; they put a target on your back and send every rival scrambling to emulate your blueprint.
But as the confetti settles, new problems are already bubbling beneath the surface. Will keeping the gang together push Florida over the edge, or will tough choices force the start of a new era?
Are the Florida Panthers Dealing Away Evan Rodrigues?
Rumors keep swirling around Evan Rodrigues, but the noise just won’t seem to die down. The forward is locked in with Florida on a four-year, $12 million contract, carrying a $3 million cap hit. If the Panthers’ front office eventually decides to move the 32-year-old blueliner, there will definitely be interest out there.
As Michael DeRosa wrote for The Hockey News, “The 32-year-old is an effective veteran depth forward who can provide a bit of everything, so he would be a strong addition for a team looking to boost their offense.”
At the same time, the Panthers’ savvy navigation of the salary cap has everyone watching closely. Their use of LTIR, especially when Matthew Tkachuk landed on long-term injured reserve before the team picked up Seth Jones and Brad Marchand at the deadline, was a big story.
Tkachuk’s return for the Panthers’ first playoff game against the Tampa Bay Lightning sparked even more conversation. Starting with the 2026 playoffs, the NHL will enforce a new playoff salary cap system to crack down on these loopholes.
While all signs point to a future where trades are on the table just to keep the roster legal, NHL insider Frank Seravalli threw cold water on the idea that Rodrigues will be the sacrificial piece. According to Seravalli, the Panthers have no real desire to ship Rodrigues out. “The answer teams got when they called the Panthers about someone like Rodrigues was that they weren’t really interested in moving him.”
Frank Seravalli: Re Evan Rodrigues rumours: He’d probably be the most likely candidate [to move]; the answer…teams got when they called the Panthers about someone like Rodrigues…was that they weren’t really interested in moving him – Bleacher Report (9/2)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) September 3, 2025
Rodrigues is coming off a great season with the Panthers, and what really turned heads is how he showed up in the postseason. The winger racked up 15 points in 21 playoff games — exactly the kind of production that makes other teams take notice.
If Florida did put Rodrigues on the block, his playoff run could net the Panthers a solid return.
However, General Manager Bill Zito may not be in any hurry to watch the veteran defenseman skate in another jersey. Rodrigues has shown he can handle big moments and clearly fits with what Florida is building. Unless the cap crunch gets brutal, management would prefer to keep him right where he is.
