After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups and reaching three straight Finals, the Florida Panthers took a step back this season. An aging roster, years of deep playoff runs, and numerous injuries, including captain Aleksander Barkov missing the entire season, led to the team’s first playoff miss since 2019.
Now, with an unusually long offseason ahead, Panthers GM Bill Zito faces an important summer as he works to retool the roster and get the team back into contention. While trade speculation has linked Florida to a $36 million Team Canada champion, one NHL insider believes there is a major obstacle to getting a deal done.
Panthers Face Snag in Bid for $36M Star
The player at the center of the speculation is St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has one year left on his six-year, $36 million contract.
With young goalie Joel Hofer emerging as the Blues’ future starter, many around the league believe Binnington could be available in a trade.
Binnington enters the 2026-27 season carrying a $6 million cap hit in the final year of his contract. His trade protection also becomes less restrictive on July 1, dropping from a 14-team no-trade list to a 10-team list, giving Blues GM Doug Armstrong greater flexibility to explore potential deals.
That has led to an interesting proposal: St. Louis trades Binnington with 50 percent salary retained, along with the No. 29 pick, to Florida in exchange for the No. 9 pick.
According to insider Jeremy Rutherford, it’s a proposal that has merit for both teams, but also one major flaw. “This is interesting because I could see it making a lot of sense for both sides, and I could see both sides hesitating,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford explained that acquiring the No. 9 pick would give St. Louis four first-round selections (Nos. 9, 11, 15 and 29), but it would also leave the Blues searching for a reliable backup goalie behind Hofer.
For Florida, Binnington could serve as the successor to pending unrestricted free agent Sergei Bobrovsky. However, Rutherford believes the Panthers would struggle to justify paying such a steep price for a goalie with only one year remaining on his deal.
“With Binnington, the Panthers would have a netminder to replace pending unrestricted free agent Sergei Bobrovsky. But with Binnington having just one season left on his contract, they likely wouldn’t do that at the expense of the No. 9 pick,” Rutherford added.
There’s also the financial factor. Extending 32-year-old Jordan Binnington could require a major commitment, something the Panthers may be reluctant to do as they look to get younger and retool the roster.
ALSO READ: Florida Panthers Trade Rumors: Stanley Cup Champion Forward On His Way Out
Ultimately, the Blues want to maximize Binnington’s trade value, while Florida needs a proven goalie to replace Sergei Bobrovsky. But giving up a top-10 pick for just one year of Binnington may be a price the Panthers aren’t willing to pay.
