If you look at the history of recent Stanley Cup winners in the NHL, there's a direct correlation between the champions and general managers making bold moves.
Kelly McCrimmon of the Golden Knights, Joe Sakic of the Avalanche, and Julien BriseBois of the Lightning are all examples of GMs who went out and upgraded their team by whatever means necessary. That may have come through free agency, through trades, or through waiver wire pickups.
You can now add Florida general manager Bill Zito to that list.
For the first time in franchise history, the Panthers are Stanley Cup champions. After falling short in the 2023 final against the Golden Knights, Matthew Tkachuk and Co. knocked off the Oilers in seven games, securing the Stanley Cup's first trip to South Beach.
Paul Maurice's crew was dominant in its run through the 2024 playoffs. There is plenty of praise to go around the locker room, but one of the biggest reasons why the Panthers were in that position was Zito's management. He made a number of transactions that other general managers might have shied away from, but they ultimately resulted in a championship roster.
Tkachuk's acquisition is one such trade, but what are some of the other significant moves made by Zito? Here's a look at six moves that led to the creation of the Panthers' 2024 championship roster.
How Bill Zito built the Panthers' 2024 championship roster
Matthew Tkachuk trade
This two-year run of dominance by the Panthers directly correlates to the trade for Matthew Tkachuk — and it's no coincidence.
The NHL is not known for trading multiple All-Stars in a deal like in other leagues. Typically, it's one big name going one way, with a package of picks and prospects going the other. That is, unless Bill Zito making the deal.
The Florida GM stunned the hockey world in the summer of 2022 when he sent 100-point winger Jonathan Huberdeau and star defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Flames in a package for winger Matthew Tkachuk. Huberdeau was coming off a season where he finished fifth in MVP voting, and Weegar had his best season to date. However, with both players in line for extensions, Zito opted to flip them to the Flames for the rights to sign Tkachuk, who had requested out of Calgary. Zito then gave him an eight-year extension with the Panthers.
Panthers receive
- F Matthew Tkachuk
- 2025 conditional fourth-round draft pick
Flames receive:
- F Jonathan Huberdeau
- D MacKenzie Weegar
- F Cole Schwindt
- 2025 conditional first-round pick
There was some debate at the time as to which side came out on top, but it's clear now that Florida won the deal. After finishing as a finalist for MVP last year, Tkachuk led the team in goals (11), assists (13), and points (24) during the 2023 postseason. He followed that up with a 22-point performance in the 2024 playoffs, finishing in a tie for first with Aleksander Barkov on the team.
Simply put, Tkachuk is built for playoff hockey. He's the perfect mix of skill and physicality, as he's an absolute pain to play along the boards and in front of the net, but he also has that offensive touch to burn you on the scoreboard. At 26, he's only just entering his prime, and he's not leaving the Panthers anytime soon.
MORE: Explaining the relationship between Matthew Tkachuk and Jayson Tatum
Sergei Bobrovsky signing
OK, this one carries an asterisk with it. When the Panthers signed Sergei Bobrovsky, Dale Tallon was the general manager at the time. So, while Zito can't claim credit for the signing, he can be given kudos for not moving on from Bobrvosky when some thought he should.
In the summer of 2019, the Panthers needed to find a new starting goaltender. Roberto Luongo was set to retire after a second stint with the organization, and the team had no up-and-coming prospects ready in the system.
Enter Bobrovsky.
The Russian goaltender had just helped the Blue Jackets to a second-round appearance in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, but he was not interested in signing a deal to stay in Columbus.
It was expected that he would land a lucrative deal given his impressive resume consisting of two Vezina Trophies, but the hockey world was a bit taken aback when Florida inked him to a seven-year, $70 million contract — the second-highest AAV in the league behind the Canadiens' Carey Price ($10.5 million). His deal would take him to his age-38 season, which is not as big of a deal for goaltenders as opposed to skaters, but even so, Bobrovsky was known to be a bit inconsistent and that was a lot of money to commit to a goaltender entering his 30s.
Sergei Bobrovsky contract details
| Year | Salary | Cap Hit |
| 2019 | $11.5 million | $10 million |
| 2020 | $12 million | $10 million |
| 2021 | $12 million | $10 million |
| 2022 | $12 million | $10 million |
| 2023 | $10 million | $10 million |
| 2024 | $6.5 million | $10 million |
| 2025 | $6 million | $10 million |
The deal was trending toward being a major mistake given Bobrovsky's performances his first four seasons with the team, but he turned it on last postseason and was a major factor in Florida's Stanley Cup run.
He picked up right where he left off for 2023-24, recording a 2.37 GAA and .915 save percentage in the regular season — his best numbers as a Panther — and was even better this postseason. The Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe wins solidified his case for the Hall of Fame and made the massive contract absolutely worth it for Florida.
MORE: Why do Panthers fans throw rats on the ice?
Gustav Forsling waiver pickup
There may be no greater waiver wire pickup in the history of the NHL than Gustav Forsling.
The defenseman bounced around organizations to start his career. He was drafted by the Canucks in 2014, but he never played a game for the organization. After three years in Chicago going back and forth between the Blackhawks and the AHL, he was traded to Carolina, but he never suited up for the Hurricanes.
After a year with Carolina's AHL affiliate, the Canes placed him on waivers before the 2020-21 season, and the Panthers put a claim in for him. It's a move that cost the team nothing, but little did they know, they were adding someone who would blossom into one of the best two-way defensemen in the league.
Forsling has been a perfect partner for the more offensive-minded Aaron Ekblad. The Swede simply does not make mistakes in his own zone, constantly being in the right spot to disrupt plays with his stick. He doesn't shy away from jumping up and contributing offensively, highlighted by his 13 points this postseason.
The Panthers rewarded him with an eight-year, $46 million extension this season, and it already looks like a bargain deal. He's the team's best blue liner, and at 28, he is going to be a menace for years to come.
Carter Verheaghe signing
When Carter Verhaeghe won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020, it was as an extra forward. He posted 13 points in 52 games during the regular season as a bottom-six forward, and he played in just eight games during Tampa Bay's run to the finals, recording just two assists.
So, when the Lightning opted not to give Verhaeghe a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, no one really batted an eye. When the Panthers signed him to a two-year, $2 million deal that offseason, it was viewed as a decent depth move at forward.
He turned out to be much more than that.
Verhaeghe has become a legitimate, top-six sniper for the Panthers who comes alive in the postseason. He scored the OT winner against the Capitals in 2022 to give the Panthers their first playoff series win since 1996, and then stunned the record-setting Bruins in the first round in 2023 with his Game 7 overtime winner, completing the Panthers' 3-1 series comeback.
This regular season, the winger had 34 tucks, then led the Panthers in scoring with 11 goals in the 2024 playoffs. Now, he's a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
MORE: Why is it called the Stanley Cup?
Sam Bennett trade
Tkachuk isn't the only former Flame who contributed to the 2024 Stanley Cup for the Panthers. Before Tkachuk was acquired in 2022, Sam Bennett was brought in by Florida in a 2021 deal with Calgary.
Bennett never truly found his footing with the Flames. A rotating cast of linemates did not help, but the No. 4 pick from 2014 didn't live up to expectations in Calgary. As a result, he was sent to the Panthers in April 2021 for prospect Emil Heineman and a second-round pick.
Panthers receive
- F Sam Bennett
- 2022 sixth-round pick
Flames receive:
- F Emil Heineman
- 2022 second-round pick
It's always good to add a little bit of nasty to a lineup, and that's exactly what Bennett brought to the Panthers. The all-around forward took a year to find a role, but he eventually slotted in as a middle-six center. Since then, he's recorded three consecutive seasons with at least 40 points, and he was excellent the past two postseasons.
The center finished the 2024 playoffs with 14 points in 19 games. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team despite missing five games with an injury.
Sam Reinhart trade
In the same offseason that the Panthers acquired Bennett, they also traded for another Sam taken at the top of the 2014 NHL Draft — Sam Reinhart. Florida brought in the No. 2 pick in a deal with the Sabres, giving the team another well-rounded forward with high offensive upside.
Panthers receive
- F Sam Reinhart
Flames receive:
- G Devon Levi
- 2022 first-round pick
Reinhart had posted four seasons with at least 20 goals, but the Sabres needed assets to assist their rebuild. Picking up a first-round pick and one of the top goaltending prospects in Devon Levi was too good to pass on, and Buffalo got younger with the deal.
On the other side, it turns out that Florida got a 50-goal scorer.
MORE: What teams have never won a Stanley Cup?
Bennett's production immediately improved on a much more talented Panthers roster. He has hit at least 30 goals in his first three seasons with Florida, including a 57-goal campaign this regular season that came out of nowhere. His nine goals in the 2024 playoffs were only second to Verhaeghe, and he finished fifth in points with 15.
Reinhart is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he's in line for a massive payday after his monstrous season. Naturally, the Panthers are expected to do everything they can to keep him in Sunrise. With that said, if this is the end for Reinhart, he was a major cog in bringing a Stanley Cup to Florida.
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