Florida Panthers Facing Difficult Ultimatum Amid Salary Cap Disaster

The past three years have been nothing short of outstanding for the Florida Panthers, as the team have made three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning back-to-back to claim their first two Stanley Cup's in franchise history.

They've done so with the deepest team in the National Hockey League in that time, and after signing Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett all to long-term deals this off-season, it appears that their success could certainly continue.

However, they are currently just under $4 million over the salary cap heading into the 2025/26 season, which has left them with a few options to get cap compliant before the season begins.

The most interesting of all would be trades, with some noting that Evan Rodrigues could be a player on the way out to make it happen, but on the other hand, Matthew Tkachuk could begin the season on Long Term Injured Reserve.

According to recent reports, Tkachuk may need surgery after battling through injuries in the post-season, and that could keep him out until at least Christmas, and while the Panthers don't want to lose their star forward, it's safe to say that it could help them with a lot of their salary issues heading into the season.

Still, this team is incredibly deep and they may potentially be able to move out a piece or two to get under the salary cap while maintaining their status as the best team in the NHL, and if there's any General Manager in the league that's capable of making the right decision to make them cap compliant, it's Bill Zito.