Binnington a target for the Panthers? — The Fourth Period
The Florida Panthers have more cooking after acquiring star Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
With just over $7 million in salary cap space, Panthers GM Bill Zito is exploring his options to see how he will round out the rest of his roster, including finding a goaltender to backstop the team in 2026-27.
Talks continue between the Panthers and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, but so far it seems like he may be heading to unrestricted free agency, which would result in the Panthers having to find a new netminder elsewhere.
As TFP’s David Pagnotta first reported back in May, the Panthers have kicked the tires on Winnipeg Jets star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but after adding Tkachuk, another major blockbuster might not be in the cards.
However, Zito is also believed to have interest in St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who is entering the final year of his contract.
Binnington, 32, will see his six-year, $36 million contract expire at the end of next season. He owns a 10-team no-trade list, as part of his deal, and the Blues are exploring their options.
The Stanley Cup champion may be the out man out in St. Louis as the club retools and seems to be eager to move ahead with Joel Hofer in net.
If the Panthers need to free up additional salary cap space, they could move forward Evan Rodrigues, who has a $3.075 million cap hit and is also entering the last year of his contract.
The Panthers aren’t the lone team reportedly eyeing Binnington, as he has also been linked to the Edmonton Oilers, while teams like the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs are reevaluating their respective goaltending position.
