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The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects! Every day in August, we will be bringing you a complete breakdown of a team’s draft and insights into their off-season movements thus far. Following this up in September, we will dive into every team’s prospect depth chart with fantasy insights and implications for the upcoming seasons. Check back often because we plan on filling your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season long!

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By: James Connelly

It is hard to believe that just over a month ago, the Florida Panthers took home their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. While it was a little more uncomfortable near the end than it could have been, I’m sure the Panthers would not change a thing about their 2024 Stanley Cup run.

Less than a week after winning the Cup, the Panthers front office was in Vegas at the Sphere and already back to business at the 2024 NHL draft. Then, just a couple of days later, free agency opened up where we saw some familiar faces depart, like Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Vladimir Tarasenko, but also got to see some underrated talent come to South Beach, like Adam and Jesper Bovist, Nate Schmidt, and 2024 draft pick Linus Eriksson.

Most importantly, the Panthers retained 57-goal scorer Sam Reinhart which helps their odds at back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Panthers will have most of their core intact for the foreseeable future and will look to remain perennial Stanley Cup contenders.

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NHL Draft Recap

Round 2, 58th overall – Linus Eriksson, C

Starting off the Panther’s draft picks, GM Bill Zito traded the final pick in the 2024 draft and a second-round pick next year for the 58th overall pick where they took Swedish centerman Linus Eriksson. Ranked 35th overall by DobberProspects and 10th among international skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Eriksson was an incredible value pick.

Splitting time between the J20 Nationell and Hockey Allsvenskan (the Swedish AHL), Eriksson proved worthy of professional competition. When the U18s came around in the spring, Eriksson captained Team Sweden and led them to a Bronze Medal. In this tournament, he showed his playmaking upside, tacking six assists through seven games and finishing with seven points in seven games.

Eriksson will likely spend the entirety of next season in the Allsvenskan with Djurgardens IF, a program that has produced many recent top picks like Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Liam Ohgren, and Noah Ostlund, and will have a solid shot at representing Sweden on the international stage at the U20 World Junior Championships.

In the long term, Eriksson projects as a high-end third-line center who improves his linemates and shuts down the opposing team’s top lines. There is a chance that Eriksson outperforms this projection, but we will need to see how he performs over the coming seasons. Expect to see him in the NHL in either 2026 or 2027.

Round 3, 97th overall – Matvei Shuravin, D

With their second selection, the Panthers set their sights on 6-4 mobile defenseman Matvei Shuravin. Some were surprised that Shuravin was available at 97, given how he fits the prototypical NHL defenseman: a big man who can skate well. A potential reason why Shuravin fell to 97 was because he struggled with his health, playing in only 38 total games last year. However, when he did play, he spent a healthy chunk of his time in the KHL and VHL, which is an encouraging sign for any first-year draft-eligible defenseman.

Shuravin’s game is projectable to the NHL level, given his skating and physicality, but his upside is not the highest due to a weaker shot and suspect passing game. His suspect passing ability limits his transition game, but it could be ironed out in his two seasons left overseas.

Shuravin is under contract in Russia till 2026 but once his contract ends, he should likely come over to North America to either play with the Checkers or the Panthers in 2026-27. If he fills out to his potential, expect somebody who can play on the second or third pair and chip in on the penalty kill.

Round 4, 129th overall – Simon Zether, C

Heading back to Sweden for their third pick, the Panthers took a high-floor bet on centerman Simon Zether. After dominating the J20 Nationell, posting a blistering 1.5 points per game, Zether got the call-up to the SHL, where he did not look out of place for the most part. Zether’s game is already quite refined for an 18-year-old, with him excelling in the defensive zone.

When he made the jump to the SHL, Zether’s scoring fell off. Through 42 games, he had only four points, all of which were assists. Like Shuravin, Zether is under contract until 2026 and will continue developing his game overseas. Next year, He will be on loan with Vasteras IK of the Hockey Allsvenskan, where he will certainly get more ice time than he got in the SHL and will hopefully prove his scoring is translatable against men.

The major caveat with Zether’s game is his subpar skating, but by taking two years to develop in Sweden, Zether could get average skating, which solidifies his likelihood of making the NHL. Zether will likely become a physical bottom-six forward at the NHL level but could bring more offensively, which could lead him to add 30+ assists a year in his prime.

Round 6, 169th overall – Stepan Gorbunov, C

Gorbunov did not get much noise in the public scouting sphere during the 2023-24 campaign. However, he is the type of prospect that NHL teams like, with Gorbunov admitting in an interview that he communicated with eight teams during the draft process but ultimately landed in Florida, the team he wanted to go to the most.

Gorbunov is one of the youngest players of the draft class and spent time both at center and at defense proving he is still finding his footing. While he is awfully raw, the Panthers see some upside in Gorbunov and think he is a nice upside bet.

At 6-5, Gorbunov is hard to miss on the ice. This upcoming year will likely see him take on a larger role with his MHL club and potentially even get a call-up to the VHL or KHL if all goes well. He is a long way away from the NHL, but the Panthers certainly see some notable upside.

Round 6, 193rd overall – Hunter St. Martin, LW

After going undrafted in his first year of eligibility, St. Martin made the most of his second year and earned a draft pick late on day two. Scoring 24 goals and 52 points, St. Martin played on lines with some of the most skilled players in the WHL: Cayden Lindstrom (2024 4th overall pick), Andrew Basha (2024 41st overall pick), and Gavin McKenna (top prospect for the 2026 draft), and did not look out of place.

It takes skill to play with skill, and St. Martin is one of the best examples of this. While he brings many traits of a typical bottom-six forward, St. Martin also has some solid offensive upside. Next year, he will look to dominate in the WHL alongside his top teammates and prove that 2023-24 was not a fluke.

St. Martin projects as a bottom-six or middle-six forward down the road and could play up in a lineup if called upon. A hard worker, St. Martin will make the most of this opportunity with the Panthers and hopefully prove their scouting staff right. The best-case scenario would be a Tyler Bertuzzi-level player.

Round 7, 201st overall – Denis Gabdrakhmanov, G

Gabdrakhmanov was the Panthers’ final selection in the 2024 draft. Gabdrakhmanov played in 40 games with Tyumenski Legion of the MHL, which was tied for the league lead, and produced solid numbers with a .924 save percentage and a 2.55 GAA.

The Panthers have their goaltending excellence department and have targeted high-upside, under-the-radar netminders who could potentially become top netminders in the NHL.

Time will tell what the Panthers have with Gabdrakhmanov, but at 201, if he makes the NHL, it is a steal of a pick.

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Offseason Moves

Incoming

Tomas Nosek signed a one-year contract

Jesper Boqvist signed a one-year contract

AJ Greer signed a two-year contract

MacKenzie Entwistle signed a one-year contract

Nate Schmidt signed a one-year contract

Jaycob Megna signed a one-year contract

Adam Boqvist signed a one-year contract

Chris Driedger signed a one-year contract

Outgoing

Brandon Montour, UFA

Vladimir Tarasenko, UFA

Anthony Stolarz, UFA

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, UFA

Ryan Lomberg, UFA

Kevin Stenlund, UFA

Re-Signed

Sam Reinhart re-signed to an eight-year contract

Anton Lundell re-signed to a six-year contract

Dmitry Kulikov re-signed to a four-year contract

Patrik Giles re-signed to a two-year contract

Rasmus Asplund re-signed to a one-year contract

Matt Kiersted re-signed to a one-year contract

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Development Camp

Development camp was underway from July 8th to 11th, which was both later and shorter relative to other NHL organizations, but the Panther’s prospects made the most out of the camp. Between lengthy sessions on the ice, the players participated in team-building exercises like deep sea fishing.

Having watched the scrimmage, here are some of my notes that I posted throughout the game. Unfortunately, footage from the scrimmage is no longer available online.

The standouts from the scrimmage were Gracyn Sawchyn, Oliver Okuliar, Mikulas Hovorka, Josh Davies, and Jack Devine. Each showed why they have significant NHL upside and could all one day suit up for Florida.

The Panthers also brought in loads of free-agent prospects, however, none of the invitees earned a contract with the Panthers yet.

Overall, it seems like the development camp went quite well for the Panthers, all things considered. The turnaround from the Stanley Cup victory to the draft to free agency to development camp happened quite quickly and likely took a bit of a toll on the Panthers staff.

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Final Thoughts

While the Panthers have not made a massive trade like the Matthew Tkachuk trade two years ago, their offseason has been quite successful thus far. They made many underrated moves that set them up to be contenders for a long time. The biggest win was Sam Reinhart re-signing at the final moment, while the biggest inevitable loss was Brandon Montour, who got $50 million on the open market from Seattle.

At the end of the day, the Florida Panthers are the 2024 Stanley Cup champions, and nobody can take that away from them. By keeping the core together, they are set up to compete for many more cups moving forward and could become the NHL’s next dynasty.

Thank you for reading! This was my first editorial for Dobber Prospects and I am looking forward to many more! You can follow me on Twitter/X for more Florida Panthers prospect updates @JamesConnelly37