The reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, have strengthened their lineup with the acquisition of goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In exchange for Tarasov, Florida sent a fifth-round draft pick to Columbus, positioning Tarasov as the new backup and potential future successor to veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
Tarasov, who is 26 years old, holds restricted free agent status and, importantly, is a decade younger than Bobrovsky. Both goaltenders hail from the same Siberian hometown of Novokuznetsk, and Tarasov’s father, Vadim, was an inspiration to Bobrovsky. Columbus will receive the 160th pick in this weekend’s draft as part of the deal.
“We extend our gratitude to Daniil for his contributions over the past four years,” remarked Columbus general manager Don Waddell. He added, “He is a remarkable young man, and we wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”
With expectations that Vitek Vanecek will explore opportunities as an unrestricted free agent, Florida now focuses on trying to retain key players like playoff MVP Sam Bennett, trade-deadline acquisition Brad Marchand, and sturdy defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Further, the Panthers made additional roster changes, trading forward Justin Sourdif to the Washington Capitals for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Sourdif participated in four regular-season games for Florida over the last two seasons, including scoring a goal in his single appearance this season during a victory against Nashville on February 25.
Elsewhere in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild traded experienced center Freddy Gaudreau to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Gaudreau, aged 32, has three more years on his contract with a $2.1 million annual cap hit. Last season, he scored 18 goals and added 19 assists across all 82 regular-season games, though he did not score during six playoff matches with the Wild.
The draft selection from Seattle, the 102nd overall, leaves Minnesota with five picks for the weekend, though only one, at No. 52 in the second round, falls within the top 100.
In his career spanning eight NHL seasons, Gaudreau has accumulated 152 points over 410 games, including stints with Nashville and one with Pittsburgh. “Frederick is a versatile player with a strong two-way presence,” noted Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. He elaborated, “He adds depth to our center position and can contribute offensively while being reliable defensively, especially on the penalty kill. We’re thrilled to bring him aboard.”
These transactions happened shortly after Utah swung a trade to acquire two-time 25-goal scorer JJ Peterka from Buffalo in exchange for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring. The NHL’s trading activities are expected to continue with the first round of the draft set for Friday night, followed by Rounds 2-7 on Saturday.