Panthers GM Bill Zito drops truth bomb on team’s trade deadline plan

After marching all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last June and coming within three wins of an inaugural championship, the Florida Panthers are back looking like one of the league’s best teams in 2023-24.

And they just usurped the Vancouver Canucks for the top spot in ClutchPoints’ weekly NHL Power Rankings.

But despite the recent success — the Cats have won six in a row and nine of 10 to vault into first place in the Eastern Conference — general manager Bill Zito is taking a more reserved approach to the Mar. 8 NHL Trade Deadline.

Zito confirmed to the “Got Yer Back” podcast with Ryan Rishaug on Wednesday that the team will be “very, very cautious and frugal” ahead of the deadline. He also made it clear that he is happy with the roster as currently constructed.

“Our bunch of guys, it’s a unique team. They get along. They have empathy for each other. They care about each other,” Zito told Rishaug.

“You hear that a lot in sports, particularly when teams are winning. But in this instance, it goes beyond. It’s very, very important. Without it, we wouldn’t have success. So, yeah, it’s something that we pay particular attention to and are ever mindful of it now as we head down the home stretch.”

Panthers looking like the exact same team that marched to the SCF

Nearly two full months into 2024, this is almost a mirror of the roster that went to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, with a few important added pieces like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz and Evan Rodrigues.

The team is first in the NHL in points percentage (.696), and are looking like a regular-season juggernaut. That was missing last year; Florida barely advanced to the postseason before going on a cinderella run.

This time around, it’s a powerhouse — and Bill Zito knows it. But he also knows that good players aren’t easy to acquire.

“Top-nine forwards tend not to be cheap,” the longtime executive asserted. “I made a joke to somebody: I need to buy an Armani suit, but I can’t really go to Madison Avenue. I have to wait until it gets to T.J. Maxx.”

The Panthers are certainly good enough to go on another run as currently constructed, and it’ll be intriguing to see if the GM adds another piece ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.