Florida Panthers Get Help on Final Night, Will Have a 2026 First-Round Draft Pick
The Florida Panthers did not win themselves out of keeping their 2026 first-round pick in the NHL draft after all. […] This article: Florida Panthers Get Help on Final Night, Will Have a 2026 First-Round Draft Pick originally appeared on Florida Hockey Now.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports The Florida Panthers did not win themselves out of keeping their 2026 first-round pick in the NHL draft after all. With the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks both winning their final games of the season on Thursday, the Panthers end with the eighth-worst record in the NHL which currently has them No.
8 in the draft order. Florida originally traded its 2026 first-round pick to the Blackhawks as part of the Seth Jones/Spencer Knight deal. But, the pick was top-10 protected.
By going into the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5 with the No. 8 pick, the Panthers can fall no lower than two spots — thereby insuring that they can only go as low as No. 10.
The Blackhawks now receive a non-protected first-round pick from the Panthers in 2027; the Boston Bruins will get the pick in 2028. The Panthers can also move up in the draft order. The NHL has changed the draft lottery over the years.