3 weakest links Florida Panthers should promptly get rid of ft. Evan Rodrigues

The Florida Panthers have won back-to-back Stanley Cups and are running back a very similar roster next season.

Ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season, Florida doesn't have many holes or areas for improvement on their roster. But, there are small upgrades the Panthers could look to make.

3 Players Florida Panthers could get rid of

#1, Evan Rodrigues, LW

Evan Rodrigues is not one of the worst players on Florida, but the Panthers could look to trade him due to the salary cap.

After re-signing Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, Florida needs to clear some cap, and Rodrigues' name has come up in trade rumors.

Rodrigues is a solid middle-six forward in the NHL, and several NHL teams would be interested in him. He's earning $3 million each year for two more seasons.

Rodrigues recorded 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points.

#2, Uvis Balinskis, D

Florida added Jeff Petry in free agency to compete with Uvis Balinskis for the final spot on the blue line.

Petry would have the upper hand due to his NHL experience, so Balinskis could be someone Florida moves on from.

Balinskis skated in 76 games last season, recording 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points, but he didn't have a role in the playoffs. He's a good third-pairing defenseman who could have trade interest in the league, especially given the fact that he's making just $850,000.

#3, Jonah Gadjovich, LW

Jonah Gadjovich played a key role in the playoffs for the Florida Panthers, as he was on the fourth line, which was key to Florida's success.

However, entering the 2025-26 NHL season, Gadjovich is projected to be a healthy scratch as the fourth line will likely be Jesper Boqvist, Tomas Nosek and Mackie Samsokevich.

If Gadjovich is indeed a healthy scratch, along with AJ Greer, the team could look to trade Gadjovich, who has more trade value than Greer.

Gadjovich would be highly sought after for a bottom-six role around the NHL, and the Panthers can capitalize on that in a trade.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton