“It’s a dream come true.”
That’s what Bill Zito said during his introductory press conference on Sept. 2, 2020.
Flash forward four years later and it feels like we’re all still dreaming.
Needing just four seasons to turn the Florida Panthers into Stanley Cup champions, Zito and his talented staff have played a huge role in pulling off one of the most impressive turnarounds in the NHL.
Prior to his arrival, the Panthers had made the postseason only twice in the previous eight seasons and had not won a round since 1996. Since then, the franchise has made two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, including bringing Lord Stanley to South Florida for the first time.
He’s also helped bring two division titles, two conference championships and a Presidents’ Trophy.
“He's done an unbelievable job here,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said in April.
On the fourth anniversary of his hiring, here’s some key numbers from his time at the helm.
61: Playoff games since Zito’s arrival. No team has seen more action in the postseason than the Panthers since 2020. In that stretch, they also lead the NHL in playoff wins (35).
101: Even-strength goals for Carter Verhaeghe. One of Zito’s earliest signings ended up being one of the biggest. In the four seasons since he joined joined Florida as a free agent in 2020, the sniper leads the team and ranks eighth in the NHL in goals at even strength.
+133: Forsling’s plus/minus since 2020-21. One of the greatest waiver-wire additions in NHL history, the smooth-skating Swede has quickly evolved into one of the best defenders in the NHL since Zito claimed him from the Hurricanes on Jan. 9, 2021. In the four seasons that have followed, Forsling ranks second in the NHL with a +133 ratings, including a league-best +56 during his breakout 2023-24 campaign.
2020: Zito’s first draft after joining the Panthers. Despite the quick turnaround from being hired to being on the clock, Zito and his staff really did amazing work. In addition to nailing their selection of budding star Anton Lundell in the first round, several other selections were also used to execute future important moves. Emil Heineman (second round) was part of the trade that brought in Sam Bennett from the Flames, while Devon Levi (seventh round) was used in the trade that landed Sam Reinhart. Additionally, Justin Sourdif (third round) made his NHL debut with the Panthers this past season and remains a very promising young prospect.
57: Goals for Reinhart in 2023-24. Not since Pavel Bure have the Panthers had a player fill up the back of the net like Reinhart did this past season. In addition to his 57 goals, which were the second-most in the NHL, he also set a franchise record and led the league with 27 power-play goals. Another win the trade column for Zito, Reinhart has scored 121 goals in three seasons since being acquired from Buffalo, not including his game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers.
46: Playoff points for Matthew Tkachuk. Zito was just two years into his time with the Panthers when he pulled off one of the wildest trades in NHL history, sending franchise mainstays Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar to Calgary in exchanged for Tkachuk. Eyeing up that curveball and hitting it straight out of the park, the move has already proven to be franchise-altering for Florida. While Tkachuk ranks eighth in the NHL in scoring with 197 points (66 goals, 131 assists) during his first two seasons with the Panthers, it’s his work in the playoffs that really stands out. Over the past two seasons, his 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) are the most in the playoffs by any player not from Edmonton. In that same time, he also ranks second in game-winning goals (7), including netting two during this past season’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. Fortune favors the bold, they say.
3: Nominations for GM of the Year. Earning recognition from his peers, Zito has been honored as a finalist for the Jim Gregory Award in three of his four seasons with Florida. In addition to all the hardware he’s helped bring the franchise – including the Stanley Cup – the Panthers rank fifth in the NHL in wins since he took over, posting a 189-88-22 record.
2.41: Goals allowed per game in 2023-24. In his second season behind the bench, Paul Maurice’s system could really be enjoyed from start to finish with the Panthers. An elite forechecking team with speed to burn, they finished tied for first in the NHL with just 198 goals allowed during the regular season. In addition to all the player-related moves that have gone down under Zito, the hiring of Maurice was also an incredible decision that can't be overlooked.
7: Points for Evan Rodrigues in the Stanley Cup Final. After coming up just short and losing in the Final in 2023, Zito made several shrewd moves last summer to get the team over the hump, including bringing in veterans Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, Anthony Stolarz and Kevin Stenlund to shore up the team’s defense, goaltending and penalty kill. But it was the four-year contract he handed out to Rodrigues that felt particularly good in the playoffs. Playing a huge role in helping the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, the versatile veteran led the team in goals (4) and points (7) against the Oilers in the Final, including notching the primary assist on Verhaeghe’s opening goal in the decisive Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena.
4: The number of eight-year deals that Zito has inked in his tenure with the Panthers. While Zito and his staff have found great success turning bargain-bin players into gamebreakers, they’ve also been incredibly smart with their big bucks. Since Zito took over, the Panthers have signed Aleksander Barkov, Tkachuk, Forsling and Reinhart to impressive eight-year contracts. In NHL Network’s preseason position rankings, all four players were counted among the best in the league at their respective spots. Thanks to these deals, all four stars will spend their prime years with the Panthers.
1: Stanley Cup. It took 30 years, but here we are! What’s left to say?
