By wrapping up the 2019-20 regular season with a record of 35-26-8, the Panthers will enter the draft with the 12th overall pick in the first round. Overall, the organization holds eight picks in this year's draft, including a pair of valuable selections in both the third and fourth rounds on Day 2.
Last year, the Panthers scooped up top-ranked goaltender Spencer Knight with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 draft. During his freshman season at Boston College in 2019-20, the 19-year-old went 23-8-2 with a 1.97 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
Round 1 of this year's all-virtual draft will air on NBCSN and 560 WQAM in South Florida.
A full broadcast schedule for both days can be found below.
Round 1: Tuesday, Oct. 6
Television: 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Radio: 7-10 p.m. ET on 560 WQAM
Rounds 2-7: Wednesday, Oct. 7
Television: 11:30 a.m. ET on NHL Network
Radio: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET on 99.9 WKIS HD-2
What players might be available for the Panthers to select at No. 12?
Well, we here at FloridaPanthers.com recently took a look at 10 different skaters that could potentially be on the board when the Cats are on the clock in the first round, including forwards Seth Jarvis and Anton Lundell as well as defensemen Braden Schneider and Kaiden Guhle.
To read those articles and check out other draft-related content, visit
FloridaPanthers.com/DraftCentral
.
Following the draft, the Panthers will then turn their attention to updating their current roster, as the NHL's free agency period will officially open on Friday at 12 p.m. ET. Of course, both before and after this time, the roster could also be re-worked through other various trades and moves.
Keeping fans on their toes, Zito has already made a pair of trades since being hired as Florida's general manager last month. First, he acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour. Then, just last week, he continued to update the blue line when he sent defenseman Josh Brown to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a fourth-round selection in this year's draft.
What else does Zito have up his sleeves?
Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter and FloridaPanthers.com to find out!