Just days after bringing star forward Brady Tkachuk to Florida, the Panthers ventured into the trade market for another offensive player on Thursday, June 25. They acquired “gritty winger” Garnet Hathaway and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft as part of a trade deal from the Philadelphia Flyers.

On their official X account, the Florida Panthers confirmed the move while revealing the future considerations given to the fellow Eastern Conference side in return.

The Flyers received a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the trade deal.

“Garnet is a physical and highly competitive player who will complement our group well,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said after adding the 34-year-old American to their roster, per the team's official website. “We're excited to add his veteran presence to our group for the upcoming season.”

Notably, as per the report published on the Panthers' official website, Philadelphia is set to retain 50% of the current contract of Hathaway despite trading him to Florida. He had signed a two-year, $4.8 million contract on July 1, 2024, with the Flyers, which began in the 2025-26 season.

With that, just a year remains on the current contract of the Naples, Florida, native. Both franchises will be equally paying their share of $2.4 million average annual value (AAV) to him for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Moreover, if Hathaway doesn’t sign a new contract with Florida at this time next year, he will go into unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2027.

With A.J. Greer expected to depart in free agency, the Panthers ensured they would not lose their grit by acquiring Hathaway.

Garnet Hathaway’s tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers in numbers

Hathaway arrived at the Flyers ahead of the 2023-24 season after playing for three teams across eight prior seasons. He began his NHL career with the Calgary Flames after joining them as a free agent before moving to the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins.

In the 2025-26 season, Hathaway wasn’t at his best, scoring just three points for one goal and two assists in 66 games for the Flyers. He fared much better in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with two points (1G / 1A) in eight games earlier this year.

Hathaway managed to play 215 games for Philadelphia across three seasons, scoring 41 points with 18 goals and 23 assists, according to the official website of the Florida Panthers.

Apart from bringing in Hathaway and Brady Tkachuk, the Panthers also moved forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken in a trade deal on Sunday, June 21.

Will Garnet Hathaway add depth to the Florida Panthers roster on the offensive side of things? Tell us your views in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar