The Florida Panthers, knee-deep into reshaping their roster this offseason, landed Brady Tkachuk in one of the NHL's biggest trades.

Adding to this, on Sunday, June 28, they even acquired the negotiating rights to veteran defenseman Radko Gudas from the Anaheim Ducks. This was in exchange for the rights to forward A.J. Greer.

The Gudas deal gives the Panthers some time to negotiate a new contract before free agency opens on July 1. The 36-year-old is familiar with South Florida. He previously spent three seasons with the Panthers and helped them reach the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, playing in 37 postseason games. 

The decision was announced in a post on X by the Panthers' official account on June 29.

Wrapping up the Panthers' chapter, Gudas signed with Anaheim in 2023 and spent two seasons there as the team captain. He played 56 games with the Ducks last season, scoring 13 points and leading all Anaheim defensemen with 164 hits.

Brady's arrival came a week earlier in a huge deal with the Ottawa Senators. Florida sent the ninth and 25th picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in 2029, and a 2027 second-round pick. He, who captained Ottawa for five seasons, scored 59 points in 60 regular-season games last year and has two seasons remaining on his $8.2 million AAV contract. 

Brady will now share the locker room with his brother Matthew, who has been with Florida since 2022. Gudas and Brady Tkachuk are known across the league for their similar hard styles. They are now added to a roster that already features Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand.

With this, fans are now hyped up about the Panthers' upcoming season.

Fans are pumped up with Florida's decision after adding Radko Gudas

The fans on social media reacted strongly to the lineup in the comments of the post by the Panthers on X.

"Wow, you guys are trying to collect all the most hated players in the league." The fans discussed how the Panthers are intentionally targeting players known for their hard physical styles.

"This is going to be a very nasty team to play against. Paul better get the PK in tip-top shape," another fan commented. It was assumed that the head coach, Paul Maurice, planned to get more physical players on the ice to keep up with the critical play against such hard players.

"Zito - I double-double dare you to f*** with us. As Bennett said, 'we do whatever the f*** we want,'"read another comment. This is a reference to Sam Bennett's infamous quote from Florida's back-to-back Cup run. This is also an ode to how the Panthers built their reputation by playing hard.

"Florida strategy for 26-27: 'we can't lose any games if all the other teams are dead,'" wrote another fan. This was one fan's take on how physical Florida is expected to be with Brady Tkachuk now, with Gudas potentially returning.

“They really just wanna bully the league, huh? Marchand, the Tkachuks, Bennett, now Gudas, goodness gracious, lol,” a fan gave a rundown of the lineup.

Gudas' physical style, shot-blocking ability, and relentless effort played a key role in helping Florida reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 before he left for Anaheim in free agency.

What do you think of the Panthers' latest decision to add him again? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar