Panthers could face salary cap struggles as players return from LTIR

A cap-focused post from Armando Velez on Wednesday laid it out bluntly, new LTIR rules can leave Florida carrying a meaningful chunk of Barkov's number even while he's out. That changes every roster decision.

Barkov's cap hit is $10 million, but the updated LTIR framework limits the in-season relief for high cap-hit players expected back to roughly last year's average NHL salary, about $3.82 million.

Do the subtraction and you land right around that «$6.2 million» effective cap burden Velez referenced, which is why the Panthers still need real roster surgery, not just paperwork.

The timing is touchy because Florida is also juggling injuries elsewhere, including defenseman Seth Jones, who Maurice said will miss a couple of weeks after taking a scary collarbone-area shot in the Winter Classic. Jones leads Panthers defensemen with 24 points in 40 games and averages 23:29 a night.

Velez's main point is that placing depth pieces on LTIR can buy short-term flexibility, yet it does not solve the bigger squeeze if the club plans to activate Jones soon. Under the new structure, the margin for error is thinner than people think.

That's why you hear so much about waiver-eligible depth and paper moves, because those are the only levers left when you cannot simply «hide» a full $10 million. The Panthers already brought Cole Schwindt back into the organization this season for depth, and these are the exact stretches where that kind of player matters.

If Jones needs LTIR time, Florida can breathe for a moment, but the moment he is ready, the club has to be compliant again. The hard part is doing that without cutting into the identity that has kept them afloat through injuries.

When Matthew Tkachuk is cleared to return, the Panthers' balancing act under the salary cap will get even tighter. His full cap hit snapping back onto the books won't just be a formality, it will force Florida into real decisions.

It's the price of getting an elite power forward back in the lineup, but it also means the front office will have to be precise, because there won't be any extra cushion left once Tkachuk is active and the injury safety net disappears.

The next milestone is simple, survive the cap crunch the same way they survive road swings, stay calm, make the right little moves, and keep the real lineup as intact as possible.