Panthers get goalie Daniil Tarasov from Blue Jackets, Wild trade center Freddy Gaudreau to Kraken

By The Associated Press (AP) – The back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers acquired goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, sending a fifth-round draft pick in exchange for Sergei Bobrovsky’s new backup and potential future successor.

Tarasov, 26, is a restricted free agent who is 10 years younger than Bobrovsky, who has backstopped the Panthers to consecutive championships. They come from the same Siberian town of Novokuznetsk, and Tarasov’s father, Vadim, was Bobrovsky’s idol.

The Blue Jackets are getting the 160th pick in this weekend’s draft.

“On behalf of the Blue Jackets, I’d like to thank Daniil for his contributions to our organization over the past four years,” Columbus general manager Don Waddell said. “He is an outstanding young man, and we wish he and his family well in the future.”

Filling that spot with Vitek Vanecek expected to depart as an unrestricted free agent, Florida now turns to trying to re-sign some combination of playoff MVP Sam Bennett, trade-deadline pickup Brad Marchand and longtime cornerstone defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

Among other moves around the NHL, the Minnesota Wild traded veteran center Freddy Gaudreau to the Seattle Kraken for a fourth-round pick.

Gaudreau, 32, has three years remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $2.1 million. He had 18 goals and 19 assists while playing in all 82 regular-season games in 2024-25 before going without a point in six playoff games for Minnesota.

The pick from the Kraken is the 102nd in the draft and gives the Wild five selections this weekend. They have only one, No. 52 in the second round, in the top 100.

Gaudreau has 152 points in 410 career games over eight NHL seasons, including three with Nashville and one with Pittsburgh.

“Frederick’s a versatile skater who plays a strong two-way game,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said. “He gives us depth down the middle and has the ability to produce offensively. He’s a player that can be trusted on the defensive side of the puck, especially on the penalty kill. We’re excited to welcome him to the team.”

These trades come on the heels of Utah acquiring two-time 25-goal scorer JJ Peterka from Buffalo early Thursday for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring. More action is expected with the first round Friday night and Rounds 2-7 on Saturday.