Florida's loaded cap space make back-to-back champion Niko Mikkola a possible cap causality next summer
The 2026 NHL offseason has the potential to completely alter the league’s landscape. Unlike recent years, when top-tier players mostly chose to stay put, this upcoming free agent class could see several franchise-altering talents test the open market.
With names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Artemi Panarin possibly available, front offices around the league are already strategizing for a summer that could redefine their rosters and their futures.
One team that could find itself at the center of this shake-up is the Florida Panthers. Fresh off back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, Florida has a core locked in long-term, but not everyone may stick around. Veteran defenseman Niko Mikkola enters the final year of his deal, and with the Panthers’ salary cap tightening, he may become a cap casualty despite being a key piece of their playoff success.
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At 6-foot-6, Mikkola brings the kind of physical edge and defensive reliability that thrives in postseason hockey. He’s not flashy on the scoresheet, typically hovering around 20 to 25 points per season, but his value lies in his shutdown ability.
Over the past two seasons, Mikkola has posted a strong +23 rating, logged 335 hits (13th-most in the NHL), and led the Panthers in blocked shots with 212. He’s the type of stay-at-home defenseman every contending team wants come April.
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That kind of production won’t go unnoticed. If Mikkola hits the open market, he’s expected to draw serious interest, and one team that could make a strong push is the Winnipeg Jets. With $10 million in projected cap space and more flexibility on the horizon, Winnipeg is in a solid position to add a dependable veteran like Mikkola.
The contracts of Gustav Nyquist and Tanner Pearson are likely coming off the books, freeing up $4.25 million, and another $5.5 million could be cleared if defensemen Luke Schenn, Colin Miller, and Logan Stanley aren’t re-signed.
That potential $9.75 million cushion gives the Jets plenty of wiggle room to make Mikkola an offer while still preserving cap space for other priorities. A low-cost depth signing or internal promotion could round out the blue line, and they’d still have the flexibility to explore extensions for key players like captain Adam Lowry, Kyle Connor, and potentially Jonathan Toews, depending on how his return to the NHL unfolds.
From a roster perspective, adding Mikkola would bolster what’s already one of the league’s top defensive units. The Jets have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL over the last two seasons, and putting a shot-blocking, physical defender like Mikkola on the third pairing would only strengthen that identity.
While defense isn't an urgent need in Winnipeg, the opportunity to add playoff-tested depth could be too good to pass up especially for a team with championship ambitions.
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