Zito nominated for best GM for fourth time in five seasons leading defending champion Florida Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. – The National Hockey League announced today that Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito has been named a finalist for the 2024-25 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, presented annually ‘to the League’s most outstanding general manager.’ The other finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award are Kevin Cheveldayoff (Winnipeg Jets) and Jim Nill (Dallas Stars).
This nomination represents Zito’s fourth finalist nomination for GM of the year in five years at the helm of the Florida Panthers, with the Cats advancing to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. Zito’s Panthers are facing off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, marking Florida’s third consecutive appearance in the conference final.
Through the first two rounds of the postseason, 17 different Panthers scored at least one goal, and 21 Florida skaters posted at least one point, while five different Cats recorded at least 10 points. The Panthers owned an 89.5% penalty kill (34/38) while averaging 3.75 goals per game, surrendering just 2.42 goals against per game through the first two rounds.
Following their championship campaign last season, Zito immediately set to work to ensure the core pieces of Florida’s Stanley Cup-winning team would remain in South Florida for years to come.
In addition to retaining Florida’s top talent, Zito and his staff spent the 2024 offseason reinforcing the Panthers after losing several key pieces of their Stanley Cup-winning team in free agency. Florida signed veteran blueliners Nate Schmidt and Jaycob Megna as well as forwards A.J. Greer, Jesper Boqvist and Tomas Nosek. Schmidt contributed 19 points (5-14-19) from the blueline skating in 80 games and tied for the team lead in goals by a defenseman through the first two rounds of the postseason with three (3-4-7 in 12 GP). Greer led Florida with 222 hits in the regular season recording a career-best 17 points (6-11-17), while Boqvist also recorded a career-high 23 points (12-11-23) ) in the regular season before agreeing to terms on a two-year contract extension with the club.
At the NHL trade deadline, Zito made major moves to solidify the Panthers depth for another long postseason run in acquiring Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Nico Sturm and Vitek Vanecek.
In the regular season, Jones skated in 21 games with Florida posting nine points while logging 24:55 time on ice, the most on the Cats during the final quarter of the campaign. Through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Jones averaged a team-high 25:45 time on ice while contributing six points (3-3-6) over 12 games, including two points (1-1-2) in Game 7 vs. Toronto.
Marchand skated in 10 regular season games with the Cats after recovering from injury and tied for the team lead in the postseason through the first two rounds with 12 points (3-9-12) alongside his linemate Eetu Luostarinen (3-9-12). Their line centered by Lundell (4-6-10) combined for 34 points and a plus-31 rating across Florida’s first 12 playoff games in 2025. Luostarinen amassed four points (1-3-4) in the series-clinching Game 5 at Tampa Bay and Marchand led Florida with three points (1-2-3) in Game 7 vs. Toronto.
Sturm appeared in 15 regular season games with Florida and seven playoff games, averaging three minutes of shorthanded time on ice per game in the postseason led all Florida forwards through the first two rounds. Vanecek posted a shutout in his first regular season game with the Panthers on March 8 vs. Buffalo, stopping all 21 shots he faced.
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com or at Amerant Bank Arena Box Office (Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Fans interested in Season Ticket Memberships for the 2025-26 season are encouraged to join the waitlist by clicking here, visiting FloridaPanthers.com/tickets or by calling PUCK line (954.835.PUCK).
