Florida held the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference on Dec. 30 but hasn’t been in a playoff spot since.

The Panthers were three points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card Jan. 25, but they went 2-9-0 afterward and were 10 points behind the Bruins for the second wild card at the deadline.

It was notable when the Panthers scratched forward A.J. Greer and didn’t play goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in a 4-2 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Each can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“You always listen,” Zito said. “When the phone rings, you answer it, because you don’t know what could happen.”

In the end, nothing happened with them, though. Zito said he wants to re-sign them, and both played at Detroit.

Bobrovsky had an .873 save percentage at the deadline, the worst in his 16 NHL seasons, and he will turn 38 on Sept. 20. But Zito called him part of the core.

“Maybe perhaps his stats are lower, but I’m not sure that ‘decline’ is the word I’d use,” Zito said. “I think he’s fine. He’s had a hell of a workload. He’s a consummate professional, and I want Sergei to stay, and I’m looking forward to having him back.”

The Panthers traded defenseman Jeff Petry to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft Thursday, giving the 38-year-old a chance to chase the Cup. He was a pending UFA who wasn’t part of their championship teams.

They acquired forward Vinnie Hinostroza for future considerations in a trade with the Wild and claimed forward Cole Reinhardt off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. Hinostroza is a pending UFA; Reinhardt is signed for one more season.

Basically, Petry was easy to subtract, and Hinostroza and Reinhardt cost nothing to add. The Panthers can see if they fit for the future and, most importantly, use them for depth for the stretch run.

The Detroit game came at the end of a four-game road trip. Zito said when the team returns, he will meet with the coaches, the medical staff and the sports science staff to evaluate each player and figure out “the most prudent way to move forward.”

“We’ve been managing a bunch of injuries here,” Maurice said. “We’ve got guys out, but we’ve got guys playing [with injuries], and those are the ones that I think are more difficult for us to manage.

“Some of these guys are probably going to have to get some rest. We don’t want to have an injury that’s been nagging for two months that gets worse in the last week that sets a guy back two months in his rehab.”

Missing the playoffs wouldn’t be the worst thing for Florida under the circumstances. Really, it would be for the best. A long offseason of rest and rehab could be just what the doctor ordered. The Panthers roster remains loaded, their identity remains intact, and they’d add an intangible. 

“I think the future’s bright,” Zito said. “And I’m excited and, I can tell you, hungry.”

Florida? Healthy and hungry? Uh-oh.

“If it means that we start resting and recovering in April, then that will be our job, and we’ll make full value of that,” Maurice said. “I can tell you there’s a bunch of men in there that it would be very good for, and then they get to train harder. But … you have to rebuild it every year.

“Now, you have the pieces, but the commitment goes so far beyond the talent of the individual players or even of your team. That has to start in training camp. We’ll play hard here [the rest of the season], try to make sure that we adhere to our style of game as we can with the players that we have, and then we will deal with that day when it comes.”