Grading Panthers' 2025 NHL Draft class

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The Florida Panthers are your two-time defending champions. This is an incredible feat, and one they look to build upon. This success comes with a price, however. Florida never has premium draft capital once the NHL Draft rolls around. The 2025 NHL Draft was no different for Florida. They had six total picks, but all of them came after the third round.
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The Panthers have had a ton of success drafting and developing players, though. In fact, some of their best players are talents they selected. Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad are names all hockey fans know. Anton Lundell appears to be a promising building block for this team, as well.
Florida added six players to its organization on Saturday. But how does this class look on paper coming out of the 2025 NHL Draft? Let's take a deeper look at this class and hand the Panthers an initial grade for their efforts.
Panthers find potential in first 3 picks
The Panthers did not make their first selection until 112th overall in the fourth round. With this selection, they picked Mads Kongsbak Klyvø, a Danish winger out of Frölunda HC in Sweden. He brings some intriguing upside to the table, and many evaluators considered him one of the more underrated European skaters in this class. He presents as a mostly defensive option, but some around the game like his offense and think it can be developed more.
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Their next pick came a bit later at 128. Florida elected to take Shea Busch, a winger from the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Busch impressed after joining Everett during the season. He is a mostly a net-front presence who will throw the body, as well.
One pick later, the Panthers selected North Bay Batallion winger Shamar Moses. Moses may have the most upside of the three. He has an excellent shot and impressive awareness on the ice. He also plays a physical brand of hockey that will translate to the Panthers quite well.
None of these three players project as top-six options for Florida. Moses has a chance to be a middle-six scorer, but this is the best-case scenario. All three of them do project to play NHL games, however. For a team like Florida, having young depth players to rely on is key when the established vets reach NHL Free Agency and cash in on their work in Sunrise.
Florida takes major gambles with last selections
Florida's final three selections do not carry the same upside. There are fans of the team's 192nd overall pick — Swedish forward Arvid Drott — but he doesn't bring anything that flashes NHL potential. Defenseman Brendan Dunphy has some intriguing tools, but his skating needs significant work if he's going to make it.
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Florida's final pick of the draft fits their type in goal. The Panthers drafted Russian goalie Yegor Midlak with the 224th overall pick. Midlak has some intriguing physical tools. However, he is a major work in progress at this time.
Overall, these picks don't hurt the Panthers. They were unlikely to ever get high-end talent in these later rounds. However, they need to prioritize players who show some semblance of NHL potential. Clearly, the Panthers believe in these players. Far be it from pundits to say they are wrong. In saying that, these are massive gambles, and it does take the grade down a bit.
Grade and final thoughts
Overall, the Panthers receive an average grade for the 2025 NHL Draft class. Florida did not get the most potential in their class. But their aims are a lot different than other teams. They are searching for players who project to make an impact at the NHL level. And they landed those sorts of players with exactly half of their draft picks.
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Will anyone from this class come close to the NHL? It's obviously way too early to say. But there is potential for this class to make a difference in some sort of role. Moses could become a middle-six scorer, for instance. Some evaluators believe Klyvø has untapped offensive potential, as well. There could be some untapped potential that makes these guys late-round gems.
However, the final three picks require a lot of work. If there's any team that can afford to be patient, it is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions who show no signs of slowing down. At the same time, they need NHL projectable players to help keep this train rolling. They missed out on that with some of these late picks.
Panthers draft grade: C
Best pick: Shamar Moses – Round 5, Pick 129
Worst pick: Yegor Midlak – Round 7, Pick 224
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