Florida Panthers 2025 Roster Preview: Third Pair Defensemen

The Florida Panthers third pair of defensemen will have a different look this season with Nate Schmidt signing with the Utah Mammoth over the summer. Kulikov will still be a presence there and newcomer Jeff Petry will likely be filling the final spot, but don’t be surprised if Uvis Balinskis sees time there as well. Bill Zito said on signing Petry, “Jeff is a skilled, puck-moving defenseman who can contribute quality veteran leadership to our lineup. We are excited that he will join us to supplement our exciting core.” We’ll have to wait and see how Kulikov develops chemistry with his new partner, but it’s something he’s adept at as he’s played with several different partners in the last two seasons.

Dmitry Kulikov:

Drafted by Florida for the 2009-10 season, now a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, he’ll likely retire as a Panther after having some time away from the team before he returned for the Cats’ first Cup Run. Last season, he celebrated reaching the 1,000-game mark and played with both Niko Mikkola and Nate Schmidt. In 70 games, he recorded 13 pts (4G, 9A) with 19:16 TOI. For the third time in his career, he shot at a 6.3% with 64 SOG; he shot at a 7.2% in his second season with the Panthers in 2010-11 and a 9.5% in 2021-22 with the Wild. He doesn’t see much power play time, but he did record a power play assist during the regular season. Kulikov is a consistent presence on the PK, both aggressive in his pressure and patient to wait for the opposing player to make their move first. The defensive game that the Panthers ask him to play has been pivotal to postseason success, with one of his biggest highlights being the play he made at the net during Game 7 of Florida’s first Cup Run that eventually led to Reinhart’s Cup-winning goal. Dmitry set a career-high in points with 5 (2G, 3A) and averaged 16:36 TOI; the two goals are a career-high as well. Although he didn’t put up any points on special teams, one of his goals was a game-winner. Kulikov sometimes flies under the radar for his contributions, but he’s been an important veteran piece to the team on the back end and is able to fill in on the second pairing as needed.

Jeff Petry:

A newcomer to the locker room, Petry has spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Last year, he put up 8 pts (1G, 7A) in 44 games with an average TOI of 18:53. However, those point numbers are low for Jeff. Since getting drafted by Edmonton in 2010, he’s only had single-digit points three times in his career: his rookie season, his first season in Montreal in 2014-15, and last year. He shot a bit below his 4-7 shooting percentage average at 3.0. On special teams, he recorded one power play assist, and his single goal was a game-winner. When he spoke with the media in early July after signing, he said, “It’s an exciting place to play…when they called, it was a no-brainer. The group you hear about, the group, what they do together on the ice, off the ice, you hear so many good things about it.” He said that he heard from several people that the Panthers don’t expect players to be something they’re not. He spoke highly of the Cats’ commitment to strong defense, and he wants to get back to the playoffs to compete for a Stanley Cup. He missed time last season due to injury, but told the Florida media that he was feeling good after recovering and will be ready to go for September. When asked about the Panthers’ ability to bring in veteran defensemen to the team, he said, “I think it speaks to the group that they have that you can bring a new player in and they fit in and do well.” He should be a solid fit on Florida’s third pairing with a strong offensive upside. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him slot in on the second power play unit like Ekman-Larsson and Schmidt have done in the last two years, which would allow the Cats to keep both Ekblad and Jones on the top unit. For a team that’s returning essentially the entire championship roster, Petry brings in a bit of new blood and hunger to win, something that Florida players have spoken about being an important part of driving the team.