SUNRISE, Fla. — Friday at 3 p.m. is the NHL trade deadline, and the Florida Panthers are making moves.
Before Thursday’s game with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Panthers sent 38-year-old defenseman Jeff Petry to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026.
Injured players make return to Florida Panthers
Petry appeared in 58 games with Florida in 2025-26, producing eight assists. He skated in his 1,000th career NHL game on Nov. 17 vs. the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the 14th player to reach the milestone while with the Panthers.
On Friday, President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito announced that the club acquired forward Vinnie Hinostroza from the Wild in exchange for future considerations.
Hinostroza, 31, appeared in 48 games with the Minnesota Wild in 2025-26, recording 10 points (3-7-10). He played in nine games for Florida during the 2020-2021 season.
The Chicago native has skated in 460 career NHL games with the Minnesota Wild (2024-25 to 2025-26), Nashville Predators (2024-25), Pittsburgh Penguins (2023-24), Buffalo Sabres (2021-22 to 2022-23), Chicago Blackhawks (2015-16 to 2017-18 and 2020-21), Florida Panthers (2020-21) and Arizona Coyotes (2018-19 to 2019-20), amassing 171 points (62-109-171).
Florida’s chances of making the playoffs were dealt another blow Thursday night, losing to the Blue Jackets 4-2.
The Panthers (30-29-3) are 1-4 since returning from the Winter Olympics break, dropping to 8th place in the Atlantic division.
The team takes on the Red Wings in Detroit on Friday before returning home for two games: Tuesday against Detroit and then Columbus on Thursday.
WPTV
As the Florida Panthers chase a third Stanley Cup championship this season, WPTV is along for the ride!
We will be highlighting the team with our new show on South Florida’s 9 called “Panthers 360”.
Hosted by WPTV anchor Mike Trim, watch the show each Wednesday evening and also streaming at 7:30 p.m.
We will take an in-depth look at the season, break down film and connect with the players and special stories off the ice.
Every Monday at 12:15 p.m. on the WPTV YouTube page, Trim will be joined by different analysts to discuss the latest on the team. We want to hear your thoughts, so post your questions and comments while the live interview takes place!
South Florida’s 9 is your home for Panthers hockey all season long!