Panthers add Simas Ignatavicius at pick 40, leaning into size, speed and two-way profile

The Florida Panthers continued their offseason roster-building by selecting Simas Ignatavicius with the 40th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The pick reflects a clear development preference for Florida: adding a winger who projects as physically engaged, skating-capable, and effective in both zones, traits the Panthers have emphasized when scouting for impact forwards.

Ignatavicius is described by Yahoo Sports as an 18-year-old, big, speedy and physical winger who plays a style the Panthers want to incorporate into their system. That combination matters because Florida’s recent identity has tended to reward forwards who can compete through contact, generate offense without losing defensive responsibility, and keep pressure on opponents in transition.

Florida’s selection came after a first-round picture that was altered by trades. According to Yahoo Sports, the Panthers were slated to make the ninth overall pick, but they traded that selection to the Ottawa Senators. The same report says Florida also dealt the 25th overall pick, which it had acquired from the Seattle Kraken, as part of the haul that landed Brady Tkachuk.

Those draft-and-trade decisions tie together into a broader thesis for Florida’s organizational construction. In practical terms, moving out of top-10 territory while still securing a franchise-caliber forward changes the roster’s near-term balance and leaves less margin for purely offensive upside picks later. Selecting Ignatavicius at 40 suggests the Panthers view his skill set as an efficient bridge between the current roster needs and the player pipeline, rather than a prospect whose value is limited to one aspect of the game.

For Ignatavicius, the immediate questions will be how his size and energy translate at higher speed and against established NHL opposition as he advances through development. The Panthers will also be watching whether the two-way profile attributed to him can hold up consistently, especially in defensive-zone and transition sequences where young forwards either speed up the process for their team or create new liabilities.

The Panthers, meanwhile, will have to manage how the drafted winger fits into an organization that already has a defined competitive window. The 40th overall slot is not a throwaway pick, but it also carries a timeline constraint: Florida’s priority will be progress that can align with roster roles rather than only highlight production in junior or amateur environments.

The next step for both the team and prospect will be development plan specifics, including where Ignatavicius begins his post-draft season and how Florida evaluates his learning curve through training and scrimmage reps. As the Panthers fill out the remainder of their draft class and prospect depth, Ignatavicius will serve as a test case for Florida’s willingness to prioritize two-way competitiveness over single-tool projections.