FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers are ready to make another run.

Fortifying their already formidable roster, the defending Stanley Cup champions made several important moves before the NHL’s annual trade deadline to bolster their depth.

Overall, they completed five different trades prior to the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Friday.

They might also have made the biggest surprise splash.

Ending their week of wheeling and dealing with an exclamation point, the Panthers sent shockwaves through the hockey world when they acquired Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

The pick will evolve into a first if he plays in at least 50% of Florida’s playoff games.

Marchand is currently week-to-week with an injury, so he won’t suit up right away.

“His record speaks for itself,” President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito said. “We’re thrilled to have him aboard, and we’ll see where it goes. He’s injured. We think it’s a couple weeks. Obviously, we’ll get our doctors on it. We had some conversations.”

Still packing a punch at 36 years old, Marchand had spent his entire 16-season NHL career as one of Boston’s staples while posting 976 points (422 goals, 554 assists) in 1,090 games.

This season, he ranked second on the Bruins in scoring with 47 points, including 21 goals.

After many heated matchups against the Panthers – including facing off in the playoffs in each of the two previous seasons – Marchand now finds himself aligned with his once-rival.

Getting a head start, he played on a line with Panthers center Sam Bennett at last month’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

"If you watched the 4 Nations, he was pretty effective,” Zito said. “We think he's still got some gas in the tank. He's a dynamic player. He's a multi-faceted attack – whether it’s his skating, his grit, his skill, his hockey sense, his will to win, his compete.”

While Marchand was the last, he certainly wasn’t the first bit of business for Zito and his staff.

On March 1, the Panthers beefed up their defense by acquiring defenseman Seth Jones and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

The Blackhawks also retained roughly 25% of Jones’ contract, which runs through 2029-30.

“When you look at the standard in the NHL, this is it,” said Jones, a former first-round pick and a five-time NHL all-star. “The way they play, I keep saying the style of hockey, it’s physical, it’s in your face, and it’s aggressive, the defense pinches everything. Everyone works hard on both sides of the puck, and that’s the most important thing for me.”

Prior to the trade, Jones led Chicago’s blueliners in goals (7), assists (20) and points (27).

In two games since joining the Panthers, the early results have been impressive.

Averaging 20:40 of ice time per game – including 2:20 on the penalty kill – the 30-year-old rearguard has logged four shots, two hits, four blocked shots and a +1 plus/minus rating.

Yet to be on the ice for a goal against, the Panthers have surrendered just 13 shots on goal over the 32:43 that Jones has been deployed at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

“He’s going to be a great player for us for a long time,” head coach Paul Maurice said.

On Wednesday, the Panthers filled the void left by Knight’s departure by sending forward prospect Patrick Giles to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for goaltender Vitek Vanecek.

An experienced veteran slated to serve as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup the rest of the season, Vanecek has appeared in 181 career NHL games between San Jose (2024-25), the New Jersey Devils (2021-22 to 2023-24) and Washington Capitals (2020-21 to 2021-22), going 94-52-20 with a .903 save percentage, 2.82 goals-against average and nine shutouts.

No stranger to the spotlight, he’s also suited up in 10 career playoff games.

Already making himself at home, Vanecek has modified his mask with Panthers stickers.

“Vitek is a guy that’s been playing regularly this year,” Zito said. “We thought that was important to give ourselves some extra [experience] and maybe solidify that position a little bit more. He’s a guy we’ve faced in the past, and he’s done a pretty good job against us.”

On Thursday, the Panthers made a pair of moves.

Shoring things up down the middle, the Panthers first went out and acquired forward Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Sharks in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick.

"It's probably the best-case scenario for me,” said Sturm, who could make his debut on Saturday when the Panthers close out their homestand with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. “I'm super excited to be here and help this team win another Stanley Cup."

A Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche back in 2022, Sturm tallied 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 47 games with San Jose prior to being shipped to South Florida.

That said, his greatest strength is in the dot.

Among NHL skaters with at least 250 draws taken this season, Sturm, who should make an impact at both 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill, ranks first with a 62.7% faceoff win percentage.

“It’s huge,” Maurice said of Sturm’s knack for winning draws. “You look at the top 16 [teams], and every single one of them has a power play that can win a series. You just have that much talent or you don’t make the playoffs. It’s one or two faceoffs that can make the difference for you.”

Second, the Panthers added another insurance policy to their goaltending pipeline by acquiring Kaapo Kahkonen from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Chris Driedger.

Expected to be Florida’s third option between the pipes, Kahkonen has competed in 140 career NHL games between the Colorado Avalanche (2024-25), New Jersey Devils (2023-24), Sharks (2021-22 to 2023-24) and Minnesota Wild (2019-20 to 2021-22), producing a 49-68-15 record with a .898 save percentage, 3.34 goals-against average and four shutouts.

The Panthers also inked former first-round pick Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-way contract.

To no one’s surprise, you’ll find the Panthers listed as “winners” in pretty much every post-deadline article.

That said, winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup is all they’re worried about.

“We’ll see,” Zito said with a smile. “I said it a couple days ago -- it’s not necessary the additions and total value of your assets that determine who wins, it’s the team. We do think they’re character guys. We spend an awful lot of time making sure, as best we can, we know that these are people that are going to fit into that room because that’s everything.”