Much has been speculated about the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and how it handles situations around the Florida Panthers. However, it didn’t stutter to serve a hefty fine to forward Eetu Luostarinen, after the Finnish center hit Pittsburgh Penguins’ Rickard Rakell with a high-stick.
“Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for high-sticking Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell,” as stated by the NHL‘s Department of Player Safety on its social media.
No further discipline has been announced, meaning Luostarinen won’t be suspended for his actions. Pittsburgh fans don’t love this decision, with many pointing to Evgeni Malkin’s five-game suspension for slashing exactly one month ago. However, the two penalties aren’t quite comparable.
Season over for Panthers
With five games left on the schedule, Florida is already eliminated from playoff contention. Thus, the Cats have decided to shut down several stars, like Brad Marchand, Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Reinhart. Their lineup nowadays looks nothing like the one that hoisted the Stanley Cup back in June 2025.
With nothing left to play for and a depleted roster, the Panthers were rag-dolled by the Penguins in consecutive outings, suffering 9–4 and 5–2 losses during a back-to-back in the City of Bridges. Not being used to such blowouts, the Cats responded in retaliation. It all led to Luostarinen unleashing his frustration with a dangerous high stick against Rakell, for which the NHL has now lowered the hammer with a hefty sanction.
Panthers embrace ‘ethical’ tank
Essentially, the Cats are playing for positioning in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery. Panthers fans weren’t aware that was even in play until it was revealed that the first-round pick sent to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones–Spencer Knight trade was top-10 protected. That means that if the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions finish in the bottom 10 of the standings, they will keep their first-round pick in 2026 and instead send their 2027 pick to the Blackhawks.
Thus, missing the postseason after making it to the Stanley Cup Final three years in a row doesn’t have to be so painful for Florida. If the Panthers come away with a top selection—let alone win the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes—it might be worth giving up on the dream of the first three-peat in the NHL’s salary cap era.
