The Florida Panthers acquired goaltender Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2028 third-round pick, the teams announced Monday.
Schmid is a restricted free agent. He posted an .893 save percentage and a 2.59 goals against average in a career-high 34 games last season.
The 26-year-old was Switzerland's backup at the Olympics in February. Schmid made one start: A 5-1 loss to Canada in which he made 34 saves.
Schmid played an important role for the Golden Knights early in the season before being pushed down the depth chart after Carter Hart's arrival in December. Schmid lost all five of his starts after the Olympics and didn't play after March 21.
The Panthers don't have any NHL goaltenders under contract. Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are both set to become unrestricted free agents Wednesday.
Schmid has a career .898 SV% with a 2.66 GAA in 82 total games over parts of five seasons with the New Jersey Devils and Golden Knights. In 2023, Schmid became the Devils' starter in the playoffs, where he went 4-4 with two shutouts and a .921 SV%.
