Bill Zito's Imaginary Trade Deadline Wishlist: Henri Jokiharju

Because you can never have enough Finns.

Bill Zito is entering his fifth trade deadline as Florida Panthers general manager and no two of them have been the same. He bought low on players who became core pieces in 2021, swung for the fences in 2022, did nothing in 2023 as the playoffs were no guarantee and added veterans on the cheap in 2024.

For 2025, he will once again go into the deadline with limited resources but faces a fairly obvious need in his roster: a middle-pair, right shot defensemen. Finding right shot defensemen is hard enough in the offseason, let alone at the deadline in a league with seemingly fewer sellers than quality right hand shots available.

There are some options out there in spite of the tight market and in honor of the Four Nations Face-Off, there’s a player on team Finland that many Panthers will be getting a close look at in short order: Henri Jokiharju.