Vincent Viola, the Chairman, Owner, and Governor of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, revealed today that the Florida Panthers have reached an agreement with General Manager Bill Zito on a multi-year contract extension. This new deal also includes a promotion for Zito to the role of President of Hockey Operations.
Good afternoon indeed!
We have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Bill Zito and promoted him to President, Hockey Operations and General Manager.
📝 » https://t.co/D7H0HZOVLD pic.twitter.com/aX7P1umnnr
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 15, 2024
Bill Zito, the General Manager of the Florida Panthers since 2020-21, has been instrumental in the team’s success. Viola, the Chairman, Owner, and Governor of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, praised Zito’s commitment to the Panthers and his role in establishing a new standard of excellence for the franchise.
Zito’s leadership has resulted in four consecutive playoff appearances, including winning the 2022-23 Prince of Wales Trophy, the 2021-22 Presidents’ Trophy, and the Atlantic Division title.Zito’s tenure has been marked by significant transactions, such as acquiring superstar Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar.
Tkachuk’s performance earned him a nomination for the Hart Memorial Trophy after setting a career-high 109 points in the 2022-23 regular season. Zito’s contributions have also been recognized with nominations for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in 2020-21 and 2022-23.Throughout his four years with the Panthers, Zito has made several key acquisitions, including Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour, Vladimir Tarasenko, Carter Verhaeghe, Niko Mikkola, Evan Rodrigues, Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Stenlund, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson through trades and free agency.
He also claimed Gustav Forsling off waivers, who recently signed an eight-year contract extension.Zito’s leadership has also extended to the international stage, where he was recently named assistant general manager for Team USA in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team.Under Zito’s guidance, the Panthers have achieved a record of 188-88-25 from 2020-2024, ranking fifth among NHL clubs in terms of wins and points.
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