Bill Zito Jim Gregory General Manager Award Finalist

     Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito has been named a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Jim Nill were the other finalists announced. 

     It is the second time that Zito has been a finalist. He was a finalist at the end of the 2020-21 NHL season. 

     Zito joined the Panthers organization prior to the start of the 2020-21 season. The Cats made the postseason in 2020-21 The club finished with the best record in the National Hockey League during the 2021-22 campaign, won the Atlantic Division and captured their first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. Florida won their first playoff series since 1996. 

     The Panthers ended up with the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference during 2022--23 regular season. Zito is credited with hiring head coach Paul Maurice, the acquisition of Matthew Tkachuk along with numerous free agent signings such as Eric Staal and Marc Staal during the offseason.