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Florida Everblades fans, dont panic.
Despite what you may have heard, goalie Cam Johnson is not likely to be leaving this year.
Captain Oliver Chau, is leaving, though but that should not be a cause for panic, either.
The team announced his departure with a thank you meme on social media on Monday, July 27.
Hes retiring, as far as I know, Everblades coach and general manager Brad Ralph said.
Florida will have a new prospect pipeline this season as Everblades owner David Hoffmann also owns the NHLs Pittsburgh Penguins after The Hoffmann Family of Companies purchased the franchise in June.
The Blades were officially announced as the Penguins' new ECHL affiliate two weeks ago after having an affiliation agreement with the St.
Louis Blues the past two seasons.
That also means the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the Everblades new AHL affiliate.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced it signed Johnson, a four-time Kelly Cup winner and three-time June M.
Kelly Playoffs MVP , over the weekend, provoking buzz among various media outlets here and in Pennsylvania.
But the signing does not necessarily mean that he will play there.
NHL and AHL development systems routinely keep players on ECHL rosters so that they are available if they need to call them up, which is usually temporary.
Johnson has been on AHL contracts every season in his career but one, when he had an NHL contract to spend time on the Columbus Blue Jackets taxi squad in 2021-22.
He has played in only one AHL game in the last four seasons.
Its common for NHL teams to have six or seven goalies in their organization under contract, Ralph said.
Im sure the plan is for Cam to be back with the Everblades, but obviously he is in their organization, so well see how that works.
Johnson is 32 not the typical age of a player being developed for higher levels.
He owns a home and has started a family in Southwest Florida.
He has been consistently happy with his teammates, coach, front office, team ownership, and fan base, and those feelings have been reciprocated.
One possible change is the number of minutes in the crease.
Johnson has been getting better every year, but he is not getting any younger.
It remains to be seen whether Pittsburgh management will want to use the Everblades to develop their future goalie.
This hearkens back to the franchises first two decades, when Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos also co-owned the Everblades with team president Craig Brush.
The goalie was often a developmental player in that scenario.
It depends on their philosophy, how many resources they want to put into the ECHL, how they view the ECHL, Ralph said.
I know Pittsburgh, if you go back to (former affiliates) Newfoundland and Wheeling, they value the ECHL.
Pittsburgh will sign more players for the Florida Everblades to have in the pipeline as development players.
Every NHL team operates differently.
I would say Pittsburgh has more of a development philosophy, and thats great.
That philosophy started to take shape Tuesday night, July 28, as the Everblades announced a trade with the Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins' ECHL affiliate for 29 years before switching to Florida, as the Blades traded defenseman defenseman Hunter Sansbury for goalie prospect Gabriel D'Aigle.
The 19-year-old D'Aigle was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round (84 th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-4, 211-pound Canadian played parts of four seasons from 2022-26 with Victoriaville of the QMJHL, going 56-66-7 with four shutouts across 140 career regular-season games before signing a three-year, entry-level contract with Pittsburgh in March.
He was assigned to Wheeling where he compiled a 1-2 record in three regular-season games.
With Chaus departure, the Everblades lose a three-time Kelly Cup champion and 2024 June M.
Kelly Playoffs MVP award winner.
Chau was captain for two seasons, the first multi-season captain since John McCarrons four-year run ended in 2022.
But replacing departing talent with new talent is a key reason why the Everblades have won four of the last five Kelly Cups.
The locker room culture that Ralph has established has brought out leaders each year.
One of the alternate captains, Carson Gicewicz, has signed on for another season, so he would likely be under consideration.
Several players have signed their contracts to play for the Everblades in 2026-27, most of them returners, and others have already moved on.
Here's a look at how the team's roster is shaping up.
Florida Everblades Returners D Sean Allen: Allen only played in four postseason games, but played in 54 regular season games.
He is a hard-nosed scrapper, leading the team with 164 penalty minutes during the regular season.
Hes a big, tough presence on the ice, Ralph said.
His abilities, hes got a wide range.
He can do a little bit of everything.
Hes a guy that loves living down here, playing with the Everblades.
Hes a guy that will do whatever it takes.
C Carson Gicewicz: Gicewicz was an alternate captain last season.
It was his second with the Everblades but his eighth as a pro.
With his season shortened by an injury, his lack of a ring, and positive, enthusiastic personality, he was one of the players that people were pulling for to get a championship.
He was a special teams asset in the playoffs, scoring 3 goals on the power play and 2 shorthanded.
Hes a leader, Ralph said.
Hes vocal.
Hes a big body that plays a heavy game and hes a difference-maker for us.
So well be looking for him to assert himself as one of the leaders on this team and continue to bring that championship pedigree that our returners can bring to the table.
F Jesse Lansdell: As the shiner around his left eye on his team roster photo hints at, Lansdell will drop the gloves.
He led the offense with 87 penalty minutes in the postseason, sitting in the box an average of over 4 and a half minutes each game.
He bought a house in Southwest Florida, so he intends to stick around.
Hes a Forever-Blade, Ralph said.
Hes a leader.
Hes a physical hockey player.
I think his physicality makes a difference on the ice, but as with all of our players, well be looking for him to level up and continue his development.
Were fortunate to have him back.
RW Isaac Nurse: No matter what direction Nurses career goes, he will be remembered for his double-overtime goal in Game 6 to reclaim the Kelly Cup for Florida.
He scored 3 goals in 9 postseason games, but that third goal looms large.
D Jordan Sambrook: An Everblades lifer with 3 Kelly Cups, Sambrook set an ECHL record with a plus-62 rating, the first player in the leagues history to finish a season over 60.
A quiet leader with a sense of humor and a quick-thinker on the ice, he will remain one of the key players on the team.
Hes extremely consistent, Ralph said.
Hes a high-character person that we will be relying on to help the younger players learn how to be great pros.
Florida Everblades Newcomers C Devon Paliani: The only new signee announced so far, Paliani comes to Estero after bouncing around the ECHL.
He played for six different teams, most recently with the Tahoe Knight Monsters last season.
He is a workhorse, having played in every game for each of the last three seasons.
He was the only player to do so for Tahoe, leading the team with 32 goals, 65 points, and 107 penalty minutes.
We played against Evan when he was in Savannah (in 2024-25), Ralph said.
Hes kind of a menace on the ice.
Hes physical, he chirps, he fights.
Hes had back-to-back 30-goal seasons, so hes a pretty dynamic player.
Well be looking for him to help us out offensively.
Florida Everblades Departures F Oliver Chau: The Blades lose not only Chaus quiet leadership, but also his skills.
He was that combination of an unselfish player who passed the puck often but also was not afraid to take the shot when the moment called for it.
He was a physical player who did not look for trouble, so he stayed out of the penalty box most of the time.
Were losing someone that has a championship pedigree, just a high character person, Ralph said.
He was kind of a quiet leader, led by example on the ice.
Obviously it hurts losing a person and a player like Oliver Chau, but were happy that hes able to transition out of hockey and move his life forward.
C Reid Duke: After winning his first pro championship, Duke is returning to Europe, where he spent the last three seasons.
He signed with Les Ducs dAngers in Frances Ligue Magnus last week.
He was an offensive mainstay during his one season in Florida, scoring 18 goals and 17 assists.
C Hudson Elynuik: A mid-season signing, Elynuik was with the Everblades for a short time, but a memorable one.
He scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 4 of the Kelly Cup Finals, which tied the series after the Everblades lost the first two games.
It was not a one-off contribution: Elynuik led the Blades in the postseason with 13 assists.
He signed with the Straubing Tigers in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany, which will be his third time playing overseas.
C Tarun Fizer: After winning his first career championship, Fizer signed with Sodertalje SK in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan league.
He scored 22 goals and 19 assists in the regular season.
C Anthony Romano: The teams leading goal-scorer in both the regular season and playoffs, Romano had a career season.
He played in all 20 postseason games, scoring the game-winning goal in three of them.
Along with Chau, he accounts for a lot of points that will be tough to replace.
Like Elynuik, he is going to Germany, having signed with Loven Frankfurt.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How will the Pittsburgh Penguins impact the Florida Everblades roster?.