The Florida Panthers enter the 2018 offseason north of $8 million in cap space, with the only UFA’s being Connor Brickley and Radim Vrbata (who is set to retire). To where the Panthers can spend as much as they want, a division rival (the Detroit Red Wings) do not have the luxuries that the Panthers have.
A big difference between the Panthers and Wings is that the Cats have their young core locked up for the next four-five seasons on team-friendly deals, while the Detroit Red Wings are at risk of losing some of their core.