Inside an NHL Front Office: Former Panthers Assistant GM Steve Werier

Episode 17 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features former Florida Panthers Assistant GM Steve Werier, who offers one of the most detailed and candid looks yet at the realities of NHL roster building, contract strategy, and how front offices navigate pressure in a cap-driven league.

Werier breaks down why even small contract details — especially trade protections — can have massive ripple effects years later. As he puts it, “The consequences of those things are so much bigger than you think they would be at the time.”

He also pulls back the curtain on how the rise of major agencies and shifting leverage have reshaped negotiations across the league, creating a landscape where mid-tier players increasingly receive protections once reserved for stars. Werier explains that part of the trend comes down to copycat dynamics: “To the extent you have more players with agents who’ve secured those deal terms before, that might help. It’s a copycat game.”

The episode goes beyond contracts, touching on rebuilds, market pressures, and why some organizations move too late to reset their roster. Werier emphasizes that successful leadership requires patience and long-term thinking — even in a world where every move is instantly scrutinized. “Good leaders usually think long term… and that’s not easy in a game where you can get an instantaneous take every hour.”

From San Jose’s rapid progress to Vancouver’s crossroads to how rising cap space may reshape future deal structures, Werier delivers thoughtful insight rooted in firsthand experience.

Hockey fans, cap watchers, and anyone curious about what truly happens inside an NHL front office will get a ton out of this one.

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