Bill Zito: Florida Panthers Can Make Playoffs, Believes in Paul Maurice

SUNRISE — When it came to the NHL Trade Deadline, the Florida Panthers did not have much to work with.

After two-plus years of wheeling-and-dealing, general manager Bill Zito did not have the salary cap space nor the assets to do the kind of shopping he had in the past.

While there was a lot he would have liked to have added to his team, Zito and the Panthers stood pat and left the team as is.

“It’s like shopping in Bal Harbour with empty pockets,’’ Zito said in a wide-ranging interview with the South Florida media following the end of the NHL’s trading day.

Zito spoke about the moves made in the past, if he thinks this team can rally and make the playoffs as well as his thoughts on the job Paul Maurice has done in his first season behind the Florida bench.