Florida Roll Call: The Future of Claude Giroux with the Panthers

The Florida Panthers paid a hefty price to add Claude Giroux to a team chasing the Stanley Cup at the NHL Trade Deadline.

Now, with free agency just a few days away, it looks more and more likely that Giroux’s time with the Panthers will have been a short lived stay.

The Panthers have traded away three first-round picks in the past year — including two at this season’s deadline — which handcuffed Bill Zito at last week’s draft in trying to clear some salary cap space.

Unless Zito is able to work some cap magic before free agency opens Wednesday, Florida simply does not have the space to bring in much.

That would include keeping Giroux.