Colby Guy
The Florida Panthers may have hit the All-Star break atop the NHL standings, but there is always room to improve — and the team will try and do so at the NHL Trade Deadline next month.
Florida general manager Bill Zito has said so himself.
“You’ve probably heard it before; you can never have enough defense,” Zito said. “It’s something we can’t really rest on, we always have to continue to look to get better.”
Defense, as mentioned by Zito, is one of Florida’s main priorities and the team is expected to add at least one d-man by the time the NHL Trade Deadline comes March 21 at 3 p.m.
It could be a legit top-pair lefthanded defenseman who would play with Aaron Ekblad — allowing the team to reunite the Gus Forsling-MacKenzie Weegar pairing that played so well together down the stretch last season.
It may be a depth piece who would slide in next to Forsling or Brandon Montour.
Regardless, making a move is something that has been on Florida’s radar since the start of training camp.
The sixth spot on the Florida blueline has been a little murky.
Lucas Carlsson, Matt Kiersted, Chase Priskie and Olli Juolevi have all been platooning in that spot and have produced mostly positive results.
Yet the Panthers want more consistency — and more experience — in that area heading into the playoffs.
Defense is not the only place where they could improve.
Despite leading the league in goals by a wide margin, the Panthers will be looking to upgrade their forward group although this is less of a concern.
FHN reported last week that Owen Tippett could be on the trading block.
He has been playing top-six minutes since Maxim Mamin was placed on injured reserve, so another forward could very well be in order.
Mamin previously played on the first line alongside Sasha Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe but looked uninspiring at times while paired with them.
Per DobberHockey, that line scored just three goals in over 66 minutes together.
With Sam Reinhart, who had success alongside Barkov in the past, finding chemistry with his counterparts on the third line, Florida may need to find Barkov and Verhaeghe a consistent linemate.
Here are a number of players the Panthers could have serious interest in, whether as a rental or with the future in mind:
Forwards
Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes
A two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Kessel has both the championship pedigree and the talent to slide in on Florida’s top line and help the team in a deep playoff run.
The 34-year-old pending UFA currently has 29 points in 45 games — and his five goals have him on pace for just his second season below 20 goals since 2007-08.
Still, he has shown his playmaking abilities despite playing on a Coyotes team that sits at 11-30-4 at the All-Star break, notching 24 assists.
The Panthers might have bigger plans in a trade with the Coyotes, however…
Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have a league-worst record of 2-10-2 to start 2022 — including a 13-game losing streak — so there is little surprise Giroux has been at the center of all trade talk lately.
While Florida will have to do some cap maneuvering to acquire the unrestricted free agent and his $8.275 million cap hit, the 34-year-old could be a good fit for a playoff run if he waives his no-movement clause for the Panthers.
If Giroux were to agree to a deal, one would think the Panthers would be on his list.
Since his breakout 2010-11 campaign, Giroux has the second-most assists (556) and fourth-most points (819) out of all players in the NHL. His natural playmaking ability would be a seamless fit next to two goal scorers like Barkov and Verhaeghe. A fit is there.
With 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 42 games and an All-Star MVP in hand, he has not shown signs of stopping.
However, Colorado has been labeled as the destination to watch per Elliotte Friedman, leaving Florida as a longshot candidate to land Giroux.
Jared McCann, Seattle Kraken
OK, this one is a wild card.
McCann recorded 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) with the Panthers and fans would certainly love a reunion at the trade deadline.
Since being selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft, McCann has surpassed his goal total from his time in Florida (19) with 30 points in 41 games.
Believe it or not, McCann is RFA after this season (he has one more year, but with arbitration rights) so Seattle would be looking for a decent sized return — if it decides to make one at all.
McCann was key to the deal when Florida wanted to unload Nick Bjugstad’s contract on Pittsburgh in 2019 and his play has been pretty strong since.
He would be a financial fit, at least for this season. With arbitration rights and a career season with the Kraken, he is due a nice contract and the Kraken can afford it. Florida could not. Don’t bet on Seattle trading him.
Defensemen
Jakob Chychrun, Arizona Coyotes
At this point, it is no secret that the Panthers want to bring the Boca Raton native back home.
Jeff Marek and Elliott Friedman confirmed that much — saying that it could take as much as a deal centered around Spencer Knight and Anton Lundell to get it done.
Yeah, right.
As good as Chychrun — a 23-year-old defenseman who topped out at 41 points in a 56-game season in 2020-21 — has been so far, the Panthers would not be giving up that kind of package up for him.
With how good he is both offensively and defensively, and how affordable his contract is, you can still expect a good amount of value coming back the other way.
Chychrun will have three seasons left on a contract with an annual cap hit of $4.6 million which would give him make him a fixture in South Florida if the move was to be made.
The move would likely require Owen Tippett, Florida’s 2023 first-pick, and likely another prospect or two from Florida’s deep pool — plus draft picks.
Arizona is rebuilding again and needs everything it can get for a player like Chychrun.
Do the Panthers have enough? If this turns into a true bidding war, perhaps not.
John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
Klingberg reportedly requested a trade last month, and with the 29-year-old on the doorstep of unrestricted free agency, the heat may be on the Stars to trade him especially if they fade out of a playoff spot.
Dallas came into Tuesday four points back of the final wild card so a team in the east could end up with Klingberg if that trend continues.
Florida would be interested in the puck-moving defenseman, one who could provide a serious boost to the movement of Florida’s streaky power play while also helping out in the defensive zone.
In just 37 games this season, Klingberg has 22 assists, so he could be yet another defenseman who can get the puck to Florida’s high-powered forwards.
P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils
With the Devils out of playoff contention and Subban on the last year of his deal, he is likely headed elsewhere.
What makes a move for Subban tricky is his $9 million cap hit, but with the NHL’s trade deadline salary rules and some cap gymnastics, it could work. Expect Jersey to eat a lot of money here to facilitate a deal.
Subban is not the elite defenseman he was in Montreal and Nashville, but he has recovered significantly since his decline in his first two seasons in Newark.
His defensive zone game is much improved while he is still showing signs of being able to make the plays he did in his prime.
He likely would not be as costly as some of the other defensive options and a move to a deep team where he is not the focal point of the defense — as he was before Dougie Hamilton signed with the Devils this offseason — could work wonders for him.
He also has a tendency of coming through in big playoff moments, which would be of use to the Panthers.
Ben Chiarot, Montreal Canadiens
While not the biggest name on this list, Chiarot has garnered a lot of attention from teams for his role in the Canadiens’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last year
But is he worth a first-round pick as has been rumored? Absolutely not.
Will the Canadiens get that? At the deadline, perhaps.
Chiarot’s possession metrics are sub-50 percent, with his Corsi-for percentage at 43.51 percent and his Fenwick-for percentage at 42.66.
The box score numbers don’t look much better: five goals, nine points, and a minus-25 through 41 games.
At absolute best, he’s someone to plug on the third pair for a mid-round pick — but even then, Florida may be better off holding onto the pick and playing Carlsson.
But moving to Florida, and joining the Panthers, could be just the move Chiarot needs to get back to how he played last year. Montreal is absolutely brutal. Getting back on a contending team could do wonders here.