2019 Trade Deadline
Trades
- Brassard to COL for a 2020 3rd Round Pick - Tomas Jurco to CAR for forward Cliff Pu and future considerations (AHL deal) - Defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich to Winnipeg for a 7th Round Pick - Defenseman Chris Wideman to Pittsburgh for forward Jean-Sebastian Dea
_______________________________ I'll use this space to write about any moves the Panthers make before the trade deadline tomorrow, so feel free to check back here and look for the *UPDATE* text to be added to the blog title if there's any news to report.
To be honest, I'm actually hoping the Cats don't make any hasty deadline moves - unless it makes sense and there's a serious defensemen or goalie involved coming Florida's way...
What we have thus far:
- Goaltender Chris Driedger has signed a one-year, two-way contract and will be loaned to the Springfield Thunderbirds upon clearing waivers.
- Vitrano resigned to a 3-year extension with an annual cap hit of $2.53 million. In my opinion (and as I said in the last blog), this is a guy who brings energy and a great "shoot first" mentality that teams look for. Not only that, but he has the ability to finish. Was pumped on this news.
- Hoffman and Brassard on the chopping block? While it was rumored the latter would be moving out shortly after being acquired from the Penguins, and was a healthy scratch yesterday, it was surprising (but not surprising) to hear the news about Hoffman. I think he fits really well on this squad. Heck...I'd like to see what Brassard can do if given a longer look because I think the Cats are close to being the team we think they can be. The irony here, of course, is that you would probably have to move guys like them to get the pieces they need (defense/goalie) in order to get to where they need to be.
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Panthers 6, Kings 1
Last night the Cats did what we hoped and bounced back after that tough loss to the Canes the game prior. Yes, their win came against a struggling/rebuilding Kings team, but that's exactly why it was important.
This Florida team was hit and miss (mostly miss) the first half of the season. Like last year, they've come out with a stronger second half. Wins like last night's can help teams like the Panthers gain confidence.
It's always nice when a slew of guys, both who you expect and who you don't, get involved and grab some points. Here's who found the scoresheet last night:
- Trocheck - Dadonov - Huberdeau - Barkov - Yandle - Hoffman - McGinn - McCoshen
Even though they weren't able to convert on it, there was a play last night by Borgstrom that was beautiful and stuck out for me so much that I need to write about it. He took a pass just over the Kings blueline and was in tight along the boards. Somehow, he managed to shake and avoid both Brown and Kopitar in order to find the open ice and hit Trochek with a no-look pass...man, it just looked so good. Some seriously silky mitts and elusiveness!
The Panthers exploded in the second and continued that pace into the third to put up five goals between the two periods. This is similar to their three-goal eruption in the second period of the loss to Carolina. It's also on par with the four-goal third period of the win over Buffalo and so on...
What am I getting at?
It feels like this team has so much potential, but for some reason, it just hasn't "clicked." I suppose that's where the frustration for fans comes in because we're getting flashes of what could be. Sometimes it feels like they're scoring at will and should be in a much better position then they are.
So why aren't they?
I think it comes down to what a lot of us have talked about before and that's a combination of overall spotty team defense/play and key areas that need to be addressed: the blue line and blue paint.
I also think there could be something to Jimbo's thoughts from the last blog regarding coaching and the system that's being run.
Will Dale and the front office address these areas before the deadline or wait until the summer? I'm not sure, but I'm certainly eager to see what they do. So let's put a pin in it and touch base when there's some news and we can go into a bit deeper discussion about it...
Old Man Lu
Besides the win and honoring Stephen Weiss for his 12-years (2001-2013) of service as a Panthers centerman, there was a special (and historical) moment that belonged solely to Roberto Luongo. When the final horn sounded, it officially marked Luongo's 484th career win - tying him with Ed Belfour for third all-time in the NHL. Nice job, Lu!
The Panthers pick things back up tomorrow night against a desperate Colorado team fighting for a spot in the West. Let's keep building off this game and moving forward.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for any news that may hit before the deadline...
Go Cats!