As I wrote in August, the Panthers are indeed too deep.
It has already been decided that Vincent Trocheck, who has been the #1 star in the last two Panther victories isn't going anywhere. He certainly has earned his spot on the team. Head coach Gerard Gallant's decision to pair Trocheck with fellow youngsters Brandon Pirri and Jimmy Hayes has proved to be the best decision he has made all year. The young trio has simply been sensational and they play with a tenacity that is infectious for the rest of the team.
All Trocheck has done is record 5 points in the last 3 games, including a goal at Joe Louis arena last night where he played minor junior hockey for the Detroit Little Caesars. In 14 NHL games this season he had 2 goals and 9 assists to along with his team leading +8 rating. Over the last few years he has talked about improving the defensive part of his game. Obviously it's working.
While Trocheck was widely known in junior hockey when he was drafted by the Panthers in the 3rd round of the 2011 NHL Draft, it still would have been hard to imagine him blossoming like this at such an early point of his career. He has impressed so much that there just isn't any way GM Dale Tallon can send him back down. Ever.
With what Grimaldi has shown this year he may not be far behind either. But right now Trocheck has caused the best kind of problem for the Florida Panthers. Unfortunately it is a problem that will further expose the horrible signing that was Dave Bolland, because it is conceivable that a $5.5 million salary could be scratched from time to time.
But if you asked Tallon three years ago if he would welcome such a "problem" with his drafted youngsters outplaying most of his veterans, he sure would. Now it's here.
Will Tallon trade away some of the underachieving veterans for peanuts just to make room? Time will tell. But Pirri, Trocheck, and Hayes need to stay in the lineup. If that means Fleischmann and Kopecky are going to be watching from the press box more often so be it. The clock is ticking on this franchise in South Florida, and egos and payroll cannot take priority over players that actually produce.
Dan Spiegel... Florida Panthers Media