The time has come to start handing the reigns to some of the youngsters in the organization. The emergence of Vincent Trocheck and solid play of Rocco Grimaldi have suddenly created a tough situation for GM Dale Tallon.
While a good problem to have, the question is just how valuable are some of these veterans that should be shipped out of town? Is it worth it to accept less in return to just get the salaries off the books?
Two veterans on this team that are the likeliest candidates to be dealt would be Tomas Fleischmann and Tomas Kopecky. They have collectively accounted for 1 goal, 5 assists, and a -4 rating in 40 games. Fleischmann and Kopecky are making $4.5 and $3 million, respectively. They are both in the last year of their current contracts.
While their value may be higher in March at the trade deadline for teams that are either beat up or looking for some veteran reinforcements for the playoff run, the clock is ticking on getting these young players that can help score goals consistently in the lineup.
Any team trading for either of these players know it is likely a rental situation, which would decrease the return value for Tallon. But at this point, what is more important? Putting the puck in the back of the net more often now or getting a 4th round pick instead of a 5th round pick in March?
Panther fans know that they are in for a treat as they watch Trocheck and Grimaldi grow into prominent roles on this team. Trocheck's helper on Jimmy Hayes' winning goal Friday night was a thing of beauty. His offensive awareness, quickness, and vision are welcomed additions to this goal-starved offense.
Grimaldi helped spark one of the most memorable comebacks in Panther history last road trip scoring his first NHL goal with 43 seconds left in the game, then followed 12 seconds later by Nick Bjugstad to send it to overtime. Grimaldi has shown great speed and a willingness to shoot the puck from everywhere, which surely makes head coach Gerard Gallant happy.
In addition to Trocheck and Grimaldi, Quinton Howden, Drew Shore, and Bobby Butler could be more effective and inexpensive options moving forward. Howden has been recovering from injury and just had has first start for the San Antonio Rampage last week. After getting a nice taste of the NHL over the last two seasons in 34 games, his blazing speed would be another nice piece added to this squad.
As the Panthers sit three points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand, the organization cannot fall into the trap of starting players because of salary. If Kopecky and Fleischmann aren't producing, they need to sit. Sure those are expensive healthy scratches, but winning games means more.
To be fair, Fleischmann has played much better than his stats would indicate. After leading the Panthers in scoring over his first two seasons with the team, his offensive game has hit a wall. While is two-way game has been solid for most of the year, he is here to score goals. If he isn't doing it, a change of scenery might be in order. Kopecky has hardly done a thing this year, and likely should be the first to sit to make room for a younger player.
What happens when Dave Bolland and Scottie Upshall return? There simply are too many players for just a few spots.
Tallon shouldn't make deals just to make deals. Obviously maintaining depth is important. But there is a difference between depth and dead weight. To this point both players named Tomas seem to be the latter. Thankfully these and other large contracts should be coming off the books after this season, but the Panthers have shown they can win now. They can make the playoffs this year. At some point Tallon is going to have to just let the kids loose and leave it up to them. The way it's looking, that time will be sooner than later.
Dan Spiegel Florida Panthers Media