Florida Panthers Should Look To Add More Depth At Wing
By Joey Bailey
Taking a look at the Florida Panthers roster you can see there’s an obvious log jam at the center position. Being that it’s the same case with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Cats could benefit from some winger depth.
After making successful signings of Jonathan Marchessault and Colton Sceviour, they should look to do the same this offseason. Nothing extravagant really, unless they’re able to find a solid replacement for Jaromir Jagr on the first line.
Young wingers like Dryden Hunt, Juho Lammikko and Adam Mascherin show great potential but are they ready to make the leap to the NHL? We’ll see, but the real problem here however is that those are only 3 prospects and one is still in the OHL.
So what could the Panthers do for the time being? Well, for starters they could be scouting some talented wingers who will be at the NHL Draft in June. Drafting a few will definitely help their organizational depth at the position.
Wingers like Eeli Tolvanen, Owen Tippett and Kristian Vesalainen are all possibilities for the Cats to select at 10th overall in the upcoming draft.
Free agency will also be an avenue the Panthers can take to add a couple wingers. They can take a look at more experienced players that’ll be on the market. Such as Patrick Eaves or even bring a name like Thomas Vanek or Kris Versteeg back.
Looking at the restricted free agents there’s some interesting names that pop up. Guys like Anthony Duclair and Nail Yakupov who haven’t lived up to their potential but could serve as low risk, high reward players.
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Adding via trade may offer some of the best and more long-term possibilities for the Panthers. That being said, there’s already been rumblings about a Jason Demers for Jordan Eberle swap.
Though these are just rumors and not necessarily true it still makes sense, as the Cats have someone like Ian McCoshen ready take the next step.
If the Minnesota Wild for some reason don’t plan on bringing back Nino Niederreiter, he’s definitely someone Dale Tallon and the front office should target.
However, coming off his best season the Wild may not want to part ways with the winger. Not only that, they’d probably like a decent return via trade if that’s the option they chose.
As the draft and free agency inch closer, more rumors and possibilities will present themselves. In due time, the Florida Panthers will have the opportunity to add the winger depth that’s needed throughout the organization come October.