Florida Panthers: Seven Forwards the Cats Could Target this Summer
The Florida Panthers fell just one point shy of making the 2018 NHL Playoffs this year. Could one more top six forward propel them into a spot next year?
Over the course of the year, the Panthers were basically carried by their top four offensive players on the offensive side of the puck. Their stars: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, and Evgeni Dadonov had incredible years.
Even with these top four players having amazing years, the Panthers still fell short of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But why? The Panthers were missing one more forward who could pick up the slack on nights where their core guys were having off nights.
In this piece, we’ll take a look at a few players that might make sense for the Panthers to bring in via trade or through free agency. It’s important that Florida adds add another top six forward that can not only help them reach the playoffs, but also help them work towards their goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
#7 John Tavares (Extremely Unlikely Option)
Wouldn’t it be amazing for John Tavares to bring his talents to South Florida and join the Florida Panthers? It wouldn’t be as incredible as it was when the Miami Heat brought LeBron James to South Beach, but it would be pretty close! It would do wonders for the Florida Panthers organization and the hockey fanbase to bring in one of the NHL’s most coveted superstar as a free agent signing.
Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that the Panthers will bring in Tavares; but, if he did come to Florida, the Panthers would boast one of the most dangerous and menacing top two lines across the NHL. Combining Barkov, Huberdeau, Trocheck, Dadonov, Bjugstad, and then adding Tavares to the mix would make the most talented top six across the entire NHL.
Again, it’s extremely unlikely that Tavares will join the Panthers, but Florida fans can only hope that the Cats can somehow bring him to Sunrise, Florida.
Signing Salary Prediction: 7 years/$84 million ($12M AAV).
#6 David Perron
Over the course of his career, David Perron has proven to be a steady and solid top six option for any team that he joins. This year, with the Golden Knights, Perron has totaled 66 points in just 70 games played. Perron could be that player that the Panthers need to get over the hump and get into the playoffs.
Because David had such a successful season on an expansion team, he will likely be in for a decent-sized contract this summer (not too big, not too small). It’s very likely that Vegas will want to bring back his services, but if they can’t, he will have a good amount of teams on his radar, willing to pay a solid amount.
The other concern with Perron is that his production could dip the following season. After he receives his ‘nice little deal,’ it could very well get to him mentally, causing for his production to go down. A common trend we see with most free agents after receiving their deals is that their play slips, and sometimes, it even slips quite drastically too.
The Panthers will probably give Perron a call if he’s still a UFA by the time free agency opens, but they will probably pass once they find out how much he is demanding.
Signing Salary Prediction: 4 years/$22 million ($5.5M AAV).
#5 Paul Stastny
Paul Stastny has enjoyed another solid year in the NHL. Now at the age of 32, Stastny will likely be a free agent this summer unless the Winnipeg Jets decide to bring him back. This year, Stastny totaled 53 points in 82 games with both the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets. Though he is an older player, he could be a valuable asset to a young Panthers lineup.
While some might dismiss the possibility of Stastny joining the Panthers because of his age, Stastny can still be a force in the NHL if he gets to play with the right players. Pairing him with Trocheck could very well make for a solid second line, but figuring out who plays center would likely be the underline question. Either way, whether it’s Trocheck sliding over to the wing or Stastny giving it a try himself, the Panthers at the very least should give it some thought.
Stastny reminds me of when Eric Staal became a free agent just two summers ago. Not too many teams were intrigued by Staal when he finally hit the UFA market at 31 years of age. The Minnesota Wild took a chance, and absolutely hit the jackpot with that signing. Though Stastny is having a better year than Staal had when Staal became a free agent, some teams will not be as interested in bringing Stastny in due to his age.
If Paul remains a UFA by the time free agency opens up, the Panthers should swoop in and give him a call. He could be an absolute steal if he comes at the right price.
Signing Salary Prediction: 4 years/$16 million ($4M AAV).
#4 Alex Galchenyuk
The Montreal Canadiens are a complete dumpster fire right now, and might be willing to part with some of their talented forwards in order to mix things up next year. This is a perfect opportunity for the Panthers to swoop in and add Galchenyuk to their roster. Gally had a solid year totaling 51 points in 82 games. Anytime a team has the possibility of adding a young, talented scoring forward, they should be interested in adding him right away.
If the Cats want to add Galchenyuk to the mix, he is going to have to arrive via trade. This may be trickier for the Panthers to approach if they want to keep their top five forwards intact and not lose one of them in a trade. In a way though, giving up a guy like Nick Bjugstad just to get Galchenyuk would defeat the purpose of trading for Galchenyuk.
Galchenyuk is only 24-years-old, so the Panthers would be getting a forward who has already shown his worth in a top six role, and could possibly grow additionally throughout the years. Alex has a lot of upside, but again, it would likely come at the expense of losing someone like Bjugstad.
If I were the Cats, I’d do this deal despite losing big Nick. In order to get talent, you definitely have to part with your own. So losing Bjugstad in order to acquire Galchenyuk really isn’t too much of a loss, considering that the Panthers have two future top six forwards in Henrik Borgstrom and Owen Tippett, and the fact that Galchenyuk is a better player than Nick Bjugstad.
#3 James van Riemsdyk
After yet another solid year of hockey, James van Riemsdyk will become a free agent this summer. One thing that Panthers could use more of next year? Goals. JVR tallied 36 goals this season which was good enough to double the amount of assists he had. In result, he finished with 54 points in 81 games. JVR is a big bodied forward that the Panthers will likely be interested in this summer, knowing very well what he could bring to this roster.
JVR is the typical forward that the Panthers organization is looking for. He scores a lot and has a big/physical presence which is good for around goal. He can stand in front of goal on power plays and score those much-needed gritty goals. He can also score in a skilled manner in those in-tight corners, where room is hard to find.
Unfortunately, getting JVR to come down to South Florida will be difficult to come by. The market for his services will be huge, demanding a hefty contract in result. It’s going to be up to the Panthers’ front office to decide if they want to give JVR not only a long-term contract, but also a contract that will lock up some of their salary space for a while. To put it simply, is his production worth that much money?
When free agency rolls around, the Panthers will likely be one of the teams inquiring about his services. There is a decent chance that JVR plays in South Florida this season, but if the price gets too high, the Panthers should certainly pass on him.
Signing Salary Prediction: 6 years/$42 million ($7M AAV).
#2 Jeff Skinner
While many thought that the Hurricanes could slide into the playoffs (despite missing out), it seems like they aren’t happy with the roster they have at the moment. It looks like the Hurricanes are getting ready to part ways with some of their players who don’t fit their new identity. One of those players is Jeff Skinner. The Panthers should be eagerly phoning the Hurricanes’ front office and working as hard as they can to bring Jeff Skinner down to Florida.
Nonetheless, Skinner had a decent year, considering who he had to play with. While he was decent in his play, his production was a little bit of a letdown from his production in the 2016-17 season. This season, Skinner tallied 49 points in 82 games, while the previous year (2016-17) he recorded 63 points in 79 games played.
Since Skinner is only 25-years-old, there’s still some growth left in his game as a player. This would be an opportune time for the Panthers to swoop in and take him while the Hurricanes are selling low.
Jeff is currently earning $5.725 million a year, but only has one more year left on his contract before he becomes a UFA. The Panthers could acquire him while keeping their top five core together and see if he fits in well enough to re-sign beyond the one-year left on his contract. Personally, Skinner is my favorite target for this offseason.
#1 Max Pacioretty
Like I said before, the Montreal Canadiens are a mess at the moment, and will probably move players around this offseason. A name that was aggressively pursued at the trade deadline this year, and will continue to be this offseason was Max Pacioretty. The Panthers were one of the clear front-runners for Pacioretty at the deadline, but they weren’t able to agree to a deal with the Canadiens before the deadline hit. Pacioretty continued on with the Canadiens, and the Panthers missed the playoffs.
The likelihood of Pacioretty being a Florida Panther wasn’t a ‘fantasy’ either. On Elliotte Friedman’s 31 thoughts segment, he labelled the rumor as ‘interesting,’ continuing by saying:
“Stealth possibility for Max Pacioretty: Florida. Would be interesting. The Panthers have a lot of talent, with Henrik Borgstrom ready for prime time after this season at NCAA Denver.”
Looking at Pacioretty’s year though was very unimpressive. Although he was playing on a pretty bad Montreal team, he only tallied 37 points in 64 games. However, though he struggled throughout year, his previous track record has proven that he is a consistent forward.
The 2018-19 season will be a contract year for Pacioretty, and if he puts up the numbers that he did in previous seasons, he should be able to fetch a long-term contract. The thing is, the Panthers want Pacioretty, and he wants to be a Panther. It’s a perfect match, right? He will likely re-sign with the Panthers if he’s acquired this offseason, and the Panthers will have yet another extremely talented scoring forward at their disposal.
Acquiring Pacioretty will likely mean that Nick Bjugstad will be shipped over to Montreal as part of the deal. Though it will be tough to get rid of Bjugstad, knowing that Pacioretty will likely want to stay in Florida past the one more year left on his contract, will ensure that the Panthers aren’t getting rid of too much for a potential one-year rental.
Perfect Scenario
Although there are many options that the Panthers could choose from this year, I do think that Max Pacioretty will also be a Panther by the time the team takes the ice for the 2018-19 season. If the Panthers do trade for Pacioretty, this will likely mean that Nick Bjugstad will be shipped to Montreal in exchange.
This would leave another opening in the top six, which would create a perfect opportunity to add another top six winger via free agency or hand the spot over to Henrik Borgstrom. Adding someone like JVR or Perron would create a dynamite top six for the Cats that would push them into contention for winning the Stanley Cup not only immediately, but also in the future.
(Possible top two lines for the Panthers if they acquire Pacioretty via trade, sign another top 6 winger or hand over the spot to youngster Henrik Borgstrom).
Jonathan Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Evgeni Dadonov
James van Riemsdyk/David Perron/Henrik Borgstrom – Vincent Trocheck – Max Pacioretty
Does it seem unrealistic? No. It only takes one trade and one free agent signing to create these two lines. But, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a very good chance that this doesn’t happen. Obviously, If I’m the Panthers, this is what I’m looking to do this summer.