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Florida Panthers: Seven Forwards the Cats Could Target this Summer

By Jonathan Reichenberger

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 08: Florida celebrates the eventual game winner from Florida Panthers left wing Maxim Mamin (78) during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on April 8, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Panthers defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 08: Florida celebrates the eventual game winner from Florida Panthers left wing Maxim Mamin (78) during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on April 8, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Panthers defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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#1 Max Pacioretty 

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 02: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens prepares for a face off during the second period against the New York Islanders on March 2, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 02: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens prepares for a face off during the second period against the New York Islanders on March 2, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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.

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