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Florida Panthers: Four Defensemen the Cats Should Look to Acquire

By Cal Friedman

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 28: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 200th career goal with teammates Tyler Bozak #42, Connor Brown #28, and Travis Dermott #23 against Roberto Luongo #1, Jared McCann #90, Mark Pysyk #13, Mike Matheson #19, Maxim Mamin #78, and Denis Malgin #62 of the Florida Panthers during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on March 28, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 28: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 200th career goal with teammates Tyler Bozak #42, Connor Brown #28, and Travis Dermott #23 against Roberto Luongo #1, Jared McCann #90, Mark Pysyk #13, Mike Matheson #19, Maxim Mamin #78, and Denis Malgin #62 of the Florida Panthers during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on March 28, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Option #3: Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks (Trade)

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 12: Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks skates in Game One of the Western Conference First Round against the Anaheim Ducks during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on April 12, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 12: Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks skates in Game One of the Western Conference First Round against the Anaheim Ducks during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on April 12, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

Marc-Edouard Vlasic was one of the better Sharks defensemen this season, really helping San Jose create a force to be reckoned with in front of Martin Jones‘ crease. Vlasic was a key player to Peter DeBoer’s squad this year, leading the team in both blocked shots and penalty kill minutes. Needless to say, Vlasic truly lived up to the 8-year contract given to him in the offseason.

Bob Boughner worked with Vlasic for years during his time in San Jose, and the Cats’ coach knows what Vlasic is capable of. The question of whether the Panthers want to risk getting into that contract is another, as the defenseman is 31 years of age and still has 7 years remaining on the contract, with no certainty that he’ll play every season consistently. As far as coach familiarity goes, the Panthers won’t get much better of a shot.

The Sharks are in a win-now situation, but that doesn’t mean Vlasic is untouchable. Nick Bjugstad would probably be one of the first names mentioned, as Joe Thornton could be leaving the Sharks in free agency. Even if Thornton returns, the Sharks are still looking at a 39-year-old centerman in their opening game in October. The Panthers could also throw another prospect and either Ian McCoshen or Mackenzie Weegar into the fray if San Jose fear losing too much on the defensive side of the puck.

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