With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Florida Panthers must find a taker for pending unrestricted free agent Troy Brouwer.
Signed as a UFA during the 2018 offseason, Troy Brouwer has played like a massive disappointment in year No. 1 as a member of the Florida Panthers.
In 43 regular season contests, the 33-year-old winger has registered an uninspiring slash line of 7G, 3A, for 10 points, while averaging roughly 12 minutes of ice time per game.
The native of Vancouver, Canada hasn’t compensated with amusing play on the defensive end either, recording an abysmal plus/minus rating of -12 on the year.
Essentially, Troy Brouwer has seemingly been declining year after year. He only produced 6 goals in 76 games with the Calgary Flames last season and it doesn’t seem as if the aging veteran will turn the corner anytime soon.
Ultimately, the Panthers should undoubtedly consider shopping Troy Brouwer over the next several weeks before the trade deadline officially passes.
Although the Cats might not receive a sensational, eye-popping return for Brouwer, it’s certainly worth the effort in terms of dealing the inexpensive rental.
Brouwer has proven himself as a phenomenal postseason performer in the past, so a Stanley Cup contender could potentially package at least a 5th round draft selection in exchange for his services.
Keep in mind, the Cats received a 5th round draft selection from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for third-string netminder Michael Hutchinson earlier in the season, so netting a 5th rounder seems like the realistic, most ideal objective for Dale Tallon and Panthers management.
In essence, Brouwer has evidently fallen out of favor in Florida, being healthy scratched by HC Bob Boughner for multiple games consecutively.
With the arrival of experienced veterans like Riley Sheahan and Derick Brassard, Troy Brouwer will unlikely find himself suiting up in a Florida Panthers uniform anytime soon.
In addition, with the emergence of youngsters such as Jayce Hawryluk, Henrik Borgstrom, Denis Malgin, and Frank Vatrano, the Florida Panthers shouldn’t even contemplate taking away playing time from them.
Moreover, the Cats should unequivocally provide the aforementioned young core with more playing opportunities, thus relegating the unproductive Brouwer as a regular healthy scratch.
Unfortunately, Troy Brouwer, while providing veteran presence and leadership, hasn’t produced offensively or defensively at a remotely satisfactory level.
The incredibly slow-skating Brouwer hasn’t contributed toward team success either. Since being benched, the Panthers have actually improved their team performance, picking up vital victories against highly adequate teams such as the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Considering the Panthers won’t resign the pending UFA, exploring the trade market could potentially contribute towards the Cats adding an additional draft pick in a talented 2019 NHL draft pool.
Objectively speaking, there’s clearly no downside regarding a potential trade involving the Canadian born Troy Brouwer.
Jayce Hawryluk and Denis Malgin deserve bottom-six roles, producing more consistently and adequately than the older Brouwer, which explains the primary reasoning behind Brouwer’s recent benching.
The coaching staff and management are evidently favoring the younger wingers, which could signify the likely departure of Troy Brouwer via trade in the foreseeable future.
Brouwer could possibly be more useful for a Stanley Cup contender in need of 4th line help and a veteran presence/leader.
Therefore, GM Dale Tallon will indubitably enter trade discussions centering around Troy Brouwer. In fact, Brouwer could potentially become packaged along with a draft pick or another Panther so FLA could receive greater compensation.
Ultimately, Brouwer has certainly found himself as a player in which Dale Tallon will likely trade in the near future.
Quite frankly, Tallon should continue working the phones as a means of shipping out the declining winger.
As a result, the Panthers would effectively gain some compensation and, more importantly, secure spots for youngsters like Malgin and Hawryluk on the bottom-six forward group for the Cats.
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