Florida Panthers: Top Five Moves That Were Steals Made by Dale Tallon

Since arriving from Chicago back in 2010, Dale Tallon has been a key role in the Panthers’ recent roster rebuild.

Under Tallon, the Florida Panthers have made the playoffs only a mere two times, though separated by four years due to committing to a rebuild after the 2012-13 season. Tallon’s stay as GM was also separated by two parts, fired via promotion following the team’s playoff berth in 2015-16.

Through all that, the times have changed since Tallon’s initial hire back in 2010. Nine years later, the Panthers have one of their most promising rosters ever, including a franchise record-setting center in Aleksander Barkov, who is just 23-years-old.

On top of that, there’s been plenty of young talent to enter and emerge from within the organization at all levels. Some have been drafted, others signed, while a few have been snagged from free agency.

With a big month ahead for Tallon in the buildup to free agency opening up on July 1st, now is a good time to look at some of the best moves Tallon has made since becoming GM of the Florida Panthers.

This list may omit moves that were easier for the team to make. For example, drafting Aleksander Barkov may have been the best decision the Panthers have made this decade; however, the decision was relatively simple.

Barkov was widely considered a top five pick, despite most mocks projecting the Panthers to select Seth Jones at #2 instead.

This list will more focus on the steals that Tallon has made and the moves that panned out better than initially imagined.