#5: Trading Zach Hyman
Believe it or not, the Panthers once had Toronto Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman in their arsenal. The Panthers selected the University of Michigan forward in the fifth round of the 2010 draft, but he never wanted to sign for the Panthers.
Hyman was uncomfortable actually being drafted in total. His initial goal was to go through college, whether it be at Princeton, Michigan, or Penn State, and grow more before signing for an NHL team. Despite that, Florida still drafted the forward.
What makes the whole thing worse is the trust that the Panthers had in Hyman would turn reality over the span of his career. Scott Luce, director of scouting at the time, believed that Hyman would develop into a top-six forward for a team in the NHL based on his play in the CJHL.
In the end, Hyman refused to sign for Florida and was traded for Toronto’s Greg McKegg. McKegg’s Panther career was relatively short.
He played in just 46 games and put up just 8 points for the club before being claimed from waivers. Since moving on from Florida, McKegg has played for three NHL teams and has just 17 points in the regular season.
Hyman, on the other hand, hasn’t quite hit the heights Luce had for him, but has grown into a consistent depth piece for a playoff team.
Hyman just had his best NHL season to date, with 42 points (22G & 22A) in 78 games for the Leafs stretching across regular season and playoffs.
At just 26-years-old, there’s a chance that Hyman still grows into a 2nd liner in Toronto, especially with rumors of Patrick Marleau leaving.
Hyman definitely would’ve been a nice fit with Vincent Trocheck on the second line in Florida, and was a big miss by Dale Tallon back in 2015.