Realistic, Logical, Ambitious Part 2: Three Trade Targets for FLA
With the Florida Panthers setting themselves back, trade talks amongst the fans have begun to grow with each passing day.
For good reason, too, the Florida Panthers have won just two games since the All-Star break, two points behind Toronto for an Atlantic Division playoff spot. The wild card race is beginning to look bleak for Florida, with Columbus and Philadelphia both sitting on 71 points.
Joel Quenneville’s team haven’t just been losing games, but they’ve been doing it in ugly fashion. The Panthers have been thrashed in their last two home games, losing by a combined nine goals to Vegas and Philadelphia, only scoring four goals in those two games.
The top line has looked relatively flat, with Barkov and Huberdeau only scoring one goal each in their last seven games. In fact, Florida’s leading goal-getter since the break is Mark Pysyk with four (three of which coming in one game).
The defense hasn’t been much better either. As mentioned, giving up 13 goals in their last two home games is less than ideal. Sergei Bobrovsky is regressing back to his October form, and the Panthers have been outmatched in almost every game since returning.
Now, with less than 10 days to go before the trade deadline, the trade talks have really begun to emerge. Who is expandable? Will Florida try and be too desperate to turn this season around? All decisions lie at the feet of GM Dale Tallon.
Without further ado, here are three more players who could potentially don the Panthers red as we move towards the home stretch.
Realistic: Alec Martinez (32, D, Los Angeles Kings)
Likely one of the more underwhelming names that will be thrown around the rumor mill within these next couple days, Kings defenseman Alec Martinez would be a very realistic target for Florida to pursue.
Martinez’s most memorable moment in Kings’ colors, which he’s spent 11 seasons wearing, was that Stanley Cup-winning goal in 2014, rebounding home a wrist shot past Henrik Lundquist to crown the Kings champions. Despite that goal, it isn’t what Martinez is known for.
Martinez has consistently been apart of this era of Kings hockey as a defensive defenseman. In his prime years from 2013-2015, Martinez had a combined plus-minus of +42, second to only Drew Doughty’s +45.
The Kings’ current situation is still applicable to last week’s take. Hollywood’s hockey club sits in the bottom of the Western Conference with five pending UFAs this summer. Martinez’s deal lasts until next season’s end, making a steeper fee of $4 million for the remainder of this season as well as next season.
Other than maybe loyalty, the Kings have zero reason to hold onto Martinez for the remainder of his contract, and rather look to stockpile as many draft picks or cap space as they can. While they likely won’t get a return from a lot of teams, the Panthers are desperate for a defenseman around this time of year.
The question is whether the Panthers shoot for greater targets as the days count down before the deadline. If the Panthers are unable to land these names, Martinez should be Dale Tallon’s safety valve.
Logical: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (27, C, Ottawa Senators)
Looking at the Panthers from an outside perspective, trying to trade for a center might not make too much sense. The Cats have been one of the top-scoring clubs throughout the league, but recently, that run is coming to a close.
Vincent Trocheck’s 2019-20 season has been well under expectation, with Brett Connolly and Noel Acciari’s ridiculous runs of form fading with February passing. With that, Dominic Toninato hasn’t quite produced as much from the third line, and the Panthers are in need of a new face to freshen up the offense.
Lo and behold, another player with a memorable playoff performance against the New York Rangers could move to new pastures this month. Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau has had a career year north of the border, emerging as a consistent offensive threat for the Sens.
That aforementioned game came back in 2017 when Jean-Gabriel Pageau took the second round by storm. Pageau gave Ottawa a 2-0 lead in that series on a 2OT goal, his fourth of the game, completing a natural hat trick to boost Ottawa to a 6-5 win.
While Pageau would score four more goals during that playoff run that led Ottawa to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, goal-getting, up until this season, hasn’t been his forte. Pageau is a stellar two-way forward, giving the Senators a reliable face in both ends. Nicknamed “Honey Badger” similarly to the NFL’s Tyrann Mathieu, Pageau is known for his aggressive playstyle, nominated for the Selke in both 2015-16 and 2016-17.
This year, Pageau has been fantastic in front of goal. Pageau already has a career-high 21 goals in 50 games and is just nine points shy of his career-high 43. This has been an important season at just the right time, with Pageau dominating in his biggest contract year.
At 27, this could be Pageau’s last chance for a big payday. As mentioned last week, Ottawa has a lot of money coming off the books this season, but need to start putting it into their young core to keep them locked up. They’ve already started by locking up 23-year-old Colin White until 2026, and Pageau’s future is up in the air in the Canadian Capital.
Being a UFA at season’s end, Pageau could be a very good get as a rental, with a chance to secure a long-term deal if he performs above expectations. Florida could use this depth on both ends at the forward position, and Pageau could even challenge Trocheck for the 2nd center spot going forward.
Ambitious: Matt Dumba (25, D, Minnesota Wild)
The state of Matt Dumba’s future in the State of Hockey, despite being locked into a lengthy extension, is still in the air. Dumba’s relationship with the Minnesota Wild has been anything but quiet, with the defenseman yet again linked out of Minnesota in the recent days.
Dumba’s time in Minnesota has been fantastic on the ice. Despite his season being trimmed down due to injury last year, Dumba will likely play his 400th game for the Wild this coming weekend against San Jose, with 170 points and a +28 rating in his first 399. While he’s been unable to take the spotlight off of Ryan Suter on the blue line, he’s been a quality first-round selection.
For whatever reason, Dumba seems to continuously be dangled by Minnesota’s front office. He was even exposed in the Vegas expansion draft after a career year, forcing the Wild to regrettably give up Alex Tuch to persuade the Golden Knights to select Erik Haula instead.
Minnesota continuously struggle to really form an identity for themselves. When they’ve contended, the Wild have still been a few pieces away, not making it past the second round in the last decade. Now, while trying to rebuild, the Wild are still somehow in playoff contention.
With Wild HC Bruce Boudreau released after Thursday’s shootout loss to the New York Rangers, the course for this team is still up in the air. If there was a time to move on from Dumba, it’s now.
If the Panthers could somehow pull this trade off, it would be a franchise-changing move. Dumba would be an exceptional defenseman in the Panthers’ defensive zone, instantly becoming one of the best defensive presence upon arrival.
dark. Next. Should FLA Move Hoffman for Defensive Help?
Don’t forget to tune in to watch the Florida Panthers take on the Edmonton Oilers at 4 P.M. sharp, as the Cats look to bounce back after suffering an ugly defeat to the Flyers.