Florida Panthers Trade Trocheck to Hurricanes in Exchange for Haula, Wallmark, Luostarinen & Priskie

On the final day to complete a trade, the Florida Panthers parted with their No. 2 center in exchange for some organizational depth.

On Monday, February 24, the Florida Panthers announced that they acquired forwards Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Chase Priskie from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Vincent Trocheck.

Trocheck was originally drafted in the third round (64th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Since stepping foot in the league back in 2013-14, the Pittsburgh native went on to play in seven seasons with the Panthers, recording a total of 282 points (111G & 171A) in 420 games.

Known as “Cousin Vinnie” by most within the Panthers organization, Trocheck was a fundamental piece of this Panthers team over the last several seasons, owning the No. 2 spot at the center position.

Erik Haula, who is one of the four pieces heading to Sunrise, has spent this season alone with the Carolina Hurricanes, tallying 22 points (12G & 10A) in 41 games. In the past, Haula featured in two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights and also entered the league with the Minnesota Wild as their 182nd pick in 2009.

Lucas Wallmark, who is the second major piece heading into Florida’s direction, has experienced his entire career in North, Carolina. Wallmark, who is 24 years of age, has registered 54 points (22G & 32A) in 160 total games. This season, he’s tallied 23 points (11G & 12A) in 60 games, on pace to break his career-high (28). Wallmark was originally drafted by the Hurricanes in the fourth round (97th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Rounding out the two experienced aforementioned additions is Finnish center Eetu Luostarinen, who has spent this season with the Charlotte Checkers over in the AHL. With the Checkers this season, Luostarinen has recorded 25 points (8G & 17A) 44 games, while also participating in eight NHL games with the Hurricanes this season. Luostarinen was originally selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

The final piece headed Florida’s way is defenseman Chase Priskie, who, like Luostarinen, has spent the current season in the minors with the Charlotte Checkers. With the Checkers this season, Priskie has registered 31 points (6G & 25A) in 52 games. Previously, Priskie played four seasons with
Quinnipiac University, serving as the team’s captain in his third and fourth year. Priskie was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He is also a native of Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Here’s what GM Dale Tallon had to say about the recent arrivals, via NHL.com:

"“Today we acquired players with depth, versatility, and playoff experience. Haula and Wallmark give us more depth in the forward line and more options for our coaches as we continue our quest to make the playoffs this season.“It’s always a tough decision to part with one of our core young men. Vincent is a quality person and we thank him for his excellent work ethic and play and passion for the game. This deal helps us in the present and in the future as we strengthen our depth chart.”"

While the Panthers created additional cap space with this move and added some depth towards their roster, Tallon has made it clear that he’s in the market to acquire a defenseman, but with little time remaining on the clock before the deadline hits, a potential move could become tricky.

Your Panthers are back in action on Tuesday, February 25 @ 9:00 P.M. against the Arizona Coyotes to close out the final game of their five-game western road trip.