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Extremely Busy Offseason for Panthers

By Toby Rice

After the Florida Panthers missed the playoffs, management knew it would be a busy offseason for the team. However, they didn't expect it to be THIS busy. The offseason started with a shock. Florida struck gold when they learned that they had won the top two overall picks in the entry draft. With both Alexis Lafreniere and Tim Stutzle at the top of most teams' draft boards, talk of trades or selecting one or both players commenced. With a dozen total draft picks, management expected to trade a few, but not much movement happened between the end of the playoffs and the entry draft.


That all changed during the draft. Not planning on making any major moves during the draft, GM Rice ended up with five completed trades. "It was crazy," said Rice. "We weren't planning most of those trades, and I'm not usually that trade active during the draft, but several pieces fell together that night."

Florida kept both top picks and chose Stutzle and Lafreniere, respectively. "We didn't get that many offers on one or two, but I'm not sure we really wanted to move them either. When you have that opportunity, you take the sure thing." Florida fans were certainly happy with that decision. What came next was the surprising part. At #13, GM Rice announced a trade. Florida sent the pick to Seattle in exchange for their first round picks in 2027 and 2029, plus the #58 overall selection (which would also end up being moved). At #19, Rice again announced a trade. This time Nashville sent 2027 CBJ 1, 2028 TOR 2, and $1 million for the late first round selection. Florida's first round pick flipping wasn't done there. At #24, Colorado came calling offering the Panthers 2028 NAS 1 and their 2nd round pick in 2031. GM Rice would end up moving picks #44 (return of $4.25 million) and picks #58, #61, and #63 (return of 2030 COL 1) in the second round.

All in all, the entry draft saw the following exchanged for the Florida Panthers. OUT: #13, #19, #24, #44, #58, #61, #63 IN: 2027 SEA 1, 2027 CBJ 1, 2028 NAS 1, 2028 TOR 2, 2029 SEA 1, 2030 COL 1, 2031 COL 2, $5.25 million, and pick #58 (later traded). With their pick selection, the Rochester Americans will see the following talent pool this season: Tim Stutzle, Alexis Lafreniere, Sam Colangelo, Kaiden Guhle, Yan Kuznetsov, and Daemon Hunt.

After the conclusion of the entry draft, Florida began piecing together their plans for UFA and any roster modifications for the upcoming season. Defense was the key "need," and management made it a priority. In UFA round one, the Panthers' GM went out and nabbed Keaton Ellerby with a four year contract. Ellerby is expected to be a key piece of this franchise for the foreseable future. Although Ellerby was the big piece, GM Rice also signed veteran journeyman Troy Brouwer and defenseman Troy Hesketh.

While UFA saw the big addition of Ellerby, Florida knew that they weren't done. After a stellar season in Rochester, Andrei Svechnikov earned his spot in the big league. To make room for the rising youngster, the Panthers would need to make a move. After several discussions, the Panthers ironed out a sizable deal with the Seattle Kraken. Florida sent Kyle Turris, Anders Lee, and cash to the Kraken in exchange for center David Backes, defenseman Mark Giordano, and depth forward Leo Komarov. "We were looking for this type of trade for a little while. While Turris and Lee were penciled in our plans, this move made it possible to get Svechnikov in the lineup and address a defensive need. We believe we have put together our best team in several years, and we're excited to see where they take us this season."

Expectations are certainly higher than they were previously, however the Panthers failed to show up in the season debut against the New York Islanders. Things can only go up from here after taking an 8-2 beating in the opener.

5/20/2021 - 674 words


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