The Florida Panthers aim to bolster their defense this offseason due to injuries to Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad. Since neither is likely to be placed on LTIR and the team needs cap room to make any additions to their blue line corps, a trade to remove salary is in order and one name garnering interest from other teams is Anthony Duclair.
While they prefer to keep Duclair, the Panthers know his $3 million cap hit is going to be attractive for a number of teams. When you factor in what he’s produced in the 2021-22 season 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games — it’s an even better value, despite recent injuries ruling him out of most of the 2022-23 NHL campaign. Meanwhile, the Flames have a defenseman they have to move and the potential need to replace a handful of forwards who are on their way out the door after telling the organization they were unlikely to sign extensions with the club.
If the Panthers are able to land Noah Hanifin, it’s a nice addition to their roster, keeping them right in the mix as a playoff contender. If the Flames can add a scoring threat in Duclair, it makes the sting of losin Hanifin a little more palatable and if names like Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Backlund, and Elias Lindholm follow Hanifin out the door, Duclair has a prime opportunity to produce with former teammates in Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar.
This Could Be an Important Trade Out of Necessity
To say this is an ideal scenario for either team would be stretching the narrative. This would be more a trade of necessity, with a silver lining amidst two GMs feeling like they’re forced into tough decisions. The circumstances are not great for either side. But, this doesn’t have to be a deal where both teams lose.
Duclair, if healthy, can score and the Flames will badly need scoring. Florida doesn’t want to go into the season with half of their current blue line available. The best trades are often ones where both sides are a bit uncomfortable.
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