Ottawa Sun: Panthers' Horton on trade block...again?
by Donny Rivette on Oct 18, 2009 3:06 PM EDT
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In what's become a semi-annual event in Florida, enigmatic winger Nathan Horton finds himself once more as the focus of trade rumors, courtesy of Bruce "Malkin to the Kings" Garrioch:
The Panthers are trying to move C Nathan Horton, who is off to a bad start, recording just two goals in the first six games while posting a minus-6 rating.
We'll excuse the listing of Horts as a center, being that it was his position last season. It's only one line, and doesn't begin to specify which clubs - if any - are actually interested, not to mention whether there is any truth to this whatsoever. I find it hard to believe Panthers assistant GM Randy Sexton is prepared to throw in the towel after a handful of games (especially in light of Horton's entire trio - including C Stephen Weiss and W David Booth - facing similar struggles). Evidently, Spector agrees and finds #16's contract status to be a deterrent:
Horton is currently in the third year of a six-year contract paying $4 million per season, which could be difficult to move if the Panthers indeed were to put him on the market. While his struggles date back to last season Horton is still young (24) and has the size and skills that could tempt another team into picking him up. That being said I don't see the Panthers giving up on him yet unless ownership orders management to dump salary.
If one is to single out Horton by using the new season's numbers as backup, then a brief look at his linemates' stats is only fair:
Neither guy is exacly propelling the Sunrise Express into high gear, though four points in six games is precisely what Weiss should be averaging. All three are in the Florida top four in SOG, and somehow Booth finds himself fourth on the team in PIM.
Has the line simply not yet found their groove, or is a shakeup really in order? In any event, few Cats fans were dishing out profanities after this bit of late-period heroics Friday evening:
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Stupified
I don’t get it. First of all, I think we can all agree that the Cats do not possess a #1 line. Yes the “Sunrise Express” is a talented line and they are my second favorite in the league, but they are all relatively young guys who just aren’t ready to carry a team yet. That said, why would anyone in management trade Horton? Unless you’re getting someone like Getzlaf, Carter or Malkin back, this would be a very dumb thing to do, regardless if the guy is struggling or not.
Managing Editor - HockeyOutsiders.com
by HockeyOutsiders on Oct 19, 2009 10:56 AM EDT reply actions
There’s only two reasons to trade Horton. 1-Because it’s salary dump time (in which case Vokoun’s going too, NTC or no). 2-Because someone else needs to dump salary and we’re getting a good return. It’s way too early in the season for scenario 1. It’s possible Sexton’s poking around in hopes of finding some team up against the cap willing to part with someone worthwhile.
Or maybe Garrioch’s full of it (my choice here).
In any case, I saw a blog post about it on a Leafs board this morning where, in the comments, there’s a bunch of Leafs fans foaming at the mouth at the prospect of either trading Kaberle (because we need another defenseman) or dumping every player they hate for Horton. There were some sensible people as well, suggesting reasonable trades such as other guys who are underperforming and may need a change of scenery for the same in Horton. My favorite was the guy who suggested sending Kaberle and a bunch of fourth liners for Booth and Horton. Fat chance.
One more thing. That whole line is underperforming right now. Weiss had the flu the first couple games and has struggled. And as much as everyone bags on him, his job is to get the puck to Booth. If Weiss struggles, Booth struggles. And, anyway, we’re only six games in. Too early to panic.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Garrioch, it’s that teams love trading some of their best (or at least most valuable) players when they’re underperforming and therefore secure the least return in trade.
Try having him cover your team 24/7.
by Peter Raaymakers on Oct 19, 2009 12:22 PM EDT reply actions
UPDATE: SEXTON HAS "VEHEMENTLY" DENIED THIS
As of this afternoon, courtesy of Gorten/Sun-Sentinel. As far as the Cats go (publicly), M2TK is wrong again.
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