The Panthers are not known for being particularly active at the NHL trade deadline. Most of the team’s General Managers have preferred to make their moves around the draft (see the Roberto Luongo deal). However, the Panthers have made some significant Deadline Day deals and some insignificant ones. While Dale Tallon threatens to make this the busiest Panthers trade deadline ever, we’re going to take a look at Panthers Deadline Week deals of the past.
General Manager: Randy Sexton
Deadline: March 3, 2010
- Defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski to Boston for forwards Craig Weller and Byron Bitz and a second round draft pick in 2010 (Alexander Petrovic).
- Defenseman Mathieu Roy from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Matt Rust.
- March 1: Defenseman Jordan Leopold to Pittsburgh for a second round draft pick in 2010 (Connor Brickley).
Interim General Manager Randy Sexton was Assistant General Manager under Jacques Martin. He was named Interim when Martin bolted to coach the Canadiens. Sexton started deadline work early, trading forward Dominic Moore to Montreal for a second round pick in 2011 on February 11. The Panthers were bad all season and it was widely speculated that Sexton would sell all of his one-year signings for draft picks. He did so, trading away Moore, Leopold and Seidenberg for picks and a couple of minor league players. The one roster player he brought in, Byron Bitz, played only a handful of games before being injured. He has yet to appear for the Panthers this season, and it appears that his time with the club is done, with Miami Herald reporter George Richards reporting recently that he “doesn’t see him” around the practice facility anymore.