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LBC’s 14th Annual NHL Trade Deadline of Doom! Open Thread

After adding forward Claude Giroux and defensemen Ben Chiarot and Robert Hagg, the armed and ready Florida Panthers are all in and likely done making big moves, so I wouldn’t expect much in the way of explosive fireworks from the club today.

That said, the organizational depth in goal is wafer thin as of right now.

Christopher Gibson has been out most of the season, appearing in just nine AHL games. The last time Gibson played for the Charlotte Checkers was all the way back on November 28.

December waiver claim Jonas Johansson is still on injured reserve and did not impress in his one start for the Cats, a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets that saw the former Avalanche goalie give up five goals on 27 shots.

With a surplus players on the roster, don’t be surprised to see Bill Zito swing a deal to bring in an experienced veteran as an insurance policy to guard against an injury to Sergei Bobrovsky or Spencer Knight, or gulp… both.

Not sure if he’s even available, but Ottawa Senators keeper Anton Forsberg is the guy I’d most like to see come south. Probably not happening, so someone along the lines of Craig Anderson, Martin Jones or Thomas Greiss is more realistic. Scott Wedgewood would’ve been a sneaky good pickup as well, in my humble opinion, but he was snagged by the Dallas Stars yesterday.

Going back to that surplus, perhaps Zito decides to send a player or two out the door to recoup some of the bounty lost in the deals to acquire Chiarot, Giroux and Hagg. The Cats are down three picks, including two first rounders, from the trio of trades, but did bring in German Rubtsov and Connor Bunnanman to offset the loss of Owen Tippett (to Philadelphia) and Ty Smilanic (to Montreal).

We’ll know all by 3 p.m.

Find a rumor? Want to share it? By all means do so but PLEASE cite the source (just saving you time here as you’ll be flooded with the inevitable – and completely understandable – “Got a link?” responses).