The Florida Panthers added nine players to the prospect cupboard this weekend in Vancouver. Dale Tallon traded two fourth-rounders to the Columbus Blue Jackets to move up and select forward Cole Schwindt, so it was nice to see Schwindt singled out as Sportnet’s Sam Cosentino’s standout selection in the third round:
Big, right-shot centres, are hard to come by, and this player offers that package. Not to condone fighting, but a tussle with Josh Wainman on February 13th happened to coincide with a 5 game point streak.
Understanding that he could hold his own, Schwindt started to use his size to his advantage, and ultimately put up 12 points over Mississauga’s final 9 games of the season.
A good off-season could position him well to take a major step in point production next season.
According to TSN Insider Bob MacKenzie, the Cats will meet with coveted UFAs Sergei Bobrovksy and Artemi Panarin today. No tampering, teams are allowed to speak to free agents this week, but not sign them.
There were some big trades this weekend with the New Jersey Devils acquisition of P.K. Subban being the headliner. More on the trade could be found at All About The Jersey and On The Forecheck.
Closer to home, salary cap issues forced the Tampa Bay Lightning to ship forward J.T. Miller to the Vancouver Canucks. Raw Charge and Nucks Misconduct have more on the deal.
The Carolina Hurricanes weaponized its cap space to squeeze a first-rounder out of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sent Patrick Marleau and his expensive final contract south. (Canes Country) (Pension Plan Puppets)
The Anaheim Ducks took care of some offseason house cleaning by re-signing forward Derek Grant, defenseman Korbinian Holzer and goaltender Ryan Miller. (Anaheim Calling)
Forwards Jordan Nolan and Nolan Stevens re-upped with the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. (12up)