Looks like we (almost) made it ♪ It’s Friday, March 7, and the NHL’s trade deadline is upon us. After 3:00 p.m. ET today, no more deals can be made.
In addition to the big move of acquiring top-4 defenseman Seth Jones for backup goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round draft pick on Saturday, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito replaced Knight for the remainder of this season by acquiring pending unrestricted free agent Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Zito nibbled around the edges of the roster. He made another trade with the Sharks, acquiring Nico Sturm, who could grab a spot on the fourth line, and swapped depth goaltender Chris Driedger for Winnipeg’s Kaapo Kähkönen, who has spent most of the season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose.
Of lesser note, the Panthers also signed forward Jesse Puljujärvi and goaltender Evan Cormier to two-way NHL deals.
So, what will Zito & Co. do today? The Panthers have a noticeable hole at forward with Matthew Tkachuk out long-term, but the hope is he will return at some point during the postseason. Do they make a swing-for-the fences type of move or perhaps add another depth player or two up front with drafts picks or minor-leaguers going the other way? We shall see…
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