With the Florida Panthers getting back at it Thursday night when the Washington Capitals visit the BB&T Center, the club has made a few moves to set their roster going forward, or at least until the March 5th trade deadline, when the lineup could look quite different.
Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Kopecky have been placed on injured reserve, with both expected to be out indefinitely.
With Barkov out mending his knee, Nick Bjugstad will move up a line and center wingers Brad Boyes and Sean Bergenheim, keeping the line’s Killer B’s nickname intact.
Drew Shore and Dylan Olsen are back up from San Antonio. Shore’s most recent stint with the Rampage saw him score five goals and add one assist in nine games. Olsen suited up for one game with the Silver and Black during the Olympic break, scoring a goal and finishing with a +2 rating against the Hamilton Bulldogs on February 17th.
I am glad to see that these two players have returned to the Cats lineup. I think both have proven they need to be plying their trade full-time in the NHL.
Veteran defenseman Mike Mottau is finally off injured reserved. He cleared waivers and was sent down to San Antonio. Mottau played in seven games for the Panthers this season with no points.
The Olympics were interesting, but I am stoked that the NHL returns tonight when the Sabres and Hurricanes tangle in Buffalo.
Feel free to chime in below with any thoughts. The floor is yours…