Blockbuster Trade Between Panthers & Sabres

Do you remember PKayne end of season press conference?

Many things were said but the focus was on the fact that his team had a disappointing season and that he’ll work the phones hard to make them more competitive as soon as possible.

Well, we didn’t have to wait for long before he made his first offseason move.

Indeed, in a trade that was just approved by the league, the Panthers made a huge acquisition: Mathew Barzal.

Barzal is a 28 year old center on a really good contract of 7 years @ 6,650,000$ AAV, thanks to the Calgary Flames who retained 2,500,000$/season on Barzal’s contract in a deal that happened last August.

The Panthers had to pay the price for this acquisition: Prospect Gabriel Perreault, Young forward Joshua Roy and a 2nd round pick in this years draft.

Here’s what PKayne had to say on that trade: “It’s never easy to let go some great young players like Gabe (Perreault) and Josh (Roy).  We drafted them, developed them and we liked what we saw from them so far but you always have to keep in mind what’s your goal as an organization. We had a disappointing season for sure, but we have a really great core with the likes of MacKinnon, Makar, Panarin, Morrissey, Caufield, Stützle and some really great complimentary pieces. Starting a rebuild was not a possibility at all right now so we were at peace with trading futures for a player that would help a lot next season but also for the following 6. Barzy is hell of a player, play fast, think fast and can be a threat offensively. Considering his contract (and the retention already on it), it was a no brainer for me. With the cap going up, Barzal locked in at 6,650,000$ for the next 7 years will be hell of a deal for us. That’s probably why we were inclined to pay strong.”

Barzal will join an offensive corp that already has Nathan MacKinnon, Artemi Panarin, Cole Caufield, Tim Stützle, Trevor Zegras and Jordan Eberle – to name a few - in it. No words yet on any potential lines combinations for next season (of course – it’s very early and other moves could be coming) but the Panthers’ top 6 will be one of the strongest in the league for sure.

When asked if other moves were coming soon, Panthers’ GM told me that they were now focusing more on the draft (they pick 6th overall) but he’s still taking calls and working the phones. The Panthers still have a couple of defenders, 1 or 2 bottom 6 forwards and a backup goaltender to acquire to fill the line-up. He’s considering both the trade markets and the free agency to get what he needs.

Stay tuned for more!

Mark Kandy
Miami Sun