Post by Florida Panthers on May 14, 2022 12:37:28 GMT -6
Sunrise, Florida - The Florida Panthers made their mark on the 2022 PFHL trade deadline in a flurry which saw the club complete six of the day's twelve deals.
GM Jay Seo started the day off with a bang by finally acquiring long-coveted RW Brock Boeser from the Washington Capitals in a deal that saw Blake Coleman and highly-touted prospect Fabian Lysell go the other way. Sources indicate that this deal had been in the works ever since Caps GM Jay Williams was named to his post earlier this season. The Panthers wasted no time locking the club's new #1 RW down to a 3-year extension through 2025. Boeser has already formed a potent partnership with club captain Kirill Kaprizov by producing 6 points in 3 games on the top line.
Florida then shipped veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the contending Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a package for promising young defenseman Helge Grans. Seo was pleased to reward McDonagh, who led an undermanned Panthers defense with 49 points, by sending him to a club with serious Stanley Cup aspirations. Grans will be in tough to compete for a spot on a young defensive core -- one that will include the likes of Luke Hughes, Noah Dobson, Ethan Bear, Sean Durzi, and Henri Jokiharju -- but could very well surprise down the road.
Later in the day, much maligned winger Jonathan Drouin finally found a new home in the Sunshine State in a swap for Drake Batherson, whom Blues GM Charles-Antoine Poulin has long admired. Although Drouin had been publicly shopped for months and is older than Batherson, Drouin's 56 points in 68 games more resembled the first-line type production that Florida had been looking for.
The Panthers also pulled the trigger on a pair of undervalued assets by acquiring centers Radek Faksa and Colin White from Philadelphia and Montreal respectively. Although the club's decision to trade away draft picks while rebuilding seems a curious one, Florida had been devoid of NHL-level centers that could complement the injection of offensive talent. White's early returns have been positive with 4 points in 3 games so far.
Finally, Florida closed out the deadline by pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade, acquiring winger Johnny Gaudreau and Frank Vatrano from the Boston Bruins for Adam Lowry, Shane Pinto, and a package of picks and prospects. After hashing out this deal's specifics for months, Bruins GM Scott Davidson at last cut bait on a superstar that had only agreed to terms on a 1-year extension through next season. Florida gambled on Gaudreau's interest in signing a long-term extension with the Panthers, but eventually compromised on a 2-year extension that should give the club some flexibility moving forward.
At present, the Panthers 2022-23 roster lines up as follows:
Kirill Kaprizov - Colin White - Brock Boeser
Johnny Gaudreau - TBD - Jonathan Drouin
Peyton Krebs - Radek Faksa - Frank Vatrano
4th line TBD
Noah Dobson - Ethan Bear
Sean Durzi - Henri Jokiharju
P.K. Subban - Niko Mikkola
Brett Kulak
Darcy Kuemper
Spencer Knight
GM Jay Seo started the day off with a bang by finally acquiring long-coveted RW Brock Boeser from the Washington Capitals in a deal that saw Blake Coleman and highly-touted prospect Fabian Lysell go the other way. Sources indicate that this deal had been in the works ever since Caps GM Jay Williams was named to his post earlier this season. The Panthers wasted no time locking the club's new #1 RW down to a 3-year extension through 2025. Boeser has already formed a potent partnership with club captain Kirill Kaprizov by producing 6 points in 3 games on the top line.
Florida then shipped veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the contending Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a package for promising young defenseman Helge Grans. Seo was pleased to reward McDonagh, who led an undermanned Panthers defense with 49 points, by sending him to a club with serious Stanley Cup aspirations. Grans will be in tough to compete for a spot on a young defensive core -- one that will include the likes of Luke Hughes, Noah Dobson, Ethan Bear, Sean Durzi, and Henri Jokiharju -- but could very well surprise down the road.
Later in the day, much maligned winger Jonathan Drouin finally found a new home in the Sunshine State in a swap for Drake Batherson, whom Blues GM Charles-Antoine Poulin has long admired. Although Drouin had been publicly shopped for months and is older than Batherson, Drouin's 56 points in 68 games more resembled the first-line type production that Florida had been looking for.
The Panthers also pulled the trigger on a pair of undervalued assets by acquiring centers Radek Faksa and Colin White from Philadelphia and Montreal respectively. Although the club's decision to trade away draft picks while rebuilding seems a curious one, Florida had been devoid of NHL-level centers that could complement the injection of offensive talent. White's early returns have been positive with 4 points in 3 games so far.
Finally, Florida closed out the deadline by pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade, acquiring winger Johnny Gaudreau and Frank Vatrano from the Boston Bruins for Adam Lowry, Shane Pinto, and a package of picks and prospects. After hashing out this deal's specifics for months, Bruins GM Scott Davidson at last cut bait on a superstar that had only agreed to terms on a 1-year extension through next season. Florida gambled on Gaudreau's interest in signing a long-term extension with the Panthers, but eventually compromised on a 2-year extension that should give the club some flexibility moving forward.
At present, the Panthers 2022-23 roster lines up as follows:
Kirill Kaprizov - Colin White - Brock Boeser
Johnny Gaudreau - TBD - Jonathan Drouin
Peyton Krebs - Radek Faksa - Frank Vatrano
4th line TBD
Noah Dobson - Ethan Bear
Sean Durzi - Henri Jokiharju
P.K. Subban - Niko Mikkola
Brett Kulak
Darcy Kuemper
Spencer Knight
