The back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers could sell pending free agents by the NHL trade deadline.
With Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, the Panthers sit last in the Atlantic Division and are 10 points out of a playoff spot. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said it’s his understanding the Panthers will be sellers at this point.
With that, the NHL insider reported Panthers GM Bill Zito is willing to listen to offers for the team’s pending unrestricted free agents. Those UFAs include left wing A.J. Greer and two-time Vezina Trophy winner, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Panthers and any clubs interested in Bobrovsky would have to navigate some obstacles before trading him.
First, the 37-year-old has a 16-team no-trade clause, meaning he has trade control for half of the NHL. He also has a $10 million salary cap hit in the seventh and final year of his contract.
‘Doesn’t mean he will be dealt for sure, just means Florida is listening,’ LeBrun said regarding Bobrovsky.
In terms of Bobrovsky’s influence on the ice, this has been statistically one of the worst seasons of his 16-year career. In 43 games, the Russian has a 3.13 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.
Among goaltenders who have played at least 30 games this season, Bobrovsky has the second-worst save percentage in the NHL. Only St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington has a lower save percentage at .867, and he could also be traded by Friday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline.
That said, he’s backstopped the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, and in the last two seasons, he had a combined goals-against average of 2.40 and a .911 save percentage.
Greer would be an easy asset to move for a team looking for some bottom-six grit or depth. The 29-year-old was a part of Florida’s Cup-winning team last season, and this year, he’s putting up his best campaign yet.
In his ninth NHL season, he has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. In 61 games, Greer already surpassed his previous career highs of six goals and 17 points, set last year in 81 games.
Greer has also accumulated more than 100 penalty minutes in two of the last three seasons. He’s about to do so again this season, with 92 penalty minutes so far.
Greer is in the final year of a two-year contract with an $850,000 cap hit.
Along with Bobrovsky and Greer, Florida has four more pending UFAs on its active roster.
Goaltender Daniil Tarasov, center Tomas Nosek and defenseman Jeff Petry are all on expiring deals. They all signed one-year contracts last off-season.
Right wing Cole Schwindt is also eligible to become a Group 6 UFA.
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