Florida Panthers Could Make Surprising Move(s) at the Deadline, Per Report

According to Frank Seravalli, the Florida Panthers could get creative as the March 3rd trade deadline quickly approaches.

The Panthers' season has not gone as planned after they paid a hefty sum for forward Matthew Tkachuk, coughing up forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in the process. Halfway through the 2022-23 season, the Panthers sit fifth in the Wild Card race, behind even the Buffalo Sabres.

The Panthers' roster is among the most expensive in the NHL, which only makes matters worse for GM Bill Zito. Per CapFriendly, the Cats have no cap space and no first-round picks for the next three summers.

As a means of insulating his team's assets and a way to clear valuable cap space, Zito could have a trick or two up his sleeves. By way of a quick re-tool, The Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli believes the Panthers could shop forwards Sam Bennett and/or Sam Reinhart at or before the trade deadline.

With the Panthers a long shot for the playoffs, it's only logical for them to consider such moves. You see, Bennett makes $4.425 million for this season plus two more, and Reinhart is signed for $6.5 million through '23-24.

Each of these players could net a first-round pick-plus, which would fit precisely the Panthers' needs. However, teams will likely not part with their first-rounders easily, given how stacked the 2023 Entry Draft is expected to be, so Zito has his work cut out for him.

Both of these players would be in high demand, though, and several teams have a need for either Bennett or Reinhart. The main issue with acquiring either in a trade is - as always - the salary cap. Only a handful of teams could afford the salary of either player, and given that each is signed beyond this season, it is unlikely that the Panthers retain any salary.

Seravalli also said that this could be the year of the Third Party Broker, which is any team willing to act as an intermediary and eat some salary in exchange for a draft pick. While that is certainly an interesting angle, lots of moving parts are involved, making for a sticky situation for Florida.

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