The Florida Panthers want to make trades, but GM Bill Zito is handicapped by their current salary cap situation and captain Aleksander Barkov’s health.
The Florida Panthers are stuck on the outside looking in in the playoff race. With the injuries they face, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see them overcome their obstacles and make the playoffs.
The Panthers sit five points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Still, the Toronto Maple Leafs remain ahead of them, and the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, and Columbus Blue Jackets nip at their heels, all just one or two points back of the Panthers. The only team the Panthers don’t truly have to worry about in the Eastern Conference is the New York Rangers.
Although the circumstances may be difficult to overcome, the Panthers aren’t just going to roll over and play the injury card. The organization wants to make the post-season, and that stems from the players, coaching staff, and management.
The front office wants to add players to help the Panthers not only make the playoffs but also go on another long run, but they face obstacles. With the new LTIR rule that doesn’t allow teams to be over the salary cap in the playoffs, the Panthers need to keep cap space available for Aleksander Barkov to return.
Several reports have differed on Barkov’s timeline. Some have stated that he could return before the post-season, others say that he might be ready for Game 1 of the first round, and some say that he could join them beyond Round 2. The consensus seems to be that the Panthers want Barkov to return, and he does, too.
Because the Panthers believe Barkov can return, they can’t place him on the season-ending long-term injury reserve (SELTIR). If they did, they could use his $10 million cap hit to add to their roster. Without it, they don’t have much space to maneuver.
Aleksander Barkov (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images)With that being said, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently mentioned that Panthers GM Bill Zito is still making calls around the NHL looking to make trades. It will be hard for him to find a scenario where they can remain under the salary cap, but at the very least, Zito is going to try.
“Yeah, another team making calls, two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers,” said LeBrun on TSN's Insider Trading. “They are in one right now and it seemed like a month ago they were back and they had their mojo back. But they are five points out of a playoff spot as play began Thursday night. Bill Zito, the GM, has ramped up his calls around the league. He can’t force anything, he doesn’t want to force anything.”
“But certainly the Panthers would like to make a deal to help their team. The other thing I’d say is that they’re up against it cap wise. All the injuries they’ve had have really eaten into their accrued cap space. They have to keep space open for Sasha Barkov if he’s back for the playoffs, so they don’t have a lot of room to maneuver here. And by the way, that’s if they make the playoffs.”
The trade deadline is on March 6.
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