The Florida Panthers aren’t having the season they envisioned when raising their second straight Stanley Cup back in June. Aleksander Barkov has missed the complete season attributable to an ACL injury suffered in training camp. Matthew Tkachuk just got here back from an injury of his own. And the team is missing other essential depth pieces, as well.
The Panthers have still shown glimpses of the skill and physicality that won them two Cups. This has helped them be the highest non-playoff Wild Card contender right now. Unfortunately, this doesn’t suggest as much as it would for his or her counterparts within the West. Florida trails the Boston Bruins by eight points for the ultimate postseason spot within the East.
On February 4th, the NHL will freeze its rosters for the upcoming Winter Olympics. On March sixth, the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline will come to pass. There may be going to be a whole lot of activity across the league over the following month. Consequently, there will likely be speculation as to what Florida does in that point to enhance its positioning.
There could also be a temptation to punt the season and sell their pending unrestricted free agents. That is an avenue general manager Bill Zito can explore. Nonetheless, this path feels a bit unlikely. Florida is understood for its aggressiveness, on and off the ice. In the event that they make a trade, it’s going to be so as to add to the roster.
With this in mind, here is one trade the Panthers should make before the rosters freeze on February 4th.
Panthers should avoid splash, trade for stability in Connor Murphy
One other temptation that would call to Zito this time of the 12 months is to make the massive splash. It’s something he’s accustomed to, having swung some major trades on the NHL Trade Deadline in recent memory. Seth Jones and Brad Marchand joined the Panthers last season on the deadline, as an illustration.
He could simply go for broke once more. Trade for Artemi Panarin, for instance. Sign him to an extension, watch him play even higher than he’s immediately. Florida goes on the run of a lifetime, they usually usurp some poor Atlantic Division team after a late-season collapse.
Nonetheless, the Panthers should exercise a little bit of caution this 12 months. They haven’t got the means to actually make that form of splash without some unreal creativity. Is that form of creativity price depleting more of your draft stock for a season which will end before the postseason begins?
Besides, a trade for a player like Panarin will not be entirely vital. Marchand is playing well this season. Once Tkachuk gets his feet under him, he should return to form, as well. The Panthers are tenth within the NHL for Expected Goals Per 60 Minutes, in accordance with Evolving Hockey. This is just not a foul offensive team.
What the Panthers need immediately is defensive stability. They rank twenty first in Expected Goals Allowed, which is just not great. Lots of this might be chalked as much as their lackluster goaltending. One may also point to their injuries on defense, with Jones and Dmitry Kulikov being out.
With limited resources, the Panthers should return to the Chicago Blackhawks well and make a run at veteran Connor Murphy. Murphy is a pending free agent, in order that they only must make the cash work for this season. Moreover, the Blackhawks could retain half of his $4.4 million cap hit to make this even easier to stomach.
Murphy is a unbelievable defensive presence on the best side of the blueline. He ranks eighth in Defensive Goals Above Alternative this season. He’s an especially strong defender at 5v5 this season, rating seventh in even-strength DGAR. During the last six seasons, he ranks fifteenth in overall DGAR and twelfth in even-strength DGAR.
Murphy would allow Uvis Balinskis to maneuver right down to the third pairing. He provides the form of shutdown defensive play that will take pressure off Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov in goal. And he shouldn’t cost the Panthers an arm and a leg, which is vital considering their resources. The Panthers may have to fight off other teams, but Murphy makes total sense for the two-time defending champions.