If any team can call off their playoff chase this year with a clear conscience, it’s the Florida Panthers.
With Tuesday’s third straight loss, the three-time finalists and two-time defending champions are now 10 points out of a wild-card playoff spot with 21 games to go and six clubs to pass.
During the 5-1 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, where he was looking for some playoff desperation in his club, frustrated coach Paul Maurice mused to a sidelines reporter he should move under-siege goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to forward, saying “he’s the only guy with hands tonight.”
On Wednesday morning, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported his understanding is that Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito has entered sell mode for Friday afternoon’s National Hockey League trade deadline and thus given up the three-peat push.
Who could Florida trade away?
Zito’s pending unrestricted free agents feature Bobrovsky, the 37-year-old with an astounding 66 post-season appearances to his credit since 2022-23, when the Cats lost to Vegas in the final, before twice beating Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Bobrovsky has a 16-team no trade list and Zito might have to cover part of his $10-million salary. The highly decorated Bobrovsky actually being dealt after talks of a contract extension seems remote, but Zito is known for bold deadline moves, at least when his team is in Cup contention.
Left winger A.J. Greer, who was on last year’s title team, is the other attractive pending UFA. Minimum-wage forward Tomas Nosek and warhorse defenceman Jeff Petry also will be UFAs after this season.
How does this affect the Leafs?
For teams such as the Maple Leafs, who lost to Florida as one of their four post-Olympic-break setbacks, a Panthers’ sell-off would create more competition for Friday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has yet to publicly declare his market stall open, but the Leafs were just a point ahead of Florida before playing in Jersey on Wednesday night.
Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton and Calle Jarnkrok are the three UFAs of note up front, while linchpin defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson — with two years remaining on his contract at $3.25 million AAV — will get some interest leading up to Friday.
Jarnkrok, fellow winger Nick Robertson and defenceman Troy Stecher were all scratches at Wednesday’s morning skate for a second straight game, the first of a back-to-back that includes the New York Rangers.
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