The signing of Spencer Knight seems to have awakened the front offices of many NHL teams, who are apparently calling Bill Zito to ask about #60’s trade availabitly.
TSN’s Pierre Lebrun talks about it briefly in the below video:
And The Hockey Writers also wrotewrote about it this morning, stating:
“TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Florida Panthers have signed goaltender prospect Spencer Knight to a contract, which has opened the flood gates for calls from other teams to the Panthers about netminder Chris Driedger. Apparently, teams have been reaching out to Florida GM Bill Zito to inquire about Driedger’s availability and some teams made trade offers on the spot.
As it stands, Zito has relayed that he has not made a decision on Driedger just yet. The GM wants time to determine if the team will keep him for their playoff run or perhaps trade him for the best possible return prior to the deadline. Because the 26-year-old netminder has broken out this season and is a pending UFA, there’s a real chance the Panthers could lose him for nothing in the offseason if he feels he’s the third goalie in the system.”
Driedger has certainly “arrived” in the league since signing with Florida. He boasts a 10-4-2 record and is fifth in the league in save percentage with .927 and sixth in GAA with 2.18. In comparison, Bob is 14-5-2, has a .907 save percentage and 2.82 GAA.
So I can understand why Zito isn’t showing his hand just yet. I think he truly is not sure what to do. Both goalies have been great and are a huge reason for this team’s success this year.
Maybe the question Panthers’ brass are figuring out if they go all in, or don’t get too crazy, instead, staying the course keep adding pieces/building this thing for the long term?
Driedger has to be so appealing for teams looking for that coveted goalie security because the guy can obviously play and his contract is beyond cheap ($850K). Since he becomes a UFA this offseason, I wonder if teams would be looking for a sign-and-trade kind of thing from Florida? Or would teams be willing (confident) he’ll sign with them if they trade for him?
I personally think the question of what to do with Driedger is a big deal for Florida. If they keep both guys and they continue to play how they are, they get into the playoffs and have the potential to make some waves. But if you move Driedger now, Monty comes up (presumably) and then you’re really riding Bob. Does that Bob/Monty combo make you better or worse? Worse.
On the other hand, if you keep him, you risk him walking in the summer since the Knight signing seems like that signals the end of Driedger's time in Florida.
Could they do something like this:
Legit playoff teams looking for goalie security/help might be willing to give a sweet package for Driedger. Could they trade him now and then make a move for a guy like Carter Hutton? It doesn’t have to be Hutton, but a guy in a similar situation. I use Hutton as an example for a couple reasons:
- BUF is in a terrible position and needs to start the sale and grab up picks/prospects. Florida could send something like that to the Sabres to get Hutton as a rental and let him walk this summer. No real harm done. Err...I think...
- He’s 1-10-1, but that is a combo of BUF as a whole and the fact that I think he’s a really a true #2. My guess is he would fair a lot better in FLA in a backup role where he doesn’t have to be “the guy.” Let Bob Bob take the reigns of this team in the blue paint.
Again...I think this is a tough decision for Zito and the Cats. There’s a lot of different possibilities and things to take into account.
Or maybe there isn’t. If you’re playing the long game (which they should be), Knight is the future so moving #60 now and getting a nice return to hopefully set you up for some playoff success now and you keep building a product that will be a regular post-season/cup threat.
It’s going to be really interesting. It’s only human nature to be thinking about the Panthers lack of overall success, but especially playoff success. So I’m sure that is factoring into the brass’ decision.
The only thing I know is that it’s a good thing I’m not a GM because I’m so wishy-washy on what to do!
Hinostroza to Chicago for Brad Morrison
The Cats got some more forward depth this afternoon when they traded Vinny Hinostroza to Chicago in exchange for minor-leaguer Brad Morrison.
Per the Cats’ website:
“Morrison, 24, has appeared in six games with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, producing five points (3-2-5). The 6-foot, 171-pound native of Prince George, British Columbia has also appeared in three ECHL games with the Indy Fuel this season, posting two points (1-1-2).
He has played 56 career AHL games (2018-19 to 2020-21), recording 25 points (13-12-25) and 20 career ECHL games (2019-20 to 2020-21), registering 21 points (7-14-21).
Originally selected by the New York Rangers in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Morrison played 334 career Western Hockey League games (2012-13 to 2017-18), posting 262 points (112-150-262).”
Honestly, good for Hinostroza. I think he thought he would be a gear on this Panthers machine, but just couldn’t crack the roster on a regular basis. My guess is he played himself into a spot back home with the Hawks in after the recent series between the two teams. He’s stood out for Florida in those games.
I think Florida also saves something like $1M? Something they’ll probably use at the deadline.
Thursday’s Game
I’m being honest when I say that Thursday’s game was one of my favorites to watch this season. It had everything I’m looking for in a hockey game: a tight match, physical, a couple tilts, both teams working hard and the Panthers coming out on top.
I really like the game Givani Smith brings. He’s a throwback and always plays Florida tough. Heck, the guy had two fights - an uneventful one against Lomberg (cut short by the zebras) and the other against Stillman, where Smith got the better of Riley. Wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Leaping Cat sweater.
How many people held their breath when Huby went down at the end of the second? Man...I couldn’t believe it. With the way the injury bug has been going for these guys, I assumed he was done. Thankfully it appeared to have just been a stinger and he was back out to start the third.
The Panthers are looking to make it five in a row when they take on Columbus tonight.
In this strange all-division-based season, we have seen teams fluctuate up and down the Central standings. Just look at the Predators. They were hovering around second-to-last and are now in fourth.
On the opposite trajectory is the Blue Jackets. They have slipped to now find themselves at sixth in the division.
While having solid defense, Columbus has been plagued by scoring woes for what seems like forever. New guys Max Domi and Patrick Laine were brought in to help in this department, but so far haven’t performed to expectations - with the latter taking a lot of heat for a lack of offense.
His seemingly contentious relationship with John Tortorella has caught the attention of many hockey fans. I don’t follow CBJ closely by any means, so I found this article from The Ohio Battery not only insightful, but incredibly interesting.
There’s an awesome section in the piece where Jack Han uses a ‘Player Development Matrix’ to build a case for Laine and why the CBJ system - from coaching/philosophy and scheme - is the cause for Laine’s struggles.
The excerpt from his matrix about how “dumb” teams handle players is something:
- Fixate on weaknesses at the expense of leveraging strengths
- Spend valuable time & energy attempting to influence low-frequency, low-value skills
- Double down on poor process by accusing the player of being uncooperative
- Strip down the player’s unique identity, then sell him/her at a discount
The whole article seems to build the case that Laine is actually being used wrong by the coaching staff that’s trying to make him fit the scheme, rather than work with his strengths.
Again, it’s worth a read if you have the time...
The deck feels stacked in the Panthers favor tonight as they might be getting Barky and Hornqvist back (give me a Wayne Campbell “Excellllent!), combined with CBJ’s offensive woes and lack of wins lately.
But let’s not jinx it. Even though the Jackets have only won one of the four games so far against the Panthers, anyone can be beat on any night. Keep in mind the fact that the Wings took the Cats to OT Thursday. So anything can happen.
Did you guys see this...is he actually going to get worked in at some point? Seems wild, but I’m curious to see what happens.
Kiersted (seen here already repping the Cats) is currently in South Florida, cooped up in his hotel room while undergoing COVID-19 protocols.
"It's been pretty crazy, but I'm happy with my decision [to join] Florida. I don't think I could be any more happy or excited to be here and joining the group."
BTW - I noticed we got the comments almost to 50 on the last blog. Crazy. I’ve never seen that before on a blog I’ve done. Sure, the majority of the convo was about the new Bally’s score bar, but who cares - had a great time chatting!
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