There have been rumors of division in the locker room with Tkachuk in the past. Not saying it is true or false, but it has been rumored. When Muzzin flipped the puck at him 2 years ago and he snapped and none of his teammates defended him apparently started the division. Time will tell how he fits in I guess.

Panthers have improved more than the Bolts this offseason. Florida gave up good assets to rent Giroux and Chiarot, so they needed a solid offseason to recoup those lost assets. Mission accomplished.

Bolts have been gutted. McDonagh gone for cap reasons. Palat gone for cap reasons. Cole and Namestnikov are not equal replacements, no offense to either of them.

Later tonight somewhere in SoFLo
Matthew Tkachuk in the house...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMqgVXSvwGo


It wasn’t my main thought from the intro presser, but the thought briefly crossed my mind that this kid might go a little wild with the nightlife here, & hope he keeps his head on straight.

Panthers have improved more than the Bolts this offseason. Florida gave up good assets to rent Giroux and Chiarot, so they needed a solid offseason to recoup those lost assets. Mission accomplished.

Bolts have been gutted. McDonagh gone for cap reasons. Palat gone for cap reasons. Cole and Namestnikov are not equal replacements, no offense to either of them.
- GalacticStone

I guess it’s more accurate to say TB took bigger hits than FL did. Idk if I’d say that FL has improved so far this off season. They still should be very good, but they have not improved. FL traded Hubie for MT, and their current D takes a hit losing Weegar.
The trade really helps FL next year, when Hornqvist comes off books and the Yandle buyout isn’t so steep. $10 million in space right there.
Don’t know what Zito will do for this season. He can’t be done yet, as I think he is still (a little) over the cap even with having Duclair on LTIR. I don’t think he wants to move Hornqvist, we’ll see what alternative he comes up with.

Hopelessly doomed
- Ratsreign

No, no ,no. If your scouts are good you land good players in other rounds. Weager was in what round? And the goalie that was traded last yr because Knight is the future. If Panthers remain a top contenders the picks are essentially 2nd rounders. Huby, barkov and ekblad only good picks as they were top 10s because the team sucked. Where are all the other first rounders? Lawson Crouse and Tippet….please.

The thing nobody is really mentioning is that the Flames won big time by NOT giving Tkachuk 9.5 million over 8 years. He has talent but he’s as slow as Lucic and Florida fans are going to tire of his blind passes and constant between the legs attempts quickly.

He’s also disappeared in the playoffs with a measly 15 points in 27 games vs Huberdeaus 21 points in 26 games. That’s not the kind of production you’ll want for the next 8 years.

You’ll love that he drives opposing players nuts but hate other aspects of his game. I’d put money on him never reaching 100pts again too.

I think Calgary won this trade by a lot regardless if either player resigns. With the outrageous prices for acquiring top line scoring threats and top 2/3 Dmen, I could see the Flames cashing in on both guys come the trade deadline if they can’t sort out reasonable extensions beforehand.

I guess it’s more accurate to say TB took bigger hits than FL did. Idk if I’d say that FL has improved so far this off season. They still should be very good, but they have not improved. FL traded Hubie for MT, and their current D takes a hit losing Weegar.
The trade really helps FL next year, when Hornqvist comes off books and the Yandle buyout isn’t so steep. $10 million in space right there.
Don’t know what Zito will do for this season. He can’t be done yet, as I think he is still (a little) over the cap even with having Duclair on LTIR. I don’t think he wants to move Hornqvist, we’ll see what alternative he comes up with.
- Ratsreign

Hubie and Weegar seemed to catch a lot of grief from Panthers fans during the last playoffs. So, some part of the Panthers fanbase should be happy with the deal. But yeah, it's not like you guys added this new blood without shipping out big contracts. The salary cap sucks.

I'm not feeling optimistic about the Bolts. I think they have peaked and are heading into a long slow decline now. If they couldn't win it all with McDonagh and Palat, they certainly aren't doing it without them.

So far, judging by this offseason's moves, the Panthers look on track to take the division.