The Florida Panthers' busy offseason continued Thursday morning with a surprising trade that will clear up several million dollars of salary-cap space. The Panthers sent oft-injured center Dave Bolland and 2015 first-round pick Lawson Crouse to the Phoenix Coyotes for future second- and third-round draft picks.
The Panthers will receive the 2017 third-round pick of the Coyotes or Detroit Red Wings, whichever is higher. They'll also receive Arizona's 2018 conditional second-round pick. However, if Crouse doesn't play in Arizona this season the second-round pick becomes an additional 2017 third-round pick.
In trading Bolland, the Panthers are off the hook for $16.5 million they would have still owed him.
"This move gives us the salary cap flexibility to sign and retain our own young players and also to pursue talent that (president of hockey operations Dale Tallon, general manager Tom Rowe) and the guys identify during the season as we attempt to get back into the playoffs," Panthers co-owner Doug Cifu told the Sun Sentinel.
Crouse, 19, was the 11th overall pick in 2015 and was expected to compete for a spot on either the Panthers' third or fourth line in training camp next month. Crouse had 23 goals and 62 points in 49 games for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League last season.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Crouse, nicknamed the "Sherriff" for his toughness and willingness to defend his teammates with his checks and fists, could have given the Panthers a physical edge that they may be missing after trading defenseman Erik Gudbranson to Vancouver for young forward Jared McCann.
But he would have been battling to make the Panthers' roster this season after they signed forwards Colton Sceviour and Jonathan Marchessault over the summer. If he didn't crack the lineup, Crouse would've had to return to juniors because a player must be 20 years old to play in the AHL.
Crouse has a much better chance of making the Coyotes, who haven't reached the playoffs since the 2011-12 season.
"We are very pleased to acquire Lawson," Arizona's general manager John Chayka told the Coyotes' website. "He's a big, physical, power forward who is a strong skater with good hands. Players of his caliber and profile are extremely hard to find."
Bolland, 30, was signed to a five-year deal worth $27.5 million in the summer of 2014, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks had just seven goals and 28 points in 78 games over two injury-plagued seasons with Florida. He never fully recovered from an ankle injury sustained during his lone season with the Maple Leafs in 2013-14.
Through the work of Rowe as well as co-assistant general managers Steve Werier and Eric Joyce, the Panthers roster now sits at $63,170,833, according to Capfriendly.com, which would clear up $9.82 million of space for next year's crop of free agents. The Panthers now have 47 players signed to professional contracts and are allowed three more in case they need midseason help.
The cap space also allows the Panthers to work on a long-term extension with blossoming forward Jonathan Huberdeau, and it could possibly help them retain defenseman Alex Petrovic, who could be left unprotected on the expansion list next year when Las Vegas enters the league.
If the Panthers can tie up Petrovic on a long-term deal, it may scare Las Vegas away from pilfering him. Petrovic, 24, came into his own last season with 17 points in 66 games to go with a solid plus-17 rating, and according to a source he was coveted by nearly every team in the NHL.
Instead of moving him, the Panthers chose to deal Gudbranson, who's not considered as mobile a skater as Petrovic.
In the Gudbranson trade, the Panthers received an extra draft pick and saved $2.5 million. Last June the Panthers shed $4 million by dealing retired forward Marc Savard to the Devils for a 2018 second-round pick. Both moves helped the Panthers sign defenseman Keith Yandle and Jason Demers to multi-year deals over the summer.
The Panthers still have several young prospects that could make this year's 23-man roster, including forwards Kyle Rau, Jayce Hawryluk and Dryden Hunt.
