NHL trade deadline 2020 live updates: Panthers trade Trocheck. Are they done dealing?
The Florida Panthers have some decisions to make at the NHL trade deadline Monday. The Panthers, who sit two points out of the third and final wild card playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, could opt to add some help for a postseason push or shed some salary without sacrificing too much to submarine their hopes to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016. We will have live updates on Florida here all day heading into the 3 p.m. deadline:
2:35 p.m.
The Florida Panthers acquired defenseman Emil Djuse from the Dallas Stars for a sixth-round pick. The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks first reported the trade.
Djuse, 26, has played in 48 games for the Stars’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars. He has scored four goals and tallied 25 assists. His 29 points led Stars defensemen.
Djuse will report to the Panthers’ AHL affiliate Springfield (Mass.) Thunderbirds.
12:30 p.m.
The Panthers might not be done dealing Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, Florida is still trying to add a defenseman before the trade deadline, The Athletic reported.
The Panthers did add a defensive prospect in the trade sending center Vincent Trocheck to the Carolina Panthers, but Florida needs to upgrade its NHL roster now if it wants to solidify a playoff spot.
10:45 a.m.
The Panthers made the Vincent Trocheck trade official.
Florida general manager Dale Tallon on the move, per a team release: “Today we acquired players with depth, versatility, and playoff experience. Haula and Wallmark give us more depth in the forward line and more options for our coaches as we continue our quest to make the playoffs this season.
“It’s always a tough decision to part with one of our core young men. Vincent is a quality person and we thank him for his excellent work ethic and play and passion for the game,” Tallon said. “This deal helps us in the present and in the future as we strengthen our depth chart.”
10:21 a.m.
NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes is reporting that the Carolina Hurricanes have traded for Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers are receiving Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark and two prospects in return, according to Weekes.
Haula, a winger in his seventh NHL season, has scored 85 goals and tallied 88 assists over 398 games. This season, he has 12 goals and 10 assists in 41 games.
Wallmark, a forward in his fourth NHL season, has recorded 54 career points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 160 games.
Haula is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Wallmark is a restricted free agent.
Elliotte Friedman reported that the prospects the Panthers will acquire are defenseman Chase Priskie, a Pembroke Pines native, and forward Eetu Luostarinen.
9:24 a.m.
Vincent Trocheck is a rumored target for the Carolina Hurricanes. The 26-year-old center has some value, so the Hurricanes will need to provide some value to pry him out of South Florida.
Trocheck is locked up until the summer of 2022, so there’s no need to rush to part with him.
8:30 a.m.
February has not been kind to the Panthers and now they find themselves in a situation where they might actually be sellers ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline. Florida has lost 9 of 13 since the NHL All-Star Game, leaving it on the outside looking in of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Mike Hoffman has been the most talked about name for the Panthers to potentially move. The winger is a free agent after this season and Florida desperately needs help on defense, both short- and long-term. Hoffman, who is second on the team with 24 goals, is valuable to this current team and off the books after this year, so trading the 30-year-old would have to bring a defenseman back to Sunrise, in some capacity. Winger Evgenii Dadonov, who leads the team with 25 goals, could also be an option as he’ll be a free agent this offseason.
Teams have also inquired about Vincent Trocheck, Sportsnet reported Tuesday. The center has had a disappointing season for the Panthers with just 10 goals, 26 assists and a plus-minus of negative-3. The 26-year-old is young, on a team-friendly deal and locked up for two more seasons, which means the Florida doesn’t want to give up on him for nothing. Still, trading Trocheck might be a way to add some help on defense.
The Panthers already made one move in the week leading up to the deadline, trading forward Denis Malgin to the Maple Leafs for left winger Mason Marchment on Wednesday. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft and was unhappy with his limited role for Florida.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 8:30 AM.
