Growth Plan: Projecting the Florida Panthers’ safety checklist for the 2021 enlargement draft

Welcome to the Growth Plan, our summer time collection projecting the protected lists for the 30 NHL franchises who will take part within the June 2021 Growth Draft.
Over the subsequent two seasons, each crew – save the Vegas Golden Knights, who might be exempt – might be planning for the arrival of the NHL’s 32nd franchise and Seattle GM Ron Francis will start to think about the choices for his inaugural roster. As such, over the course of the subsequent 30 days, we are going to profile one crew, in alphabetical order, and forecast their potential checklist of protections and exposures, in addition to handle every crew’s enlargement technique, no-brainers, powerful selections and what classes they discovered from the 2017 enlargement course of.
This train requires some essential floor guidelines. The 2021 Growth Draft will observe the identical guidelines because the 2017 Growth Draft, however some assumptions are essential. These are the rules adopted:
No pre-draft trades
All no-movement clauses are honored
Gamers who will turn into restricted free brokers in 2020 or 2021 stay with present groups
Gamers who will turn into unrestricted free brokers in 2020 or 2021 both stay with present groups or are left off lists fully (eg. Nicklas Backstrom protected by the Washington Capitals, Tyson Barrie not protected by Toronto Maple Leafs or another crew.)
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There is no such thing as a crew that erred as badly because the Florida Panthers on the final enlargement draft, and with all due respect to GM Dale Tallon, his selections forward of the Vegas choice course of ought to present GMs with the blueprint for what to not do with the Seattle enlargement on the horizon.
What made Tallon’s choice so poor? Nicely, as a substitute of holding seven forwards and three defensemen, he went the four-and-four route, defending defenders Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Alex Petrovic and Mark Pysyk in addition to forwards Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad. There’s not a lot to bristle about in terms of the ahead group, however the defensemen…yikes. Sure, Yandle and Ekblad are top-four defensemen, however Petrovic has since been moved alongside and doesn’t but have a contract for subsequent season whereas Pysyk is a fourth – and even fifth – defenseman.
What makes it worse is that Florida then traded Reilly Smith and a fourth-round decide to Vegas to be able to get the Golden Knights to pick out Jonathan Marchessault. Collectively, Smith and Marchessault have fashioned two-thirds of considered one of Vegas’ prime traces and helped energy the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup closing in 2017-18.
Assuming Tallon remains to be round in Florida come the Seattle enlargement draft, he’s going to get an opportunity to point out what he’s discovered from his earlier gaffe.
PROTECTED (7F, 3D, 1G):
Forwards:
Jonathan Huberdeau (NMC)
Aleksander Barkov
Vincent Trocheck
Evgeni Dadonov
Noel Acciari
Henrik Borgstrom
Denis Malgin
Defensemen:
Keith Yandle (NMC)
Aaron Ekblad
Michael Matheson
Goaltenders:
NOTABLE EXPOSURES: Brett Connolly, Frank Vatrano, Anton Stralman, Sam Montembeault
STRATEGY: The Panthers should defend Huberdeau, Barkov and Trocheck, and that has nothing in any respect to do with Huberdeau’s no-movement clause. These are the faces of the franchise and the offensive drivers. And after that, it turns into about holding items of the offense intact. Dadonov has been wonderful since his return to the NHL, Borgstrom has critical upside and Malgin has extra to provide. Defensively, the safety appears to be like a lot the identical, however this time with Matheson protected and a restrict of three. Bobrovsky’s NMC means he stays.
The Cats will profit from two issues heading into the subsequent spherical of enlargement, too. First, notable prospects Grigori Denisenko, Owen Tippett and Aleksi Heponiemi received’t be eligible. And second, the core is all locked up by the draft at affordable costs, which leaves cash to re-sign Dadonov. Then, if cash must be shed, a call will be made concerning Matheson, who practically $5-million per season for the foreseeable future. Likelihood is he’s a lock to remain and others – Connolly, Stralman, Vatrano – might be out there as methods for Florida to doubtlessly shed wage.
THE NO BRAINER: Sufficient has been stated about holding Huberdeau, Barkov and Trocheck on the town, so let’s make a remark right here about utilizing one of many protections on Borgstrom. He break up his season between the AHL and the NHL final season and he appears to be like primed to take a big step ahead subsequent season. If he develops the best way most count on, he may very well be a top-six fixture in two seasons’ time.
THE TOUGH DECISION: Connolly has upside and loads of it, however ultimately, one thing goes to have to provide, notably if Dadonov is re-signed. And even when Connolly is a constant 20-goal participant, does it not make sense to unencumber some cap dollars by shedding his $three.5-million contract? There could also be a younger participant who can fill his position by the point Seattle is able to step into the league.
LESSON LEARNED: Is there any means Tallon makes a pre-draft commerce to guard a participant? He can’t, can he? After the best way that went final time, he has to take his possibilities with whoever he exposes, lest he stroll into one other state of affairs the place his try to steer the enlargement franchise a technique or one other blows up in his face.
Up Subsequent: Los Angeles Kings
Earlier: Anaheim Geese | Arizona Coyotes | Boston Bruins | Buffalo Sabres | Calgary Flames | Carolina Hurricanes | Chicago Blackhawks | Colorado Avalanche | Columbus Blue Jackets | Dallas Stars | Detroit Crimson Wings | Edmonton Oilers
(All wage cap info by way of CapFriendly)
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Tags: enlargement, florida panthersConnect: Concerning the AuthorJared ClintonJared Clinton is a author and net editor with The Hockey Information. He is been with the crew since 2014. He was born, raised and resides in Winnipeg, the place he will be discovered lacking the web on out of doors rinks throughout city.