Why the Panthers may be willing to take on DeAngelo

The Florida Panthers just took a huge loss to their Stanley Cup Playoff hopes with the loss of Aaron Ekblad for 12 weeks following surgery.   It may be an opportunity for the New York Rangers to find a taker for Tony DeAngelo.

The nature of Ekblad’s injury was described as a fracture in his lower extremities.   He underwent surgery on Monday and with the recovery expected to take 12 weeks, it means that he won’t be available to the Panthers until late June at the earliest.

Although finding a take for DeAngelo was thought to be impossible until now, the Florida Panthers are a real possible landing spot for the exiled Ranger.  Here’s why it makes sense.

Ekblad’s role

Aaron Ekblad is the top right shot defenseman on the Panthers.  Teamed with MacKenzie Weegar, duo has become one of the top pairings in the NHL this season.    Ekblad has 11 goals and 11 assists and he leads the Panthersin ice time with 878 minutes, averaging over 25 minutes per game.  His six power play goals are second on the team and with Keith Yandle, the Panthers have the seventh best power play in the league.

No other righthanded defenseman  on the team has the offensive capabilities of Ekblad and they need to replace him.

The Panthers season

The Panthers haven’t won a playoff series since 1996.  They’ve been an annual disappointment, making the playoffs four times in the last 23 years.  This season, they are in third place in the Central Division, just two points out of first place.  With a 14 point cushion, it looks the playoffs are a certainty so they need to make moves that will get them past the first round.

It’s been a long time coming for the Panthers and the loss of Ekblad is a huge blow to their playoff hopes and there aren’t that many impact righthanded defensemen out there. According to TSN the top rightshot defensemen on the Trade Bait List include David Savard of Columbus and Brandon Montour and Colin Miller of Buffalo.   The Tony DeAngelo of last season is better than any of them.

Salary issues

The Panthers are in decent cap shape with an estimated $14 million in deadline cap space.  Their $78 million cap hit gives them enough money to take on DeAngelo’s $4.8 million salary.  The Rangers could also retain some of DeAngelo’s salary.  Right now, the assumption is that they will buy him out after the season and that will cost the team $1.3 million over the next two seasons.  They could pick up a million of his salary next season, save money towards their cap hit and get something back in return.

John Davidson‘s history with Bill Zito

John Davidson hired current Panthers General Manager Bill Zito in 2013 when he ran the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The two men have a history and if Davidson believes that DeAngelo has a future in the NHL, he will be able to tell Zito that.  Zito was formerly a prominent player agent so he knows how to deal with players and he may be willing to give DeAngelo a chance.

Panthers’ coach Joel Quenneville is also a proven winner and is well known as a players’ coach.  He has the experience to deal with a player like DeAngelo.

Could it happen?

There’s no way of knowing how toxic Tony DeAngelo is to other NHL teams.  The NHL rumor mill has noted that some teams have been interested in him, but aren’t willing to make a realistic offer.  It’s a problem that he hasn’t played an NHL game in almost two months.

Between COVID protocols and lack of practice, it could take too long for him to get in game shape, but if they are looking him as a playoff addition, the timing works.

One thing is certain, the return won’t be great, probably a mid-level draft pick.   Another option would be if the two teams made a bigger deal.  Could the Rangers pry center Eetu Luostarinen away from Florida if they sweetened the pot with a defense prospect?   Is there a deal to be made for Finnish center Anton Lundell if the Rangers were willing to trade one of their top prospects?

You can be sure that Jeff Gorton has been kicking the tires on a deal.  The Ekblad injury makes for some intriguing possibilities.