Let's look at a potential trade between the Panthers and the Flyers
PUBLICATION
Wilson SalaunMarch 6, 2022 (4:41 PM)
There is certainly something going on between the Panthers and the Flyers. The Panthers sent multiple scouts at Philadelphia's game. GM Chuck Fletcher, special assistant to the GM Daniel Brière and senior advisors Bill Barber and Dean Lombardi were in attendance for the game between the Charlotte Checkers (Panthers' AHL affiliate team) and Lehigh Valley.
Yesterday, on Hockey Night in Canada, Jeff Marek confirmed previous reports that the Flyers were there to look at forward Owen Tippett.
On the other hand, the Panthers seem to be really into Claude Giroux, so there's a fit to be made between those two teams. Furthermore, Florida is also on of the teams (along with Carolina) that has the more to offer in a potential Giroux trade.
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So, without a further ado, let's look at what a trade between the Flyers and the Panthers could look like.
First, the Panthers will have 4.5M$ available under the cap at the trade deadline. With Giroux making 8.2M$, we could imagine that the Flyers will retain 50% of the salary.
We also know that the Flyers are looking for a 1st round draft pick, a prospect and a young NHLer. Owen Tippett can be considered as the "young" NHLer in the trade so let's keep him. Let's also add a first rounder in 2023 (the Panthers don't have their 1st this year).
Tippett is a former 10th overall pick. At 23 years old, he hasn't been used much while in the NHL (11:56 average time on ice) so his 33 points in 94 games can be misleading. He is producing at a very high rate in the AHL with 10 points in 8 games. With more time on ice in the NHL, his offense could really explode.
So who's the prospect? The Flyers need some young defensemen, and if I had to guess, they'll look at a right hander. And the Panthers have something that could interest Fletcher: Michael Benning, from the University of Denver.
He was a 4th round pick in 2020, and is tearing up the NCAA this year. He has 29 points in 34 games. On Elite Prospects, he is described as follow:
"Benning understands how to create space for others through deception and manipulation. He transforms fake-passes and fake-shots into dangles, and fake-shots into passes. Benning shows good mechanics in his slap-shot, firing it hard and with precision. The way he transfers weight bottom-up through his shot is just so refined for a player at this age."
Let's resume: the Flyers could trade Claude Giroux (50% salary retained) for a 1st round pick in 2023, forward Owen Tippett and prospect Michael Benning.
What do you think?
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