The Florida Panthers are ready to start dealing some of their veteran players. That's according to a report from the Ottawa Sun which indicates the new owners in Florida are prepared to make some moves less than a month after they took control of the franchise.
It seems awfully early to be waving the white flag considering the Panthers have played just nine games and are 3-6-0 to start 2013-14, but it's believed that several veterans (Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg, Brad Boyes, Tomas Fleischmann and others) are on the trading block.
New owners. New approach. Still, it's kind of odd we're seeing this kind of report so early in the season. The Panthers could easy rattle off some wins and be near the top of the table. However, it appears that hopes were pretty high entering the year after signing Tim Thomas. Thomas, and others, have failed to live up to expectations.
Would any of Florida's veterans fetch a decent return? Maybe, but it's doubtful too many teams want to shake up their roster quite yet. At least one player – Boyes – was a free agent all summer and went unsigned. Teams had a chance to go out and grab him without parting with an asset so it's pretty unlikely he'll bring back any sort of measurable return.
