Panthers sit A.J. Greer against Blue Jackets ahead of NHL Trade Deadline
The Florida Panthers will be sitting forward A.J. Greer for Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6th.
Greer isn't playing tonight for Florida. Bobrovsky isn't starting.
In addition to Greer’s scratching, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will not be starting for the Panthers on Thursday. However, he won’t be officially out of the lineup, as he will be backing up Daniil Tarasov.
The moves come in the wake of Friday’s Trade Deadline, as both players are pending unrestricted free agents and generating some interest on the trade market, so the Panthers would like to ensure both players are healthy in the event they make a deal.
The Panthers were expected to be Stanley Cup contenders entering the season, considering they had won the last two championships. But injuries to key players, particularly Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, and goaltending struggles have led Florida to be second-last in the Eastern Conference with a 30-28-3 record entering Thursday’s game. That record places them 10 points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot in the East, and the Panthers have played one extra game.
Greer is in the final year of a two-year contract with an $850,000 cap hit, which makes him an obvious trade candidate for the Panthers to move. The 29 year old has scored a career-best 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 61 games this season.
Bobrovsky is also in the final year of his seven-year contract with a $10 million cap hit, although considering how vital he’s been to Panthers’ recent postseason success, it’s just as likely that they keep him around and look to re-sign him. The 37 year old has struggled this season, with a 22-19-1 record, an .873 save percentage, three shutouts and -11.95 5v5 goals saved above expected in 43 games, the latter stat being the second-worst mark in the league, so Florida would be selling somewhat low on the netminder.