It's fair to say, at this point, that the Florida Panthers are in the chase for a spot in the NHL postseason.
It's not fair to say, however, that they're close.
The Panthers, despite putting together a respectable first-half to the season and further, being a team and organization clearly on the rise, sit seven points behind the Bruins and Capitals for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Panthers GM Dave Tallon, while he's assuredly happy with the young product he's icing at the moment - a product that will get even younger once he jettisons a few older players ahead of the deadline or in the offseason - obviously doesn't consider it a finished product and is, per TSN Insider Bob McKenzie, seeking a trade to help his team with their playoff push.
"I get the feeling Dale Tallon, if he has the opportunity, would like to add something to help him in the race," McKenzie said on Montreal's TSN 690, according to NicholsOnHockey.com. "That they think they're that close to making the playoffs, and they've got a lot of young guys - a mix of young guys and veterans - and if Dale, I think, could add a guy that's going to help them compete for that playoff spot and try to knock somebody out of the box, then I think I could see the Florida Panthers maybe trying to do something between now and the deadline."
The Panthers have long been rumored to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline, with names like Tomas Fleischmann, Sean Bergenheim and Tomas Kopecky reportedly on the block.
But with the team improving greatly over the initial portion of the season, thanks to Aaron Eckblad and the Cats' youth movement, it seems Tallon may instead become a buyer.
"We're in a good position," Tallon said, on an episode of Sportsnet's Fan 590, NBC Sports reported. "I don't think we're going to change much, regardless of where we're at - we're still keeping an eye on the future as well - but we're in a good position where we can either add from within, or go out and get somebody."