The Florida Panthers are a mere two points from the final NHL playoff spot in the East, currently held in the increasingly limp grasp of the desperate Boston Bruins.
Don't expect Panthers GM Dave Tallon to go crazy and start shipping out his plentiful NHL youth for a chance to secure that almost-within-reach postseason berth, though.
"We're not going to do anything silly and jeopardize our future," Tallon said Tuesday, per George Richards of The Miami Herald.
"It would have to make sense for us both short and long term. We're not going to Band-aid this. I'm confident in the young guys we have, the guys in our room that we're going to stay in the hunt. We'll see what happens."
Tallon and the Florida franchise are expected to be both buyers and sellers ahead of the NHL's March trade deadline.
They have indeed spoken to the Toronto Maple Leafs about star winger and baby-faced beer commercial actor, Phil Kessel, according to Richards - the starting point of either Nick Bjugstad or Aleksander Barkov is simply too rich.
Instead, Richards believes the best bet is to look for Tallon to do what he can to ship out any number of players from a group of aging, expensive vets including Tomas Fleischmann, Tomas Kopecky, Scottie Upshall and Sean Bergenheim and potentially add a winger who can score.
Berhengeim especially seems like a sure bet to find himself playing elsewhere in the not-too-distant future - heck, he's barely playing now, as Panthers coach Gerard Gallant has made him a healthy scratch in six of the last eight games after openly questioning his effort (Bergenheim's agent has reportedly requested a trade).
"There's been some interest, we'll see what happens," Tallon said. "I've said since Day 1, if you don't want to be a Panther, we'll accommodate you."
Fleischmann has improved his play of late and the team may not be actively shopping in the same manner as they were early in the season.
With a strong defense, a healthy situation in net and a plethora of young players ready to hit the ice at the professional level there's really no desperation for a deal from Florida unless the price or the piece is just right - this trade deadline is more about the future than the here and now for Tallon.
