Rumblings of a one for one trade between the Panthers and Islanders.

One problem swapped for another.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Rumblings of a one for one trade between the Panthers and Islanders.
Scott Taetsch/CSM/Zuma

We have some interesting trade rumblings to report, one that could result in a relatively significant trade between the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers. 

Last month the Panthers made it crystal clear that they were not satisfied with the performance of veteran winger Brett Connolly when he was placed on waivers. The move was a gamble by the Panthers given that he had averaged over 20 goals a season over the two previous seasons, but the Panthers believed that his cap hit and poor performance this season would see him clear the waiver process and he did. 

Earlier in the month the Islanders made a similar move when they placed veteran forward Leo Komarov on waivers. Like the move from the Panthers it would eventually see Komarov clear waivers but it was clear in this case that the Islanders were looking to move from the veteran, perhaps in the hopes of finding a more skilled forward to line up alongside Jean Gabriel Pageau.

Now it would seem that these two teams are looking to come together to solve their respective problems, or at the very least swap them, with The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reporting that there has been some chatter regarding these two teams discussing a potential swap of the aforementioned Komarov and Connolly. 

The trade on the surface would appear to make sense given how both teams appear ready to move on and given that they carry a similar cap hit, but according to Pagnotta it may not be similar enough. Komarov's cap hit of $3 million per season is already difficult for the Islanders to manage and even though Connolly, who has an extra year on his deal, counts against the cap for just a little more at $3.5 million, that may be enough to deter the Islanders from pulling the trigger. Pagnotta believes that the deal would require the Panthers to retain salary or take on another contract to even things out, but they thus far have been unwilling to do so.

There's one other factor that has to be mentioned here. Although actual cash owed is rarely a factor for most NHL teams looking to improve ahead of a playoff run, that may no longer be the case in the midst of a pandemic that is costing the NHL owners millions of dollars. Connolly is still owed $7 million on his current contract after this season while Komarov comes in at just $2 million in comparison beyond this season, potentially a massive difference for owners who are having a hard time of things right now.

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