The Florida Panthers Need To Trade For Erik Karlsson
You’re not going to want to hear this Florida Panther fans but your team isn’t a contender. Bill Zito blew the Matthew Tkachuk trade (despite the fact that I love him as a player). The Florida Panthers’ identity is gone after trading Jonathan Huberdeau. Go get Erik Karlsson before it’s too late.
A year ago, Florida won the President’s Trophy by scoring 4.1 goals per game. It was the most lethal offense in the league and Huberdeau was the magic elixir cashing in on a league high 85 assists. It’s not too soon to hit the panic button on the 2022-23 Panthers because we already know what’s happening. You traded Huberdeau and are now paying the consequences.
Tkachuk is awesome but you gave up too much. Through eight games, Florida is 4-3-1 coming off back to back losses to Chicago and Philadelphia. The offense is also way down now averaging just three goals a game. You lost your magic passer and it shows. The eyeball test doesn’t lie here either.
As currently constructed, the Florida Panthers have a zero percent chance to win the cup. It’s a two man team. Outside of Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, it’s not that great of a team. Aaron Ekblad is hurt again and their blue line is already thin. It’s heavy minutes city for guys like Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas. Not exactly the Harlem Globetrotters of defensemen.
There is only one way to fix this Panthers team and it starts by killing two birds with one stone. Your blue line sucks and your magic passer is gone. Erik Karlsson has entered the chat.
He makes way too much money but Karlsson is still a really good hockey player. Brent Burns is gone and Karlsson is putting on a show just about every night on a dreadful Sharks team. San Jose has three wins on the season and every single one of them is registered as a Karlsson game winner. That is somehow very true.
This is your opportunity Florida. You can make up for all of your sins. Sergei Bobrovsky is a trash goalie but his contract is $1.5 million per year less. AND the term is a year shorter. Pick up the phone and call San Jose. Figure out the details and make the swap work. Figure out whatever else you need to include to get the Sharks to retain some money.
A powerplay unit that has totally lost its magic can get a new quarterback. A playmaker that can open up the offense again. It’s a match made in heaven and I truly don’t know why it hasn’t happened yet. Better yet, this is your one chance to actually get rid of that bum Bobrovsky who we all know you’re not going to win anything with anyway.
Do I need to say more? Is Bill Zito even paying attention to the boys on the ice right now? You gashed them with a knife and they’re not the same. Pick up the phone and make it right before you get fired for malpractice.
