The Florida Panthers have been the most active team in
the NHL since the trade deadline last year and that continued today with a
potentially significant trade with the Vancouver Canucks. Florida deal forward David Booth, center
Steve Reinprecht and a 2013 third round pick to the Canucks for forwards Mikael
Samuelsson and Marco Sturm.
The new-look Panthers have been solid to start the
season which makes the selling low of former cornerstone Booth even more
surprising. Booth has yet to fully
return to the promising form he had before suffering a major concussion in
October 2009 when Mike Richards hit him in the head. However, in Florida Booth was counted on to
play on the top line with inferior talent around him, which certainly wont be
the case in Vancouver where he will likely play with Ryan Kesler on the second
line.
A team like Florida that clearly is not a contender
dealing for aging veterans like Samuelsson and Strum makes it even more
puzzling of a move. Vancouver appears to
be a clear winner on the surface of this deal unless Booth never returns to
form, which would make the four-year, $18 mil left on his contract a gamble to
take on.
