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What type of fit would the Panthers be: Tricky, but a little more sensible
The issue for the Florida Panthers will be salary-cap space when defenseman Aaron Ekblad returns to the lineup following a shoulder injury, and trying to get Kane to sign for the bargain price they would need him to sign for to fit under the cap.
Ekblad has been practicing and could return soon, and when he does, the team’s cap space will fall to under $1 million.
From a hockey standpoint, however, there could be a decent fit. For as good as the Panthers offense can be (and has been in the past), they have lost some scoring depth over the years and could use a little extra spark within their forward group.
Especially on the power play, where they rank 19th in the league.
As of Thursday, the Panthers only have five forwards on the roster with more than six points, as almost all of their offense has come from their top-five forwards. Florida might be the type of contender that puts him in a sheltered, power-play-driven role that hides his defensive shortcomings and allows him to focus entirely on what he does well—create plays and set up his teammates.
