Last season, the Florida Panthers finished a pitiful 28th in a league of 30 teams. Newly-hired Florida Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon promised to revamp the struggling franchise and began doing so on Tuesday, when he finalized his first major deal since accepting the position in May.
The Panthers sent forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell to the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenceman Dennis Wideman and the 15th selection in the National Hockey League Entry Draft being held on Friday. In addition to this, Florida will receive the Bruins’ third-round pick in 2011.
After this deal the Bruins have a total of seven picks in the upcoming draft, including the second overall choice. Florida now has a very promising assortment of selections. They have the third overall pick, and two of the top 15 picks. Additionally, the Panthers have five picks in the top 50 and seven picks in the top 93.
If Tallon wants to succeed as a GM and help the Panthers avoid missing the playoffs for an all-time NHL record of 10 straight seasons, the draft is his main objective. Florida has an assortment of high-ranking picks and Tallon needs to recruit some young talent to revitalize the franchise. Many dominant teams in the NHL, such as the San Jose Sharks, rely heavily on their drafting and development. To compete with elite teams, Tallon needs to give Florida the ability to do the same.
Tallon has previous successes in this philosophy, and was the main builder of the current Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks roster. Tallon was the one responsible for the acquisitions of star youth player Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Tallon seems off to a proper start and said the main motivation for the trade was "getting the first-round pick and finding the right match.” He added: “Sometimes you end up with a defenceman instead of a forward. The important thing to us was getting the first-round pick and getting a third-round pick to add to what we want to do in the long run, build through the draft. There were several partners and scenarios, but this one made the most sense."
Apparently Tallon even went as far as attempting to obtain the No. 2 pick from the Bruins, but Boston steadfastly refused to give up its high position in the draft.
Horton is extremely satisfied with the trade, and requested a transfer after six disappointing teams with the Sunrise, Florida franchise. Although Horton didn't give Tallon a list of teams he wished to go to, he has been quoted as saying the move to an Original Six team is “a dream come true.” Horton was so thrilled with the trade that he even later thanked Tallon.
When asked to comment on his trade, Horton said: "Not to say anything bad about the (Panthers') organization, but I have had five coaches since I have been there and to come to a stable, historic organization … there is such a history with great players like Johnny Bucyk, Willie O'Ree, Phil Esposito, Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, Gerry Cheevers, and of course, my agent, Bobby Orr. Pretty much I'm just excited. I'm going to give it all I got. I think it'll be good. I'm just trying to move forward, look ahead and I'm just very excited to be a Boston Bruin."
This trade gives the Panthers the ability to overhaul their roster and rebuild their team. It also gives Boston the ability to break out of its stagnant offensive production. The Bruins finished last in the NHL, scoring with a paltry 196 goals. Although Horton has not lived up to expectations yet, he has consistently been a 20 goal scorer and could thrive on Boston’s right wing.
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