Written by George Richards at MiamiHerald.com
The Panthers’ trade day party came a few days early.
With the NHL’s trade deadline set for Monday at 3, general manager Dale Tallon got things going during Saturday’s 3 o’clock hour by making three trades which came to light during the first period of what ended up becoming a 4-3 shootout loss to the host Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Panthers acquired veteran forwards Jiri Hudler (Calgary) and Teddy Purcell (Edmonton) for a handful of draft picks and also added shutdown defenseman Jakob Kindl from Detroit.
“We wanted a good puck-moving defenseman and felt we wanted three really good scoring lines,’’ Tallon said from South Florida not long after Florida’s loss to the Blue Jackets.
“We have three wonderful scoring lines and a fourth which is invigorated and able to play a very aggressive forechecking style. We have depth at all positions and this gives our coaches an opportunity for different looks.’’
Hudler and Purcell are expected to play alongside center Nick Bjugstad on Florida’s third line; Kindl could jump in on Florida’s third-defensive pairing.
“Those are players who I think will contribute down the road for us,’’ Bjugstad said. “We’ve never really made a push like this. These are players we all know. … We’re definitely excited to have them.’’
The Panthers have been in first place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division since Jan. 2, yet their hold has become precarious as Tampa Bay, Detroit and Boston close in.
Tallon said he was given the green light from owners Vinnie Viola and Doug Cifu to be aggressive on the trade front with the deals heating up Saturday morning.
The Purcell trade, which was leaked Saturday afternoon, didn’t become official until Florida’s game had concluded.
