With it being a near certainty that Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky will not be on the Columbus Blue Jackets next season - and likely traded this season - speculation has grown that the Florida Panthers may be interested in acquiring one or both players. A trade with Pittsburgh was seen as opening up future cap space to offer long term deals to those players.
Then, on Monday, New York Post writer Larry Brooks tweeted this:
Panthers interested in dealing for Bobrovsky as prelude to enticing him to sign what would be an 8-year extension.