New Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito delivered an impressive opening salvo to his tenure by sending disappointing 26-year-old defenseman Mike Matheson, and his onerous contract, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for veteran forward Patric Hornqvist.
After a day-plus delay since the trade rumors originally broke, the Panthers included forward Colton Sceviour and the deal is now, finally, official.
The 33-year-old Hornqvist, who waived his no-trade clause to head south, has three years left to go on his current deal, which carries a $5.3 million cap hit. Matheson, who was removed from the lineup after two dreadful qualifying round games against the New York Islanders, has an unpalatable six years remaining on his contract that comes with a $4.