SUNRISE, Fla. – The future is now for the Florida Panthers.
In anticipation of their fifth playoff appearance in franchise history, the Panthers made a slew of moves to bolster their present roster while not mortgaging their promising future, acquiring three veteran players in three separate trades this afternoon.
A seismic Saturday of wheeling and dealing began when the Panthers acquired forward Jiri Hudler from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick and a 2018 fourth-round pick. Not long after that, the organization made two more shrewd moves, sending a 2016 third-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers for forward Teddy Purcell and a 2016 sixth-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Jakub Kindl.