A major offseason trade may already be backfiring on a Canadiens rival
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A Montreal Canadiens division rival may already be regretting a major move made earlier this offseason.
The Florida Panthers could already be second-guessing their acquisition of Jacob Markstrom following the latest news out of Winnipeg involving star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.Earlier this summer, Florida chose not to retain 37-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky, who instead signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for $7 million per season.
To replace him, Bill Zito turned to 36-year-old Jacob Markstrom, acquiring him from the New Jersey Devils in a trade. In other words, the Panthers replaced Bobrovsky with a goalie who is only slightly younger.
With Connor Hellebuyck now available, and still playing at an elite level, the logic behind that replacement is being questioned.
Florida’s lack of state income tax could also have made the Panthers more appealing to Hellebuyck than several other markets.
He may have been disappointed to hear about the Markstrom trade as well.
Connor Hellebuyck landing outside Florida would benefit the Canadiens in the Atlantic Division
That kind of scenario would have given the Florida Panthers one of the best goaltenders in the league on top of a roster that is already loaded up front and on the blue line.
That would have been dangerous. And for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens, seeing the Panthers turn to a veteran like Markstrom instead is certainly welcome news.
Some attention is now shifting toward the New Jersey Devils, who just traded Markstrom and could become a logical destination for Hellebuyck.
The Buffalo Sabres are another team whose name keeps coming up in the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes.
For Montreal Canadiens fans, seeing Hellebuyck avoid Florida remains good news considering the significance of that divisional rivalry.
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A major offseason trade may already be backfiring on a Canadiens rival
Would the New Jersey Devils be a good destination for Connor Hellebuyck?