Days after acquiring Jiri Hudler, Teddy Purcell, and Jakub Kindl in a series of trades, the Panthers said goodbye to Brandon Pirri.
The high volume shooting forward, and former 20 goal scorer was sent to the Anaheim Ducks for the very modest sum of a 6th round pick in 2016. Its less than what the perceived public value was, and that is disappointing for a few folks out there. This especially after fans fell in love with Pirri and his Cy Young statline last season. I will admit that I am a little disappointed, as I valued Pirri’s ability to generate shots individually.
However, it is important to note there are a few mitigating factors for the Panthers here:
- Pirri is currently recovering from an ankle injury. Those are tricky injuries to have. Damaged goods = more risk = lower value
- There are some suggestions floating around that Pirri wanted out. If this is true, thay may have effected the leverage the Panthers had
- The Panthers were right at the 50 contract limit. You always want to give yourself wiggle room in case something comes up, so that put the team in a tough spot
In summary, we’re talking about an injured player, who potentially does not want to be here, with the team up against the contract limit. It seems, thinking about the situation from that angle, that the Panthers may not have had much to work with from the start. Perhaps the rumors of mid-round picks were just that, rumors.
The Panthers end up recouping the 6th they lost in the Jakub Kindl trade. They basically swapped a talented mid-range forward for a talented mid-range defenseman who is a few years older. I’m perfectly fine with that, all things considered. Balance was brought to the front by way of Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell, and balance was brought to the back end by Kindl.
Now, let us put trade season to rest, and get ready for the best season: the post-season.
