Panthers To Scratch Keith Yandle Ending His 866 Game Ironman Streak

Keith Yandle has been one of the most effective offensive-defencemen in the NHL over his entire career. He currently holds the longest active ironman streak in the league with 866 consecutive games played. Additionally, his streak his the fourth longest in NHL history. This streak is now in jeopardy.

Yandle clearly takes pride in this ironman streak. He took a shot to the face in November of 2019 and returned to the game after losing several teeth. He's has been reliable and effective with the Florida Panthers, putting up impressive numbers year after year.

He has recently fallen out of favor with the Panthers and it's not performance related. At 34 he is still worth every penny of his $6.3 million cap hit. While there have been trade rumors involving Yandle, he holds the cards as he has a no-trade clause in his contract.

Joel Quenneville is reportedly planning on keeping Yandle out of the lineup for their season opener, which will effectively end the ironman streak. Jerry Buckley, Yandle's agent, claims that GM Bill Zito is attempting to make Yandle uncomfortable and waive his no-trade.

🚨🚨🚨Breaking News: #FlaPanthers Keith Yandle’s agent says Yandle isn’t being scratched due to performance. He says Yandle is being scratched to put pressure on him to waive his no trade clause. 👀 pic.twitter.com/1fsmyrEkAz
— Hockey Hound (@HockeyHoundShow) January 15, 2021