Rumor: Panthers Are Trying To Trade Pending UFA Goalie

With the Panthers on the verge of losing Chris Driedger to the Kraken or free agency, they are now looking to trade him, according to TSN. It is a shame that they cannot keep him, as he is coming off a spectacular season that saw him have a .927 save percentage. However, due to Sergei Bobrovsky's unfortunate no-movement clause, they have no choice but to leave Driedger unprotected. That certainly is rough for the Panthers, as Driedger is the superior goalie at this stage. Thus, they want to receive assets for him instead of losing him for nothing.

There should be many teams interested in the 27-year-old goalie. His journey to the NHL may have been a long one, but he has shown that he now has the ability to be a starter in this league. He seems like an ideal candidate to be a part of a 1A-1B goalie tandem, too. His two seasons in Florida were quite impressive and there is no doubt that he can continue to perform well moving forward.

Any team that trades for him would have the chance to sign him to a deal before free agency starts, too. There should be many teams trying to acquire him because of this. One team to watch out for is the San Jose Sharks, as they need to add at least one goalie this off-season.