NHL Rumors: Florida Panthers to Shop Veteran Defenseman

The Florida Panthers have been extremely disappointing this season, as they currently do not hold a playoff spot. If they are unable to heat up as the year progresses, they will likely be sellers at the trade deadline, and Marc Staal will be a prime rental candidate because of it.

Staal should get a good amount of attention if made available, as he has a $750,000 cap hit and an immense amount of NHL experience. As a result, contenders should certainly be open to the idea of adding him as either a bottom-pairing defenseman or even an extra Defenseman. Injuries occur more often as a year continues, so Staal could be a very good addition for a number of different playoff teams.

It will be intriguing to see if the Panthers do in fact trade Staal at the deadline. When looking at how their year has been trending, this seems to be becoming more and more likely as the days continue to pass.