Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said Tuesday he expects to be active heading toward the NHL Trade Deadline, as much to give some prospects NHL playing time as to help the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
"You know we have a lot of good young players in the minors that we'd like to get some action to after the deadline (March 2)," Tallon told the Sun-Sentinel. "It depends on what other teams are looking for and what they want to do and how it helps our chances not only this year but down the road."
Sean Bergenheim reportedly has requested a trade, and Tallon said he will try to accommodate him. The Sun-Sentinel also mentioned Scottie Upshall, Tomas Fleischmann and Tomas Kopecky as possibilities to be traded. The four forwards can become unrestricted free agents after this season.
The Panthers were four points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference before playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Tallon said he would not make a deal specifically for a playoff push.
"I don't foresee us doing anything silly to jeopardize our future," Tallon told the newspaper. "It is going to have to make sense for us short-term and long-term. We're not going to just Band-Aid it to see if we can make a run of it."
Tallon did not specifically address the possibility of acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel.
"We still have some holes to fill. We still have some kids that we're really happy and high on, still kids to sign that are in college and juniors," Tallon said. "So all the pieces aren't together yet. When we get to that point, then those assets will be valuable to get maybe the one guy that can put us over the top."
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