Stanley Cup winning defenseman on hot seat next season

The 28 year old defenseman who holds a cap hit a $7.5 million next season is on the final year of his contract. It was noted during the season that he only played 51 games but his numbers declined sharply in the offensive zone as he only scored four goals with 14 assists for 18 points but was a + 27.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito who has just secured his job for the next number of seasons, will likely look to potentially trading Eckblad at the trade deadline. With the number of injuries he has sustained and the potential return that Zito could get is certainly enticing for the Panthers.

If Eckblad was made available numerous teams would be on the phone with Zito asking what would it take to acquire him. A trade would likely come at next year's trade deadline as he would seek to maximize his return.

This will all depend of course on how the Panthers do next season as they have lost several players from their Stanley Cup winning roster. It's possible the Panthers could take a small step back but that remains to be seen as head coach Paul Maurice and the team he has in front of him could still compete for a potential back-to-back cup.

Source : The Hockey News