The Florida Panthers have parted ways with Mike Matheson, trading him along with Colton Sceviour to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Patric Hornqvist.
Both the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to make some big changes to their rosters this offseason. They both lost in the play-in round of the postseason. The two teams have officially completed a huge trade that will send Colton Sceviour and Mike Matheson to the Penguins, and Patric Hornqvist to the Panthers.
This trade was first reported a few days ago by Kevin Weeks. There was a delay in the trade because the Penguins reportedly couldn’t get a hold on Hornqvist so he could waive his no-trade clause. But apparently they have done so.
Let’s take a look at this odd trade from both sides and grade how each team did.
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FLORIDA PANTHERS
For the Panthers, this is a pretty solid trade. Getting rid of Matheson is something the team had to do. Naturally, they had a lot of trouble trying to trade him. Matheson is coming off an awful postseason and he wasn’t even that great during the regular season.
Though it’s not ideal to get back someone as old as Hornqvist, when he’s on the ice, he is still a very useful player. This should help the Panthers replace Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadonov, as both are expected to leave via free agency.
Hornqvist is a player who makes his living around the crease. He’s one of the best net-front presences in the NHL and he still has enough skill left to be able to be useful elsewhere. Hornqvist is also a very good pest, as he’s quite effective at drawing penalties. It’s fair to ask how long he will remain an effective player, though.
Hornqvist has three years left on his deal while Matheson has six years. Though Hornqvist is slightly more expensive, I’d wager he’s a better player than Matheson. Sceviour is a unique fourth line forward, in that he drives offense more than defense.
Grade: B-. Again, I don’t like taking on Hornqvist’s contract. Especially with his injury history. But if that’s what it took to get rid of Matheson, so be it.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
I’ll be honest. I don’t get this trade for the Penguins. Why would they trade Hornqvist for Matheson? Now, I understand trading Hornqvist. He’s declining and he’s getting older. The Penguins want to get younger. But they also want to get better and I don’t see how Matheson makes the team much better.
Matheson is a capable defenseman, but the Penguins are now dedicating a bit too much money to their blueline. Specifically, their third pairing. Matheson will likely join Jack Johnson on the third pairing. In a salary cap league, spending $8.125 million of cap space on your third pairing simply isn’t going to cut it.
The Penguins could move on from Johnson, but they’ve reportedly been trying to do that for over a year. Remember, he was almost dealt to the Minnesota Wild last summer, but Phil Kessel (who was also in the trade) rejected it. But right now, the Penguins have six NHL-caliber left-handed defensemen. Something’s got to give.
As far as Sceviour, the Penguins fourth line is already pretty well set. Maybe this means Brandon Tanev gets a promotion to the third line? Sceviour has a $1.2 million cap hit and will be a free agent after the 2020-21 season.
GRADE: D+. Probably being generous here. Trading Hornqvist, in a vacuum, makes sense. But trading him for a mediocre left-handed defenseman and a fourth line forward makes no sense at all.