Keith Yandle cut a deal with the Florida Panthers. Brian Campbell, it appears, will not. So given the opportunity to acquire a possible replacement for a mobile defenseman, the Panthers made a smart move.
Had Yandle decided south Florida wasn't to his liking, the Panthers would have lose next to nothing in a trade that sent draft picks to the Rangers. Now that he has, the price for Yandle will stand at a sixth-round pick on Saturday and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2017.
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Just what the Rangers have in mind with Monday's trade is something to consider. Essentially, they get nothing of immediate value for an offensive defenseman. Few sixth-round picks lace up skates for their team in their draft season. Most never do.
The best they get out of this trade is cap space and a place for a younger defenseman.
"We went after [Yandle] because we like the way he plays the game," Panthers GM Tom Rowe said. "We feel with the forwards we have up front he complements our offensive attack. It's no secret he averages 50 points a season; we felt he was a real good fit."
Yandle was a pending unrestricted free agent, so the onus was on the Panthers to get him signed before July 1's market opens. Better still, by Saturday. Rowe sounded sure a contract would be reached.
"We wouldn't have made the trade if we weren't confident that we could come to a conclusion and get him into our system," he said.
Yandle had 47 points last season and got to 50 three times. He can help push a team that focuses on the attack. And the Panthers need help on the power play, which Yandle can provide from the point.
Yandle's handlers and Panthers brass spent a second day talking on Wednesday. Thursday came word of an agreement: seven years at $44.45 million.
"We're thrilled," Panthers co-owner Doug Cifu told The Miami Herald. "This shows that top players want to win in Florida. Keith wants to win the Stanley Cup in Florida. That's why we were his top priority and vice versa."
Because of the trade, the Panthers had first shot at negotiating with Camp Yandle — all teams get to talk for pending free agents after the draft.MORE: Leafs upgrade in goal | Vincent Lecavalier retires
Offense was Campbell's forte as well, but Campbell just turned 37. Given their difference in ages alone, Yandle is a better option for the Panthers. He turns 30 before the 2016-17 season.
Call it massive, but a long-term deal works in the Panthers' favor.
Having traded Erik Gudbradson in May, the Panthers might not be finished in restocking their defense. Not that they'll find replenishment in the free-agent market. On top of that, aged Willie Mitchell is headed for the free-agent market as well.
The Rangers? Moving Yandle was the least painful remedy. He fit coach Alain Vigneault's needs but cost the Rangers top prospect Anthony Duclair, NHL defenseman John Moore, along with first- and second-round picks in a May 2015 trade with the Coyotes. And the Rangers have a ready replacement in Brady Skeji, who at 22 is cheap, full of potential and (did we mention) cheap.
Think salary cap space, because the Rangers needed it and got it by trading Yandle.